It pains me to see bands struggle when some are so good. Check these out if you are interested in some more Metal in your collection.
Saros – Progressive black metal. Similar to how Arch Enemy has a female vocalist do death growls, Leila in Saros does a more Black Metal style vocal approach. Latest album is Acrid Plains (Profound Lore Records) released earlier this year.
Centurion’s Ghost – After coming out with their excellent album in 2007 titled ‘The Great Work’, which is a blend of doom, sludge, with some excellent technical writing, I still have yet to find any of these albums anywhere. Currently writing their third album for release later this year.
Anael – Absolutely fantastic German black metal band. Their latest release ‘From Arcane Fires’, based on an old German poem about the end of the world, features great writing and atmosphere with an epic story.
Asva – Their last release was a fair album but ‘What You Don’t Know Is Frontier’, released late 2008, showcases their talent in writing and musicianship. This 8 member drone/doom band writes some emotionally powerful and haunting music.
Feel free to send me comments or suggest some bands.
I have tried to live without being blinded by religion. Most can agree that there are places around the world where things differ greatly from the free world, and some traditions these are seen as atrocities. It is common for those in the West to hate these male dominant societies and their people and religion, but how can you hide such a cruel history? Am I purposely hiding details or is the subject clear enough?
I wrote this somewhat strange song today for the project Black Room Stereo, which once was known as Effigy. With that said, this project is my heaviest and most metal sounding, with a somewhat industrial hardcore approach but with a similar drum sound of Avation. Vocals are completely different. Guitar is more sludge. Atmosphere is intense.
Music is my great obsession.
What I could do without it – buy a car, shower myself in hundred dollar bills, have a life. Oh wow. But..
There are some things that feel out of society, little secrets, places that can only be found through sound. These places I visit each day and feel the warmth of heaven upon me. As much as I would love to stop collecting, listening, writing, I feel that these past discoveries, selfish they are, are immensely important. Writing a song like Darkened House, hearing Hurt by Nine Inch Nails for the first time, writing a song like Shattered or its emotional counterpart – Lost to the Good, or hearing something fantastic in a Steve Kilbey song that I feel nobody else may feel. I do not know who I would have become if I had not heard these songs.. these obsessions.
Have a listen to some of these and you may hae an idea where my music is heading. These are songs which allowed me to see something new in music.
A Perfect Circle – Magdelena
A Storm of Light – Vast and Endless
Adrian Belew – Ampersand
Aereogramme – In Gratitude
Agalloch – She Painted Fire Across the Skyline
Amon Amarth – The Hero
Anael – Devil’s Tongues
Aphex Twin – Come To Daddy
Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #2
Atavist II Ruined – II
Audioslave – Cochise
Barenaked Ladies – The Old Apartment
Big Wreck – Overemphasizing
Bjork – Unravel
Blind Melon – Paper Scratcher
Bloc Party – Plans
Blood of the Black Owl – Crippling of Age
Bloodbath – Hades Rising
Bloodhound Gang – Mope
Blur – Ambulance
Brian Welch – Home
Broken Social Scene – Cause=Time
Buddy Guy – Baby Please Don’t Leave Me
Burst – We Watched the Silver Rain
The Chemical Brothers – Setting Sun
The Church – Two Places at Once
Collective Soul – Crown
Dave Matthews – So Damn Lucky
The Dears – Lost in the Plot
Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism
The Decemberists – The Tain
Deftones – Digital Bath
Derek ad the Dominos – Little Wing
Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
DJ Shadow – Napalm Brain – Scatter Brain
The Doors – People are Strange
Dozer – From Fire Fell
Econoline Crush – Sparkle and Shine
Editors – All Sparks
Edwin – Hang Ten
Envy – The Unknown Glow
The Eyes of a Traitor – With Different Eyes
Filter – Hey Man Nice Shot
Final Fantasy – That’s When the Audience Died
Finger Eleven – Above
Foo Fighters – Everlong
Frog Eyes – Silence but for the Gentle Tinkling of the Flowing Creek
Genesis – The Musical Box
Genghis Tron – Board up the House
Gojira – The Way of All Flesh
Grizzly Bear – Lullabye
Handsome Furs – Snakes on the Ladder
Hawksley Workman – Anger as Beauty
Hednoize – Drain
Hypocrisy – Roswell 47
I Mother Earth – Earth, Sky, & C
Isidore – Sanskrit
Islands – Ones
Jack Frost – Providence
Johnny Clegg – Work For All
Kasabian – Shoot the Runner
Khanate – Pieces of Quiet
King Crimson – Coda Marine 475
Korn – My Gift To You
Kula Shaker – SOS
Liars – Drum and the Uncomfortable Can
Live – Selling the Drama
Lunatic Soul – The Final Truth
Marilyn Manson – The Reflecting God
Marty Willson-Piper – How Come They Don’t Touch The Ground
Mastodon – Hearts Alive
Matthew Good – Primetime Deliverance
The Melvins – Civilized Worm
Meshuggah – Bleed
Metallica – One
Midge Ure – The Gift
Moist – Resurrection
My Dying Bride – The Dreadful Hours
Neurosis – Times of Grace
Neverending White Lights – I Hope Your Heart Runs Empty
Nine Inch Nails – Burn
No-Man – Truenorth
Opeth – The Lotus Eater
Our Lady Peace – Naveed
Paradise Lost – Gothic
