 |
Oct 3, 2006 - 07:52 PM |
|
 |
Free Music Version.30 |
|
|
Anata - The Conductor's Departure ( 2006, Earache )
Track Listing:
1. Downward Spiral into Madness
2. Complete Demise
3. Better Grieved Than Fooled
4. The Great Juggler
5. Cold heart Forged IN Hell
6. I Would Dream Of Blood
7. Disobedience Pays
8. Children's Laughter
9. Reunication
10. The Conductor's Departure
Overview:
When a friend introduced me to ANATA's 2003 full length, "Under A Stone With No Inscription", I was utterly floored. Just as I thought Death Metal was going completely stagnant and that everything had already been done before, or "to death" so to speak (nyuk nyuk), along come these Swedes that left me speechless with their ingenious and fresh style of riffing, spectacular drumming courtesy of the great Conny Pettersson (formerly of ETERNAL LIES and ROTINJECTED) and all done very tastefully while avoiding the bloat of an overly busy record that seems to plague many technical Death Metal bands. Needless to say, I was nearly wet with anticipation of their new record. Such anticipation was well-deserved...
What first greeted me was a very pleasing production, the guitars sounding a little less raunchy than on UASWNI (how's that for an acronym?) but definitely more "organic" and coherent. You can still hear every bit of the fabulous bass playing and Conny's drums sound as great as ever. Instantly after the building up intro you are pummeled by the familiar dual guitar riff attack, weaving in and out of each other, playing off of every sick drum fill. Speaking of which, there is not one solitary SECOND of filler on this entire album. Every note has a purpose and this becomes very apparent about halfway through the first track ("Downward Spiral Into Madness") where ANATA illustrates that their true strength isn't merely in their melodic sense... but in their HARMONIC sense. This record has some of the best harmonies I've ever heard in heavy music, breaking away from the traditional major 3rd symmetric lines of bands like ARSIS and performing full-on counterpoint, doing completely different things that make perfect sense and weaving a vibrant tapestry of music. When the third track began, "Better Grieved Than Fooled", my breath was completely stolen from me as one of the most powerful beginnings I've ever heard in a song annihilated my senses. Rarely do you hear passages as majestic and awe-inspiring as this... and later in the song, the song breaks into a clean section that's like waking up from a dream. Brilliant legato lines swirl fluidly through your speakers, approaching a climactic build-up to a reprise of the astounding beginning, which continues to floor me every time.
Another track that deserves its own paragraph of unadorned adulation is the instrumental of "Children's Laughter", which is almost entirely clean guitars... and containing one most incredible and memorable drum performance I've witnessed since Sean Reinert recorded "Focus" for CYNIC (a band that ANATA continues to remind me of in many ways and there's no greater compliment than that). The song serves as the intro to "Renunciation", which is yet another masterpiece - one thing this album certainly isn't short on. "Children's Play" alone elevated this record, for me, elevated this record from being merely the best Metal record I've heard in 2006 to one of my all-time favorites.
Easily an early contender for album of the year and deserving a place in my top 10 Death Metal records of all time! Buy this album the very MOMENT it is available to you and witness the rebirth of heavy music!
Anata's new album is the best since Arsis's last and will be till Arsis's next
Åsmegin - Hin Vordende Sod & Sø ( 2003, Napalm Rec )
Track listing:
1. Af Helvegum
2. Bruderov Paa Hægstadtun
3. Huldradans - Hin Grønnkledde
4. Til Rondefolkets Herskab
5. Over Ægirs Vidstragte Sletter
6. Slit Livets Baand
7. Blodhevn
8. Op Af Bisterlitiernet
9. Varg I Veum
10. Efferbyrden
11. Valgalder
Overview:
Now this is an intriguing thing. Imagine a hybrid of Iron Maiden, and Skyclad musically, with a sometimes bewildering yet intoxicating mixture of clean male and female choir vocals, deep death grunting, and black metal shrieks, and you will get an idea of where this Norwegian band is coming from. “Nordic Folk Metal” is what this band is billed as, and it’s not far off the mark.
They do incorporate traditional instruments (fiddle, piano, and Norwegian zither), hence the Skyclad comparison, and to their credit, it doesn’t come off as simply for novelty value—each of these instruments plays an important role in the songs they appear in. Even though they often hug the guitar riffs a little too closely for their own good much of the time, the fiddles do add an interesting element of rustic joy to the songs, all of which are strangely catchy and enjoyable. The vocals, as mentioned, span a wide variety of styles and all the singers are most convincing in their various parts. Especially the clean vocals—these folks can really sing, and do so with passion and feeling, sweeping the listener away into the world these songs inhabit. The death growls are aggressive and angry, but the shrieking, when it comes in, really gets your attention.
