CHAOSBEARD

2011-12-07T19:27:00.001-05:00

2011

8. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life

As with Chemistry of Common Life, I still don’t really know how to describe this band. You know what they do, you understand the sound and the elements used to create that sound, but how it all comes together seems foreign. The thought of three guitars playing different things simultaneously not only goes against my own logic; it actually goes against whatshould work. But they make it work, really well.

If you were so inclined, start this thing from the beginning and get on a bike at night with headphones on. It might help you appreciate what I mean. This stuff is harsh, densely layered, yet so uplifting it can propel you.

Cuts like “Running on Empty” are massive. Like, Bon Jovi massive. And I mean that in a good way.

7. Obscura – Omnivium

It seems almost default for a noodly band from Germany to make my annual year-ender. Upon inspection, a noodly German band didn’t make my list last year. Going forward, I promise to have a noodly band from Germany on my year-end lists, and if Obscura is to release a new record in 2012, I’m sure adding a record by noodly Germans won’t be a problem (baboom. Music writing 101, people.)

Omnivium is as entertaining as it is accomplished, and watching them play this stuff live with grinning ease reinforced my opinion (the fans ((like, the spinning electrical ones, not humans)) gloriously blowing the hair of both guitarists, and what looked like Chesney from Coronation Street on drums also helped.)

6. Mastodon – The Hunter

Mastodon’s strength always was, to me, its ability to build and stack snakey, rigid riffs to a peak, then break the tension with a loose, driving groove. When working my way throughThe Hunter, and realizing none of that previous formula was there, I was bummed with a capital :( , yet despite my initial reaction I was continually drawn to the record.

Seeing the band live brought sense, though, to The Hunter. After having spent years becoming increasingly complex both musically and conceptually, the band broke its own tension by stripping back and composing catchy, traditional “songs”. And wedging those catchy songs, and their massive sing-along-ready choruses, between the older, more complicated work, it all worked really well.

A band has to live with its music far more than the listener by playing it everyday, and these guys looked like they were having fun, which makes a big difference. The Hunter is a change, but it’s good, and still distinctly Mastodon.

5. Trash Talk – Awake EP

This thing is a 5 song, 7 minute and 19 second firesale of punk and hardcore. Its song titles might as well be “Ready?”, “You Sure?”, “Here we Go”, “Told Ya”, and “Eat That”, as that’s pretty much my emotional range when getting through it. Almost every tune begins with faded-in-feedback and moments are not spared, as the material seems to have been written with the mindset of everything happeningRightNOW.

4. Revocation – Chaos of Forms

I’ll admit to being skeptical of this band for probably no valid reason other than writer/vocalist, Dave Davidson, looking like a regular guy in his 30’s who could be mistaken for me, but was doing that touring metal band thing, which I’m not. When he was selected the #1 Modern Metal Guitarist by Metalsucks I caved and listened to Chaos of Forms.

It turned out to be the one band this year where I sent “check THIS out” messages around and immediately bought one of the band’s dumb tshirts designed for children with a giant stupid “heavy metal” image on the front that I probably shouldn’t be wearing anymore.

Davidson is the real deal here, delivering strong, crafty and clean riffing with slick leads (Dime, Slash, Vai influences). There is no posturing; it’s not trying to be anything other than pure metal with enough modern twists to keep it from being redundant. It’s a mixed bag, and while some of it doesn’t work, most of it does.

3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Holocene, man.

2. Devin Townsend – Deconstruction

When the Junos jumped on board the Heavy Music bandwagon, announcing the inclusion of a Metal award, I couldn’t help but be cynical. And the winner is…what, Three Days Grace? Maybe (hopefully) I’ll be wrong, and whatever combination of people will have its collective head on straight enough to acknowledge that Devin Townsend, in quantitative and qualitative terms, has arguably been one of the most consistent Canadian artists – not just in heavy music – over the last decade.

To the mainstream, an album featuring guest appearances from members of Death, Emperor, Soilwork, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Gojira, Meshuggah, Opeth, Gwar, and Between the Buried and Me, may not mean much, but that is truly an impressive international roster of heavy hitters, and speaks volumes to the respect Townsend commands. Deconstruction is expansive, gets carried away a LOT, immature at times, but unmatched in its technical muscle combined with moments of, for lack of a better word, majesty.

Make no mistake, despite what the Canadian Music Industry thinks, this is the best Heavy music released by a Canadian in 2011.

1. Decapitated – Carnival is Forever

The only thing that has changed since I originally wrote of this record is that I’ve listened to it a lot more.

Honourable mentions:

Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst the Ashes

DJ Quik - The Book of David

Vader – Welcome to the Morbid Reich

Overrated:

- Ghost

- Black Metal. Like, all of it.

2011-07-16T11:38:00.007-04:00

Decapitated - Carnival is Forever

As much as any record deserves to stand on its own and not be forced to carry the burden of backstory, it would be impossible to subject the newest release of Poland’s Decapitated, Carnival is Forever, to any combination of text without acknowledging the events preceding it.

In my more productive metal writing days there were many words committed to the 2006 release Organic Hallucinosis, as there was no question of it being one of the more satisfying metal recordings I'd heard in a long time. The band had always been a welded unit; capable of delivering airtight and sophisticated material, but Hallucinosis was a knockout blow. The production was louder, more up front. The songs shifted from the previously mechanical and traditionally technical Death Metal approach to a looser, more groove-filled style. The record thoroughly earned the overly abused descriptor: raw.

The previously lauded story of Decapitated was how the band formed when the average age of its members was 14, and then released the intimidating debut Winds of Creation, 4 years later. The band remained consistent in both quality and release schedules until Organic Hallucinosis, when the subject of youth shifted from a group being "wise beyond its years", to "too young to go through this".

In the fall of 2007 while touring Russia, an accident involving a logging truck resulted in severe injury to vocalist, Covan - who had only replaced Sauron for the 2006 release - and the death of drummer, Vitek, brother of guitarist Vogg, and father to a child of his own. Vitek was 23.

Similar to the death of any non-mainstream artist, the world of entertainment - and those who follow - moved along without notice. But the metal community was shattered; holding hands and hanging heads all over the web. While deep in the routine of touring its strongest record, there was no worse upheaval. What followed were the obvious questions of which those asking already knew the answers. The band as we knew it, was finished. Obviously.

Fate, higher powers, or whatever you choose to believe in can take any possession away, but the things that possess you will always remain. Your sight can be lost, your hearing, limbs, friends, family, all these things can be separated from you, but only death can divide you from your born inclinations. A brother to a guitar player, a songwriting partner, a biological competitor can cease to exist, but an accelerated ability to completely asphyxiate a fret-board with vehemence will eventually triumph.

In mid 2009, Vogg re-emerged to announce he would continue with a newly constructed Decapitated*, and began recording in early 2011.

Music of all forms can be justified to its listeners as having an attraction based on how it makes one feel. I can’t say with confidence what this says for listeners of heavy music, but I will say that within less than 5 seconds of album opener “The Knife”, my physical being was inert, and my emotional self was standing with clenched fists and tears of stress.

This is the sound of delivery. This is the sound of expectation being dialed in to its most calculated end. This is a culminated climax of so much tragedy and strength that it will be one of the most emotionally exhilarating listens I will have. It is music unequivocally rising against what is arguably the most painful human experience and animating itself in song’s most aggressive genre. It is groove fueled with blood and blended with electricity. It is slipping into supreme feel only to follow with channeling the ghost of Dime in a ripping lead (United), it is polyrhythmed propulsion (Homo Sum), it is Sepultura's tribal twist meets Pantera’s "Becoming" with a dizzying ascending solo leading into a punishing blast (404). It is an 8 song, 42 minute compact uppercut of “over before you know it”.

Carnival is Forever is a record above score, not because of perfection, but because of everything stated above. Yet what makes it so special is that it does stand on its own. The story of its inception just makes it that much more powerful.

*I covered the addition of Krimh via cover songs posted on YouTube here.

2011-06-03T17:59:00.002-04:00

Family Portrait

For a long time I played with these guys and had a head dipped in hair. This is a live video of the last show we ever played as a band. Party.

2011-05-30T13:57:00.006-04:00

Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit

Where to even begin with Marrow of the Spirit? The sweeping arrangements? The calms before, during, between, and after the storms? No, wait, I know, how about the completely over-reaching, poor execution of it all.

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS.

You want to be a black metal band (not Agalloch, specifically, but YOU. YOU want to be a black metal band), so what do you do? What is your approach? Let’s assess the situation; the situation being what kind of sounds you want to evoke, and how you want to identify yourselves. Yeah, yeah, you “want to carve your own path”. Whatever.

So you want to be a black metal band, well alright then, blast away. Take out the low end and crank the treble of your Marshall. Have at it. Gargle screech your brains out. Have the most non-fun on the outside – fun on the inside you can possibly have while playing the sped-up-drumming-and-slowed-down-everything-else, weird brother of punk-rock. I can respect that as long as you understand that upping the ante comes with expectations that aren’t satisfied with mere ambition.
Let’s change the subject.
A shift began a bunch of years ago where a few bands known for bleaker sounds began expanding timbres by channeling psych and prog. Either vocally or instrumentally, there were definite nods to, for obvious instance, Pink Floyd.
With Floyd being the best and obvious example, let’s expand:

An amazing aspect of a band like Pink Floyd is how the musicianship of its members (well, maybe not Nick Mason) reaches other musicians who appreciate the focused approach and commitment to doing more than simply making sounds with an instrument.

I’M SO BORED WITH THIS.

I read a guitar mag interview with David Gilmour in the 90’s where he attempted to explain his tone and vibrato. Naturally, tone isn’t something that can really be explained, it’s just something you develop, assuming you have an ear for it. His vibrato approach is taken from the vocal technique of sustaining the sound and adding the waved effect toward the end. Not all players use this ‘natural’ method but can have results that are just as effective, if not cremating (ex. Zakk Wylde, Dimebag, and Malmsteen all use exaggerated, freeway-wide shakes).

What’s interesting about things like tone and feel is that an average music listener may not understand these tools and how they’re used, but at a basic level their application creates a more pleasing sound, therefore a sound with broader appeal.

This isn’t to imply that Agalloch has any interest in developing tone and feel, let alone vibrato, in reference to their guitar work. Which is fine. Maybe they care, maybe they don’t. That said, when listening to Marrow of the Spirit there are melodic lines that sound so amateur it’s distracting. THOUGH, not distracting to the ‘average listener’, which of course is the catch. If the feel was improved, the sound would be improved, therefore piquing more ears.

People want to love music like this. They need it. But it’s too easy to be wooed by the limited everything about Agalloch. Rarely playing live, picking obscure cities when they actually do, providing no news about minor details like, you know, album releases. It’s all some pretty intriguing wrapping paper seemingly packaged by Ian Mackaye himself. Then you open the box and are presented with this guitar lead in the second song that’s like, TOTALLY UNNACEPTABLE. But then the 5th song has an acoustic lead that’s decent and I’m left pretty baffled by the whole thing.

On TOP of that you have this production that’s like, I mean, were you even trying? There are acoustic sections that transition into loud sections with no sense of dynamics at all. The acoustics were recorded completely up front but the shift to heavy has no punch because the engineering was distant, therefore disallowing any shift in volume despite being completely different tonal moods.

What’s so dumb about music and its genres and sub-genres is that a non-mainstream band like Opeth is considered mainstream metal yet completely off the radar to the average listener. As a result of this, metal listeners will delve deeper, searching for bands that are more obscure. And non-metal listeners who like Metal as long as it matches their dumb flipped up brimmed baseball hat will be ignorant to a band like Opeth but happily tow the line of your NPR hosts who latched onto this stuff because the jocks they hated in high school liked Pantera. This is of course no different than most other genres and what we’re left with is Marrow of the Spirit being named Decibel magazine’s Best record of 2010, an album Michael Akerfeldt could have written and recorded from a coffin.
WITH BETTER TONE AND FEEL.

2010-12-02T10:02:00.001-05:00

My Semi-Attractive Dimly-Lit Mostly-Obvious Year in Music

I couldn’t possibly label this as a Best Albums of the Year as it’s really just a list of the only records I’ve bothered to listen to more than twice. At this point it’s pretty evident that the older I get the less I care for being on top of what’s new or supposedly interesting.
Here are my favourite albums of the year.

The Crown – Doomsday King
In keeping with the theme of this list I’d typically try to mention newer bands that would be contemporaries of The Crown, as an attempt to make a point that even though Doomsday King is the first record in 7 years for the reunited band it still obliterates the competition. But I don’t even know who the competition is anymore. Is there any? I don’t care, ‘cause if there is, The Crown does it better either way. And listen, they’re not breaking new ground here, just REALLY breaking old ground with the best machine on the planet used for breaking ground, and a new vocalist that I’m not entirely convinced isn’t the long hair from the X-Files’ Lone Gunmen.

Witchery – Witchkrieg
Jensen from The Haunted
Sharlee “The velvet-clad swashbuckler” from Arch Enemy and Mercyful Fate
Axenrot from Opeth and Bloodbath
Legion from Marduk
Some other guitar guy, and a whole bunch of guest guitar soloists.
In the world of metal this really is a recipe for a total debacle, but half of this record completely shreds. The other half is wholly skip-able but the mostly dull patty of this heavy metal hamburger is sandwiched by the most satisfying Scando-Thrash buns tasted all year. When the first word of the best metal vocal performance of 2010 kicks off the record with “SAAAAAAAAYYYTAAAAHHHHHHNNN” it’s like slamming back a Slurpee into the driest, most thirsty throat.

Robyn – Bodytalk Pt.1
Look, I’ll admit it, this year I’ve stood in my kitchen with a distorted Flying V playing along with Dancing On My Own almost as many times as I’ve stood in my kitchen with a distorted Flying V playing along with Extreme’s Decadence Dance. And I did the latter a lot. And while one may have been more technically difficult in the tradish sense (shout out to my man, Nuno) they were both equally super fun. In fact, I could have easily put Bodytalk Pt.2 on this list but that’d kinda be a bit too CFL (8 teams, 2 with the same…never mind) and while the newly released Bodytalk does cover almost all the bases, including You Should Know Better’s jogging jet fuel, and Pt.3’s Call your Girlfriend, Pt.1 hit me at the right time. Partner Robyn’s record release pace with her touring schedule and you’re left with someone who makes everyone look lazy, and really un-catchy.

Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast
No amount of dismissive looks from Billy Curtiss could change my mind on The Panic Broadcast. No amount of “stock riff” criticisms, and no amount of “floofy chorus” comments.
When it comes to catchy, easily digested metal, no band does it better than Soilwork. The leads are awesome and Dirk Verbeuren’s excellent, excellent drum performance will always make for a worthwhile listen.

Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
The Norwegian Black Metal scene, or Black Metal genre as a whole is a lot like Electronic music: easy to do but hard to do well, over-populated, overwhelming, and most of it is complete garbage.
Fortunately Enslaved hasn’t been interested in participating in the theatrics for years, and maybe the band being labeled Black Metal has long been suspect, but enough musical elements remain for them to be just that. The construction and layering of Axioma Ethica Odini is downright lovely, and the note selection of the guitar lead heard on the leadoff track, Ethica Odini, is so great it justifies being on my list for that sole reason. If you’re on board with Opeth’s 70’s prog-folk tendencies, Enslaved, too, is moving in that direction even more with this record.
Does anyone care about being “grim” anymore? Can any band out-grim Portal anyway? The Watain record was passable but will they be wearing corpsepaint to their scheduled Williamsburg meet and greet? Stand in that lineup if you want proof that Black Metal is very, very far from its dangerous history.

Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II
Not since Dirt has a "Major Label" band released an album so overtly devoted to hard drugs. At points it’s a glorification; at others it’s very depressing. What’s so great about Nachtmystium, similarly to Enslaved, is Blake Judd’s complete disinterest in staying within the confines of Black Metal.
Elements of New Wave and programmed instrumentation are used to create really impressive textures and atmospheres. I didn’t listen to it often, and when I did I usually wanted to turn it off. Not because I didn’t like what I heard, but mostly because it’s like, totally a bummer.
What the band lacks in technical ability, especially in living up to the use of “Meddle”, it makes up with ambition, forthrightness, and pure songwriting.

Kanye – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
It’s an album of incredible sound, and as an exercise in listening one would be hard pressed to be left unfulfilled. The sheer audacity in some of the stylistic choices should never shake hands, yet somehow do, are a testament to West’s talent as a producer.
There are many cringe-worthy moments, for example the lyrical disaster of following “Colin Powell’s” with “Austin Powers” in Power, and the King Crimson 21st Century Schizoid Man sample, also in Power, falling so completely on its off-rhythm, rushed face, it must have been intentional (but not justified). And I don’t wish Runaway to be instrumental, but shouting out to the “douchebags and assholes”? I get it, and it makes sense, but it still sounds stupid. With stronger lyrics it could have been the single of the year.
MBDTF plays out like a series of well executed songs as opposed to a collection of beats and rhymes. By adding melody both vocally and instrumentally he has me convinced he's a legit musician instead of just rapper/producer.
West makes it a challenge to want to give him credit, but to be fair, he’s not the first buffoon to make great music. He’s just the most childish, public buffoon.

2010-06-13T13:49:00.020-04:00

Special K

Over the last couple of days I've come to the conclusion that Biomechanical could be the best metal band of the genre. I don't even love them or can tolerate extended listens but every single contributed element to the music is so refined and over qualified that to deny the power of the band is stupid.

Actually, I totally love them.

If you read anything about the history of the band you'll quickly learn that Biomechanical is a one man show. That said, I can't figure out what the hell that means based on the bio. John K is the guy. He wrote, engineered and recorded the entire first record and from what I can tell he has continued to write and arrange the two subsequent follow-up releases. Are the drums programmed? Does he compose the guitar riffs? A live lineup does exist of the band but still, HOW DOES THIS ALL HAPPEN?

I imagine his song-writing process plays out something like this (but in Greek, so randomly add a good 'aikos' here and 'flubopoulous' there):

"Alrighty, let's start this out with this progressive guitar riff. That'll continue for about 3.78 bars, then i'll arbitrarily stop the riff, change the time signature, add about, uh, 3 shots? No wait, let's make that 5. Then i'll add a big held note for the stringed instruments while I scream myself into an inferno. Perfect, now to just cram all of that into my John Williams endorsed garburator and voilaflubopoulous!"

