ZETALAMBMARY is a two-man show for people who appreciate what we feel are genres of music that have always been forced to fly under the radar. Wraith digs just about everything from indie rock to certain noise pieces, while Zen prefers to stick with melodic, epic-sounding metal and Russian folk music. But what the heck, if we dig it, we will promote it anyway!
10. Endless Life [4:49]
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8-year old Irish metal quartet Enemy Logic is back with a brutal cause to share with the upcoming release of their second album, "Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind"! The melo-death/metalcore act certainly doesn't sound amateurish, and their sound has a traditional European taste to it.
Staying true to their influences, Enemy Logic's guitars riff and shred like any good European melo-death band should, reminding me strongly of the British band Sylosis in particular. Come on, the technical guitar solos, riffs, and breakdowns all just scream of professionalism!
"Firing" off the album to a great start, Enemy Logic begins this album with a cool sound effect in the form of a gun loading a bullet and launching a tirade of growls by vocalist James, instead of a bullet. Now that's cool, and I wonder if it is a coincidence but I was recently listening to Heaven Shall Burn's latest album "Invictus", and there was also a cool gunshot sound effect utilized at 1:44 in the song "Combat". Anyway, back to Enemy Logic.
While the instrumentals are superb, Enemy Logic needs to consider widening its arsenal of harsh vocal types and better group vocals. While James' growls are definitely up to melo-death standards and sound great, it gets rather dull after some time to keep hearing growls at nearly the same pitch throughout all songs on the entire album. Utilization of more low growls, screams, or maybe even shrieks (if the particular song's structure allows for them) are welcome on future albums. Additionally, the group vocals need some polishing up as well, for they sound like chants rather than the band singing as a whole. Taking a leaf from As I Lay Dying...'s book might be a good idea, because their group vocals are excellent. A very good example of AILD's proficiency in group vocals can be heard during the chorus of their latest single "Parallels" (off of "The Powerless Rise"), whereby the bassist sings in a catchy and melancholic voice while the vocalist growls alongside him to great effect. Vocals-wise, this will be a great direction for Enemy Logic to move in.
Ah, on to the guitars. Good guitars are a must for making good melo-death metal, and Enemy Logic certainly doesn't suck at this part. Apart from the technicality mentioned earlier, the guitarists are also good at making catchy tunes without resorting to inhumanly fast riffing or shredding (like Children Of Bodom's insane Alexi Laiho), that is why almost all songs on the album have such good openings. My personal favourites (for the good guitar openings) are the 3rd and 6th tracks, "Heart Of Stone" and "Dual Diagnosis" respectively, so go check them out guys.
Irish Metallers: From left to right - Des (Guitar), Dan (Drums, Backing Vocals), Seán (Guitar, Keyboard), James (Bass Guitar, Vocals) *Note: Des has left the band as of 2010
The keyboards on this album add a hauntingly beautiful touch to any song they appeared in, and these songs are the 4th, 6th and 9th tracks, "The Savage Mind", "Dual Diagnosis" and "Vengeance Served Cold" respectively. The 6th track "Dual Diagnosis" has one of the best introductions of them all, with the keyboards and guitars opening the song together to great melancholic effect. The appearance level of the keyboards throughout the album is just nice, and it should stay this way unless Enemy Logic wants to venture into Symphonic Death in the future. Otherwise, they should stay sufficiently melodic and relevant to the European melo-death scene.
Enemy Logic - Heart Of Stone
Enemy Logic - The Savage Mind
Overall, Enemy Logic displays outstanding instrumental proficiency and sufficient diversity, but lacks variety in the type of harsh vocals utilized and needs to work on their group vocals. Looking for energetic riffing, technical solos, standard bass, drums and the occasional inclusion of keyboards? But not from a band that is mainstream? Here you go, you are looking at a decent album by Enemy Logic!
Year released: 2009 Website: www.insomnium.net Label: Candlelight Records
Tracks:
1. Equivalence [03:18]
2. Down with the Sun [04:22]
3. Where the Last Wave Broke [05:03]
4. The Harrowing Years [06:39]
5. Against the Stream [06:11] 6. Lay of the Autumn [09:08]
7. Into the Woods [05:08] 8. Weighed Down with Sorrow [05:51] _______________________________________________________________
Melodic death metal with influences from doom metal sounds almost like the band's contradicting themselves in terms of musical style really. After all, doom metal is typically slower and heavier while melodeath is well... melodic. But Insomnium aren't contradicting themselves. They're playing some great metal, stuff that aren't commercially accessible, but doesn't take a lot to appreciate.
Formed in 1997, Insomnium are still experimenting within this chosen style of theirs. Across the Dark deviates quite a bit from their previous works, particularly its direct predecessor, Above the Weeping World, which was released in 2006. The melodic death aspect have been emphasized more, thus the more prevalent heavy doom acoustics from their previous album have been sacrificed for a generally faster pace, and more melodic riffs, leads and melodies. This makes Across the Dark one of the most catchy albums the band has ever released, but miraculously not at all losing its doom metal edge that projects melancholy, dread and despair. The song "Down with the Sun" definitely stands out among all the tracks, as the most balanced one that provides a comfortable tempo for riffs that can repeat themselves without becoming boring but with enough variety for the song to be melodic and still not lose its emotional power. Being currently more into doom metal, I personally found faster tracks like "Into the Woods" less tasteful, while "The Harrowing Years", considered more boring and dreary, appealed to me more. Its up to you really, but no song here veers off to either extremes of death or doom, but stays relatively near the middle in varying degrees.
