DEMONSPELLS SONGS TO WATCH
Delayed more often than the new Symphony X album.
Issue 85 August-September 2005
No lyrics, since approximately two-thirds of what Ive been listening to is predominantly instrumental. Who needs vocals anyway?
May all the displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina find relief and shelter quickly as resources and the devastating environmental conditions will allow. RIP Denis Piggy DAmour.
Nevermore This Godless Endeavor review
Could it really be five years since Dead Heart came out? After all that has happened since Nevermore made that early claim to dominance of no-subgenres needed metal in 2000, it seems much longer. Of course, for the crucial follow-up Century Media, eager to let their contract expire, left them with no budget and what resulted was the most badly produced major release since And Justice For All, Enemies of Reality in its initial form sounded so rushed many speculated they were saving material for an imminent deal with another label. But last year, things started getting back on track, starting with an unexpected reconciliation with CM, who even more shockingly agreed to clean up EOR. (A brief comment on their $5 remix offer those who bought the CD in 2003: Some have accused them of ripping off fans, while CM obviously is looking to get more money off one of their biggest acts, I think its justified as the auditory problems with the album werent a mastering defect, but a lousy production job they happened to approve.) Then they beefed up their sound by adding a permanent second guitarist in Steve Smyth (ex-Testament), Warrel found sobriety, and they made an album many are calling their best to date.
Like Dead Heart, TGE wastes not a second in succeeding to kick the listeners ass with the raging Born, which immediately promises that the album will be their heaviest to date. As usual, the band alternates between riffs with effortless precision, I especially like the one after the first chorus. The lyrics are just as uncompromising, it wouldnt be a Nevermore album without authority figures being referred to as pigs. J Final Product is the albums prerelease track and first video, probably chosen randomly as TGE doesnt have anything immediately accessible (by MTV standards anyway). Its a very typical Nevermore song elevated by Van Williams ferocious drumming and a great middle section with a solo rivaling the one in The River Dragon Has Come. My Acid Words has an opening riff that recalls the glory days of melodic death (which Loomis later energetically solos over), but the rest of the songs stop-start structure is classic Nevermore, and Warrels vocals are in strong form here, especially on the bridge. It slows down during the outro paving the way for Bittersweet Feast, a dark midtempo song with an atmosphere and macabre lyrical imagery straight out of Dreaming Neon Black. Its the first of three songwriting credits Smyth receives, he has a brief and manic solo here. Sentient 6 lyrically continues the machines revolting against humans theme of their proggiest moment, The Learning. In my last column I said Bruce Dickinson wrote the best ballads in metal, but that may be because I find that word inappropriate for Nevermores usually devastating slower songs (and because they didnt write Revelations after all), and this one is no exception. It begins with acoustic guitar and piano (the booklet doesnt say who plays it for some reason) and has the same aura of epic balladry as well, Revelations, especially with that soul cleansing chorus: Trained, I see imperfections in your race and Loomis unusually elegant solo. A brief snippet of backwards vocals and rare upfront bass leads into the appropriately mechanical riffing of the heavier section, and Warrels repeated ominous chant at the end closes things. Up next is Medicated Nation, which combines powerful riffage and accessibility as well as anything on Dead Heart, the chorus is definitely the catchiest thing on the album. Did I mention it has another awesome Loomis solo? An interlude called The Holocaust Of Thought (named after a lyric from three songs earlier) follows it, which is basically a guest spot for fellow Testament album James Murphy, who passionately solos against Jim Sheppards backdrop. Sell My Heart For Stones sounds a lot like the slower songs on DNB, built mostly around Warrels vocals. Psalm Of Lydia has become an early fan favorite, with enigmatic, mythology-based lyrics and some of the most intricate riffing on the disc, Loomis and Smyth are all over the place on this one, and they engage in a guitar duel during the middle section. If only they got more than five songs on Gigantour. A Future Uncertain suffers a bit from being placed between it and the title track, but is impressive in its own right, building nicely from its intro and having precise riffing throughout, and the third verse does the old bury the clean riff under massive distortion trick. The lyrics here combine apocalyptic imagery with anti-racist sentiments. And then theres the title track, nine minutes of Nevermore at the height of their power. It begins with Warrel wailing over an acoustic guitar, soon breaking into a bombastic riff with godless are weeeee being intoned repeatedly, from there the songs continues to build in power, and halfway through we have the moment. The stretch between 5:00 and 7:30 is arguably the most savage music Nevermore has ever produced, and definitely the most overtly technical, the parts where Warrel sings and Loomis shreds over riffs that would shame any core band makes my head spin every time. The song breaks back into its main theme, and Warrel brings Nevermores fourth masterpiece to the best conclusion possible with the only appearance of The Scream on the album and lyrics that speak for themselves.
Mankind still cant understand how to define you
So hide your face and watch us exterminate ourselves over you
Abandon naïve realism, surrender thought in cold precision
The second quote is from earlier in the song, but what the hell.
PS: If anyone can track down the cover of Revelation (Mother Earth) recorded during the TGE sessions and post a Yousendit link here or anywhere else on UM, Ill nominate you for sainthood. Ive always loved that song, one of the few solo Ozzy tracks comparable to prime Sabbath, and I imagine that Nevermore reinvented it in their own image as well as they did Sounds Of Silence and Love Bites.
