How Svartsot Defy Folk/Viking Metal Conventions

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

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

Impeccably produced, the album opens with 'Gravøllet' which commences with a formidable drum pattern that becomes sustained by a bass - already dictating a strong rhythmic section. The guitars are

essentially an interesting cross between melodic death and Viking metal. Melodic death metal ties in surprisingly well with folk metal as evidenced by Hollenthon and to a less impressive extent Eluveitie, but even these folk/melodic death bands do not fuse the sounds of these genres together in riffs. Svartsot have managed it successfully, even blending in the typical Viking metal punch into their guitar melodies. What is highly noticeable about Ravenes Saga compared to most Viking metal releases is the absence of black metal, cleverly substituted by melodic death metal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

----------------

[1] Lord of Metal interview, 2007 - the band's name is discussed.

[2] Svartsot.dk, 17/12/2008

Lyrical Analysis: Testament - The Eagle Has Landed

Testament looking anything from apprehensive to mournful.

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

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

Here are the lyrics presented in their entirety:

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

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

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

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

The analysis is as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

de·con·struct

(dē'kən-strŭkt') Pronunciation Key tr.v. de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs To break down into components; dismantle. To write about or analyze [sic] (a literary text, for example), following the tenets of deconstruction.

Obviously Testament are referring to the first definition. As stated earlier, New York's skyline was not completely destroyed - only two buildings were removed. Neither was the skyline broken into smaller components. Removal does not equate to dismantling. 'Deconstructed' is employed in a haphazard manner here too (the foreigner's unnecessary super vocabulary usage comes to mind again). Further confusion of the English language is present in the sudden change of tense. 'Split' is simple perfect tense but the same line has the verb phrase 'has been' which, although perfect, is actually the present perfect tense. The lyric should read either: "As the building split, the skyline was deconstructed" or "As the building has split, the skyline has been deconstructed," and that is without reformatting the vocabulary, still rendering it clumsy. It has to be stated though, the way Testament include the deconstructed skyline at the bottom of their album cover is truly admirable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are already forgiven, Joakim.

----------

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

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

[3] or Sabaton's Joakim Broden.

Agallochganic - How Agalloch Usurped the Metal World

Agalloch are impressing metallers on an international scale.

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

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

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

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



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


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


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


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


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


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

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

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

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


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

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Black Metal

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

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

Darkthrone

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

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

Shining

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

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

Enslaved

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[6] Some examples:

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

...of 2008

As the year comes to a close, I find it fitting to do one of my own 'Best of 2008' style polls that so many are inclined to do. Unfortunately, due to no longer having all the time in the world, several key albums were completely ignored by me this year (the new Shining, Evergrey, Lifelover, Origin, the debut Jeff Loomis, to name but a few). Other albums just didn't get a profound enough listen to provoke an opinion (the new Edguy) and I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the more obscure releases I listened to so this list is far from substantial but I feel I must pen something down before the close of the year. Naturally, only bands I enjoy (or enjoyed) have been nominated here.


Best Release of 2008:
Opeth ~ Watershed

2008 was a poor turnout in regards to high-quality metal albums. I cannot help but feel that Opeth win by default. Watershed was fairly outstanding, with the band pushing their own boundaries in terms of experimentation ('The Lotus Eater' especially). The opening number, 'Coil', featured a female vocalist in its brevity and it seems near suspicious that a band like Opeth have not employed a female guest singer in the past. However, I felt 'Derelict Herds', one of the bonus tracks, was probably the strongest song on the album. It was wild, convincingly heavy and more colourful than the other songs on the opus. Why this is not on the main body of the album seems like a mistake. Nonetheless, Watershed is an aggressive piece of progressive art, another step in the right direction for Opeth.

Honourable mentions: Unleashed ~ Hammer Battalion; Cynic ~ Traced in Air


Best Song of 2008
Opeth ~ 'Coil'

It is a gentle track, completely acoustic with female vocals. For Opeth, the song is incredibly concise and indeed leaves the listener begging for more but this track acts as a prelude to the remainder of the album. There is a folk feeling here, no doubt produced from the acoustic method utilized. The song is dense in atmosphere and sweetly sung by both Akerfeldt and the female vocalist, two voices that compliment each other in an unconventional way. It sounds pure and untainted but there is a sense of foreboding woven within.

