The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

Trollheart · 10-27-2015, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

"Volnaja Staya" means "Free Pack" (as in wild pack of wolves or something like that).
Free Flight my ass.

Meh whatever. I don't speak Russian, and can only take what I'm told. Thanks for the correction though. You'd run with them if you were a wolf, wouldn't ya?

grindy · 10-27-2015, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Meh whatever. I don't speak Russian, and can only take what I'm told. Thanks for the correction though. You'd run with them if you were a wolf, wouldn't ya?

Playing up my linguistic knowledge is one of the few instances when I can feel special and important.

Meh. Probably. After enough vodka.

The Batlord · 10-27-2015, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

So, one more chance to scare the bejaysus out of me, Batty, with three strikes on your card already (or whatever the stupid baseball term is). When I see an album that blends metalcore and hardcore punk (I usually don't do too well around music that has a “core” in it) I do worry though; this one could be your ace in the hole. Well, if so, then so be it: I've more than proved I can withstand everything you can throw at me up to now, so hopefully I'll get through this one too and we'll have a clean sweep for me.

So let's go: hit me Batty, one more time!

Jane Doe --- Converge --- 2001

Well it's thrashy, chaotic guitar that seems to have no tune I can discern and then the vocals, such as they are, come in and it's just a guy screaming his head off. Now, in fairness, I can hear the melody here after a few seconds. It's not too bad, though there's nothing at all I can say about the vocals. The only good thing about this is that the song is barely more than a minute, though I note with some trepidation that the closer runs for eleven! We're into the second track and there's no discernible difference here, not to me; just wild, uncontrolled guitar and someone screaming. Honestly, I've even heard black metal vocalists I'd prefer to this guy. Just what I want after a hard day's visiting at the hospital, just what I need to unwind. Not. Ah well, I asked for this.

It's all something of a blur, though there is a rather nice guitar bit there sans percussion in about the second minute of this second track, and yer man on vox shuts up, so that's nice. Of course, he can't stay quiet to the end of the track, which ends as confused and jumbled as it began. Nice guitar riff opening the third track, “Distance and meaning”, and for thirty blessed seconds I don't have to listen to the vocals, but even so, when they come in, sounds like the guy has taken his happy pills or something and he's much more restrained. Yeah, I had to say that, didn't I? He's back roaring and screeching now and normal service has it would seem been resumed. Think I can pick out a few words, which is something of a novelty. Speaking of novelties, there's some actually very melodic guitar introducing “Hell to pay”, but I'm not fooled, waiting for the hammer to fall. Wow. Even the vocalist pares it back here in a serious way. Kicking up a little now, but given how frenetic the rest of the album has been, this is positively relaxing by comparison!

We're back to the grind with “Homewrecker”, and there's not a lot I can say about it. Nothing really good I can pick out about it. Well, other than the fact that it brings us to the midpoint of the album, and let's be honest, three of the later tracks are like two minutes, one minute and less than a minute, though I have to endure the eleven-and-a-half minute opus at the end. Not looking forward to that. I'd honestly rather listen to Anaal Nathrahk or whatever they're called. At least there's some sort of a chanting backing vocal here, which takes my mind a little off himself on the main vocals. This is called “The broken vow”: well, if I vowed never to listen to this album again it would be a vow I would keep, I can assure you! Oh it's over and plunged right into the next track with very little if any discernible difference I can see. This is at least one of those short tracks, so not long to go now and it'll be over, and I'll be that much closer to the end of this aural assault.

Suggestions of some sort of melodic guitar riff trying to break through there at the beginning of “Heaven in her arms” (which this is not) but either the guitarist changed his mind or it was all just a little tease, as it's proceeded with the general hammer-out-your-teeth riff that's been more or less prevalent throughout this album so far. Slowing down there near the very end and into “Phoenix in flight”, which actually rather surprisingly is one of the best tracks I've heard on the album (not saying much I know) with some powerful melodic chords and a kind of dramatic almost orchestral feel to it. Picking up on a really nice guitar riff straight out of a power metal album. By contrast, “Phoenix in flames”, mercifully the shortest track at forty-seven seconds is just a chaotic mess: no guitars even, just pounding, rolling drums and himself screaming his head off. “Thaw” is supposed to be one of the more “melodic” pieces; don't see it myself, not yet anyway. Nah, just another noisy, chaotic mess to these ears. Hear a little melody in the guitar there actually, now you come to mention it, around the final minute. Meh. Thankfully that brings us to the last track. Not thankfully, it means I have to suffer eleven minutes and thirty-four seconds more of this before I'm finished.

Hmm. It's started with a surprisingly slow and doomy guitar that actually has quite a bit of melody in it, and now we're halfway through and it's not the worst thing I've ever heard. I had hoped it would go in quickly, and it kind of is. I must say, the ending of this is just gorgeous, which is not an adjective I ever thought I would be applying to this album. Nevertheless, I have to admit Batty scored with this one; turned me off metalcore forever, so well done man, you got me in the end.