The world these songs inhabit is one of folklore and magic, of ancient belief, and according to the band’s site, the songs on this CD represent three different eras of the band musically and lyrically. There are two trilogy suites; one based on Norwegian composer Edvard Greig’s “Peer Gynt”, and the usual Viking mythology suite. And that’s about all I can tell you, seeing as how all the songs are in Norwegian and I don’t speak a word of it. But the vocals are so alternately beautiful and startling, that is enough to pull you in anyway. Musically, these guys are top notch, with tight riffing and perfect drumming, and they flow from more folky moments to trad-metal, to more deathly and blackened moments effortlessly, though the blast beats do seem rather out of place when they do rear their heads (like right before the solo section of track #5, “Over Aegirs Vidstragte Sletter”, but the solo section that immediately follows that is such a sweet, Brian May-influenced moment that I easily forgive them this mistake). This is about the only complaint I have regarding this perfectly-produced and played CD. Otherwise, this is going to definitely make the top ten CDs list for me this year!
I have a hard time recommending individual songs on this CD, as really, I think the whole thing ought to be taken as a whole. Just letting the waves of alternately soothing folk music, smooth trad-metal riffing, and more chaotic black/death mania wash over you and letting the varied vocals sweep you off of your feet and into another realm where the real world as we know it is far, far away, and magic exists, allowing us for a few minutes to forget all our troubles, is a price well worth paying for the beauty this CD evokes.
A kickass album
Moonsorrow Suden Uni ( 2001, Spinefarm Records )
Track Listing:
1. Ukkosenjumalan Poika
2. Köyliönjärven Jäällä (Pakanavedet II)
3. Kuin Ikuinen
4. Tuulen Koti, Aaltojen Koti
5. Pakanajuhla
6. 1065: Aika
7. Suden Uni
Overview:
As most of you most probably already know, the Sorvali brothers Henri and Ville are the driving force behind MOONSORROW, forming the band in 1995 and after two demos (or rather three as the first one never got released as after the mastering half of the recorded material had disappeared) released "Suden Uni" ("Dream Of A Wolf") in 2000. Even back then it had been the goal of the band to make Folk influenced Pagan Metal and even though you can or rather have to draw a fine line between these two styles, the debut of these folks to me is Viking Metal - and if I may add truly excellent.
From the introducing wolf's howl of "Ukkosenjumalan Poika" on MOONSORROW pull you in deeper and deeper with their highly melodic Viking Metal and its great and grand melodies, driving, variable drums, rough vocals, very well implemented keyboards and the use of authentic instruments and also a melodic Black Metal eruption. All of this is almost perfected with "Köyliönjärven Jäällä (Pakanavedet II)", complete with accordion, mouth harp, acoustic guitars and changing vocals, that the keyboards are used a bit more extensively here is not negative at all, the accordion alone is worth this song!
Also to be emphasised shall be the strong, mostly slow paced, but still very varied instrumental "Tuulen Koti, Alltoien Koti", again with accordion and brilliant melodies, the more than 11 minute epic epos "1065: Aika", which both show greatly that MOONSORROW do not only have the will to differ from the majority of other bands, but also are able to unite these many different elements and influences into a whole so masterfully that they create a truly original and cohesive sound that is just plainly great!
The closing "Tulkaapa Ii T!" is titled as "Drinking Music" and I have to say that this fits perfectly, for this song is almost predestined for the later hours of a party, if you have a bit in you already, I guess that the Finnish lyrics will go fluently, too, super catchy, with accordion, flute and mouth harp, mostly stomping, accelerating in the chorus, perfect to sing/shout along and towards the end getting wilder by the second. Strong closer, even sober a great song!
Even though "Suden Uni" has a few years already, it has not lost anything of its class and fascination and together with "Voimasta Sa Kunniasta" and "Kivenkantaja" stands high up on the Viking scale, trust me!
Suden Uni
SIGH - Gallows Gallery ( 2006, Baphomet Records )
Track Listing:
1. Pale Monument
2. In A Drowse
3. The enlightenment Day
4. Confession to Be Buried
5. The Tranquilizer Song
6. Midnight Sun
7. Silver Universe
8. Gavotte Grim
9. Messiahplan
10. Untitled
11. The Tranquilizer song ( David Harrow Mix )
Overview:
“Gallows Gallery” sounds like a crazed circus, full of crazy little folk running around with knives. There are thrashing riffs and lots of double bass, but there is also a huge amount of organ, psychedelia and atmospherics. Some songs have saxophone, some have bells. Some have spoken-word and some have sitar or glockenspiel or techno beats. There are guests from DARK TRANQUILITY, THE RED CHORD, NECROPHAGIA and MEADS OF ASPHODEL. In short, there is a lot of stuff in here and it sounds good.
Gallows Gallery
Otyg - I Trollskogens Drömmande Mörker ( 1996, Self-Financed )
No Cover I know of
Track Listing:
1. Vitterstigen
2. Vinterväsen
3. Fjälldrottningens Slott
4. Norrut
5.Driven Ur Fjället
6. Genom Obanat Rike
7. Frostmarkstoner
8. I Trollberg och Skog
9. Skymningsdans
10. Sorgbundna Sekel
Overview:
The second demo of Otyg and a kickass demo at that, which everyone who likes folk and metal should check it out.
Otyg Demo #2
|
|
|
|
|
Response to:
