tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25374063950812129952024-03-13T04:17:32.991-07:00The Zushakon ReviewA series of reviews of various albums by some canadian guy.Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-34657572266270052012014-02-19T17:57:00.001-08:002014-02-19T17:57:05.988-08:00My Favourite VocalistsSo, I'm not going to rank anything like top ten or stuff because this list is going to be subjective enough as it is, but I'd like to go over some of my favourite vocalists from a bunch of different genres and why each of them are my favourites.<br />
<br />
<b><u>The Hard</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Tobias Netzell - In Mourning/October Tide/Majalis/Contortion<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8MSE99ZDR0/UwVM-pgSWfI/AAAAAAAAAK0/No8_6GUEZ1g/s1600/Tobias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_8MSE99ZDR0/UwVM-pgSWfI/AAAAAAAAAK0/No8_6GUEZ1g/s1600/Tobias.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Tobias Netzell is one of my favourite death metal vocalists due to his range, technique, and delivery. Netzell ranges from a low growl to a higher end scream and (rarely) some clean vocals, sometimes all in the same song. His vocals are powerful, roaring, and 100% consistent. Netzell never falters even when holding incredibly long notes. His delivery can be punchy, soaring, and grinding, and never fails to please. While not as unique as some of the others on this list, Netzell is consistently above average and provides a solid link in the chain of professionalism that his acts present. In Mourning is one of the most consistently solid melodic death metal acts I can think of and Netzells performances solidify their reputation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/R9GwBKg0RZg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Rainer Landfermann - Bethlehem/Pavor<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fyqgMtjAon0/UwVOlPAsr9I/AAAAAAAAALA/wdT17zXLnBA/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fyqgMtjAon0/UwVOlPAsr9I/AAAAAAAAALA/wdT17zXLnBA/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I won't say much about Landfermann, due to my last review, but what I will say is that his performances, though few and far between, are breathtaking. His raw, uninhibited, hellish vocals define whatever music is backing them and create a sonicscape of pure despair and anger. His unique style is rarely copied (or attempted) and for good reason, I can't imagine how this guy hasn't lost his voice yet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3YcCRrgfzY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Orjan Stedjeberg/Hoest - Taake/Thule/Deathcult/Ragnarok<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7vSzHORDlc/UwVQgUNYLlI/AAAAAAAAALM/gm3Z11b9PbA/s1600/hoest___taake_iii_by_aeternusarcanum-d34t8av.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7vSzHORDlc/UwVQgUNYLlI/AAAAAAAAALM/gm3Z11b9PbA/s1600/hoest___taake_iii_by_aeternusarcanum-d34t8av.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Hoest isn't just one of my favourite vocalists, he's one of my favourite musicians in general. His continued commitment to traditional but innovative black metal is matched by his vocal and instrumental skill. His inhuman banshee shrieks are powerful and passionately delivered. I've yet to find one song that he's worked on that I don't like, and a lot of that is due to his vocals. He also contributes some strange but appropriate trademarks to his work, such as his grunts and shouts that frame many of his most powerful performances. In general nothing this guy does is bad.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PeuKwAUtZBs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<b><u>The Soft</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Neil Young<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y7eEVWaEOqk/UwVTCfT7q7I/AAAAAAAAALY/W5mDPN2gw68/s1600/Neil_Young_2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y7eEVWaEOqk/UwVTCfT7q7I/AAAAAAAAALY/W5mDPN2gw68/s1600/Neil_Young_2012.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Neil Young is a living legend. Neil's been making music, good and bad, since 1968, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. His trademark nasal, off-key crooning seems to perfectly highlight whatever kind of music he seems to be playing, whether folk, rock, country, disco, or some hybrid of all of them. His voice can be almost breathless or almost shouting depending on the intensity of whatever he is playing at the time and always maintains his well known sound. If I were to compare his voice to an instrument it would be a harmonica, it's loud, annoying, bracing, but yet melodic, beautiful and able to accompany just about anything. Neil Young manages to be incredibly irritating and captivating at the same time, and that's hard to accomplish.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6GDIkb5CDUY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Beck Hansen<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pzL-Nx0OZ4/UwVUv5I1KII/AAAAAAAAALk/vth1uWytr4s/s1600/beck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pzL-Nx0OZ4/UwVUv5I1KII/AAAAAAAAALk/vth1uWytr4s/s1600/beck.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Beck has been making a lot of different types of music for a long time and what's maintained throughout is his voice. Beck can do just about anything, whether it's rapping, breathless spoken word, shouting, screaming, and beautiful melodic singing. Being a musician of many styles Beck has had to adapt his vocals to many different genres over the years and is never afraid to tackle new styles and new techniques. Like Neil Young, Beck often manages to be incredibly annoying and yet completely awesome at the same time, and I guess that's the kind of thing that appeals to me, because he's on this list as well.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y6zAT15vaFk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Spencer Krug/Dan Boeckner - Wolf Parade<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXPHzuNcX7c/UwVWEpe8XuI/AAAAAAAAALw/fUQvRLOaL3Q/s1600/wolfparade_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXPHzuNcX7c/UwVWEpe8XuI/AAAAAAAAALw/fUQvRLOaL3Q/s1600/wolfparade_1.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
These two vocalists with their similarly nasal, but totally different voices are what made Wolf Parade one of my favourite bands for a long time. These two guys have perfectly complimenting voices and that's hard to find for two vocalists in the same band. Krug's almost whiny, wavering, high pitched wailing flows seemlessly into Boeckner's equally wavering, equally whiny mid range crooning, both of which compliment the electro indie rock of Wolf Parade. The band may have broken up, but the three albums they did put out highlight the vocal talents of these two guys and are well worth checking out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VZgwW-RzD30?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/1nMHGyR_i8g/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1nMHGyR_i8g&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1nMHGyR_i8g&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
Steven Wilson<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n12xGxBfgqI/UwVXwRXXRJI/AAAAAAAAAL8/AGn2CH-Q1DI/s1600/PorcupineTree_StevenWilson27.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n12xGxBfgqI/UwVXwRXXRJI/AAAAAAAAAL8/AGn2CH-Q1DI/s1600/PorcupineTree_StevenWilson27.jpeg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Steven Wilson is the mastermind behind many of the best prog rock projects of the last decade and most well known for his role as writer and vocalist for Porcupine Tree. Wilson's voice is powerful but calming, strong but weak, an enigma of dynamics. Wilson's vocals, like some others I've mentioned, seem to seamlessly frame the multitude of different styles he performs. I don't really know what else to say about Wilson, so I'll just post an example.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/9lVG4_wWElA/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9lVG4_wWElA&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9lVG4_wWElA&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<b><u>The Inbetween</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
Mikael Akerfeldt - Opeth/Bloodbath/Katatonia(BMD)/Storm Corrosion<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEFpN6FEv-8/UwVaC2Y_FdI/AAAAAAAAAMI/om0hQlEzAS4/s1600/akerfeldt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEFpN6FEv-8/UwVaC2Y_FdI/AAAAAAAAAMI/om0hQlEzAS4/s1600/akerfeldt.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
Akerfeldt has always been in my top five vocalists for a good reason, his range and talent at multiple vocal styles and his songwriting skill. Akerfeldt often moves from an intensely deep and growling death metal roar to his breathtakingly beautiful and soaring singing voice and back and forth and back and forth all within the confines of a single (all be it generally long) Opeth song. He is also fully capable of staying in one dynamic range, lending a pure doomy death performance to Katatonia's Brave Murder Day or a pure clean performance to Opeth albums such as Damnation or Heritage. He was also the lead vocalist for the technical death metal act Bloodbath, where he held nothing back with some of his most brutal and roaring harsh vocals. The main thing that sells Akerfeldts vocals for me is how he, like Rainer Landfermann, puts 150% effort into whatever he's doing and never has a "weak" performance. When Akerfeldt is on, he's on, and he's always on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AY5LRReFYus?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Stephane Paut/Neige<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vsCtZ5siFk/UwVbvmtgCjI/AAAAAAAAAMU/eBPtDjk1iiE/s1600/neige.jpe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vsCtZ5siFk/UwVbvmtgCjI/AAAAAAAAAMU/eBPtDjk1iiE/s1600/neige.jpe" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Neige is basically the father of the subgenre of "blackgaze", a hybridization of black metal and post-rock, often shoegaze elements. Neige has dozens of projects and is always working with different people and in different countries, though usually in his native language of French. Neige is capable of some of the most beautifully dreamy shoegaze inspired vocals and also of some very powerful high pitched black metal style screams. His adeptness at hybridizing genres is highlighted by his ability to mold his vocals to whatever he does, like many others on this list.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lE309orsgSA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Jonas Renkse - Katatonia<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K9bZDsBWGbo/UwVcxJbl-nI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ZNKNTjCeLEU/s1600/renkse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K9bZDsBWGbo/UwVcxJbl-nI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ZNKNTjCeLEU/s1600/renkse.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Renkse has had a very interesting career as a vocalist. Listening to his early work and his later work is a completely different experience and one would be hesitant to believe it was the same guy singing. Renkse started off his career with Katatonia as a very harsh, emotionally dynamic, and passionate screamer. Due either fortunately or unfortunately to his poor technique Renkse damaged his vocal chords and was unable to continue doing harsh vocals. At this time it was unclear whether Katatonia would have to find a new vocalist or what Renkse would do with the news that he was unable to scream anymore. Amazingly Renkse transformed his style into a clean, singing style, while still maintaining the doomy style necessary for his work. Over the course of a couple albums his voice grew and changed, and while the interim was sketchy the final product is an ever improving and hauntingly beautiful singing voice. From The Great Cold Distance onward his voice has been astonishingly melodic and the effort he has put into honing his technique is readily apparent, this is a guy that is serious about being the best singer he can be and not taking "no" for an answer. How many vocalists completely lose their voice and then take a new approach, completely transforming and putting endless amounts of effort into developing a new technique? None come to mind other than Renkse, and what's come of it are some of the most haunting and moving vocal performances in the hard rock/metal world in recent history.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GP-ZGAs3M8o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Mike Patton<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEELqdEItbE/UwVfASKPyNI/AAAAAAAAAMo/d21-LduPvj0/s1600/Mike_Patton_blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEELqdEItbE/UwVfASKPyNI/AAAAAAAAAMo/d21-LduPvj0/s1600/Mike_Patton_blue.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Who better to end the list with than Mike Patton? Patton has performed with just about every kind of musical act you can imagine and his unique vocal style seems to work for just about anything. I don't know of a single vocalist that has performed as a part of or accompanying so many different musical acts or with as many different styles. If you can name a style or genre Mike Patton has done it, and done it well. It would be an injustice to post a single video for Mr. Patton, so <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mike+Patton&sm=3" target="_blank">here is a link</a> to a search of his name on YouTube. You'd be hard pressed to find something that isn't well performed, no matter when, where, or what it is. Patton is simply one of the most consistently professional yet inconsistently bound by genres or styles. Simply put, he does everything.<br />
