The first new Nine Inch Nails album released since 2008's The Slip, Hesitation Marks brings back the NIN that we all know and love. I don't think it's any secret for how much I love Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor's work, so this album was highly anticipated for me. It is also pretty much a dream come true to be getting to see NIN live, which was the case with seeing them at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.
Nine Inch Nails - Barclays Center; October 14, 2013
First off, I have been waiting many years to see this band live. Trent Reznor is one musician who I highly look up to and find extremely inspirational so again, finally seeing him and NIN live is live a dream come true. Now with this expectations set, they did not disappoint in the slightest; they were fucking amazing.
One thing that really stood out about this show was just how much raw emotion Trent brought to the music. There was just so much energy that was in their performance on stage. I had seen some live videos of the upcoming live release Nine Inch Nails: Tension 2013, and the energy in this performance was so much more than those videos. I in no way mean to knock those recordings, I plan on getting it when it's released, but just to put into perspective just how phenomenal the performance at the Barclays Center was.
Musically everything sounded fantastic, and venue wise compared to where I sat for seeing Atoms for Peace this sound quality was much better. To clarify, for that show I was off to the right in section 209 a few rows from the ceiling basically in front of a speaker, and for this concert I was closer to the center ad lower in section 213. So with this venue it matters where you are for how the overall sound quality will be.
The setlist for the show was as follows: 01. Copy of A | 02. 1,000,000 | 03. Terrible Lie | 04. March of the Pigs | 05. Piggy | 06. All Time Low | 07. Disappointed | 8. Came Back Haunted | 09. Find My Way | 10. The Frail | 11. The Wretched | 12. Satellite | 13. In Two | 14. Survivalism | 15. Running | 16. A Warm Place | 17. Somewhat Damaged | 18. Wish | 19. Burn | 20. The Hand That Feeds | 21. Head Like a Hole
Encore: 22. The Day the World Went Away | 23. Even Deeper | 24. While I'm Still Here | 25. Black Noise | 26. Hurt
Aside from the energy and the music aspect of the performance (both being amazing), the visuals were stunning. Utilizing somewhat of a screen in front of the band for certain lighting effects, as well as the background, it looked fantastic. Over two months later and I'm still giddy from getting to see them live, and just how amazing they where in every aspect of the show. If you can see them live, go immediately, it's something I'll never forget (and hope to experience again).
Hesitation Marks
This album returns to the same feel of NIN as their older albums, but now approaching the music almost as through taking in all that life's brought them so far. It starts off with "The Eater of Dreams", which works as an intro that in a way reminds me of how "Pinion" leads into the EP Broken. The track listing that follows this introduction is; "Copy of A", "Came Back Haunted", "Find My Way", "All Time Low", "Disappointed", "Everything", "Satellite", "Various Methods of Escape", "Running", "I Would for You", "In Two", "While I'm Still Here", and "Black Noise."
The whole album is just really grooving out, and you can tell by the music that Trent is in a lot better place in his life than compared to previous albums. Now while musically that does not necessarily make some better that others, that's up to personal preferences, but it is an interesting observation to make when listening. What I'm really getting at with this is that Hesitation Marks is an enjoyable album that you can easily reply again and again, so with that I highly recommend giving it a listen.
The deluxe edition came with a second disc with the following remixes; "Find My Way" (Oneohtrix Point Never Remix), "All Time Low" (Todd Rundgren Remix), and "While I'm Still Here" (Breyer P-Orridge 'Howler' Remix).
Hesitation Marks was released in four different versions, each with their own unique cover artwork which was done by Russel Mills. The pieces used for the covers consisted of "Cargo In The Blood" for the deluxe CD version, "Time And Again" for the standard CD, "Turn And Burn" for the digital version, and "Other Murmurs" for the vinyl. You can see these, listed (clockwise) as shown below. You can see all four versions of the cover artork along with a description to read from Mills here.
Hesitation Marks does something very unique, and that is how there are two different masters of the album. The standard version which can be heard on all the physical copies and downloaded from iTunes or similar providers, and the audiophile mastered version that is solely from the official NIN site. There is an interesting photo set here on tumblr, which shows the audio spectrum of the "audiophile mastered" version of the album. Now at the moment I have not listened to the files for the audiophile mastered version, but I do hope to change that in the future so that I can fully experience the various aspects of this fantastic album.
Now if you would like to read another point of view regarding the album, I would recommend reading this excellent review done by one of my friends.
September, this month I got to see some of my favorite bands. Now when I say concerts which journey through emotions, I really mean how deeply some of the music performed has connected with me.
Anathema / Alcest - Gramercy Theater; September 14, 2013
When I first heard of this tour, and first heard rumor of this tour, I thought it was just too good to be true. Due to this fantastic line up, the concert was to no surprise, sold out. The opening act for this show was Mamiffer, who were an ambient/drone band that I think set a nice mood up for the rest of the concert to follow.
Mamiffer is actualy comprised of former Isis guitarist Aaron Turner, and his wife Faith Coloccia. Together they had a very interesting sound, between her vocals, bowed guitar, and looping themselves which all blended very nicely.
Their set had each song really flow into the next; 01. Rusal'e | 02. Dead Settlers | 03. Mercy | 04. Austejá
I absolutely love all of Alcest's work, and honestly their albums do not do them justice. Their performance was extremely beautiful and emotional, that while I completely love their albums all of that does not convey over a recording. One thing about Alcest, is that their music has the ability to connect so deeply with ones emotions, and can seriously help in feeling better if you are down.
Neige (Alcest)
Prior to heading to the concert, I was stressed for various reasons, one being someone who I had known passed away and their funeral was that morning. But their music really helped me feel so much better, that even more than any time I've listened to their albums. Hearing them live is just showing that recordings can not do them justice, and what fantastic musicians they are for conveying so much emotion through their music to entirely captive the cramped and sold out audience.
Every aspect of their set held the crowd's full attention, whether it be the earthly more post-rock aspects from songs off Les Voyages de l'Âme, or the heaver parts where you can't help but head-bang along to. Granted with through all of this the crowd was pretty tight, but everyone was chill and just flowed with the music through whichever mood it traveled through. Their set was the following:
Alcest
01. Autre temps | 02. Là où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles | 03. Les Voyages de l'Âme | 04. Opale | 05. Souvenirs d'un autre monde | 06. Beings of Light | 07. Sur l'océan couleur de fer | 08. Percées de Lumière | 09. Summer's Glory | 10. Deliverance
Two of the songs played were from their upcoming album Shelter, which after hearing I even more can not wait for its release. These songs were "Opale" and "Deliverance", which sounded absolutely fantastic. I keep re-watching a video recorded from the concert of "Opale" because it's just so beautiful; hearing those two songs live was a reminder of how much I am anticipating this album and am eager for its release. That song in particular is very warm and uplifting, where it almost transports you to another land (which is not unfamiliar for Alcest's music). Then they closed their set with the other new song, "Deliverance", which was just a nice way to conclude their older material they played with a note to look forward even more for what is to come.
Next Anathema was on, their first time as a whole band in the US in over ten years. Last time they were here, it was as support for Blackfield and only Vincent and Danny Cavanagh playing their songs acoustically. Granted they still had some problems with getting everyone overseas, unfortunately Jamie Cavanagh (bass) and John Douglass (drums) could not make it, so Daniel Cardoso (keyboards) moved on to drums and recommended Tobel Lopes to fill in on bass. All of that being said for what they had to accommodate, they put on a fantastic show.