Honourable mentions: Moonspell ~ 'Scorpion Flower'; Kampfar ~ 'Vansinn'


Best Cover Art of 2008
Amon Amarth ~ Twilight of the Thunder God

This is certainly the most striking image from cover art this year. I feel that most modern album arts seem to be some thoughtless and supposedly mature Photoshopped image which could have been produced by anyone with the program, or some 'minimalist' piece of forgettable art. I believe the cover art should be a visual representation of the music and Amon Amarth's Twilight of the Thunder God actually harvested some interesting musical techniques which saw the Swedes' melodic death metal progress, rather than stick to the same old tried and tested formula the band are more than comfortable with. The album art sticks out more than anything pictorial the band have released as part of their discography too. This picture of Thor battling Jormungand after he fished him up, lifted directly from Norse mythology, is nothing short of powerful, probably to underscore the potential power of the CD. The colours are bold and dark but the use of white is what makes it so tenacious to behold. The attention to detail makes the realism that much more compelling even though the average person knows such a tale could never be true. Some may complain about the image being over the top but when you're dealing with (melodic death) metal centred around Vikings...well, nothing more needs to be stated.

Honourable mentions: Asmegin ~ Arv; Darkthrone ~ Dark Thrones and Black Flags


Best Lyrics of 2008
Opeth ~ 'Coil'

Again, Opeth steal this victory by default because I have not really had the time to digest the lyrics of much else this year. Over the years, I feel Opeth's lyrics are denaturing in quality. Most of the lyrics on Watershed seem banal for a band such as Opeth but the lyrics belonging to 'Coil' stick out, probably because its too short to be ruined by slap-dash work. I suppose this is a biased call again because the lyrics remind me of far too many personal situations and make me nostalgic. They seem somewhat arcane (who is the man and who is the woman), completely clouded by mystery. It seems vaguely stylish the way the words of the man are mirrored for the woman's use. Above all, the lyrics corroborate the mood of the music. Well chosen stuff.


Best Newcomer of 2008
The Rotted ~ Get Dead or Die Trying

I cannot think of many outstanding bands that made their debut this year (I know there is Trinacria but frustratingly I cannot get my hands on their album at all). Alas, I am cheating by putting The Rotted as best newcomer, seeing as they changed their name from Gorerotted but nonetheless, their 'debut' album Get Dead or Die Trying is a great slab of death metal. The presence of punk-sourced riffs is prevalent throughout the entire release, making it gritty and raw compared to straightforward death metal or even most standard grindcore acts. The catchy nature of Gorerotted remains, which marks songs like 'Kissing You With My Fists' and 'Angel of Meth' more memorable. Songs like 'The Howling' and 'The Body Tree' are unexpectedly aggressive and literally smack the listener in the face. This album is far more commendable than Gorerotted's final album A New Dawn for the Dead and should be picked up by anyone who thought Gorerotted were, at the least, amusing. The tongue-in-cheek element of Gorerotted has been severely eroded in The Rotted but Get Dead or Die Trying seems more so than A New Dawn for the Dead.

Honourable mention: Warrel Dane ~ Praises to the War Machine


Best Live Show of 2008
Queensryche, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, 15th June

Usually, I take my camera to every live show I attend, however, this abnormal hike to Leeds to catch Queensryche live forced me to forget it. Of course I would pay for it, this being the best gig of the year! There was no support act and the band proceeded to perform both of their Operation Mindcrime albums back to back. The albums were acted out so it was more akin to watching a musical than the average metal spectacle. I was completely blown away. Geoff Tate's voice was on top form, despite circulating comments about how poor it is these days. The costume design, the stage design, the acting ~ it was all superlatively executed, culminating in a compelling watch. The only way it could have been improved was if Dio himself was there to perform his guest vocals (and the backing vocals were distributed more effectively). The encore was composed exclusively of Empire tracks, that being my favourite Queensryche album and one of my favourite releases of all time. This was the first time I had caught Queensryche live (various impediments obstructed me in the past) and it was mind-blowing. I had to see them in Leeds because the London show clashed with Hellfest and there was no way I was missing Queensryche this time. There was the option to pay an extra £30 or so to obtain the VIP package, which gave you a few Queensryche stickers, earlier access into the venue by fifteen minutes and an opportunity to meet the band. I had no interest in any of this but the thought of the VIP purchasers getting right at the front and taking up all the best positions was frustrating. However, being up North, there were barely any VIPers and they spent their extra fifteen minutes at the bar or cloakroom, it seemed. The front row was entirely void of life when I got in there. It certainly would have been a different story in crowded London, not to mention the stage would have been larger and less intimate. Great stuff.

Honourable mentions: Helheim, Purple Turtle, London, 10th March; Sabaton, Purple Turtle, London, 5th December


Best Festival of 2008
Hellfest Open Air 2008, Clisson, 20th ~ 22nd June

The 2007 edition of Hellfest was a total disaster in terms of organisation and general appeasement of the audience and bands. With clashes, poor toilet (even for festival standards)and camping services on top of the uncontrollable weather conditions, many a fan and band swore to never return to the festival again. I was lured back with a stellar line-up and the promise of an improved festival over all. Everything was drastically improved, flawless in fact. There were more fatal clashes this year compared with last but I had already seen the bands I was forced to skip. The line-up crushed all the other European festivals especially when you factored in the clash deficiency that other festivals cannot avoid (take that, Wacken!) and the number of attendees was very small for a weekend long open air metal festival in a place as easy to reach as France (around 12,000 per day). Everyone I conversed with who attended the 2007 and 2008 editions of the festival agreed that this year was far superior and in terms of festivals, it was amazing too. I caught some of my personal favourite bands, including Helloween and Katatonia, caught live bands I'd never bother to see headlining now in London like Motorhead, and caught talent that would never come across to England for various reasons such as Alchemist and Haemorrhage. Of course I did the obligatory discovering new bands and talking to some of the ostensibly craziest people on the planet.

Honourable mentions: Bloodstock Open Air, Catton Hall, 15th ~ 17th August; Damnation Festival, Leeds, 22nd November


Biggest Release Disappointment of 2008
Judas Priest ~ Nostradamus

Judas Priest are one of my favourite bands and when I heard they were creating a full-length that would spread across two CDs, I was apprehensive. The problem with bands doing this is the possibility of not having enough ideas to spread across two discs, like Therion and their Gothic Kabbalah album. Priest fell into this category. I love Angel of Retribution but when I heard the song 'Nostradamus', the first track the band officially released for audience consumption, I was concerned that the band might be recycling Painkiller stylings to satiate the high expectations they were anchored to. When I got the album, I listened to both discs numerous times before concluding that the shade of Painkiller were absent but the album spent all of its tracks building up to some kind of overwhelming climax which did not really surface. On the first disc, the 'climax' arrived in the form of 'Persecution'. It was a decent track but certainly not worth the wait. On disc two, the high point was the title track and this was followed by 'Future of Mankind', a song that stretched to over eight minutes when it could easily have been condensed. Disc two was certainly inferior to disc one. Disc one had some highly commendable solos. Another issue with Nostradamus was that the sub-songs that essentially linked the proper full-length songs together were far too common and only isolated the songs and dislocated the flow of the album over all. It was like watching a film with far too many intermissions in between. This was worse than all those brutal death metal bands who insist on having a sample at the start of every track. I hope Judas Priest can pull out something more impressive next time round. This album was hotly anticipated for a couple of years. A real disappointment.

Honourable mentions: Keep of Kalessin ~ Kolossus; Psycroptic ~ Ob(Servant)


Most Embarrassing Release of 2008
Cryptopsy ~ The Unspoken King

Cryptopsy's legacy as one of the greatest technical death metal bands was horrendously besmirched when the band released their new album with their new vocalist. Animosity was stirred when the new growler, Matt McGachy, was announced as Lord Worm's replacement before this album was released after a simplistic vetting process informed the death metal scene that McGachy's past endeavours were for that of a metalcore band. Rumours flew about that Cryptopsy would turn metalcore but I reserved my opinion for when the album was released. The addition of a female keyboard player into the band's line-up additionally raised eyebrows. The first song the band released was 'Worship Your Demons' and it was deathcore! Sure, Flo Mounier's drumming was top form but the song was undeniably deathcore, complete with metalcore boat-ruddering growls. When The Unspoken King was officially released the entire Cryptopsy fanbase was in utter dismay. 'Worship Your Demons' was actually the best song on the album. The rest of the pestilence included metalcore/death metal hybrid guitar riffs, an insignificant bass and worst of all clean vocals in the whiney emo style. Everybody hated it and by everybody, I mean every metal fan. For most universally detested metal albums, I generally come across at least one defendant whether online or in person but I am yet to meet the individual willing to stand up for this reprehensible effort. Cryptopsy continued to grave-dig for themselves; the female keyboard player they recruited was dropped from their ranks because they did not use the keyboards enough on The Unspoken King. This was a smart move even though it got them ridiculed by their fanbase further for making such an indescribably questionable decision in the first place but all the promotional pictures had her marketed more so than the vocalist. A grasp towards sex appeal to sell more? Mounier would deny it. I conducted an interview with him at the close of the year where he denied he had ever heard metalcore, even though over the past few years, Cryptopsy have been touring North America with countless metalcore bands. Mounier's fall from grace continued before my interview with rant after rant, proclaiming all The Unspoken King detractors were George Bush supporters among other childish insults. The band eventually went as far as recording the track 'Dinner Time' which begins with an apparent ex-Cryptopsy fan ranting about how the band have sold out and how their new effort is a disgrace to death metal. His monologue is interrupted by his mother who vehemently knocks on the door, wailing at her son to get off the Internet because it's dinner time. Mounier just needs to learn to ignore the people that make him feel bad. Not even Metallica reacted as violently to their fanbase after releasing St. Anger.