Everything about this band is 100% legitimate. The musicianship is completely gourmet, the riffs are snaky, progressive and tense. The leads are a stunning Wyldesteen combination of hyper-picked shred, frantic sweeping, and a tasty wide vibrato. The drumming almost doesn't even make sense. And on top of all that are John K's vocals.

One of the more irritating aspects of newer metal is its tendency to be over-polished. In an effort to sound too clean most recordings end up losing an edge that I crave. What's great about Biomechanical is how that edge is constant. That's not to say the band is rough around the edges, far from it, but everything is so densely layered and pushed beyond its limits that an overall crunch comes through.

This is especially the case with the vocal element. John K can wail. I'm talking WAIL. This guy has some SERIOUS Halford-esque skills. Like Devin Townsend without tongue wedged firmly in cheek; also capable of adding shredding lows to the screaching highs. K sings like this cause he can and understands how to create music that is mutually complimentary without a single lick of irony. I'd go so far as to say that they're some of the best vocals of the type I've ever heard. They're Cowboys From Hell vintage but with way more power and versatility. It's just all so aggressive.

Well, not all of it.

Like it or not the band is dynamic because tossed in between some of the most frenetic music I've ever heard are some seriously Skid Row worthy ballads (if you don't think that's a good thing go read another...something). That is of course if Skid Row scored their ballads to the Indiana Jones trilogy.

I started listening to the band about 4 years ago and maybe it's just a lack of releases I've pursued lately that's rekindled my interested. Either way I haven't been able to get enough. There are some serious Pantera'd moments taken twenty steps beyond into some seemingly impossible territories.

It should also be noted that John K is the only consistent member of the band. I can't help but feel as though if you're a potential member and you display any sense of confusion when he shows one of his nonsense arrangement ideas to you, you're either no longer an option, or you're kicked out of the band (not one member remained between the 2nd and 3rd records). Not that it matters as he's still somehow capable of finding guitar players with hummingbirds for picking hands and drummers with 12 limbs.

It seems as though few have heard of the band which may be due to their lack of North American touring, but K doesn't hide the bands critical success. As seen on the bands myspace, he has reason to boast with 19 perfect score reviews for the bands last two releases and most of the rest being 9's of 10 (there are over 50 reviews listed with only 3 having a score less than 90%).

Cannibalised was released just over 2 years ago and I can't find any information regarding a follow up. I hope there is one, and I hope it's on the way.

Below is the title track from 2008's Cannibalised. If you start it and have any interest in the audio equivalent of being at the center of a thousand cheetahs racing in a phone booth, don't press stop.

It's completely unpredictable and showcases everything that makes the Biomechanical experience so nerve-wracking, something admirably summed up in the allmusic review stating that "ultimately, Cannibalised's love/hate quotient greatly depends on the listener's ability to see through the aural overkill, and into Biomechanical's not inconsiderable songwriting sophistication."

Give 6 minutes of your life to this, because even if you hate everything about it, it'll give you an idea of what some people are capable of. If you're not really familiar with this kind of music there is little doubt it will sound like a wall of chaotic noise, but make no mistake that while I understand what's involved in the execution of this material, take comfort in the fact that it sounds like a wall of chaotic noise to me as well.
Things really start to ramp up at the 3:50 mark.

2010-05-29T22:59:00.007-04:00

Where I'm going?

It's easy for me to say that I'm not one to criticize music. I'd like to have a consistent attitude in thinking if a group of people are together, creating music, it's good enough. At least they're expressing creativity and potentially inspiring others.
That's the attitude I'd like to maintain. Positivity.
It should be easy to maintain that attitude as I get older however I'm realizing that with age, my perspective towards that sense of openness is shifting due to thoughts of which I never could have foreseen with youth.

It's not at all unusual to hear music that doesn't interest me. That said, if I don't like it I just don't pay attention. I wasted too much thought as a teenager complaining about the fame of boybands when my favourite acts went unnoticed. HOW COULD THAT BE IT ISN'T FAIR THOSE GUYS DON'T PLAY INSTRUMENTS. Needless to say I got over it. As is generally the case, the larger the target of ridicule, the more that target has been designed for a large target audience. An audience that didn't, or doesn't include myself.
The same applies to a modern rock band like Nickelback. Yes, it's fair to be offended by the same songs being re-recorded time and time again with different mildly offensive lyrics of misogyny and trying to figure out "what the hell is on Joey's head", but a band of that type does have its place in the world. It just so happens to be that music is one of the few things with which everyone feels they're an expert. I'd like to think of myself as having a "more than your average Joe" appreciation of music yet I'm in no position to add any worthwhile commentary on ballet. So to counter that point, why should that permit me to have an opinion on a ballet expert who isn't as cultured in Heavy Metal? And who's to say that that ballet expert shouldn't have the right to enjoy Nickelback? The reality is that the average person, or average music listener just wants to consume familiar chord progressions and catchy melodies, and there's nothing wrong with that.
So I make choices. I choose to ignore bands that don't interest me and I choose to not complain about their popularity.

HOWEVER, now it's getting tricky.

As I get older and watch my own family, as well as the families of friends expand, I naturally consider my own potential chances at procreation. With those thoughts bring the idea of how I would react to the type of music a child of mine would listen to.
I'd like to think that I've seen and heard it all, as music has evolved both traditionally and electronically to a point where it's easy to think that it's all been done. This is all assisted with thinking that because of the complete rackets I find myself listening to the majority of the time...

...there shouldn't much that would shock me.

What I didn't consider, and what really snuck up on me last year was young bands combining styles that really threw me off. The obvious and cliched example being:

THIS absolutely baffled me. I was suddenly stricken with thoughts of "no child of mine..." And now my laissez-faire ideals are called into question.

Is my fate being determined by twenty-somethings blending elements of music I enjoy with the music I've chosen to disregard? Are these the moments I'll be able to reflect upon when I'm sitting on a porch, cane in hand, rambling sentences centered around the word "emo" at the mailman? Because the frustrating thing is that while I can always choose to ignore it, an easily influenced offspring may not be so discriminatory. After all, I'd still be a dorky dad to a 13 year old, legitimately convinced they know more than me. I'll be DOOMED.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm amassing one hell of a t-shirt collection. This kid won't know what hit them.
Apparently this will be my "dad rock":

2010-05-25T10:11:00.007-04:00

Evyl

I’m now three records into my friendship with Keep of Kalessin. Well, we’re not really close friends but we hang out from time to time. I invite them along sometimes when I want people to hear what it’s like when a band employs a helicopter as its drummer.

It seems as though the bands music has gotten more, uh, billowy over the course of their releases? Blousy? Bloused? I’m not describing the bands wardrobe, just that the music has started to incorporate the more “symphonic” aspects of Norwegian symphonic Black Metal (symphonic, see: keyboards). Not that wardrobe should have any affect on how one listens to music but the fact that they don’t wear floor length leather trench-robes and platform disco clunker boots makes them almost “workman-like” when compared to some of their peers.

As for the music, think Dragonforce, but cool. I only use that comparison in the sense that a lot of their songs are actually about dragons and they’re executed with near impossible speed. That’s as far as it goes. The rest is an aggressive combination of high power-chorded shredded riffage.

It’s easy to listen to the first cut and start to think that you’ve heard it all before on their previous records but they’re always capable of tossing in parts that are irresistible. They’re a clever band with a knack for composing catchy parts that twist in ways which manage to give 8 minute songs an interesting flow.

As for Vyl, the drummer? I don’t know, man. He’s overwhelming.

Here’s a live video of Vyl jackhammering away. The sped-up dribbling basketball you hear is in fact his kick drums. It’s almost comedic. The inclusion of “Painkiller” is a nice touch.

Here’s the track The Awakening from the new album titled “Reptilian”. It’s pretty epic stuff. I also find it entertaining how the chorus is a kind of Black Metal tribute to The House of the Rising Sun (4:04 mark, if you’re impatient).

2010-05-22T17:21:00.015-04:00

Web View.0

An online video hosting site is a very interesting place.
If you look up any song you know, especially one where musicianship is key, you'll find hundreds of bedroom interpretations. Having performed many bedroom interpretations myself I get it, I just don't really get the idea of recording a video and posting it for all to see. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining or criticizing, it's just not something I'd do.

The web can be a very humbling experience and the availability of these videos really levels the playing field. When I was growing up I only had those I was imitating to compare myself to, and my teenaged thought process made me feel as though I had something most people don't. In 2010 you can simply type the name of a song and see all variations, interpretations, and levels of skill, hacking and scraping their way through the material.

In some cases you get young, green, and out of tune:

In other cases you get unassuming:

There's ambitious:

And this:

Like everything online there is no one forcing you to give attention to what you see, so complaining about it serves no purpose.

And the beauty is that there is almost always a trade-off.

Because if you're that good at what you do, and you do it with sincerity, skill, and passion:

Sometimes you just might end up getting a job with the very people you're honouring. And that to me is reason enough to know that the state of the web we're now all connected to is a pretty astonishing place.

Commented Vogg: "Hello, what’s up!! I am really happy to announce this short message for all DECAPITATED fans: As you all know, 2 years after the tragedies we had to suffer, I decided to continue the band. There’s no sense in stopping this amazing thing we built up so many years ago together with Witek, Sauron, Martin and Covan...I am very pleased to announce the new killer line-up of DECAPITATED: Kerim "Krimh“ Lechner on Drums – he’s a new blood, and very talented..."

There's a more recent video of Krimh playing a drum clinic where his skill and feel are greatly improved. It's clear that his new position with the band as well as a regular touring regime has given him a lot more confidence.

Decapitated is playing the Summer Slaughter tour this year, and it's so good to have them back.

2010-05-16T20:39:00.001-04:00

2010-05-11T20:33:00.014-04:00

Where I come from - Example 2

Meshuggah - Chaosphere

I'm trying to write this post while listening to the record and it's proving itself to be a total disaster. Typing with your eyes closed and face mashed up like something that can only be described as very unattractive is only impossible.

There is no single band that has been more key to my music experience than Meshuggah. Not one. I have many favourites, many loves and influences, but as far as pure commitment to listening, this is it.

In terms of the life of band I was a bit late to the polyrhythmic party. Meshuggah formed in the late 80's and released Contradictions Collapse in 1991, however I wasn't on board until 2001. At that point they'd already released what many consider to be their seminal work, Destroy Erase Improve (1995) and had followed with Chaosphere (1998). At that time I was working at a record store and when someone returned Chaosphere (pffff) I bought the same copy that day, having read bits and pieces of the band in guitar magazines.

Remember (or imagine) showing a video game to your dad when you were young and he held the controller in his hands as though it was a boiled porcupine? Think of conducting that same experiment with your grandfather, that's what it felt like when I first heard this record. I felt old, confused, tired. Like I was starting over. Similarly to Pantera, I was not ready for this band. I'd listen to the album from time to time but found myself too frustrated with it; I just couldn't figure it out.

My brother and I went out on boxing day of the same year still foolishly convinced that it was actually worthwhile. I had decided I needed a new music player and when seeing the $700+ pricetag of the first generation iPod I bought a MiniDisc player instead. To be honest it was pretty great because at that point I had gone in reverse through the Meshuggah catalogue and was able to load all the records onto one disc.

I spent the majority of the next 18 months listening to that one disc. I obsessed over each song, one at a time, picking apart each beat more than anyone should. I was wretched in math as a student but this was different. These were patterns in the one thing I actually felt I excelled at. The construct of this band was perfect for the type of listener I had become. There is no denying my love for strong melody however with heavy music and my percussive leanings, Chaosphere was a perfect fit. From start to finish it is a record of calculated, devastating rhythm.

A brief breakdown:

- As explained in a previous post, Contradictions Collapse introduced Meshuggah as a band that worshipped Metallica and had the chops to progress in a direction that Hetfield and co. were incapable. The album was brisk and jagged with scattered moments foreshadowing the direction they would eventually take.

- Jens Kidman abandoned his guitar duties to focus solely on vocals and the band brought in Mårten Hagström. The None Ep followed and Meshuggah started to distance itself from the more traditional thrash tendencies and further develop the down-tuned shifting patterns now more commonly associated with the band.

- Destroy Erase Improve was released, the song Future Breed Machine became a metal staple, the band started getting attention in all the right places and toured with Slayer.

- Chaosphere is released.

It seems common to have your most personal record from a band be one of their lesser favourites. They now claim it to have been rushed and unfocused, but for me it all came down to timing. I'm sure there are some who would claim III to be their favourite Van Halen album, both an admirable and baffling choice, but who am I to judge? This was the album that introduced me to the band and therefore had the most impact. It was form-fitted to me. With the album also came one of the best music videos known to the format:

New Millenium Cyanide Christ

Since the focus of this post is Chaosphere i'll try to quickly sum up the rest,

- The album Nothing came next. Slower, snaky, non-linear riffage. Riffs became more difficult to decipher as they became longer. 8 string guitars were built for Thordendal and Hagström and a tone unlike any other was laid to WAV.

- The "I" Ep. A 1 song, 21 minute, crushing summary influenced by almost everything that had been done to date. The riffage was at the point of randomness and next to impossible to follow unless it was charted (which I did).

- Catch Thirty-Three, album. A slow, singular dirge of unseparated tracks. A grind requiring patience and open ears.

- Obzen, album. The quick pacing is once again restored but without any sacrifice to evolution. The band continues to incorporate the techniques they've developed while making slight adjustments to its stress-inducing sonics and cadenced battery.

The biggest trick to unraveling Meshuggah's music is the understanding that despite how scattered it all sounds, it's still all (well, usually all) in 4. As with the majority of music you listen to you can count along in bars, or sections, of 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. This standard is typically led with the drummer guiding the way. The most common pattern you'll hear when focusing on the drum sound is the high-hat pushing through the count of 4 either as 1-2-3-4, or, 1&2&3&4&. With that, the snare drum will usually land on the 2 and 4 counts, with the common bass drum placements either being on the 1 and 3, or 1 and 3&. If that doesn't make sense to you just watch the first minute of this:

(of the thousands of videos presenting drummers explaining this beat I couldn't resist the guy with the muppet voice. Sorry.)

Tomas Haake deserves an entire post on his own. He is a drummer of so much creativity, unmatched talent, and limitless technique that the world of Music is better with his existence. To continue with what I was previously saying, the genius to his contributions to Meshuggah are his variations of that standard rock beat combined with using his kick drums to match the guitar riffs.

This is where things get tricky.

Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström write riffs that very, very rarely follow the 1-2-3-4 count formula. If you consider each number in that count to be a "beat", it's not unusual for the riffs to carry over 3, 6, 7, or 8 beats (or in the case of the 'I' EP, approximately 1500 beats. I'm kidding. Almost). What happens when these 2 elements come together creates an interesting combination because essentially the result is a drum beat that will repeat before the riff has completed its cycle. This causes everything to sound more and more off kilter until things eventually meet up again.

NOW,

As I said, this is all emphasized by Haake matching the guitar riff with his kick drums.

Admittedly I'm not really explaining this all very well but if you consider the idea of counting to 4 with your hands, and something completely different with your feet, I'm sure you can appreciate the difficulty of it all. And that's not taking into account feel, technique, and timing.

SO,

What this all creates is the fundamental foundation of Meshuggah and what makes them so unique. It's that little magic word we call GROOVE. The band churns out knotty, difficult music yet through it all it's accessible in the sense that anyone can nod their head to it.

Below is an example of what I'm talking about. In the song The Mouth Licking what you've Bled (I know, right?) you can distinctly hear Haake driving the song by counting a straight 1-2-3-4 on either a regular cymbal (beginning) or high-hat (:15 through the verse). However if you shift your attention to what the stringed instruments and kicks are doing, you'll hear something completely different. Further, at the 2:46 mark you'll see what I mean when I say that while the hands are working in a 4 count, the guitar riff doesn't cycle back to the 1 until 16 counts later. Trust me when I say that it sounds (both in my writing and your listening) much more complicated than it is. That said, it's still pretty damn complicated. Instruments aside, check out Kidman from the :54 mark to about 1:07. It may be the most suffocating vocal delivery i've ever heard.

The next song is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what I've just explained but is a really good example of how they're capable of looping riff variations in unique ways and always end up landing where they started. In the song Concantenation the snare/cymbal combo is definitely not working in a 4 count as they are playing off the main riff. The interesting part is the verse riff which begins at the :26 mark. If you listen closely you'll hear the riff play a kind of "DUN DUN" sound (:27). The whole riff itself actually kind of goes "DUH DEHHH DEH DUN DUN" and continues to repeat that pattern 6 times per section (when the drums loop) until the :55 mark. Where it gets fun is when the second verse starts (1:19) things get mixed up slightly by the addition of one "DUN". If you think of the repeating "DUH DEHHH DEH DUN DUN" in verse 1, in verse 2 when that same riff is played, the second and fourth repeats are actually "DUH DEHHH DEH DUN DUN DUN". Mad scientists, I tell you.

Does all of this analysis take the fun out of it? I suppose that depends on the type of listener you are. The beauty of Meshuggah is that you can be both types and enjoy the music equally. A Dillinger Escape Plan audience doesn't really know what to do with itself because the music can be so schizophrenic in tempo, so the crowd typically expresses its release by shoving each other around. Meshuggah is just as complex but to peripherally look over their audience you'll see a mass of synchronized, bobbing heads. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but I know what team I'm on.

Complaints are made that a lot of the band's riffage, especially on Chaosphere, relies too heavily on low, patterned chugging. Others complain that Thordendal's leads are not memorable enough; that they're too Alan Holdsworth-esque. I can't say that these aren't valid comments however these elements are what make the band what it is. Those criticisms are targeted towards the band that more or less created the genre it solely occupies. It's in those elements that the music becomes perfect because to change one of those for something more familiar would compromise everything that makes it so special.

Never has a band focused so much on the relationship between mechanics and humanity, and applied that relationship to every element it produces. Kidman's vocals have progressed to a near robotic quality yet given that his instrument is internal he is arguably the most human element of the band. Haake plays intensely calculative material with metronomic precision however the delivery is drenched in pocketed feel. They're an organic group delivering a nonorganic product.