<br />
So yeah, that's my list. Obviously your favourite vocalists aren't all going to be on this list, that's why it's my list, but if you think of a vocalist that I've neglected that you think I'd be enamored with please feel free to send suggestions my way!Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-6610724728774798872014-02-18T00:37:00.001-08:002014-02-18T00:37:25.248-08:00The blogs would have you believethat salbutamol can't get you high. It can, and it's short but sweet. Fuck/Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-18097454927400682872014-02-04T16:06:00.001-08:002014-02-04T16:06:12.937-08:00Bethlehem - Dictius Te NecareBethlehem is an odd group. I'll just start there. They've gone through more vocalists and more stylistic transformations than just about any group of the same age, and they show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Today, however, I'm going to be writing about Dictius Te Necare from 1996.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AjgBwHPLPK0/UvFyahV_WvI/AAAAAAAAAJg/HE2NoSJxCBk/s1600/Dictius_te_necare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AjgBwHPLPK0/UvFyahV_WvI/AAAAAAAAAJg/HE2NoSJxCBk/s1600/Dictius_te_necare.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Bethlehem were one of the pioneers, if not THE pioneer, of an odd sub-genre referred to as "Dark Metal". Many would simply list it as one of the facets of DSBM, but it's something more than that, it's a fusion of the most harsh facets of DSBM with the crushing downtrodden aesthetic of doom, and the constant changes in dynamic common to progressive or melodic death metal.<br />
<br />
Dictius Te Necare is probably the best example of this odd little sub-genre that I've found, and subsequently one of my favourite all time albums.<br />
<br />
To even bring up Dictius one must speak of the vocals on the album. Rainer Landfermann contributes one of the most dynamic, frantic, and frankly insane vocal performances in recent history and the album is really defined by his performance. From the first second of "Schatten Aus Der Alexander Welt" the listener knows there will be something different about the vocals on this album. The album erupts into a driving rhythm and is immediately accompanied by the piercing shrieks of Landfermann. No less than 30 seconds later the beats drops straight down into a plodding, almost grungy doom passage and Landfermann's vocals begin to show their range, dropping into what almost sounds like weeping proclamation and leaping straight back into the shrieking banshee wail that began the album. Landfermann never lets up on the listener, shouting, shrieking, and weeping his way through the first track with reckless abandon, accompanied by ever changing melodies and rhythms ranging from punkish sounding black metal excerpts to slow doomy sections (accompanied by whispering and weeping), to straight ahead heavy metal riffs. To say that SADAW sets the tone for the album would be an understatement.<br />
<br />
The next track (not typing them all out, they're excessively long) follows a much more traditional doom formula which Landfermann's shrieks and mad rantings transform into something more than the sum of its parts. The odd sections with piano and the sounds of water flowing with subdued growlings break away into driving rock with only the heavily distorted guitar sound to tie it into its metallic roots, however soon we're dragged right back into the mire of sludgy doom and rantings, which suddenly explode into pure black metal which frame the vocals in a much more traditional setting. Without warning we're pulled back into a punky section with synthesized wind sounds and then right back into the mire we go. This track is like being stuck in quicksand, constantly grasping for help, but always being pulled further and further back into the descending murk. My only complaint would be how long the track seems to stretch on, especially towards the end.<br />
<br />
The beginning riff of Aphel - Die Schwarze Schlange heralds what is to come, and the listener is not left disappointed. 30 seconds in the track explodes into blastbeats and shrieking, but then again at the 1 minute mark drops back into a rock beat, and then down into subdued acoustic and mad ravings, and then exploding back into blastbeats and shrieking, and then right back into the plodding doom of the previous track. Starting to get the idea of the dynamics of this album? Up and down, up and down, in and out, sideways, upside down, inverted, whatever. I hate using the cliché of a "roller-coaster", but that's what it's really like. This whole album is a roller-coaster ride through the bipolar manic-depressive nature of pure suicidal torment. "Dictius Te Necare" does mean "Kill yourself", so that does kind of make sense.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to go on to explain note by note the whole album, but there are some huge standouts throughout.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Verheisung is the most "normal" song on the album, but it has a driving groove that's infectious and provides a mid-album plateau which does wonders for the all around cohesiveness of the album.</li>
<li>Verschleierte Irreligiositat has some of the darkest, doomiest sections of the whole album. The madness and passion of Landfermann's vocals again permeate the track and are framed well by the instrumental accompaniment. The grimy driving section towards the middle of the track is one of the best "headbanging" sections on the album and definitely one of the most melodic. Great track.</li>
<li>Tagebuch Einer Totgeburt is another approach to the doom aspect of dark metal without going to the extent of griminess and rawness that Verschleierte or Die Anarchische do. It includes much more of the solo guitar/piano passages with more of the weeping/raving vocals and much less of the "metal" content and shrieking. The true depths of despair are explored in the haunting passages of this track.</li>
<li>Dorn Meiner Allmacht is a long and grinding finale to the album. Landfermann explores the high end of his shrieks and screams as the track plods along and the rage and hatred are as palpable as ever. He also explores a low end growling aspect which hasn't shown itself much on the album and just furthers the question of "where won't his voice go?". Towards the middle of the track is a guitar section that just SCREAMS Brave Murder Day era Katatonia and really cements the mid 90's doom aspect of the album, though also accompanied by almost Emperor-like synthesizers.</li>
</ul>
<div>
The other factor I HAVE to mention is the fact that this album is in German makes a huge difference. German is such a harsh and yet floral and expressive language, and the nuances of the language lend themselves perfectly to the soundscape that Bethlehem is working to achieve.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I heartily endorse this album and its respective genre and REALLY want another album of ANYTHING with Rainer Landfermann's vocals. The closest I've gotten is his appearance on Anaal Nathrakh's Passion, which shows that his vocal ability and style have only fortified over the years and that he could easily perform on an album like Dictius Te Necare again, and makes me wonder why he hasn't.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The b-sides from this album are also completely worth the time as well. The song Schuld Uns'res Knoch'rigen Pfaltpferd, which isn't even on the album, is my favourite Bethlehem song of all time and also includes Rainer Landfermann's characteristic vocals. The song was featured on the soundtrack to Gummo (coincidentally one of my favourite movies), and I don't know how it didn't make its way onto the album. There's also a cover of "Where Eagles Dare" by Iron Maiden, titled Wo Adlers Wagen, again featuring Landfermann which is also totally worth checking out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let it stand that Landfermann is one of if not my <i>favourite</i> vocalists and I would drag my balls through a mile of broken glass to hear another Bethlehem album with him on it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x4ZQouxeYOI/UvGAUSad8-I/AAAAAAAAAJw/7CjDOWKMvhQ/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x4ZQouxeYOI/UvGAUSad8-I/AAAAAAAAAJw/7CjDOWKMvhQ/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Please make another album you crazy, genius motherfucker</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-28227343772557488672014-02-03T17:19:00.002-08:002014-02-05T20:54:31.865-08:00Deathgrips - No Love Deep WebAh, Deathgrips. So hyped, so hated or beloved, so divisive, so potentially, stomach churningly pretentious, but then somehow the 3edgy5me, "lol let's put a penis on the cover" aesthetic fades into the background and the unique, actually genuine approach to music begins to emerge and make one forget all the "bullshit", the fashion statement, the "<a href="http://www.nme.com/news/death-grips/71873" target="_blank">too punk to show up at their own show</a>" shit, all that stuff, and that's remarkable in itself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
So, let's approach this album a bit differently. I don't think it needs the same kind of track-by-track that I gave the last album, I'll mention a few tracks that stand out, but the overall aural aesthetic of the album is congruous and flowing enough to not need to mention every track individually.<br />
<br />
There are a couple (read several) factors that will turn people right the fuck off of this album.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The dick cover</li>
<li>The pretentious ideals of the group in general</li>
<li>The dick cover</li>
<li><span style="color: red;">MC Ride's signature angry hobo punk rap vocals</span></li>
<li>The di- alright, you get it</li>
<li><span style="color: red;">The droning buzzy bass</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">The electronic hyper processed beats</span></li>
<li><span style="color: red;">The way the whole things sounds put together</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
Now you'll notice some of that is in red. This is because those points are <i>exactly</i> why I love this album and Deathgrips in general. MC Ride looks and sounds like a drugged up hobo that by all means should be wearing an "THE END IS COMING" sign and standing in Times Square hollering in the same voice he uses on the album.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KodkyCidsA4/UvA6m9Z8tbI/AAAAAAAAAFw/4Nh-AyGGPpo/s1600/you-gonna-get-raped.jpg" height="304" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You gon get raped</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43pNS_WKyAE/UvA6o6rgxrI/AAAAAAAAAF8/RWFrWm8jG9E/s1600/mcrideee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43pNS_WKyAE/UvA6o6rgxrI/AAAAAAAAAF8/RWFrWm8jG9E/s1600/mcrideee.jpg" height="320" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Who took my coat?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KodkyCidsA4/UvA6m9Z8tbI/AAAAAAAAAFw/4Nh-AyGGPpo/s1600/you-gonna-get-raped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