The inclusion of clean vocals in some of the tracks off this album have been a topic of quite some discussion. I decided that I would prefer them to be absent, because Jules Näveri has a decidedly more mainstream voice that adds more to the melodic element, instead of conveying more emotion to fuel the band's general themes of sorrow, loss and mourning. They weren't bad, but as much as they helped to make the songs nicer to headbang to, they seemed out of place. This might explain why "When the Last Wave Broke" is one of the weaker tracks. I would also have preferred it if Insomnium have stuck to their previous influences for lyrics. The poetic lines from their previous works have appealed to me greatly, especially when they helped so much more to connect with their emotional music. While the lyrics in Across the Dark still convey sorrow and nostalgia, they have become more vague and have essentially lost that creative clarity that could turn their songs into truly top-notch masterpieces.
That's not to say that Across the Dark isn't awesome though, because it is. Insomnium's strength lies in their ability to create so much from rudimentary melodies. The double bass is simple, there is no need for technically straining beats from the drums, Ville Friman and Ville Vänni aren't threatening to severe their fingers by moving them rapidly all over their guitars. Everything is just right though, down to Niilo Sevänen's low growls, which complements the songs and brings out the atmosphere very well. When the last track "Weighed Down with Sorrow" comes to an innuendo, its title will reflect exactly how you feel. And if that's not masterful work from a melodeath band with doom tendencies, then maybe you just want to listen to some thrash metal and get angry coz sorrow's not for you.
Below is the official music video for "Down with the Sun". Go get emo my friends, but let your emotions flow through and fuel some energy. You'll feel high in a different manner.
ChthoniC, otherwise known by their more native name 閃靈, is a Taiwanese symphonic black death metal band from Taipei. They formed in 1995, and have 5 members whom all sport Chinese folklore-inspired goth makeup. Their music is very unique, as they combine both Western and Chinese instruments to weave a musical style that is dark, exotic, melodious and insane. Hypnotizing listeners into a false sense of tranquillity at the beginning, the album soon kicks off with a ravaging tide of guitar riffs that washes over you and drowns you in dark aural ambience. They are a melo-death/symphonic black metal hybrid, but what sets them apart from the crowd in that category is that they utilize the Chinese erhu (known as hena in Taiwan) as well, which is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument. It is the Chinese equivalent of the Western violin. In fact, on the single "Forty-Nine Theurgy Chains", a Chinese gong was even used! This is certainly one aspect of cross-cultural assimilation that the Western metal community would be happy to have.
Of all the black metal bands I have been listening to for 2009, ChthoniC easily won me over as a fan. Why? That would be because apart from their musical uniqueness, there are two other facts about them that are pretty interesting. Firstly, their frontman Freddy Lim feels very strongly about the strained political ties between Taiwan and China and is a political activist at home. Earlier this year, he even shook hands with then presidential hopeful Ma Ying Jeoue (now President of Taiwan), whom he had personally endorsed and hence managed to secure him many young voters. Secondly, they are the first Asian extreme metal band to be signed on to Spinefarm Records, a prestigious Finland based label, and that is a very big deal because they are now label mates with big time metal acts like Children Of Bodom, Nightwish, and Satyricon. Talk about finally getting a big break.
The lyrical theme of this album revolves around the spiritual world and the tyranny the Taiwanese had faced from the mainland Chinese government many decades ago. Basically, it is spawned from a combination of local folklore, supernatural myths, and a political agenda against the monolithic Chinese government. Hence, Western metalheads might find the lyrics a little weird and out-of-place because it is culturally different from what they are accustomed to seeing in Western black metal. For example, perhaps only those Western metalheads who learn East Asian history would recognize ChthoniC's reference to the notorious ‘228 Massacre’ in Taiwan throughout the album. You would have to read the lyrics to know that though, as usual, it is kind of impossible to make out the lyrics by ear alone. For those who just concentrate on the music as a whole anyway and do not really care what the lyrics are talking about (like me :P), well, just do your usual stuff and appreciate the aural assault from ChthoniC.
For those who do not like BMTH's music because of the screechy harsh vocals, you might not like ChthoniC's music. Freddy sounds just like Oliver, as he shrieks his way through for the large part of every song, utilizing low growls just once in a while. For those who are fine with BMTH's harsh vocals, you would definitely be fine with ChthoniC's harsh vocals too. Guitar-wise, they churn out melo-death worthy solos, and shred at blazing fast speeds. Not much to talk about the drums, because the drummer deliver beats that are as fast as what most other extreme metal bands usually offer as well. The most obviously striking instrument here would be the Chinese two-stringed violin that Freddy uses to great musical effect. Throughout the entire album, he is able to deliver hauntingly melancholic solos that traverse the border between Western and Eastern music, and which shatters the belief (if any) that Chinese instruments would be out of place in a Western music genre.