Honourable mentions: Kataklysm ~ Prevail; Communic ~ Payment of Existence


Most Overrated Release of 2008
Krisiun ~ Southern Storm

I don't really converse with metalheads much but it seems that Krisiun's Southern Storm is commanding attention. I cannot understand what people see in this release; I have a theory that most of those worshipping it have not heard any previous Krisiun efforts prior to this one. Krisiun are doing nothing new in the slightest with this full-length, severely lacking variation between songs and doing nothing new for their discography. I could handle AssassiNation but this release is totally redundant as far as death metal goes. The Sepultura cover is the best part of the album, simply because it is discernible among the rest of music here. Generic brutal death metal at its finest (after that inaudible static-guitar rubbish).

Honourable mention: Eluveitie ~ Slania


These are all the categories I can care to compose at the moment. If I think of anymore, I will post them here but I doubt it.

~ ~ ~

I look forward to hearing the releases of 2009. Hopefully it will be a superior year to this one. The forthcoming Pain of Salvation, Megadeth, Katatonia, Freak Kitchen, Scythe, Kreator (which has already leaked), Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation among countless others will at least give me enough material to reproduce an updated version of these 'awards'. Fingers crossed anyhow.

A Succinct Commentary on Dream Theater's Studio Albums

New York's Dream Theater are undoubtedly the most successful progressive metal band ever and a strong contender for one of the most important metal bands. Formed in 1985, the band has generated nine studio albums of varying sound and importance.

When Dream and Day Unite [1989]
Dream Theater's debut album is largely ignored by a vast portion of their fanbase, predominantly due to the absence of current vocalist James LaBrie. With Charlie Dominici handling vocal responsibilities, the album is immediately lambasted with a sense of traditional progressive metal of the time, with ethereal (usually male) vocals occasionally hitting the higher end of their octaves. Generally, they are less substantiated than typical heavy/power metal ones yet less sporadic and simpler to digest. Musically the album follows in the same way, not exactly breaking new ground but far from recycled Fates Warning or Queensryche [1]. The emotional content is profound on this release and there are no showcases of mindless technicality as some would later accuse the band of.

Images and Words [1992]
Frequently mistaken as Dream Theater's debut, the band's sophomore effort would redefine the progressive metal world forever. The opener 'Pull Me Under' employs heavy thrash-influenced riffing near its conception, shattering the dreamy riffs previously central to progressive metal, awarding itself with the heaviest Dream Theater song - riskily placed at the beginning. The new vocalist [2], Canadian-born James LaBrie, charismatically equips the album with vocal dynamics previously uncharted by progressive metal vocalists. Guitarist John Petrucci limits overt technicality to appropriate solos and his riffs are ground firmer into reality than previous progressive metal efforts. The progressive rock influence is still explicit, for example on the highly optimistic 'Surrounded' (complete with optimistic guitar solo!). The enlightening mood of 'Surrounded' can be contrasted to the dark-edged 'Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper'. 'Wait for Sleep' is a humble keyboard piece relying on simplicity to communicate its effectiveness and highlighting the emotion present on this album, which is brimming with it. The bass lines are more muscular than on the band's last effort, supporting the guitars to a more than satisfactory degree. Images and Words was an excellent signpost for the band's creativity and maturity.