Ride has 3 "egos" that he uses in general, talking Ride, hollering hobo Ride (the majority of the vocals), and drunk Ride. Some of these are superimposed over each other and though an unexperienced listener may not understand what the fuck is being said at any point of time, Ride actually implements a LOT of the "maintstream rap" <i>repeat stuff until one can remember it after a single listen</i> lyrical work intertwined with incredibly disillusioned, complex, and rife with reference material that kind of says "hey, if you're into us you can figure out what I'm talking about, if you're not that interested you can remember it's [<i>the song with the catchy hook</i>]." If you really get into the music though, both of those aspects become equally important. Like a LOT of good music Deathgrips' material, especially on this album, sound like a wall of noise coming at you and you can either get out of the way or try to figure it out. Once one can conquer the "wall", however, the subtle genius of the album appears. This is utterly inaccessible music with an <i>incredibly</i> accessible format for both the beat and the lyrics. This is rap-cubed - hypercomplexified and yet incredibly standard at the same time. There isn't much separating the format of the lyrics and "rapping" from much more mainstream material other than the incredibly dirty presentation and dark electronic buzzy beat finish. Once one listens to a bunch of this stuff one realizes that it really isn't as "out there" as some might think. This is rap taken to one of its logical conclusions, exaggerated electronics, exaggerated vocal intensity, exaggerated raw production, like I said, rap-cubed.<br />
<span style="vertical-align: super;"><br /></span>
<span style="vertical-align: super;">Let's talk about some of the songs now. The album opens with one of the more definitive tracks on the album, "Come up and get me", which sets the pace, tone, and aesthetic expectation for the album perfectly. "No Love" is a baseball bat beatdown of a rap track, whose memorable and repetitive hook balance and complement the grinding, buzzy bass beat. This is one of the "anthem" tracks on the album, one that fans will groove to. "Whammy" picks up the pace and is one of the quicker tracks on the album, also containing a lot of repetitive samples and hooks. One of the more "catchy" tracks for sure. "Stockton" isn't a far cry from some much more traditional "gangsta rap" offerings and lends some of the "street cred" aspect to the album, IMO. "Artificial Death in the West" is a great track to end the album with, much more subdued and low profile than <i>every</i> other track on the album. This track prominently features "talking Ride" with only <i>samples</i> of "hobo Ride". This is by far the most calm track on the album, almost over simplified in its production. I hate to make Radiohead comparisons two reviews in a row, but the beat in this one has a lot of Kid A nostalgia for me for some reason, maybe just how I'm thinking about it right now, I don't know. Either way, the album carries the same kind of raw, buzzy, street feeling throughout and only minorly deviates in either direction aurally.</span><br />
<span style="vertical-align: super;"><br /></span>
<span style="vertical-align: super;">Don't have much else to say about it right now, other than it's worth checking out if you're a fan of rap, raw productions, great beat work, or (relating to the last point) the work of Zach Hill in Hella, which is a <i>great</i> electronic act btw.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><o:p></o:p></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><o:p></o:p></sup></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<sup><o:p></o:p></sup></div>
Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-91690239982632343412014-02-03T16:33:00.002-08:002014-02-03T16:33:38.196-08:00First post of the NEW Zushakon Review - DyE(Taki 183)Hello no one.<br />
<br />
I've decided to resurrect this blog for personal purposes and I don't give a fuck if anyone actually reads it, I'm gonna write it because I feel like it. Lately I've been dealing with tons of anxiety and have been unemployed since November and as a result have discovered lots of music I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy and I'd like to share some of it with whoever (or no one) reads these posts. Enjoy, or don't, I don't care.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K3pVaOVf26g/UvA03YJoXqI/AAAAAAAAAFY/H76nV2m7UCU/s1600/TSRCD023-web_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K3pVaOVf26g/UvA03YJoXqI/AAAAAAAAAFY/H76nV2m7UCU/s1600/TSRCD023-web_large.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm not gonna lie, I've smoked a bunch of pot in the last 3 months, and popped a bunch of (prescription) pills, and when I'm in "chill" mode, nothing quite does it for me lately more than French chillwave act DyE. DyE is producer and performer Juan de Guillebon's musical outlet for the last couple of years and so far has only produced one "major" work - the album/mixtape Taki 183. You can find <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Dye" target="_blank">most of his tracks online</a> (if not all of them) legitimately free to download.<br />
<br />
Taki 183 is initially a disheveled and incongruous mass of buzzy dark electronica mixed with some really smooth and haunting chillwave material. Upon repeat listens though, one begins to anticipate the change in dynamic that each song presents and begin to appreciate them in the format they're presented in. <br />
<br />
The album starter "Nike" is an odd collection of what almost sound like windows 95 era computer noises mixed with the same dark buzzy base that permeates the album. The sudden explosion of several melodies of the aforementioned noises at the 30 second mark will no doubt confound and turn off many listeners the first time through, but the distorted and complex rhythms eventually start to make sense and present what eventually becomes a catchy and bouncy series of electronic riffs that make more and more sense with every listen.<br />
<br />
"Fantasy" is the song that you'll know, if any, from this album, due to the masterfully animated and produced <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QFwo57WKwg" target="_blank">music video by Jeremie Perin</a> which went viral a couple years ago. The haunting high level melody and the almost breathless vocals WILL get stuck in your head and you WILL put this song on repeat (especially if under the influence of well, oaisjdlasfjdoisjdf, stuff...) This song is no doubt the masterpiece of the album and if you're gonna start anywhere it may as well be here. I can't really put into words what the song does for me, but it borders on the sublime, and that's not something that many songs can really do. I'll take the risk of sounding pretentious and over-complementing of this track, I don't care, it's that good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6QFwo57WKwg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
"Cristal D'acier" again pulls on some really old school electronic sounds to produce a punchy and bloopy beat that feels like a rollercoaster ride through a mid 90's microsoft screensaver. That's all I'll say about this one.<br />
<br />
"Vader" is a really (and eponymously appropriately) dark and disjointed track. There's almost a kind of Deathgrips-esque disjointedness to it and it just kind of "exists" for 5 minutes of rolling beat and seemingly (hate this fucking word) random melodic elements.<br />
<br />
"Immortals Only" kind of takes traits of the background melody of Fantasy and a very Idiotequesque background beat and just peruses through it's 3:42 playtime. It's a fairly forgettable track in the mix of things, but not "bad" by any means.<br />
<br />
"Hole in Ocean" is the first reappearance of the vocals we first heard on Fantasy and takes the logical pathway of a more chillwave styled track with less of the (for lack of a better word) bleepbloopiness of the rest of the album. Not quite as compelling a track as Fantasy, but the vocals still sound wonderful and kind of invoke a bit of a Tears for Fears/Depeche Mode 80's vibe which ties in great with the retro computer sound aesthetic of the rest of the album.<br />
<br />
"Mattias & Charlotte" bridges the gap in the album between the "chillwave" songs and the "bleepbloop" songs and ties it together with a kind of poppy melody and beat that isn't wholly appealing but not wholly unappealing at the same time. It's an ok song and kind of flows with the rest of things.<br />
<br />
"Dark White" heads straight back into atonal dysphonic territory with a really harsh background buzz and eerie detuned cavernesque vibe, and right when you think it's gonna drone on for a while it just ends, it's only 1 minute long.<br />
<br />
The eponymous track of the album rounds out the bleepbloop aesthetic and has really wacky synthesized cat snarls thrown in at odd times with the completely off key and unpredictable melody that just kind of shows up at random intervals. This track defines the extremes of the robotripping compunightmare melody slaughter that DyE defines the album with.<br />
<br />
The album closer "Star Vac" begins with an appropriately spacey passage and then pulls a bit of a Nike in the way it erupts into disjointed melodies, but in a much more sedated and appropriately finalizing sense.<br />
<br />
When the album ends, should you have in on repeat, it flows back into itself in a very engineered fashion that leaves you wondering where in the album you are if you weren't to be familiar with the track orders. There isn't nearly the same kind of conclusion and restart feeling you get from most albums, but it is still present, you just might not notice it if not pointed out. This album is a wacky one for sure and most importantly presents a perfect microcosm of the process of musical exploration. The track that most likely led you to the album in the first place, and may seem missed during some of the weirder moments of the album on the first couple listens, now itself feels out of place in the grand scheme of the album. If it weren't for Hole in Ocean, Fantasy would be completely alone in its aesthetic on the album. Though, just like most genre bridging "accessible" examples of music it remains the home base for ones exposure to Taki 183 and DyE's work in general. Fantasy is to Taki 183 what Opeth is to death metal, (and what Ghost Reveries is to Opeth for that matter), it is what Beck is to indie rock, what Pink Floyd is to prog, what Bob Dylan is to folk. It's the reference point for new listeners of the album, and a wonderful track to boot, but more importantly it facilitates the aural experience of the rest of the album and gives even long time listeners a reference point to fall back on. It is Everest's base camp of this album and explores a really interesting idea in album construction.<br />
<br />
All in all, give the album a shot, preferably while messed up on something, or just really relaxed (which for me requires being messed up on something).Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-11854907192888396302012-10-17T13:47:00.000-07:002012-10-17T13:47:04.153-07:00Stuff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hey!<br />So, I'm not dead, I just haven't had much time to do anything with this since the beginning of the school year. Got some other reviews on the way, just need to find the time.<br />Albums I'm listening to at the moment:<br />Bethlehem - Sardonischer Untergang im Zeicher irreligiöser Darbietung<br />Opeth - Heritage<br />Bethlehem - Dictius te Necare<br />Dissection - Storm of the Light's Bane<br />ColdWorld - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Melancholie</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">²</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;">Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;">Wolves in the Throne Room - Malevolent Grain EP</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;">An Autumn for Crippled Children - Lost</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;">and a bunch more I can't remember...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;">Stay Tuned!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-18171124253731007032012-08-08T07:50:00.003-07:002012-08-08T13:49:49.760-07:00Enslaved - Monumension<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JkfLVjbSzyU/UCJvXlxvNTI/AAAAAAAAACY/18Y_JL7x6KM/s1600/000monumension.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JkfLVjbSzyU/UCJvXlxvNTI/AAAAAAAAACY/18Y_JL7x6KM/s200/000monumension.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
01. Convoys to Nothingness<br />
02. The Voices<br />
03. Vision: Sphere of the Elements - A Monument Part II<br />
04. Hollow Inside<br />
05. The Cromlech Gate<br />
06. Enemy I<br />
07. Smirr<br />
08. The Sleep: Floating Diversity - A Monument Part III<br />
09. Outro: Self-Zero<br />
(10. - BONUS) - Sigmundskvadet<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Enslaved is a band that has never been afraid to push the envelope. They arose out of the 2nd wave of Norwegian black metal, along bands like Mayhem, Burzum, and Darkthrone. Enslaved at first played much the same kind of black metal - viking themed straight-ahead blast-beat filled black metal. Enslaved, however, unlike the rest of their ilk, was never content to keep playing the same kind of music for any length of time and began to experiment with other sounds and themes to their music, constantly growing and changing - something that has both gained and lost them many fans. Enslaved today cannot really even be called a black metal act, as they have been slowly evolving further and further away from the kind of sound that they started off with, moving further and further into the world of progressive metal while still retaining an air of their viking roots. The change has not been swift by any means, and they have released many albums between 1991 and the present with a heavy black metal vibe but some really interesting influences and experimentation. Between 2001-2003 they released 3 of the most compelling works in their library - Mardraum: Beyond the Within, Monumension, and Below the Lights. All 3 are brilliant works in their own right, but today I'll be reviewing Monumension, which I picked up at War on Music in Winnipeg.<br />
<br />
Monumension is a wall of an album. There is so much going on here that it's hard to know where to start when comprising an opinion, let alone a critical review on such an album. Nothing quite like this has been made before or since in my knowledge, so there is not a lot to compare it to. Monumension is essentially what happens when Norwegian Vikings with a flair for the experimental listen to <i>way</i> too much Pink Floyd. Yeah...exactly...<br />
<br />
Enslaved have brought something to life here that is truly special. It retains a lot of the viking black metal style that helped make Enslaved popular, but blends it so perfectly into a 70's prog type feel that it's hard to believe no one has done this before. Everything just flows smoothly, like a bunch of tie-dye wearing vikings smoking a hookah on an ice flow riding down a river of blood.<br />
<br />
It would take more than the space I have to go into each track in depth, so I'll pick some moments I found particularly memorable. The second track, "The Voices", begins with a killer black metal riff that continues to surface throughout the song, tying together the metal "majority" of the song with the bluesy riffs and synthesizer melodies that emerge throughout. The song maintains the feeling of an ass-kicking viking metal track, but also begins to reveal some of what is to come later on in the album. "Hollow Inside" is the first real dose of the Floydian influences at play here. Vocalist Grutle Kjellson takes on a very ethereal, dreamy tone as his vocals float about proggy blues riffs and keyboard melodies. It reminds me of kind of a Steven Wilson channeling Roger Waters voice, that suits the music perfectly. Half way through the song it builds and suddenly explodes in a very heavy version of what was previously playing accompanied by heavy, intricate drumming, guitars, and Grutle's very doomy sounding vocals. The change in pace is sudden, but flows so perfectly it gives me the chills every time I hear it.<br />
<br />
"<b><span style="color: red;">The Cromlech Gate</span></b>" is probably my favourite track on the album. This track is heavy in a doomy sort of way, with vocals more reminiscent of doom/stoner metal than black metal a slow, prodding series of riffs that truly give you a mental image of the aforementioned tie-dye vikings coming across a monumental stone gate, adorned with gargoyles, impaled corpses, and a foreboding message of doom to any who traverse it, while being a little too high to deal with the situation. This song is just brilliant and serves as the perfect central point to the album. "Enemy I" has some really interesting overlays of spoken word with growled vocals, as well as harmonizing of high and low harsh vocals, over a very straight ahead viking metal style riff.<br />
<br />
"<b style="color: red;">The Sleep: Floating Diversity</b>" is the other true standout track on the album. This song has a lot of sounds and vocal sections that sound straight off of "The Wall" and truly encompasses the influences behind the album as a whole. Grutle sounds <i>exactly</i> like Roger Waters in some parts of this song, so much so I thought it was a different vocalist at first. This song perfectly plays out the album and trails off into "Outro: Self-Zero" (which didn't need to have its own track IMO).<br />
<br />
(Oh, there's also that weird viking chanting track, "Sigmundskvadet", that totally doesn't fit the album, but it's a <i>bonus track</i>, so I'm not counting it)<br />
<br />
In closing, this album is the embodiment of genius when it comes to blending two very separate genres of music. It's works like this one that go to show how far separated Enslaved is from their peers in the Norwegian music scene - a band that has evolved, while still remembering their roots, bringing progressive viking metal to life in new ways with each release. If you're new to Enslaved I would recommend this album or their 2003 "Below the Lights" as a starting point, as both albums really show off their instrumental and compositional chops. Whichever you would choose doesn't change the fact that Monumension is a landmark album and should be owned by any progressive metal enthusiast.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: yellow;">95% - Editor's Choice Recommendation</b>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-30288114641193406262012-07-27T07:22:00.000-07:002012-07-27T07:22:36.532-07:00Mutilation Rites - Empyrean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-2H8DyxHfs/UBKcKGzBCUI/AAAAAAAAACI/eEFYVFEcvZI/s1600/000mutilationrites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-2H8DyxHfs/UBKcKGzBCUI/AAAAAAAAACI/eEFYVFEcvZI/s200/000mutilationrites.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
01. A Season of Grey Rain<br />
02. Realms of Dementia<br />
03. Ancient Bloodoath<br />
04. Fogwarning<br />
05. Dead Years<br />
06. Broken Axis<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Mutilation Rites is a band from NYC. They are kind of a cross-over band, blending Black Metal with Thrash, Crust Punk, and Doom. They have been together since 2009 and already gone through numerous lineup changes. Finally, this year, they released their debut LP, "Empyrean". I picked up their new album at Profusion Records in Montreal while on vacation and was intrigued, yet slightly disappointed. This band shows great potential, but there are several issues, which I will discuss.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of interesting things going on here. The blending of Crust Punk and Black Metal always works well, IMO, and MR does a decent job of this. They are always throwing in other influences as well, such as some very DSBM* passages and some really doomy riffs occasionally. They even throw in some Stoner Metal sounding stuff from time to time, with a really Early Mastodon/High on Fire type feel.<br />
<br />
The drummer here is obviously fairly technically skilled, switching between different speeds of blast beats, double bass, punk beats, fills, and slow doomy smashing. There was only one time on the album I really got the feeling that the drummer kind of lost his finesse, and was actually kind of amazed they left it on the album, but I guess it lends to the overall "raw" feeling of the production (albeit more Crusty "raw" than BM "raw").<br />
<br />
There are some really great riffs on the album, and the guitars in general sound good. Songs such as "<span style="background-color: black; color: red;"><b>Fogwarning</b></span>" are packed with awesome riffs and really get you paying attention. Even some songs that aren't really riffy are enjoyable due to the creation of atmosphere through the guitar, such as "<span style="color: red;"><b>Dead Years</b></span>" and the depressive atmosphere it creates.<br />
<br />
There are some serious issues with the album however, that really keep me from <i>loving</i> it. Starting with the vocals. Now the vocals aren't all bad, in some of the Crust sections they seem to work perfectly, but in the majority of the music the vocals feel hollow and flat. If I were to draw a comparison I would compare them to Varg Vikernes' vocals off of the self-titled Burzum album, but with the raw power and body scooped out of the center, leaving only the raspy, hollow shell. They aren't <i>horrible</i> but they're not very good either. I caught myself wishing the vocals weren't even there at some points, so I could better enjoy the guitar work, and THAT is a big issue in my opinion.<br />
<br />
Another serious issue is the composition. I love variety, and I love blending of styles, but it has to be done consistently and smoothly. The way the styles are blended, especially in the "A Season of Grey Rain" and "Realms of Dementia", leaves the album feeling non-cohesive and clunky. It's like a jar of chunky peanut butter, but the chunks of peanuts have been replaced with chunks of raw onion, it's unexpected and it just doesn't work, leaving a bad taste in your mouth. You can tell that the band has great ideas, and great potential to do something very interesting, but just doesn't know how to put it all together yet. Even the best songs on the album suffer from these issues albeit a bit less. I feel like these sections weren't planned well but the band just got lucky in a few spots.<br />
<br />
The other issue here is the length of the album - it's too short. If I'm paying $20 for an album and it only has 6 songs and slightly over 30 minutes of music I feel ripped off. It feels more like a long EP than a full length album. <br />
<br />
In conclusion this is an album that shows potential for a new band. They have good ideas and obviously have a lot of influences and interesting concepts to bring to the table, they just have to figure out how to put them together in a more coherent way. Their technical skill is fairly good, but there are a few serious offenses that need to be corrected as well. In my opinion this band was not really ready to release a full length album, they needed to put more time into forming a solid concept of a sound before just hitting record and selling the results. Given time however, I believe Mutilation Rites can become a wonderful band with some really interesting music.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>65% - Potential shown but needs improvement</b></span>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-6683180608313187612012-07-16T07:55:00.001-07:002012-07-16T07:59:33.533-07:00Drudkh - Кров у Наших Криницях (Blood in Our Wells)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HmLX-njHofc/UAQgAx6dj3I/AAAAAAAAAB8/qAx8zBBqlU8/s1600/Drudkh+-+Blood+in+our+Wells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HmLX-njHofc/UAQgAx6dj3I/AAAAAAAAAB8/qAx8zBBqlU8/s200/Drudkh+-+Blood+in+our+Wells.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
01.
Навь (Nav')<br />
02. Борозни Богів (Furrows of Gods)<br />
03. Коли Пломінь Перетворюється на Попіл (When the Flame Turns to Ashes)<br />
04.
Самітність (Solitude)<br />
05. Вічність (Eternity)<br />
06. Українська Повстанська Армія (Ukrainian Insurgent Army)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Drudkh is a band from the Ukraine. Their main style is Black Metal, but they incorporate folk, rock, and post-rock influences as well, lending to their trademark sound. Their lyrics are usually Ukranian poetry written by famous poets such as Taras Shevchenko. The two albums that have gotten the most acclaim are 2004's Autumn Aurora and this, 2006's Blood in our Wells.<br />
<br />
Blood in our Wells is an interesting beast to conquer. From my personal experience, the first time I heard it I felt it sounded very similar to Filosofem-era Burzum(not that I don't love Burzum), and wasn't incredibly impressed. Oh how my opinion has changed. I was determined that there had to be more to this album, as I had heard great things, and I forced myself to listen to it again and again. After about 4-5 listens I began to understand why this album has received such praise.<br />
<br />
Once one can listen past the initially overwhelming droning sound of the production quality a whole new world of riffs and chord progressions begin to surface, creating what I now see as a brilliant sonicscape.<br />
<br />
Drudkh's primary vessel is black metal, but they weave so many other styles into their sound on this album. The first song, "Nav'", is simply a folky intro with acoustic guitars and some Ukrainian folk instruments I can't identify. This track is short (only 2:30ish in an album of 10:00'ers) and leads into the breathtaking track "<b><span style="color: red;">Furrows of Gods</span></b>". This song has...so much going on. Of course it has the wonderful droney ambience of the rest of the album, but also incorporates wonderful acoustic guitar interludes and even acoustic guitar over blastbeats and chugging bass riffs, which surprisingly don't drown it out at all. This is very unique, seldom do you hear acoustic guitar in black metal, especially alongside blastbeats, and it works surprisingly well. There are also some incredibly melancholic electric guitar solos inserted at the perfect moments, bringing some climactic moments to this altogether epic track. The one riff, at around 7:10ish, has been stuck in my head for a good week now with no sign of leaving any time soon.<br />
<br />
"When the Flame turns to Ashes" takes a bit of a different turn, starting off with a much more straight-line ambient black metal feel. It does still feature the occasional guitar solo and has a very interesting acoustic interlude in the middle of the track, but maintains a much more consistently ambient feel overall than the previous track. The vocals on this track are great, and remind me of some of Quorthon's vocals from "Blood Fire Death" or "Hammerheart".<br />
<br />
"Solitude" starts with a deceptive little folky riff, which soon breaks into probably the fastest riff on the album (albeit not incredibly fast by black metal standards). This song slows down fairly quickly, however, and gets to the point of the track, which is evoking the feeling of it's title, "Solitude". There is still a lot going on here, however, with constant solos and some very doomy and melancholic feeling riffs. The vocals match perfectly here as well. Roman Saenko's gruff growls seem to act like a chameleon, blending perfectly into the mood and tone of every track on the album. Here the vocals remind me quite a bit of other "wilderness metal" acts, such as Agalloch.<br />
<br />
"<b><span style="color: red;">Eternity</span></b>" is the second real standout track on the album. Starting with a really strange folky intro and dropping into a straight ahead rock riff, which then evolves into a fairly metal sound with double bass and a soaring guitar solo. This song is a ton of fun, with a kind of rock/post-rock atmosphere that at some moments reminds me of the Pixies, others of gy!be, and on and on. This track is an unexpected departure from the pace of the first 3(discluding Nav', which is an intro) songs and acts to reinvigorate the listener for the last part of the album. It definitely still has the "Drudkh" sound however, and isn't different enough to disrupt the cohesion of the tracks on the album. The ending of this track is something to point out on it's own as well, as the progressive nature of the riffs seem to build and build to a climactic finish.<br />
<br />
"Ukranian Insurgent Army" is an instrumental outro, with by far the doomiest feel of all the tracks. In my opinion I would have named <i>this</i> track "Solitude", as it has an incredibly depressive and lonely feel to it. (Which I guess could be how it feels to be part of a Ukrainian Insurgent Army). This song slowly leads the album to a close, and leaves the listener wanting more, leading me to have this album on repeat for the greater part of 3 weeks.<br />
<br />
In all, this album is a wonderful composition of ambient folky black metal and deserves it's acclaim. Drudkh flawlessly intertwines numerous genres and instead of disrupting the flow, as some other attempts by other bands have done, brings it all together into a brilliantly cohesive piece of art.<br />
<br />
This album may be a tough nut to crack for some, but it's well worth cracking. It's like breaking open the hardest walnut only to find gold inside. I definitely recommend this album to any serious listener and advise you to give it 7-8 listens before you fully form an opinion on it.<br />
<br />
I'm switching up the rating system I've been using as well, as I feel that a rating scale from 1-6 is a bit hard to apply to all releases and will be dropping it in favour of a % system. Also, I'll be putting <span style="color: red;">tracks of note in red</span> and the <span style="color: yellow;">rating in yellow</span>, for those skimming over my reviews.<br />
<br />
In light of this I'd like to give this album a rating of<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>90% - Editor's Choice Recommendation</b></span>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-33610555203750177102012-06-25T17:27:00.001-07:002012-06-25T17:29:23.391-07:00Disforterror - Impalement and Holocaust Stench EP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7pL6PjhSqac/T-j3CthtM8I/AAAAAAAAABU/MgieJ0HtUfI/s1600/Disforterrorcover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7pL6PjhSqac/T-j3CthtM8I/AAAAAAAAABU/MgieJ0HtUfI/s200/Disforterrorcover.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
01. The Armoured Bestial Black Goat War<br />
02. Bloodshed<br />
03. Infernal Blasphemous Attack From Black Wrath<br />
04. Impalement of Jesus and Their Followers<br />
05. Brutality and Orgy<br />
06. March to the Apocalypse<br />
07. Possessed by Fire<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, where to start. Disforterror is a Brazilian Death Metal act that's currently made up of one dude named Vagner Warrior Impaler, because in Brazil one invented "kvlt" name isn't enough apparently. They have yet to release a full length album and this is technically an EP, even though it has as many songs as many full length metal releases.<br />
<br />
So the first 30 seconds of the album had me going "Fuck Yeah!",<br />
<br />
<b>DISCLAIMER:</b>If you're a Disforterror enthusiast or don't like reading long reviews you may want to stop reading now,<br />
<br />
My elation fell off faster than a limbless bullrider. At about 30 seconds in 2 things happen, things get real relentless real fast and the vocals start. Oh god the vocals, where to begin, imagine the tard-hulk that was in your high school (everyone had one), now imagine getting him hammered, now imagine that his entire vocabulary was comprised of Satanic lingo, now imagine getting him real pissed off and having him start screaming random Satanic words from his vocabulary over and over while sounding hammered and real pissed off...there you go! Seriously, I haven't heard vocals this bad since...ever! Not only does he sound like a constipated kid with downs syndrome, but this guy is to metal lyrics what Kurt Cobain was to lyrics if you cut out everything but the parts of songs where he yelled the same words over and over for like a minute.<br />
<br />
You honestly hear such gems as:<br />
DISFOR<br />
DISFOR<br />
DISFOR<br />
TERROR<br />
TERROR<br />
TERROR<br />
DISFOR<br />
DISFOR<br />
DISFOR<br />
TERROR<br />
TERROR<br />
TERROR<br />
blahblahGOAT WAR<br />
blahblahGOAT WAR<br />
blahblahGOAT WAR<br />
blahblahGOAT WAR<br />
<br />
and such others as:<br />
SATANLORD<br />
SATANLORD<br />
SATANLORD<br />
SATANLORD<br />
SATANLORD <br />
<br />
over and fucking over in every goddamn song. The kicker, the parts that actually had me laughing out loud in my car was when the vocalist started doing little back-and-forths with himself which were obviously edited in. He'd start in a low voice and be interrupted by himself with a higher voice, which would then be interrupted by his low voice again, over and over, yelling the same words, like:<br />
SATAN<br />
satan<br />
SATAN<br />
satan<br />
SATAN<br />
satan<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XbI_NSpmEj8/T-j95lQxumI/AAAAAAAAABg/Ndl1Tu8geLs/s1600/tardhulk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XbI_NSpmEj8/T-j95lQxumI/AAAAAAAAABg/Ndl1Tu8geLs/s200/tardhulk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Seriously, what the actual christfuck? Ok, I know, they're from Brazil and maybe don't know much english. SO DON'T USE ENGLISH LYRICS! Other bands that I love from other countries use their native languages and I still love them, even if I don't understand, like Taake singing in Norwegian and Alcest singing in French or Drudkh in Ukrainian! Here's the funny part, I've read interviews with Mr. Impaler and he does know quite a bit of English, so there's really no excuse other than retardation for this trainwreck of vocal compositions.<br />
<br />
