Bonus tracks on DT records are awesome!

[Overlord Purple Rainbow]

I finally bought WE ARE THE VOID (the CD/DVD combo). I failed to take advantage of the t-shirt deal online and I just may kick myself in the butt for that later. Or just buy a t-shirt online.

Anyway, the reason I decided to post is because I listened to the whole CD on MySpace and I thought it was great. When I finally was able to get the special edition CD, there were two bonus tracks..."Star Of Nothingness" and "To Where Fires Cannot Feed."

Now some here may have listened to these tracks and feel that they do deserve 'bonus track' status. Not me!

These are probably my favourite tracks aside from "Shadow In Our Blood" and the block of "I Am The Void," "Surface The Infinite" and "Iridium."

That's why I love bands like Dark Tranquillity, Deep Purple, and Katatonia. They seem to make bad @$$ tracks that never make it to the album.

 

[La Rocque]

This forum has a We are the Void thread, for comments about the CD ... Seriously -

 

[rahvin]

Odd, this is perhaps the first time ever that I heard bonus tracks on a DT release and thought "yeah, I can see why they didn't make it to the album". Especially TwFCF: it sounds like they had almost completed it but not quite. Of course, you could say this is exactly how they wanted it to turn out, feeling of "something missing" and all...

As for threads and stuff: I don't mind that you started one about the bonus tracks (or bonus tracks in general), but seriously... what the TITLE?!?! Now people are gonna have to click to find out what it's about. That's some serious wear and tear on their mouse/mousepad/keyboard shortcut. I'm gonna change it.

 

[Villain]

I've only heard the two WAtV bonus tracks mentioned above and I agree they are both very good. I just dislike how they are placed after Iridium at the end of the album so that they kind of break the larger whole. I think they should have done what they did back in the day with Damage Done when I, Deception (or The Poison Well for Japanese) was put between The Enemy and White Noise / Black Silence, and Ex Nihilo remained the rightful closing track.

The same complaint can be said of the Expanded Fiction (and the Japanese and Australian editions that came before it) - it just feels wrong to hear a song after The Mundane and the Magic has already closed the album. Below the Radiance is a great song (I forgot to mention it in the other thread, but it's one of my favorite tracks on Fiction) and Silence in the House of Tongues might just be their best instrumental track ever, but they should've been put somewhere in the middle of the album.

I know others probably disagree and I understand finding the right place for the bonus tracks in the middle of the album may be easier said and done - and if done wrongly it might hurt the whole picture just as much as putting them at the end; but in the case of both WAtV and Fiction the former would've been better than the latter in my opinion.

Of course, the best option would be to have the bonus tracks on an extra bonus-disc or a separately released EP, but those might not be financially viable for Century Media. After all, if those bonus-tracks were easily available, people like myself might not buy five different versions of the album...

Odd, this is perhaps the first time ever that I heard bonus tracks on a DT release and thought "yeah, I can see why they didn't make it to the album". Especially TwFCF: it sounds like they had almost completed it but not quite. Of course, you could say this is exactly how they wanted it to turn out, feeling of "something missing" and all...

Yes, I can hear what you mean by not quite complete, and I'm not certain if that's at all intentional. Still it's a very good song, and the title is much better than The Burden of Love Alive - even though the latter line plays a more important role in the lyrics.

-Villain

 

[rahvin]

I know others probably disagree and I understand finding the right place for the bonus tracks in the middle of the album may be easier said and done - and if done wrongly it might hurt the whole picture just as much as putting them at the end; but in the case of both WAtV and Fiction the former would've been better than the latter in my opinion.

I, for one, agree with bonus tracks usually deserving a better placement. If you have a particularly strong closer - and the past, err, nine DT records do - it would pay off to place bonus tracks either right before the last track or even a little earlier. I know it's not so uncommon to see bonus tracks in positions such as 9/11 or 10/12, where the second number is the total number of tracks on the record. Having them at the very end may exacerbate the "thrown in at the very last second" feeling.

 

[metalthraxia]

Does anyone have the itunes and japanese bonus tracks for watv? I already have the deluxe and vinyl editions so having to buy the itunes version just for 1 song is a waste. Anyone??

 

[Overlord Purple Rainbow]

I kind of figured that most here would think of the bonus tracks as just bonus tracks.

But "To Where Fires Cannot Feed" is just my type of metal song.

It has that 'Medieval gallop.' When I hear metal songs with that groove I think of knights riding on steeds going into battle or off to some adventure.

And the instrumental, "Star Of Nothingness" they used as the menu music for the DVD. So I already knew the track and loved it. It's a great piece.

 

[stizzleomnibus]

It has that 'Medieval gallop.' When I hear metal songs with that groove I think of knights riding on steeds going into battle or off to some adventure.

The title makes it obvious: that song is totally about launching into space. Beyond that, I think it's about mankind reaching out in the universe for survival, escaping the species' mortality (cataclysm that might destroy the earth), while carrying individual mortality. Also, something or another about the endless need to carry on the species in the face of individual death.

I like the bonus tracks right where they are, frankly. Partly, it really fits with the album narrative that I have in my head. The pacing doesn't really bother me, as it just comes across as an encore.

 

[Erik Erna]

I agree that they don't fit the pacing in a sense, but I just take them as an encore as well. Its not frustrating when you know they're bonus tracks, as opposed to lets say Discover Me Like Emptiness, which you know was supposed to close Soundtrack To Your Escape, but got cut by the label. You can tell listening that Bottled was not supposed to be the closer.

To Where Fires Cannot Feed is an amazing track though, even as a stand alone.

 

[Maxim1110]

I absolutely agree, and for me bonus tracks are often among my favourites. Below The Radiance and A Closer End are some of my favourites, as well as Static and The Poison Well (gotta love the breakdown there!). But I absolutely agree on the fact that they should get a better placement. This is especially the fact with Fiction and WATV.

 

[lgalicki]

I'll never understand why The Poison Well and Static were bonus tracks for Damage Done. That album is full of supreme songs, but these two are my favorites!

 

[DesperateCry]

Imo Cornered is one of DTs best songs. the Melody is one of the most beautiful they have ever done and the whole song its just pure gold. It should've made it to the album.

 

[metalthraxia]

Does anyone have the iTunes and Japanese bonus tracks from WATV?? I'd appreciate them being emailed..I already have the deluxe cd and vinyl and the only way to get iTunes bonus track is to buy whole album..can anyone help me out and provide these two tracks?

 

[metalthraxia]

Nevermind, I got "The Bow And The Arrow" from a friend in the UK and I'm gonna order the japanese version of WATV for my collection. So I'm all set on the bonus tracks!!