Awake [1994]
Although not as influential as its predecessor Images and Words, Awake is imperative at looking at the development of darker progressive metal bands that exist today including Dark Suns, Nevermore, Edge of Sanity and Opeth. This album surpassed Images and Words in terms of heaviness, with 'Lie' claiming the crown as the heaviest of the entire track-listing. LaBrie's voice hits its lowest alto peak and he utilizes aggressive vocals nearly venturing into shouted territory on this track. The synergy of the instruments is strikingly incredible. No doubt Metallica were an influence on this album. Guitar work is eerie, keyboards are moody and drums are imperative for crucial accents. The instruments form an unbeatable cohesive unit, a paradigm for any album in metal. 'Erotomania' is an instrumental combining stalking with wanderlust and this is captured perfectly in the music with lusty, meandering guitar riffs, multi-dimensional keyboard work and thoughtful drumming. 'Space Dye Vest' is the closing track, completely eldritch and powered by the mind of Kevin Moore. Unfortunately, this was to be Moore's concluding full-length with the band and the album is enshrined by a sense of finality, particularly in this song. This album is Dream Theater at their most convincingly feral, inclusive of their contemporary work. It would be the perfect metal album had the production not been so corrosive to John Myung's bass at moments.

Falling into Infinity [1997]
After the release of the A Change of Season EP, Dream Theater released Falling into Infinity. With Kevin Moore out of the lineup, a fine replacement is found in Derek Sherinian. Many exclaim this album to be Dream Theater's failed attempt into the mainstream, in a harsh contrast against Awake (The irony reveals itself with drummer Mike Portnoy's lyrical contribution to the album with 'Just Let Me Breathe'). This statement can be attributed to the fact that four of the songs on this release are ballads. For a so-called excursion into mainstream territory, it is a poor idea to have the album open with the second longest song, not to mention the weakest Dream Theater have released thus far. 'New Millennium' has nothing significant to offer and spends its eight-plus minutes circling on the spot, fundamentally. The album strikes the listener as potentially the most personal release bearing the Dream Theater name and the album is devoid of anger. 'Just Let Me Breathe' should be an angry song if lyrics are a determiner but the tone is more dismayed and about rising above frustrating matters. 'Lines in the Sand' is a dynamic piece of music with some beautifully melodic vocal lies and a guest appearance of Kings X singer Doug Pinnick, who nearly overshadows LaBrie with his mere backing vocals. Founding member Moore's departure has stripped the band of its curious soundscapes and replaced them with more dainty ones, courtesy of Sherinian. The closing number 'Trial of Tears' is an accessible and direct track with effective keyboard embellishments. One of the key highlights of this anthem is the bass which Myung uses to construct multi-faceted moods. Essentially, Falling into Infinity is probably the band's most underrated album.

Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory [1999]
At the close of the nineties, Dream Theater unleash their first concept album. Another keyboard substitution ensures Jordan Rudess joins the otherwise stable lineup. Naturally, this album builds upon the theme from 'Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper' on the Images and Words release. The plot is unique and mildly cryptic, following Nicholas taking a trip into his past life as Victoria who ends up being murdered and indeed the story births various twists. Musically, the album is quite representative of the parent song. In the name of sophistication, the album and its songs are divisible into two acts and nine scenes. The music is the most varied Dream Theater have accomplished up to this release - cautious, reckless, dizzy and reflective. Rudess proves his worth to the band with sublime technicality, something Moore failed to demonstrate. This is probably where one can interpret the beginning of Dream Theater's equilibrium between technicality and emotion. 'The Dance of Eternity' is an example of the excessive talent the band experiment with and it strikes the listener as impressive. The album seems a little splintered in places where poor links have been established to force songs forward, such as the welding of the two sections on 'Beyond This Life'. Towards tail-end of the album, it seeks to cram far too much in a short space of time, making it quite ambiguous and messy. Additionally, LaBrie's vibrato is frustratingly absent on this album which reduces the number dimensions instilled in the release. Overall, Dream Theater accomplished their objectives with Metropolis 2 but with some fine-tuning, the cracks could have been concealed.

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]
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 Petrucci's riffing during the chorus; 'Misunderstood' is a stormy piece, boasting more power without being as outwardly aggressive as the opener; 'The Great Debate' is defiant; 'I Disappear' is ghostly reserved and concludes the first disc perfectly. Dealing with various mental conditions, it is befitting of the title track (broken into eight tracks) to cycle through varying moods in grandiose fashion. LaBrie gives several touching vocal performances, namely 'Goodnight Kiss'. This album also sees the debut of Portnoy's 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.