PPS: Nevermore still kicks your favorite bands ass. If not for the album Im reviewing next, this would be my undisputed album of the year so far.
Ulver Do you have the Blood Inside?
Note: This review will concentrate entirely on the music and contain no lengthy background information that you know already, at least not in the introduction. I will be doing it track by track, with a lyric that I feel captures the essence of each song.
I. Dressed In Black: Is a vampire in the mirror eternal?
The first full-length Ulver release in four years begins with a moody synth intro that sounds far more organic than Perdition Citys glitch landscape. It is soon countered by classical piano and Garm confronts us with some existential questions. As you undoubtedly know, the album that eventually became Blood Inside was always intended to be more vocal-oriented. But this track finds it strength in the instrumental passages, especially when it escalates in unexpected ways and contains a choral transition into
II. For The Love Of God: Going down deeper than the dark
When Garm said this album would be more rock n roll sounding (of course, its about as far removed from the rock idiom as possible, that may have been him playing the role of Jester again), this may be what he was alluding to, as its the most conventional sounding track on the disc, albeit filtered through the heavy electronic layering. The Going down chorus is definitely the biggest hook being thrown at you, and it even has a wild guitar solo.
III. Christmas: Dont seek and dont trust, for all is mystery.
It opens with chimes, but thats the only seasonal allusion on the song The End put on their website to represent Blood Inside. Good choice, as Garm crooning over the fractured techno (with some orchestral sounds surfacing throughout) in the body of the song is a defining moment here, and the second half is stunning: everything drops out and the emotion is built up in the form of guitar (played by Zappa alumnus Mike Keneally, whose solo albums have jumped genres as often as Garm has) wrapping itself around the electronics, the chimes reappearing, and massive overdubbed vocals toward the end.
IV: Blinded By Blood: Crying from the inside, the fear
This is dedicating to Garms son, and is the only track here that sticks to one theme, taking the form of an unsettling ambient lullaby, except for some vibraphone at the very end, the keyboards are the only instrument. Garms use of voice manipulation as an instrument is genius here, as the various delays and echoes he puts match the swelling tones perfectly.
V: It Is Not Sound: For the record, no one will understand what it is all about
This lyric appeared on Ulvers website in announcing the completion of the album, and many found it indicative of Garms pretentiousness. While he makes no secret about it (a booklet illustration reads Viva Megalomania), I have to wonder if when he says what is it all about here, if hes actually asking himself. Musically, it opens with a bizarre synth noise resembling a distress signal, leads into an industrial-sounding section with energetic vocals, and ends on a note of desecration with its mutated Bach passage.
VI: The Truth: The pages turned by the one is turned back by the other
This is the only song on the album I feel is too disjointed for its own good and is lacking in cohesion, while the point of Blood Inside may be the make their avant-gardism palatable, here the atonality of the verses and the hyperactive drums work against it. And the sped-up vox near the end are annoying. It does have it strengths, the interludes have detectable melody and the lyrics, about the perception of truth, are well written.
VII: In The Red: Taken away in a moment, ambulance
The hospital motif indicated by the Red Cross on the cover is explicitly introduced here and continued in the next two tracks. Musically, its an unlikely but successful combination of dark jazz and synthesized orchestral music. Garm once again uses his vocals for dramatic effect by echoing words like ambulance after each line. It ends with a return to the cut-up electronics of Perdition City and the Silence EPs, only with distorted big band trumpets.
VIII: Your Call: Open in the end, end in the open
If songs like For The Love Of God show Garm using his voice as the foundation for a song, this one finds him matching lyrics to music superbly, even though this song is largely instrumental. It has an extended ambient intro, then Garm and guest violinist Jeff Gauthier (whose playing here is excellent) enter. When he says Phone, we hear an unanswered phone call that later recurs, and when he says corridor, we hear footsteps that become rhythmic. But these are not mere sound effects, they are vital to the song. Add one more ingredient to the surprisingly emotional mishmash: a wordless female vocal. The song ends with only the phone call, and someone finally answers, setting up
IX: Operator: Call the police, radio paranoia
If Your Call captured the dread of receiving word from the hospital about terminal illness and/or death of a loved one, Operator is the sound of a virulent epidemic spreading and panic ensuing. The atmosphere here is chaotic, the music dense and apocalyptic sounding with electronics that sound like a thousand sirens going off at once, a frenetic guitar solo (again played by Keneally), and crashing drums. There is some hope when things slow down and Garm sings please be patient, hold the line, but this is offset by a desperate sounding voice in the background. Those are the last lyrics spoken, and things end in a haze of confusion.
Capsule reviews & impressions (moving further into obscurity and away from metal):
Aarktica Big Year, The Mimicry All Women Use: A one-man band, Jon DeRosas (who has lost hearing permanently in one ear) releases under this name consist of both minimal drones and slowly unfolding dirges. Given those descriptions, the music is more resonant than youd expect, especially on the latter track, which understated but has a powerful build and a moving vocal performance. The latter should appeal to anyone who enjoys this sort of glacially paced bedroom music.