Now with the [mostly] whole band, they played a lot off of Weather Systems, with a couple older songs as many of the fans in the audience have been waiting for over 10 years to see them live. During the set, they dedicated the song "Dreaming Light"* to both their manager [who was with them] and Steven Wilson for helping them get back on track.
Anathema
On stage the band had a lot of energy, mentioning how they are aware of how long some of the fans had waited to see them live. "I'll never forget this" was said on stage by Danny, and really I don't think anyone in the audience will forget it either. The set they played was the following:
[Intro] | 01. Untouchable, Part 1 | 02. Untouchable, Part 2 | 03. The Gathering of the Clouds | 04. Lightning Song | 05. Thin Air | 06. Dreaming Light | 07. Deep | 08. A Natural Disaster | 09. The Beginning and the End | 10. A Simple Mistake Encore: | 11. Internal Landscapes | 12. Closer | 13. Fragile Dreams | [Outro]
Several of the songs they played featured vocalist Lee Douglas who sounded amazing. Her vocals are very prominent on Weather Systems, and on stage they just come across fantastic with the band.
After the concert, since it was a relatively small venue a bunch of the guys in Anathema and Alcest were downstairs meeting and talking with fans. I still can't believe this happened, by which I mean getting to meet Neige from Alcest. Even though I was kind of [really] awkward, he was just extremely nice and polite, very chill to talk to people.
I also got to meet Vincent and Danny Cavanagh again, which was really cool. Talked to them a little bit, so that was just a nice way to end the concert. Now just to specify, the photo on the right is me with Neige, and happy beyond belief because of it. :)
I have to say this concert, Alcest's performance in particular, was one
of the best concert's I've been to musically and just the emotional
experience that was created with their music.
* If I remember correctly, this was the song that they dedicated to them, and unfortunately I did not catch the name of the manager who was on tour with them.
Atoms for Peace
Atoms for Peace - Barclays Center; September 28, 2013
The live sound of Atoms for Peace is really unique even when compared to their album AMOK. There performance brought in a whole new dimension to their music, and more so to the songs that they played off of Thom Yorke's solo album The Eraser. The opening act for them was James Holden, who performed some really cool electronic music.
Throughout the performance Thom Yorke and Flea were dancing around the whole stage, and you could tell that the entire band just has so much energy that was brought through in the music. Even with having seats way high up (literally a couple rows from the ceiling), I had a great time. Happy to saw I've seen Thom Yorke live twice now, first with Radiohead at the Prudential Center last year, and now with Atoms for Peace.
Here is the set they played, and since I hadn't been looking into what they were playing on tour (I consider that to be a little bit of "spoilers"), I was pleasantly surprised with some of their songs:
01. Before Your Very Eyes... | 02. Default | 03. The Clock | 04. Ingenue | 05. Stuck Together Pieces | 06. Unless | 07. And It Rained All Night | 08. Harrowdown Hill | 09. Dropped | 10. Cymbal Rush
Encore: 11. Skip Divided | 12. Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses | 13. Rabbit in Your Headlights [UNKLE cover] | 14. Paperbag Writer [Radiohead cover] | 15. Amok
Encore 2: 16. Atoms for Peace | 17. Black Swan
Marking the 10 year anniversary of the avant-garde band Kayo Dot, is the release of their seventh studio album Hubardo. If you haven't purchased it yet, do that right now through their bandcamp, which also has three of the songs from the album up to stream. That being said, this album is a massive 100-minute work which words can hardly describe.
I was originally planning on waiting until my deluxe edition arrives, but I figure why wait, and maybe I may encourage someone to go out and order a copy before the physical release of it. The digital download of the album came with high quality images of the artwork which will be featured on the vinyl, as a PDF of the lyrics. If you got this and wanted to burn the loss-less audio files of the album onto CDs, the split would be between tracks 6 and 7 (x).
I should start off by saying that Kayo Dot is on of my favorite bands, so needless to say this album was one of the more anticipated and hyped albums of the year for me. That being said, it did not disappoint my expectations in the slightest.
The album begins with "The Black Stone", which starts off with menacing growled lyrics reminiscent of maudlin of the Well, and minimal accompaniment that gradually builds up. This leads up to the following song, "Crown-In-The-Muck".
"Thief" presents almost a mix of what Kayo Dot has done throughout their discography in a way that blends very nicely together. "Vision Adjustment to Another Wavelength" follows that, continuing with the same intensity. One of my favorite aspects of this song is the descending saxophone line at the beginning, as well as the transition to the slower tempo flute solo over the more minimal percussion.
"Zlida Caosgi (To Water the Earth)" is the following song, continuing more on the intense path. "The First Matter (Saturn in the Guise of Sadness)" starts off a lot more relaxed, and with clean vocals over the synthesizers and guitar/bass line. This is followed by what would be the start of the second half of the album "The Second Operation (Lunar Water)" which continues in the same style. I just completely love the blend of the instruments in this song, especially between the french horn, trumpet, and violin in the introduction. This blending continues into the addition of the vocal parts, which sound fantastic all together. "Floodgate" follows and goes back to focusing more on the intense aspects of their sound.
"And He Built Him a Boat" remains one of my favorite tracks on the album since they first released the stream of it before the actual release date. The combination of the vocal line Toby Driver sings, timbre of the guitar in this song particularity, choir in the background, and the nature of the drumming, it's really captivating. "Passing the River" is a song whose title is true to it's tone, as having a sound you can associate with a river with more calming aspects as well as intense. "The Wait of the World" closes the album with a more jazz-like groove. On
a side note, I wish they had released a score for this album to follow
along with (or for any of their albums really due to the nature of the
band's music).
Hubardo has so much to take in, that still after several listens I know there is still so much more to hear. I think easily this is going to remain one of the top releases of the year, through the overall flow of the album to it's production value and musicianship. With that, I can not wait until the vinyls of this are printed/shipped to hear which I am sure will bring a whole new level to the experience of listening to this album.
Death By Audio, 4/28/12
I had gotten to see them live once last April at Death By Audio in Brooklyn, where they played with Vaura and Dysrhythmia. One thing I have to say about the venue is that inside it's a work of art. Every wall is covered with psychedelic murals, really trippy and I would love to visit there again if they have some band I might recognize.
When I saw them I believe they mostly played songs off of Gamma Knife, since at the time I hadn't heard that album and a lot of the material they played I did not recognize off hand. Unfortunately I have yet to find a set list posted somewhere online to list what they did play.. However as you would expect from Kayo Dot, it sounded fantastic. I really hope to see them live again next time they have a concert in the area that I can make.
If anything can be taken away from this review/writeup, let it be just that it is difficult to describe this album in words. This is a work that can really just be experienced through multiple listening(s), anything else would not do it justice.
Since I haven't been keeping up too much with the every other month uploading various album reviews of what's been released, here are some reviews of a few albums that came out recently.. Now these are brief, but I may expand upon them further later on. I just wanted to get some newer albums somewhat reviewed before I get swamped with class work for the semester.