Peter Gabriel – Intruder
Phil Collins – Survivors
The Philosopher Kings – Can’t Get My Mind Around You
Pink Floyd – Echoes
Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing
Primordial – The Coffin Ships
Psykosonik – I am God
Queensryche – Anybody Listening
Radiohead – Let Down
The Refo-mation – Traitor
Reverend Bizarre – Cirith Ungol
Roger Waters – It’s A Miracle
Rosetta – Red in Tooth and Claw
Rush – Freeze
Ryan Adams – Hotel Chelsea Nights
Satyricon – Black Lava
Sigur Ros – Untitled 4
Skepticism – Nothing
Soundgarden – The Day I Tried To Live
The Smashing Pumpkins – Mayonaise
Spirit of the West – Just Another Day
Steve Kilbey – Space
Strapping Young Lad – Devour
Sunset Rubdown – Snakes Got a Leg
Swan Lake – City Calls
System of a Down – Chop Suey
The Tea Party – A Certain Slant of Light
Tool – Third Eye
The Tragically Hip – Stay
Treble Charger – Red
Unearthly Trance – Permanent Ice
Unkle – Rabbit in Your Headlights
The Verve – A New Decade
Wilco – Misunderstood
Wolf Parade – I’ll Believe in Anything
I am writing this today to recognize two bands which have broken up.
Soundgarden (1984 – 1997) – One of the first grunge bands, and the first to sign a major label (1989). Creating intense, and often angry experimental punk rock/metal. Personally, I do not remember many other bands that were as exciting as Soundgarden was back in their heyday. Their final album, Down on the Upside, was an incredibly dark rush of various metal styles and influenced me to write songs which will appear on my Shattered album.
Since the band broke up, Chris Cornell (vocals) had gone on to projects such as Audioslave and that wrote that one good solo album Euphoria Morning. Since this website is more about opinions, I did not care much for his other solo albums. The other band members post-band projects are less known, usually acting as session musicians on various metal releases. A great joke about the band getting together at a Cinnabon was released in The Onion August issue in 2008. More recently, the band (minus Cornell) played a few songs at a Tom Morello show.
Aereogramme (1998 – 2007) – A perplexing post-rock band from Glasgow Scotland – their myspace page reads ‘Confusing everyone and ourselves since 1998′. This band is quite difficult to categorize as any album (except their final album) will contain songs that are heavy enough to be on a metal screamo release, and soft enough to be played along with Sigur Ros music. Some people have compared Aereogramme to Matthew Good, particularly the vocal style. I am a big fan of beautiful music and I would say this band has written more beautiful songs than any other band I can think of. A Winter’s Discord, Barriers, Messenger, etc. When I found this band I felt a bit like I found a secret, and after I listened to the whole catalog I realized it was dying to be found. Have a listen to Sunday 3:52 and you will hear what I mean.
RIP
I hear quite often how those who obsess over music will have one album in their cd player (either in their car or at home) for weeks or months at a time. I am not one of these people. All of those people who do listen to one album over and over can just go and fuck themselves in the ear, they are missing too much good music and their ears are going to waste.
Anyways, h-ere are this months rock albums.
Steve Kilbey and Martin Kennedy Present ‘Unseen Music Unheard Words’ – If you are a fan of Steve Kilbey and ambient music, this is a must buy. The album has quite a lot of atmosphere with synths and Steve’s always soothing and beautiful vocals. Martin Kennedy is the man behind All India Radio, and Steve Kilbey behind the Church. Definitely an evening album.
The Church ‘Untitled 23′ – Definitely a lot more ambient and moving than their previous release. The songs sound a bit like an ode to their earlier days but a bit softer. If you enjoyed After Everything Now This, this is a must, but fans of Forget Yourself may be a bit disappointed. Overall an excellent album.
Kasabian ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ – With a title like this you know there is going to be trouble. You could say that their first album is a bit like Crystal Method and Oasis tumble-dried, their second, Empire, was heavily eastern influenced, and this one feels like it is western (as in the old wild west) influenced. This may just be me, but it really does feel this way. Empire was an album that blew me away, even though it was not very well received, and comparing Empire to West Ryder is just a very bad thing to do. I feel almost cheated, but this is an entirely different beast and may take some time to get into. Overall very different and interesting but a bit of a disappointment so far.
Grizzly Bear ‘Veckatimest’ – This is how Grizzly Bear does pop music. I would say the closest thing they have done to this album so far is Knife off of Yellow House, as the progressive rock sound has been torn away and replaced with choirs and incredible melody. This is definitely not a bad thing, but these songs are shorter and some of the tracks feel a bit underdeveloped. Although, just like their past albums, it has this strange recording style which sounds like they recorded everything under water. Even with these flaws, the incredible recording quality and unique atmosphere is enough for me to keep coming back. There is a good chance this album will end up on my top 10 this year.