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!
This band has really matured quite a bit since the last time I have visited them on this blog. Whether they saw my advice the last time round or not (Haha! I wish!), it is definitely good that they did clean up their image after all. They sure look more like metal musicians now!
One thing that might be quite amusing to note though, and I bring it up because Zen has mused to me about this phenomenon on quite a few occasions so far; what is with all these metal musicians in bad shape playing topless?! Notice how Drummer their drummer is playing topless in the music video above even though he has a physique that would make a Greek god roll over in delirious laughter? Look at the "tsunami waves" he creates whenever the camera rolls over to Drummer briefly in the music video...
Musically, their guitars still retain that signature high-pitched sound complete with that same old frenetic playing. This is a mind-blowingly technical masterpiece full of speedy and precise breakdowns, fretboard raping, flying fingers, impossible riffing, and an attitude that simply just kicks ass! But the music video is a typical one that simply shows the band rocking out to their own performance, albeit with lots of bouncy moments, and it sure does show off the technical prowess of the guitarists. The possible addition of an animation of some sort showing an unknown creature pillaging some small town somewhere would have been nice though, although since that has not been done, this music video serves as a good live performance video for WTR fans to watch over and over again whenever they feel like seeing the band in action.
Tech Metal Masters:From left to right - Drummer (Drums), Joe Cocchi (Guitar), Tim Goergen (Vocals), Jay Van Schelt (Guitar), Mike Beaujean (Bass Guitar)
If you are a metalhead who has not heard of WTR until today, go on, play the video and be bewildered. Actually, the same praise can be showered on practically every other track off of the entire "Invade" album, but my lazy mind is telling me that the pillow on my bed is more worthy of my attention on such a comfortably cold night.
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!
1. Lost Swines [1:20]
2. Exterminate [1:07]
3. Double-Feeding [0:29]
4. Born Stupid [1:20]
5. Sledgehammer [0:15]
6. So Fierce For Fuck!? [0:08]
7. Dis-Appointing [1:34]
8. Good Times [0:57]
9. Freedom To Act [1:25]
10. Indonesia [0:53]
11. Shitlack [1:04]
12. Condemnation [0:25]
13. One Round Away [1:07]
14. Fuck... I'm Drunk [0:53]
15. Operation Grindcore [0:26]
16. Rich (Yeah Yeah Yeah's cover) [0:43]
17. Overgrown Asshole [0:35]
18. Blasphemy My Ass [1:08]
19. Fix Your Broken Mind [1:08]
20. Newkiller Nuclear [0:39]
21. Uncovered And Proud As Fuck [0:38]
22. Murder [1:29]
23. Scum Infestation and Last Song [2:17]
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Don’t be fooled by the seemingly lengthy track listing. Although this album has 23 tracks, it is far from long. Its total length is only slightly over 20 minutes, but this is to be expected from any grindcore album.
If the line separating extreme music from being a mockery exists, grindcore as a genre would be pushing that fragile line’s very limits. Including noise, drone metal, and thrash punk, grindcore completes the list of some of the most extreme genres of music today that often crossover into what people politely call experimental or crudely call being a joke.
Wormrot, a superbly new grindcore band from Singapore, was only formed just a mere 3 years back. They are also the first Southeast Asian band in the world to be signed onto a renowned underground extreme music label overseas, namely Earache Records. The band recently had a successful European tour in 2009, and will be soon embarking on a US tour. There is no doubt about it, this probably marks the rise of Southeast Asian metal beyond its own borders. \m/,
Man, I feel increasingly proud of being Singaporean these days.
Anyway, being part of the grindcore horde, I automatically assumed at first that Wormrot would sound like a bunch of amateur wretches plowing away on their instruments mindlessly. Well, mindlessness is actually a fairly large part of making grindcore music, but I was really surprised to find my previously horrid image of grindcore slowly fading away from the skeptical depths of my mind as my ears got assaulted by the blissfully gratifying death-metal-influenced aural snacks.
There is grindcore… … and then there IS GRINDCORE! As I mentioned earlier, being extreme or a joke are two vastly different things, and trying to stay extremely extreme without turning into a joke is a very subtle art to master. I can safely say that Wormrot has mastered this subtle art, for although they do have senseless track names and lyrics and constantly recycled guitar riffs, their songs have a vibrant energy to them that just makes one feel like moshing out to them on the spot.