Train of Thought [2003]
Train of Thought was Dream Theater's breakthrough album. It was aggressive, heavy and nasty. Released just a year after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and trading the clinical sound for an abrasive one, the band should have invested more time in this release. Portnoy's backing vocals sound akin to a poor imitation of rap and LaBrie's forced angst is unconvincing. The Metallica influence is too evident here, with LaBrie sounding like James Hetfield in slivers (such as the line "As I am" that proceeds the first chorus of the opening song). Heavy guitar work sounds threatening and commendable but the trademark Dream Theater sound appears compromised. 'Honour Thy Father' sounds juvenile and the vocal effects are cringe-worthy, more suited for popular teenage angst bands. The rhythm forces melody to the back and the vocal lines are poorly conceived overall. 'In The Name of God' bears the most mood changes on any one song on this full-length with haunting textures rearing their heads and an odd yet well-placed industrial influenced beat that acts as a link to another passage of the song. The drumming is very integral to the excellence of this song. This easy-to-swallow Dream Theater album smashed them into the mainstream in the trend of aggressive, tough-guy bands yet left other fans craving for the emotively driven Dream Theater of old.

Octavarium [2005]
Dream Theater's Octavarium was a monument to Dream Theater's older progressive rock influences. Unsurprisingly, this album was predominantly an updated progressive rock release. As a homage to influences, some songs sound completely removed from Dream Theater, such as 'I Walk Beside You', which could quite easily pass off as a U2 rendition by Dream Theater [3]. Juxtaposed with these light tracks were heavier beasts, such as 'Panic Attack', with a mentally eviscerating bass introduction from John Myung, and the opening song 'The Root of All Evil'. Placing such a heavy song for an opener, one could expect a continuation of Train of Thought but this could not be further from the truth. The closing anthem was almost twenty five minutes long, divided into five parts albeit all on one track. 'Medicate' showed Dream Theater sounding particularly vulnerable, something not really emphasised since Awake's 'Scarred' or 'Space Dye Vest'. 'Full Circle' is lyrically interesting, being composed of the band's influences, most notably song titles [4]. Further entertaining mind games were included throughout the album's art, a good portion of the imagery relating to the digit eight. After all, this was Dream Theater's eighth full-length and there were eight tracks on the CD. Interestingly, the final note on this album is the same as its first, emphasising how the band has travelled full circle [5]. With Octavarium, the band acknowledged their influences, both old and modern, and restored their original emotive content as part of a substantial foray into progressive rock.

Systematic Chaos [2007]
Octavarium had fans doubting Dream Theater's metal credentials so it was unsurprising that the band's next release was bombastic and intense, a career manoeuvre these Americans have executed into their past. Portnoy's vocals are assigned more dominating parts on this release and the results are nothing short of devastating. This is without a doubt the band's most technical release, with entire sections of songs dedicated to break-neck solos. Rudess' keyboard effects become tedious and overblown. 'Prophets of War' contains a horrendous guitar riff that would be home to alternative rock underscoring it. 'Forsaken' is an attempt to retain the emotional inventory of the band and 'The Ministry of Lost Souls' is a weaker attempt at achieving the same but these songs are dwarfed by the brazen 'Dark Eternal Night' and 'Constant Motion'. This sudden change can be attributed to Dream Theater's signing to Roadrunner Records, which is not so absurd for bureaucratic reasons. Although it polarized the fan's opinions, Systematic Chaos reached a new demographic and pushed the band into gargantuan venues and with excessive promotion, Dream Theater were on everybody's iPods. If ever the band created something to be more accessible and commercial, this would be the record that satiates that proposition.

Where Dream Theater's next musical venture will lead them is unpredictable. Current musical trends now seem apparent in playing a factor in the band's stylistic decisions. As they are a household name on their talent alone, one could expect the next album to be a showcase of virtuoso skill. The pessimist would proclaim that Dream Theater have exhausted their creative juices and are deficient in innovation. If this is the case, attention should be averted to Swedish progressive metal sensation Pain of Salvation, who seem to reinvent themselves with every release, leaving Dream Theater merely Mike Portnoy's vehicle for monetary gain. Let the progressive world be content and appreciative that Dream Theater revolutionized the genre completely with very few bands playing the original style of progressive metal. For any band to accomplish such a feat, respect and acknowledgement is due.



----
[1] Psychotic Waltz had released simply a demo by this time although rose to the forefront of the progressive metal scene with their debut album A Social Grace, released 1990.
[2] Ray Arch and John Alder were also among the 1990 vocal auditions.
[3] Dream Theater have covered U2's 'Bad' before.
[4] This section of the song is introduced by a reference to Pink Floyd's The Wall.
[5] Train of Thought actually begins with the note Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ended on and Octavarium initiates on Train of Thought's closing note.