Black deities of the underworld: From left to right - Dani Wang/Azathothian Hands (Drums), Doris Yeh/Thunder Tears (Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals), Freddy Lim/Left Face Of Maradou (Vocals, Erhu/Hena), Jesse Liu/The Infernal (Guitar), CJ Kao/Dispersed Fingers (Piano, Synthesizer)
However, one disappointing aspect about the instrumentals would be the supposed presence of the piano. CJ, the finger guy (my own moniker for the dude in any band who deals with the piano or synthesizer), sure puts the synthesizer to good use on many tracks such as the all instrumental track "1947" and the single "Forty-Nine Theurgy Chains". The piano is neglected though, because although CJ apparently plays it on the band, for most of the album, it is like a ghost because it hardly sounds like it is there at all. In fact, the only few moments I hear it clearly on the album was on the tracks "Hearts Condemned" and "Unlimited Taiwan". On the track "Hearts Condemned", the piano could be heard clearly from 2:42 onwards, and on "Unlimited Taiwan", at 1:41 and 2:50, the piano can be heard playing a series of short ascending note sequences. I personally think the piano is a very good accompaniment for any melo-death or black metal band, because the melodies it can create can be so angelic yet intimidating at times, hence here's me hoping that it can be more prominent on future ChthoniC albums.
Take a listen!: This ferocious yet hauntingly melodic brand of black metal will keep you coming back for more.
Alright, this is it for 2009. "Mirror of Retribution" is a must-get black metal album for this year, and if you didn't get it for Christmas, get it for the New Year!
P.S. It would be interesting to see if ChthoniC would eventually make use of other traditional Chinese musical instruments in future, I am all for a pipa or guzheng. ☺
Year released: 2009 Official website: http://www.deadbyapril.com/ Label: Universal Records
Tracks:
1. Trapped [3:08] 2. Angels of Clarity [3:41]
3. Losing You [3:57]
4. What Can I Say [3:08]
5. Erased [3:26] 6. Promise Me [3:34]
7. Falling Behind [3:26] 8. Sorry For Everything [4:44]
9. In My Arms [3:25]
10. Stronger [4:00]
11. Carry Me [3:48]
12. A Promise [3:37]
12. I Made It [3:49] _______________________________________________________________
Ah haven't been doing this for a while. A spate of bad karma tsunami-ed its way into my life these coupla months and pushed me down a path of desolation. This in turn brought my musical tastes to more mainstream areas of teenage emo-ness and angst. Life isn't exactly looking all that way up just yet but its definitely feeling good to be back in the business of talking metal. Still, with the influences of the recent past still fresh, we're looking at some angst-filled, pop sounding metal today.
Since the release of their first single, Losing You, this Swedish outfit have garnered enough popularity to release their self-titled debut album in May this year. Not a great deal of it is original, with 11 of the tracks being demo songs that were remastered, but they do sound more clean and professional now. But from one song to one album, I still stand by what I said earlier: they sure don't sound much like a metal band. Nor look like one, for that matter. The radio-friendly sound of their mixed post-hardcore/melodic death metal/pop style isn't quite as unique as the rising-to-fame quintet would make it out to be, but that doesn't mean they do it badly.
Lets face it though, metal critics would probably put this album down because it simply doesn't have much to offer in terms of technicality and complexity. Y'all are a freaking metal band after all, not some country singers armed with a single acoustic guitar. The guitar riffs are pretty simple, and the 'boards sound like they could be played with only one hand. And while the bass could be heavier and the drums are actually not bad, the whole thing just lacks energy and power. But if you're not specifically looking out for metal songs, they're pretty ok. Like country singers, they carry forth a kinda simple beauty in their music, which is really more accessible to the masses than say, deathcore. The popularity factor is further enhanced by the fact that despite lead guitarist Johan supporting Jimmie's growls and screams, the harsh vocals seem pretty tame and downplayed while the pleasant (albeit unconventionally high-pitched) clean singing gets a lot of the spotlight, with some songs like the opening track "Trapped" and "Sorry For Everything" featuring exclusively clean vocals. Perfect formula for pop chart-hitters I'd say.
Some of the half-heavy songs are really pretty cool, like "Erased" or "A Promise", and might be useful in trying to introduce new listeners to heavier metal works. I felt that the remastered version of "Losing You" really lost me though, which is a pity because the earlier version featured in the single had more raw energy that really contributed better to this song's atmosphere. As a whole though, there are certain serious limitations to the album. The lyrical theme plays up well to my sad ol' woe-is-me self but from an objective point of view, pure emotional angst is shallow and hardly introspective. Nobody's setting Kamelot-style philosophical musings as a benchmark but there really can be more intelligent stuff than normal teenage ails. More critically, there seems to be a need for Dead by April to do some study in poetry or something to learn about diction, rhythm and rhyming structures to their songwriting. The singing can sound awkward at times because the rhythm is erratic between differing number of words in each line and the fact that some of the lines don't even remotely rhyme makes for some rather weird results that can completely destroy even the most compelling vocal hooks. If the songs had better flow, the smooth singing could really carry off better.
Its October already, y'all ain't Dead by April!