I think we can all agree this has been one hell of a fight though, and even if I go down at the end (shut it!) I can hold my head high, having survived three out of four attempts by Batty to grind me down. Broken, bent, bowed but not defeated, I leave the Torture Chamber for another year. Will it be back next year? Who knows? Time will tell. Right now I'm off to listen to something inoffensive, like Chris Rea or ELO, or, yes you guessed it, Genesis! My soul needs to heal, and I have a discography to begin.

Trollheart · 10-28-2015, 02:51 PM

Okay, well after that almost epiphanic experience with Amaseffer (you didn't feel an epiphany? I definitely felt an epiphany. And let me tell you, I know an epiphany when I feel it. Unless that was just wind. Maybe I shouldn't have had that double cheeseburger), let's try to come down to earth a little with some good old power metal.

Star of Delusive Hopes --- Desert --- 2011 (Sleaszy Rider Music)

Kind of an odd title for a power metal album you would think, but it's a powerful rocking start as we open on “The unsubdued”, with great keyboards and guitar but the vocal is odd; sort of like a mixture of Eldritch from The Sisters of Mercy and Nick Cave, then he goes into a scream and then a sort of high-pitched almost female voice. I say he, because I can only see one vocalist credited, and it's Alexei Raymar. I therefore have to assume he has one hell of a vocal range, unless there are other singers performing here who haven't been noted. A great start though and both Max Schafranski and Sergei Nemichenitser on the guitars do a great job. The self-sacrifice of the zealots who held the fortress at Masada and committed suicide rather than surrender is commemorated in “Massada will never fall”, some great keys from Oleg Aryutkin leading the song in, and it marches along on the twin guitars.

Very anthemic, very power metal, stirring and defiant, with a very progressive keyboard passage and growled vocals as the lyric reaches its end, the song running on for about another minute on instrumental, and into what appears to be a pirate song. “Letter of marque” hurtles in on some really exciting percussion from Zohar Telor, then slows down to that marching beat that characterised the previous track, with a battle chorus that would no doubt delight fans of Alestorm and other pirate metal bands. Strange kind of thing happens in the last minute or so. It stops, ends, and then there's the sound of a crowd in a pub I guess, some talking, and then another song, like a sea chanty, starts and melds into the main song. Weird!

A dark voice then intones the opening to “Victim of the light”, while choral vocals breathe in the background before the guitars cut in and take the tune. Some nice piano in this near the end, accompanied by a very powerful vocal, taking it to a pretty explosive conclusion, a little chaotic if I'm honest. Kind of goes all over the place. “Release me” then is the first ballad, feels like it has some sort of folk/ethnic influences, nice use of bells in the song, and it builds up to a fine keyboard solo from Aryutkin, while “Soul of a wanderer” has a beautiful piano intro, soon kicked into life though by the two axemen with a really nice little bassline from Sergei Dimitrik. I'm sure I hear female vocals again here.

“Whispers” opens with a spoken piece, which may be a quote from something, I'm not sure, then after a hard guitar intro it breaks down into soft piano and bass with a demonstration of the amazing vocal range of Alexei Raymar, who seems to be able to do three separate and very different styles of singing, which led me to believe there was more than one vocalist. However, after reading some reviews I have confirmed he is the only one, bar one collaboration, yet to come. It's another powerful song, this one, with very definite elements of dark gothic metal overlaying the basic power structure, thunderous drumming and high-pitched choral vocals presumably coming from the fingers of Aryutkin on the keyboard.

That duet of which I spoke is next, as Sabaton vocalist Joakin Broden joins Raymar for the epic “Lament for soldier's glory (Order 227)”, which could very well be their classic. Not epic in length --- it only runs for four and a half minutes --- but certainly in scope and execution, and the joint effort by these two powerful singers really underlines the song's excellence. Not to be forgotten of course are the two guitar men, and Aryutkin as usual stamps his own unique identity on the music. And that leaves us with only one track before we close. It's the title, and it's a powerful, anthemic closer, bringing to a finish a really quite excellent album.

TRACKLISTING

1. The Unsubdued
2. Massada will never fall
3. Letter of marque
4. Victim of the light
5. Release me
6. Soul of a wanderer
7. Whispers
8. Lament for soldier's glory (Order 227)
9. Star of delusive hopes

This being Desert's debut album it's a powerful statement of intent, and indeed they have a new one out this year, entitled No Regrets. I'd be quite interested in hearing that, if I ever get a chance. Not the messianic experience that Amaseffer was, but then, I didn't expect it to be; but neither was it a comedown after that particular trip. Sterling stuff, and needs to be heard by more people.