Meshuggah is the only remaining band I listen to where each new release is still an actual life event. A stepping stone of change, and proof that while in many cases the act of re-working familiar songwriting formulas is worthwhile, there will also forever be the need to have boundaries broken. Meshuggah doesn't exist to destroy, erase, and improve other bands, it exists to take those actions and inflict them on itself. When you have no peers and therefore no one to challenge, you can only confront the bar you have set for yourself.

My relationship to the music is that of a visceral threat. The music forces me to think differently and compete with the conditioned expectations that have evolved throughout my life as a person who ingests and digests music. It is a band of give, take, and unending reward.

2010-05-05T08:51:00.006-04:00

Where I come from - Example 1

Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power

The definitive American metal band of the 90’s. I knew the group would be important to me because I was completely unprepared for it.

I had a friend in highschool who grew up in one of those households surrounded by the kind of technology you didn’t know existed at the time, and you likely still only know of in myth. His dad had taken over the basement and somehow converted it into a kind of hobbyist cross-section of Terry Gilliam-esque shangri-la’s, which through the eyes of a 14 year old were nothing if not spell-binding. At first glance it was a typical suburban finished basement; somewhere we’d play Sega Genesis and have weekly band practices (thinking back I can’t think of one single “practice” where we completed a song from start to finish.) But it was around hidden corners and behind oddly placed doors that this basement kept its eccentric secrets. On only one occasion I was briefly led through one of the doorways into which my limited memory describes as a kind of surreal new age keyboard fueled Zen retreat. Again, the viewing time allotted was very limited, but I’m positive there was a huge pillow in the centre of the room, possibly a wall of 1930’s style telephone operator panel type equipment, a rainforest, and maybe a gremlin. Around another corner was a sort of electronics workshop which at the time appeared to be a floor to ceiling hive of remote control airplane motors. Thinking back I have no idea how all of this was contained under one roof, but the fact that the household answering machine message was that of his dad softly requesting your name and number in a heavily Chinese accented voice with “Whole lotta Love” blaring in the background meant that a) his dad was pretty awesome, and b) it didn’t really matter.

Every weekend his mom would stop at the Ottawa library and take out a selection of laserdiscs, and while most of them would be translated karaoke versions of American schmaltz, there’d always be some for us youngsters. On one glorious spring weekend she was generous enough to bring home the Monsters of Rock concert video from 1991, a festival typically held at Donnington, England, however that year they brought the circus to Moscow. The lineup consisted of Pantera, AC/DC, Metallica, Motley Crue, Queensryche, the Black Crowes, and a pile of military solely conditioned to beat teenagers over the head. I can tell you that the Wikipedia entry isn’t entirely accurate, because I also remember some weird Russian band playing, as well as the omission of the haircut worn by the drummer from the Black Crowes, which, I mean, if you’d seen the thing.

The first band featured in the video (insert movie trailer voiceover)…was Pantera.

At that point in my life I had only recently started to abandon the music that I thought I liked (Young MC, DJ EZ-Rock and Rob Base, whothehellknowswhatelse), and was beginning to shift to music I liked but couldn't properly explain why (Led Zeppelin). Needless to say, Pantera hit me like a dinosaur swung concrete Louisville Slugger to the incisors. I’d never heard music like this before. I knew my Metallica, my Megadeth, and Slayer, but this was different. If those bands were travelling the metal highway, Pantera was going the opposite direction, on the side of the road, riding BMX’s.

The performance was revelatory, and the band was on fire. Each man brought their A, B, and C game, and the result was an explosive culmination that bowed down to the almighty riff.

They were showcasing road tested material from Cowboys from Hell, and the versions were angrier and even more aggressive. “To hell with this”, I thought, and bought the cassette for Vulgar Display almost immediately. And interestingly enough, thinking of that moment, the moment of exchanging allowance dollars for that small plastic package of volatility is likely the reason this blog exists.

I remember being completely intimidated by what came from my headphones. It was as though the simple act of pressing ‘play’ was no different than releasing a caged, agitated gorilla. I remember finding Anselmo’s vocals to be too abrasive, but that was a small price to pay for Dimebag’s Eddie Van Halen-esque wizardry, which had been filtered through a Texas twang metal machine, and Vinnie’s intense rhythm factory drumming; a Texas metal machine unto itself.

The clear Terry Date production left nothing to hide, with each instrument standing on its own, and to this day when tapping my feet to the rhythm’s in my head I still, almost 20 years later, consistently fall back into patterns I learned from Vulgar Display of Power. I was just young enough to have missed the vital metal of the 80’s, and therefore just young enough to not fully understand how vital this record would eventually become (to me). It changed what I thought of music. It shaped how I approached music. It altered how I listened to music. The band fought convention, and in turn taught me.

It’s said that metal is something you either “get” or you don’t. An argument that doesn’t defend itself well, as there is no actual way of explaining it, but it’s an argument I side with because I can’t help but agree. Hearing Vulgar Display didn’t give me an outlet to release aggression, and it didn’t say the things that I wasn’t able to articulate. It was just simply a sound that resonated with me; a direct audible link to emotion. Action and reaction.

The band continued to release records over the next ten years and proved that if you’re good, there is no need to compromise. It was a group that could not be contained, not even by itself. The influence is monumental, as it is now rare to go to a metal show consisting of multiple bands where at least one of the front men hasn’t constructed his entire stage presence around that of Phil, as heard on the band’s Official Live: 101 Proof record. It’s now almost the Modern Heavy Metal vocalist blueprint.

I’m not pretending Pantera were the only heavy American band of that era making relevant music. Bands like Death, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Suffocation etc. were all releasing music during this timeframe, however none reached the same level as Pantera. Not to imply that success is measured by sales, but the success was attained due to a rare combination. When the band went to #1 on Billboard with the release of Far Beyond Driven, it followed with the even darker, less accessible Great Southern Trendkill. The difference was in the individuals. Like him or hate him, Anselmo is a superb frontman, and Dimeball Darrell was one of the best guitarists of his generation. They composed catchy, heavy music and presented it in a way that scratched an itch for many people.

Their message was always clear and never cryptic: An ugly point of view communicated with force.

A Vulgar Display of Power.

The beginning of a beginning – how to change my life in three and a half minutes:

2010-05-03T18:27:00.002-04:00

We work together, common sons

I've seen it, and you should, too.

ONE NIGHT ONLY THURSDAY, JUNE 10 at 7pm
RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage is Released to the Following Theaters:
SCOTIABANK THEATRE, TORONTO
CINEMARK TINSELTOWN, VANCOUVER
THE UPTOWN, CALGARY
CINEMA DU PARC, MONTREAL
CINEMA LE CLAP, QUEBEC CITY

“...Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage,” took home the 2010 Audience Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival..."

2010-05-01T00:10:00.009-04:00

How to inspire friends and intimidate people

The one thing I can safely admit to having the ability to instill utter anxiety in me is the fear of enclosed spaces. If you take that fear and add many, many people to the equation you can safely bring a stretcher to the party as I likely won't survive. All this is interesting because in a way that more or less (at times) describes the cacophonous racket that the Dillinger Escape Plan stutter.

Whoever hosted a basement show with DEP as the house band clearly cared little for the structural integrity of the available space. No matter, as it makes for a sure-fire entertaining watch. Typically you'd assume that a band would have to be pretty trusting considering the proximity of the audience, but Dillinger isn't the kind of group with a reputation to feel concerned. There's also Ben Weinman's full-body guitar chop keeping the crowd at a safe distance, not to mention having Marvel's Absorbing Man as your vocalist.

It isn't enough that Pig Destroyer both inspires and intimidates as much as the Mother Theresa - Great White shark - Dragline excavator production model, but the band also has a trick up their sleeves where when presented with lemons, they almost level the earth WITH LEMONS. The key to the video below occurs at the :23 second mark.

Can you even believe that? Live concert video has the impossible task of trying to relay an experience that can't be relayed. The sheer volume just cannot be matched. So think of THAT when you consider the fact that you can still hear J. R. Hayes' voice even after his microphone breaks in half. Terrifying. Assuming you've been a teenager at some point you know how exhausting it is to scream for any of amount time, so it's not surprising that he nearly collapses. It's amazing.

NEXT,

Having seen Municipal Waste a few times I can attest to some pretty rowdy crowdy's (can you believe I wrote that?). It's one of those things where the expectation is there so the audience feels as though they have something to prove. That said, I've never seen a Municipal Waste show like this. The popular phrase "a sea of people" doesn't come close to describing this mayhem. I don't think there has ever been a time where I've watched this and not audibly said "whooooah" at the :28 mark.

It's a pretty long video but some definite highlights are one hell of a circle at 6:14, and Chappy Chin-up at 6:36. There are others but I'm too lazy to scan through it all.

ps, I love when a youtube unstarted freeze-frame comes together. POSSESSED.

2010-04-29T08:27:00.047-04:00

I'm going through changes

When there’s something in your life, something that’s always there, something you take for granted, grow accustomed to, take comfort in, and then that something is suddenly gone, how are you supposed to react?

When it’s there you can develop bad habits, get lazy, at times resent it, have arguments, and begin to consider that the hard work it takes outweighs the good times. At increasingly irregular moments the highs are untouchable, but for most part the highs and lows begin to see eye to eye.

Then you see the end on the horizon, standing in the distance with a stern look and fatigued body language. It knows the difficulties that await you despite the reality that your own brain can’t calculate the loss until the funeral parade is slowly cruising away from the grave. Time passes and you ignore the inevitable, convinced the future will never arrive.

Words of restoration are exchanged but deep down you know they carry no weight. A mind has been made, and it is steadfast.

Then, with a burst of concentrated aggression, it’s all over.

The separation is awkward and fumbled. There are no handshakes simply because the mind still hasn’t accepted the fact that this goodbye is actually different.

You’re now free. Time that was once occupied is now available. You learn to accept that you no longer need what was once something you so strongly believed in. This is you moving on. This is you focusing your energy on other things. Resetting.

Time passes, then more time passes. But as is always the case something appears from nowhere, when you least expect it, standing on the horizon. Something fresh, something intriguing, tempting, standing there with a sly look and reserved body language. Show me what you've got.

The time in your mind rusts itself to a grinding crawl as eagerness advances the clock much more slowly. A contrast that mutates days into what now feel like years. Things develop organically, naturally.

Your approach is now more confident. You appreciate this opportunity for you have accepted previously made mistakes, made adjustments, focused on your flaws. Refined.

This is what you’ve been waiting for. This combination is more powerful, potent, dynamic, and cogent. Explosive. You’ve paid your dues. Deep breaths have been taken and you’ve forged through life’s obstacles to get to this exact moment. Thrilling. Months worth of patiently bided time disintegrate in the shadow of a few hours of engrossed rapture.

And that’s it. You’ve arrived. Nothing can take it away from you. Attempts are made to strip from you what is new, what you feel you deserve, what you feel you've earned, but it is impossible. You’re a vacuum of all that is negative, taking what has been thrust upon you and pulverizing it like an industrial machine made for recycling resistance and expelling it back into the world with reliance.

You understand your abilities, your strengths. You know who you are and seize anything within your grasp and reconstruct what lacks direction. You guide.

These are familiar grounds, but you’re now greeting possibility with a firmer handshake and a confidence that has congregated in your being like a stampede. A strength in numbers braced to serve the only deserving master capable of commanding this energy: You.

Everything is summarized with an authoritative detonation. The concentrated aggression is unleashed again. Minutes crumble and step aside to the locomotive proficiency of honed ability.

You clench your teeth and suffer through what feels like a turbine-like presence standing over your shoulder releasing an unending, adamant, tenacious, caustic scream. A sound capable of blocking light. A sound so deafening that any attempts to place yourself in the moment are an exercise in absolute futility.

And then it’s gone,

But not for long.

What had once meant so much to you is now over, and you didn’t fully understand the power it held until it was returned to you. Now it’s here, and you’re unstoppable.

Fearless.

2010-04-26T20:25:00.003-04:00

Moods - Choose my own adventure

A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt dangerous. - Alfred Adler

2010-04-10T15:24:00.004-04:00

Fill your big black boots

Nile is a band that I can only take in small doses. Mostly because they're just so damned overwhelming. So if you're someone who takes Nile in zero doses it's only fair that I attempt to at least expose you to George Kollias; a drummer from Greece who I can only assume began playing when the Acropolis was constructed and probably failed several times to have extreme drumming made an olympic event.

Things to watch for in the video:

- George, similarly to Shannon Lucas, for some ridiculous reason plays the kick with one foot during blast beats. You'll notice this at the 10 second mark. I'm sure he has good reason for this but as far as I'm concerned he's just trying to make things harder for himself (for the hell of it).

- At the 17 second mark you'll see both his left and right feet prove that big black high top boots have no effect on turning his feet into high performance pistons of fury. Again, i know there are more appropriate footwear for this but feel free to refer to the last sentence of my previous point. It's possible he went drum shoe shopping with Gene Hoglan.

- At the 1:02 and 1:59 marks you'll see him employ a second snare that's placed to the left of his high-hat. I'm sure it all has to do with ease as far as freeing up his right hand to do things that would otherwise be too difficult with the standard snare placement, but let's not concern ourselves with these details. What's important is that it looks REALLY NEAT.

- The 1:37 mark is a nice reminder that he's the kind of metal drummer who doesn't neglect his high-hat pedal. You'd be surprised at how important that actually is.

- Again at the 1:59 mark if you pay attention to his right hand you'll notice him using a technique created by civil war musician Sanford Moeller, aptly called the Moeller Technique. Essentially the hand and wrist perform a snake-like whipping motion when playing with speed that allows for accents. I'm no drummer, but apparently it's pretty tough to master so it's only fitting that our pal George here is having at it with inhuman speed.

The rest is just a blur of fills and cross-over cymbal smashing that is nothing short of exhausting to watch.

The Essential Salts:

2010-04-05T18:31:00.009-04:00

Everybody loves Metallica…

…the old stuff.

Everybody has to qualify their love for Metallica with that additional sidenote. It’s the definitive post-script of my generation.

I used to be slightly annoyed with the over-justification because I felt as though there was no need. They were a great great metal band who reached their technical limitations and then became a solid hard-rock band. To compare the two incarnations is unfair, albeit inescapable.

The obvious backlash occurred but what many failed to realize is that the band simply could not progress any further than what they had done on …And Justice for all. And fortunately for them, Bob Rock, in his snakeskin-cowboy-booted and goldie-locked glory, recognized this. The band slowed things down, simplified, and sold millions of records. Good for them, but considering the fact that the Black album was released twenty years ago and they’ve continued to release records, they’re on pretty shaky ground.

Nirvana and Green Day killed mainstream metal in the early 90’s and Lars Ulrich, in his insatiable thirst to remain trendy cut his hair (and Hetfield’s, most likely), slapped on a blue fur coat, some eyeliner, and the band cranked out Load and Re-load. [They] remained relevant by continuing to disappoint fans that just wanted the nimble music [they] had stopped played 6 years prior. The thing is, I didn’t dislike Load. I didn’t really care that it wasn’t Ride the Lightning part 2. The songs were still catchy and well recorded, and at that time I didn’t need more of what they used to be. I just didn’t care.

But now I do care. Kind of.

The band works very hard and no one can take that away from them, but they’re victims of their own development (of lack thereof). They were successful in a time where they had fewer peers and were creating a standard which has long since been surpassed. Slayer was more gifted but too controversial. Hetfield had melody and the band crossed over into the punk community through wardrobe and cover song choices. They were the perfect heavy band of that time.

The fortunate reality for the band is that angst-fueled teenagers and jean short wearing 30-40 somethings still want to hear the old material, which is why they’re still the one of maybe two heavy bands that can tour the world and play the largest venues available (incl. Maiden). Truthfully, having never seen them I would as well if it didn’t mean spending so much money to do so. Sadly I know that I’d find myself cringing through most of the performance because with age and musicianship my ears would find it impossible to ignore Hammett’s slightly out of tune, amateur hour vibrato, and Lars only hitting the kick on the 1 of every 4 beats (during the brisk songs). Not to mention leaping off his drum stool and keeling over, crippled from playing a song like “Nothing else matters”.

One could argue that the main reason people still believe in Metallica is a result of craving; the constant want and hope for the band to suddenly release a record that would hearken back to their glory years. Ironically it’s this hope that in some ways keeps the band alive. Or conversely, keeps fans interested. Yes they still put the odd thrashy number on their newer albums, but for every Frantic there’s a Sweet Amber. Or for every My Apocalypse, there’s a SWEET AMBER. The riffs just aren’t there, the songs are too long and repetitive, and they don’t have that “fly by the seat of your pants” fury that a song like “Fight fire with fire” had.

The foolish thing is that I do feel guilty about writing this. It’s as though I’m convinced that somehow, someone from the band will read this and feel insulted. They’re a critical band and one that is inarguably important in my developments as both a listener and performer of music.

Am I hiding behind a keyboard? Of course I am, because I’d never say any of these things to any of their faces. Am I envious of their achievements in the world of recorded music? Anyone who has held an instrument onstage would be lying if they said ‘no’.

Because I do love Metallica…

…especially when Meshuggah released Contradictions Collapse in 1991(ahem, NINETEEN NINETY-ONE!): the record that Metallica would have recorded had they had the technical proficiency to continue in the progressive realm they began to explore on Justice.

On an unrelated note,

If you’re into good music that I know absolutely nothing about, please go HERE where you can download a mix of good music that I know absolutely nothing about, compiled by someone who knows way more about it than I do..

2010-03-14T19:16:00.010-04:00

Home at last

The first time the Purdie Shuffle was splained to me was about ten years ago by the man himself. Well, not directly but when the focus of the Classic Albums special on "Aja" shifted towards his contributions I was easily drawn in.

If you're not familiar with the drummer skip ahead to the 2:25 mark of this video. You'll get a bit of his background from the person who loves talking about him the most. Himself. Don't be put off, though, as the man has earned his right to brag.

COME ON. How could anyone resist that man?! For a more isolated breakdown check out the next video and try not get too hypnotized by his shoulder movements. You'd be hard pressed to find another drummer who lays down a more solid, ghost-noted, confident groove.