Antimatter The Weight Of The World, A Portrait Of A Young Man As An Artist: Planetary Confinement is the duos third album, and its release coincided with Duncan Patterson announcing his departure. Musically, it has more separation between the two songwriters than Lights Out did. Both of these tracks, available on www.purevolume.com, are entirely acoustic Mick Moss compositions, as bleak and sorrowful as anything on the past two albums, the latter also adds some weight with its pessimistic lyrics.
Adrian Belew Asleep, Dead Dog On Asphalt: The second side of the Crimson guitarists trilogy has arrived, and it is decidedly different from the power trio format of Side One, here he relies on electronic enhancements (which enable him to perform the material totally solo) and repetitive structures and lyrics. The latter, also the title of the cover painting, has only its title for lyrics. In short, its a more experimental release that bears little resemblance to Crimson, but still rewarding and the latter track is as resonant as anything on Power To Believe.
Boris Huge, Akuma No Uta: The latest album from these longstanding Japanese sludge merchants borrows its cover image from a Nick Drake album, but this is of course the furthest thing from introspective acoustic music imaginable. Much of their The title of the former track says it all, consisting almost entirely of a procession of monolithic riffs, and the album Akuma No Uta does find them delivering some kickass stoner rock, the title track being a miniature feedback orgy at four minutes.
Carptree Burn To Something New, Titans Clash Aggressively To Keep An Even Score: This Swedish progressive rock duo is one of several recent signings to Inside Out, bigger scores being Riverside and Sieges Even. As on their previous release Superhero, the material here is often alternately moody and bombastic (especially on the latter tracks chorus, the former is paced very well and full of effective vocal melodies) and contains arrangements reminiscent of Peter Gabriel circa Security.
Comets On Fire - Blue Tomb, Pussy Footin The Duke: Psychedelic stoner rock for hipsters? Quite possibly, as this bands second album Blue Cathedral has been warmly embraced by the indie rock press (as have the like-minded Dead Meadow). The songs here range from manic desert rock to languid psychedelic excursion, both of these are of the latter stripe. The former track closes the album and slowly enraptures the listener during its ten minutes, and the latter is a trippy instrumental with overtones of Floyd at their most experimental. Finally, a band with the initials COF worth listening to. (come on, you knew that was coming.)
Djam Karet The Gypsy And The Hegemon, Twilight In Ice Canyon: Recollection Harvest is the latest in a long series of releases for this always inventive instrumental prog act. The material here is split into two halves, the first being lengthy jamming that grafts Crimson-ish dissonance onto Floydian atmospheres, and the second (originally intended as a separate simultaneous release) being more acoustic and ambient based, the latter having a wintry feel matching its title.
Echolyn Georgia Pines, Misery Not Memory: After their stab at a sprawling album-length track, the critically acclaimed Pennsylvania proggers return to the more song-based format of their earlier albums, with much of the ambition left over. These tracks open and close The End Is Beautiful, the former being an energetic track that rocks harder than expected, and the latter is an excellent nine-minute opus with plenty of great musicianship, intricate vocal arrangements, and unexpected mood changes.
Esmerine Quelques Mots Pleins DOmbre, The Marvelous Engines Of Resistance: Violin and percussion duo, the former of which provides the obligatory Montreal scene connection by being a member of Silver Mt. Zion whatever. The former track from this years Aurora, available at www.southern.net (lots of mp3s and info, but a bitch to navigate), is full of dramatic intensity, which was lacking a bit in their debut. With some major exceptions, like the latter track which closes the disc with plenty of rumbling and rattling
The Evpatoria Report Taijin Kyofusho, Cosmic Call: More post-rock, this band came out of nowhere (Switzerland to be precise) and has become a favorite of several forum members, who are completely responsible for bringing their excellent debut to my attention. The perfect one-word description for this is epic, all six compositions are composed on a grand symphonic scale. Obvious influences like Godspeed and Mogwai can be heard throughout (both acknowledged on their website), and most tracks contain the typical tension building and wall of noise (the former containing an incredibly potent example), but these lengthy tracks never turn into carbon copies or become boring, even in the often minimalistic 14-minute latter track.
Far Corner Fiction, Something Out There: A recent Cuneiform signing, like most of their roster their songs are much closer to modern classical (cello and piano being the dominant instruments here) than progressive rock, though a bit more palatable than some of their more out there bands. Both of these songs would have taken up an album side in the vinyl days, the former changing constantly and the latter being a piece in three movements, the first has a sinister buildup reminiscent of Larks-era Crimson and the second has some unexpectedly high-speed tempos.
Fly Pan Am Univoque/Equivoque, Sound Support Surface Noises : Like Silver Mt. Zion whatever, this Godspeed offshoot has been more productive than the main gig and their full-length releases have all differed vastly. These are from their second release (with a long French title Im too lazy to write here), which was billed as having a theme of self-sabotage. While various extraneous noises do play a major role here, its not quite that random for the most part, and the experimental bent doesnt hurt the main themes of both of these tracks, the former probably their most melodic offering and the latter having an addictive pulsating rhythm and the interruptions here prevent the track from becoming too repetitive.