Trollheart · 10-28-2015, 03:01 PM

Four years on from the debut of Tim Owens and the rebirth of Judas Priest, and they were back with what would turn out not only to be their last album with him, but also their last for another four years.

Demolition (2001)
More mechanical mayhem kicks us off, as “Machine man” gives us the sound of machinery, hissing like maybe steam in pipes, then the drumming of Scott Travis batters us down before Tipton and Downing slice in with their guitar work, the song a fast, rip-roaring metal headbanger that is more in the mould of Halford-era Priest than the previous album. “One on one” however goes back to copying Metallica and Slayer and kind of failing on both counts; it's heavy, it rocks but it sounds too much like a clone song. Also it seems to have (oh no) some sort of rap in it? Or am I just drunk? Nice reflective guitar opening “Hell is home” (crickets too?) but I'm not fooled that this is a ballad. I'm just waiting for it to break out of the cowboy rock and into ... well, it stays slow but heavy and I don't think anyone would call that a ballad. Pretty crushing really.

“Jeckyll and Hyde” shows Priest finally returning somewhat to the fantasy-themed lyrical content of their early albums, however it's still pretty much Metallica-lite, and it still doesn't work, not for me. There's a really nice keyboard (courtesy of Airey again) and guitar intro to “Close to you”, which I think may actually be a ballad. Well, sort of. Not like some of their other ballads. Not at all really. Sounds like talkbox guitar kicking off “Devil digger”, another powerful grinder with a hoarse vocal from Owens. Is it unintentionally prophetic that he growls ”I don't want to fade away”?

More keyboards and an atmospheric opening to “Bloodsuckers” with an industrial feel to it, especially in the percussion, flies along nicely but it's a little disjointed. For some reason Owens completely takes off Ronnie James Dio for “Feed on me”, so much so that for a moment I thought I had put on a Dio album by mistake! It's a great song, but again it's not a Priest one. Chris Tsangrides again lends his composing skills to “Subterfuge”, only the second Priest song he has helped co-write, and it's replete with industrial keyboard riffs though the guitars are hard and menacing enough; in fact, it kind of raises the quality compared to what's been before it. One of the better tracks certainly.

Nice laidback guitar to start “Lost and found”, could be a proper ballad here. Some great backing vocals too. Yeah, it's a decent ballad, and a second candidate for standout, though to be fair that's not a very long list with this album. Another spacey introduction to “Cyberface”, the only song on which Scott Travis tries his hand at writing. It has a dark, marching overtone to it and again it's all over the place, not sure what it wants to be. We close then on one more effort from Tsangrides, as “Metal messiah”, a great name for a metal track if ever there was one, hits, but unfortunately it's almost a hip-hop/nu-metal style and it really ends the album on a damp squib and a sour note. The stupid, semi-arabic or islamic chant in the middle is just laughable and reduces what could have been a decent closer into a real embarrassment, and surely set the seal on the end of the relationship between Tim Owens and Judas Priest.

TRACKLISTING

1. Machine man
2. One on one
3. Hell is home
4. Jekyll and Hyde
5. Close to you
6. Devil digger
7. Blood suckers
8. In between
9. Feed on me
10. Subterfuge
11. Lost and found
12. Cyberface
13. Metal messiah

If it wasn't already clear from the previous album that the writing was on the wall, you'd have to be blind not to see that it really was not working on this, their second album with Owens. I don't know what it is: the magic just isn't there. Sometimes when the lynchpin of the band leaves it just doesn't sound the same and the elements that made the band what they were are missing, or diminished. Again it's the Bruce Dickinson syndrome: who can honestly say they enjoyed The X Factor or Virtual XI? Be honest now.

Owens tried, but perhaps too hard. Or maybe it's not fair to lay all the blame on his shoulders; after all, Tipton and Downing were pretty much responsible for all the songwriting here, so the new direction they were trying to pull Priest in was more or less down to them. And it was not working. Something had to be done, and fast, as the sharks began to circle Judas Priest's heavy metal throne and water began to lap at its feet, before one of the oldest metal bands became nothing more than a fading memory.

Trollheart · 10-28-2015, 03:22 PM

We've had some pretty strange crossovers here --- Country, Black Metal than isn't black metal, and even disco. But we've saved the oddest till last. I had no idea such a thing existed, but senors y senorinas, eet does! Holy frecoles! Ay caramba! And many other badly-chosen Mexican stereotypical quotes all used as a way to introduce you to...

Yes, it's finally happened! The most unlikely of linkups, the oddest of bedfellows, surely never the twain shall meet? But Metalachi are the world's first, and to date only, band who mix heavy metal and Mariachi music!