Left to right, Pontus (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Marcus (bass), Jimmie (vocals), Alex (drums), Johan (lead guitar, backing vocals)
Ultimately, catchy and sheer pop-sounding melodies are what power this album's music and opinions of its style will surely revolve around the listener's take on Dead by April's concept of metal "that refuses to be locked in to standards and preconceptions". Make no mistake, it sounds agreeable. And with some work in songwriting, it can get even better. The bottomline is that they look punk, they sound a bit punkish and if you're ok with that for a metal band, then there's not much stopping you from liking this album.
Below is Dead by April's second music video for "Angles of Clarity". Their first one is "Losing You", which you can read about and watch here.
Tear through the ashes of what still remains
The blood runs down my face
Can't find the reason we're all left to waste
You must awaken
See through my eyes!
I bleed to let myself know I'm alive
As you hide in denial
Break through the clouds and reach out to the sky
You must awaken
See through my eyes!
See through the lies!
We're not far away ~ [x2]
As we crawl ~
To salvation, the rest try to hold us down
As they fall ~
We separate from the hate that will bring us down
Bring us down ~ [x2]
These lacerations!
They will reveal for the rest of my life!
These aggravations!
Will not conceal 'til I die or we end this fight!
As we crawl ~
To salvation, the rest try to hold us down
As they fall ~
We separate from the hate that will bring us down!
Forget the words that they've said!
If it's all deceit in your head!
This life is more than just lies!
Awake and see through my eyes!!
Awake and see through my eyes!!! [x3]
Threat Signal is very fond of fading out their tracks, having catchy, melancholic guitar solos, and very generic guitar riffing to go with the scratchy harsh vocals. That is how I would sum them up in a single sentence.
Pleasantly surprising melo-death aficionados (such as yours Truly) with their soulful guitar solo in 2006's hit single, "A New Beginning", Threat Signal is set to burst back onto the metal scene with their upcoming album, Vigilance. As they are signed onto Nuclear Blast records, arguably one of the rare few music labels around that boasts an elite roster of metal bands (from Avantasia to Wintersun), one can certainly expect some quality music from them.
Probably taking a leaf from the book of fellow American music label, Victory Records, Nuclear Blast has recently adopted the approach of releasing songs from upcoming albums earlier than they should, in the form of their official music videos on YouTube. Thus, the song that the above music video took inspiration from is not out yet. :)
Briefly scanning through Threat Signal's 2006 Under Reprisal to get an idea of how they sounded like 3 years ago, I could not help but wonder about frontman, Jon Howard's claim about his musical efforts thus far.
"It's funny how the whole string section of Threat Signal was replaced, but the most noticeable progression lies within my vocals. On Under Reprisal I was really pushing and forcing my voice trying to find myself. I've found my voice and range with this album and I feel very comfortable." Jon Howard had recently said.
True, as much as Threat Signal's guitarists are mostly successful at crafting kickass guitar solos that do justice to the melo-death genre, Jon Howard still falls short of breaking out of the image of being the stereotypical harsh vocalist. He sounded almost the same on both 2006's "A New Beginning" and "Rational Eyes", and 3 years later, he is still screamin' the same in 2009's "Through My Eyes". By the way, what's with his obsession over eyes?
A foreboding warning to the metal scene - From left to right: Norman Killeen (Drums), Adam Weber (Guitar), Jon Howard (Vocals), Pat Kavanagh (Bass Guitar), Travis Montgomery (Guitar)
Only difference I could make out in his voice this time, is perhaps that of his better-sounding clean vocals during the choruses, albeit a bit too poppy for his (and our) own good. Melo-death harsh vocalists really ought to take a leaf from Scar Symmetry's original vocalist, Christian Älvestam. That guy makes the skinhead look cooler for harsh vocalists than the typical mane look.
All in all, Threat Signal is a Canadian melo-death band any metalhead should certainly look out for. After all, they are part of the Nuclear Blast brethren, and that's saying a lot.
Floridan death metal band, The Autumn Offering will be back with a renewed attack on the metal scene with Requiem, their 3rd studio album that will be (in TAO's own words) "by far the band's most ambitious and dense material yet. Longer songs, complex rhythms, and dynamic vocals fill out this 11-track monster."
Well, the song I have uploaded onto YouTube above sounds good, and let's hope the rest of the album stays that way. The Autumn Offering has always been one of those quality metal bands on Victory Records' metal roster, and that is because they are typically melodic death metal with heavy influence from the metalcore sub-genre, something which many new American metal bands today lack. Sure, the likes of The Black Dahlia Murder may be melo-death, but their vocals suck. Sure, A7X has nice instrumentals, but again, the vocals suck (e.g. Many people I know thought "Beast And The Harlot" sounded good until M. Shadows started 'singing'). The Autumn Offering has merely okay harsh vocals, but at least, it doesn't suck so bad that you would get tired of the song after a few listens. Considered to be part of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal (NWOAHM) movement, The Autumn Offering is one band you would not want to miss out on.
Bleeding Through is one of the more melodic bands from the deathcore genre. Deathcore is one of the most controversial of metal sub-genres, drawing criticisms from many people that principally flames its messy instrumentals, screaming vocals that sound more like monsters growling than humans spewing words out, and its lack of depth in lyrical content. Even Zen himself has called it "noise", thus, only I am left to appreciate the little-appreciated stuff (as usual).
