DEMONSPELLS SONGS TO WATCH
The recommendation list of strategic influence.
Brought to you by the letter A.
Written August 13-14, 2002
Greetings, warriors of the world! Oh my god, my brain has been corrupted by the pod people, and theyre all dressed in leather and bullet belts and chipmunk skins I am unable to resist. Ignore all my previous suggestions for they are the work of wimps, poseurs, and assorted false ones, sell all your prog albums, and buy everything Manowar has ever put out, even the singles and import compilations for the sake of HEAVY FUCKING METAL!
Damn, I had way too much to drink last night. Apologies to my devoted readers.
Agalloch Odal, A Desolation Song: The Mantle has quickly become of my favorite releases of this year, it is a record of withering beauty, perfect for those cold autumn nights. Former track is one of three instrumentals showing the bands progressive side, while the latter, whose title could apply to the entire albums frame of emotions, is an incredibly depressing predominantly acoustic track, in which the band sounds at least three times their age.
Amaran Lullaby, Received A Kiss: 2002 has quietly produced its share of promising debuts, and their album A World Depraved may be one of this years best newcomers. A female fronted act with a welcome share of aggression balanced with a gift for creating a sense of melody, evident on both songs here. Demo versions of both songs available at www.mp3.com
All That I Bleed Gods, Horizons: This band is named after a Savatage song, but please dont hold that against them. Both songs from their debut Dying To Remember are progressive metal with an equal share of heaviness and technicality. New forum added to this site earlier this week. Former track available on official site.
Antimatter Psalms, The Last Laugh: The band formed by Duncan Patterson after leaving Anathema, and briefly joined by Daniel Cavanagh before deciding it wasnt a fine day to exit. Both of these songs will have a familiar sound to anyone familiar with Anathema, but with a few elements that should give the band its own identity. Former track available at www.theendrecords.com
Armageddon Stranglehold, Well Of Sadness: And then there were Three, among them Arch Enemy drummer Daniel Erlandsson and of course Chris Amott, who also handles the vocals on this release. Former track contains an anthemic chorus and tons of great Amott fills, while the latter is a slow burning ballad with some acoustic work and a stunning coda.
Avantasia The Seven Angels, Into The Unknown: Tobias Sammet is a hypocrite, plain and simple. The press release for Avantasia II mentioned Blind Guardians Silence in a derisive way by implication, and now I hear the fourteen-minute former track which is just as shamelessly overblown as the BG epic, only without much of the exhaustive craft. Furthermore, the track is full of Maiden ripoffs, both lyrically and musically spot them yourself. Latter song begins with a pleasant vocal from Sharon Den Adel, but then the castrati choirs come in end of rant.
Avant Garden Dragon Feed, Archimedes Tub: Instrumental prog act, both of these lengthy songs contain some manic instrumentation, truly earning the word progressive. Band is scheduled to play at the Progwest festival, among the other acts is Maudlin of the Well. Latter track available at www.progwest.com
Aztec Jade Black October, Machine: Progressive metal act who has released two albums to date, these songs, both of which contain some effective riffs and more of an edge than previous material Ive heard, are from a new album I dont know anything about (should have asked Shawn when I had the chance). Several members are in the keyboard-dominated prog metal act Ascension Theory.
Dark Tranquillity Format C For Cortex, Final Resistance: Whatever damage has been done, it certainly isnt to the bands reputation, as this album has received unanimous rave reviews, many calling it their best ever and thankfully, the prerelease buzz is justified. The riffwork is awesome, the keyboard textures are integrated well, Mikael Stanne has never sounded better it all adds up. A rare example of artistic progression in the waning melodic death scene. Latter track available at www.metalbite.com
Hypocrisy Slipping Away, Paled Empty Sphere: Im not the biggest fan of this band (not to beat a tired comparison into the ground, but I think Tagtgren isnt a tenth of the genius Swano is.) However, these songs show another side to the band, far from the death that made them renowned. Both songs include clean vocals, and the latter could have conceivably held its own on an Anathema album.
Immortal In My Kingdom Cold, Antarctica: They are sons of northern darkness at the heart of winter frozen by icewinds and blizzard beasts I think these guys could really use a tropical vacation. I guess like Sentenced and their suicide songs, writing about Scandinavian frost keeps them vital, as their latest album is their best to date. Latter song features an awesome lead riff and something that would have been unthinkable in their early days a memorable chorus.
In Flames Reroute To Remain, Dark Signs: Its official weve lost a great band to the nu-metal parasites. They have indeed rerouted their sound to follow this disturbing path, and only a few vestiges of what made Whoracle and The Jester Race great albums remain. Not all is bad news, as the latter track does have some traces of their formerly unstoppable harmony leads.
McGill-Manring-Stevens Cash From Chaos, Seven Are Her Sisters: Eclectic fusion trio who releases a satisfying album last year called Addition By Subtraction. Followup release on the Lasers Edge label (gods of prog mailorder) is a 2-CD set divided into acoustic and electric parts. Former track features some typically insane bass playing. Both songs available at www.lasercd.com
Minds Eye Domino, Hands Of Time: Yet another fine Swedish progressive metal (loosely at least) act, this one features some subtle yet technical playing similar to Pain Of Salvation (although without their overwhelming emotional gravity) and Enchant, and some distinguished vocal harmonies.
Miriodor Bulgarian Cave, Mine Of Nothingness: Avant-garde French Canadian instrumental prog act, brought to my attention through the staff of prog experts at Delicious Agony, and to their attention by a well-received set at Nearfest. Both songs are hard to describe, the latter featuring some especially off the wall passages. For adventurous listeners only.
No-Man Lighthouse, Carolina Skeletons: While the new Porcupine Tree release remains In Absentia for the time being, here is the other ongoing project from the especially prolific Steven Wilson. Latter track from Returning Jesus manages to convert the non sequitur title into a memorable hook, while the latter contains an interlude with some Frippian guitar playing Fripp himself has a credit on of their earlier albums.
Novembers Doom If Forever, Not The Strong: In spite of their name, this band manages to defy easy pigeonholing, as these tracks from the upcoming To Welcome The Fade represent opposites of their sound. Latter track, available at www.mp3.com, is a heavy offering with some riffs reminiscent Of Opeth, while the latter is a slower track featuring clean vocals and a descending feel.
Planet X Midnight Bell, Boy With A Flute (a.k.a. Micronesia): Lets start this off by saying that Mike Portnoy has gone on record calling Virgil Donati the best drummer he has ever heard the man is superhuman. He is all over the place on both of these tracks from the new album Moonbabies. Former track features some insanely technical playing, while Derek Sherinian lets loose on the latter.
Power Of Omens Rooms Of Anguish, As Winter Falls: Dave, if youre reading this Elevate Records still sucks! An inside joke, although they have managed to delay this album for what seems like an eternity. However, thanks to the cooperation of Seismic Radio I have heard some of it, and trust me, it will be worth the wait. Excellent musicianship abounds on both tracks.
Shape Of Despair Quiet These Paintings Are , To Live For My Death: Funeral doom band, to which Pasi Koskinen migrated after Amorphis went chasing other sources of inspiration. Former track contains a great extended intro recalling My Dying Bride at their mournful and symphonic best, and of course depressing as Anna Nicole Smith my lord, what a vile creature she is.
Sins Of Thy Beloved Nebula Queen, All Alone: After frequent mentions from doom fans, I think its about time I at least mentioned this band, although Im not completely taken with them. The vocals on both tracks are pleasant enough, and the latter has some powerful instrumentation. Should definitely appeal to fans of the genre.
Symbyosis Ephemeral Life Conductor, Epileptic Modern Artistic Nonbeliever: Great song titles, I must say. Now try to guess what type of music they apply to. Avant-garde extreme? Possibly. Technical death? Definitely. Thanks to the Opeth BB for resurrecting a long dormant thread on the subject and reawakening my interest. Both songs available at www.mp3.com
Threshold Falling Away, Echoes Of Life: The British progressive metallers return with Critical Mass, an album that branches out a bit more then last years Hypothetical while retaining their familiar sound and gift for the killer hook. Former track contains a soaring chorus and an excellent arrangement, while the latter features a piano-led bookend surrounding an immediate rocker, containing some excellent guitar-keyboard interplay. Former track available on official site, latter at www.metalexpress.no
Warlord Enemy Mind, War In Heaven: In lieu of a planned review (suffice it to say the highlight here is Mark Zonders drumming), I should offer a few thoughts about the recent incident where frontman Joacim Cans was assaulted by a fan of black metal, allegedly over musical differences. While I have taken potshots at him and his main band Hammerfall in this column and elsewhere and do not enjoy their music, this type of behavior is reprehensible and inexcusable, and displays the type of behavior that has given black metal and fans of the genre a bad name. It also shows misinterpretation of the music, as the subjects covered in black metal are in many ways as escapist as the clichés of power metal. There is nothing grim or cult or necro about violent and antisocial behavior. At the same time, I stress that this incident is not typical of black metal fans and should not lead to further negative stereotyping of the genre. Last but not least, it is only music, I may not care for the recordings that Joacim has appeared on, but I wish him the best anyway and hope the fan responsible is given appropriate punishment. Thus ends this chapter.