Legend has it, apparently, that the five boys, sent to America by their mother who could not afford to feed them and wasn't bothered anyway, landed on the shores of the land of the free to the sound of “Paranoid”, an album which completely took over their young lives and led to them forming the first ever band to mix their Mexican traditional fiesta music with our own favourite poison. Their website makes hilarious reading, but here is what I've robbed from it.

I'm not entirely sure who does what, but from the pictures this is what I guess:

Vega DelaRockha (Vocals)
Pancho Rockafeller (Guitar. Really, really BIG Guitar! Check the pic)
El Cucuy (Trumpets)
Ramon Holiday (You've got to love these names!) (Guitars?)
Maximillian “Dirty” Sanchez (Violin)
Warren Moscow (I'm gonna say drums. Edit: there are no drums, so I don't know what the fuck he does.)

The band released their first album, imaginatively titled Uno in 2012, and yes, I'm only discovering them now. What YOU been doing, huh? I'm told though that to really appreciate them you need to hear and see them live, but since I'm not heading to LA any time soon, this will have to do for now.

Uno --- Metalachi --- 2012 (Yardart Entertainment)

Luckily I was able to find this on Spotify, as I had worried it would be so niche that neither of the big two would have it (word to GPM users: they say they have it but they don't) so we can dive right in and the album kicks off with Ozzy's “Crazy Train” with a ig joyous roar of “All aboard!”, much laughter, “Me gusta!” and so on, then the song gets going on mostly violin and trumpets, putting a real Mariachi slant on the classic song from the ex-Sabs man. Then the vocalist (let's assume that's Vega) says “Vamamos!” and off they go. I love the cackling voices and whoops in the background which really add to the Mexican flavour, then a really nice violin solo from Sanchez, more whoopin' hollerin' and laughin' before we pile into “Rainbow in the dark”. This kicks off with a trumpet solo, more laughing, shouts of “Hondelay!” and so on, then the guitars take it mostly, with violin added in, some beautfully Mexican trumpet sliding in too. A great chorus and then the keyboard arpeggio is trumpets and violins to the mex. Sorry, max.

It's played at a slower tempo than Dio's original of course, but it's a great version and it's fuckin' hilarious!

A truly special trumpet solo and then it all slows down on sad, melancholy guitar and violin, the vocal grinding to a snail's pace, trumpet slipping in too before it kicks up again for the big finish. I'm not sure who originally recorded “Man in a box” (I'm sure someone here will roll their eyes and inform me) but it starts off with a whispered hiss, then “You wanna dance?” before the song gets going on guitar and trumpet with a great group vocal. As I say, I don't know the song so I can't really say how well they do it (though it does sound familiar now that I listen to it. Perhaps a quick Google search ... ah! I see it's Alice in Chains. Well no wonder I didn't know it. Wonder why it sounded familiar? Anyway, time to close this bracket; it's been open way too long and now I've even used a semicolon to further my grammatical transgressions!) but it's a great song.

Goes through a few different tempo changes, kicking up in the last minute as El Cucuy unleashes a fine trumpet solo, and into “Sweet child o' mine” we go! I'm of course very familiar with this one (and indeed with every other track from here on) so I can tell you that the famous guitar intro is done on violin! And done very well too. You know, maybe that last guy isn't a drummer. I haven't really heard anything yet that you could call percussion: maybe Mariachi bands don't use drums? Mexicans? Not using one of the effortlessly noisiest instruments in music? Surely not? A great trumpet solo while I head off to Wiki to check and read up on Mariachi bands. Okay I'm back. What did I miss? Oh and no, seems no drums of any sort figure in this style of music. So what does Warren Moscow play? Your guess is as good as mine, amigo!

Superb violin solo there, one of the best interpretations I've yet heard, and it leads into another excellent trumpet one. In some ways, I wonder if the lines “Where do we go now?” is particularly poignant for a bunch of Mexicans? Not that they need worry: where they're going is up and into full superstars surely. I love the fact that they tackle “Run to the hills” next; I can already hear “Ron to de heels!” Sorry. Trumpet opening, superb, and the lack of the drumbeat that pulls the song into the first verse is catered for by some great acoustic guitar work, and the baritone backing vocals are hilarious and then there's a brilliant violin solo which I believe Dave and Adrian would be busting a gut at, and also applauding. Of course Vega can't reach the kind of notes Bruce does, but he gives it a good go. Fair play to them.

Few metal albums would be complete without a power ballad of course, and Metalachi have chosen the Scorpions classic “Wind of change” (that'll be the burritos then) with some fine trumpet work from El Cucuy and a really nice group vocal. Sweet little acoustic guitar passage then, and violin as we head into the final chorus with trumpet leading the way. Mind you, if you're going to do a Led Zep cover I would have preferred something other than “Immigrant song”, but they make a good effort of it, with some very lively violin as Vega does a decent Planty, though he seems unable to keep a straight face. That baritone backing vocal is there again (not sure who does that) and of course trumpet has its say as El Cucuy weaves his crazy spell. Chula (El Chula Vista?) would probably love this but I'm not that familiar with the song to be able to tell whether they do a good version or not. It's certainly enjoyable though.