Now, as a metalhead immersed in the non-mainstream scene might or might not already know, most deathcore bands all like to name themselves something bloody, morbid, religiously inclined, or random. Through The Eyes Of The Dead, As Blood Runs Black, WhenBloodBurns, The Taste Of Blood, Walls Of Jericho, Whitechapel, these are just the tip of the ice(blood?)berg, and this usually spells doom to a potential new fan. Why so? This is because generally speaking, most deathcore bands whom have followed this trend so far have extremely un-melodic, thrashy, dissonant music that is called noise by many to date. Even the more mainstream deathcore bands like Bring Me The Horizon have been called by punk rock band, Bayside's frontman to be "making a mockery".
Being the open-minded dude that I am, I just cannot bring myself to diss deathcore like that. Personally, my opinion is that deathcore was probably NOT MEANT to be as melodic as typical music is supposed to be like in the first place, instead being an avant-garde musical entity that provides differentiated individuals whom have either an extremely unique taste for music or an extremely weird taste for music, with an outlet to satisfy their little understood needs. Bleeding Through has given me a rather good impression, because they actually use clean vocals from time to time (not like they are good clean vocals anyway) in some of their songs, unlike the 90% others that scream and growl their way through their compositions of hatred.
Bleeding Through is: Brandan Schieppati (Lead Vocals), Jona Weinhofen (Guitar), Ryan Wombacher (Bass/Vocals), Derek Youngsma (Drums), Marta Peterson (Keyboards), Brian "Lefty" Leppke (Guitar)
Anyway, the music video above for this single is from Bleeding Through's 3rd studio album, "This Is Love, This Is Murderous" released back in 2003. If you have already watched it before reading the rest of this post, did you not find the video being romantic in a morosely dark way? Making a mannequin and all (probably as a reminder of someone you once loved but passed away), with so much time and effort spent on it, and then taking a nap because you thought you were hallucinating, only to wake up and realise even the mannequin has abandoned you in your life. Most deathcore bands probably don't bring across their meaning clearly in both their abstract lyrics and videography, but some like Bleeding Through certainly has succeeded doing so with their music videos, and even managed to induce sympathy within the view/listener's heart through their beautifully ugly music.
You say Jonas Brothers-I say Kamelot
You say Soulja Boy-I say Slipknot
You say Miley Cyrus-I say Nightwish
You say T-Pain-I say SOAD
You say Flowers-I say Deathstars
You say Pink-I say Children of Bodom
You say Hip Hop-i say shut the fuck up
You say Pop-I scream Heavy Metal!!
92% of teenagers have turned to Hip Hop and Pop.If you are part of the 8% that still listen to real music,copy and paste this message.
Hm... sorry for that random and lengthy apophthegm, but I just had to put it up to show my unwavering support for metal! Found it on YouTube by the way, the speediness of mass spreading of trivial information brought about by mass media, the perfect icon to represent the current zeitgeist I might say.
Okay going back to what I was originally supposed to talk about, if you have always been someone looking for that legendary vocalist who could handle both harsh and clean vocals brilliantly, congratulations. You have just found your Holy Grail. Ah, which reminds me, my girlfriend has asked me out for Angels & Demons next week. :D
Anyway, sorry for the diversion yet again. Genuinely good music needs no words to complement it or bring about its message, the music itself does it! But what the hell, if zesty ol' Zen and I truly adhered to that principle, we probably wouldn't have gotten this site up in the first place. Ah pardon me, there I go again, rattling off about irrelevant information.
Sharing the same name as a hit movie a few years back, this SS song certainly brings magic to the name, literally, just like how the movie had done so. Starting off with a string ensemble, the song already strikes a melancholic chord deep within the listener, connecting the listener to the surreal yet hauntingly beautiful (sound familiar, Zen? xD) world of "Pitch Black Progress", that is, the 2nd album of SS released back in 2006. It then surprises the listener with a sudden dramatic descending glissando on the good ol' electric guitar, following up with an opening that would make any power or lesser melo-death bands proud. Christian Älvestam, that guy who is superbly good at both growls and clean singing, then propels the song into an aggressive start with his quality growls that thrash just about nearly 98% of all growls out there on the metal market. Pity he left the band last year, now they have TWO vocalists to replace him, one for growls, one for clean singing. Man, you are g.o.o.d.
Of course, Christian then rapidly switches pitch to that amazingly clear and mellow voice in the chorus, and it certainly sets the new benchmark for aspiring Metal's-Next-Kamelot/Scar Symmetry metal bands who want to stop turning new fans off with unprofessional growls 24/7 throughout the typical catalog of headbanger numbers. The keyboards are particularly prominent in this song too, which certainly gives the 'melo' in 'melo-death' for all melo-death bands apart from SS. Noticed how the keyboardist was windmilling his hair about in the video? Now, that is what long hair is for!