Black Sabbath - 13
The much anticipated new Black Sabbath album, 13, with most of the original line up; Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Brad Wilk on drums (instead of Bill Ward). This is their first studio album since Forbidden which was released in 1995 (that I personally love and is sadly out of print), but even longer since the last studio album with Ozzy on vocals which was Never Say Die! in 1978.
The album closes with a perfect way of paying homage to the first album Black Sabbath that came out in 1970, ending with the same sort of thunderstorms which opened that album. The whole album really does not disappoint as far as Sabbath goes. If you have not heard it up, embrace your inner metal head (even if you are not one) and pick up a copy. I would also like to add, that from having access to a copy of the deluxe edition (while not mine), it is fantastic between the packaging, vinyl, and other artwork, really an excellent presentation for the music.
Bruce Soord & Jonas Renkse - Wisdom of Crowds
A very interesting collaboration between Bruce Soord (of The Pineapple Thief) and Jonas Renkse (of Katatonia). The music written by Soord specifically with Renkse's voice in mind, brings the electronic alternative rock elements similar to that of The Pineapple Thief to the voice that is known to bring the sorrowful gloom of emotions from Katatonia.
This album is really a lot more than just that though, since it differs so much from each musicians main bands. The sound that they bring to this album is really unique, and even if you are unfailiar with either of their main band, I would just recommend picking this up and giving it a listen.
TesseracT - Altered State
The second album from them, now having a new vocalist Ashe O’Hara, who for the album does entirely clean vocals. On their previous album One, there was a mix of both clean and harsh vocals which blended nicely with their sound, but while still maintaining that they continue on with solely clean. It proves to be a solid follow up to their first release, so if you were into their sound before I would recommend continuing to follow them with their new singer
There are obviously many other fantastic albums that have came out so far this year that I have not reviewed, but I may do more reviews of those later on, or save such reviews for when I do my top 10 albums of 2013. I've already started listing the new albums I have listened to so far this year, and noting the ones that have really stood out to me. Although I do expect to do many more of certain upcoming albums at least, especially those which are for me at least, highly anticipated (and since listening to some of them they do not disappoint in the slightest).
Also, expect to see a few more concert reviews at the end of the month because I am seeing some amazing bands that I can not wait for (same for October, as well as another voyage to the New York Comic Con). Possibly also a post on some of my vinyl collection and my parents collection from the 70's, but that would probably wait until after the album/concert write ups due to time constraints of the semester.
This summer I got to see quite a few concerts; Tomahawk, Rush, Yes, Wintersun, and some rather cool local bands. All these concerts being on top of my own I got to perform in due to being in my town's community band, so quite a musical summer.
This was the first time I got to see any of Mike Patton's projects live, and it was just fantastic. The opening act was Buke and Gase, who played their custom hybrid instruments. They had a really unique sound, and the whole crowd seemed to really enjoy hearing them perform.
01. Houdini Crush | 02. Hiccup | 03. Your Face Left Before You | 04. Misshaping Introduction | 05. My Best Andre Shot | 06. Fussrate | 07. Split Like a Lip, No Blood on the Beard | 08. Sleep Gets Your Ghost | 09. Cyclopean | 10. Tending the Talk
As would be expected, when Tomahawk went on they sounded fantastic. As part of their Oddfellows tour, they played a decent amount off the album, but also having a good amount of songs varying from their other albums as well.
01. Mayday | 02. Flashback | 03. Oddfellows | 04. 101 North | 05. Stone Letter | 06. Birdsong | 07. Rape This Day | 08. Capt. Midnight | 09. I.O.U. | 10. White Hats / Black Hats | 11. God Hates a Coward | 12. South Paw | 13. Point and Click | 14. Rotgut | 15. Laredo Encore: 16. Totem | 17. Just One More (George Jones cover) Encore 2: 18. How Low Can a Punk Get (Bad Brains cover)
Tomahawk @ Best Buy Theater, 6/2/13
Rush - Jones Beach; June 23, 2013
This
was my first time getting to see Rush live, as part of their Clockwork
Angels Tour, and wow they were amazing. They played for three hours,
split between two sets and an encore. For the second set they played
most of Clockwork Angels with an additional 8-piece string ensemble performing with them.
Rush @ Jones Beach, 6/23/13
Their whole set sounded fantastic, with a wide range of songs from
throughout their discography. The addition of the string ensemble really
added a fantastic new element to the sound of their songs. I really
just loved the whole thing, and hope to see them live again in the
future.
Set
1: 01. Subdivisions | 02. The Big Money | 03. Force Ten | 04. Grand
Designs | 05. Middletown Dreams | 06. Territories | 07. The Analog Kid |
08. The Pass | 09. Where's My Thing? (including drum solo) | 10. Far
Cry Set 2 (with Clockwork Angels String
Ensemble): 11. Caravan | 12. Clockwork Angels | 13. The Anarchist | 14.
Carnies | 15. The Wreckers | 16. Headlong Flight (including drum solo) |
17. Halo Effect (guitar solo intro) | 18. Wish Them Well | 19. The
Garden | 20. Dreamline | 21. Drum Solo (The Percussor) | 22. Red Sector A
| 23. YYZ (exit Clockwork Angels String Ensemble) | 24. The Spirit of
Radio Encore: 25. Tom Sawyer | 26. 2112 Part I: Overture | 27. 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx | 28. 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale
One last thing I forgot to mention, as the nature of the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach being outside, and the timing of this concert, we pretty much had a perfect view of the "super moon" that was taking place. Granted there where times when the clouds would block it, but for the most part could see it above the stage set up where Rush was playing. Just something neat that added to the whole experience of the concert.
Yes - NYCB Theatre at Westbury; July 31, 2013
For this show, Yes performed
three of their albums each in their entirety which were Close To the Edge, Going For The One, and The Yes Album.
The nature of the venue I saw them in is that it is relatively small,
with a circular stage in the center and seats surrounding that. Now this
stage can spin, which it did while Yes performed, so that way as the
show went on they would be facing each part of the audience.
After
the show we stuck around a little bit, my mom wanted to
see if there was any chance in getting her programs from the 70's
signed,
and after a bit of waiting that happened! So she got Steve Howe and
Alan White to sign her
programs, since she had seen them back in '74 and '76. We also met Jon
Davison, and all three of them had signed our tickets as well. So on top
of seeing a great concert, getting to meet some of the guys in the band
was an added bonus.
Wintersun - Irving Plaza; August 8, 2013
Now
while formed in 2004 instead of as earlier as the other bands I'll talk
about here, still considered by many including myself legends.
Wintersun performed at Irving Plaza on their first US headlining tour
with Starkill, Arsis, and Fleshgod Apocalypse. Unfortunately due to
running late and missing the train, by the time my brother and I arrived
at the venue we had just missed both Starkill and Arsis.
We did get to
hear Fleshgod Apocalypse and they put on a really good show. A nice blend of heavy technical death metal, symphonic metal, and don't forget some operatic singing incorporated with the harsh vocals. Naturally I ended
up picking up a copy of their album Labyrinth which also sounds fantastic.
Their set was the following: 01. Temptation | 02. The Hypocrisy | 03. Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon) | 04. The Deceit | 05. The Violation | 06. Elegy | 07. The Egoism | 08. The Forsaking
After the concert I was made aware that apparently the concert I had seen was a sold out show. They deserve it, Wintersun and Fleshgod Apocalypse (I'm sure the same applies to the first two bands) each put on a killer set. Hopefully this will mean they might extend the tour with more dates. *crosses fingers*
01.