And that quickly, we're at the end. Yeah, the album only has eight tracks and runs for just over the half hour, but they do end strongly with a fine rendition of Bon Jovi's “Livin' on a prayer”. Sure, it's no man's metal, but that's not really the point: this is after all just for fun, and though these guys can really play and aren't just peesing --- sorry, pissing about, you can't take it too seriously. And if you're going to do a Bon Jovi song, especially in the mariachi style, this is the best one to do, other than “Wanted dead or alive”. Come to think of it, I wish they had done that. I can just see it now: “I'm a gaucho, on a steel horse I ride, I'm wan'ed dead or halive!” Pity. But yeah they do a good version of the big hit, mostly driven on trumpet and with some fine group vocals. I'd just like to have heard Metallica. Or Slayer. Oh yeah, fucking imagine that! Well, maybe next time amigos...

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Crazy train (Ozzy Osbourne)
2. Rainbow in the dark (Dio)
3. Man in the box (Alice in Chains)
4. Sweet child o' mine (Guns'n'Roses)
5. Run to the hills (Iron Maiden)
6. Wind of change (Scorpions)
7. Immigrant song (Led Zeppelin)
8. Livin' on a prayer (Bon Jovi)

Look, only the stoniest of hearts and those without a shred of a sense of humour or enjoyment in their lives could fail to love this. Not everyone likes Mariachi, but one thing it is is fun, and these guys have fun on a major scale. Is it poking fun at metal? Well when have we ever cared about that? And is imitation not the sincerest form of flattery, and people usually satirise the things they know and care about, so what's the harm?

I think it's fucking fantastic, and I wish them all the best on their journey. You really should read their website for more hilarious insights into the band, especially the finally cleared-up mystery of the “disbanding” of Flesh Mess, and the reason Pancho thought he was a midget for years, to say nothing of the guys' epic trip across the Rio Grande in saddlebags attached to a burro!

Oh yeah, this is fun with a capital F, and some pretty fine music too. Well done muchachos, and here's to Dos. Arriba!

Footnote: What the fuck? I said above that I'd love to hear them take on Slayer, and would you believe it? It's not on the album, but here it is!

Trollheart · 10-28-2015, 03:37 PM

To Frownland's final selection with go, with a mixture of trepidation and a certain expectation...

Carboniferous --- Zu --- 2009 (Ipecac)
Suggested by Frownland

First I see this is all instrumental, but features a lot of jazz elements (oh no!) and “distorted sax” (double oh no!) so I don't expect to have anything too positive to say about it, but we'll see. At least the tracks last a reasonable amount of time (no thirty-minute epics here thank god) and there are only ten tracks. We kick off on “Ostia”, which has a hammering drumbeat and a thick bass, then guitar cuts in and it's pretty tolerable so far. There's an interesting sound being made there in the last minute, but I have no idea what's making it. Sounds like an organ, but I don't see any mention of one on the listing. Anyway, we survived track one and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. “Chtonian” is pretty repetitive until a heavy buzzy guitar comes through with an almost doom metal feel, though faster than you would expect in that subgenre. Slows down then about halfway before picking up again; kind of a hurried, urgent sound about it, though as I say quite repetitive. A melody playing now that really sounds like it's a synth, but its sedate tone is disrupted by fast drums, a growling guitar and a sax going wild. Nice bassline in the last minute and it kind of marches off then, tap-dancing part of the way...

Snarly guitar pulls in “Carbon”, with kind of staccato drumming. Drops to another really nice bass line taking the tune solo for a few moments, then mostly drives on a wailing sort of guitar with another hammering along, then “Beata Viscera” has a kind of Caribbean feel to it, uptempo drums, salsa rhythm (sort of) and a blaring sax that sounds more like a trumpet to me. Certainly an early progressive rock slant on the music here, while “Erineys” has a much harder, punchier edge and seems to be almost completely driven by the sax work. “Soulympics” is quirkier, with a very Waitslike (alright alright! Beefheart-like) vocal, the first vocal on the album so far, or at least the first I've heard. Hmm, apparently it's Mike Patton. Who knew? Or, in my case, cared. Well to be fair I do quite like this, but surely there are synths involved? How do they make those, well, synthlike noises otherwise?

