tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-264435202024-03-12T22:19:08.603-04:00CHAOSBEARDDefinitely Not Your Great Aunt's MetalChaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-65565171357550636592011-12-07T19:27:00.001-05:002011-12-07T19:29:07.810-05:00<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2011</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with <em>Chemistry of Common</em> 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 what<em>should</em> work. But they make it work, really well.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cuts like “Running on Empty” are massive. Like, <em>Bon Jovi</em> massive. And I mean that in a good way.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Obscura – Omnivium</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 (ba<em>boom</em>. Music writing 101, people.)</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Omnivium</em> 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.)</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Mastodon – The Hunter</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 through<em>The Hunter</em>, 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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeing the band live brought sense, though, to <em>The Hunter</em>. 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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. <em>The Hunter</em> is a change, but it’s good, and still distinctly Mastodon.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Trash Talk – Awake EP</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Revocation – Chaos of Forms</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <em>Chaos of Forms</em>.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Bon Iver – Bon Iver</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holocene, man. </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Devin Townsend – Deconstruction</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make no mistake, despite what the Canadian Music Industry thinks, this <em>is</em> the best Heavy music released by a Canadian in 2011.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Decapitated – Carnival is Forever</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only thing that has changed since I <a href="http://bit.ly/ta1o4s" target="_blank">originally wrote</a> of this record is that I’ve listened to it a lot more.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honourable mentions:</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hate Eternal – Phoenix Amongst the Ashes</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DJ Quik - The Book of David</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vader – Welcome to the Morbid Reich</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overrated:</span></strong></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Ghost</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Black Metal. Like, all of it. </span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-3670239312966478392011-07-16T11:38:00.007-04:002012-05-25T10:34:20.286-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>Decapitated - Carnival is Forever</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Decapitated</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Carnival is Forever</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, to any combination of text without acknowledging the events preceding it.</span><br />
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In my more productive metal writing days there were many words committed to the 2006 release </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Organic Hallucinosis</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, 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 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Hallucinosis</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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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 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Winds of Creation</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, 4 years later. The band remained consistent in both quality and release schedules until </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Organic Hallucinosis</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, when the subject of youth shifted from a group being "wise beyond its years," to "too young to go through this."</span><br />
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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.</span><br />
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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.</span><br />
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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.</span><br />
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In mid 2009, Vogg re-emerged to announce he would continue with a newly constructed Decapitated</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and began recording in early 2011.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Music of all forms can be justified to its listeners as having an attraction based on how it makes one <i>feel</i>. 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.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="80" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N16nTvwYsJg" width="420"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This</i> is the sound of de<i>liv</i>ery. <i>This</i> is the sound of expectation being dialed in to its most calculated end. <i>This</i> 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.” </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Carnival is Forever</i> 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.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">*</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">I covered the addition of Krimh via cover songs posted on YouTube </span><a href="http://chaosbeard.blogspot.com/2010/05/web-view.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">here</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-73332939411530195992011-06-03T17:59:00.002-04:002011-07-11T09:22:30.495-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Family Portrait</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rHj-VyMykRU" width="560"></iframe></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-18751718571171751182011-05-30T13:57:00.006-04:002011-08-12T11:38:35.177-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Agalloch – Marrow of the Spirit</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MAKE UP YOUR MINDS.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s change the subject.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With Floyd being the best and obvious example, let’s expand:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’M SO BORED WITH THIS.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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).</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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, <i>album releases</i>. 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WITH BETTER TONE AND FEEL.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-53176377867954416062010-12-02T10:02:00.001-05:002010-12-02T10:02:41.908-05:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<h2 class="uiHeaderTitle" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">My Semi-Attractive Dimly-Lit Mostly-Obvious Year in Music</span></span></span></h2><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Here are my favourite albums of the year.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">The Crown – Doomsday King</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Witchery – Witchkrieg</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Jensen from The Haunted</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Sharlee “The velvet-clad swashbuckler” from Arch Enemy and Mercyful Fate</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Axenrot from Opeth and Bloodbath</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Legion from Marduk</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Some other guitar guy, and a whole bunch of guest guitar soloists.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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 “<b>SAAAAAAAAYYYTAAAAHHHHHHNNN</b>” it’s like slamming back a Slurpee into the driest, most thirsty throat.