When Time Fades Away | 02. Sons of Winter and Stars | 03. Land of Snow
and Sorrow | 04. Beautiful Death | 05. Darkness and Frost | 06. Time |
07. Death and the Healing | 08. Battle Against Time | 09. Beyond the
Dark Sun | 10. The Way of the Fire | 11. Starchild
Have to say that seeing Wintersun live completely blew me away. I had been familiar with both their albums for a while and just experiencing it live was a whole different thing. On top of sounding fantastic musically, the whole bad just has a ton of energy on stage which just goes to the crowd. Everyone in the venue was just so into their songs, and there were points where the crowd was singing louder than Jari. Their performance was really just such a great experience to be in from all ways of looking at it.
One treat of the evenings performance was getting to hear a song off of the upcoming album Time II, "The Way of the Fire". From hearing this, needless to say I can't wait to hear the whole album. Wintersun also had played through all of Time I throughout the concert, as well as some songs from their first album. Now I just have to say, if you see Wintersun is having a concert in your area, I would highly recommend going as you will not be disappointed in the slightest amount.
Optic @ Even Flow, 8/17/13
Even Flow Bar & Grill; August 17, 2013
Out in Bay Shore aw a really cool show of some local bands; Harmonic Dissonance, SarGasm, Optic, and Two Cent Sam. I have seen SarGasm once before, and Optic multiple times previous so as expected they sounded great. SarGasm did some cover songs and I think some originals, and Optic performed some songs from their upcoming full length album Iris In. Harmonic Dissonance I had been meaning to see for a while, and they also put on a great performance so I'll try to see them again at some point. Now so far each of the bands that performed were metal in one way or another, and the last band Two Cent Sam was no (maybe more on the indie side), but they sounded great as well. I didn't end up staying for their whole set since I was sick and at that point in the night not feeling too well and needed to head home, but I heard most of it and they did a good job.
Sigur Rós have returned with a world tour and a new, darker and more aggressive sound, and I loved every moment of it. This having been my first time seeing them live, it was an amazing experience I don't think I'll forget.
Madison Square Garden, March 25 2013
Noted by the band to be the biggest show of their career so far (in the U.S.), given to the very lucky audience who attended the sold out show. I've read a couple posts on the concert saying how their performance really made the garden feel like an intimate venue, and I have to say that really captures the atmosphere Sigur Rós created. Watching and listening to them perform, it didn't feel like you where in a massive 20,000 capacity venue, instead feeling like you where just close by. It really was an amazing experience, both musically and visually.
The opening act was Tim Hecker, who provided a nice ambient/drone sound from behind the curtain Sigur Rós had set up. This sort of opening act reminded me of when I saw Steven Wilson on his Grace for Drowning tour at the Best Buy Theater when he had Bass Communion playing beforehand, to give an idea of how it was. Personally I thought his music worked great to listen to before Sigur Rós went on.
Now if you had ordered tickets for this tour, you would have received a free download of the Brennisteinn EP which included the songs "Brennisteinn", "Hryggjarsúla", and "Ofbirta". This gives a little insight into some of the new sound they are going towards, and who doesn't just want more music from this lovely band?
Once Sigur Rós started, their entire set was beyond amazing. Between the music, the visuals, and the overall atmosphere in the venue that they created, it was such an amazing experience. They started of the show with a curtain up surrounding the stage, which everyone was behind, that they projected images on and used the lighting inside to create other visual effects. There would be points where they used the inside light to make Jónsi appear to grow to great heights, to then back to normal. The same for how the light was angled on the other musicians inside.
In addition to the main band of Jónsi, Georg, and Orri, there was also some string, brass players, and an additional percussionist along with them. From what I could see, there were the three string players, a trombonist, french horn, and trumpet, all of which also doubled on backing vocals when needed. Even in the size of the garden with the band, you could hear them so clearly, and it really added to the whole atmosphere they had going.
Every moment of the concert I was just in awe of the music that was being played, I can not get over how fantastic of a live experience they were. It is no surprise that they sold out the Garden.
Every song they performed was with so much emotion, and just listening to them where their set to me was just perfect. The videos they used with each song, either projected behind them or on the curtain in front of them before it dropped, was stunning and matched exactly.
They closed with one of my favorite songs, "Popplagið" which is just such an emotion experience on album, hearing it live is a whole different and amazing experience. If you ever get the chance to see them live, I would highly recommend it, as I really hope to see them live again one day.
Kveikur
This album overall for me is one of their releases that is more notable, and up there with some of my other favorites from them such as Takk.. and ( ). They have described it as being "more aggressive" than their previous releases, and it is but still maintaining their core distinctive sound. Already I am thinking how I would not be surprised at all if this ends up being one of my favorite albums this year.
The album opens with the powerful, memorable, and beautiful song, "Brennisteinn". This is followed by "Hrafntinna" which continues with the really interesting percussion and also now starting to have more presence of the brass with the lovely ending at the end.
"Ísjaki" was the second song released from the album, and is the song that has Sigur Rós' first lyric video. I think this song is really upbeat, and just really fun to listen and jam out to. "Yfirborð" follows that, which starts out with a sound more reminiscent of their previous work, It then picks up a bit and keeps alternating.
"Stormur" is follows that, and then the title track "Kveikur". This song is more similar to the aggressive aspects of the first track "Brennisteinn", with Jónsi's falsetto vocals over the distorted guitar, bass and percussion elements.
"Rafstraumur" is another really great song off the album that is just really enjoyable to listen to, which is then followed by "Bláþráður". The album closes with "Var", which again goes back to the earlier sounds of Sigur Rós' previous works, with a beautiful and ambient sound with some piano being played over.
Here we have the albums I heard from January's and February's releases, and my reviews of them. Now as far as other releases that I am aware of, I still need to listen to Coheed and Cambria's The Afterman: Descension and write about Tomahawk's Oddfellows with how their concert was. Of course there is also the new Riverside album Shrine of New Generation Slaves released, but that got it's own post for a review which can be read here, and the review on Steven Wilson's The Raven that Refused to Singhere. I had intended to originally get this sooner, like a few months ago, but procrastination(/classes) got the better of me.
Atoms for Peace - AMOK
Super-group from Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, and Mauro Refosco give a fantastic electronic album in the nature of Yorke's solo album The Eraser, but honestly in my opinion even surpassing. Before the album was officially released, it was made available for a time to stream in its entirety on the band's official website. Wile it appears to not be up for streaming any more, you can navigate through the site to gain access to a free download of the "Default" b-side "What The Eyeballs Did".
After I first listened to this album from the stream, I immediately had to pre-order a copy of it. The whole flow of this album is fantastic, where I find part of myself wanting to dance to it (in the same sort of way Thom Yorke dances of course; see the video for "Lotus Flower" or any live video for "Idioteque").
"Before Your Very Eyes.." starts off the album with it's electronic sound that will continue on throughout the following songs.
"Default" has a rather distinct groove and "Ingenue" (with a video as seen on the right, also has a dancing Thom), where both released as singles to the album, and are good examples of the sort of sound to expect. These are then followed by the song "Dropped".