Grindcore is all about speed, speed, and more speed. If you are looking for intelligent track names and lyrics, or long and epic songs, you are looking at the wrong genre. Grindcore is all about instant gratification, it is the MacDonalds of extreme music, offering any speed-deprived metalhead a quick shot of adrenaline to get them to a speedy ‘high’. “Abuse” is an album that really excels at doing this, while injecting some comedy along the way in the form of senselessly explicit track names and lyrics. In fact, they actually fit rather well into the album structure of “Abuse” thanks to the joking manner in which the band carries themselves (e.g. the photographs of themselves with their eyes striked out on the album sleeve, and the DIY artwork and wacky layout of the lyrics pages).
Singapore's very own grind masters: From left to right - Arif (Vocals), Fitri (Drums), and Rasyid (Guitar)
Needless to say, the drums are inhumanly fast, and the vocals consists of standard growls and screams. It would be an improvement if Arif could start utilizing pig squeals more often (if any in the first place, at least I don't think I heard any on "Abuse"), for they would add more variety to his vocal range and a whole new dimension of vocal brutality. The artwork displaying the rotting human face with the word “Abuse” in the left eye socket really complements the overall theme of this album too, being viscerally reviling enough to give one an overview of how this album might sound like just by looking at it.
Wormrot - Live at Obscene Extreme Fest 2009 in the Czech Republic
Wormrot - "In Grind We Rot" Indonesia Tour
I guess the only thing I would hope to see an improvement in is Wormrot making slightly lengthier tracks on their next album for an enhanced duration of speedy aural fun on each song. Not so long as to sound like repetitive noise for 3 minutes or so, but maybe just around an average of 2 minutes to utilize the short attention span of speed-crazed metalheads to its fullest!
East Asia's first extreme metal band to be signed on to a major European metal label (aka Spinefarm Records), the world's first Oriental Black Metal band, a politically active frontman, and.... a hot bassist! If not for these unique features of the band, Chthonic would probably just be another everyday Asian black metal band, trying as hard as they can to break into the international market.
Chthonic is 15 years old as of 2010, and these Taiwanese black metal legends had been to Singapore once 10 years ago, making this more recent trip to Singapore their second to date. The concert yesterday was nothing short of a breathtaking experience, with me and my trusty digital camera planted at the very first row of the audience in the center, it was very deafening as well (ear plugs are awesome). However, it was only because of my fantastic location that I could take many clear and close-up pictures of the band members (with the exception of Dani, the drummer). You readers can check out the pictures by clicking on the link below.
Friendly Freddy: The front man was humorous and interactive, but it was hard to discern his words whenever he spoke in English.
ChthoniC 閃靈 - Forty-Nine Theurgy Chains
ChthoniC 閃靈 - Rise Of The Shadows
Initially, I thought no Singaporean Chthonic fan would be crazy enough to the extent of imitating their Taiwanese peers and throw hell notes into the air during the concert. Well, I was wrong. Not only did local fans buy hell notes and pass them around to fellow fans so that they can all recreate that unique Chthonic concert atmosphere, this enthusiastic Chinese fan from Johor Bahru came all the way here just to catch the Taiwanese band in action, and was probably the wildest mosher in the entire crowd.
Here's a picture of the rabid animal:
This is the second metal concert I have attended in the year 2010 so far, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to go for more if the bands that are performing are as unique and fascinating as Chthonic. After the concert, I camwhored a bit with fellow Zetalambmary pal Zen, and a guy we befriended at the concert. We queued up for about half an hour outside the studio afterwards, and managed to get a group picture with the band and our autographs too!
Before leaving, we shook hands with members of the band, and I was slightly light-headed for a while after that for I shook hands with Doris Yeh and Jesse Liu!
Photo with the deities of the Taoist underworld!: From left to right - Wraith, Lareyne Kaufmann, Zen
All in all, this was one concert that any Singaporean asian metal or black metal fan should not have missed, and if you did, you really missed one hell of a great time. The only slight disappointment about this concert was that Chthonic's keyboardist CJ Kao could not make it due to him being called up for NS enlistment (yeah, Taiwan has it too), but otherwise, his band mates still made a great stage presence.