Due to the beat being so unique it really jumps out if I hear someone else interpret it. One example is Toto's Jeff Porcarro who used it for the song "Rosana". He explains his method in the next video:

I'm not about to pretend that I'm a Toto aficionado and my knowledge of them goes no further than listening to the cut Africa from their record "IV", which my parent's owned on cassette. However what really gives me a jolt is when I notice the Purdie Shuffle in metal songs.

Check out Martin Axenrot's use of the pattern in the Opeth song Hessian Peel. He introduces it at the 2:12 mark so don't be a lazy bimbo and just start the video from the beginning, instead of skipping ahead.

Pretty great, oui?

I wish I had a bunch of examples of the shuffle in metal but I only have two and the next one is the reason I bothered writing this post, because it's a new song. Abe Cunningham of the Deftones uses the beat pretty sparingly in the first single Rocket Skates from their new record but it's in there enough to have caught my attention.

Give it up for Mr Purdie.

2010-03-08T16:05:00.013-05:00

Twennehten

Everyone wants to have something to say and frustratingly for the most part the web gives them the opportunity to have their own platform. The result? Dead blogs everywhere. The information super-highway is littered with rotted out web-journal roadkill.
Not that this is much of a concern as the majority of what has passed as creativity lately is to simply copy and paste links to embed videos:

...or to add not-funny to semi-funny captions to not-funny, semi-funny, or already funny pictures.

Combine all of these things with the trend of 200+ blurry and repeating pictures in a vacation album posted on facebook and we’re left with sympathy for bandwidth and a bad aftertaste from “I couldn’t care less about what the hell is online anymore” sandwiches.

Not like I’m remotely better as this page, aside from a few scattered jabs to its pretzel fueled heart, has been Chaosdeadandburied for years. In fact, I don’t even know if this post is worthwhile considering my unwillingness to commit to a follow-up, and I’m not quite ready to lazily switch over to twitter.com/chaoslame yet.

So to what purpose do I owe this sudden inspiration? I have NO IDEA. Do I have anything remotely new and interesting to say about heavy music and what I like about it? MAYBE?

Let’s see what kind of run-down I can provide.

- Favourite record of 2009: Addicted by Devin Townsend.
Not even really a metal album but the heaviness is there. The guy just delivers some of the most satisfying cuts I’ve ever known. Never one to hold back on vocal and six-stringed inyourfaces he once again proves himself to be arguably the greatest talent in the country although criminally unrecognized by the ones he likely doesn’t care to be recognized by. Even after listening to the song “Numbered” countless times I still almost barf a rabbit when what’s her name starts belting it out at the 3:49 mark.

- Converge
I’m not much of a fan but the first song on the new album can only be compared to taking a hit of Incredible Hulk. I’ve never grocery shopped with so much non-visual tension in my entire life. I was SLAMMING those bagels into my basket (In my mind. Totally normal in real life).
Outstanding production.

- Impious, Death Domination:
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (Read this like each “R” is a snare hit) RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Fine, I get it, blast beats have been appropriated by everyone and has become the new qualifier for crap bands who write “we’re metal…right?” songs, but it’s becoming too much. Impious isn’t one of those bands and in their defense the album is savagely insane, but after 3 songs I can’t get passed the lack of memorable guitar riffage.

- Shannon Lucas:
Is still the new American metronome. I can’t say that I fell for the newest BDM record much but golly does he really let loose. A drummer this consistent is a rare thing and I've watched enough footage of him online to at least get a basic impression that he seems to be a pretty down to earth, overall nice-guy. The video below is nothing short of intimidating.

This:

There you have it. Maybe I’ll be back in a week to a few years or so. Chaosbeard isn’t dead yet.

2008-10-16T19:35:00.002-04:00

If you're going to cut records that clearly ape the sounds of Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Sabbath and the Beatles you'd better be doing something interesting.

If you can take that interesting and knowingly quote parts directly from those bands you'd better be doing something really interesting.

Bigelf.
They're really really good. Like, i've heard this song before no I haven't and it's catchy and rolling.
You can't fault a band for showing this much ambition and truly 'going for it'.
Both the new record and the one before it are pretty awesome. Get passed the influences and you'll be rewarded.
At least buy them for your dad.

ps, that new Beyonce single is pretty killer. The "Single Ladies" one.

2008-06-03T16:33:00.007-04:00

Southern Harm
Remember five years ago when Kings of Leon released a record and everyone claimed them to be the return of Southern Rock? Maybe you don’t, but I do. And do you know what else I remember? Them not being Southern Rock at all. Well, not in the Southern Rock sense that I know. Fine, they play some form of rock, and they’re from the South, but that’s as far as that comparison will go. Go ahead pal, give yourself a Robin Hood haircut and a little moustache as long as you keep in mind that Duane Allman had the facial hair of a walrus when he was born and is still considered to be one of the greatest slide guitar players of all time despite having died at 25.
Whether or not you feel as though that comparison is justified is completely irrelevant but here are some guidelines that will help you understand how something can be qualified as Southern Rock (yes, this is my opinion but fortunately for me you don’t have one on this subject. Or at least one that matters. To me).
1. Good songs
2. Good musicians
That’s it. There are your guidelines. If you’re confused I’ll provide some explanation using the band first mentioned in this post.
If you think the members of Kings of Leon are good musicians you have a very different definition of the word ‘good’ and how it applies to music. To be fair, the members of Kings of Leon are capable musicians. They get the job done. And their job has it’s place as far as satisfying an audience who loves (loved?) the Strokes and claimed to like whichever country artist had most recently died, and really would have really dug a combination of the two.
“Duuude, Johnny Cash ruuules”
“Yeah man, STRRRRROKES!!”
both in unison, “DUUUDE…imaaagine??”
These would be the same guys that would makes claims as ignorant as Kings of Leon being the new Lynyrd Skynyrd. A claim that made me want to stab myself in the butt with a desk just for typing it. Those who make quick comparisons such as that are generally those who are only familiar with Sweet Home Alabama and Freebird yet somehow are completely incapable of distinguishing between ‘good’ musicianship (or great, or shoot your face off great musicianship) for ‘capable’ playing. Have you heard Freebird? Surely you and your jean short wearing bro-skees have fumbled through guitar hero with it enough to know that it’s no run of the mill pop tune.
I’m exhausted with this post already and I haven’t even gotten to the point.

For those of you who care about the Southern Rock that I care about and have been unsuccessful in finding an updated version of it KEEP READING. It does exist, and it’s heavy.
Seeing as Southern Rock is performed by good musicians it is easily comparable to metal because both genres consist of people who wasted most of their youths working toward being a good musician. That’s not to say that all Metal and Southern Rock musicians are great with their instruments but it’s a generalization that I’m comfortable with. Sure, David Muse of the Marshall Tucker Band may not be the best flautist in the world but I don’t have any issues with claiming him to be more talented than Caleb Followill. And despite the fact that the individual members of Trivium may be able to shred to a certain degree, they still suck. But they don’t suck as hard as Caleb effing Followill.
And both Kings of Leon and Trivium don’t even come close to being as interesting and powerful and Georgia’s Baroness.
Up until recently I knew very little of this band and the small amount I'd heard left me with the impression that the music was ‘kind of slow’.
They were very good live. Huge tone and very strong vocals with a powerful delivery. Long held words with solid backups. They have elements of their Atlanta, and former Relapse compatriots Mastodon in the sense that the songs generally contain harmonized hammered on and pulled off guitar lines and a drummer content on carrying a fill over 200 bars. I was really enjoying it. Then it got better. Every time John Baizley, the frontman, performed a guitar break I got a nice big fresh breeze of twang. After that point it became more enjoyable as I could then not only put it through my doom filter but also the meshed goodness that is my love for the down-home. Apparently the Midnight Rider has added tight black jeans and a bullet belt to his wardrobe.
I’m not saying that it was as though Gary Rossington and Dickey Betts were on stage doing hair whips but the inspiration was clearly genuine and coming from the right place.
Go see this band if you can, and do yourself a favour and pick up some of their merch cause it’s some of the best stuff out there. Not only can Mr. Baizley belt out some solid vocals and tasty twang but he also designs their, and many other bands’ artwork.

Yeah right

Not fair

Pig Destroyer!

2008-05-08T10:46:00.005-04:00

Main Entry:
sur·gery
Pronunciation:
\'serj-rē, 'ser-je-\
Function:
noun
Inflected Form(s):
plural sur·ger·ies
Etymology:
Middle English surgerie, from Anglo-French cirurgerie, surgerie, from
Latin chirurgia, from Greek cheirourgia, from cheirourgos surgeon, from
cheirourgos doing by hand, from cheir hand + ergon work — more at
chir-, work
Date:
14th century
1: a clinical act performed with precision and extreme technicality.
- to be done manually in a sterile environment.
- a room or place of surgical operations.
- executed with various instruments, typically of the metallic variety.
- may sometimes result in death.

Usage;
Doctor Malone,
“I’ve trained for years and years to perform my job with
the most proficient and technical expertise. On the whole
though, I’d say that being subject to my job would be
either boring and or painful.”

or

Jill, “I’m going into surgery tomorrow”
Paul, “Oh yeah? Wow that sucks”
Jill, “No way, I TOTALLY love it”
Paul, “You wouldn’t if you were awake”

Synonyms:
Ultimate frisbee, Arsis

2008-03-03T13:47:00.004-05:00

These guys update daily. Apparently that's how you get readers.

2008-01-15T15:27:00.001-05:00

7:24 to Awesome-ville

If you’re currently hearing the screams of your favourite bands or musicians it’s because they’ve likely heard what I heard today. If you can’t hear those screams, it’s because you’re not listening closely enough. That or you heard what I heard today and can no longer process the feeble attempts at recorded music your favourite bands or musicians have made in comparison to the new Meshuggah song available to be heard on bravewords.com.
Main page, top left hand-side. Brave Tunes.
Meshuggah – Bleed

This band has consistently evolved and mutated despite maintaining a signature sound that cannot be forged.
Chaosphere to Nothing informed listeners that speed was not a necessary tool in the creation of uneven jackhammer riffage. That slower tempos could open the doors for more complicated polyrhythms and place more focus on the impact of tone, both instrumentally and vocally.
Nothing to I was a trip through the history of the band which transitioned from the violent punishment of their early tendencies to their newer, more patient grinds. They also expanded on the flowing singular characteristics of free jazz and composed rhythms which became increasingly difficult to predict. On previous records, a pattern could have repeated itself several times throughout the course of the 4 count however with “I”, the band would carry a sequence over 8 or more bars.
I to Catch 33 continued with the latter elements of “I” in the sense that things remained slow, heavy, and unpredictable. People made the obvious complaints that the band “wasn’t what they used to be”, that they “lost the focus they had presented on Destroy Erase Improve” and that “they were turning their backs on their fans”. What those people didn’t know was that they were complete idiots who had no concept of why Meshuggah is what it is. Why they have moved beyond the limitations of the Metal genre and are without question one of the most significant recording groups of the last twenty years.

Bleed – Early reports from the band indicated they were composing new material with a brisker edge. You know, the one they’d “lost”. This denseness is without a doubt evident on Bleed however being the band they are, and understanding that in order to satisfy their own creative needs they have been able to remain evolutionary. Yes, the primary riff contains more strikes than all of Nothing and Catch 33 combined and the rhythm stutters in ways of old but the drums (high hat / snare) remain for the most part patient and simplified (bass drums excluded – unreal). That being said I can’t predict what the rest of the record will sound like. It is entirely possible that it may in fact be in the tradition of DEI or Chaosphere. I do doubt it though as they are not a band that takes to being predictable.

Every time this band releases new material they amaze and this is no exception.

2007-12-04T09:18:00.001-05:00

Top 10, or 8

1. Destruction – Thrash Anthems
What do you do when the quality of your early output gets overshadowed by poor production values and drumming that sounds like Stephen Hawking tap-dancing with bags of ping-pong balls on his feet? You take your new drummer into the studio (one of the most solid thrash drummers on the planet) and RE-RECORD THEM. An interesting route for a ‘best of’ but this record couldn’t possibly deliver any more than it already does. Not to take anything away from the quality and nostalgia of the original recordings from these Germans but the updated versions of these tunes really allows their greatness to be revealed. The drums and guitars are so loud and in your face that they might as well be in your mouth and Schmier "I'M SO PISSED UFF"'s vocals are proof that a ridiculously tall, leather clad man can still sound terrifying with shreaky vocals. I find it very difficult to not raise at least one arm in the air when listening to this record.
Hey guys, how do you want this thing mastered?
Um, louder zen anyssing ulse und zee planetz.

2. Mors Principium Est – Liberation = Termination
Not even the electric-circus, white-button-down-shirt, white-pants, white-leather-cockroach-killer shoe, gold-chain, guess-jeans-belt-buckle, bass-thumping intro to the ‘Animal Within’ from this record can deny how awesome this band is. To some it’s pretty standard melodo-death-thrash but these guys have more shred in them than something with a whole lot of shred in it. All three of their releases have had at least 5 to 6 ‘YES’ songs which, if ya don’t know, is a remarkably high average. The main guitar player / song-writer chappy has left to pursue the arena-ready stampeding success of solo instrumental music which is a crying shame but he did a hell of a job in releasing three great MPE records.

3. Pig Destroyer – Phantom Limb
Pig Destroyer? No thanks, I’ve heard they’re good but I’m not that into grind. HEY WAIT THIS ISN’T GRIND.
One guitar, one drumset, and a very talented lyricist. I’m embarrassed to have so quickly dismissed them in the past. This record kills from start to finish with flurried blasts and grooved out glory.

4. Black Dahlia Murder – Nocturnal
Zach Gibson / Drums: Hey guys, I’m like the only good member of this band and the only reason Miasma was any good was because of my drum performance eff you to the max I’m out of here.
Black Dahlia Murder: Hey cool man, you were sloppy live and did nothing but complain the entire time anyway. Oh apparently you’re an arrogant prick too. No worries though as we’ve since replaced you with Tony Laureano, oh wait, we mean Kevin Talley, nope, make that Pierre Langlois, haaaang on, no here we go, Yo Shannon Lucas, why don’t you leave All that Remains and come help us destroy the rest of the modern American Thrash scene on our new record.
Shannon Lucas: Sounds good.
You ever heard a heavy metal waltz? Track 2.
1 – 2 – 3, 1 – 2 – 3-, puh – nih – shing.

5. Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
Finally an album to counter that weird uncle of yours and his fondness for ‘world music’. Guess what, Paul Simon’s Graceland came out a looong time ago and those Putumayo Kenyan Jambalaya collections aren’t going to add the flavour to your collection you seem to so desperately desire. Nice multi-coloured vest by the way. Dear Sam Beam, thank you so much for evolving in a way that came as a complete surprise yet seemed to make a shocking amount of sense at the same time. The melodies and terrifyingly strong and the instrumentation is awesome. Also, the cut on there about the Buzzard smothered my face with a smile instantly.

6. Between the Buried and Me – Colors
Haha yeah we were just kidding when we released that completely unnecessary tribute record ‘The Anatomy of’ last year. I mean, we couldn’t have made it any less interesting if we’d tried, considering every song pretty much sounded exactly like the original with the exception of good vocals. BUT YAY have fun with Colors because we’re still crazy nerds who will throw in Vaudevillian and Country & Western sections into 11+ minute metal / prog blends freshly pureed for you to probably not completely appreciate.

7. Radiohead – In Rainbows
There was a time oh so many years ago when I lived and breathed Radiohead. You know, back in the mid 90’s when I actually bought cd’s. How interesting is it that now, over 10 years later I actually got this record legally but still didn’t pay anything for it. Sure, a generous move by the band but it wouldn’t have been possible if myself and a few other million people hadn’t shelled out for their previous releases. The ‘pay what you want’ thing was kind of like having a friend win the lottery and offer to take you out to dinner while giving you the option of covering the tip. The real thrill of this record was its announcement roughly 10 days before the release. I gave up on them after Kid A when Metal got all possessive, asking me tediously jealous questions about who else I had been hanging out with and why my clothes didn’t smell of greasy hair and ‘someone else’s Right Guard’. I’m not the devoted fan I once was but the song ‘All I need’ is almost enough for In Rainbows to make this list alone.

8. Neil Young – Live at Massey Hall 1971
Oh hi, I’m Neil Young and I’m on stage at Massey hall. I released After the Gold Rush last year and will be releasing Harvest next year. I’m currently 26 years old. Guess what, that pretty much makes me more talented than you’ll ever be at anything in your entire life. "This next one isn’t quite finished yet, it’s called ‘The Needle and the Damage Done’". Yeesh.

Honourable mentions
Coliseum – No Salvation
I can’t justifiably include this record in the numbered portion of this list because I don’t actually own it yet. I am including it simply because after seeing them live at Sneaky Dee’s this summer I fully expect this album to be a monster. The singer and sole guitar player had four Marshall cabinets on stage and the drummer was absolutely amazing. The songs ripped in their hardcore / metal way and it was great in every way possible. They also have the coolest merch designs this side of Missoura.

Meshuggah – Chaosphere
This record was released in 1998 but since no band has topped the battering turbine of clattery caustics that is Chaosphere it will remain on any top list I compose out of spite and obnoxiousness.

2007-11-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Post Organic

They released my favourite record of last year and
I've mentioned them several times.
Their bus crashed a few days ago while on tour in Russia severly injuring Covan (vocals) and Vitek (drums). Vitek passed away this morning.
He was remarkably talented and only 23 years old but despite his age and the ages of his bandmates, they, and he were already veterans of the scene. He was a young adult in death and they were a band of near children when they released their savage debut, Wings of Creation, in 2000.

One more time for Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka.