"Unless" is next, which is also one of my favorite tracks off the album.
Following that "Stuck Together Pieces", "Judge, Jury and Executioner", "Reverse Running", and the title track "Amok" continue the remainder of the album. All of these combined add up to a really fantastic album, and one that can be listened to again and again with still finding a bunch of new stuff (though what else is expected from Thom Yorke). So, I really love the album and can not wait to see them perform live in the fall.
Cult of Luna - Vertikal
Their first album since 2008, Cult of Luna return with a concept album bringing forth some of the themes presented Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis (x). With Vertikal, they bring their notable post-metal soundscapes to listen to while also adding some unexpected elements that work well none the less.
"The One" introduces the album in a calm way, and leads into the following song "I: The Weapon".
The massive "Vicarious Redemption", with a run-time of 18:51 is like the centerpiece for the album. It has a gradual buildup throughout the whole song, that once it reaches the climax of it all it's really a fantastic experience.
"The Sweep", "Synchronicity", "Disharmonia", "Mute Departure", and "In Awe Of" all continue with the powerful and intense, yet still I find emotional atmosphere they have created.
The album closes with "Passing Through", which is my favorite song from the album. While this song is not as heavy as the rest of the album, it is a perfect way to close it. It's really emotional, adding a really solemn quality to the album as a whole.
For the limited edition of the album there was bonus track, "The Flow Reversed". Overall Vertikal is a dark album, but that is to be expected, and it's presented as such in a way that Cult of Luna pulls off great. This album is another example of one that the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me, it is really a fantastic work.
All in all, both of these albums are really fantastic and continue to grow on me with each listen. I would highly recommend listening to them both, as you really would be missing out on some amazing music if you don't.
On Saturday May 11th, Ghost performed at Webster Hall in NYC as part of their Haze Over North America tour for their album Infestissumam, with Ides of Gemini opening.
As Ghost was coming on stage, they had Jocelyn Pook's "Masked Ball" playing. Hearing that really set the mood for the whole theatrical nature Ghost has, with the fog and church-like stained glass imagery at the back of the stage.
While their set was a little short compared to other concerts, maybe about average for some, it was fantastic non the less. As expected from the band, Papa Emeritus II was in full robe (with mask/facepaint, pope hat, and everything), and the Nameless Ghouls in their black hooded garb all added to the atmosphere they are known for that just amplifies with their music.
01. Infestissumam | 02. Per Aspera ad Inferi | 03. Con Clavi Con Dio | 04. Prime Mover | 05. Elizabeth | 06. Secular Haze | 07. Body and Blood | 08. Stand by Him | 09. Death Knell | 10. Satan Prayer | 11. Genesis | 12. Year Zero | 13. Ritual | Encore: 14. Monstrance Clock
With their performance, they sound fantastic. It's one thing to listen to Ghost from their albums, and another to experience their music in their church like setting. Basically everyone in the venue was fully into the mood Ghost created, and especially so when Papa Emeritus would leave it to the crowd to sing parts of the chorus to various songs. Now of course whenever Papa Emeritus II talks to the crowd, he is in full character (Vatican-like accent and everything), and going along with the bands continuity of how he is not the same as the front-man who played with Ghost in The Studio at Webster Hall two years ago. All in all, it was a fantastic concert experience musically and the satanic atmosphere the wonderful Ghost created.
Ghost - Infestissumam
With this album, Ghost have
slightly changed their name as far as the US is concerned due to legal
reasons, to now be 'Ghost B.C.'. Infestissumam (which is Latin for 'hostile') picks up where their previous album Opus Eponymous
leaves off, which is with the birth of the antichrist. In January the
single "Secular Haze" included the b-side of an ABBA cover "I'm A
Marionette" featuring Dave Grohl on drums (which is also featured on the deluxe edition of the album).
Now this album unfortunately did suffer some censorship as far as it's American CD release, that being with the inside artwork. Even with the deluxe editions*, for whatever reason the CD manufacturers refused to print it (although someone was kind enough to upload all of the fantastic art here). I have read that the vinyl editions of the album suffered no such censorship, so I think I will have to purchase for myself that edition at some point to have as well as the CD.
They are as blasphemous as ever, and I think even surpassing Opus Eponymous with this fantastic album. The album flows from song to song really nicely, and like their previous release is filled with memorable and catchy songs. Overall it is a really enjoyable album, I would highly recommend for people to check out especially if you are unfamiliar with Ghost.
* Can someone verify.. I myself only own the deluxe CD edition which seems to have the artwork from that tumblr post, and have not yet seen the vinyl so maybe this is one thing that varies by the edition?
Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing (and other stories)
First
off, the more time I listen to this album the more it grows on me where
I am really loving it. It is the third solo album from Steven Wilson,
and his first release of 2013, and like many of his projects this had
many versions to choose from. One I have access to (while sadly not
mine, I have the CD/DVD version), is the 4 disc deluxe edition which
includes a 128 page book with lyrics and the ghost stories in which the
album is based upon. The artwork for this album was done by Hajo
Mueller, but included on the blu-ray and DVD is a studio documentary by
long collaborating artist to Wilson, Lasse Hoile.
Following the Grace For Drowning Tour, Wilson used the same band he got together of technical musicians for TRTRTS.
That band consisted of Nick Beggs, Guthrie Govan, Adam Holzman, Marco
Minnemann, and Theo Travis. Getting together such technical musicians
allows for complicated parts, that just listening to you can tell they
where just enjoyable parts to play. In addition to how each part layers
with each other, the individual parts themselves are just really
intriguing. The concept behind the album, is that the songs are based
upon various ghost stories. There is a track-by-track interview with
Steven Wilson on the concept and stories behind each song off the album
on musicradar to read.
Unlike
Wilson's other albums, this was recorded live in the studio with him
just adding the vocals later on. This would really explain how the songs
just flow really well, and sound more natural. Now this album does have
a 70's prog vibe (which I think sounds great and done in such a way
that works great though I know some people weren't wanting to hear
that), but even if that's not your thing you can't deny the musicianship
presented in this album.
"Luminol"
opens the album, and has sections that really are just like a complete
prog jam. It was first released to listen to in September on the live
album Get All You Deserve. "Drive Home" for me, gives off a
Blackfield vibe for most of the song up until Govan's solo (though for
me that's not a problem, just an observation).
"The Holy Drinker" is one of the songs that really stand out for me on the album. It has a great flow and just is fantastic, absolutely love it. "The Pin Drop" is another rather enjoyable song that nicely follows with the flow of the album.
"The Watchmaker" starts out with an intro of just Steven singing over an arpeggiated guitar, that then goes to a lovely flute solo, and then adding in the piano and guitar. Then after that it goes into a more progy section, with melotron and everything. Now the final track, "The Raven That Refused To Sing", is really just beautiful.
One thing overall I really like that was done throughout the album, was the combination of the saxophone and the guitar. Those two instruments created a really great blend when they were playing together, that created a really cool texture for whenever that was used. Raven has really grown on me a lot since I fist listened to it, while I still think out of Wilson's solo albums Grace for Drowning is my favorite, this is really up there with it. The most I listen to it, the more I hear things I hadn't on a prior listen, which really adds to the whole experience of the album for me.
The
second disc of the deluxe edition consists of demos for the album, as
well as one 'unused idea', "Clock Song". The DVD consists of the 5.1 mix
of the album, with the blu-ray of the instrumental and one 'lounge
version' of a song. The overall packaging of the album, similar to
previous Wilson deluxe editions, is massive. Though the whole
presentation of the album together is really a great piece of work;
music, artwork, stories, and all.
Since I waited forever
to actually post this, I may as well also mention the Record Store Day
release that a certain S. Wilson had. That being, the "Luminol" and
"Watchmaker" demos on a 12" picture disc vinyl. Now these demos are on the second disc of the deluxe edition, but getting to hear them from the vinyl is just fantastic. I do have to mention, the picture I have up of the record my special copy that I will cherish forever.
That is because while I couldn't make Wilson's latest concert at the
Best Buy Theater on 4/26, my family went and ended up meeting him. Since
it was my birthday recently they asked him to sign "happy birthday" to
me, and also got Nick Beggs, Theo Travis, and Guthrie Govan to sign it. I
can't express just how much I appreciate and love this, and how amazing
those guys are for doing that.
If
you had gotten the deluxe edition it would have been well worth your
money, and really any version of this album is. I would also highly
recommend if you can get your hands on a copy of
the March issue of Prog Magazine, to read the article in there on the
album. It is really interesting to read what Steven's influences for the
album where, how he went about recording it, the art direction, and
just in general. A great read, plus there are also some other cool
articles in there like one on Riverside (and more).
Prog Magazine, March 2013
Now I was originally going to post this with some other
reviews of albums that came out in January/February, but since that is
still not finished (apologies for procrastination) and this being a lot
longer, I figured may as well give it it's own post. So hopefully soon
the other reviews on AMOK, Vertikal, and Oddfellows will be up shortly! There will also be some other albums that have been released since (and concerts) to write about, many of which I meant to do months ago.
The as always fantastic Polish prog band Riverside recently released their fifth studio album Shrine of New Generation Slaves. The artwork for this album, as with all their previous albums, was done by Travis Smith. For anyone who may have been slightly disappointed in their last album Anno Domini High Definition, this completely blows that out of the water.* With each listen to S.O.N.G.S. it grows on me, and I love it even more. I wouldn't be surprised if this remains one of my favorite albums of 2013.
*I enjoyed their last album, but I have read that there were a decent amount of people who were disappointed when comparing it to the Reality Dream Trilogy that was their first three albums (Out of Myself, Second Life Syndrome, and Rapid Eye Movement). Yes that is a tough thing to follow, but Anno Domini High Definition is still a really good album. Riverside can do no wrong for me. /rant
The album consists of eight tracks; "New Generation Slave", "The Depth of Self-Delusion", "Celebrity Touch", "We Got Used to Us", "Feel Like Falling", "Deprived (Irretrievably Lost Imagination)", "Escalator Shrine", and "Coda". Also included on the two disc and vinyl editions were "Night Sessions" parts one and two. From this there has been one single off of the album, "Celebrity Touch" (seen below at the bottom of the review), which the video was directed by Mateusz Winkiel.
As far as the whole concept of the album, Mariusz Duda describes that as follows (x);
The
lyrics on the new album deal with different situations we face in our
modern times and how we sometimes become enslaved by them and by the
style of life they dictate. For instance, we are dominated and
bombarded by increasingly stupefying media. The media, in turn, is
dominated by more and more people who are known for their well-knownness
- Celebrities, the modern representatives of a need
which lies deep within us all and is rarely satisfied - the feeling of
importance. This feeling, and some of the dilemmas and complications
connected with it, is the subject of our newest single - "Celebrity
Touch". Musically, we still try to extend the bridge to connect the new
music to the old. In this track I think we achieved some kind of
original mixture and I hope you will enjoy this piece of new album.
Now this makes me want to draw similarities between S.O.N.G.S. and Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet and Nill Recurring as far as lyrical themes, but musically they are completely different (both absolutely fantastic none the less though).
The first song that starts off the album is "New Generation Slave" bringing to the listener some of the themes that will be presented throughout the album. The lyric "The truth is, I am a free man, / but I can't enjoy my life" really goes with the concept of how the current generation is so dependent on social media outlets that while they're free they can not really enjoy the life that they could be having out in the 'real world'.
"The Depth of Self-Delusion" reminds me most of the Reality Dream Trilogy era, both lyrically and the construction of the song. This is one of my favorite songs off the album, just the atmosphere and combining of all the parts to this song with the lyrics are just beautiful. "I could be foreign forever / To your otherland / I could be foreign forevermore / To your promiseland"
"Celebrity Touch" is probably one of the 'heavier' songs on the album, that has a memorable riff in both the bass and guitar. It is really nice, and a solid song for a single filled with the elements that allow the listener to loose themselves in the music.
"We Got Used to Us" is another one of my favorites off of the album, between the lyrics, instrumentation, and the overall mood of the song it just really gets to me every time I listen to it. The repeated chorus that to me connects with how easily people can fall into a life style that they may not light but can't seem to get themselves out of. But with the final lyric "So walk away with me" giving a hope to get out of this cycle of a life.
I know we got used to new us,
and I don't want to be there
I don't want to be there where we are
I know we got used to new life,
and I don't want to be there
No, I don't want to be there where we are
"Feel Like Falling" has a similar sound to "Celebrity Touch" and what was on Anno Domini High Definition, but definitely in a way which has grown and developed since that album. "Deprived" features a soprano sax solo by Marcin Odyniec which really adds a nice jazz element on top of the groove of the song. This song also has Mariusz Duda singing in falsetto which is a nice change as he does does not often do that within Riverside (or what I have heard of Lunatic Soul's albums and his guest vocals in Indukti's S.U.S.A.R.).
"Escalator Shrine" is the longest song on the album (with a time of 12:41), and you can hear how it draws influence from many other prog bands while still maintaining the tone of the album and Riverside's core sound. "Coda" is a simple but excellent way to end the album and all that's happened within it. It leaves Shrine of New Generation Slaves to end with the lyric "I won't collapse / I am set to rise".
"Night Sessions (Part One)" takes on more of an electronic feel than some of Riverside's other songs, in a way which creates an interesting atmosphere one can just relax to. "Night Sessions (Part Two)" features Marcin Odyniec once again, but this time on alto sax. Bringing back the jazz elements with his solo that work so well when combined with Riverside's sound. This song does include some vocals,
but they are without lyrics focusing more on using the voice as another
texture in the sound. Once again creating a wonderful atmosphere to just listen to, reminding me more of Lunatic Soul than Riverside, but still proving to be an excellent addition to go along with S.O.N.G.S.. Overall this was an excellent album, and I hope to be able to see them live on their mini North American tour.
For music, 2012 was a very good year for new albums, releases, and live albums. This makes picking only ten albums difficult, and a bit more so in making the order of them up to what I think of as the best of the past year. No matter whose list you look at for 2012, they're all going to be different since there was just so much good music released (like I feel depending on the day my order here could change), which is just fantastic! Well, here we go.. 10. Baroness - Yellow and Green
The third release from Baroness, which is presented as a double album of the first disc Yellow and the second Green. Between the two parts of the album Yellow for me is a bit stronger than Green, but that doesn't mean Green still doesn't sound fantastic and great. They go absolutely excellent together (and stand alone), just overall Yellow has more to it.