If Chthonic is returning for a third gig here in the little red dot anytime soon, we hope to see you around next time CJ!
So, how many lucky asses actually get to meet that much revered guitar god? Well, here is Srivatsan, a friend of mine from college, and one such lucky ass who got to meet the legendary Slash!
How did you feel when you met Slash?
Shocked! It was like a child meeting a Pokemon or Power Ranger, something they really love but never thought they will ever meet them in person. After that, I was really just very happy, I just kept staring at him while he was signing all those guitars and posters.
So did you manage to ask him what his favourite movie is?
Nope, he was already waiting at the photo-taking area when it was my turn for my photograph with him. Just a handshake, a "Hello Slash!", and a snap. After that, he called the next person to come over. During the photo shoot, I was whispering to him "You're my God man...", that is why my mouth is open in the photo.
Then what did he say? Or... did he even hear it?
Haha, I guess he didn't hear it, 'cos he didn't say anything.
How was Slash in person when you talked to him? Was he friendly, cold, or what?
Hm, there wasn't much of an interaction between him and the people, but he seems to be quite friendly. You know that guy who won the real guitar competition? He told Slash that he was the one who won it, then Slash asked if he was the one who played with the guitar on his back. That guy said "Yeah", and Slash said that was pretty cool. Yup, so I guess he is friendly. I kept quiet 'cos I didn't wanna go tell a guitar god that I got to see him by pretending to play a guitar. Lol.
Hahaha, well, at least you got to meet him.
Yup.
What thoughts were running through your mind when he was signing your guitar?
I was just looking at him autographing. To him, it was just another autograph, but it meant the world to me. After he signed it, he even wrote "2010" below the autograph. Although it was quite a small thing, I was still impressed that he even bothered to date it.
Hahaha okay, I bet 50 years from now, if you ever intend to sell that guitar, it will cost a bomb. So moving on, I know you will feel biased about this, but I will still ask it anyway. How was the Slash concert as a whole?
Hm, I will just say the order of events and then tell you how I felt.
Firstly, we were told to be there by 11:45 AM so that we can get to see Slash and the band doing their sound check at 12:15 PM. I was late, so I took a cab down, but alighted at the wrong area. It was already around 12:10 PM by then, and I could hear the sound of drums. I thought the sound check had already begun, so I followed the sound and ended up inside the concert area. I saw the stage and all for the first time. Slash wasn't there yet, the workers there were setting up the drums, so that was where the sound came from.
I asked one of the guys where should the VIP pass holders go, and he guided me there. There, I met the LAMC people and the other VIP pass holders, and the real guitar winner as well. We were all told to wait for a while. After that, I heard the sound of a guitar, and the playing was pretty good. I was thinking "Wow, those guitar techs can play quite well", but then the LAMC gal ran back and told us that Slash had already begun his sound check.
Yup, so I went in there to see the sound check, and that was the very first time I saw Slask. Man, that feeling was fucking awesome man. We were told to keep away from the stage, like at least 10m, so we sat down on the grass patch and watched Slash and his band do their sound check. They actually performed 3 songs during the sound check, so I already had an idea of how the concert will probably sound like. The sound check ended at around 2:30 PM, and at 2:45 PM, the LAMC gal said that we were gonna meet him then.
We went to this tent at the back of the stage which had lots of guards outside, and after like 10 minutes of waiting outside, we were told to enter the tent 4 by 4. When it was my group's turn, one of the guards brought us in there. After we got into the tent, I saw Slash at the photo taking area. What happened after that, I told you already. So after getting all our stuff signed, we were given 2 posters each. Yup, that's it for the Meet-and-Greet session.
At 7 PM, the concert started. The first band was called Twenty Two Hundred, some unknown band from Australia whom Slash thought had great potential, which was why he brought them along to Singapore. They were awesome man, seriously.
After that came the main guest, Coheed & Cambria. I hated them. Their vocalist looked like an ass with all that bushy hair, and his voice was like the Dragonforce dude but more gay. Unfortunately, they played a full set that lasted 90 minutes. I was just standing there for time to pass... and oh, I have to say that I was standing in the front row, holding on to the barrier towards the right side of the stage (traditionally, where the lead guitarist always stands). After, Coheed & Cambria finished, I was relieved and fucking excited. After setting up the stage for like 20 minutes, Slash and his band finally came out.
