Where I come from - Example 2

Meshuggah - Chaosphere

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

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

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

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

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

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

A brief breakdown:

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

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

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

- Chaosphere is released.

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

New Millenium Cyanide Christ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is where things get tricky.

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

NOW,

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

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

SO,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where I come from - Example 1

Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Vulgar Display of Power.

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

We work together, common sons

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

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

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

How to inspire friends and intimidate people

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

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

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

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

NEXT,

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

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

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

I'm going through changes


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then it’s gone,

But not for long.

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

Fearless.

Moods - Choose my own adventure

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

Fill your big black boots

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

Things to watch for in the video:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Essential Salts:

Everybody loves Metallica…

…the old stuff.

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

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

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

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

But now I do care. Kind of.

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

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

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

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

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

Because I do love Metallica…

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

On an unrelated note,

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

Home at last

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pretty great, oui?

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

Give it up for Mr Purdie.

Twennehten

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



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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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

This:


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah right


Not fair



Pig Destroyer!

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

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

or

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

Synonyms:
Ultimate frisbee, Arsis

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

7:24 to Awesome-ville

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

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

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

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

Top 10, or 8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Post Organic

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

One more time for Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka.