Meshuggah is a really hard word to spell. The album is kind of one long song and there is some excellent stuff done with the time signatures. It’s kind of like if King Crimson was really, really pissed off. The album’s alright I guess, I think I like the idea of it more than the album itself. I hate how the guy in it sounds.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Mortiis – The Stargate
Review# 205So finally Mortiis decides to get a band. For The Stargate he gets Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle Of Filth etc) to sing the honours. And to be honest, while she does a good job and sings well I almost find her a bit jarring... probably as I have now been listening to dark ambient instrumental Mortiis for the last 3 hours straight plus two hours this morning and another hour on my way home. So I could just be loosing it.
But The Stargate is still worth a listen. There is a lot going on that is part of his ongoing trend/style and you can also feel the change – the end of the era. The follow up to this, The Smell Of Rain, is still a huge departure but at this point I can hear the evolution/transformation but the next step is not obviously the synth-pop/rock style that turns out to be Rain.
Also, if you look at this album artwork just out of the corner of your eye it's like Mortiis is flying toward you...
Toward The Gate Of Stars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tucal3ULoXo
Mortiis – Crypt Of The Wizard
Review# 204Crypt is essentially a compilation of EP singles all gathered into one place and is now considered a full album as all of the EP's that it relates to are out of print (1000 vinyl pressings of each).
It is an interesting mix, but in a good way. You definitely get a good feel for a greater cross section of Mortiis' musical styles and influence, even though it is still a collection of dark ambient tracks. And sometimes video game sounding tracks.
Davi Bygde Tarnet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFNEg1hsxak
Stjernefodt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f95w11ttFkQ
Trollmannens Krypt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiNxKnJbstw
Mortiis – Blood And Thunder (EP)
Review# IntermissionEP's are not counted toward the total 365 in this challenge unless they are equivalent in length to a standard studio album so usually I don’t bother with these wee short ones.... but in the interest of continuity and to show off a hilarious piece of album art I thought I would review it as an “intermission”.
Well, it's 4.7 minutes long and was originally meant to be an intro and outro for an album by a band called Fermenting Innards. It was also written in a day. And Mortiis obviously liked it so much he thought “bugger it, I'm going to keep these and release a 7' purple vinyl EP instead. And have hilarious artwork”... But that's just speculation.
Blood And Thunder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaB7IfaZHpY
Battles On Ice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IHyMdqjrok&feature=related
Mortiis - Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent
Review# 203Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent - to be honest it follows the same pattern as the first two albums. One year on and another two track album recorded by himself on keys/synth and is dark ambient instrumental. This one is a more comprehensive mix of the previous two albums though. The track Reisene Til Grotter Og Ødemarker is the first Mortiis song to be a music video too.
Reisene Til Grotter Og Ødemarker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlEyrsY_S6A
Mortiis - Ånden som Gjorde Opprør
Review# 202Ånden som Gjorde Opprør was released one year after Født til å Herske. It follows the same sort of idea as it's predecessor in that it is largely instrumental, all recorded with keys/synth by himself and is split into two parts. This time however each part is more of a song with it own title though the album flows in much the same way as previously. While still dark ambient the music conjures up an image more along the lines of forests and elves and secret fortresses hidden within the trees.
En Mork Horisont: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oSHLZj0bkE
Mortiis - Født til å Herske
Review 201Era 1 Mortiis, or "dark dungeon music" as the man himself calls it. Essentially there are about 5 full length albums and an ep linked to this era of Mortiis' career (1993-1999) and most of them are recorded by himself on a keyboard. Født til å Herske is the first full length album. The music is dark ambient and has a sound reminiscent of medieval themes. It is actually pretty enjoyable after you get over the early nineties keyboard/synth sounds and it flows nicely. The album is essentially one track but has been split into two parts for the benefit of the various LP releases. Besides a bunch of releases on vinyl there is also a release on cd by Earache Records as well as another edition that also comes with Crypt Of The Wizard and Stargate.
Født til å Herske(first 10min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCW2mu7-rjs
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Lamb Of God – Wrath
Review# 200Lamb Of God, a great band to listen to after a long days work. Wrath is a great step up from Sacrament, its just that little bit tighter and still retains great sound and production and is full of energy. Just an over all great album.
Broken Hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt693D13sBo
Fake Messiah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp0mnXIDvuU
Choke Sermon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgc5axO5ync
Children Of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll
Review# 199This is a great album. It is still fresh and the band sound great... And like they actually mean it. There is a lot more passion and energy than Blooddrunk for example. The sound is great and musically it's classic Bodom... Aggression with a dash of fun.
Triple Corpse Hammerblow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdfyV1a5r8M
Needled 24/7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjZXUyvFQDA
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
American Head Charge – The War Of Art
Review# 198The War Of Art just didn't do as much for me as follow up The Feeding. To me it just lacked in the consistency of the entire album. There are some pretty decent moments but then some of it just kind of passes by. It does hint at better things to come, which was again built upon in The Feeding, but doesn't quite reach that level and I don't think it has aged particularly well in the last 10 years either.
A violent reaction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO58yKAm5zQ
Effigy23: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuaPUatV7I
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Okay, I’m going to be honest. I’m terrified. I’ve heard so much about this album but have not heard it. Some people love it, many simply find it ‘too hard/weird’ and there is a running joke about it ruining relationships. As much as I love weird stuff... I’m hesitant. I’ve heard a couple of tracks from the album, only really remember Ella Guru, which I didn’t really remember as being that weird, kind of bluesy? I don’t know... it was a long time ago. I think I’ll warm up with that song before kicking into the album proper.
Isn’t it funny how your memory can play tricks on you?
I’ve spent a couple of days listening to this now, it’s pretty much my ideal album. It’s complicated and bizarre and I love it. The album was recorded in about four and a half hours after eight months of rehearsals in what could only be described as a cult-like situation. It’s kind of a slow burn, everything is exactly where it should be and after a few listens to each track you really get a feel for how meticulously some of it was composed. This project has exposed me to some new stuff, but Islands, The Guessing Game and this are the three best ‘brand new experiences’ of the project with this being the one that stands out the most.
The Mad Capsule Markets - CiSTm KonFLiqT
Review# 197CiSTm KOnFLiqT is such a fun album. Some of it, like Grim Monster and Bomb Idea, aren’t really meant to be fun I guess and probably are not the most upbeat but they just fall into the fun element of the album. As precise as CiSTm KOnFLiqT is musically there is still a feeling that the band is enjoying themselves. Which is great considering this is the last album before The Mad Caps disbanded. As is with every album before there is a good mix of styles and influence that keeps things lively and all with a great feeling and flow. Sound quality is great too and in no way ruined by the electronic sounds and samples.
Scary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDN19zMSjIs&ob=av2n
Cracker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBSNdiOlK0s
Let It Rip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ShfT_USMdA
Grim Monster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePT-bf9VOrM
Dimmu Borgir – Stormblåst (1996)
Review# 196This review is relating to the 1996 recording of Dimmu Borgir's Stormblåst not the 2005 re-recording.
While the last few Dimmu albums tend toward the grandiose (which is in no way a bad thing) Stormblåst has a more earthy feel. The last album to be written and sung entirely in Norwegian and, now with the exception of latest album Abrahadbra, was also the only album breaking the bands tradition of creating album titles with three words.
Stormblåst opens with a beautiful piano piece before breaking suddenly into the heavier instruments. Piano and keys are used to great effect throughout the album and often add a haunting and sorrowful layer.
To be honest, while I am enjoying listening to this again after a few years on the shelf I can see why they would want to re-record. There is a lot of potential that I don't think has been recognised a well as it could, but then I haven't listened to the re-recorded version so I can't really say if it was pulled off successfully bit apparently there is more texture to the guitar and bass as well as more keys on general. I am also aware that the track Sorgens kammer was not re-recorded as the band had later found out that their then keyboardist had plagiarised the music from the Amiga game Agony and just decided not to tell anyone. I may see if I can track down a cheap copy of the re-recorded version and review that later.
Alt lys er svunnet hen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KajnyCkWjNM
Stormblåst: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6Nt-u6B8Ss
Tool – Ænima
Review# 195So Ænima, it frequents top album lists wherever possible and it is often cited as being amongst favorite albums etc. And yes it is good, I won't debate that at all. It's another one of those times where I can't say much more than what has already been extensively written about it. But this is the first time I have listened to Tool since the absolutely terrible and, plainly boring, show at the Big Day Out earlier this year. I know some may disagree with me about that set but hey, I loved their show when they played a few years back so meh. So maybe I am a bit disheartened toward them still and I have never been a fan of Tool's albums just various tracks. Maybe part of it is my innate rebellion against Prog that's interfering.
Anyway, this has turned into a ramble not a review so am just going to leave it just like this...
Hooker With A Penis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fIRo-UtdOU
Stinkfist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07pLGIgyfjw
Boris - Amplifier Worship
Review# 194Amplifier Worship lives up to it's name. It may have some vocals, drums, wavedrums and an EBow but the album is really about the bass and more importantly (in this case) the electric guitar. The album is full of fuzz and sludge and drone and somewhat twisted tormented vocals. The sound ebbs and flows, sometimes it's almost non-existent then slowly in creeps a sustained note fully of fuzz. The general tone of the album is great, right from the subtle elements through to twisted vocals. If possible track down the 2003 Southern Lord release... It has a gummy worm in the spine of the album case.
Ganbou-Ki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTA5m7NIG_g
Hama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HavNkl8izMo
In Flames – Come Clarity
Review# 193Trying to find a band to distract me from the icy wind on a train platform... Well there is flames in the title. I go through phases of loving then becoming bored of this album. It starts off so strong with the awesome Take This Life then slowly dwindles as the album goes on. I think that In Flames have so much more to offer based on previous work and reputation and you can hear that in parts of Come Clarity but it often feels flat and diluted which is a shame. I do think the first half of the album is pretty decent up until about track 5 (of 13) but after that it becomes a bit week in my opinion.
Take This Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1FkbvGl-IU
Leeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDH8eS-iIDY
Slayer – Christ Illusion
Review# 192Christ Illusion is a Slayer album. Nothing more nothing less. It does it's job which is to make you want to yell SLAYYYYEERRRR really at the top of your lungs when you hear it played loudly. It's not their best album but it's not their worst. It's just a Slayer album and is pretty decent.
Eyes Of The Insane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOMec-rYTbo
Flesh Storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o4pZC6z7Ek
Friday, July 22, 2011
Slipknot - Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses
Review# 191Volume 3 is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster of an album. Rollin from a heavy wave of sound into a slow creeping melancholy then back again. It is a very interesting and intense album and certainly keeps you on your toes. Another album that took time to really grow on me but in hindsight that was more due to the difference between the first two albums and Vol 3 as well as being young and not particularly adaptable.
Duality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fVE8kSM43I&ob=av2e
Vermilion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppoo1EJ-Vrc
The Virus Of Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoKwV00YMsU
Holy Moses - The New Machine of Liechtenstein
Review# 190I love it when an album matches the energy of a bands live performance and New Machine is exactly that. Front-woman Sabina Classen manages to get her awesomely unusual voice right in your face through your headphones. The music sounds fantastic and the backing vocals when used sound like a military line style chant to great effect.
It is pretty unusual for me to get excited about a Thrash album/band so I am not sure if it just somehow appeals to my sense of weirdness or they are just an awesome underrated band. Either way, check them out.
Strange Deception: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmLwr0N-DA4
Def Con II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbCIsR9fE3w
Rammstein - Reise,Reise
Review# 189I was well stoked when I discovered Sounds (anyone remember them??!) in Wellington had accidentally released Reise, Reise a day early. And for only $25! I think this was the only album I listened to for a couple of weeks after that. I was still 18 when it came out though...
The weird thing with this album is that after that initial thrashing I went back to the first three albums and kinda thought Reise, Reise wasn't that good in comparison so it kind of got shelved for a bit. But a year or two later I put it back on and realised it is an awesome album and wanted to go back and slap my younger self. It is a good varied album, from the crunching sound of Mein Teil (it's a song about that German guy who ate that guy... amazing song) through to the acoustic-y sound of Los the ballad Ohne Dich and the fun Pop-Rock of Amerika. The song on the album is good but maybe not their best by way of production. There is also a hidden track in the albums pregap that has the last 40seconds of Japan Airlines Flight 123, one of the worst air disasters to date and what the album is supposedly loosely based around and I guess the album art of depicting a flight recorder follow that idea. One way or another there is an over riding theme of travelling to the album from the title (travel, travel) and songs like Amerika, Moskau and Dalai Lama all relate to it in one way or another.
Mein Teil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5EQf8iw1Qk&feature=fvst
Amerika: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yydlX7c8HbY
Keine Lust: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytRQjrP4A0s
Reise Reise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vi9ZdJnDUE
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Meshuggah – Catch Thirtythree
Review# 188I wouldn't recommend listening to this album on shuffle, it will make no sense. Catch Thirtythree, while broken down into individual tracks is really just one giant piece of music with the only bit you can kind of pull out to stand alone being the track Shed which they also released a video for. All of the drums are programmed using the drum-kit from hell software which is all samples created from Tomas Haake's own drum kit. Considering I know that Tomas can play the drums freakishly well live I guess the programming was more to make sure the crazy drumming was absolutely perfect coz if it wasn't it could bollocks the whole lot. The album is very experimental, which is saying a lot for a band already considered experimental, but it plays a lot more with dynamics and waves of sound than on a "standard" album.
Shed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weVXl6FJ92w&ob=av2n
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Review# 187Master Of Puppets, probably one of the most influential Heavy Metal albums ever. And is probably Metallica's crowning glory. While not a huge Metallica fan myself I do quite like this album. I have to admit I have not listened to it in full for many years (8 or 9 even) but most of these tunes are so massive and are played in so many places that they are hard to not know or remember. The album sound is great with a huge sound and fantastic musicianship. I don't know what to add that hasn't already been said in countless reviews since 1986. So there you go, I have listened and attempted a review!
Battery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ7Aif5aXlQ
Master Of Puppets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z-hEyVQDRA
Orion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv9CDEbvmr8
Ministry – The Last Sucker
Review# 186The final studio album proper (excluding cover albums Cover Up and Undercover) from the Industrial Titans, The Last Sucker is a ferocious attack on George W Bush and his administration. As is usual in Ministry albums it is full of samples from speeches etc often remixed into hilarious or sometimes worrying statements. The music has a stronger Thrash/Metal feel to it than just pure industrial sound but is still strongly recognisable as Ministry. Personally I found Sucker to be a grower, it took me a while to really get into it as an album as opposed to just thinking a couple of tracks were ok. I actually ended up shelving it for about 6months or so and when I came back to it I found it much more enjoyable. There is a pretty rad cover of Roadhouse Blues too as well as guest vocals from Fear Factory's Burton C Bell on End Of Days (part 1 and 2) and with Tommy Victor of Prong helping with some guitar and bass.
Let's Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wi4_E9oQzc
Death & Destruction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMjyS4Wv9PM
End of Days (Part 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN3pAW-_OaA
Fields Of The Nephilim – Mourning Sun
Review# 185Potentially a biased review since this is probably one of my most played albums at the moment but here it is: BUY THIS ALBUM AND MAKE EAR LOVE TO IT AS IT IS AMAZING!
Ok... So a slightly more proper review yeah? Mourning Sun is the most recent (2005) album from these semi-active British reclusive's. And is the only FOTN Carl McCoy approved studio album since 1990 (since the 1996 Zoon was released under another moniker and Carl does not recognise the 2002 album Fallen but that is for another review).
The sound on the whole is classic FOTN but bigger, the production is huge but without compromising any of the layers of the band. Every instrument is clear and defined and resonates with the familiar stamp of the earlier albums. While Carl parted ways with former FOTN bassist and collaborator Tony Pettit after the Fallen release he has again teamed up with John "Capachino" Carter who played bass on Zoon and does a fantastic job of keeping up the signature FOTN bass sound. The rest of the music sounds amazing too and as usual Carl's vocals are stunning, keeping him in one of the top positions for my favourite singers.
So take my previous shouted statement and go get the album... Amazon UK have the best price and availability...
Straight To The Light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP61zFnaPaQ
New Gold Dawn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F4U8CF8TZw
Mourning Sun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSVlMUJEqxg
Killing Joke – Night Time
Review# 184It's Killing Joke but with a Gothic Pop Rock vibe. The album is full of bounce pretty much from start to finish let predominantly by the bass. It is an album where it feels like the band are having fun and enjoying themselves and is instantly draws you in. Night Time is good and I like it.
Night Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ryApUVdLGQ
Love Like Blood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpwuRlXbhk&ob=av2e
Eighties: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1U1Ue_5kq8&ob=av2e
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Who needed fond memories anyway? Jokes, this isn’t too bad. The songs are cool. Probably the biggest thing is that I’ve heard it so many times that I kind of tune out listening to it. This album has terrible lyrics but it’s cool and takes me back to my days of being an unhappy youth. Ahh, memories....
Monday, July 18, 2011
Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
Review# 183Dark Passion Play is the post Tarja Turunen Nightwish. With new singer Anette Olzon on board they set off on another magical adventure. With only a "little" bit of a blatant stab at Tarja mixed into that magic in songs like Bye Bye Beautiful, The Poet And The Pendulum and Master Passion Greed... To be fair the latter is more about her husband but hey. On the whole, while Anette may not be as vocally strong as Tarja she has a decent voice and on the album does just fine even if bassist Marco Hietala does a lot more vocal support on this album. The songs seem a lot more fun and rockier than previous albums too. I really like DPP, it is Nightwish but nothing like what they would be able to do with Tarja in the ranks. It took time to grow on me but it is far more accessible than previous works. And it is good to hear this kind of rock attitude in the band, even if it stems from animosity toward their previous frontwoman.
Whoever Brings The Night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12t7cZfBlqk
7 Days To The Wolves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srABvsrfBPw
Bye Bye Beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pckMm9k7cJw
Killing Joke – Fire Dances
Review# 182Fire Dances is one of those weird albums that often sounds somewhat upbeat despite the often not so upbeat-ness of the actual lyrics. This is the first Killing Joke album to feature the amazing Paul Raven on bass and while the band have always had a great bass sound there is just something about Raven's style that adds an extra flavor. In 2008 Fire Dances was re-issued with 8 bonus tracks including 4 from a John Peel Session in 1983.
While I am still discovering the joy's of Killing Joke, Fire Dances is emerging as a favourite of their extensive catalogue.
Let's All Go (To The Fire Dances): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUQhNEyAf0I
The Gathering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZRV_D2nenk
Harlequin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKhXbV_KXro
Gary Numan – Jagged
Review# 181If anyone had asked me a year ago I would have laughed at the idea of falling in love with a Gary Numan album. Then at Sonisphere UK last year, as I waited on the barrier for Alice Cooper ( waited through Europe then Gary), I was totally taught a lesson. And that was that Gary Numan's more recent work is some very impressive Dark Wave Industrial and it is amazing. Jagged is his most recent album, it deals a lot with his relationship, or lack there of, with god and in his atheist view point. The album is very dark and full of emotion, there are some great waves of sound and dynamic change that can suddenly pick up and sweep you along. Nothing on this album sounds like 80's synth pop, there is no Cars or Are Friends Electric here but the electronic sounds are still prevalent and the main driving force after Gary's vocals. Personally I love the theme and I love the darkness of the album but I would not be surprised that people could be put off by this fact.
Halo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sGE7HzP068
In A Dark Place: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7JSYdO2wY
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Dio - Holy Diver
This project has included a lot of album I cherished when I was younger and have rediscovered their brilliance. Occasionally I’ve found the polish has well and truly worn off and unfortunately Holy Diver, an album I once triumphed as one of my all-time favourites, fits into the second category. The biggest surprise is how BORING the album is. Dio’s main strength is as a frontman, and a frontman’s main strength is charisma. His performance here, while technically very good, is exceptionally unengaging. I think this is kind of a niche album, if you like metal then this fits all the right criteria. Aside from it sounding rather dated there’s not a lot it does wrong. If metal simply doesn’t interest you then this won’t convert you (or convert you back).
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