During the sound check and Meet-and-Greet session, he had tied his hair up and wore a cap. When the concert finally started, I was seeing him for the first time with his signature top hat and leather pants with a black hankie hanging from his back pocket. He was wearing a sleeveless tee. The first song was "Ghost" from his solo album. It was a very energetic song, the riff is pretty fast and cool-sounding. When it was time for his guitar solo, he played the famous "Godfather" theme. It was an extended solo that lasted for like 15 minutes, then right after the solo, he played "Sweet Child O' Mine" and the crowd erupted into cheers. It was the song everyone was waiting for. When the concert was coming to an end, an encore was obviously expected, and Slash and his band played "By The Sword", before ending off with the freaking great performance of "Paradise City". Yup, and the concert ended there. Throughout the concert, Myles Kennedy was speaking into the mike pretty often, something that he admitted he was not used to doing).
Sri's Slash-autographed guitar!!
Wow, that was long. Alright, last question. If Slash is coming back to Singapore next time, and there is another such competition again, will you participate once more?
Haha nope, but I will definitely go for the concert. If I am working by that time, I will pay for the VIP pass (US$500 for the 2010 Slash concert price). After hearing all those new rock bands such as MCR, A7X and Muse live, it was a really great experience to hear something classical. The sound was just totally different from the other bands I heard. It is the classical rock sound. One song I love by Guns N' Roses is "Civil War", 'cos Axl Rose's different voice ranges, combined with the meaningful lyrics and Slash's really stylish licks and riffs really just fit the song so well. When I heard that live, I started tearing. Yup, that is all I have to say about the concert. The experience as a whole was one that I will never forget.
Slash is God.
Ah yes, what exactly did you win by the way?
Haha, they gave me so many things man. The Meet-and-Greet session (S$700), guitar and hard case (S$750), MacBeth shoes (S$100) and free guitar lessons (S$200).
Close-up shot of the million-dollar autograph
So there you have it folks, don't drool over this guy's unbelievable experience now, all you guys have to do is follow in his mock-guitar-shredding awesomeness when there is another such competition available when Slash comes to perform in Singapore again next time!
Cold wind's blowing at my cigarette, No this can't conceal I'm hanging like a marionette Can you make me real?
See the world best I can Through the smoke as its hand tries to choke me again...
Got my black book open and I'm burning down at that hotel A hundred thousand miles in my way On the road to hell
Give me something to touch something I can smell - of you I'll take it to my grave as I burn for you.
Blind weight twirling in my skin that'll pass Like only time can tell.
Guess this letter's gonna be my last I hope it finds you well.
See the world best I can Through the smoke as it's hand tries to choke me again...
Got my black book open and I'm burning down at that hotel A hundred thousand miles in my way On the road to hell
Give me something to touch Something I can smell - of you I'll take it to my grave as I burn for you.
A hundred thousand miles away -aye I've fallen -aye aye I can feel my final day -aye is calling -aye aye
I'm burning alive for you Just reaching for something true I'm burning alive for you I need something to pull me through to pull me through
I've got my black book open and I'm burning down at that hotel A hundred thousand miles in my way On the road to hell
Give me something to touch Something I can smell - of you I'll take it to my grave as I burn for you.
Got my black book open and I'm burning down at that hotel A hundred thousand miles in my way On the road to hell
Give me something to touch Something I can smell - of you I'll take it to my grave as I burn for you.
Burn for you.
Los Angeles, CA. Perhaps one of the few places in the USA that have produced some of the biggest, finest modern rock and metal bands of today, and complementing this roster of acts was Opiate For The Masses (they broke up in 2009, 10 years after they formed).
OFTM sounds just like Linkin Park, just a little more sparing with the synths, and definitely more stylish in terms of image. C'mon, how cool is it to see a Nu-Metal band dressed up as Commies?! By the way, for those who have never heard of Karl Marx, he once said that "Religion is the opiate of the masses." Yeah, now you know where this band took their name from.