Frogg Café Youre Still Sleeping, Reluctant Observer: On their third album, the former Zappa tribute band turned prog/fusion hybrid delivers some intricate and sonically pleasing progressive rock with strong jam band tendencies, the former track begins slowly and goes on a number of tangents, including an almost big band jazz section, while remaining melodic. The latter is one of the more tightly composed songs on the album, and boats an effective lead riff and lengthy instrumental breaks (great violin solo, Im a complete sucker for use of that instrument in a rock context) which enhance the mood.
From Monument To Masses Sharpshooter, Old Robes: This band has followed in Godspeeds footsteps by incorporating political activism into a disc containing no lyrics, done here mostly through frequent use of outside samples (sorry for the redundancy). Musically, it bears more resemblance to math rock, although the songs here dont change time quite as jarringly, preferring to build songs around the shifting rhythms at a fairly constant pace. Former song available at www.myspace.com
Growing Life In D, Pavement Rich In Gold: The loudest quiet band ever? Ambient for metalheads? Those are questions that came to mind when listening to this bands debut, The Skys Run Into The Sea. Much of it is built around the contrast between droning heavy riffs and quiet ambient backgrounds, a collision of opposites that produces striking results, especially in the second half of the former track. The latter track leans more heavily on the delicately quiet side until an extended section which adds droning vocals for additional effect, they also serve to unite the seemingly disparate pairing.
Hangedup Klang Klang, Alarm: Clatter For Control is the third album for this viola/percussion duo on the Constellation label. With words like clang, alarm, & clatter being thrown around, youd expect these guys to generate some unholy noise, and youd be right. The opening track stomps right out of the gate, urgent but disciplined, picture a post-rock crescendo stripped to only the two instruments used here and youd have a good idea what it sounds like. The latter opens and ends with some eerie notes and its body is even more chaotic, it sounds like a bulldozer leveling the house next door.
Hrsta Lime Kiln, Silver Planes: Project from ex-Godspeed vagrant Mike Moya which consists equally of melancholic folk-influenced songs, like the downcast former track, and more experimental soundscapes and dirges, while this contains none of the passionate interplay of his former group and their kin, the bleakness here is everywhere. The latter track is minimal and extremely slow even by doom standards, its isolated feeling reinforced by the muted vocals.
Khanate Capture, Release: Memorably described by one forum member as truly sickening, listening to this bands ultra-oppressive doom is the equivalent of an entire album of Neurosis at their most brutally cathartic. Led by noisemaster Stephen OMalley (also a key member of SunnO), their third set of unrelenting aural pain is called Capture & Release and consists of two lengthy tracks called well, duh. As the previous sentences suggested, only for those who have a stomach for such nonstop pummeling.
Kinski Hot Stenographer, All Your Kids Have Turned To Static: Equal parts raucous stoner rock, spaced-out instrumental excursions, and ambient drifting, this Washington state-based band has created some powerful instrumental rock on their latest release Alpine Static. The former track (and the next two on the disc) fall into the first category, with a monstrous riff that carves through the speakers and a driving tempo .hear it at www.stonerrock.com The latter track is its complete opposite, an ethereal slow track with a singular guitar line and floating flute & keyboards.
The Mercury Program Leaving Capitol City For Good, Down On Your Old Lung: Florida-based post-rock group who specializes in the sort of melodic jazz-influenced side of the genre successfully explored by Tortoise and later Do Make Say Think, their latest is a relaxed instrumental set, but the earlier From the Vapor Of Gasoline adds some heavy guitars throughout and hushed vocals on half the tracks. The former is a percussion-dominated track with some enjoyably repetitive patterns, while the latter is a hazy slower piece on which the understated vocals work very well.
Meshuggah Minds Mirrors, In Death Is Death: By now youve probably made up your mind as to whether Catch 33 is another boundary pushing release or a pretentious failure, tellingly Ive read plenty of great reviews but no one daring to call it their best. These are of course the two sections that stand out the most as individual compositions, but both are integral to the whole piece. The latter is Meshuggah at both their most devastating and experimental, first half among their sickest work ever and the latter an exercise in slowly building tension that sets up the final movement perfectly. Former track available at www.progarchives.com
Kevin Moore Mirrors And Phones, Overheard: Definitely one of the more digitally compatible artists out there, all three Chroma Key albums can be listened to in their entirety on his website, along with the soundtrack Ghost Book (his first release under his own name), from which these tracks are taken and predict the turn towards the dark and cinematic Graveyard Mountain Home took, the former being an eerie piece of music that conjures a lot of images in under four minutes, and the latter is similarly effective as a mood piece.
Orphaned Land Seasons Unite, The Beloveds Cry: If youre attending Progpower and/or only know them from Mabool, time to check out their older stuff, which they continue to perform live regularly, especially the latter track, a highly emotional ballad and longtime fan favorite that will be familiar to anyone who has the acoustic bonus disc. These tracks are from their decade-old debut Sahara, which proved to be both ahead of its time and a precursor to the epic cultural fusion of Mabool, while having a more pronounced death metal influence, tracks like the former are as melodically strong and intricate as most of the album that topped my 2004 list.