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Robyn – Bodytalk Pt.1</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. II</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Kanye – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">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.</span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-5680040519761380222010-06-13T13:49:00.020-04:002010-07-12T19:36:30.665-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Special K</b></span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Actually, I totally love them.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 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?</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I imagine his song-writing process plays out something like this (but in Greek, so randomly add a good 'aikos' here and 'flubopoulous' there):</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"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!"</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> It's just all so </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">aggressive.</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, not </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">all</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> of it. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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%).</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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 "</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ultimately,</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cannibalised</span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">'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."</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Things really start to ramp up at the 3:50 mark.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y-cQFCCOvX8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y-cQFCCOvX8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></span></span></span></span></div><div></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-52674422002135255782010-05-29T22:59:00.007-04:002010-05-30T23:34:38.191-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">Where I'm going?</span></span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">That's</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> the attitude I'd </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">like</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> to maintain. Positivity. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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 </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">my</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> 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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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 "</span></span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-qkOpJQ3a0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">what the hell is on Joey's head</span></b></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">", but a band of that type </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">does</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> 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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">So I make choices. I choose to ignore bands that don't interest me and I choose to not complain about their popularity. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">HOWEVER, now it's getting tricky. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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... </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object height="285" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/emrBZZtGFgI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/emrBZZtGFgI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="440" height="285"></embed></object></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">there shouldn't much that would shock me.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">What I didn't consider, and what really snuck up on me last year was young bands </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">combining</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> styles that really threw me off. The obvious and cliched example being:</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><object height="185" width="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-TH5ibABP4U&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-TH5ibABP4U&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="340" height="185"></embed></object></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><object height="185" width="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wj5A1XWkaUE&border=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Wj5A1XWkaUE&border=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="340" height="185"></embed></object></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">Is my fate being determined by twenty-somethings blending elements of music I enjoy with the music I've chosen to disregard? Are </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">these</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"> 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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">Apparently this will be my "dad rock":</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OnHJoxK3pKw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OnHJoxK3pKw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span></span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-69392003595558995852010-05-25T10:11:00.007-04:002010-05-29T13:44:37.098-04:00<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Evyl</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">I’m now three records into my friendship with Keep of Kalessin. Well, we’re not really </span></span><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">close</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">As for the music, think Dragonforce, but cool. I only use that comparison in the sense that a lot of their songs are <i>actually</i> 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. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">As for Vyl, the drummer? I don’t know, man. He’s overwhelming. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: Arial;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2hYZC93_k1I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2hYZC93_k1I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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).</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: Arial;"><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d8R68imhouQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d8R68imhouQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></span></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-30938646840564826122010-05-22T17:21:00.015-04:002010-06-20T21:27:21.378-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Web View.0</b></span></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
An online video hosting site is a very interesting place.<br />
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 </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">get </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">In some cases you get young, green, and out of tune:</span></span></div><div><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uFjdxYQxUrI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uFjdxYQxUrI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">In other cases you get unassuming:</span></span></div><div><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8C3Jpv__kQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8C3Jpv__kQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">There's ambitious:</span></span></div><div><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UWjBU9U5ZDc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UWjBU9U5ZDc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">And this:</span></span></div><div><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bP_mO0FGAsE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bP_mO0FGAsE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">Like everything online there is no one forcing you to give attention to what you see, so complaining about it serves no purpose. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">And the beauty is that there is almost always a trade-off. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">Because if you're that good at what you do, and you do it with sincerity, skill, and passion:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mAjD1VQq2Bw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mAjD1VQq2Bw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Commented Vogg: "</span></span><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">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 </span></span><a href="http://heavymetal.about.com/b/2007/11/02/decapitated-drummer-dies-after-accident.htm"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">tragedies we had to suffer</span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">, 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..."</span></span></i></i></span></span></span></div><div><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></i></i></div><div><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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. </span></span></span></span></i></i></div><div><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></i></i></div><div><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Decapitated is playing the Summer Slaughter tour this year, and it's <i>so</i> good to have them back.</span></span></span></span></i></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><i style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></i></i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><img height="640" src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/Screenshot2010-05-22at54134PM.png" width="323" /></span></span></span></i></span></div></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-58522225110715474022010-05-16T20:39:00.001-04:002010-05-16T20:39:40.741-04:00<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DIoj7vWBj3k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DIoj7vWBj3k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-49763194613086400252010-05-11T20:33:00.014-04:002010-07-14T09:50:17.768-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Where I come from - Example 2</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><b>Meshuggah - Chaosphere</b></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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 <i>very</i> unattractive is only impossible.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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, <i>that's </i>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 <b>not</b> ready for this band. I'd listen to the album from time to time but found myself too frustrated with it; I just <i>couldn't</i> figure it out. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span>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 <i>rhythm</i>.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">A brief breakdown:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- Chaosphere is released. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">New Millenium Cyanide Christ</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6OwLDmp5pZg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6OwLDmp5pZg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">Since the focus of this post is Chaosphere i'll try to quickly sum up the rest, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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). </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- Catch Thirty-Three, album. A slow, singular dirge of unseparated tracks. A grind requiring patience and open ears.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">- 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.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">(of the thousands of videos presenting drummers explaining this beat I couldn't resist the guy with the muppet voice. Sorry.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="185" width="280"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SQ_X25MtP6k&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SQ_X25MtP6k&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="280" height="185"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><i>This</i> is where things get tricky. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">NOW, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">As I said, this is all emphasized by Haake matching the guitar riff with his kick drums. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">SO, </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="85" width="180"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwdEw0ty0gs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwdEw0ty0gs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="180" height="85"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;">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 <i>one</i> "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 <i>second</i> and <i>fourth</i> repeats are <i>actually</i> "DUH DEHHH DEH DUN DUN DUN". Mad scientists, I tell you.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="85" width="180"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oK0tjSvA17g&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oK0tjSvA17g&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="180" height="85"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><br />
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<div>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. </div><div><br />
</div><div>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. </div><div><br />
</div><div>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.</div><div><br />
</div><div>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. </div><div>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.</div><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q08YrglqffQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q08YrglqffQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-26970815583092195882010-05-05T08:51:00.006-04:002011-08-09T11:16:48.076-04:00<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Where I come from - Example 1</span></span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power<br />
</b></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">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.<br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic;">very</span></i> 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 <i><span style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span></i> 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.<br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every weekend his mom would stop at the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:city> 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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monsters of Rock</span></i> concert video from 1991, a festival typically held at <st1:city w:st="on">Donnington</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>, however that year they brought the circus to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:city>. 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 <i><span style="font-style: italic;">entirely</span></i> 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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first band featured in the video (insert movie trailer voiceover)…was Pantera. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At that point in my life I had only recently started to abandon the music that I <i><span style="font-style: italic;">thought </span></i>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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They were showcasing road tested material from <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Cowboys from Hell,</span></i> and the versions were angrier and even <i><span style="font-style: italic;">more</span></i> 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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eddie Van Halen</span></i>-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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vulgar Display of Power</span></i>. I was <i><span style="font-style: italic;">just</span></i> young enough to have missed the vital metal of the 80’s, and therefore <i><span style="font-style: italic;">just </span></i>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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vulgar Display</span></i> 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 <i><span style="font-style: italic;">sound</span></i> that resonated with me; a direct audible link to emotion. Action and reaction.