The original Scar Symmetry: From left to right - Jonas Kjellgren (Lead/Rhythm Guitar), Christian Älvestam (Growls/Clean Singing), Per Nilsson (Lead/Rhythm Guitar), Henrik Ohlsson (Drums), Kenneth Seil (Bass Guitar)
You know, there really is one thing about Amorphis you should know. They were all old school death metal back in their early years, which were the '90s. After numerous line-up changes (which Zenny and I are vehemently opposed to since it taints the original sound of the band), they finally have mellowed all the way down the rungs of the metal ladder into the boundary separating rock from metal, as they sound really alternative rock-like on "House Of Sleep". Luckily, the overall thunderous presence of dual electric guitars, and the sombre thudding of the bass guitar are still there, signs which indicate that this song is still a brethren of our beloved genre. :)
Overall, this is one song which would be classified as what many people would call "emo", and yes, it is "emo" in both videography (for the music video, as seen above from vocalist Tomi Joutsen's moody moment in the pre-climax) and melody. The guitars may not be particularly melodic in the celestial kind of way, but you really cannot deny that their emotional wailing throughout the entire length of the song doesn't tug at your heartstrings. The incorporation of the piano as the main accompaniment for Tomi's moving voice is also a nice element, as most progressive metal bands hardly ever do this. Instead, they mostly prefer to have repetitive guitar riffs that generally tend to lull one into a state of hibernation, as heard on Opeth's "The Drapery Falls". Being a pianist myself, I really admire the keyboardist's skill in creating a sorrowful musical line with simple notes and chords alone, that are even in fact repetitive, but which still effectively dissipate into an atmosphere of sadness and yearning. It also has a very lethargic feel to it, making it the perfect solution to insomnia for metalheads. This is "Rock-a-bye Baby" for metalheads indeed.
The Patriots: From left to right - Santeri Kallio (Keyboards), Esa Holopainen (Guitar), Tomi Joutsen (Vocals), Niclas Etelävuori (Bass Guitar), Tomi Koivusaari (Guitar), Jan Rechberger (Drums)
Lyrical-wise, Amorphis might be a little boring. Apparently, they base their lyrical themes largely and mostly on the Finnish epic poem, the Kalevala. Thus, fans of meaningful lyrics that deals with the questioning of human existence, ethics and the likes probably will not be wowed by this band's somewhat uncreative songwriting.
If you have trouble sleeping at night, this is the song to blast! Err... I mean nod off to. Let's hope Amorphis stick with their current style all the way.
Arch Enemy, with their female harsh vocalist (who actually looks quite hot =P) and their seemingly telepathically-linked guitarist siblings. They're so good, they're one of the only melodic death metal bands that I actually like who doesn't have a keyboardist. And this song, "Revolution Begins", from their 2007 album Rise of the Tyrant, pretty much exemplifies why.
Angela Gossow's voice is distinctly feminine and yet few harsh vocalists can sounds as menacing, as ... feral. It exudes energy, the growls sound really filled with hatred and the screams are definitely not whines, which is what most vocalists, especially American ones, tend to do when they start trying to reach a higher octave. While such a perpetually angry voice can hardly bring out any other emotion, Arch Enemy balances out that aggression with their metal ballads, which is usually where the Amott brothers start to shine, but that's for another time, probably in an album review.
The guitars get lots of credit here already as it is with the melodies crafted. "Revolution Begins" is heavy and not particularly fast but, despite the lack of a 'boardist, is still very melodic while retaining its headbanging qualities. And I find it somehow a rather uplifting song. Lyrically, its about not conforming to the system, and the voice, the solos and the overall feel of the song just transmits that energy which really brings out that f*ck-you-world-I'm-gonna-live-my-life attitude within you. So yeah, cast off the mental chains that's holding you back, let your metal revolution begin and take a listen! ^^
Characterized by beautifully brutal melodies, usually played at blazing fast speeds by guitarists whom defy gravity on the fretboards, this is one variation of death metal that is almost like a proper genre by itself already. Other vital ingredients included in this heavy yet intricate mix of tuneful melodies and heart-thumping harmonies (literally if your bass booster is on high) are as follows.
1. Harsh vocals, without it, melodic death metal just ain't no death metal.
2. Speedy, earthshaking drums gawdammit! Without 'em, metal degenerates into pure iron. They are the bedrock of the solid foundation the guitar melodies fall back on dudes and gals.
3. Some metallophones, such as the xylophone, marimba, or even a string ensemble that certain melo-death bands use in certain songs to inject novelty into their music.
As it has a very heavy and somewhat vulgar sound (most probably because of the extensive usage of harsh vocals), it is shunned by the mainstream, but lovingly embraced by metalheads of the underground community. What sets this increasingly popular underground genre apart from its fellow peers, such as metalcore and black metal, is that the bands fronting it never fail to consistently come up with catchy melodies that still retain that powerful, brutal sound we all love. Metalcore does get melodic occasionally, but otherwise it just mostly focus on rhythm structure and the once-in-a-blue-moon usage of clean vocals. Black metal can get melodic too, but that would come under the sub-genre of symphonic black metal, otherwise it mostly focuses on dark themes and evilish-cum-repetitive tunes. A little history, there were three bands whom were said to have pioneered melodic death metal, and they are At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity, and In Flames. So going by that, they are considered the Fathers of Melo-death. They are a big influence on the newer generation of melo-death bands, for many bands such as the increasingly popular Children Of Bodom have cited at least one or more of the Big Three as their main influences. Since I just mentioned CoB, I might as well mention that they hardly have any filler tracks on their studio albums. They are an excellent melo-death band if you will ever meet one, for every one of their songs chug out mean and obscenely gratifying guitar melodies that are hard to forget. Despite the fact that they have been around for slightly more than 10 years to date, they are still in the spotlight on the melo-death scene due to the fresh melodies they frequently come up with. Oh yes, melo-death is mainly European metal's turf, and it is not very surprising, really. If anyone had to come up with a revolutionary musical style, it would be the Europeans, because they have a profound musical history that dates back to the ancient Baroque period during the 17th Century. On the other hand, the Americans sound typically more aggressive and "thrashy", and most of them actually stray the path between metalcore and melo-death. Nevertheless, they are still capable of playing heavy, epic music with a seemingly natural inclination towards mercurial rhythm patterns that incorporate sick yet melodious guitar solos.Darkest Hourand The Black Dahlia Murderwould be testimony to that.