You know, this song is one of those rare gems out there that actually has a bass line that is existent. Right from the very first second, the bass line makes its presence known by humming in to the catchy beats of the drums, with Ron's lulling voice accompanying it to great melancholic effect. Ron's voice is another one of those gems... no wait, a natural perfectly-cut diamond amongst the hordes of rough, uncut gems in the realm of rock/metal vocalists. The only person I can think of to compare Ron to, would be the legendary Chester Bennington of the titanic Linkin Park. One can never really forget Chester's talent for blending both harshness and clarity into a voice like no other, a voice that screams of all the angst within oneself, yet exudes an honestly clean feel that doesn't scare mainstream listeners off. Well folks, here is another talented vocalist who was in an excellent band for you to check out.
Opiate For The Masseswere: From left to right - Anna Kjellberg (Bass Guitar), Jim Kaufman (Guitar, Synthesizers, Programming), Ron Underwood (Vocals), Seven Antonopolous (Drums)
In the words of Joey Jordison of Slipknot, "Opiate For The Masses is nothing short of hypnotic." Indeed, the band had named themselves appropriately during their active years. They have completely changed the atheistic flavour of the phrase they extracted from Karl Marx's famous quote, and instead, turned it into a phrase synonymous with good music for rock and metal fans.
Looking for a wonder drug to cure that occasional itch for a mainstream fix? Look no further than OFTM!
11. The Blinding Of False Light [5:05]
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American metalcore veteran AILD is back to slaughter eardrums by the masses, yet again, with their ferocious 5th studio album, "The Powerless Rise"!
Alright guys, turn up the volume of those speakers, and tune up the bass settings for that bass booster. This is one helluva album to blast! With overpowering bass lines and pounding drum beats that is sure to gratify any metalcore fan's appetite for aural destruction, wailing guitar melodies so intense that they not only shake up one's soul from the inside out, but blaze by so fast that you find your finger subconsciously hitting the song on repeat, and anthem-like choruses that would make any decent post-hardcore band proud, AILD proves that metalcore can be a genre that is not all about overly-generic distorted guitar riffs and sub-standard harsh/clean vocals.
This is a good album, not excellent definitely, but just good. There are two issues stopping me from giving this album a 9+/10 rating, and here they are.
Firstly, AILD might want to consider better planning of their vocals on future albums. Their combination of harsh vocals and clean singing on the more popular songs of this album, especially my personal favourites "Anodyne Sea" and "Parallels", proves itself to be a successful formula for creating metalcore hits that aren't too sappy yet overly-aggressive such that it borders on sounding generic. However, the five songs "Beyond Our Suffering", "Without Conclusion", "The Plague", "Condemned" and "The Only Constant Is Change" comprises of entirely growls and screams, which is nearly half of the album. The utilization of both types of vocals is not evenly spread out. If not for the relentless assault of belligerent guitar passages and brutal breakdowns on those tracks with zero clean singing, they would end up sounding like overly-generic metalcore music. If AILD wants to stick closely with the decent formula mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, it would be better if they tried utilizing both types of vocals simultaneously on a more frequent basis from now on (not to the extent of sounding too much like pop metal of course).
Secondly, although the album blasts off with a good and explosive start and ends off on a nice, mellow and melodic note, it is rather boring in the middle. I mentioned in the earlier paragraph that "If not for the relentless assault of belligerent guitar passages... end up sounding like overly-generic metalcore music." Yes, those tracks mentioned do not sound overly-generic, but that still doesn't mean they do not sound generic. Chugging guitar riffs together with seamless drum beats and simple bass lines are such a common staple in metalcore music that even veterans like AILD cannot do without them, and that is precisely what makes a boring metalcore song these days on the modern metal scene. This is certainly something for AILD (as a matter of fact, all aspiring metalcore bands as well)to watch out for on future albums if they want their songs to be memorable for their musical value and not how they sound like so-and-so metalcore band's so-and-so song.
They will steal your last breath: From left to right - Josh Gilbert (Bass Guitar, Vocals), Phil Sgrosso (Guitar), Tim Lambesis (Vocals), Jordan Mancino (Drums), Nick Hipa (Guitar)
Production-wise, AILD had roped in Adam Dutkiewicz as their producer (guitarist for Killswitch Engage) yet again for the second time, with the last time being when they were recording their second-most recent album "An Ocean Between Us". They did so because they believed Adam understood their sound better than anyone else, and I do not find fault with this claim because Adam certainly continues to do a good job ("An Ocean Between Us" was also a well-received album).