The recommendation list of strategic influence.
Brought to you by the letter A.
Written August 13-14, 2002
Greetings, warriors of the world! Oh my god, my brain has been corrupted by the pod people, and theyre all dressed in leather and bullet belts and chipmunk skins I am unable to resist. Ignore all my previous suggestions for they are the work of wimps, poseurs, and assorted false ones, sell all your prog albums, and buy everything Manowar has ever put out, even the singles and import compilations for the sake of HEAVY FUCKING METAL!
Damn, I had way too much to drink last night. Apologies to my devoted readers.
Agalloch Odal, A Desolation Song: The Mantle has quickly become of my favorite releases of this year, it is a record of withering beauty, perfect for those cold autumn nights. Former track is one of three instrumentals showing the bands progressive side, while the latter, whose title could apply to the entire albums frame of emotions, is an incredibly depressing predominantly acoustic track, in which the band sounds at least three times their age.
Amaran Lullaby, Received A Kiss: 2002 has quietly produced its share of promising debuts, and their album A World Depraved may be one of this years best newcomers. A female fronted act with a welcome share of aggression balanced with a gift for creating a sense of melody, evident on both songs here. Demo versions of both songs available at www.mp3.com
All That I Bleed Gods, Horizons: This band is named after a Savatage song, but please dont hold that against them. Both songs from their debut Dying To Remember are progressive metal with an equal share of heaviness and technicality. New forum added to this site earlier this week. Former track available on official site.
Antimatter Psalms, The Last Laugh: The band formed by Duncan Patterson after leaving Anathema, and briefly joined by Daniel Cavanagh before deciding it wasnt a fine day to exit. Both of these songs will have a familiar sound to anyone familiar with Anathema, but with a few elements that should give the band its own identity. Former track available at www.theendrecords.com
Armageddon Stranglehold, Well Of Sadness: And then there were Three, among them Arch Enemy drummer Daniel Erlandsson and of course Chris Amott, who also handles the vocals on this release. Former track contains an anthemic chorus and tons of great Amott fills, while the latter is a slow burning ballad with some acoustic work and a stunning coda.
Avantasia The Seven Angels, Into The Unknown: Tobias Sammet is a hypocrite, plain and simple. The press release for Avantasia II mentioned Blind Guardians Silence in a derisive way by implication, and now I hear the fourteen-minute former track which is just as shamelessly overblown as the BG epic, only without much of the exhaustive craft. Furthermore, the track is full of Maiden ripoffs, both lyrically and musically spot them yourself. Latter song begins with a pleasant vocal from Sharon Den Adel, but then the castrati choirs come in end of rant.
Avant Garden Dragon Feed, Archimedes Tub: Instrumental prog act, both of these lengthy songs contain some manic instrumentation, truly earning the word progressive. Band is scheduled to play at the Progwest festival, among the other acts is Maudlin of the Well. Latter track available at www.progwest.com
Aztec Jade Black October, Machine: Progressive metal act who has released two albums to date, these songs, both of which contain some effective riffs and more of an edge than previous material Ive heard, are from a new album I dont know anything about (should have asked Shawn when I had the chance). Several members are in the keyboard-dominated prog metal act Ascension Theory.
Dark Tranquillity Format C For Cortex, Final Resistance: Whatever damage has been done, it certainly isnt to the bands reputation, as this album has received unanimous rave reviews, many calling it their best ever and thankfully, the prerelease buzz is justified. The riffwork is awesome, the keyboard textures are integrated well, Mikael Stanne has never sounded better it all adds up. A rare example of artistic progression in the waning melodic death scene. Latter track available at www.metalbite.com
Hypocrisy Slipping Away, Paled Empty Sphere: Im not the biggest fan of this band (not to beat a tired comparison into the ground, but I think Tagtgren isnt a tenth of the genius Swano is.) However, these songs show another side to the band, far from the death that made them renowned. Both songs include clean vocals, and the latter could have conceivably held its own on an Anathema album.
Immortal In My Kingdom Cold, Antarctica: They are sons of northern darkness at the heart of winter frozen by icewinds and blizzard beasts I think these guys could really use a tropical vacation. I guess like Sentenced and their suicide songs, writing about Scandinavian frost keeps them vital, as their latest album is their best to date. Latter song features an awesome lead riff and something that would have been unthinkable in their early days a memorable chorus.
In Flames Reroute To Remain, Dark Signs: Its official weve lost a great band to the nu-metal parasites. They have indeed rerouted their sound to follow this disturbing path, and only a few vestiges of what made Whoracle and The Jester Race great albums remain. Not all is bad news, as the latter track does have some traces of their formerly unstoppable harmony leads.