2007-10-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

AAAllo

They’re back, which more importantly means he’s back. “He” of course being Dirk Verbeuren, or more popularly known around my headphones as Le French Fury.
The “they’re” also implies that a new Soilwork record is soon to be released. The entire record is currently streaming on their myspace, and based on my quick and unfair scan they seem to be continuing on into their happy-mid-tempo’d and keyboard smothered nice scream sundaes. If that sort of thing doesn’t sound appealing to you, and if you weren’t a huge fan of Stabbing the Drama (I was) you’ll probably just continue ignoring them in disappointment that they’re not just recycling Chainheart Machine. Whether or not you’re interested I would still recommend at least listening to The Pittsburgh Syndrome which is the apparent equivalent to STD’s Blind Eye Halo and Stalemate. In other words, the fast one, or, drum party yay.
If you follow these guys at all you may remember a studio video of Dirk once again proving why he’s one of the cleanest, fastest, and grooviest drummers in the biz. Turns out that that video was for this Pittsburgh song and it was a welcome change to actually hear the music behind the mashing (and the kicks for that matter). I’ve included that video below and if you’re as (pick your adjective) as me you can actually attempt to sync the video with the song. Think of it as a game. I did it, not as a game though, for seriousness. But then again, I’m super cool.
The video only lasts until midway through the lead which is a shame because the end of the song has a few arm storms. His right hand is typically frightening lightning fast and equally irate with his hi-hat and if you listen to the album version of the track you'll get to hear how impressive his feet are during the verse section. The beauty in Dirk’s playing is his subtlety and how flurried moments can slip by without a listener picking up on them. The songs aren’t showcases for his abilities but if you’re specifically listening for it you can’t help but be blown away. As far as I’m concerned he has some of the best feel and smoothest playing ever recorded.
Highlights (album version):
:00
:26
1:03
2:11
2:34
2:42

2007-08-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

THREE FOR THREE

Some really unimportant things to mention are that Jori decided to leave the band after 7 years and 3 albums. This is a shame as shortly before that Jarkko also decided that he would no longer perform live with the band. Apparently things will be ok though as Karri and Tomy have been brought in to round out the lineup. Sadly though, after all that, Joona has also since decided to leave. I’m sure all of this is devastating news to someone but that someone is probably not you. What is important is that while Mors Principium Est doesn’t seem to have the ability to keep a steady lineup (or actually play live shows) they did release one of my favourite metal releases this year. Also, if you’re not from Finland, you may find Finnish names funny…feriously.

I’ve written about this band before but felt that seeing how I’m so inconsistent and pathetically lazy in finding things to post about I might as well just cover them again. To choose them isn’t a random decision though because as I said, their new release (Liberation = Termination) just kills.

The songs are still fluffed up with keyboards and the odd techno beat but I’ll gladly suck that up and trade it off for the absolute shred fest that comes with it. To be honest, after three albums from these guys I’ve come to accept the keyboards for their ability to set up tremendously heavy sections. There’s even a tune called Animal Within that opens with a straight up Honda Civic ready thumper and upon first listen I almost unknowingly threw on a pair of snakeskin pointed cockroach killers and puked in my hat but the guitar lead that Jarkko unleashes completely makes up for it. It’s peel-out fast and seemingly never-ending. This is most likely the reason he’s decided to stay with the group but not play live. One can only imagine that attempting to perform that solo on a nightly basis would likely result in death. Or severely cramped fingers.

As compared to the previous two albums the vocals are finally pushed up and thankfully uncompromised. The leads have also finally been turned up a bit as well which rules because these guys are some of the best as far as execution and composition goes.

There are two songs (The Opressed will Rise & Sinners Defeat) from the new record on their Myspace that are great examples of what these guys are all about.

2007-07-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

DIE PIG

Ah, it’s good to be back. I’ve been itching to post for months but web access is non-existent when you’re rescuing endangered plants from the Mariana Trench. Oh of course I’m kidding. Who the hell would want to rescue anything?

Well I’m back from my hiatus of doing what I normally do in my day to day existence just minus my previous inconsistent postings, but I’ve been listening to something lately that I’m actually legitimately shocked I’m promoting.

I always build up to some lame reveal don’t I? Not like you couldn’t have figured it out by the picture anyways.

Pig Destroyer. Grindcore. What the hell am I doing listening to grindcore. The genre is alright but I never listen to it. Mostly because I can’t stand listening to it. Incessant blast beats, guitars that sound like they were amplified with laundry baskets and belch bucket vocals aren’t typically my thing but this record is really cool. You’ll have to go to their myspace if you really care to hear anything but it’s worth it. Also, don’t be fooled by the length of the two new tunes up there. For the most part the standard length on the record is, you know, a minute. What they’ve done to set themselves apart though is thankfully mix in solid double-kick grooves and what sound to my ears like some actual old-school riffage. The vocals are pretty ferocious too.

Check them out.

2007-02-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

Whale Riffer

It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing for this site. I really do. I think the problem is that my enjoyment doesn’t necessarily reveal itself until I’m about halfway through a new post. I suppose I’ve also been having inspiration issues lately, pretty lame. Thus is the cycle of metal. I mean, I can’t keep writing about the same bands over and over and it’s pretty rare that a new one comes along that I feel the need to devote enough time to educating myself about to the point where I feel comfortable posting about them. I guess there’s nothing stopping me from posting daily stuff about current stories but there are enough sites devoted to that so it would seem kind of cheap.

What am I trying to say exactly?

I don’t know man, that you’re lazy?

Sure, probably. I’m not going to say that it’s hard but…

…but, just finish the post.

Fine. Remember my top 10?

Yeah.

Gojira, the French band. Remember them?

Yeah, From Mars to Sirius. Seriously, how awesome is that record.

Ridiculously awesome. Honestly, some of the best production I’ve ever heard. The drums are so huge and solid.

I know, and the vocals? Talk about a delivery. I mean, you notice when good vocals are good or the opposite, when you just can’t get into something, but this guy…

…unreal, so much conviction. Would have liked to have seen him record them, pretty amazing that he was able to put himself in that headspace in a vocal booth. It sounds like he wanted to eat the wood from the walls.

It’s conscious too which is refreshing. I guess if you think about it it wouldn’t be that hard to draw that much aggression from environmental subject matter. And let’s be honest, whales make for some heavy duty imagery.

That sounds dumb, I know what you mean though.

Whatever.

It’s also pretty cool that they pretty much cornered the market on that pick scrape across the strings thing. You know, when you rake your pick from the high E to the low E? Close to the bridge? SCREEEAAAAW.

Yeah, it’s wicked. Zakk Wylde does that thing too but these guys actually incorporate it into the riffage, it’s not just some trick, it’s really in there and part of the song.

Oh man, I know. Like that section 2 minutes into the tune “The Heaviest Matter in the Universe”? Where the riff falls into that bulldozer grind? And your ears keep getting tweaked by that, that SCREEEAAAW.

It rules.

Yep.

It’s funny too because since this record came out other bands are starting to use it more and when I hear it I just think, ‘man, they’re ripping off Gojira, from a record that’s less than 2 years old’. Talk about getting something right.

Yeah, like Chimaira.

Definitely, I mean, you know I think that last Chimaira record was pretty cool but that new song they have? Resurrection? They go into a big slow riff at the end and bring in what to me is already known as the Gojira scrape. It’s like, c’mon guys, people know.

You speak the truth.

Yes I do. I’m going to watch that live Gojira video of ‘The Heaviest Matter in the Universe’ now.

Good idea.

Thanks.

2006-12-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

10

1. Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis - Sauron finally ditched and his generic death grunts aren't missed at all. They bring in some new kid named Covan who sounds remarkably like Barney from Napalm Death. That implies that he’s also really good. This thing grooves the hell out of the shed and is heavier than Satan the Hutt.

2. Mastodon - Blood Mountain - They're the new Zeppelin.

3. Gojira - From Mars to Sirius - It might have been released last year but that was only in Europe and I don't live there. It came out here this year so I'm putting it on this list. These frenchies knocked it out of le parc with a load of greenpeace whale sludge and the production is incredible.

4. Enslaved - Ruun – Aside from a few exceptions Black metal may be pretty much dead seeing as the only reason most bands play it these days is to have an excuse to wear corpse paint. Thankfully these guys keep recreating the genre by completely avoiding everything that’s so lame about it.

5. Urkraft - Inhuman Aberration – This record can sometimes be pretty generic melodic thrash but the performances are perfect and the riffs are never predictable. They're almost always rolling over the fourth beat and ending up somewhere only Danish people seem to understand.

6. I - Between Two Worlds - Heavy fist pumping rock metal with Abbath on vocals? Duh.

7. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale - I used to dislike his voice on the wu-tang records, I thought it was too whiny. I was so much younger then and too stupid to realize how insanely good he was.

8. Lamb of God - Sacrament - We're not supposed to like them anymore. What did Sloan say? That's rhetorical as I know the answer. They said it's not the band I hate it's the fans. Meatheads across the land may love beating each other up while listening to them (aka looking for an excuse to grab at each other) but to be honest this record is still with me. There’s enough of an evolution to keep me interested, the songs are heavy and catchy and Chris Adler is always entertaining.

9. In Flames - Come Clarity - Hell sometimes I like pop music.

10. Intronaut - Void – I’ve heard it enough to know that it’s top ten worthy. It will likely take many more listens to fully appreciate it’s denseness and weight. Next year I’d be disappointed with myself if I hadn’t included it.

2006-12-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER LESSON IN VIO-LISTENING

When a supreme talent arises in the metal community it can often be ignored by even more seasoned listeners because at times with this talent comes the desire to create the most caustic racket possible. In cases such as these the average to even advanced music fans are unable to digest what has been laid to .wav. In this case we're going to focus on Necrophagist. A band who falls into the commonly known metal genre as one of the many with too many names to bother attempting to label. Death, tech-death, math-tech, death-math, pyro-tech, ok so I'm starting to make these up but everyone else does so it's not even important. What is important is that if you can get passed the destructive drumming and grunting you'll find, in Necrophagists case, a guy who instead of applying his advanced brain to building a space station decided to pick up a guitar and almost single-handidly recreate the blast-math-being set on fire and put out with rock salt genre.

The band was originally a one man operation helmed by Muhammed Suicmez. His first full length record was called Onset of Putrefaction and he recorded the entire thing alone. If you have any desire to create music like this you'll probably want to start honing your drum machine abilities as it's unlikely you'll find someone who'll ever be able to replicate it live. Unless of course you're Suicmez and your first record does well enough to give you access to the impenetrable fortress where they keep the drummers that aren't accessible to the public unless you've proven your worth.

Another example of a similar band I've endorsed before on here is Decapitated. If you like them at all they can be a good starting point for Necrophagist. Well, Decapitated and say, Eat 'em and Smile by David Lee Roth. I say this because if it wasn't for the vocals you could almost be convinced that this album was recorded by Vai and Sheehan. That being said he did actually manage to put a band together and the newest record, 2004's Epitaph, is a tight and clean shred-fest in every way.

Symbiotic in Theory is a good example of all that this band is. The fast parts rip, the slower sections grind and the instrumentation is mind-boggling.

2006-11-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

NICE SNEAKERS

From the top to the very bottom, the biggest to smallest, there is no music more broadly scrutinized, dismissed or loved than metal. I know, I know, it’s a sweeping and arguably ignorant statement and one that could be argued by classical music and Steely Dan fans everywhere but I’m referring to music listeners of all ages and cultures. Let’s be honest, Classical music, like Criterion DVD’s or a good pen can only properly appreciated by people at least over the age of thirty and if someone younger claims otherwise they’re either lying to impress or have lost their entire youth locked in a room with a viola. As for Steely Dan, well, either you get it or you don’t and if you don’t I pity your unfortunate soul for you are not even remotely as ‘nerd cool’ as you think you are. Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, myself, my dad, my uncle, and other geniuses are laughing at you.

It’s a complicated world of genres, sub-genres, sub-sub genres and laughable styles that is both intimidating and for the most part a complete waste of time to even try to follow. This is of course the primary reason those who choose to follow it even bother. It’s like collecting hockey or baseball cards. It’s expensive, wastes space, is detailed oriented and all about the thrill of discovery. You are willing to sift through months of junk just for that one solid find. It’s a risky game, entering a room of cynical metal heads that have seen and heard it all. You throw in your tape or CD, or connect your mp3 player, it’s building inside, ‘they’ll love this’, you think to yourself, ‘I can’t believe they haven’t heard this band yet, they’re going to be so blown away’. Are they though? Was I tired when I heard it? Am I completely off? It’s a risk you take and a risk you love. Of course the pay-off is never instant. Like any metal head they won’t give you the immediate satisfaction. That usually comes a few weeks later when you’re in a car with all of them and they somehow now know the good parts. From there it’s air guitars, air drums, and winced eyed head-nodding all around. You’ve done it, time to start the search again.

The complications, though, arise from so many levels which is what makes the genre so difficult to crack into. As a metal head you are willing to listen to almost everything, for a few seconds. The reality is that that’s usually all it takes. If you’re seasoned enough, those two seconds aren’t even necessary and your seemingly closed-mindedness can be perfectly justified. Take a look at your current local metal scene; chances are the bands with the biggest draws are those with the tightest black pants and the biggest high-tops. If you’ve been to one of their shows you were most likely surrounded by a crowd full of people who wouldn’t know Alex Skolnick from Alex Van Halen while they feign interest in a below mediocre band playing songs that are less engaging than listening to a co-worker re-count the dream they had last night. There’s a reason why the most technically proficient musicians look like complete dorks and this reason is something I shouldn’t have to explain.

Here’s where it becomes difficult. Where the fine line blurs, fades, and hides. The local band wearing brand new 1990 Reebok Pumps would argue that they’re old-school, which is perfectly fair as long as you accept that your band will never go anywhere. The second you become that ‘old school band’ in town, that’s it. You’ve dug a stylistic hole that you’ll likely never recover from. The upside of course being that you at least had women at your shows which naturally meant that your audience was doubled, until you tried to evolve your sound. Then the quasi-interested metal heads forgot about you and moved on to some other old-school indulgence to party to in between Deicide binges, the girls left because they discovered some other band with tighter pants on Myspace and their boyfriends finally lost interest because their thirst to be the first to say that they found the new Wolf____ became too much for them to withstand. It’s ok though, shelling out all that extra cash to release a 7 inch was worth it in the end wasn’t it? At least that’s what Slayer would have done in ’84.

The opposite and likely adverse effect to this is a band like The Dillinger Escape Plan. These guys always seem to be ahead of the game, are remarkably proficient technically, and pretty much anti everything. Interestingly enough though is that if you go to a Dillinger show you’ll likely be surrounded by a crowd that wouldn’t know Jim Henson from Jim Martin (you see, I use Jim Martin because most people who would claim to follow Dillinger would be likely to name drop Mike Patton who is widely accepted in the ‘cool’ category as is Faith No More, but probably wouldn’t recognize the bespectacled wonder that was Mr. Martin – aka I’m pretentious). Anyway, I respect DEP but I’ll be damned if I can get through an entire record of theirs. If you haven’t heard them, imagine taking four Steely Dan albums, over-lapping them all, continually speeding up and then slowing down the music, and all this while putting a barking dog next to you while you listen to it. It’s pretty self indulgent stuff and I do encourage you to see them live as their performance is comparable to playing dodgeball with a bee-hive instead of a ball.

What all this could really be traced to is a potential personal indictment of all things power metal. Well, not all things, only things post 80’s. This is unfair of course…yeah, whatever. My point is when it comes to metal, if you have elements to your music that are references to something old and you are not making any attempts to mold or update it than you are likely wasting your time. If you can impress your friends with a wailing falsetto think twice before you put a band together for the sole purpose of making others listen to you sing like Rob Halford. The reality is that you probably suck and don’t sound remotely as good not to mention your lack of Tipton and Downing. It’s a combination of elements that make a great band, not one gimmick. On that note, my apologies to Dragonforce, you’ve got a lot of talent but let’s be honest, you’re robots making the soundtrack for the video game called life.

If you’ve made it this far here is your reward. A British band that I only discovered yesterday and was inspired enough to write about today (if you check for updates at all you can appreciate the meaning of this). They’re called Biomechanical and while they do contain elements previously discussed (mainly high vocals) they are without question taking these elements and processing them through a technical thrashing blender of full on fury and boulders to the face. It’s fast, riff riddled and aggressive. The vocals go from the gut to the top of your head with the high stuff executed very strongly. The worst thing about the fact that they’re touring with EXODUS is that they’re not playing in my living room.

Go HERE and listen to Enemy Within. If you don't like it you're definitely not ready for Aja.

2006-10-08T11:50:00.000-04:00

TALLEY - HO

Here’s a bit of a sobering post for any aspiring musicians hoping to start a metal band. Not that I’m trying to discourage anyone but just keep this one important point in mind: A good metal drummer is VERY hard to find. I could give a few examples including the side projects and session work that some have done but it would be almost comical and quite frankly as boring as waiting for me to update this stinking site.

One specific example though is Kevin Talley, a drummer that has appeared on a few tracks that I’ve profiled here.
I’ve ripped off portions of his bio from Kevintalley.net and included them below. I did take the liberty of leaving out such highlights as 1991’s “Played 1st concert with classic country band at grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.” figuring that if you want to investigate some of his more substantial career moments you can do some homework of your own. What is also crucial is to keep in mind that he was born in 1979 so when you read that he joined Maryland’s underground Grind/Death metal favorites Dying Fetus in 1997, he was 18 years old.

1990 began playing drums.
1996 Joined San Antonio metal band DEITY and made -The Resurrected- demo.
1997 Joined DYING FETUS and re-located to the D.C. area.
1998 May/June filled in for a U.S. SUFFOCATION tour.
1999 FETUS side project KNUCKLE DEEP releases -Come Clean-.
2001 Mar Kevin departs DYING FETUS.
2001 Apr Forms and records w/MISERY INDEX -Overthrow-.
2001 June/July METHOD OF DESTRUCTION (MOD) Reunion tour with Billy Milano of S.O.D. (Charlie and Scott of ANTHRAX).
2001 Dec Session work for DARK DAYS in Cali.
2002 Feb travel to the -Warfield- in San Fran to audition w/ SLAYER.
2002 Apr Travel to SLAYER's rehearsal space and jam with them for 2 days.*
2002 Formed rock band GRAYSON MANOR.
2002 Sept/Oct Session work in SWEDEN for SOILS OF FATE.
2004 Jan/Feb departs GM and forms 5th Wheel, a rock/punk band with Atlanta musician Tyler Edwards.
2004 Rejoin MISERY INDEX and releases -Dissent- EP.
2004 June Departs M.I. and joins Chimaira.
2005 Feb Chimaira records self titled release.
2005 March Record songs for DAATH including -Ovum-.
2006 Jan/Feb Talley fills in for THE RED CHORD.
2006 Feb/Mar Talley fills in for THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.
2006 Apr/May Talley fills in for HATE ETERNAL.
2006 May session work for ASYLUM.
2006 Nov/Dec DAATH and Cattle Decapitation tour!

