Friday, January 27, 2006
The frenetic life
Monday, January 09, 2006
Spiral Architect: A Sceptic's Universe
One of the aspects of prog that attracts me is the technicality of the music. While that certainly isn't everything I like, it is a huge contributing factor. Listening to much of the music reviewed here, one will find precision playing, unusual time signatures with rapid shifts from one to the next, and multilayered writing that really gives each instrument something interesting to contribute. But today's album takes that technicality to an entirely new level. This is no longer prog metal, this can be called nothing less than technical metal.
Spiral Architect is something of a dream group, though few will recognize any of the members. An effort to combine the considerable talents of many players, the band was brewing for a number of years before the actual release of their debut (and so far only) album "A Sceptic's Universe". For those who prefer their music to be something that rests in the background, this album is not for you. Just skip it and move on to something more mundane. For those who want an intense listening experience that demands repeated, concerted listens to even begin to fully appreciate all that is going on, this is the album for you.
The musicianship is stunning. Incredibly complex playing from each member fills the album from start to finish. Truly, in attempting to describe the music, words fail me. The bass is all over the place, doing things that most bass players would find obscene. Polyrhythms abound, leaving the careless listener lost in the wake. The lyrics, while certainly playing second fiddle to the amazing music, are surprisingly introspective and intelligent. Guitars and keyboards often merge to create excellent harmonies. Vocals are also great, sounding amazingly similar to Buddy Lackey (aka Devon Graves) of Psychotic Waltz fame.
Tracks to catch:"Insect" has one of the most jaw-dropping bass lines I have ever heard. "Cloud Constructor" is a whirling, mind spinning trip. "Conjuring Collapse" has moments of surprising accessibility. Finally, if you are lucky enough to find the Japanese version you get an amazing version of the stellar Fates Warning song "Prelude to Ruin".
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Stream of Passion: Embrace the Storm
If there is one incontrovertible thing you can say about Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon project, it is this: he does not hold back. He gives every Ayreon album everything he has, and often seems to have to take a break and indulge his musical mastermind in other ways to help clear it out a bit. After the 2004 masterpiece "The Human Equation", Arjen decided to take that Ayreon break in yet another musical direction. This time he would form his first band in 10 years, centered on the vocal talents of Marcela Bovio (who sang the part of 'Wife' on "The Human Equation"). The result is "Embrace the Storm", the first CD from yet another female fronted rock/metal band. With the current glut of such female fronted metal bands (eg. Nightwish, After Forever, Tristania, Lacuna Coil, Flowing Tears), how does this newest project from Arjen stand up?
In one word: brilliantly. But a one word review would be boring, so I will go on. Stream of Passion is a band that took full advantage of the internet. Buzz and advertising was created quite simply by internet word of mouth. Many of the members submitted their work via the internet, and electronic communication led to the discovery of many of the members of the band. Yet, while technology played such a large part in the creation of the record, and even the band, the music is surprisingly down to earth. No sci-fi stories, other than guitars, no electronic instrumentation (in fact the book states there are no synthesizers whatsoever on the album). The writing is very evenly split, demonstrating the balance of the members. Arjen wrote the bulk of the music, Marcela the lyrics and vocal melodies. Yet each player also contributed their part, Lori writing her lead guitar lines, Johan contributing to the bass work, Davy with the drums and Alejandro with the piano. This balance of the writing helps to lend the music a distinctively fresh sound, and sets it apart from Ayreon.
All the members work wonderfully together. Marcela's voice is one of the best in pop, rock or metal. Period. Clear, with just a hint of her accent leaking through, soaring and haunting all in turns. The rhythm section is solid, with a rich, full base sound and great, driving, crisp drums. Alejandro's piano blends in perfectly, bold when it should be, subtle at the right times. Lori's lead guitar work is fantastic. She was quite the find. While she can certainly 'shred' with the best of them, what really sets her apart is the crystal clear, soaring and almost vocal quality to many of her solos. Finally, Arjen Lucassen has, in this writer's opinion, the single best electric guitar sound in rock or metal. It is powerful, full, thunderous. His chords simply rock.
Note: The special edition comes with a region free DVD that has a 30 minute 'making of', the video for "Passion", a trailer for the album, as well as the rough, acoustic demo tracks for each song. Also included is a video of the one take in with drummer Davy Mickers recorded the final track "Calliopeia". It is fun to watch him record the entire song in one take. The DVD is certainly worth looking for, and I highly recommend it to anyone with more than just a casual interest in the band.
