Thursday, October 11, 2007

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