*Lombardo came back, he didn’t stand a chance.

It’s a sad reality that these guys are a rare breed. If you’re at all close to a local metal scene you’re likely already familiar with seeing the same guy planted behind the traps of a few bands. If you also have a young kid and they express any interest in playing a musical instrument put on your Earl Woods hat and get your kid some drums because I guarantee that if they end up being any good they’ll be in about 10 bands and one of those will surely make it big.

Talley with The Black Dahlia Murder

Talley auditioning for Slayer (note the walls of cabinets…in a rehearsal space. Hilarious)

2006-09-13T21:56:00.000-04:00

WICKED

Cousin Tim: You're getting pretty lazy with your posts.
Me: I know...
Cousin Tim: You gotta go back to some of the classics, the old stuff.
Me: hmm...

Well, unfortunately for Tim I don't think this next post will necessarily explore a classic that he maybe had in mind so Tim, I apologize. Oh, and eat it also.

Witchery may not be considered classic in the typical sense but what they certainly do without question is play music that calls on and respects artists that most would consider to have earned the title, albeit with a certain thrashy flair that few can match.

The label 'supergroup' can sometimes be used generously and an obvious example shouldn't be too hard to think of. With G 'n R 'legend' Gilby Clarke, locomotive of intelligence Tommy Lee and, well, ok fine Newsted has cred, anyway while these guys may be big names they definitely wouldn't stand a chance against a line-up consisting of Martin Axenrot (Bloodbath, Opeth), Patrik Jenson (The Haunted) and Sharlee D'Angelo (Mercyful Fate, Arch Enemy, Silk shirt wearing, long greasy hair sporting swashbuckling type). Seriously, check that out. No contest.

Something that I've talked about before is how for the most part modern thrash has become clinical or mechanical. A successful band like Lamb of God, who are good, can at times lose my interest because Chris Adler is actually a metronome with an outrageously long beard. Or a band like Unearth release music that is so refined and polished that it can fail to satisfy people, not to mention every song has a scheduled breakdown at the 2:30 mark. The new Unearth record even has some 'Iron Maiden' type guitar parts, but that's all they are, Iron Maiden guitar parts. I don't know, Unearth is ok but I've heard Slaughter of the Soul already, I don't need to hear Slaughter of the Slick. Precision doesn't always equal power, Witchery knows this. That's not to say that Witchery is sloppy, they did pummel Supernova into the ground at the Metal olympics after all but their music grinds along briskly with raw riffing that should please any old schooler.

Wicked from 2001's Symphony for the Devil is an awesome burst of thrash that isn't trying to break into any kind of undiscovered territory but should put a nice Gary Holt grip around your neck and shake your head with it's quick power chord riffing, Slayer-esque breakdown and trading leads.
What's also cool about this song and the band in general is the guitar tone. It's actually pretty 'jangly' for lack of a better word. The advantage to this is that notes stand out with more clarity.

Now I haven't heard the new Haunted record yet but from what people tell me and from what I've read they pretty much aren't even the same band anymore. Also considering the fact that the most recent Witchery record sounds more like recent Haunted makes one believe that Patrik Jenson is starting to slow down a bit. You know, putting more focus on 'song-writing'. Whatever the hell that means.

Sidenote: This post took me about 2 hours, I'm pathetic.

2006-09-02T20:45:00.000-04:00

FROM A LACERATED SKY

Raining Tanks

2006-08-21T14:20:00.002-04:00

THE PART

How I’ve taken so long to get to this post I can’t really explain. Well, I think the reality is that I’m terrified of how difficult it will be to put into words the significance of this band and how they are not only one of the most important metal bands ever, but how they are also some of the most important individuals to ever pick up instruments and play music together.

From an outsiders perspective all metal sounds the same. Unfortunately for these outsiders and what they fail to realize is that everything from an unfamiliar perspective sounds the same. If you don’t listen to classical music, a violin is merely a stringed instrument. Just like if you don’t listen to metal, a polyrhythmic overlapping drum pattern sounds like ‘the drums’. The argument of ‘all things sounding the same’, though, while being mildly ignorant isn’t necessarily unfair as most of the time the music’s purpose is to work with, or contort something familiar. After all, if you can write a catchy tune who really cares if its foundation is constructed from the same ingredients (AC/DC)?. The reason for writing all that was to point out the fact that at times you get the rarity of a group that has managed to completely carve their own direction with a familiar art form to the point where they have absolutely no peers.

Opeth is the result of one man’s gift of songwriting and musicianship in combination with a few other guys who spent their teenaged years practicing to become better at what they do than the thing you think you’re best at. Their music is what happens when the talent can live up to ambition. This is not normal.

The ‘one man’ here is of course Mikael Akerfeldt; arguably the most versatile vocalist and songwriter in music today. He’s got your death growl well covered but it’s not until he shifts to his ‘other’ voice that the sweet sassy molassy factor of Opeth begins to reveal itself. This guy can sing. And this is no power metal wail, think Thom Yorke. Now in order for the softer vocals to work properly in the same song as the deep growl you need some well thought out transitions and it’s with these transitions that Opeth really shines. They weave sections together that should not, and normally would not work together. This can be attributed to a few things; one being that they’re ridiculously good, the other being that the average Opeth song is about 10 minutes long. Luckily for…well, us, the songs are so interesting that you don’t get bored. Like classical, Akerfeldt writes in terms of movements and not the typical verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/end. It’s more like intro/verse/prog melt-down/chorus/acoustic bit/lead bit/variation of chorus/re-invention of the wheel/end of the world riff/verse/outro/better version of the outro/front-end loader to your face outro variation/end.

Moving on,
If you aren’t familiar with the song from Deliverance called Deliverance and I’m introducing it to you then I will relish the moment of being the annoying guy that always has to tell you about when the really good part of a movie is coming up. In this case it’s obviously a song though, well, in movie format.
Deliverance from the live Opeth DVD Lamentations

moments:
1:20 – First transition from loud to quiet. What is most interesting about the quieter Opeth moments is how inventive the chords and progressions are. I assume that the melody comes first and the chords are formed around that. That’s hard.
3:56 – Peter Lindgren makes his presence known with a Middle Eastern type lead. What you may notice here is something that applies to the entire band and frustrates the hell out of me. These guys actually play their instruments with the technique tips that you’re supposed to ignore when you look at beginner’s guides to how-to-play instruments (aka properly).

4:29 – Martin Lopez insults all drummers who don’t listen to what’s happening vocally during the songs they play. Listen to how the fill follows the vocal pattern, crafty stuff. Too bad he’s not in the band anymore, not like Axenrot isn’t a good replacement considering his drumstool residency in both Bloodbath and Witchery.
5:10 – After you threw away your ‘How to play guitar properly’ book written by Opeth you really should have picked up the edition they released called How to write killer transitions in epic songs. Here’s Example 1 from Chapter 1 where it stresses the importance of the ride symbol.

So it’s Opeth and the song is lengthy, here’s the second portion. Please pause this video at the 3:05 mark.

1:10 – This is Heavy with a capitol J for Jackhammer.
1:29 – More ride. Chapter 1, Example 2.
3:05 – Alright, this is important. In 2 seconds you will become familiar with an Opeth moment that among fans is commonly known as The Part. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out something to write here to prepare you for this but it was a waste of time. Un-pause and enjoy the fact that humans actually created this.
5:20 – They knew it so they worked it. The high part comes out, Opeth rules.

Like Enslaved, Opeth is a metal band that advances by exploring the past. On their most recent release, Ghost Reveries, they became even more influenced by 70’s prog and some songs even had Deep Purple-esque organ parts. What’s also interesting is that the album Deliverance was initially intended as a double-disc with the mellower acoustic based Damnation but label nonsense separated the records by about 5 or 6 months. Damnation is an album by a metal band that your parents/girlfriend/wife will probably like, especially your dad if he’s a big Floyd fan.

2006-08-17T18:09:00.000-04:00

If you click the picture below you'll end up reading something that'll just direct you back here but here's a thanks to Dave Morris.

2006-08-04T14:59:00.000-04:00

BARK AT THE MOUNIER

I’ve admitted before that I’m not exactly the biggest death metal fan. Not that I don’t respect it but I just can’t really get into it. Now, as I’ve been pretty lazy lately I’m going to go back to one of the original focuses of this site, which is the flying feet, and crazy hands of metal drummers.

It would seem as though if someone were to conduct a metal drumming world cup France would be well represented. With players like the previously covered Dirk Verbeuren and Cryptopsy’s Flo Mounier they’d be a pretty tough team to beat. So yeah, this is about Flo.

It’s impossible to deny that this guy is a one man wrecking crew. It’s also fitting that he left France only to move to Quebec, the metal mecca of Canada. Not quite sure what’s going on over there but with bands like Voivod, Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, and Gorguts, that province for one reason or another has seemingly had a head start on the rest of us.

Cryptopsy has without a doubt released some vital Death Metal. With records like None so Vile and Whisper Supremacy they’ve more than established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. But if you listen to their albums you get the distinct impression that it is the Flo show. Not taking anything away from the rest of the band as they have chops to spare but when you listen to their new record the two things that seem to stand out are the sounds of Lord Worm’s dog barfk vocals and Flo’s drum assault.

So here’s a picture of Flo’s drumset. As you can see when he came up with the configuration he decided not only go over the top but also beat the crap out of the top and then eat it. If you look closely you’ll see five foot pedals. If you’re not sure what these are all used for I’ll explain it to you. There are the obvious double bass drum pedals and high hat. There is also the not so uncommon 2nd high hat for open positions and then of course the Flo fast forward pedal which he uses to manipulate time.

Last year there was a music exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and one of the pieces on the display was Flo’s drumset. There were also a few occasions where people could go watch Flo play as part of the exhibit. Here’s a video of this and watch towards the end where Flo activates the fast forward time manipulator pedal. I swear this is not sped up and you may find youself swearing at the inhuman speed on display.

Here’s a song from the new Cryptopsy record (Once Was Not) called Adeste Infidelis. This is music made by people just because they can and want to. It’s also music made by crazy people for crazy people.

2006-07-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

THE SOUTH POLES

It's the return of the BEEEEEEENNNNND!! Too bad for the shakey cameras and lame 'metal themed' video insertions. Either way, YESSSSS!!

Watch the video here.

2006-07-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

ROLLIN ALONG

What better way is there to kill time these days than youtube? This past work weekend was somewhat slow and therefore allowed me some serious time killing discoveries on this jungle of video gems. Who knew that Henry Rollins had a tv show show? Well I suppose if you have the Independant Film Channel then you knew but I don't so I didn't. Anyway there's a bunch of cool stuff that he's done including a good Ozzy interview and various other performances. What is also exciting is that an upcoming episode will feature Slayer. This is exciting. Apparently there will be a performance of the new song 'Cult' but what I could find so far is them playing 'Disciple' from God Hates Us All. If you're reading this site you'll probably already enjoy it, so...enjoy it.

First watch this:

Then enjoy the only musician other than Michael Jackson to perform with catcher pads, a singing grizzly bear, a whole lot of drums and Kerry King play a little dity.
Slayer on Rollins

Also, Bravewords has a review of the new Slayer record up and it's pretty positive. Read it here.

2006-07-20T12:15:00.001-04:00

PAYROLL

I swear I'm not on it, Warner Brothers that is. This is too good not to post though. As some/most/hopefully you know the new Mastodon record entitled Blood Mountain will be released on September 12th. The song Crystal Skull is now online at Mastodon's Website and their Myspace and it kills. Even better is the ripping lead, I always knew these guys had some shred in them and I'm glad they're putting it on display. There is also the first episode of the making of the new record online, drummers beware.

Also of note is that they will be on tour this fall and are playing the Phoenix in Toronto and I have a ticket. I'm almost jealous of myself. This will be the best prog-metal album about fighting mythical beasts while struggling to climb a mountain...ever.

2006-07-07T17:08:00.000-04:00

CAPTAIN INSANO

If I were in charge of giving out some kind of music award it would be likely that Devin Townsend would be nominated for every category. Best vocals, best production, best guitar work, most schizophrenic, most likely to explode, etc. Whether you’re dealing with his work in Strapping Young Lad or his solo work you know you can expect something unique and worth listening to.

It’s tough to know where to start when tackling a subject that has as much depth and I will likely not even come close to giving the earned credit that Townsend deserves in this post but whatever.

So, not to get into any kind of major bio but here’s the important details:
- From Vancouver
- Recruited to do vocals for Steve Vai on his ’93 record Sex & Religion (he was 21).
- Released the first SYL record Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing in ‘95
- Did a bunch of other crazy things
- Released the SYL record City in ’97 (City is an unreal album, crazy crazy music).
- Did a bunch of more stuff (made more solo and Strapping records, produce other bands ((darkest hour)), be a general loon).

That pretty much doesn’t cover it at all but you get the idea. If you aren’t familiar with his work I can assure you that few can scream, wail, or shriek like him and as he’s chosen to prove more recently, shred the hell out of a guitar (being in a band with Steve Vai has it’s advantages).

Now on top of all this he’s one of those guys. Of course I know that those can mean all sorts of things. Those guys can refer to guys with spiked hair, shoe polish tans and 2 Fast 2 Furious cars, but can also mean that guy you went to high-school with that you were afraid of because deep down you knew he was infinitely smarter than you and simply had to indicate this to you with a psychotic glint in his eye. Usually these guys move on to do some kind of work in computers, which applies in this case because SYL’s music can sound like several computers self destructing. Let's also not forget his ability to manipulate noise as a producer.

Anyway, Strapping has a new record coming out next week and you can check out one of the songs if you’re interested. If you aren’t interested just listen to it anyway because if you’ve never heard them before you’ve probably never heard such structured insanity in your life.

U SUCK – Well….yeah, say hi to Gene Hoglan. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Hoglan he’s probably one of the scariest drummers ever, not to mention, uhh, the biggest. You should see him play, just one big mess of flying hair and arms. If you’ve heard the live Pantera recording where Phil refers to the drummer in Death he’s talking about Gene (he also played in Dark Angel). Anyway you’ll hear his craziness on this song. Of course the vocals are completely over-the-top and the lyrics are typical Townsend ridiculousness but as usual if you listen closely you’ll hear layer upon layer reveal itself, this guy does vocals like no other and has unreal melodic and harmonic abilities. You’ll also hear his Vai filtered approach to the guitar, which to be honest makes me jealous.

Townsend actually seems like a very down to earth and articulate guy and despite the fact that even he admits SYL is angry music he has balanced this anger with some really elegant solo material. The Accelerated Evolution record is proof of this and I highly recommend it.

Sidenote: Skullet’s are instant scary/crazy.

More Strapping songs, definitely listen to Detox and Shitstorm. Few times has a song title been so fitting as it is with Shitstorm. The scream at 2:16 alone is enough evidence to prove the vocal capabilities of Townsend.
Solo HevyDev here.

2006-07-05T14:23:00.000-04:00

UNHOLY MOLY

In light of my Unholy Alliance Tour experience last night I bring you a video.

The show was great althought it was unfortunate that Thine Eyes Bleed, being the new band on the bill, had to 'pay their dues' with terrible sound. We wouldn't want the new guys to sound as good as the established acts would we? Children of Bodom were as good as they have been all the other times I've seen them. Lamb of God did their job of fulfilling the knucklehead thirst, but they were as good as the other times I've seen them. Slayer were great and Lombardo gets better and better, good to see him back as always. But the night belonged to Mastodon, these guys rule.

Sidenote: A real post is coming soon.

2006-07-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

TANK METAL 2006

YEAAAH, an audio sample from the new VADER record called Impressions in Blood.
Here's the cover art:

Ohhh, this is going to be good.

2006-06-29T18:40:00.000-04:00

WATCH IT GO

Stu brought me back to grade 9. In many ways that's not a good thing but in this case it is. Now this is classic.

2006-06-29T17:58:00.001-04:00

Profiled bands/postings:
Note - Songs may no longer be online.

Baroness

Between the Buried & Me

Black Dahlia Murder

Chimaira

The Crown 1 2

Cryptopsy

Darkane

Decapitated Video

Electro Quarterstaff

Enslaved

Eye magazine

Gojira

The Haunted

Impious

Kevin Talley

Mastodon

Melechesh

Meshuggah

Mors Principium Est 1 2

Necrophagist

Nightrage

Opeth

Pig Destroyer

Priestess 1 Interview

Satyricon

Soilwork 1 2

St. Vincent 1 Interview

Strapping Yound Lad

Ron Thal(Guns n' Roses)

Fredrik Thordendal

Threat Signal

Urkraft

Vader

Voivod

Wired Mag

Witchery

2006-06-28T14:59:00.000-04:00

PRIESTESS ROCKS

It's interesting to think of which current rock bands will last long enough to reach that coveted spot some of us know as 'dad rock'. I know that may not exactly sound like a good thing but to many people that I've talked to bands like AC/DC, Zeppelin and the Stones fall into this category. To me that's pretty good company so if that means being known as 'dad rock' then I'd consider it an honor. The reality is that the reason the label 'dad rock' exists is because there haven't been many worthy heirs to the great rock throne from my generation thus leaving an enormous gap with seemingly only late 80's Guns n' Roses invited to the party. Now obviously there are all sorts of bands that will be regarded as classic but I'm talking about good old party Rock n' Roll.

Part of the problem is that too many bands conciously try to be the instant classic and the ones that don't are dismissed as going for an old sound. The problem is that a successful rock bands sound isn't necessarily defined by it's ability to play the genre's famliar elements but more importanly take that style and craft solid, catchy material. Let's just say that melody becomes really important.