McGill-Manring-Stevens Cash From Chaos, Seven Are Her Sisters: Eclectic fusion trio who releases a satisfying album last year called Addition By Subtraction. Followup release on the Lasers Edge label (gods of prog mailorder) is a 2-CD set divided into acoustic and electric parts. Former track features some typically insane bass playing. Both songs available at www.lasercd.com
Minds Eye Domino, Hands Of Time: Yet another fine Swedish progressive metal (loosely at least) act, this one features some subtle yet technical playing similar to Pain Of Salvation (although without their overwhelming emotional gravity) and Enchant, and some distinguished vocal harmonies.
Miriodor Bulgarian Cave, Mine Of Nothingness: Avant-garde French Canadian instrumental prog act, brought to my attention through the staff of prog experts at Delicious Agony, and to their attention by a well-received set at Nearfest. Both songs are hard to describe, the latter featuring some especially off the wall passages. For adventurous listeners only.
No-Man Lighthouse, Carolina Skeletons: While the new Porcupine Tree release remains In Absentia for the time being, here is the other ongoing project from the especially prolific Steven Wilson. Latter track from Returning Jesus manages to convert the non sequitur title into a memorable hook, while the latter contains an interlude with some Frippian guitar playing Fripp himself has a credit on of their earlier albums.
Novembers Doom If Forever, Not The Strong: In spite of their name, this band manages to defy easy pigeonholing, as these tracks from the upcoming To Welcome The Fade represent opposites of their sound. Latter track, available at www.mp3.com, is a heavy offering with some riffs reminiscent Of Opeth, while the latter is a slower track featuring clean vocals and a descending feel.
Planet X Midnight Bell, Boy With A Flute (a.k.a. Micronesia): Lets start this off by saying that Mike Portnoy has gone on record calling Virgil Donati the best drummer he has ever heard the man is superhuman. He is all over the place on both of these tracks from the new album Moonbabies. Former track features some insanely technical playing, while Derek Sherinian lets loose on the latter.
Power Of Omens Rooms Of Anguish, As Winter Falls: Dave, if youre reading this Elevate Records still sucks! An inside joke, although they have managed to delay this album for what seems like an eternity. However, thanks to the cooperation of Seismic Radio I have heard some of it, and trust me, it will be worth the wait. Excellent musicianship abounds on both tracks.
Shape Of Despair Quiet These Paintings Are , To Live For My Death: Funeral doom band, to which Pasi Koskinen migrated after Amorphis went chasing other sources of inspiration. Former track contains a great extended intro recalling My Dying Bride at their mournful and symphonic best, and of course depressing as Anna Nicole Smith my lord, what a vile creature she is.
Sins Of Thy Beloved Nebula Queen, All Alone: After frequent mentions from doom fans, I think its about time I at least mentioned this band, although Im not completely taken with them. The vocals on both tracks are pleasant enough, and the latter has some powerful instrumentation. Should definitely appeal to fans of the genre.
Symbyosis Ephemeral Life Conductor, Epileptic Modern Artistic Nonbeliever: Great song titles, I must say. Now try to guess what type of music they apply to. Avant-garde extreme? Possibly. Technical death? Definitely. Thanks to the Opeth BB for resurrecting a long dormant thread on the subject and reawakening my interest. Both songs available at www.mp3.com
Threshold Falling Away, Echoes Of Life: The British progressive metallers return with Critical Mass, an album that branches out a bit more then last years Hypothetical while retaining their familiar sound and gift for the killer hook. Former track contains a soaring chorus and an excellent arrangement, while the latter features a piano-led bookend surrounding an immediate rocker, containing some excellent guitar-keyboard interplay. Former track available on official site, latter at www.metalexpress.no
Warlord Enemy Mind, War In Heaven: In lieu of a planned review (suffice it to say the highlight here is Mark Zonders drumming), I should offer a few thoughts about the recent incident where frontman Joacim Cans was assaulted by a fan of black metal, allegedly over musical differences. While I have taken potshots at him and his main band Hammerfall in this column and elsewhere and do not enjoy their music, this type of behavior is reprehensible and inexcusable, and displays the type of behavior that has given black metal and fans of the genre a bad name. It also shows misinterpretation of the music, as the subjects covered in black metal are in many ways as escapist as the clichés of power metal. There is nothing grim or cult or necro about violent and antisocial behavior. At the same time, I stress that this incident is not typical of black metal fans and should not lead to further negative stereotyping of the genre. Last but not least, it is only music, I may not care for the recordings that Joacim has appeared on, but I wish him the best anyway and hope the fan responsible is given appropriate punishment. Thus ends this chapter.