I feel “Axion” tries to be too clever and sort of fails to produce the effect required, as far as I'm concerned anyway: just feels a little like technical wankery to these ears. The sort of echoing sax solo is good though I have to admit. “Minosa hostilis” is just annoying, “Obsidian” is much more laidback --- well, initially, then it kicks up on squealing guitar and drums and kind of swaggers along. We end then on “Orc”, with a slow fade-in buildup which becomes a sort of droning, rising chant. Meh.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Ostia
2. Chtonian
3. Carbon
4. Beata viscera
5. Erineys
6. Soulympics
7. Axion
8. Mimosa hostilis
9. Obsidian
10. Orc

Recipe for a ShitStorm Pie: Begin with a generous helping of Trollheart's lack of understanding of this type of music. Add two cupfuls of his lack of tolerance for same, mix in Frownland's annoyance and indignation, blend with a liberal dose of high-minded lecture, put into oven and leave for several hours, until the crust turns purple with rage. Slice up and serve to amused Music Banter audience, ensure food is piping hot before serving. Warning: overindulgence can cause indigestion. And be careful with the pie too.

Yeah, it's not a bad album; I certainly don't hate it and in other circumstances I might actually enjoy it, but what the hell does this have to do with Metal Month? I mean, I can't see how any of this could really be termed as any sort of heavy metal. I feel Frownland just threw this at me as a way to smuggle in yet another avant-garde album he wanted me to listen to. Perhaps I'm wrong and this is considered metal, but as someone once said, it's not what I call rock and roll!

The Batlord · 10-28-2015, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Yeah, it's not a bad album; I certainly don't hate it and in other circumstances I might actually enjoy it, but what the hell does this have to do with Metal Month? I mean, I can't see how any of this could really be termed as any sort of heavy metal. I feel Frownland just threw this at me as a way to smuggle in yet another avant-garde album he wanted me to listen to. Perhaps I'm wrong and this is considered metal, but as someone once said, it's not what I call rock and roll!

It won the avant garde metal battle in my thread, and with my blessing I might add, so balls to you.

Trollheart · 10-28-2015, 04:08 PM

Well there's certainly no problem in picking out the two most important metal albums released in September, two highly-anticipated offerings from two of the biggest bands on the planet, neither of which have released an album for several years. And it's to the kings of thrash we head first.

Repentless --- Slayer --- 2015 (Nuclear Blast)

I wasn't totally blown away by 2009's World Painted Blood, though in fairness it did come as the final course in a chowdown on Slayer's studio material as I inaugurated the Featured Artist section last year, but even so. A lot has happened in Slayerland since then. I don't care how big and hard and tough the guys are, Kerry Tom and Dave must have felt a gut-wrenching pain at the unexpected death of guitarist, songwriter and founder member Jeff Hanneman in 2013, and indeed Tom had considered breaking up the band, noting that it would be “literally like starting over” if they continued on. But in the event, they came to terms with the loss of their friend and bandmate, and some of the material he was working on prior to, and even during his illness --- unaware I think of how close to death he actually was --- sees the light of day on this new album.

They have a new label, for the first time in over twenty years, as they move to heavy metal favourites Nuclear Blast, and they have a new drummer. Sort of. Paul Bostaph, who has been on and off their main sticksman when Dave Lombardo is not around, returns to the fold for the first time since 2001, and here I want to put forward a theory that you will all laugh at no doubt. The last album Bostaph worked on was God Hates Us All, which was released on September 11 2001. Whether that was intentional or not I don't know, but it surely created controversy. Now, as he returns fourteen years later, the new album is also released on September 11, and with a title that says “Fuck you, we're not sorry!” So are Slayer saying in about three ways here that they don't regret releasing God Hates Us All on the day of the 9/11 attacks? Or is it all just in my mind? Perhaps Repentless refers to Hanneman, a life lived without regret or fear, and a much missed comrade whose memory will live on through Slayer's music. Either way, it's an interesting theory. Here's another: I originally had the title to that 2001 album in an acronym and only just now filled it in, and you know? "God hates us all" can be written as "God Hates USA" if you leave out the last two letters! Oooh! Conspiracy or what?

But you don't care about my theories, or to put it another, more metal way, “Fuck your theories Trolly (I asked you not to call me Trolly; I won't ask again!) --- who gives a shit? Tell us what the fuckin' album is like! Oh, and what the fuck happened to my beer?”

Well, you wish is my cue to say fuck you too, I'm not your servant. But I'll tell you anyway, because this is after all what the whole point of my writing this is. I see poor old JC is on the cover again. They haven't mellowed their attitude towards religion then, even in the face of the loss of one of their number. Ah, consistency: you can't beat it! Or, actually, is it him? It looked like Christ originally but now that I see the larger picture.... Well if it is him then it again ties in with the other album, so I choose to believe it is he of whom they once ranted "There never was a sacrifice!" The gratitude of some people, huh? Speaking of consistency, there's a rather deceptive slow buildup on guitar to the opener, “Delusions of saviour”, and it turns out to be, of all things, an instrumental rather in the early Iron Maiden mould. Interesting. Once we get into the title track though it's the Slayer of old, with perhaps hidden messages in the lyric: ”I hate the life, hate the fame, hate the fuckin' scene!” and maybe a promise to their fans: ”I'll be beating this guitar until the day I die!” A nod to Hanneman too when Tom sings ”No looking back, no regrets, no apologies/ What you get is what you see.” A great solo from Kerry King and you can see the man is back.