Delayed more often than the new Symphony X album.
Issue 85 August-September 2005
No lyrics, since approximately two-thirds of what Ive been listening to is predominantly instrumental. Who needs vocals anyway?
May all the displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina find relief and shelter quickly as resources and the devastating environmental conditions will allow. RIP Denis Piggy DAmour.
Nevermore This Godless Endeavor review
Could it really be five years since Dead Heart came out? After all that has happened since Nevermore made that early claim to dominance of no-subgenres needed metal in 2000, it seems much longer. Of course, for the crucial follow-up Century Media, eager to let their contract expire, left them with no budget and what resulted was the most badly produced major release since And Justice For All, Enemies of Reality in its initial form sounded so rushed many speculated they were saving material for an imminent deal with another label. But last year, things started getting back on track, starting with an unexpected reconciliation with CM, who even more shockingly agreed to clean up EOR. (A brief comment on their $5 remix offer those who bought the CD in 2003: Some have accused them of ripping off fans, while CM obviously is looking to get more money off one of their biggest acts, I think its justified as the auditory problems with the album werent a mastering defect, but a lousy production job they happened to approve.) Then they beefed up their sound by adding a permanent second guitarist in Steve Smyth (ex-Testament), Warrel found sobriety, and they made an album many are calling their best to date.
Like Dead Heart, TGE wastes not a second in succeeding to kick the listeners ass with the raging Born, which immediately promises that the album will be their heaviest to date. As usual, the band alternates between riffs with effortless precision, I especially like the one after the first chorus. The lyrics are just as uncompromising, it wouldnt be a Nevermore album without authority figures being referred to as pigs. J Final Product is the albums prerelease track and first video, probably chosen randomly as TGE doesnt have anything immediately accessible (by MTV standards anyway). Its a very typical Nevermore song elevated by Van Williams ferocious drumming and a great middle section with a solo rivaling the one in The River Dragon Has Come. My Acid Words has an opening riff that recalls the glory days of melodic death (which Loomis later energetically solos over), but the rest of the songs stop-start structure is classic Nevermore, and Warrels vocals are in strong form here, especially on the bridge. It slows down during the outro paving the way for Bittersweet Feast, a dark midtempo song with an atmosphere and macabre lyrical imagery straight out of Dreaming Neon Black. Its the first of three songwriting credits Smyth receives, he has a brief and manic solo here. Sentient 6 lyrically continues the machines revolting against humans theme of their proggiest moment, The Learning. In my last column I said Bruce Dickinson wrote the best ballads in metal, but that may be because I find that word inappropriate for Nevermores usually devastating slower songs (and because they didnt write Revelations after all), and this one is no exception. It begins with acoustic guitar and piano (the booklet doesnt say who plays it for some reason) and has the same aura of epic balladry as well, Revelations, especially with that soul cleansing chorus: Trained, I see imperfections in your race and Loomis unusually elegant solo. A brief snippet of backwards vocals and rare upfront bass leads into the appropriately mechanical riffing of the heavier section, and Warrels repeated ominous chant at the end closes things. Up next is Medicated Nation, which combines powerful riffage and accessibility as well as anything on Dead Heart, the chorus is definitely the catchiest thing on the album. Did I mention it has another awesome Loomis solo? An interlude called The Holocaust Of Thought (named after a lyric from three songs earlier) follows it, which is basically a guest spot for fellow Testament album James Murphy, who passionately solos against Jim Sheppards backdrop. Sell My Heart For Stones sounds a lot like the slower songs on DNB, built mostly around Warrels vocals. Psalm Of Lydia has become an early fan favorite, with enigmatic, mythology-based lyrics and some of the most intricate riffing on the disc, Loomis and Smyth are all over the place on this one, and they engage in a guitar duel during the middle section. If only they got more than five songs on Gigantour. A Future Uncertain suffers a bit from being placed between it and the title track, but is impressive in its own right, building nicely from its intro and having precise riffing throughout, and the third verse does the old bury the clean riff under massive distortion trick. The lyrics here combine apocalyptic imagery with anti-racist sentiments. And then theres the title track, nine minutes of Nevermore at the height of their power. It begins with Warrel wailing over an acoustic guitar, soon breaking into a bombastic riff with godless are weeeee being intoned repeatedly, from there the songs continues to build in power, and halfway through we have the moment. The stretch between 5:00 and 7:30 is arguably the most savage music Nevermore has ever produced, and definitely the most overtly technical, the parts where Warrel sings and Loomis shreds over riffs that would shame any core band makes my head spin every time. The song breaks back into its main theme, and Warrel brings Nevermores fourth masterpiece to the best conclusion possible with the only appearance of The Scream on the album and lyrics that speak for themselves.
Mankind still cant understand how to define you
So hide your face and watch us exterminate ourselves over you
Abandon naïve realism, surrender thought in cold precision
The second quote is from earlier in the song, but what the hell.
PS: If anyone can track down the cover of Revelation (Mother Earth) recorded during the TGE sessions and post a Yousendit link here or anywhere else on UM, Ill nominate you for sainthood. Ive always loved that song, one of the few solo Ozzy tracks comparable to prime Sabbath, and I imagine that Nevermore reinvented it in their own image as well as they did Sounds Of Silence and Love Bites.