Another minor thing to bring up would be the lyrics, and as usual, it is all about mankind's ignorance, shallowness, and hollowness. Ah, the typical lyrical theme adopted by most metal sub-genres, listening to metal sure makes one feel ashamed of your own species. Oh well, I guess this is a part of metal music that is so deeply ingrained in the culture created by many metal musicians such that one can never really expect it to have much variation.
Being yet another milestone in AILD's scintillating career thus far, "The Powerless Rise" is definitely for fans of the old Bullet For My Valentine, Caliban, Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, and Shadows Fall.
When I first learnt of Draconis Infernum, the first thought that shot through my mind was: "Wow, cool name." And this is not your everyday black metal band, it is a Singaporean black metal band. Local music has never sounded so good to me until I heard this! Singapore's underground metal scene is not very huge, its commercial existence thus far is only slightly more than 10 years. But young as it is, it has seen success with many young bands growing increasingly prominent overseas recently, such as Wormrot, Xanadoo and the title band just to name a few.
Anyone who picks up instruments, learn to play well, and has the intent to make music their career can form a band. But how many GOOD bands actually come out of this plethora of budding musicians? Only time has the answer to this question, and so far, Draconis Infernum is doing well. With the barrage of malicious guitar riffs at lightning speed, a lean mean drumming machine, and harsh vocals that sound as seasoned as any prominent old school Western black metal harsh vocalist, Draconis Infernum is set to desecrate and demolish stages both locally and internationally for years to come in their unholy quest to revitalise old school black metal!
Of the five tracks in this short album, I personally like "Belial Rising" best. It is fast and catchy, a song that would probably get black metal enthusiasts headbanging already on their first listen. The 4th track, "Cursed Are The Vanquished", is also another notable track to listen out for because of the same reason, and it is also the longest track in the album (clocking in just over 6 minutes).
Staying true to the style of old school black metal, the lyrics are 100% satanic. Zealots subscribing to any of the Abrahamic religions would find the blasphemous material some use as a stepping stone to further their cause, but other than that, the lyrics sure make some fine dark poetry chocked full of morbid lexicon.
*Dragons Of Hell (lineup for this album): Starting from the top-left in a clockwise direction - Xeper/Sonic Depravation (Guitar), Kount Cider/Aural Misanthropy (Vocals), Serberuz Hammerfrost/Diabolical Nuklear Skin Torture - Pulse ov Decay (Bass Guitar, Drums), Niloc/Blade ov Inhumanity (Guitar)
*Note: Before 2010, Draconis Infernum's bassists were 'sessionists' (for the live shows). Kount Cider is no longer in their ranks as of 2010, and Serberuz Hammerfrost/Diabolical Nuklear Skin Torture - Pulse ov Decay plays the duo role of bass guitarist and lead vocalist for live shows as of 2010 (as well as drums studio-wise). Additionally, Syroth from Warsaw has recently joined the unholy ranks of the band as session drummer for live shows.
Production-wise, Draconis Infernum also put in a lot of effort. Although this is their debut album, it does not sound "raw" at all. Most new metal bands usually have a very unpolished, dirty sound on their debut album, and that is with good reason. They usually are tight on finances and simply cannot afford to risk throwing in everything they have got into a record that might or might not give them a breakthrough. Draconis Infernum however, spent quite a fortune on making a quality record of this album in a good recording studio, which would explain why any unsuspecting listener would most probably think the band is part of the mainstream underground scene in Europe or America on their first listen. Reckless or great foresight? Only the band themselves would know (Edit: The band has informed me that actually, having a raw record can be the intent of the black metal band in question, as black metal is supposed to sound 'raw, disgusting, and ugly'), but nonetheless, what they made was a professional-sounding record that not only officially kickstarted their promising career, but makes for a valuable collector's item as well. Did I mention that there are only 500 copies of this album? I am so glad I got myself one, and I should try to get it autographed should I ever go to any future local gig of theirs, heh heh.