So, I'm not sure if it's a trend, most likely luck and timing but here we go again with another interview. Here I talk to Mikey, the vocalist and one of Priestess' two guitarists and he confirms some of the things that I've always felt would make rock one of the hardest styles to attempt. They're a really hard working band and as far as I'm concerned have the right elements to do really well.

CB: Firstly, where are you and how did your last show go?

M: We’re on our way to Portland, our last show was in San Francisco, and it was great, one of our best.

CB: Does it frustrate you that people are so desperate to find a new replacement for their favourite classic rock bands? And how depending on what approach you take to your songwriting you can immediately be labelled or dismissed by someone because you're not who they want you to be? Like, "They're from ______? Great! I can finally put away my _____ records!"

M: It’s only frustrating when people dismiss the music because they think we’re trying to sound “retro”. We write songs to be songs on their own, not to be cast into a style. I don’t even think we sound retro, we sound modern to me.

CB: It would seem to me that playing straight up rock would be one of the toughest styles to tackle. While the pay-off could be huge it doesn't have the same kind of committed community like hip-hop or metal and the conversion factor would be more difficult because people generally think that as far as rock goes they've heard it all before. Do you find that you've struggled with this at all?

M: It is a tougher genre in many ways. Metal music can often just rely on super-technical playing and crazy fast riffing and stuff. When melody and feeling is the main focus, it makes songwriting a little more painstaking. And then you are forced to straddle that line, are you a pop rock band, or a metal band? To us it’s very simple, it’s just rock music.

CB: Some bands would strive to record an album that closely captures the live presentation of their music while others would be conscious of maybe holding back a bit more on record to insure a bigger difference between the live element vs. the album. A kind of way to create more of an impact. Do you think Priestess takes one of these kinds of approaches to recording and if so, which?

M: Well, we definitely weren’t holding back in the studio, but we were conscious that we were making something that would differ from our live show. Everybody would agree that our songs performed live are a lot heavier. We wanted the record to capture the songs as clearly as possible, but live we kick the shit out of them.

CB: One mistake a lot of bands make is failing to recognize that the audience is a reflection of the band on-stage. They can get too caught up in not wanting to make mistakes that the crowd most likely won't notice anyway. Was providing an energetic or risky performance the approach from the start or would you say it was more of a trial and error process?

M: No, that’s just the natural way for us to perform, we get intense feelings of passion on stage from the crowd, it’s that mutual relationship of crowd-feeds-band-feeds-crowd.

CB: When it comes to bands that have proven successful playing the style of music you do there has always been a balance between catering to those who just want to have a good time as well as pleasing the more musically technical fan. In the case of Priestess, a song like Run Home is a good example of a song that features both of these approaches. You have your clear melodic focus for the 'beer in one-hand while the other hand punches the air' element but you also have moments like the quick drum fill after the first chorus or the twin guitar lines for the more trained ear. How conscious of this balance are you or am I over-analyzing it?

M: There is a balance there, although we could fill our songs with crazy guitar passages and time signatures, we prefer them in moderation. One guideline we sort of follow is the “less is more” idea. But, at the same time, I could listen to Mastodon and Yes all day.

CB: When a band releases their debut it's not unusual that the songs on it are ones that have been honed and refined for quite some time, years even. Are you at all concerned about the idea of writing a follow-up under more pressure without the freedom to road-test material as much?

M: Well, it’s not going to be easy, but it won’t be hard either. We’re already writing songs that we are excited about, and we’re really looking forward to having a new record.

CB: In reference to the last question, considering the more recent, bigger support behind you have you thought about any kind of experimentation or ideas you'll be able to work with given the fact that the next recording process will probably not be as limited for you?

M: I think we’re going to keep the approach fairly similar. We will likely go for a sound that compares closer to our live sound. But again, we won’t drown our songs in complicated production calls, so that the songwriting remain the focus

CB: A band that always seems to be forgotten as far as influence goes is 70's era Aerosmith. Seriously, when listening to Appetite for Destruction I hear a lot of Aerosmith, especially stuff from the Rocks record. I mention this because your song 'Time will cut you down' has a 'Last child' feel to it. Is this news to you or am I way off? Either way, take it as a compliment because Aerosmith Rocks is a killer record.

M: Ha! We all love Aerosmith, so that’s a great compliment. They are amazing, cause they are the only band from that era who aren’t considered a dinosaur band, and have consistently released awesome records.

CB: Does it sometimes feel like all your hard work is paying off in the form of more hard work? That's not meant to imply anything negative, just that your former struggles can now become bigger pressures. Are you the types that try to prepare for what is to come or will you do your best to take it as it happens?

M: We started this band about 4 years ago with our only goal being to be able to play music as much as possible, and that’s what we’re doing now, and that’s all we ever want to do. So, as long as we can stay on the road, I think we’ll be OK.

CB: Lastly, as this is primarily a metal site and given Quebec's huge scene are there any bands that you can think of that deserve to be heard?

M: There’s a great metal scene in Montreal, people should check out The Expectorated Sequence, Hands Of Death, Mad Parish, and obviously Cryptopsy and Voivod. For more hard rock bands, people should check out Tricky Woo, Bionic and Starvin’ Hungry.

So that's a pretty good list Mikey's left us with and the bands that I knew get a Chaosbeard seal of approval and the ones I didn't know I checked out and you should too.

Priestess site and Myspace

Previous Chaosbeard post

Sidenote: Flo Mounier from Cryptopsy is from planet Ridiculon.

2006-06-26T11:45:00.000-04:00

BLACK FLOYD

Norwegian Black Metal has been in a bit of a strange place for a while now and the reasons for this are a bit scattered. Bands like Dimmu Borgir took the genre to an over the top extreme with their last release 'Death Cult Armageddon' with songs that were so bloated that they almost developed a genre of their own, sort of an Indiana Jones Metal. It didn't take long before a backlash began and people started to complain that Black Metal had drifted too far from it's roots and bands began to lose sight of what made it distinct to begin with. Whether or not the tides will shift remains to be seen but when Darkthrone releases new material with lyrics like 'Nothing to prove/ Just a hellish rock n' roll freak/ You call your metal black/ It's just spastic, lame and weak', you know that some are calling for a change.

This brings us to Enslaved, a band that has certainly justified their brand of Norwegian Black Metal but has since chosen to evolve in a way that elevates them into far more interesting territory. Like Opeth, Enslaved has in a way evolved by seemingly de-evolving, or digging up the past. Lately these two bands have recorded music that easily could have been found on 70's psychedelic or prog records adding organ instrumentation and taking more time to focus on dynamics and groove based riffs. This isn't to say that they've abandoned their black metal foundation, just listening to Grutle's vocals is enough to distinguish them in that sense but they've clearly made a shift on their two most recent releases (Isa and Ruun) that proves their willingness to take chances.

Here's a video of the first 'single' from Ruun called Path to Vanir. It's proof alone that Vikings are no longer myth and have traded in their swords and clubs for Les Paul's, SG's and Rickenbacker's. Watch the video now, then again tomorrow and I swear you'll be hooked. Like all good music it requires patience and after a few listens you will find yourself rewarded. For those of you complaining about David Gilmour and Roger Waters not making up don't worry, Enslaved are happy to be your friends, as proven in this song.

Sidenote: Although I am not Norwegian I will do my best to justify naming my children Norwegian names, Grutle?? Ivar?? Awesome.

Please listen to more of their songs at their MYSPACE.

Indiana Jones John Williams Metal

2006-06-21T10:19:00.000-04:00

TWOQUICKTHINGS

1. Here's the new Lamb Of God single. Sounds pretty good, a bit more straighforward. The production is amazing, of course. A whole lot of Phil Anselmo/Pantera in there.

2. This is exciting (and too clever to be fair).

2006-06-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

CHAOSBEARD VS. ST. VINCENT

If you've been with the Beard for while now you may remember a previous post I did where I featured an artist that went by the name St. Vincent. Now despite the fact that St. Vincents material doesn't necessarily contain the more common elements of 'heavy' music more frequently seen on this page I did stress that her songs did have a distinct heaviness to them.

So after some communication with the friendly Annie Clark of St. Vincent we now have a Chaosbeard first, a quick interview. Now, for those who read my previous post and thought 'AAAARGGH, this isn't METAL!?' well, fair enough and you're right it isn't, but come back in a few days and I'm sure they'll be something new for you to smash your face against the wall to. For those however that were open to it and hopefully liked what you heard please read on. From her work with the Polyphonic Spree to Hungarian composers and, well, it turns out there's even a touch of Chaos in this Saint.

CB: Firstly, where are you and how did your most recent show go?

AC:I am in Philadelphia, PA, about to jump in a van with 4 lovely men to play
the Knitting Factory (NYC) tonight. The shows have been lovely.

CB: I don't think I'm making a big stretch when I say that the Polyphonic Spree create some, shall we say, happy music. I would assume that the results of your solo material is a reflection of your natural approach to songwriting but do you think that the darker mood of the St Vincent stuff is somewhat triggered by the Spree's poppier optimism?

AC: I thought I was making happy music! Back to the drawing board...There's a
lot of black comedy in my songwriting simply because it amuses me. I
don't think it's a reaction to the optimism of the Spree. On some level,
I wish what naturally came out of my mouth was, "Everything's going to be
alright." But at this point in my life, I need to say, "let's do what
mary and joseph did, without the kid."

CB: When you're an artist that is given the freedom to write and create music on your own terms the idea of 'making it' takes on a different meaning (well that's at least how I see it). By this I mean that it's not so much about the 'fame and fortune' as it is just about being able to go out and play cool places with cool bands and expose your music to as many people as you can. Considering you've been at this for a while are you able to remember what went through your head when a one-in-a million chance suddenly became a reality? Like, ok, I'm going to be doing this for real?

AC: Life is more surreal than real most of the time. I remember playing my
first show with the Spree in Spain on in front of 30,000 people, when a
week earlier I was sitting in my bedroom in Texas
practicing the songs for the audition the next day. Or, one day sitting
in my room singing along to "Marquee Moon" and then getting the call that
Television asked me to open for them. I think it can be a very positive
thing to simply dream your life as you want it, work hard in that
direction, and then be pleasantly surprised. Reality is so fickle anyway.
It begs to be manipulated.

CB: If I pick up a guitar and play without concentrating on what I'm doing my instinct is to plant my palm on the bridge and chug or riff away. What would you say is your natural instinctive approach to the instrument?

AC: It depends on how much caffeine I've had that day. My uncle is Tuck
Andress, one of the world's best fingerstyle guitar players ever, so
genetically, I've tended to be more of a fingerstyle player. The pick is
a new world for me...foreboding, exciting new territory. And it depends
on the guitar. Some guitars beg to be abused, knocked around. Some
require a more delicate approach.

CB: A highlight from an exchange we'd previously had was when you'd mentioned that in high school you did a stint in, and I'm quoting you here 'a maiden/megadeth/metallica cover band'(YES!!). Now, despite the fact that the list of influences on your myspace page doesn't include the names Harris, Mustaine or Hetfield (clearly a mere oversight, clearly) do you think it's possible that that experience may have subconsciously affected the development of your songwriting? If not feel free to lie.

AC: The Metallica documentary on the making of the Black Album has affected me
more than any 8th grade renditions of "Enter Sandman" or "The Trooper"
ever could. Black comedy at it's finest! Truthfully, I've just been
waiting for the right time to throw in the old Hetfield growl and don the
Halford leather.

CB:Your songs are very textured and layered. Is this something that develops throughout the recording process or do you actually hear all those elements in a songs beginning stages?

AC: Some is all part of the grand vision, some is trial and error.
I've found that if I have a clear vision of the song's meaning (lyric,
etc), arranging becomes very easy.

CB: I had said in my original posting that I considered your music to be heavy in its own way. One of the main reasons why I felt this way was because of your ability to create tension. Now tension can be difficult to convey in under four minutes but you have the ability to do this. Is this balance something you're aware of?

AC: I can't say, "people," because maybe I can't speak for everyone, but I
need to freak out once in a while. Right? Tension is only as good as
the release.

CB: Going back to your influences. When my ears hear the song 'All My Stars Aligned' I pick up melodic hints of John Lennon and sonic elements of Brian Wilson, two artists you cite as inspiration. Are these hints intentional or do you think that their styles have been so firmly embedded into you that they are naturally revealed?

AC: I have no qualms about admitting that "All My Stars Aligned" is my love
letter to Plastic Ono band-era John Lennon. I love you, Johnny.

CB: Lastly, is there still a place in Annie Clarks heart for heavy music? If so do you have any examples? Maybe even a song, new or old, that you think rules?

AC: Oh hell yes. It depends on what you mean by "heavy" music. Loud,
distorted guitars? Yes, if the expression behind it moves me. I like
music that scares me and sometimes the scariest words aren't screamed
but whispered with the most frightening intention. Nick Cave's "Red
Right Hand" still gives me chills. Gyorgy Ligeti's music is staggering
and scary as hell. Oh! Some of the most fun I've had was getting
kicked in the shins at a Lightning Bolt concert!

This girl's good, expect to hear more from her.

ST VINCENT

LIGHTNING BOLT

2006-06-14T17:03:00.000-04:00

PYRAMID SONGS

Although it may seem as though close to all major metal bands come from either the United States or Scandinavia to actually believe this would remarkably ignorant. Metal as a genre is actually at a point now where fathers and even grandfathers are fans meaning that its influence from the late eighties and early nineties has not only reached interesting places but also spawned bands.

This point ties in nicely with something that I've mentioned quite a bit which is how Metal music is influenced by its environment. So for example, the dark, gloomy and in some perspectives, oppressed culture and landscape of Norway created, well Norwegian Black Metal. Or the Sunset Strip biker lifestyle of California created Hair Metal and so on. Now, not to say that these are examples of places that don't have a distinct culture but compare the images of culture that they invoke to that of say, Jerusalem. Now that's some heavy duty culture.

This brings us to Melechesh, a pretty special band. How often can you read a bands bio that states that they released a 7" EP in 1996 and went on to perform several successful shows in the Holy Land? Let me know. Aside from a few EP's they've put out three full-length records but didn't fully hit their stride until 2003 when they put out Sphynx, an album that is without a doubt very metal but with unmistakable trademarks of their cultural history. To quote their site, "this album presents the bands Mesopotamian/Sumerian Metal in a more aggressive and intricate manner", safe to say that not many bands will be able to say that. In other words, KILLER!

In all honesty Purifier of the Stars will speak for itself. The drum production is very very clean and sounds awesome and the vocal element is in a way the main hint of Black Metal. Aside from those things it's well...Mesopotamian? Or dare I say...Sumerian? How about thrashy-death and pretty damn good.

According to their site the new album was to come out early this year but production/mix issues have delayed it until early fall. This means that it will be released right around the time that they play the one-off Sacrifice reunion show in Toronto. Read that last sentence again if your jealousy hasn't quite sunken in yet.

To read the very positive and articulate AMG review of Sphynx go here.

Melechesh website.

2006-06-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

EAT IT

As if having Thomas Haake in his band wasn't enough, Meshuggah's evil genius Fredrik Thordendal released a solo record and had a drummer named Morgan Agren stir up the rhythmic frenzy. At least he was generous to keep Haake involved and put him behind the mic for a pretty twisted vocal performance. The record is titled 'Sol Niger Within' and despite the fact that it is now out of print it would be worthwhile searching for as it is really something special. It has about twenty-something tracks but it plays as one continuous metal-meets-jazz-fusion science experiment of a song complete with typical Meshuggah-esque spiraling whirlpool riffage, a screaming girlfriend and an amazing saxophone solo.

Here's a video taken from Agren's DVD which features Thordendal. Together they are playing sections from Sol Niger as well as just generally stuffing enormous pieces of humble pie down the throats of aspiring musicians. If Frank Zappa were alive today he'd probably want these guys in his band.

2006-06-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

LA ROCHE ET ROULE

There are a pant-load of things that attract me Metal music. Too many for me to bother getting into now but it’s not really that complicated to figure them out. One thing that applies to this post though is quite simply the attitude of it. Yeah, it sounds pretty lame but it’s true. Sometimes you just can’t deny a raised clenched fisted moment courtesy of a good bit of attitude in your music. Obviously Metal isn’t the only music where attitude plays a factor which is why if I’m not listening to it I’m usually enjoying Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Halen and The Allmans. That’s some serious clenched fist motorcycle rock with some attitude to spare.

So, while the previously mentioned bands are now considered classic rock they were not labeled as such when they were first starting out. This is interesting because in our modern age of flash in the pan rock it happens all too often where “this new band is so classic rock maaaan”. No they’re not, they’re just rock with no chance of becoming classic. Just because you’re from Australia and you play chords doesn’t make you AC/DC mainly for two reasons, the songs aren’t as good, and Angus Young. Just because you play slow blues based riffs doesn’t make you Sabbath for four reasons, the songs aren’t as good, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Supernaut. And lastly, just because you play blues licks and have a high pitched singer sure as hell doesn’t make you Led Zeppelin for forfty reasons. Most notably being groundbreaking production, crazy tunings, stunning acoustic songs, Page, Plant, Jones and the greatest rock drummer ever John Bonham (it’s the high-hat, you should know what I’m talking about).

Ugh, this post is stressing me out. Anyway, this brings me to Priestess, a band from Montreal who I’m pleased to say are showing a bunch of potential. They’re not hiding their influences but they’re willing to take those influences and craft them into a sound that defines them as opposed to adding themselves to the pile of imitators. They also write catchy songs with good melodies and have a good understanding of how to keep things interesting. This being said, and given my devotion to the Allman Brothers Band, the fact that they utilize harmonized guitar lines is a sure-fire way to reel me in.

Talk to Her – Good clean rock with a steady fist-pumping pace and a super catchy chorus. Are those maracas? Nothing like some Latin percussion to stir things up. It’s clear that these guys respect the importance of guitar tone and don’t feel the need to hide behind a mess of dirty gain.

Their MYSPACE has a few more songs from their solid record Hello Master which looks like is getting a big-time re-release. Good for them. They’re also touring right now (I don’t think they actually stop touring so it would probably be more worth mentioning if they weren’t on the road, lucky for you they are). They’re playing the Horseshoe this Thursday June 8th so check them out.

Sidenote: If you here someone say that ______ is the new Van Halen you can punch them in the neck screaming chaosbeard.

Sidenote part2: There will never be another Van Halen.

2006-06-04T12:05:00.000-04:00

CLEVELAND ROCKS

There's nothing like being really impressed by a band that you expected very little from. Especially when you'd heard them before and not been convinced. I saw Chimaira a few years ago when they opened for Soilwork and I don't know, maybe I wasn't in the mood but I just couldn't get into it. They're newest record came out last summer and I probably would never have given it a chance either had I not read the review on Blabbermouth. It was pretty positive and most importantly stressed the fact that it was a rewarding listen if given the chance. I'm glad I gave it the chance.

These guys really dug deep with this self-titled album. Lots and lots of riffs, solid grooves and it gets better and better every time you listen to it. For a while I just kept going back to it and I still do. It's like they found a style that really worked for them and went to town with it.

One of the things about this record that really stands out is their positive abuse of chugging low riffage combined with fast double-bass drumming. If you're familiar with Morbid Angel you'll know what I'm talking about. This album has so much of that but it's just so damn catchy that I'll be damned if you don't nod your head to it. The best way for me to describe their music is that it's really satisfying. Those of us who listen to metal know what it's like to feel the anticipation of a great moment and these guys have seemingly mastered that 'moment'.

Pray for All - It was another tough choice for Chaosbeard but I went with this one because it captures what I'm talking about. Big big moments.
:15 - the riff/double bass, start nodding your head.
:59 - keep nodding your head but raise your fist in the air.
1:20 - while half-time sections can normally cause a song to lose momentum it is welcome this time because it is fore-shadowing a killer moment.
2:12 - killer moment.
So the song pretty much carries on ruling while introducing riff after riff with the odd lead showing up. Seriously, give this full album a chance because it's really memorable and worthwhile.

Their MYSPACE has a few more songs from the new album, one being the first song called 'Nothing Remains' which has the same type of 'moment' at :47. Prepare to be satisfied.

Sidenote: A Chimaira is some kind of mythic beast with two heads, one being a lion the other a goat, the body is half of each animal and the tail is a snake. The cover of the new record is the three skulls of these animals and they form a triangle. It looks pretty cool.

2006-05-31T17:51:00.000-04:00

HERE WE GO

Jonas Akerlund is a video director(Madonna, The Prodigy, U2, Smashing Pumpkins). What is more important to know is that he was once the drummer for Bathory. This connection is both funny and awesome. What is also awesome is that his Bathory heritage and the fact that he is Swedish meant that he was game for directing Satyricon's video for Fuel For Hatred. This song is great, it's like caveman black metal and it really grows on you.

Warning, if you like a bit of naked woman you won't be offended by a small portion of this video.

2006-05-30T14:00:00.000-04:00

CHAOSBEARD ALIVE III

Bit of a follow up here merely to point out that so far the first two of the three MAYhem shows have been just awesome. I'll work my way backwards.
Last night was Between the Buried & Me. The night got better when I found out that a friend of mine's band was opening as Chiodos had to cancel due to an illness in the band. I have no idea who Chiodos are and hadn't seen this friends band play live before so i was pretty happy with that turn of events. They're called Arise and Ruin, they're good, check them out.
As expected BTBAM tore the place apart. One of the guitar players actually moved a bit this time which made it somewhat more visually entertaining. Either way they just killed. Glorious glory was had in the form of sweep picking, drum crushing and vocal magic.

Saturday:
Destruction - Awesome awesome. Total old school thrash goodness. These German's know how it's done and if I thought I could pull it off without looking like a complete twit I'd definitely rock a leather studded vest. Let's just say that the kids last night in their white belts and tight jeans didn't come close to being as awesome as Schmier and his leather and tight jeans.
Vader - Vaaaay Duuuuur!!! Holy hell. One of the best metal performances I've ever seen. Mr Robot drummer was unreal. They were absolutely punishing. Imagine standing in front of a tank, having it shoot you in the face and then run over you several times. Watching them was like that, tank metal.

Anyway, so far so good. Tomorrow night is Tomas Lindberg time when he struts his punk n' roll swagger with Disfear. Check them out here.

2006-05-26T11:11:00.000-04:00

DETROIT BLAST CITY

Metal, of course, can be very regional. Bay area thrash, Florida Death and more recently the Gothenburg sound are examples of how geography can somewhat define the style of music that is bred within it's borders. Now this may or may not help define this next band but for some reason when you hear that The Black Dahlia Murder is from Detroit you just think 'yeah, that sounds about right'.

A city made famous for it's automobile factories, techno and Eminem for some reason doesn't have as much of a reputation for metal bands, at least not many that I can think of. Surprising though considering how desolate and deprived many people consider it to be. Now, I mentioned before that Black Dahlia don't necessarily have a 'Detroit' sound but their material is so dense, caustic and vacant of melody that it just seems to fit. That's not to say that there is no apparent Scando influence happening here but there is something very American about their sound, especially on their more recent release, Miasma.

Anyway, they're pretty cool. Check out this video from Miasma called A Vulgar Picture.

Sidenotes: One singer, two styles.
Like Children of Bodom, the Black Dahlia is an infamous murder case.
More songs on MYSPACE

2006-05-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

HELLVILLE

So this pick will be a little more obvious and mainstream but that doesn't take away from the chaos, or beards for that matter. It's Mastodon time.

Praise, praise, praise and more praise plus indie to major label jump has pretty much summed up the last two years for this band. Well the 'praise' part has been going on for longer than that but trust me when I say that it's all deserved. These guys are exciting.

Despite their pretty short recording career(2 full lengths, 1 ep)everything from the production to the songs themselves has in some way created a unique sound and structure that separates this band from most of what else is out there. Let's just say that their placement in the Relapse family was well suited. However sometimes certain leaps must be made and it's understandable that they were swiped by Warner.

If you haven't heard Leviathan you're really missing something. It's important to note that thematic albums can walk a fine line between failing miserably or being really great. More often than not most fail with miserable albums and the bands regret poor decisions and lame content. Here we have a record that's so committed to it's theme and so genuine that's it's not so much trying to convince you as it is laughing at you if you're not interested. The thing is that in order for this scheme to work it has to also come from not only the music but also the artwork and the band. So, if you were at home thinking about recording an album about Captain Ahab and his struggles with the Sea and Moby Dick, take a look in the mirror and think to yourself if it's something you can actually pull off. Seen pictures of Mastodon? They look like they could have been on the boat chasing that damn whale. In other words, they pulled it off.

How does a record become a classic? I'm not asking as if I have the answer but I do think that it helps when you can wear something out, take time away from it, and through time crave it again. Then, once you hear it again after a bit of a breakup you're reminded of how much it RULES.

Blood & Thunder: I know, I know, another obvious choice, trust me it wasn't easy. Here's something to think about though, Blizzard of Oz's I Don't Know, Master of Puppets' Battery, Radiohead's Airbag, whenever these first songs kick off it's like 'YES!', it just hits you and this first song from Leviathan has the same effect. And let's not forget the drums of course. Braan Dailor is one of those drummers that would make me self conscious as a song writer and probably struggle to come up with material that will be intriguing enough to keep this guy interested. If you want to learn a JazzMetalDrumline style, here's your teacher.

I really wanted to post Iron Tusk because it's like pancakes and bacon but I don't want to over do it. Listen to Blood & Thunder, take a break and then listen to Iron Tusk on the Mastodon MYSPACE.

Sidenote: Blood Mountain is supposed to be coming out this summer. I'm excited. Also, Neil Fallon does some vocals on Blood & Thunder. This is noteworthy because I think Neil Fallon is a championship whale wrestler.

2006-05-20T08:38:00.000-04:00

OH, THE MEMORIES

Sidenote: When all else fails, pickscrape

2006-05-18T21:52:00.000-04:00

FIND YOUR HEAD

Here it is. You want to know what I'm listening all the time? The new Decapitated record. This thing killlllls. What these guys have accomplished in this bands career to date is pretty remarkable.
Let's examine this, Decapitated were formed in 1996, released their first demo in '97, an indie full length in '98 and the follow up on Earache in 2000. What's most notably interesting about this is that the average age of each band-member in 1996 was 14....FOURTEEN. So when 2000's Winds of Creation was released they were, well you figure it out. Now, 18 year olds(in case you didn't figure it out) releasing a record isn't that big of a deal except these guys absolutely shredded/ripped/slayed/destroyed etc. They've released four more records since Winds and to say that their skill in light of their age isn't staggering would be like saying something really clever that you would normally see on some smart ass blog.

Ok, Organic Halucinosis, the new release. First of all I should say that while I've always enjoyed the music these guys have put together I was never a fan of the vocals. Too much growl, not enough bite. They now have a new vocalist and his style is much cooler(oh yeah, they're Polish so his vox sound a bit more like Vaders do, VADER! POLSKI!), either way, a step in the right direction. This record is pretty short with only 7 songs but what they lack in length they make up for in content and prolificacy.

Day 69 - Here we go. What should hopefully jump out at you right away is the main riff. The part that makes you think 'how come I've never heard a guitar part go like that before?'. You know what I'm talking about, THAT DAMN ONE NOTE BEND!!! GENIUS!!! Ugh, this song makes me tired. And the weird drum break? Wow. I also really enjoy how at the end of the song the rest of the band cuts out and seemingly leaves the singer high and dry, 'NO PLACE TO...'. Way to screw with the new guy. Awesome. The thing is that in my opinion this isn't the best song on the record but people just have to hear that bennnnnnnnnnd.

Sidenote: Damn

2006-05-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

RRROOOAAARRR!

I wish I could say that I know more about Voivod but I'm afraid I don't as they are a bit ahead of my time. Interesting I should say that though as most who know will argue that Denis 'Piggy' D'Amour was ahead of his time. It can safely be said though that they are metal pioneers/legends/icons. If you don't know their music very well it would probably be wise to check them out, same goes for me.
Anyway, a bandmate of mine is now a bit of a movie maker and his last project allowed him the opportunity to talk with Voivod, sadly right before the untimely death of Mr. D'Amour. However with this meeting a relationship was formed and he was invited back to put together a mini documentary about the upcoming new album from Voivod, fittingly titled 'Katorz'. An album that was assembled through pre-production recordings that Piggy had put together and a stockpile of home demos on his laptop. Pretty cool.
So there's an online preview of this upcoming doc online now, check it out.

Read about Voivod's history here or here. Read more about the mini doc here.

2006-05-16T08:55:00.000-04:00

WE ARE BUT MORTAL SOULS, LEFT TO DIE

I was given this record one day, took one look at the back and almost dismissed it immediately when I saw the Victory Records logo, "great, more ______ core from Victory with some guys trying to be Metal". I decided to play it anyway and, well, "this isn't really...Metal...what...yaaaargh". I don't even know how to describe what you'll hear. If you're familiar with Dillinger Escape Plan then you probably know what it's like to be attacked by a psycho with a firehose. Now while these guys don't really sound like Dillinger they're sort of coming from the same place in the sense that they look like annoying jazz school guys and that I can't figure out how they write their songs.

I'll say this, if a bunch of vikings went on a fishing trip this would be the soundtrack. That's my description.

The song "All Bodies" is from the album Alaska which was released last September and it's all over the place. As I've said before I tend to lean more towards heavy stuff that can carry a groove as opposed to something like Dillinger which can be a bit too much. Something it seems that even they realized on their most recent CD 'Miss Machine' which does cross over into some more mellow material that somehow comes off sounding like Downward Spiral era NIN. Anyway, I'll have to break it down by section because I can't think of any other way to do it.
ALL BODIES
:00 - ok, apparently we're getting right to the point.
:28 - :40 - this is getting weird, what are they doing?
1:20 - I sense moments of glory coming up.
1:45 - Glory arrives in the form of...Immortal?
1:57 - Glorious GLory arrives with a fleet of pirates carrying brooms and begin swabbing the decks with grandeur. Yo ho ho.
2:25 - Electro blast beat mayhem
2:53 - The brooms commence sweeping with fury.
3:28 - 3:45 - Heavy
3:47 - 4:13 - HEAVY
4:14 - 5:01 - A computer composed this section using various equations and viruses.
5:04 - 5:29 - HEAVY
5:30 - 5:31 - ...riiiight.
5:32 - 6:14 - After a long battle the chanting begins and all is well on the high seas.

Rarely have I heard such mayhem come together so wonderfully. The entire record is like this only sometimes the pirates make it ashore and have lovely tender moments with maidens only to have their guts spilled out seconds later. This is triumphant stuff.

I saw these guys with Dillinger which is probably why I associate them together and while I preferred BTBAM to DEP they did have a few lessons to learn from them. Watching Dillinger is like watching a Royal Rumble on stage and these guys were like watching Stonehenge. The singer was awesome though and he did double duty on the keyboard parts which is cool. If you get a chance to hear the record look out for the song Selkies: The Endless Obsession, it's like the bastard children of Rush going crazy. If you want you can also listen to Selkies on their MYSPACE.

Sidenote: As mentioned in the MAYhem post they're on tour. Go see them.

2006-05-15T18:05:00.000-04:00

WHAT?

So this is pretty cool. Thanks guys.

Sidenote: I need more text to fill out this post.

2006-05-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

HEAVY-ETTE

Quick post courtesy of Rusty Stu.
Contrary to every single other post i've made I do not solely believe that heavy music is defined with distorted guitars and clattering drum patterns. In other words, I do not listen to metal exclusively. While the words Heavy Metal work well together they can be separated in order to take on different meanings. For example, Portishead is obviously not Heavy Metal, but they sure as hell were Heavy. Anyway, check out this artist named St. Vincent. I don't know that much about her other than some great pictures and a song called 'Paris is Burning' which I heard for the first time about 25 minutes ago and the fourth time well...now. Really good, girls are Heavy when they want to be.

Sidenote: I'm considering changing my name to John.

2006-05-14T19:51:00.000-04:00

METAL MAYHEM

If you live in Toronto these shows are coming up and you should be there:
May 27th - VADER w/Destruction, Kataklysm, Speed Kill Hate, Graveworm and The Absence
@ The Reverb.
May 29th - Between the Buried & Me w/Chiodos, August Burns Red and Number 12 Looks Like You @ the Kathedral.
May 31st - Disfear w/Misery Index, Strong Intention and Mesrine @ Lee's Palace.

Vader, as you know, is insane. Destruction, come on, German thrash legends.
Between the Buried is awesome awesome. Total shred nerd techy pirate metal. Bring your brooms, they'll be some serious sweep picking.
Disfear, two names: Tomas and Lindberg. Put them together and you've got a sore throat.

2006-05-13T11:20:00.000-04:00

WIDDLY WIDDLY

If you're interested, this is a video of the new Guns n' Roses guitar player. His name is Ron Thal and he's from Brooklyn, NY. His style is surprisingly similar to Bucketheads minus the nun-chuks and freakishly long fingers. I'm not sure when the video was shot but I do know that it's from some guitar clinic in France which might explain the really weird Godzilla Diddy Kashmir intro(french children are strange). His previous project was a band called Bumblefoot so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the heinous guitar.

So it's pretty impressive and tappy happy but I certainly can't get through the whole thing. Despite what anyone thinks about the new Guns they are still infinitely better and cooler than Velvet Revolver.

2006-05-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

SALUT MONSIEUR LE DRUMS

Soilwork is a good band. Not 'was', is. People seem to think otherwise for reasons that I can't really figure out. Like In Flames they seem to be crucified because they've had lasting power. Sure they've added more melodic elements and maybe dropped the pace a notch for some songs on more recent albums but to me it's an understandable move. If you're in a band, playing live nightly, at some point you're going to want to mix things up a bit to make your live show more interesting. And frankly, any fan that isn't interested in a band they like evolving, well, they're not really needed as a fan. Not that I really feel as though I have to justify my liking either of these bands as I still think they both make good music. Besides, up until recently the Soilwork guitarists were uncle and nephew, that's something.

Now, of course Soilwork has a load to choose from in terms of songs but this is chaosbeard so you'll probably know what's coming.

Henry Ranta was a wicked drummer, like insanely good. I saw them play on the tour after he quit and when that Daniel whateverhisnameis was filling in and they played Chainheart Machine he made a complete mess of the fill towards the beginning. Later though when I found out that Dirk Verbeuren was joining them it was time to get psyched. This guy is awesome. When you have Gene Hoglan saying that you rule, you rule. This guy is like conservatory technique metal chops with Bonham feel. He doesn't slack on anything but makes it all look really easy. I saw them play again with him and it was like watching a master class. He also looks like a crazy skeleton with headphones on.

Press play below and watch this crazy French bastard rip. Pay attention to his 'high-hat hand', yikes. It's Blind Eye Halo from the newest Soilwork record.

Sidenote: Although Dirk is a permanent member of Soilwork his real project is the band Scarve. They're heavy but a bit more prog. They're good.

2006-05-06T12:12:00.000-04:00

DEATH FIRST? WHAT?

Sometimes success comes to really bad bands with even worse band names(Hoobastank) and other times it doesn't come at all because of an awkward name. If you've never heard of Mors Principium Est I wouldn't be surprised, but you're seriously missing out. The name is a total mouthful and doesn't do them any favors despite the fact that translated I think it means "ha ha ha you wish you could play guitars like us".

They released an awesome debut a few years ago and followed up with last years "Inhumanity". Both records are really cool except the first one (The Unborn) suffers from some minor mixing issues(why are the vocals so quiet?), an issue that was greatly resolved on the follow up. Too bad the guitars didn't get the same improved treatment as the leads are still a bit low in the mix. Not that the guitar players really have anything to hide as they can burn the place down with their chops. Some people may be put off by the keyboards but they're really not that prominent and the songs are already pretty melodic so it's really just filler. They(the keyboards) can at times even come off as Electronic(dancy?) but you get used to it so if it bothers you that much either get over it or this band just isn't for you.

The Unborn is a good example of what I'm talking about. It has the electro keyboards and some female vocals which are obviously elements that aren't for everyone. Let's just that the guys that believe 'it ain't metal if it ain't Morbid Angel' probably won't dig this. To me it's cool because these are young guys adding different textures to something that is clearly metal and morphing it into something else.

Highlight - The guitar riff that comes in at :45. Is that in time? Yeah it is, and it's wicked.