PPS: Nevermore still kicks your favorite bands ass. If not for the album Im reviewing next, this would be my undisputed album of the year so far.
Ulver Do you have the Blood Inside?
Note: This review will concentrate entirely on the music and contain no lengthy background information that you know already, at least not in the introduction. I will be doing it track by track, with a lyric that I feel captures the essence of each song.
I. Dressed In Black: Is a vampire in the mirror eternal?
The first full-length Ulver release in four years begins with a moody synth intro that sounds far more organic than Perdition Citys glitch landscape. It is soon countered by classical piano and Garm confronts us with some existential questions. As you undoubtedly know, the album that eventually became Blood Inside was always intended to be more vocal-oriented. But this track finds it strength in the instrumental passages, especially when it escalates in unexpected ways and contains a choral transition into
II. For The Love Of God: Going down deeper than the dark
When Garm said this album would be more rock n roll sounding (of course, its about as far removed from the rock idiom as possible, that may have been him playing the role of Jester again), this may be what he was alluding to, as its the most conventional sounding track on the disc, albeit filtered through the heavy electronic layering. The Going down chorus is definitely the biggest hook being thrown at you, and it even has a wild guitar solo.
III. Christmas: Dont seek and dont trust, for all is mystery.
It opens with chimes, but thats the only seasonal allusion on the song The End put on their website to represent Blood Inside. Good choice, as Garm crooning over the fractured techno (with some orchestral sounds surfacing throughout) in the body of the song is a defining moment here, and the second half is stunning: everything drops out and the emotion is built up in the form of guitar (played by Zappa alumnus Mike Keneally, whose solo albums have jumped genres as often as Garm has) wrapping itself around the electronics, the chimes reappearing, and massive overdubbed vocals toward the end.
IV: Blinded By Blood: Crying from the inside, the fear
This is dedicating to Garms son, and is the only track here that sticks to one theme, taking the form of an unsettling ambient lullaby, except for some vibraphone at the very end, the keyboards are the only instrument. Garms use of voice manipulation as an instrument is genius here, as the various delays and echoes he puts match the swelling tones perfectly.
V: It Is Not Sound: For the record, no one will understand what it is all about
This lyric appeared on Ulvers website in announcing the completion of the album, and many found it indicative of Garms pretentiousness. While he makes no secret about it (a booklet illustration reads Viva Megalomania), I have to wonder if when he says what is it all about here, if hes actually asking himself. Musically, it opens with a bizarre synth noise resembling a distress signal, leads into an industrial-sounding section with energetic vocals, and ends on a note of desecration with its mutated Bach passage.
VI: The Truth: The pages turned by the one is turned back by the other
This is the only song on the album I feel is too disjointed for its own good and is lacking in cohesion, while the point of Blood Inside may be the make their avant-gardism palatable, here the atonality of the verses and the hyperactive drums work against it. And the sped-up vox near the end are annoying. It does have it strengths, the interludes have detectable melody and the lyrics, about the perception of truth, are well written.
VII: In The Red: Taken away in a moment, ambulance
The hospital motif indicated by the Red Cross on the cover is explicitly introduced here and continued in the next two tracks. Musically, its an unlikely but successful combination of dark jazz and synthesized orchestral music. Garm once again uses his vocals for dramatic effect by echoing words like ambulance after each line. It ends with a return to the cut-up electronics of Perdition City and the Silence EPs, only with distorted big band trumpets.
VIII: Your Call: Open in the end, end in the open
If songs like For The Love Of God show Garm using his voice as the foundation for a song, this one finds him matching lyrics to music superbly, even though this song is largely instrumental. It has an extended ambient intro, then Garm and guest violinist Jeff Gauthier (whose playing here is excellent) enter. When he says Phone, we hear an unanswered phone call that later recurs, and when he says corridor, we hear footsteps that become rhythmic. But these are not mere sound effects, they are vital to the song. Add one more ingredient to the surprisingly emotional mishmash: a wordless female vocal. The song ends with only the phone call, and someone finally answers, setting up
IX: Operator: Call the police, radio paranoia
If Your Call captured the dread of receiving word from the hospital about terminal illness and/or death of a loved one, Operator is the sound of a virulent epidemic spreading and panic ensuing. The atmosphere here is chaotic, the music dense and apocalyptic sounding with electronics that sound like a thousand sirens going off at once, a frenetic guitar solo (again played by Keneally), and crashing drums. There is some hope when things slow down and Garm sings please be patient, hold the line, but this is offset by a desperate sounding voice in the background. Those are the last lyrics spoken, and things end in a haze of confusion.
Capsule reviews & impressions (moving further into obscurity and away from metal):
Aarktica Big Year, The Mimicry All Women Use: A one-man band, Jon DeRosas (who has lost hearing permanently in one ear) releases under this name consist of both minimal drones and slowly unfolding dirges. Given those descriptions, the music is more resonant than youd expect, especially on the latter track, which understated but has a powerful build and a moving vocal performance. The latter should appeal to anyone who enjoys this sort of glacially paced bedroom music.
Antimatter The Weight Of The World, A Portrait Of A Young Man As An Artist: Planetary Confinement is the duos third album, and its release coincided with Duncan Patterson announcing his departure. Musically, it has more separation between the two songwriters than Lights Out did. Both of these tracks, available on www.purevolume.com, are entirely acoustic Mick Moss compositions, as bleak and sorrowful as anything on the past two albums, the latter also adds some weight with its pessimistic lyrics.
Adrian Belew Asleep, Dead Dog On Asphalt: The second side of the Crimson guitarists trilogy has arrived, and it is decidedly different from the power trio format of Side One, here he relies on electronic enhancements (which enable him to perform the material totally solo) and repetitive structures and lyrics. The latter, also the title of the cover painting, has only its title for lyrics. In short, its a more experimental release that bears little resemblance to Crimson, but still rewarding and the latter track is as resonant as anything on Power To Believe.
Boris Huge, Akuma No Uta: The latest album from these longstanding Japanese sludge merchants borrows its cover image from a Nick Drake album, but this is of course the furthest thing from introspective acoustic music imaginable. Much of their The title of the former track says it all, consisting almost entirely of a procession of monolithic riffs, and the album Akuma No Uta does find them delivering some kickass stoner rock, the title track being a miniature feedback orgy at four minutes.
Carptree Burn To Something New, Titans Clash Aggressively To Keep An Even Score: This Swedish progressive rock duo is one of several recent signings to Inside Out, bigger scores being Riverside and Sieges Even. As on their previous release Superhero, the material here is often alternately moody and bombastic (especially on the latter tracks chorus, the former is paced very well and full of effective vocal melodies) and contains arrangements reminiscent of Peter Gabriel circa Security.
Comets On Fire - Blue Tomb, Pussy Footin The Duke: Psychedelic stoner rock for hipsters? Quite possibly, as this bands second album Blue Cathedral has been warmly embraced by the indie rock press (as have the like-minded Dead Meadow). The songs here range from manic desert rock to languid psychedelic excursion, both of these are of the latter stripe. The former track closes the album and slowly enraptures the listener during its ten minutes, and the latter is a trippy instrumental with overtones of Floyd at their most experimental. Finally, a band with the initials COF worth listening to. (come on, you knew that was coming.)
Djam Karet The Gypsy And The Hegemon, Twilight In Ice Canyon: Recollection Harvest is the latest in a long series of releases for this always inventive instrumental prog act. The material here is split into two halves, the first being lengthy jamming that grafts Crimson-ish dissonance onto Floydian atmospheres, and the second (originally intended as a separate simultaneous release) being more acoustic and ambient based, the latter having a wintry feel matching its title.
Echolyn Georgia Pines, Misery Not Memory: After their stab at a sprawling album-length track, the critically acclaimed Pennsylvania proggers return to the more song-based format of their earlier albums, with much of the ambition left over. These tracks open and close The End Is Beautiful, the former being an energetic track that rocks harder than expected, and the latter is an excellent nine-minute opus with plenty of great musicianship, intricate vocal arrangements, and unexpected mood changes.
Esmerine Quelques Mots Pleins DOmbre, The Marvelous Engines Of Resistance: Violin and percussion duo, the former of which provides the obligatory Montreal scene connection by being a member of Silver Mt. Zion whatever. The former track from this years Aurora, available at www.southern.net (lots of mp3s and info, but a bitch to navigate), is full of dramatic intensity, which was lacking a bit in their debut. With some major exceptions, like the latter track which closes the disc with plenty of rumbling and rattling
The Evpatoria Report Taijin Kyofusho, Cosmic Call: More post-rock, this band came out of nowhere (Switzerland to be precise) and has become a favorite of several forum members, who are completely responsible for bringing their excellent debut to my attention. The perfect one-word description for this is epic, all six compositions are composed on a grand symphonic scale. Obvious influences like Godspeed and Mogwai can be heard throughout (both acknowledged on their website), and most tracks contain the typical tension building and wall of noise (the former containing an incredibly potent example), but these lengthy tracks never turn into carbon copies or become boring, even in the often minimalistic 14-minute latter track.
Far Corner Fiction, Something Out There: A recent Cuneiform signing, like most of their roster their songs are much closer to modern classical (cello and piano being the dominant instruments here) than progressive rock, though a bit more palatable than some of their more out there bands. Both of these songs would have taken up an album side in the vinyl days, the former changing constantly and the latter being a piece in three movements, the first has a sinister buildup reminiscent of Larks-era Crimson and the second has some unexpectedly high-speed tempos.
Fly Pan Am Univoque/Equivoque, Sound Support Surface Noises : Like Silver Mt. Zion whatever, this Godspeed offshoot has been more productive than the main gig and their full-length releases have all differed vastly. These are from their second release (with a long French title Im too lazy to write here), which was billed as having a theme of self-sabotage. While various extraneous noises do play a major role here, its not quite that random for the most part, and the experimental bent doesnt hurt the main themes of both of these tracks, the former probably their most melodic offering and the latter having an addictive pulsating rhythm and the interruptions here prevent the track from becoming too repetitive.
Frogg Café Youre Still Sleeping, Reluctant Observer: On their third album, the former Zappa tribute band turned prog/fusion hybrid delivers some intricate and sonically pleasing progressive rock with strong jam band tendencies, the former track begins slowly and goes on a number of tangents, including an almost big band jazz section, while remaining melodic. The latter is one of the more tightly composed songs on the album, and boats an effective lead riff and lengthy instrumental breaks (great violin solo, Im a complete sucker for use of that instrument in a rock context) which enhance the mood.
From Monument To Masses Sharpshooter, Old Robes: This band has followed in Godspeeds footsteps by incorporating political activism into a disc containing no lyrics, done here mostly through frequent use of outside samples (sorry for the redundancy). Musically, it bears more resemblance to math rock, although the songs here dont change time quite as jarringly, preferring to build songs around the shifting rhythms at a fairly constant pace. Former song available at www.myspace.com
Growing Life In D, Pavement Rich In Gold: The loudest quiet band ever? Ambient for metalheads? Those are questions that came to mind when listening to this bands debut, The Skys Run Into The Sea. Much of it is built around the contrast between droning heavy riffs and quiet ambient backgrounds, a collision of opposites that produces striking results, especially in the second half of the former track. The latter track leans more heavily on the delicately quiet side until an extended section which adds droning vocals for additional effect, they also serve to unite the seemingly disparate pairing.
Hangedup Klang Klang, Alarm: Clatter For Control is the third album for this viola/percussion duo on the Constellation label. With words like clang, alarm, & clatter being thrown around, youd expect these guys to generate some unholy noise, and youd be right. The opening track stomps right out of the gate, urgent but disciplined, picture a post-rock crescendo stripped to only the two instruments used here and youd have a good idea what it sounds like. The latter opens and ends with some eerie notes and its body is even more chaotic, it sounds like a bulldozer leveling the house next door.
Hrsta Lime Kiln, Silver Planes: Project from ex-Godspeed vagrant Mike Moya which consists equally of melancholic folk-influenced songs, like the downcast former track, and more experimental soundscapes and dirges, while this contains none of the passionate interplay of his former group and their kin, the bleakness here is everywhere. The latter track is minimal and extremely slow even by doom standards, its isolated feeling reinforced by the muted vocals.
Khanate Capture, Release: Memorably described by one forum member as truly sickening, listening to this bands ultra-oppressive doom is the equivalent of an entire album of Neurosis at their most brutally cathartic. Led by noisemaster Stephen OMalley (also a key member of SunnO), their third set of unrelenting aural pain is called Capture & Release and consists of two lengthy tracks called well, duh. As the previous sentences suggested, only for those who have a stomach for such nonstop pummeling.
Kinski Hot Stenographer, All Your Kids Have Turned To Static: Equal parts raucous stoner rock, spaced-out instrumental excursions, and ambient drifting, this Washington state-based band has created some powerful instrumental rock on their latest release Alpine Static. The former track (and the next two on the disc) fall into the first category, with a monstrous riff that carves through the speakers and a driving tempo .hear it at www.stonerrock.com The latter track is its complete opposite, an ethereal slow track with a singular guitar line and floating flute & keyboards.
The Mercury Program Leaving Capitol City For Good, Down On Your Old Lung: Florida-based post-rock group who specializes in the sort of melodic jazz-influenced side of the genre successfully explored by Tortoise and later Do Make Say Think, their latest is a relaxed instrumental set, but the earlier From the Vapor Of Gasoline adds some heavy guitars throughout and hushed vocals on half the tracks. The former is a percussion-dominated track with some enjoyably repetitive patterns, while the latter is a hazy slower piece on which the understated vocals work very well.
Meshuggah Minds Mirrors, In Death Is Death: By now youve probably made up your mind as to whether Catch 33 is another boundary pushing release or a pretentious failure, tellingly Ive read plenty of great reviews but no one daring to call it their best. These are of course the two sections that stand out the most as individual compositions, but both are integral to the whole piece. The latter is Meshuggah at both their most devastating and experimental, first half among their sickest work ever and the latter an exercise in slowly building tension that sets up the final movement perfectly. Former track available at www.progarchives.com
Kevin Moore Mirrors And Phones, Overheard: Definitely one of the more digitally compatible artists out there, all three Chroma Key albums can be listened to in their entirety on his website, along with the soundtrack Ghost Book (his first release under his own name), from which these tracks are taken and predict the turn towards the dark and cinematic Graveyard Mountain Home took, the former being an eerie piece of music that conjures a lot of images in under four minutes, and the latter is similarly effective as a mood piece.
Orphaned Land Seasons Unite, The Beloveds Cry: If youre attending Progpower and/or only know them from Mabool, time to check out their older stuff, which they continue to perform live regularly, especially the latter track, a highly emotional ballad and longtime fan favorite that will be familiar to anyone who has the acoustic bonus disc. These tracks are from their decade-old debut Sahara, which proved to be both ahead of its time and a precursor to the epic cultural fusion of Mabool, while having a more pronounced death metal influence, tracks like the former are as melodically strong and intricate as most of the album that topped my 2004 list.