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Official Live: 101 Proof</span></i> record. It’s now almost the Modern Heavy Metal vocalist blueprint.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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 <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Far Beyond Driven</span></i>, it followed with the even darker, less accessible <i><span style="font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Great Southern Trendkill</span></i>. 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.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their message was always clear and never cryptic: An ugly point of view communicated with force.<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Vulgar Display of Power.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The beginning of a beginning – how to change my life in three and a half minutes:</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"> </span></span></b></span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d03e9fVvk_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d03e9fVvk_A&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></b></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-46231399599353334112010-05-03T18:27:00.002-04:002010-05-03T18:46:49.254-04:00<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 23px; font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We work together, common sons</span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman', Times, serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; line-height: 23px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I've seen it, and you should, too.</span></span></span></div><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sk8hbSxY0sE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sk8hbSxY0sE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><br /><br />ONE NIGHT ONLY THURSDAY, JUNE 10 at 7pm<br />RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage is Released to the Following Theaters:<br />SCOTIABANK THEATRE, TORONTO<br />CINEMARK TINSELTOWN, VANCOUVER<br />THE UPTOWN, CALGARY<br />CINEMA DU PARC, MONTREAL<br />CINEMA LE CLAP, QUEBEC CITY<br /><br />“...Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage,” took home the 2010 Audience Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival..."<br /><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><img src="http://www.metalhistory.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Rush.Beyond.the_.Lighted.Stage_.Movie_.Poster.jpg" /></span></span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-64270936430706440782010-05-01T00:10:00.009-04:002010-05-01T06:35:17.987-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">How to inspire friends and intimidate people</span></b></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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 </span><a href="http://www.the-iss.com/2009/04/01/img/absorbingman.jpg"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Absorbing Man</span></span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> as your vocalist.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AyE5mOOW11c&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AyE5mOOW11c&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mwjyZKqmkUg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mwjyZKqmkUg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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 </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">NEXT, </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">ps, I love when a youtube unstarted freeze-frame comes together. POSSESSED.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FReXY-aKoKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FReXY-aKoKY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></div><meta charset="utf-8">Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-91270702259600756862010-04-29T08:27:00.047-04:002012-05-26T16:13:47.153-04:00<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I'm going through changes</span></b></span><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Words of restoration are exchanged but deep down you know they carry no weight. A mind has been made, and it is steadfast.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Then, with a burst of concentrated aggression, it’s all over.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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 <i>different</i>.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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 <i>you've</i> got.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: silver; font-family: arial;"><br />(Press play. Make it loud.)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="80" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pPYpZHLq2fM" width="400"></iframe></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />Your approach is now more confident. You appreciate this opportunity for you have accepted previously made mistakes, made adjustments, focused on your flaws. Refined.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><i>This</i> is what you’ve been waiting for. <i>This</i> 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.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">You understand your abilities, your strengths. You know who you are and seize anything within your grasp and reconstruct what lacks direction. You guide.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Everything is summarized with an authoritative <b>detonation</b>. The concentrated aggression is unleashed again. Minutes crumble and step aside to the locomotive proficiency of honed ability.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">You clench your teeth and suffer through what feels like a turbine-like presence standing over your shoulder releasing an unending, adamant, tenacious, caustic <i>scream</i>. 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.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">And then it’s gone,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">But not for long.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">What had <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/burntoblack"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">once meant so much to you is now over</span></a></b>, and you didn’t fully understand the power it held until it was returned to you. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/monolithicmetal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Now it’s here</span></b></a>, and you’re unstoppable. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><i>Fearless</i>.</span></span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-47243279417584888882010-04-26T20:25:00.003-04:002010-04-27T08:51:01.615-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Moods - Choose my own adventure</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oGQvKU8Iaz4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oGQvKU8Iaz4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ffnm2TcfqLo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ffnm2TcfqLo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 17px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;">A lie would have no sense unless the truth were felt dangerous. - Alfred Adler</span></span></span></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-83089077192375229752010-04-10T15:24:00.004-04:002010-07-12T19:53:06.566-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><b>Fill your big black boots</b></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span></span></div></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">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. </span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">Things to watch for in the video:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">- 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). </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">- 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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">- 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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">- 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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">- 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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The rest is just a blur of fills and cross-over cymbal smashing that is nothing short of exhausting to watch. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;">The Essential Salts:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: silver;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4dcTCt66NfE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4dcTCt66NfE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span></span></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-461479889966863822010-04-05T18:31:00.009-04:002010-04-06T13:30:58.948-04:00<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#999999;">Everybody loves Metallica…</span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#999999;"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">…the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">old</i> stuff. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">Everybody has to qualify their love for Metallica with that additional sidenote. It’s the definitive post-script of my generation.</span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">I used to be slightly annoyed with the over-justification because I felt as though there was no need. They were a great <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">great</b> metal band who reached their technical limitations and then became a solid hard-rock band. To compare the two incarnations is unfair, albeit inescapable.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">But now I do care. Kind of. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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”.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">One could argue that the main reason people still believe in Metallica is a result of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">craving</i>; 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.</span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><o:p><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></o:p></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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’. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">Because I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">do</i> love Metallica…</span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">…especially when <strong>Meshuggah</strong> released <strong>Contradictions Collapse </strong>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 <strong>Justice</strong>.</span></span></span></span></p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Btt2q0JOjE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Btt2q0JOjE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span></p><br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">On an unrelated note, </span></span></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:10;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">If you’re into good music that I know absolutely nothing about, please go <a href="http://clanchatti.blogspot.com/2010/04/i-made-mix-for-you-to-enjoy-while.html"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">HERE</span></strong></a> 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.. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-20031931653393073642010-03-14T19:16:00.010-04:002010-04-03T02:26:52.751-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><b>Home at last</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXfdxlsc9hA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pXfdxlsc9hA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9t0VlzJeNvA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9t0VlzJeNvA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwFdExvCxM4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MwFdExvCxM4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SOous91wrtE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SOous91wrtE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pretty great, oui?</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">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.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/woR6ohiFeYE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/woR6ohiFeYE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="320" height="265"></embed></object></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#C0C0C0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Give it up for Mr Purdie. </span></span></span></div></span></span></span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-64353751937090685472010-03-08T16:05:00.013-05:002010-03-09T08:22:30.707-05:00<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Twennehten</strong></span><br /></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#999999;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">Everyone <em>wants</em> 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.<br />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:</span><br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pPwRxfZrW2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pPwRxfZrW2M&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">...or to add not-funny to semi-funny captions to not-funny, semi-funny, or already funny pictures.</span></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 225px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446373661701167602" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_h3G9y10wUPY/S5Vn_Tu92fI/AAAAAAAAACU/UlT0Exy7AOQ/s320/ding.bmp" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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 <em>what</em> the hell is online anymore” sandwiches.<br /><br />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.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">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?<br /><br />Let’s see what kind of run-down I can provide.<br /><br />- Favourite record of 2009: <strong>Addicted</strong> by Devin Townsend.<br />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 <em>inyourfaces</em> 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.<br /></span></span><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dMYXZFINZ_4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dMYXZFINZ_4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">- </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#999999;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><strong>Converge<br /></strong>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).<br />Outstanding production.</span><br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1coBXXChNpU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1coBXXChNpU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br /></span><span style="color:#c0c0c0;">- <strong>Impious</strong>, Death Domination:<br />BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (Read this like each “R” is a snare hit) RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR<br />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.<br /><br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqb1TYA-bfw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cqb1TYA-bfw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />- <strong>Shannon Lucas</strong>:<br />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.</span></span> <div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MgTG6A4ga2Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MgTG6A4ga2Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />This:<br /><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f1hmI4eqzps&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f1hmI4eqzps&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /><br />There you have it. Maybe I’ll be back in a week to a few years or so. Chaosbeard isn’t dead yet.</span></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-32950967747199507872008-10-16T19:35:00.002-04:002008-10-16T19:45:18.769-04:00<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">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 <em>something</em> interesting. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">If you can take that interesting and knowingly quote parts directly from those bands you'd better be doing something <em>really</em> interesting. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;"><strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/bigelf">Bigelf.</a></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">They're really really good. Like, i've heard this song before no I haven't and it's catchy and rolling. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">You can't fault a band for showing this much ambition and truly 'going for it'. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">Both the new record and the one before it are pretty awesome. Get passed the influences and you'll be rewarded. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">At least buy them for your dad.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">ps, that new Beyonce single is pretty killer. The "Single Ladies" one.</span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-42047203510842562432008-06-03T16:33:00.008-04:002012-03-26T16:59:51.441-04:00<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Southern Harm</strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">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.)<br />