However, lyrical themes can get mundane at times. This is because they mostly center around depressing themes such as Apocalypse, Misanthropia, Love/Hate et cetera. We don't need music (which is supposed to be enjoyable) to be constantly reminding us how mankind is destroying itself with its harmful acts against the environment, its own people, other species for its own subsistence and what not. Eventually, it even starts to feel a little like anticipating the next Hollywood sci-fi film, for the lyrics hardly leaves the general idea of how we humans all live wretched lives.
Anyway, here are some of the bands in the genre to look out for:
Norther (Finland)
Eternal Tears Of Sorrow (Finland)
Children Of Bodom (Finland)
The Black Dahlia Murder (USA)
Don't they all look sinisterly cool? Personally, I think that is why I find melo-death bands so much more mature and pleasant to look at than their mainstream counterparts.
Alas, descriptive words alone do not do justice to the music, let the music itself do the talking!
The Big Three:
In Flames
Dark Tranquillity
At The Gates (defunct)
... and their subsequent legion of younger peers inspired by them:
Darkest Hour
Threat Signal
Children Of Bodom
Blood Stain Child (this one's Japanese by the way)
Scar Symmetry
Sylosis
There are really, really a tonne more melodic death metal bands out there. The bands seen above are but a mere fraction of the overcrowded melo-death scene. If you are new to metal and like how it is sounding so far, it would be a good idea to try out melo-death for yourself. This immensely popular sub-genre grows more and more popular by the day, and it would be fairly easy to get hooked onto it. Also, if you are aspiring to be a walking version ofEncyclopedia Metallum, getting to know about melo-death is vital too.
That's it for this post, try and discover more melo-death bands and their music on your own. It is more rewarding and interesting that way!
Love and grave is a display of a man you once were
But unlike the hand of Midas
hat you touch with turn to shit
Blood will flow between us
And the ground will shake until you repent your sins
The touch of cold skin and the embrace of life
In darkness dwells secrets in a holy disguise
Nothing will soothe you, old hands will turn numb
Silence will not speak
But unlike the hand of Midas
What you touch will turn to shit
Burn this fucking savior
Until you see the damage you cause
Well-known as one of the largest and most powerful empires in the past, Britain may not be such a hegemon in the political world today, but when it comes to the world of metal music, it is still a millenium too early to overlook them.
Sylosis is a British hybrid metal band hailing from Reading, Berkshire. They had formed at the start of the 2nd millenium back in 2000, thus being one of the pioneering underground metal bands of Britain by default (there wasn't really much of an underground scene in Britain back in the earlier part of the decade, most people then probably only knew who Cradle Of Filth or Iron Maiden were).
I don't call them hybrid metal for nothing, for their music style is unique in the sense that they fuse the loudness of thrash, the melodic intricacy of melo-death, the aggressiveness of metalcore, and even the atmospheric feel of progressive metal to form a style that belongs to them alone. As you can probably already hear for yourself from "Oath Of Silence" above, their lead guitar kicks (or perhaps rips) ass just like how a good metal band should, and their drums and bass guitar parts are sure to annoy the hell outta your *JB-worshipping neighbours with the earthshaking tremors they spew out of your bass booster.
One unimpressive point about them however, would be the vocals [as usual]. Yes well, you might be thinking "What? It's just friggin' screaming?!" I don't blame you all for that, for most people still have little to no comprehension of the significance of harsh vocals in metal music. When done correctly, harsh vocals do add another quintessential music line to a piece of music. But, when done carelessly or in a perfunctory way, it mostly doesn't do justice to the supporting instrumentals or in worst-case scenarios, even spoil the whole song (e.g. "My Sharona (My Knack)" by The Number 12 Looks Like You).
Britain's underground melo-death leaders: From left to right - Carl Parnell (Bass Guitar), Robert Callard (Drums), Jamie Graham (Vocals), Alex Bailey (Guitar), Josh Middleton (Guitar)
All in all, should you find the silence in your house too overbearing, give "Oath Of Silence" a listen to douse everything within the four walls to the very air you breathe in dark, obscene colours. Having influences that range from Death to the likes of Metallica, Testament and even Opeth, this is one band variety-seeking metalheads sure do not want to miss out on.