I find Tom's voice --- dare I say it? --- gentler. No, that's not the word. It's not gentle, but it hasn't got the sharp bite of albums like South of Heaven, Diabolus in Musica and of course Reign in Blood. Still, he's getting on now, pushing fifty-five, so you can't I suppose expect his voice to last forever, especially in this particular subgenre. “Take control” is another somewhat politically-themed song, nowhere near as brutal as I remember Slayer being when I listened to their earlier albums last year, but still a good gut-punch with angry lyrics, while “Vices” slows things down to a heavy grind, pumping along with relentless purpose, while new man Gary Holt burns out a superb solo. “Cast the first stone” keeps things generally slow, heavy yes but quite grindy with some more fine solos, both by mainstay and founder Kerry King and by Holt. It kind of marches on; evidence that Slayer are ageing and toning down the speed of their music accordingly?

Reflective guitar opening “When the stillness comes”, sussurating drums accompanying a repetitive riff before it begins to kick up a little more, then it falls back to a slow grind with a growled vocal from Tom, his words very discernible, whereas before I often found it hard to make out what he was singing. Good solo there at the end, and into “Chasing death”, where things pick up speed a little, though this is certainly not the Slayer of Reign in Blood days. There's a boogie feel to this as it rocks along, and there's something almost funny about the cadences as he rhymes ”Innocence, common sense, I don't see the relevance” and ”Parasite, socialite, you're never gonna win this fight!” Reminds me of Billy fucking Joel on “We didn't start the fire”. No, seriously, it does. “Implode” is another basically slow, boogie-along track --- oh I'm wrong: it just kicked into serious life. Probably the best of the tracks so far, certainly the fastest.

Scorching solo and I like the little in-joke when Tom sings ”I think you know the song/ I'm pretty sure God still hates us all!” And yet another link to the 2001 album, eh? Eh? The song Hannman was working on before he passed is the only one of his to make it onto this album, and “Piano wire” is good but I have to admit, not great, like sadly much of this album. It's another slow marcher, with some pretty good but not new lyrical material, and I'm sure they only included it as a tribute to his memory: had he still been alive and working with them this could have ended up on the cutting room floor. “Atrocity vendor” is a whole hell of a lot better, almost a look back to the Slayer of old, when they literally did not give a fuck and just went for it. Yeah, I knew that sounded familiar: it was a bonus track on their last album, 2012's World Painted Blood. Oh, guys! Still, it's blisteringly fast, heavy as hell and with a screaming solo: now that's what Slayer are about, or used to be! Even the last line is appropriate --- ”Death forever reigns!” (In blood?)

“You against you” is okay but a kind of return to the more grindy marching of the ... hold on now. It just flew into fifth gear and that is some solo from Gary Holt. Could be hope for this yet. Perhaps the album is going to make a strong, up-yours finish? Well we have only one more track to go, but two more solos, one of which is from Kerry King and burns up the frets, and the final one involves the two of them and is a joy to behold. That leaves us with “Pride in prejudice”, which I have to say tones everything back to the slow, grindy snarl that much of this album survives on. There are great solos and Tom sounds suitably angry, but meh, I'm not convinced. A weak ending I feel. But then, a weak ending to a mostly weak album.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

1. Delusions of saviour
2. Repentless
3. Take control
4. Vices
5. Cast the first stone
6. When the stillness comes
7. Chasing death
8. Implode
9. Piano wire
10. Atrocity vendor
11. You against you
12. Pride in prejudice

I don't know whether it came through or not in the review, but I'm mightily disappointed in this album. True, I've only been listening to Slayer for the last year, and that only in one month-long binge through their discography, but from what I heard there I can say with some confidence that this is far from the band I came to know. Batty will of course be able to give you a better idea as to whether this new album measures up to their other material, but for me it's just too safe, too slow mostly and, dare I say it, too old? It almost sounds like Tom is tired, that he's doing this either as a favour to his dead friend or under pressure from Kerry. Either way, he does not sound like he's enjoying it.

But as I've said before, what do I know about Slayer? Maybe their fans will see this as a triumphant return, a vindication that the kings of thrash are still holding on to their throne. And maybe they are. But based on the rest of their discography, this sounds old and stale and almost thrash-by-numbers. Have the mighty fallen from their once unassailable perch? That's up to people more familiar with them, and with thrash metal, to decide.