Each part to this double album is filled with memorable songs
The first half of the album was "Yellow Theme", "Take My Bones Away", "March to the Sea", "Little Things", "Twinkler", "Cocainium", "Back Where I Belong", "Sea Lungs", and "Eula". Now for the second part was "Green Theme", "Board Up the House", "Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor)", "Foolsong", "Collapse", "Psalms Alive", "Stretchmarker", "The Line Between", and "If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry".
9. Alcest -Les Voyages de l'Âme
The third full length album from French shoegaze post-rock/metal band Alcest whose consists only of Neige and Winterhalter for studio recordings. There is just something about Alcest that makes me think of a fantasy world filled with creatures like elves and faries, all within an intricate forest. Les Voyages de l'Âme, or "The Soul's Journeys"
The songs of this album are "Autre Temps", "Là où Naissent les Couleurs Nouvelles", "Les Voyages de l'Âme",
"Nous Sommes l'Émeraude", "Beings of Light",
"Faiseurs de Mondes",
"Havens", and "Summer's Glory".
8. Diablo Swing Orchestra -Pandora’s Piñata
The third album from Swedish avant-garde symphonic progressive swing metal band D.S.O.This album really explores a variety of styles, but I think it's their strongest album (even with how fantastic their last album Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious was).
With going through all the different styles presented in this album, it still flows very coherently. This album also really displays the quality of musicianship for the members for being able to successfully pull all of that off. The songs range from swing, funk, opera, electronic, metal, and a lot in between. Now you may think how can this album possibly flow with all that jumping around between genres, well they found a way to really have it work.
Take the song "Aurora", this has to be the least likely song to hear from a metal band. The orchestration, the vocals, almost everything about this, it's the type of song that you would picture in an opera. The remaining tracks on the album are "Voodoo Mon Amour", "Guerrilla Laments", "Kevlar Sweethearts", "How to Organize a Lynch Mob", "Black Box Messiah", "Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball", "Mass Rapture", "Honey Trap Aftermath", "Of Kali ma Calibre", and
"Justice for Saint Mary".
7. Ne Obliviscars - Portal of I
The
first full length album from this Australian metal band, really is a
great debut album which makes me eager to hear what this band will have
for later releases.
This album consists of of the songs
"Tapestry Of The Starless Abstract", "Xenoflux", "Of The Leper
Butterflies", "Forgot Not", "And Plague Flowers The Kaleido", "As
Icicles Fall", and "Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise".
6. Hypno5e - Acid Mist Tomorrow
If you're familiar with Hypno5e, then you have an idea of the atmosphere presented within their music. Acid Mist Tomorrow takes some of that feeling from their previous album Des Deux L'unes Est L'autre and really takes it a lot further.
This
band I think is highly underrated in general, they combine ambient with
experimental metal in just a fantastic way with both of their
albums.When I had first heard Des Deux L'unes Est L'autre I wasn't sure how they would top such a great debut album, but they managed to and then some with Acid Mist Tomorrow.
Without
dividing the songs into parts as is done with the track listing, this
album consists of "Acid Mist Tomorrow", "Six Fingers In One Hand She
Holds The Dawn", "Story Of The Eye", "Gehenne", and "Brume Unique
Obscurité".
5. BTBAM - The Parallax Now before I talk about The Parallax II: Future Sequence, I think it is only fitting to first discuss the previous release The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues.The two most recent releases from progressive death metal band Between the Buried and Me are both part of a two part concept album suite, which include it is most appropriate to listen to together. As to expect from these two releases, there is a high level of technicality, layering of multiple parts that are not typically seen in the "popular" music scene (I say that for in general).
First, Hypersleep Dialogues.This EP starts out with a dramatic opening of piano, brass, and pizzicato strings, followed by a suspended dissonance to introduce what is to follow. This is then followed by the standard instrumentation known for BTBAM, with Tommy's harsh vocals on top of it all. The whole thing consists of three tracks, "Specular Reflection", "Augment of Rebirth", and "Lunar Wilderness".
Of course some of the initial themes introduced in the orchestral opening are brought back within a different instrumentation, in order to bring a different tone to the original idea and to expand upon it. The three songs work with the detailed parts to also later on reference past aspects of the different sections presented. The same is done with Future Sequence, which also brings in some elements from the EP. Now the lyrics of this release set up the character development and concept of what appears to be a minds journey through space.
ForFuture Sequence is now taking the concept of bringing back ideas in a new way. The song "Extremophile Elite" takes part of on of the concepts in "Specular Reflection", but now has it with different lyrics and a slightly different voicing. Now I've read that some people were disappointed with this record, but for myself I loved it. Give it a listen after Hypersleep Dialogues to decide if this is for you, since I have also seen people list this as one of their favorite releases of the year.
Overall this second part consists of the songs "Goodbye to Everything", "Astral Body", "Lay Your Ghost to Rest", "Autumn", "Extremophile Elite", "Parallax", "The Black Box", "Telos", "Bloom", "Melting City", "Silent Flight Parliament", and "Goodbye to Everything Reprise".
4. Rush - Clockwork Angels The nineteenth album from Canadian prog rock superstars, which won the Album of the Year at the 2012 Prog Awards (that took place in September).
The songs on the album are "Caravan", "BU2B",
"Clockwork Angels",
"The Anarchist",
"Carnies",
"Halo Effect",
"Seven Cities of Gold",
"The Wreckers", "Headlong Flight", "BU2B2", "Wish Them Well", and
"The Garden".
In a young man’s quest to follow his dreams, he is caught between the
grandiose forces of order and chaos. He travels across a lavish and
colorful world of steampunk and alchemy with lost cities, pirates,
anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes
precision on every aspect of daily life.
There was also a book released to accompany and expand upon the story told in the album, which was also titled Clockwork Angels. This sci-fi novel was written by Kevin J. Anderson, and while I have not read it yet myself I do plan on changing that.
3.Katatonia - Dead End Kings
In their ninth studio album, Katatonia has just as much doom, gloom, and
melancholy as ever, and really diving into the core of their sound.
Though also continuing with a more progressive sound as seen in their
previous album Night Is The New Day.
"Dead End Kings is about the corridors of our mind from where there is no return. Be a king or queen in your own right in these hallways, even at the dead end. Carry your burden with pride. That’s what we are doing, twenty years and counting. Kings, because we believe in what we are creating, in our own disturbing faith." ~ Jonas Renkse
This album I just love, and every song just flows so smoothly together really creating a solid atmosphere for the album. The special edition of Dead End Kings came with two bonus tracks; "Second" and "The Act of Darkening". These two tracks really are strong enough to have been on the album, but even without them the whole work is still wonderful.
The songs "The Parting", "The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here", "Hypnone", "The Racing Heart", "Buildings", "Leech", "Ambitions", "Undo You", "Lethean", "First Prayer", and "Dead Letters".