Tracks to catch:The opener "Spellbound" begins with distorted, muffled tribal drumming. Piano and strings enter, followed by Marcela's amazing vocals. But the real kicker is the explosion of guitars about 1:30 into the song. Wow. I was speechless, and this was the first track. "Passion" is the most powerful, focused rocker on the album, with carefully balanced moments of calm. "Haunted" is a chilling track, living up to its title. "Embrace the Storm" encapsulates so well all that the band is about. And the final track "Calliopeia" is yet another example of musical brilliance. Honestly though, there is not a single bad track on the album.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Linkin Park: Hybrid Theora
Author's note:One of the biggest perils of reviewing albums that you own is that you likely aren't buying it in the first place if you don't like it. This has lead to a lot of highly rated reviews here. In an effort to demonstrate that we can, in fact, give low reviews I am taking this opportunity to review an album I purchased in a moment of weakness.
Linkin Park hit and hit big. "Hybird Theory" was the top selling album of the year when it was released, and you couldn't turn on popular radio stations without hearing a song from them come on the radio. But there was a problem. Were we ever hearing more than one song? I mean, really, almost every song sounded the same.
Capitalizing on the rap/rock fad, Linkin Park combined traditional nu-metal vox from Chester, with rapping from Mike and a DJ to boot. Short, catchy songs, with easily remembered melodies and choruses coupled with lyrics full of teen angst and despair that so seems to fascinate teens. Wrap it in an industrial looking case, and you had a winner.
But the music simply cannot stand up to anything more than a cursory, half-eared listen. Listening to "Hybrid Theory" all they way through and you get some 30 minutes and change of a pretty continuous drone. Throw in "Meteora", the follow-up, and you have two discs full of one single, repetitive track, beat into your head time after time after time. It is not even worth considering them as two separate albums. It takes but a moment to be grateful that the songs are so short, just so you finish sooner.
Tracks to catch: How can you recommend the same song more than once? Sorry, nothing to add here. Once you have heard a track, there just aren't any surprises left.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Porcupine Tree: Deadwing
Porcupine Tree is a relatively new acquisition in my music tastes. They were introduced to me by my brother, a fellow progressive music fan. The first album he told me to check out was their first big American release, 2002’s In Absentia. I picked it up, having never even heard it before, simply trusting in my brother’s taste.
Frankly, I was blown away. It was so crunchy, so sonorous, so . . . splendid! Later that week, I ran out and purchased PT’s newest release, Deadwing. Again, I was amazed at their musicality, the wonderful mesh they achieve in their sounds.
This album has barely left my CD player. I listen to it all the time; I made a copy to carry in my car, it’s one of the “old standby” albums that never leaves the Mp3 player, etc. This is a very important album for any rock fan. While Rush may be my all-time favorite band (has been since I was a little kid, and probably always will be), Porcupine Tree has quickly become my second favorite band, and the band I’m the most passionate about introducing people to. I’m officially slightly obsessed with Steven Wilson and all of his projects.
Tracks to catch: Deadwing: The opening track – this song has one of the best beginnings of any rock album; this song rocks so incredibly hard and you can’t get it out of your head – ten minutes of blessed rocking. Halo: this song has a rocking bass line that makes your car shake. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here: My other favorite track on the album; eleven minutes of fun, building from simple and soft to complete rock. Open Car: I just have to mention this song because the verses are in seventeen-eight time – who the crap can write in seventeen-eight, besides Steve Wilson?
Monday, December 19, 2005
Kamelot: The Black Halo
I have to admit up front, this band is very new to me. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and internet radio, a track from Kamelot showed up on one of my Pandora radio stations (my Fates Warning station). It started slowly, built nicely, and then erupted into a marching, anthemic, powerful song. This was a band I needed to hear more of, and their most recent release "The Black Halo" seemed like a good place to start.
Kamelot are what I would call progressive power metal. And saying this is the best power metal album I have ever heard would really not be that much of a compliment. So, instead, I will say this is one of the best melodic metal albums I have ever heard. A continuation of their previous release, "Epica", "The Black Halo" carries on their retelling of the story of Faust and his deal with the devil. Like its epic source material, this album is powerful and epic in many ways as well. The album starts off with a stunning opening track "March of Mephisto", made all that more effective by guest vocalist Shagrath (of Dimmu Borgir) as the voice of Mephisto. From there, the album never looks back.
The music is melodic, moving, powerful and at times even poignant. Form the slower paced march of the first track, to the double bass flurry of the second and so on, the album moves and weaves, deftly weaving from fast to slow, light to heavy, while never losing sight of the melodic nature that makes this music so accessible to anyone. Broken up into four segments, three short interludes create the divisions. Yet somehow, the band even manages to make the interludes interesting. Power metal is known for over-the-top, fantastical lyrics, but perhaps due to the subject matter with such a rich tradition and history, Kamelot avoids that pitfall on the album. The talent of the members shines through on each track as well. The playing is excellent, the singing marvelous, and the production is just about perfect.
Tracks to catch: "March of Mephisto" is a powerful, thunderous opener that instantly draws the listener in. Emotional, gripping, and moving, there are few first tracks that are as great as this one. However, it gets even better. The epic "Memento Mori" is brilliant. A melodic and hauntingly beautiful beginning is balanced by a fast paced, dynamic metal tune. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs. Ever. The title track "The Black Halo" is great, with excellent guitars and keyboards complementing each other. "Interlude I: Dei Gratia", though short, is wonderful, with a melody that leaves you slightly unsettled.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
G3: Rockin' in the Free World
Since 1996 guitar god Joe Satriani has organized and spearheaded the G3 tour every year or two. And occasionally we get a CD from the show. I was out of the country when the first two went on, but I found the first G3 disc and ate it up. After all, what guitar fan could pass up an album with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson playing live and together? I certainly couldn't. However, there were many aspects of the album that left me feeling a little disappointed. 2003 brought another G3 tour, and 2004 brought the release of the second CD. This time, Yngwie Malmsteen would join Satch and Vai on the stage. This should be fantastic, right?
I wish I could say yes. But the truth is I cannot. This isn't a horrible CD. In fact, it is a lot of fun to listen to. But it does have more than its fair share of problems. First, the good. All three of the guitarists are extremely talented, well respected musicians. And they can play like you wouldn't believe. Each one of them could easily lay claim to the fastest fingers award, and such shredding is well in evidence here. The production of some parts of the disc are great as well, with Satch's and Vai's songs sounding crystal clear, full and powerful. And the G3 jam is a blast, with all three taking turns soloing.
However, too often the flaws prevent this from being a really great album. Each guitarist produced his own songs, and this sorely damages Yngwie's portion of the disc. The sound is muddy, unclear, and watered down. This is particularly painful since Yngwie is the one who focuses most heavily on a veritable flurry of notes. Most get lost in the muddy sound. Also, there are a few portions of feedback that are literally painful, forcing the listener to skip ahead or turn the volume WAY down. The other biggest problem is song choice. Satch plays too many songs that we have heard before. Vai picks a first one that is just not strong, a second one that gives him plenty of space to noodle in, but little else. At least the third is a great song. Then there is Yngwie. Some of his songs are really cool, embodying his neo-classical style that can be very fun to listen to. But too much is just too extravagant, with no restraint and little regard for melody. Oh, and the attempt at the blues fails miserably and painfully. The jam fares a little better, though Yngwie picks a song (Voodoo Chile) that will never sound as good as when SRV played it on "Couldn't Stand the Weather. But hey, on the jam you aren't listening to the songs, you are listening to the solos. And there are many. Sadly, it seems that the extent of Yngwie's solo skills involve really, really fast runs, up and down the fretboard. Satch and Vai keep things much more interesting, but I just tire of every Yngwie solo. Very disappointing.
Tracks to catch: "Midnight" by Satch is a fantastic song from his ground breaking "Surfing With the Alien" album, and it actually turns out pretty cool live. "Crystal Planet" is one of my all-time favorite Satch tracks, so I can't pass up the opportunity to hear it live. "Reaping" gives Vai a lot of room to show off his shredding skills, and is a fun track. But it does pain me to hear Billy Sheehan reduced to such a pedestrian bass line for 7 minutes. "Whispering a Prayer" is beautiful, one of my favorites for sure. Finally, "Blitzkrieg" by Malmsteen is a cool song. Too bad it sounds like it is being played under water.