*a triplet of queer, musically challenged apes known as the Jonas Brothers
Its been awhile since I last did a review, and I thought I'd throw something different from all the mainstream reviews that Shadori has been doing, which has garnered quite some attention for our site (our page views spiked, but sadly no one wanted to leave a comment anywhere still..) So anyway, Japan, long noted for quirkiness and odd fashions, has given us Blood Stain Child, a melodic death metal band with electronic dance and trance influences.
Blood Stain Child's rather new, having formed only in 2000. They started off with a power/melodic death metal style that persistently kept getting compared to Children Of Bodom, but with Mozaiq, has transitioned into a uniquely electronica centred form of melo-death. so much so that Mozaiq sounds completely different from their debut album released in 2002, Silence of Northen Hell. This is particularly due to the fact that Ryo, who is the bassist, used to handle vocals as well but has since retreated to backing vocals while a new vocalist, Sadew, transforms the band from a quintet to a sextet.
The strong point of the album ought to be the stellar keyboarding from Aki (who incidentally, is usually the most normally dressed of the lot, especially compared to that cross-dresser of a guitarist, Ryu). In some ways his playing makes up for the loss in atmosphere that comes from the lack of riffs (something rather perplexing, since they have 2 guitarists..), and his keyboard solo in the middle of "Freedom", which provided a surreal counterbalance to the general aggression in the rest of the song, positively made it my favourite track of the whole album. Violator doesn't live up to his name much, but something must be said for a drummer that can competently keep up with techno-ish tempos.
The main drag down? Well, Sadew's harsh vocals are a marginal improvement from Ryo's but the vocals are still pretty similar to those of generic metalcore bands: emotionless screams with no variation in tone. And the clean singing done by either Ryu or Ryo (can't they have more varied sounding monikers?!) aren't much better either. In fact, the absence of both lousy screaming and scratchy, whiny singing is probably what makes "C.E. 0079" so enjoyable.
From left to right: G.S.R (guitar), Aki (keyboards and programming), Sadew (vocals), Ryo (bass and backing vocals), Ryu (guitar and backing vocals) and Violator (drums)
Listen, ultimately disco-style metal is kinda refreshing, and it is more boppy than most metal music. There's no denying most of the songs are good, a couple are more than just good. But maybe that's why it makes Blood Stain Child seem so much lesser than a band. Electronica is computer gizmo stuff, and this album is full of it. Admittedly there are a few pretty good riffs and solos such as in "Cyber Green" and "Energy Blast" but every song is just layered with dance beats and what not. What's the exemplifying feature of the band then, save for the fact that they're competent techno geeks? If you ask me, when BSC gets up on a stage somewhere with roaring fans below ready to headbang, all that techno stuff which will blare out from speakers more than half the time is gonna be a credit to no one. And I wonder if that gets them down.
Below is their music video of the song "Freedom" and actually, I'm kinda woah-ed by it. Its actually one of the coolest vids I've seen by a metal band. And the song is awesome too, so check it out.
Hi there, I'm back with a rather familiar-looking title. Yes, unless you have been living under Jabba the Hutt, there is no reason for any of you to have not heard of Twilight. Just in case any of you really have been living under that obese alien slug, Twilightis a recent viral movie and novel from the New York Times bestselling author, Stephanie Meyer's hit vampire teen romance quadrology series.
As much as the above columns of words sound like they are referring to the setting in Meyer's erotica, they are not.
They belong to the song "Twilight", by the now-defunct, Swedish death metal band, Edge of Sanity. Honestly speaking, this song does fit the theme of the Twilight movie quite well, what with the lyrics telling the story of a man hit by the eventual realisation that death is not a scary thing afterall, and what he seeks is in the afterworld. I wouldn't be surprised if this song is ever found on the movie's OST (Original Soundtrack), but as we all cruelly know, there is a very valid reason why death metal is also known by the better-sounding name, "underground music". (read as "will-never-surface-to-the-public-world music")
Take a listen!: Morbid, dark, unique.
Metalheads who usually ogle only at the guitarists of metal bands, this song will be a real eye (ear?) opener to you. Dan Swanö (Guitarist/Vocalist of Edge of Sanity), is an influential figure in the underground world of metal music, and on this song, his growling vocals go perfectly with his soaring guitar solo, creating not only melodic satisfaction but a sort of hazy effect due to the constant search for stability between the vocal and lead guitar parts.
Teetering off the Edge of Sanity were:Dan Swanö (Vocals/All instruments), Andreas "Dread" Axelsson (Lead Guitar, Backing vocals), Sami Nerberg (Guitar), Anders Lindberg (Bass Guitar), Benny Larsson (Drums)
This song comes off of the album, "Purgatory Afterglow", which is also home to one of Edge of Sanity's biggest hits, Black Tears. An interesting point to note would be that Black Tears is covered by two fellow European metal bands, Heaven Shall Burn and Eternal Tears of Sorrow.
All in all, "Twilight" is a solid, gritty death metal piece, with a guitar solo that is sure to capture the guitarist-lover's ears. Guaranteed to be set on repeat for quite some time (if you are a true metalhead), this is one song that will not be forgotten long after the dissolving of the band.
With all of that said, I really have to be frank here. Let the music do the talking! There's definitely no better way to convince you then to make you listen to the song.
So for now, let us delve into the sinister world of Edge of Sanity!
Vampires!: Hang on baby, I'm gonna bring you to the twilight world now.
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