Enough about the vocals, they're not the only offender here (albeit the worst offender). The guitar is bland, generic, and uninspired. I've listened to this album no less than 20 times trying to decide how much I hate it and I counted all the "good" riffs I could. There are 5...FIVE on the WHOLE ALBUM. The first 30 seconds counts as one, and the others are short and easily missed. The guitar is at this really irritating pitch too, it stays in the same key and the same range the entire album and plays a total of like 6 different notes, it's like they were playing with a guitar where most of the frets were missing and just decided to wing it. And the solos (oh yes, there were solos) are so painful, it sounds like Mr. Impaler literally just hit random notes and wanked the whammy-bar as hard as he could through all of the solos on this album hoping it would sound like he knew what he was doing. Well if that was the plan it fucking failed like Boris Yeltsin's liver. You can also barely hear the guitar at times thanks to the awful mixing and the overly loud drums and bass.<br />
<br />
The drums were decent at best, but so unbelievably monodimensional(like the whole album really). It literally interchanged between laboured sounding blast-beats(mostly these, more blast-beats than most black metal releases) and double-pedaling with a lot of unnecessary symbol work for the entire album.<br />
<br />
"ITS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT, IT'S RAW!" you say. Ok, I get raw, I love raw, when it's backed up with decent material. Albums like Darkthrone's Transylvanian Hunger and Immortal's Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism were raw as hell, but were backed up with excellent riffs, vocals, and interesting musical concepts throughout. Simply being RAW doesn't justify being otherwise shitty as well. I'll give you a visual comparison:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CV2hIBXniVo/T-j_VZ4kA-I/AAAAAAAAABo/VxkdghivQ_o/s1600/hackedupfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fOIRLZhhsPc/T-j_cMVwh4I/AAAAAAAAABw/_do_MXGF1Ys/s1600/beautifulsashimi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fOIRLZhhsPc/T-j_cMVwh4I/AAAAAAAAABw/_do_MXGF1Ys/s200/beautifulsashimi.jpg" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CV2hIBXniVo/T-j_VZ4kA-I/AAAAAAAAABo/VxkdghivQ_o/s200/hackedupfish.jpg" width="149" /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Both of these are uses of raw fish, certainly raw is not the factor that's driving you to enjoy the one example over the other, it's how it's compiled and presented. If raw were good enough for fish you'd be getting an unscaled dead fish on your plate at the sushi restaurant and certainly no wasabi and ginger.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
To sum it up this album sucks like a thousand-horsepower Hoover™ and will most likely never grace the inside of my stereo or my ears again. I'll give it 1.5 for having 5 good riffs and being short.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
TL;DR - RATING <b>1.5/6 - FUCKING AWFUL</b></div>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-78042607348292491342012-06-20T17:53:00.002-07:002012-08-08T08:30:06.462-07:00Tsjuder - Desert Northern Hell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Am12GG7daNU/T-JqV_Rp3uI/AAAAAAAAABI/JLY3TIgl4Bw/s1600/Tsjuder+-+Desert+Northern+Hell+-+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Am12GG7daNU/T-JqV_Rp3uI/AAAAAAAAABI/JLY3TIgl4Bw/s200/Tsjuder+-+Desert+Northern+Hell+-+Front.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
01. Malignant Coronation<br />
02. Ghoul<br />
03. Possessed<br />
04. Lord of Swords<br />
05. Helvete<br />
06. Mouth of Madness<br />
07. Unholy Paragon<br />
08. Sacrifice<br />
09. Morbid Lust<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, none of this "for the uninitiated" crap this time, because I'm just discovering this band myself. They're from Norway and seem to draw influences from just about every other BM band out there. Straight to the album...<br />
<br />
This album is defined by Tsjuder's (pronounced Shoe-der) dogma of "no compromise" and there is definitely NO compromise. From the first second of "Malignant Coronation" to the last second of "Morbid Lust" this album kicks your fucking ass. This relentless black metal assault is nothing but 50 minutes of head-banging ass-kicking good times. Right off the bat I'm reminded of early Immortal, Darkthrone, and Mayhem, but with a much more modern production quality.<br />
<br />
The guitars are clear and excellently played. There is no shortage of riffage in this album, that's for damn sure, and the guitars never get lost in a endless drone. There is precise tremolo picking, wonderful sweeps, and excellent technical work over all. There is definitely some punk and thrash influences in the guitars here, which also lend to the earlier Darkthrone comparison I made. Many of the songs have sections with high, fast, discordant riffs that are <i>very</i> reminiscent of early Mayhem and bring back wonderful feelings related to that era of black metal. Overall, nothing bad to say about the guitars at all, grade A black metal guitar work. (Bass is pretty much the same, and I'm happy that you can actually hear it [due to the decent production quality])<br />
<br />
Vocals on this album aren't really anything extraordinary, though they are executed flawlessly. The voice of the singer is somewhere between Abbath(Immortal) and Hoest(Taake) and the vocals work perfectly with the riffs and passages.<br />
<br />
Drumming is fast and precise and basically shares a lot of the same traits as the guitars in terms of influences.<br />
<br />
Overall the album is a non-stop onslaught and if you like aggressive music period you should find something you can rock out to here. For me it's a spot-on black metal release with almost 0 room for criticism, I simply can't find anything to bitch about here. Definitely recommending this one, it'll be staying in my CD player for a while, that's for fucking sure!<br />
<br />
Some things to note are the wonderful progression of "Mouth of Madness", the super thrash-punk feeling "Sacrifice", and the riffs throughout the middle of "Morbid Lust" which to me were very reminiscent of "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"-era Mayhem.<br />
<br />
I said I probably wouldn't do it ever again, but here it is, the very next review :s <br />
<br />
Rating: <b>6/6 - FUCKING AWESOME!</b>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-2814154785542606572012-06-13T17:58:00.002-07:002012-07-30T14:06:14.151-07:00Taake - Noregs Vaapen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n_AMpRCzYIc/T9kwBt4zYHI/AAAAAAAAAA8/v_F9lgTstxI/s1600/albumcover2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n_AMpRCzYIc/T9kwBt4zYHI/AAAAAAAAAA8/v_F9lgTstxI/s200/albumcover2.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
01. Fra Vadested Til Vaandesmed<br />
02. Orkan<br />
03. Nordbundet<br />
04. Du Ville Ville Vestland<br />
05. Myr<br />
06. Helvetesmakt<br />
07. Dei Vil Alltid Klaga Og Kyta<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, for the uninitiated again, Taake is a one-man Norwegian Black Metal project, the creative project of Ulvhedin Hoest. Hoest blends thrashy black metal with some punk influences and all sorts of other influences. This lends to creating the <i>BEST</i> current Black Metal band...there... I said it.<br />
<br />
I've loved Taake since I first heard the Ummeneske single a couple years back, and everything I check out by this guy is solid fucking gold. Noregs Vaapen is no different.<br />
<br />
From the epic intro riff to "Fra Vadested Til Vaandesmed" to the epic outro riff of "Dei Vil Alltid Klaga Og Kyta" there is no let down here. Every song has it's own genius and all are worth listening to.<br />
<br />
Hoest's trademarked vocal sound is at it's best here; the high piercing vocals screaming like a banshee out of hell with a serious vendetta against someone. Never do you feel that he's straining to maintain the wonderfully evil sounding screech he has perfected and never fails to impress. Hoest's vocals aren't the only ones worth mentioning though, as this album has an all-star lineup of guest vocals. Fenriz from Darkthrone on "Fra Vadested", Attila Csihar from Mayhem on "Nordbundet", Demonaz from Immortal on "Du Ville Ville Vestland", can it really get any better than that? Fenriz' contribution is the most notable for sure and really works perfectly with the pace of "Fra Vadested", creating a kind of punk feeling that is reminiscent of current Darkthrone material.<br />
<br />
The guitars on this album sound better than they ever have on a Taake album, and the level of production is almost "sacrilegious" in the world of Black Metal, but really allows the listener to hear all the layers of guitar and bass work that are going on here. The same can really be said for the drums, everything sounds great and the production quality is unmatched so far in Taake's catalog.<br />
<br />
A few specific moments I want to point out. As I've mentioned, the beginning riff of the first song is epic and wonderfully grips the listener and drags them kicking and screaming straight into the onslaught that is this album. The tone of "Orkan" is much different, providing a brooding feeling that contrasts beautifully with the first songs upbeat nature. The crazy soaring solo that ends "Du Ville Ville Vestland" is beautiful as well and lends something that is very lacking in Black Metal (awesome solos). The next thing I'm going to mention is probably the most noted on this album and something that is reallllly fucking cool. The banjo solo at 3:20 of "Myr" is possibly the best thing I've ever heard done with Black Metal and made me burst out laughing and mess my pants at the same time. It's so fun and random, yet works <i>flawlessly</i> with the black metal atmosphere. It's something that makes you go "Fuck Yeah!" and just kicks the track from the realm of "Great" to "Orgasmic" in an instant. Seriously, go listen to it, now. The soaring shrieking guitar work of "Helvetesmakt" is great too and worth noting. Well...what <i>isn't</i> worth noting in this album?<br />
<br />
TL;DR - this album is perfect...simply perfect...and even Taake is gonna have a hard time topping it (then again I thought that about Taake's 2008 self-titled). If you haven't heard Taake yet and you love Black Metal you need to stop whatever you are doing right now and go listen to this album.<br />
<br />
I may never do this again, because it's hard for me to do for any album, but I'm doing it for this album.<br />
<br />
Rating: <b>6/6 - BEST ALBUM OF 2011</b>.Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-49757905624790489052012-06-07T18:45:00.003-07:002012-06-07T19:02:51.176-07:00Mayhem - A Grand Declaration of War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ho7DIetj4Sk/T9FO4Pu2OfI/AAAAAAAAAAk/5CKpAdV6MD4/s1600/albumcover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ho7DIetj4Sk/T9FO4Pu2OfI/AAAAAAAAAAk/5CKpAdV6MD4/s200/albumcover1.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
Track Listing:<br />
WHO THE FUCK KNOWS<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ok, for the uninitiated. Mayhem is one of THE founding father bands of Norwegian Black Metal. They started up in the late 80's/early 90's along with other bands such as Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, Ulver, and the like. Their first vocalist, named "Dead", shot himself in the fucking face and Euronymous, the original guitarist and one of the "greats" of Black Metal took photos and made necklaces out of Dead's skull, which he then gave to those he considered worthy. Anyways, couple of years later Varg Vikernes of Burzum offed Euronymous with a knife in the face and went to prison. After numerous lineup changes mostly due to deaths we arrive at the late 90's lineup of Mayhem, Necrobutcher (the only remaining original member), Blasphemer on Guitar, Maniac on Vocals(who also actually did vocals earlier on Deathcrush), and Hellhammer on Drums.<br />
<br />
So, in 1999, we end up with this, <i>Grand Declaration of War</i>, with Maniac at the creative helm. This is an album that has remained highly divisive among Mayhem fans, and Black Metal fans in general.<br />
<br />
The album starts with what seems like a call to war, a call to war against Christianity, which seems like a great premise for a Black Metal concept album, especially one by one of the forefather bands of Black Metal. The image of war drums and Colonel Maniac rallying the troops to war with propaganda and hatred whilst riding atop a Satanic steed is intriguing and backed by a relentless Black Metal assault, which continues for the first 5 tracks. The savagery of the drums and guitars evoke mental imagery of hell-scorched wastelands and warfare. At the end of track 5 we are met with the sound of an explosion, and then quietness. So far the vocals have been wonderful, the guitars have been clear, yet not overproduced, and the drums have been precise and strongly evoking the idea of marching with the Satanic horde towards battle.<br />
<br />
The only problems with the album so far may be a slight excess of spoken word verse vs. actual vocals and some slight over usage of certain riffs, but this is totally excusable due to the wonderful cohesion of the album so far, and the great technical work by all members of the band.<br />
<br />
Now if the album had stopped here and was just an EP with 5 tracks I'd be giving it <b>6/6</b> as a wonderful Black Metal concept recording. But it didn't end here...<br />
<br />
Suddenly, from the hell-scorched wastelands and the war against the Christian menace we are transported to... a goth nightclub... with the most out of place industrial track ever. A drum machine and heavy vocal-synthesizers, along with keyboards and electronic sounds. It's like Maniac decided to channel Marilyn Manson halfway through the album. Now, as I said in my Gorod review I love stuff that makes you go "What the fuck man?"........ WHEN IT STILL WORKS WITH THE ALBUM. This track has no place anywhere within 20 miles of the Satanic warmachine we've so far encountered, and sullies the middle of the album with it's mall-goth atmosphere.<br />
<br />
Well, after it ends, we go back to Black Metal, and decent Black Metal at that, similar to the first half of the record. Track 8 has a similar feel to the first half of the album, and track 9 has a nice progression which seems to be leading to something a little different. Track 10 follows up with that, then we hit Track 11, which is nothing but Maniac stating "I remember the future, a new beginning of time." Which I thought was leading to something...but didn't. Apparently that's the end of the album... atleast for 4:30 of fucking silence, then a 7 second track with nothing in it, then Track 13, which is just apparently a riff they forgot to put in a different song, because it just plays the one section for 2 minutes and then ends the album. Done, nothing else, no proper ending in sight. Apparently Maniac remembers the future (which probably doesn't mean anything, I'm not giving this guy a lot of intellectual credit), but didn't remember to finish the album.<br />
<br />
The way this album ended makes no sense at all, NONE. The layout of the album, track wise made no sense, NONE. They don't even really tell you which song is which. This is the back of the album.<br />
By normal logic, one would assume there are 8 tracks on the album<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJgK9rVflm8/T9FVAQrautI/AAAAAAAAAAw/hRfDPodAVK0/s1600/albumcoverback1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pJgK9rVflm8/T9FVAQrautI/AAAAAAAAAAw/hRfDPodAVK0/s320/albumcoverback1.jpg" width="320" /></a>01. A Grand Declaration of War<br />
02. In The Lies Where Upon You Lay<br />
03. A Time To Die<br />
04. View From Nihil<br />
05. Il Principe Part a) A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun<br />
06. b) Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction<br />
07. c) Complettion of Science in Agony<br />
08. d) To Daimonion<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, this would make sense if there were 8 tracks...but there are 13. WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF THE SONGS MAYHEM? ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GUESS? It seems elementary to tell your listeners what they're listening to, and Mayhem's done it before on previous albums, but apparently either no one conveyed the proper instructions to the printers or there are songs with multiple parts that aren't marked on the case. Either way, it's confusing.<br />
<br />
Now, here's how this album SHOULD have been layed out.<br />
Track 1<br />
Track 2<br />
Track 3<br />
Track 4<br />
Track 8<br />
Track 9<br />
Track 10<br />
Track 5<br />
<br />
In that order, that way we'd not break the concept that the majority of the tracks hold, and end with the same riff we started with (which is on track 1 and track 5). This would have made the album flow perfectly, and I probably would still be giving it a <b>5 or 5.5/6</b>.<br />
<br />
But folks, the fact of the matter is that they DIDN'T lay it out that way.<br />
<br />
The weird industrial section in the middle of the album, the weird ending to the album, the lack of cohesion between parts of the album, and the excess of the spoken word verses make the album fall short of what it should have been. Maniac's excessive dicking around with creative license seems to have butchered this masterpiece. It's like a plastic surgeon having a supermodel on the operating table and going "Hmmm, how can we make her better," then the surgeon suddenly has an aneurysm and thinks it's a good idea to cut the big, hairy mole off her ass and stitch it into her forehead.<br />
<br />
So yeah, I like most of the tracks off this album, but kinda hate the album as a whole, which is a hard feat to pull off, but Mayhem seems to have accomplished it. The horrid stitching together of the whole thing kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth that sullies the rest of what could be a great album.<br />
<br />
They didn't do this with Deathcrush, Des Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, or even Wolf's Lair Abyss (all of which I fucking love), but apparently something tragic seems to have happened in 1999 and we have <i>this</i>.<br />
<br />
I recommend this album still, for fans of Mayhem and just die-hard Black Metal fans, but I suggest skipping tracks 6, 7, 11, 12, and 13, and play song 5 at the end, because it's the ending the album should have had.<br />
<br />
TL;DR <b>3.5/6</b>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-48904860586148065062012-06-04T23:36:00.002-07:002012-06-05T00:56:40.425-07:00Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qekd4yA7X8Q/T82gl9zMV2I/AAAAAAAAAAY/NqAEkHYuRXk/s1600/album_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qekd4yA7X8Q/T82gl9zMV2I/AAAAAAAAAAY/NqAEkHYuRXk/s200/album_cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
01. Drag Ropes</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
02. Storm Corrosion<br />
03. Hag<br />
04. Happy<br />
05. Lock Howl<br />
06. Ljudet Innan</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ok, so again, for the uninitiated. Storm Corrosion is comprised of two of the greatest songwriters and musicians of the last couple of decades, Michael Akerfeldt of Opeth fame, and Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree fame. These two have been long time friends and have lent to each others works over the years, Steven Wilson producing many Opeth albums and Michael helping Steven with some PT stuff. Anyways, they decided that finally the two of them would collaborate on a project independent of their bands(other than drummer Gavin Harrison, from Porcupine Tree, who did the drumming on this album).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This album is kind of what I imagine a drug-induced coma to be like, in every positive sense of that statement. It's dreamy, it's creepy, it's brooding, it's proggy, it's everything I love in a "chill" album.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Right from the get go you know it's going to be something special with the wonderful string harmony and the sirenesque vocals of Akerfeldt that bring you into "Drag Ropes". The vocal work of both Akerfeldt and Wilson is Grade A in general and Grade A on this album, they fit the atmospheres perfectly. Akerfeldt's vocals in "Drag Ropes" accent the creepy darkness of the off-tune notes that jar the dream-like atmosphere. Wilson's vocals provide a relief from the darkness, and when used together with Akerfeldt's create a wonderful harmony.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the slow creepy progression of "Drag Ropes" we move on to "Storm Corrosion", where Steven Wilson takes sole control of the vocals. This piece is the perfect example of why I love Steven Wilson's voice and Akerfeldt's acoustic guitar work. Everything about this song just lends to the image of sitting at a window in a dark room and watching the raindrops roll down the glass with the soft roll of thunder in the background. (In fact this image could almost apply to the album as a whole, but especially on this track). I've listened to this album probably 30 times since I got it and this song never fails to give me a shiver at some point in the listen through.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Hag" continues with an almost heart-beat like bass rhythm that continues throughout the piece, pacing it like a steam-engine that just keeps on rolling, eventually hitting an aural hill of some of the only distorted guitar parts on this album. Over the hill it continues, with flutes and the bass line, rolling on and on. While not the most interesting track, it's still worth a listen, and keeps the album moving through it's midway point.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The least aptly named track, "Happy", is one of the more intriguing. The vibe on this track is far from "Happy", with a very eerie harmony of Steven Wilson's vocals and what I think are Akerfeldt's falsetto vocals. There is also a very discordant kind of break, that leads into the main body of the song, which consists of more of Akerfeldt's beautiful acoustic guitar work and the meandering vocals of Wilson, intertwined with repeateded appearances of the eerie harmony from the beginning. This track is beautiful, but disturbing, ending with some very odd industrial noises that kind of make you feel like you're staring uncomfortably long into the eyes of a mannequin, almost expecting it to blink.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Lock Howl" may be my favourite song on the album, if not it's a close second to "Drag Ropes", I can't decide. The track again begins with a kind of chugging acoustic guitar line which flows throughout the entire song. There's more of the same wonderful vocals and guitar work here as in the rest of the album, but what makes it stand out happens about halfway through the track. We encounter a section with a clapping rhythm and a guitar/flute section that is <i>very</i> reminiscent of moments on Opeth's "Ghost Reveries" album, which I also love. The use of chimes and multiple layers of acoustic guitar on this track is just wonderful, and the flutes add a wonderful air of mystery to the whole thing.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Ljudet Innan" is a kind of dissapointing end to the album. I'm not going to say it's bad, but it could be better. After all the wonderful work that went into tracks like "Drag Ropes" and "Lock Howl" it feels like they kind of just shit the bed on the outro and said "I dunno, we need another track, so let's just have Michael do some awkward falsetto and then kind of let this boring rhythm meander for ten minutes aimlessly to end it off?" It <i>does</i> kind of have a bit of a Pink Floydy spacey vibe which some people could appreciate, but it just seems to go on forever and ever and does nothing interesting in the ten minutes it takes to end.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, to sum up, I loved this album in (almost) it's entirety. I've had it on repeat the entire evening and have no plans of turning it off anytime soon. If you love Akerfeldt's softer work or really any of Steven Wilson's work you'll love "Storm Corrosion". In terms of a rating, I'll give it 5/6, because that's how many tracks I loved off of this album.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
RATING: 5/6</div>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-37816316933871757742012-06-04T16:08:00.002-07:002012-06-04T23:38:46.263-07:00Gorod - A Perfect Absolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-msTcuj_u9nQ/T804m5Pw2HI/AAAAAAAAAAM/oHInSYa5PV4/s1600/gorod-a-perfect-absolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-msTcuj_u9nQ/T804m5Pw2HI/AAAAAAAAAAM/oHInSYa5PV4/s200/gorod-a-perfect-absolution.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
01. Birds Of Sulphur<br />
02. Sailing Into The Earth<br />
03. Elements And Spirit<br />
04. The Axe Of God<br />
05. 5000 At The Funeral<br />
06. Carved In The Wind<br />
07. Varangian Paradise<br />
08. Tribute of Blood</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ok, a little background for the uninitiated. Gorod is a tech-death band from France that's always kind of stood apart from the pack in my opinion. Ever since I heard their first album, Neurotripsicks, back in 2006 I was hooked. Their trademark sound is comprised of <i>very</i> technical guitars intertwined between heavy bass chugging and excellently precise drumming.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Where to start with this album, well the vocals are a good place. Guillaume Martinots death vocals are replaced by Julien "Nutz" Deyres on this latest album. The first thing you'll notice is the range of different sounds in the vocal arsenal of Deyres. A lot of the mainline vocals don't sound horribly different from what Martinot brought to the table, but there are lots of exceptions. From the pig-squealy intro to "The Axe of God" to the low, spoken-word style vocals in "5000 at the funeral" to the excerpts of actual singing ( a rare instance for Gorod up till now) in a couple of the tracks it is clear that "Nutz" is a decent vocalist with a good range of tricks in his bag.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In terms of guitar work not much has changed since "Process of a New Decline". The guitars are technical as ever, without going into the realm of "technical masturbation" which is easy as hell for tech-death bands to fall into. The thing I love about Gorod, and have loved ever since their first album is their songwriting ability. The guitars flow with the song and help pull the pieces together, instead of just presenting meaningless chunks of riffing and chugging. The bass guitar is just as detectable as the leads in the mix and it all just fits together <i>so</i> well. A bunch of "trademark" riffs return from older albums as well, in certain songs, and you'll never doubt you're listening to a Gorod album. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've always used the term "groovy" to describe Gorod, and this album is just as "groovy" as anything else in their catalog. Death metal DID in fact evolve from blues to a degree, and the bluesy groove has not been lost by Gorod.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, the crazy stuff, exactly why I love Gorod more than the other contenders in this crowded genre. Gorod brings a lot more to the table than just chugga-chugga-riff-riff, and throw in some stuff that may make some metalheads go "what the fuck man?", but in the best way possible. From the slow meandering bluesy riffs of pianos, guitars, and what I think is a cello at the beginning of "5000 at the funeral" to the wacky "Starsky and Hutch" style rattles and guitar wah-wah-ing and eventually what my brother referred to as "Death-Mamba" in the middle of the same track, with sounds that almost make you think you're headbanging in the Caribbean, Gorod never fails to amuse. Throughout their discography you can grab little snippets of things that make you go "what?" and that's what I love the MOST about them.<br />
<br />
My only complaints at all would be that <i>some</i> of the vocal work gets a bit boring at times, and as cool as the "Death-Mamba" and "Starksy and Hutch" stuff was, it <i>was</i> a little out of place. I gotta say something negative, don't I? </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, to conclude, this album definitely did not disappoint this long time Gorod fan, and even makes a great place to start for curious listeners. This album is technical, but flows in a way many other tech-death bands could learn from. Gorod is consistently improving, and have been with every album since their debut. Definitely pick this one up if you're a fan of tech-death or just groovy metal in general.<br />
<br />
RATING: 5/6 </div>Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2537406395081212995.post-66336011850425039802012-06-04T15:35:00.000-07:002012-07-30T12:37:19.126-07:00IntroWell, here's the first post. My name's Dave, I'm 23, from a small shitty town in central Canada, and I'm a music addict. I listen to whatever I can get my hands on, from Black Metal to Folk Music, Punk Rock to Ambient Noise, Jazz to Rap, everything in between.<br />
<br />
I have a lot of opinions when it comes to music, and I'd like to share them, thus I'm making a fucking review blog.<br />
<br />
If anyone cares, Zushakon is a deity from Henry Kuttner's 1939 short story "The Bells of Horror", and is a gigantic, black, winged leviathan god that descends from the darkness and persuades through madness the unfortunate few who uncover his tomes to tear out their own eyes. I've always liked the story and figured it was "kvlt and grim" enough for a blog that's mostly going to be metal.<br />
<br />
So yeah, this shit will be updated from time to time when I feel like it, but don't expect any regularity, if anyone actually finds and reads this shit.Zushakonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01986957256453784812noreply@blogger.com1