The album was reviewed by Danny Cavanagh of Anathema in an issue of Metal Hammer (x):
Certain bands, have just got 'it'. It is sometimes difficult to identify just what 'it' is; it's too deep to be called musical quality, and too abstract to be simply put down to good songwriting. It's timeless, and it's not to be either labeled or conceptualized. It's something magical, natural.. like the depth of love, and loss, like the feeling you can't describe - something intangible and beautiful that hangs on the music like an invisible, ethereal perfume. Whatever 'it' is, it's a sure sign of greatness, in any art form, and with Dead End Kings, Katatonia have proved again that they've got it. And they have got it in fucking spades.
2. Anathema - Weather Systems
The perfect soundtrack for an oncoming storm, which brings the listener through nothing less than an emotional journey. This is the ninth album from Anathema, and I really think their strongest one yet. Each song is filled with emotion, as you can expect from them, but such that can just overtake whomever is listening.
This album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2012 Prog Awards, which while they were beat by Rush, Anathema did however win the award for the best Live Event. I've only seen them live once, in 2011 when it was just Vincent and Danny playing acoustically to open for Blackfield, but just that they put their set together like that after the rest of the band not being able to make it over to the U.S. really says something about their musicianship. Plus they put on such a fantastic performance, they are a band whom I need to see (in full) at some point in my life at least once more.
There's feeling that I can't describe,
a reason that I cannot hide.
I've never seen a light that's so bright,
the light that shines behind your eyes.
I can see this life and what you mean to me
and when I dreamed, I dreamed of you.
Then I wake, tell me what I do.
Songs such as "The Gathering of the Clouds", exhibit several vocal parts layering on top of each other creating a really great blend over the other instruments. Even with how the album opens, with the two part "Untouchable"
The remaining songs on the album are "Lightning Song", "Sunlight", "The Storm Before the Calm", "The Beginning and the End", "The Lost Child", and "Internal Landscapes".
1. Wintersun - Time I
The second album from the Finish folk metal band, brings the first part in an epic tale. Each song on this album is memorable and adds to this journey they are presenting. The music of the whole thing really fits wonderfully with the lyrics (a lot of which I think are just beautiful).
The release of this album suffered many delays, as their first (self-titled) album came out in 2004.
The whole album is five tracks; "When Time Fades Away", "Sons of Winter and Stars", "Land of Snow and Sorrow", "Darkness and Frost", and "Time". Each of these songs just flow from one to the other, where you just don't want the album to end (which is where Time II will come in hopefully this year).
Time will go on and we are drifting away in the night.
I've been searching so long, but I will find you even if it takes my whole life.
But tonight I feel so alone and I know that you are forever gone.
Oh time, don't fade away when I need you here, oh please don't leave me now.
In an interview on Noisecreep, bassist Jukka Koskinen said about their overall sound; "The Wintersun sound is like a movie soundtrack but no one has taken to
the level we have. We have a softer side, a very progressive side, and a
very brutal side to what we do." With how Time I is set up and orchestrated, I really have to agree with this since it really describes it well. There is a certain epic-ness to their sound, but presented in a way that's not 'over the top', but instead just the right way.
Picking only ten albums from this year was difficult, as there was just a vast amount of great music released this past year. The other albums I have listened to from 2012 are as follows, and really the majority of these I would highly recommend listening to anyway. There are a few in here I have not gotten to listen to as much due to just either not having the chance or giving them their first listen more recently and not fully digested them. Which could also maybe in time give a slightly different list than what is above, but those albums really I could not stop listening to (and still feel the same way).
Circa Survive - Violent Waves | Children of Nova - Impossible Landscapes** | Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension | Cynic - The Portal Tales | Dark Empire - From Refuge to Ruin| Deftones - Koi No Yokan |Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud | Flying Colors - Flying Colors | Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!| Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage** | HTDA - An Omen EP | The Human Abstract - Moonlight Sonata |Isis -Temporal| Kayo Dot - Gamma Knife** | Linkin Park - Living Things | Marilyn Manson - Born Villain | The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet**| Meshuggah - Koloss | Metric - Synthetica | Muse - The 2nd Law*| Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay** | No-Man - Love and Endings | Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol | The Pineapple Thief - All The Wars** | Placebo - B3 EP | Porcupine Tree - Octane Twisted| Sigur Rós - Valtari | Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods | The Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania | Soen - Cognitive | Soundgarden - King Animal | Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion*/** | Swans - The Seer | Serj Tankian - Harakiri | Testament - Dark Roots of Earth | T.R.A.M. - Lingua Franca | Trioscapes - Separate Realities | Steven Wilson - Get All You Deserve
* These albums I have already written a review of in previous posts (specifically in 2nd Law of Muse and "..and how prog is that? (-;"). ** Close runner ups to the "top 10" that easily could have been included.
Even with those two lists, there are still many albums I have not gotten the chance to listen to. Ones I have been meaning to, and will eventually when I have access to them, are the following:
Absent Hearts - August Earth | Agalloch - Faustian Echoes| Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical | Atoma - Skylight | Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone | Beardfish - The Void | Being As An Ocean - Dear G-d… | The Big Pink - Future This | Bilocate - Summoning the Bygones | The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek | Car Bomb - w^w^^w^w | Cloudkicker - Fade | The Contortionist - Intrinsic | Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind | De Profundis - The Emptiness Within | Deathspell Omega - Drought | Dissona - Dissona | Eluveitie - Helvetios | Ensigerum - Unsung Heroes | Enslaved - RIITIIR | Epica - Requiem for the Indifferent | Eths - III | The Faceless - Autotheism | The Flower Kings - Banks of Eden | Gavin Harrison & 05Ric - The Man Who Sold Himself | Gazpacho - March of Ghosts | Grizzly Bear - Shields | Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited II | Headspace - I Am Anonymous | Ian Anderson - Thick as a Brick 2 | In the Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad | Ihsahn -Eremita | Jon Durant and Colin Edwin - Burnt Belief | Kamelot - Silverthorn | Lamb of God - Resolution | Les Discrets - Ariettes oubliées | Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made | Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom | Mestis - Basal Ganglia | Mothlite - Dark Age | My Dying Bride - A Map of All Our Failures | Napalm Death - Utilitarian | Nile - At the Gate of Sethu | Nifty Breed - Keep Quiet | No Doubt - Push and Shove | North Atlantic Oscillation - Fog Electric | Nosound - At the Pier | Old Man Gloom - No | OSI - Fire Make Thunder | Periphery - Periphery II | Pig Destroyer - Book Burner | Sonata Arctica - Stones Grow Her Name | Stolen Babies - Naught | Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix | Vaura - Selenion | Ulver - Childhood's End | Jack White - Blunderbuss
Well I hope you have enjoyed my top ten list, there were just so many fantastic albums that came out in 2012, and I expect so many more to be released this year. Hopefully not forgetting some, I believe some groups that have albums set to release (or at least a likely possibility) are; Atoms for Peace, Black Sabbath, Cult of Luna, Cynic, Dir en Grey, Dream Theater, Ghost, How to Destroy Angels, Kill Hannah, Mastodon, Nine Inch Nails, Riverside, Steven Wilson, and Wintersun. I'm sure I'm missing some here, but I know as time goes on that will change. Any way, I look forward to all the new music that has yet to be released.
Note: I may edit this slightly later on, but only with additional comments for the albums I have in the top ten. I wouldn't be changing the order or anything, I just know me and that I will probably not get as much time to get to that immediately since my semester begins tomorrow. And if I do not change anything from what I have now, I hope you enjoy it either way.