Draconis Infernum - Belial Rising
Overall, Draconis Infernum is one local band that any black metal enthusiast should not miss. In the meantime, wallow in the fiery pits of black aural dissonance! And sit tight for the upcoming 2nd full-length album, "Rites Of Desecration & Demise" as well.
11. Pretty On The Outside [3:56]
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“Fever” is the third studio album released by the Welsh metal band, Bullet For My Valentine. It was released on 27th April 2010 in the US. Since then it has risen to debut at #3 on The Billboard 200 and #1 on the Rock and Alternative Charts, making it the most successful BFMV record out of the three, the others being “The Poison” and “Scream Aim Fire”.
Listening to the record, it is easy to see why; Fever is comprised of 11 songs, with a mix of infectious and catchy riffs, anthem-ish rhythms, both upbeat and slower songs with tinges of Matt’s screaming giving the whole album that edgy feel, there’s something for everyone. The sound on this album is definitely more calculated than that of The Poison with “a crisp, clean production where every note is experienced.” (Noisecreep). Looking in terms of the band’s individual skill, the more complex riffing progressions, guitar solos, and unusual breakdowns and layers makes it obvious that each band member’s skill is improving. As usual BFMV pulls out another record of high quality, and depending on how well they continue to do, they could be en route to being a future classic of the metal arena. Although they have improved, I can’t help noticing that the band has however toned down the screaming compared to their debut album, “The Poison”. The screaming on the title album now serves mostly to accentuate and not as the main medium of singing, a slight downside for me.
The first song and also their single, “Your Betrayal” is possibly one of the best openers I’ve heard in a long time with the first 1:20 of the song serving both as a superb build-up as well as showing off the skills of the drummer (Michael Thomas) and the guitarists (Matt Tuck; Michael Paget).The progressive layering together with the first line of the song when Matt whispers ‘Am I going insane’ runs chills up my spine and the other whispered parts also serve to a great effect a contrast to Matt’s screaming. All in all, it’s the little details (like the bass slide at 2:33) that make this song outstanding, and it really sets the tone of the rest of the album. A noteworthy song (hah, noteworthy) is ‘Dignity’, because this is a song that I reckon more screaming would really suit it, especially at the part where the lyrics go – “Don’t push me because I won’t go quietly”. But then again this is still a good song, with a well-placed guitar solo that shows BFMV is still a band that doesn’t hide its skill and pugnaciously shreds for the world to hear.
Morbid Sweethearts: From left to right - Matthew 'Matt' Tuck (Vocals, Guitar), Michael 'Moose' Thomas (Drums), Michael 'Padge' Paget (Guitar), Jason 'Jay' James (Bass Guitar)
Another song that caught my attention is “Begging For Mercy”. This song was available to the public as a free download prior to the album’s release, and it features much more screaming than the other tracks. This is one of the few songs on “Fever” that shows Matt has not lost his edge since “The Poison”, which is probably his way of gratifying the scream-starved metalcore fans awaiting for BFMV’s return to harder songs. Since this album features a lot more singing than “The Poison”, it is worthy to note that Matt’s accent becomes apparent here and it might sound strange to listeners of mostly American metalcore. An example would be his accent giving the ballad “Bittersweet Memories” a ‘flat’ tonality. The closing song “Pretty On The Outside” is a really good song with very good energy, rapid-fire screamo parts, and sorrow-filled chugging guitar riffs that ensure most listeners would remember what this album was all about.
BFMV is back on track: Heavy, fast, infectious
Fans of “The Poison” will be glad with the reversion to a similar style after the departure from the forgettable sound heard on “Scream Aim Fire”. Matt explains that this album was intended to return to the formula that created “The Poison”, but with greater experimentation with sounds and techniques he never tried before. This album finds an interesting mid-ground between “The Poison” and “Scream Aim Fire”, highlighting the aggressiveness of the record with greater technical detail and embellishments, leaving listeners to look forward to the next BFMV album. Personally, I feel that this album does succeed where “The Poison” never did, and that is its dynamical sound. It seems to me that with their accumulation of better techniques gained through musical experimentation, BFMV will definitely be capable of throwing out a truly epic album sometime in the future.
Verdict: 9.3/10
Written by guest writer, Low Yi Ming (edited by Shadori).
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.
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