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).<br />
1. Good songs<br />
2. Good musicians<br />
That’s it. There are your guidelines. If you’re confused I’ll provide some explanation using the band first mentioned in this post.<br />
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 <em>capable</em> 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.<br />
“Duuude, Johnny Cash ruuules”<br />
“Yeah man, STRRRRROKES!!”<br />
both in unison, “DUUUDE…imaaagine??”</span><br />
</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">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 <strong>Sweet Home Alabama</strong> and <strong>Freebird</strong> 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.<br />
I’m exhausted with this post already and I haven’t even gotten to the point.<br />
<br />
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. </span><br />
</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">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.<br />
And both Kings of Leon and Trivium don’t even come close to being as interesting and powerful and Georgia’s </span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/yourbaroness"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><strong>Baroness</strong></span></a><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">.<br />
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 </span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">‘kind of slow’.<br />
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. </span><br />
</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">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.<br />
Go see this band if you can, and do yourself a favour and pick up some of their </span><a href="http://shirtkiller.com/LiteCommerce/cart.php?target=category&category_id=286"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">merch</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"> cause it’s some of the best stuff out there. Not only can <a href="http://www.myspace.com/johndyerbaizley"><strong><span style="color: red;">Mr. Baizley</span></strong> </a>belt out some solid vocals and tasty twang but he also designs their, and many other bands’ artwork.<br />
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Yeah right</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><br />
<a href="http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/?action=view&current=hands.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/hands.jpg" /></span></a></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Not fair</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><a href="http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/?action=view&current=torche.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/torche.jpg" /></a></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">Pig Destroyer!</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 85%;"></span></span><a href="http://s62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/?action=view&current=pigd.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h86/paulharrington/pigd.jpg" /></span></a>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-1675667850812061182008-05-08T10:46:00.005-04:002008-05-08T11:15:56.446-04:00<span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="color:#666666;">Main Entry:<br /></span><strong>sur·gery</strong> </span><a href="javascript:popWin(" wav="surgery')""></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="color:#666666;">Pronunciation:<br /></span>\'serj-rē, 'ser-je-\<br /><span style="color:#666666;">Function:</span><br /><em>noun</em><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><span style="color:#666666;">Inflected Form(s):</span><br /></span><em>plural</em> sur·ger·ies<br /><span style="color:#666666;">Etymology:</span><br />Middle English <em>surgeri</em>e, from Anglo-French <em>cirurgerie</em>, <em>surgerie</em>, from</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">Latin <em>chirurgia</em>, from Greek <em>cheirourgia</em>, from <em>cheirourgos</em> surgeon, from </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><em>cheirourgos</em> doing by hand, from <em>cheir</em> hand + <em>ergon work</em> — more at</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;"></span><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chir-"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">chir-</span></strong></a><strong><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">, </span></strong><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;color:#c0c0c0;">work</span></strong></a><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><br /></strong><span style="color:#cccccc;"><span style="color:#666666;">Date:</span><br /></span>14th century<br />1: a clinical act performed with precision and extreme technicality.<br />- to be done manually in a sterile environment.<br />- a room or place of surgical operations.<br />- executed with various instruments, typically of the metallic variety.<br />- may sometimes result in death.<br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;">Usage;</span></span></span><br /><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="font-size:85%;"> Doctor Malone,<br />“I’ve trained for years and years to perform my job with<br />the most proficient and technical expertise. On the whole<br />though, I’d say that being subject to my job would be<br />either boring and or painful.”<br /><br />or<br /><br />Jill, “I’m going into surgery tomorrow”<br />Paul, “Oh yeah? Wow that sucks”<br />Jill, “No way, I TOTALLY love it”<br />Paul, “You wouldn’t if you were awake”<br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;">Synonyms: </span></span></span><br /><span style="color:#c0c0c0;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Ultimate frisbee, Arsis</span> </span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-7535927742934497712008-03-03T13:47:00.004-05:002008-03-03T13:52:28.914-05:00<a href="http://metalinquisition.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">These guys</span></strong> </span></span></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:#666666;">update daily. Apparently that's how you get readers.</span>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26443520.post-91835975078964691262008-01-15T15:27:00.001-05:002008-06-03T16:55:16.746-04:00<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_h3G9y10wUPY/R40ZzPeaJPI/AAAAAAAAAA4/ommufwmInAQ/s1600-h/obzen1.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155805516527183090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_h3G9y10wUPY/R40ZzPeaJPI/AAAAAAAAAA4/ommufwmInAQ/s400/obzen1.bmp" border="0" /></a> <span style="color:#666666;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong>7:24 to Awesome-ville</strong></span><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#666666;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#cccccc;">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 <em>you</em> 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 </span><a href="http://www.bravewords.com/"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">bravewords.com</span></strong></a><span style="color:#cccccc;">.<br />Main page, top left hand-side. Brave Tunes.<br />Meshuggah – Bleed<br /><br />This band has consistently evolved and mutated despite maintaining a signature sound that cannot be forged.<br /><strong>Chaosphere to Nothing</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Nothing to I</strong> 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.<br /><strong>I to Catch 33</strong> 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.<br /><br /><strong>Bleed</strong> – 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.<br /><br />Every time this band releases new material they amaze and this is no exception</span>.</span> </span></span></div>Chaosbeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03754686206981663043noreply@blogger.com1