For me though, I'm afraid it's more a case of not so much repentless as virtually toothless.

And I'm sorry to say, their label has made it virtually impossible to get anything from the album on YouTube. But by now, you've probably all heard it and made up your own minds anyway.

**Frownland** · 10-28-2015, 04:11 PM

It's not an avant-garde album, it's an avant-garde metal album. Do you think if someone else recommended it, you would come to the same conclusion? The metal on that album is pretty undeniable from my perspective, but maybe it's the jazz elements throwing you off (yes, there can be both!) Remember, metal can vary quite a bit, from songs like this

to this

to this

Avant-garde metal bands generally have a sound that differs from whatever else you'd hear in the metal world while holding on to a metal vocabulary. If they didn't, they wouldn't be called avant-garde.

Lastly, the only track with guitar on it is Chthonian. The rest are just saxophonist Luca T. Mai playing his horn through effects with Pupillo on the bass and Battaglia on drums (ok and occasionally Patton hops on).

Anyway, that was pretty much the reaction I expected, but I thought I'd be seeing some green interspersed throughout there though. I'm a little confused on how you're reviewing these though, I didn't know that you would be rating them based off of how metal you thought they were, but rather that you'd do it by how good you thought the music would be.

10-28-2015, 02:51 PM	#3034 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Okay, well after that almost epiphanic experience with Amaseffer (you didn't feel an epiphany? I definitely felt an epiphany. And let me tell you, I know an epiphany when I feel it. Unless that was just wind. Maybe I shouldn't have had that double cheeseburger), let's try to come down to earth a little with some good old power metal. Star of Delusive Hopes --- Desert --- 2011 (Sleaszy Rider Music) Kind of an odd title for a power metal album you would think, but it's a powerful rocking start as we open on “The unsubdued”, with great keyboards and guitar but the vocal is odd; sort of like a mixture of Eldritch from The Sisters of Mercy and Nick Cave, then he goes into a scream and then a sort of high-pitched almost female voice. I say he, because I can only see one vocalist credited, and it's Alexei Raymar. I therefore have to assume he has one hell of a vocal range, unless there are other singers performing here who haven't been noted. A great start though and both Max Schafranski and Sergei Nemichenitser on the guitars do a great job. The self-sacrifice of the zealots who held the fortress at Masada and committed suicide rather than surrender is commemorated in “Massada will never fall”, some great keys from Oleg Aryutkin leading the song in, and it marches along on the twin guitars. Very anthemic, very power metal, stirring and defiant, with a very progressive keyboard passage and growled vocals as the lyric reaches its end, the song running on for about another minute on instrumental, and into what appears to be a pirate song. “Letter of marque” hurtles in on some really exciting percussion from Zohar Telor, then slows down to that marching beat that characterised the previous track, with a battle chorus that would no doubt delight fans of Alestorm and other pirate metal bands. Strange kind of thing happens in the last minute or so. It stops, ends, and then there's the sound of a crowd in a pub I guess, some talking, and then another song, like a sea chanty, starts and melds into the main song. Weird! A dark voice then intones the opening to “Victim of the light”, while choral vocals breathe in the background before the guitars cut in and take the tune. Some nice piano in this near the end, accompanied by a very powerful vocal, taking it to a pretty explosive conclusion, a little chaotic if I'm honest. Kind of goes all over the place. “Release me” then is the first ballad, feels like it has some sort of folk/ethnic influences, nice use of bells in the song, and it builds up to a fine keyboard solo from Aryutkin, while “Soul of a wanderer” has a beautiful piano intro, soon kicked into life though by the two axemen with a really nice little bassline from Sergei Dimitrik. I'm sure I hear female vocals again here. “Whispers” opens with a spoken piece, which may be a quote from something, I'm not sure, then after a hard guitar intro it breaks down into soft piano and bass with a demonstration of the amazing vocal range of Alexei Raymar, who seems to be able to do three separate and very different styles of singing, which led me to believe there was more than one vocalist. However, after reading some reviews I have confirmed he is the only one, bar one collaboration, yet to come. It's another powerful song, this one, with very definite elements of dark gothic metal overlaying the basic power structure, thunderous drumming and high-pitched choral vocals presumably coming from the fingers of Aryutkin on the keyboard. That duet of which I spoke is next, as Sabaton vocalist Joakin Broden joins Raymar for the epic “Lament for soldier's glory (Order 227)”, which could very well be their classic. Not epic in length --- it only runs for four and a half minutes --- but certainly in scope and execution, and the joint effort by these two powerful singers really underlines the song's excellence. Not to be forgotten of course are the two guitar men, and Aryutkin as usual stamps his own unique identity on the music. And that leaves us with only one track before we close. It's the title, and it's a powerful, anthemic closer, bringing to a finish a really quite excellent album. TRACKLISTING 1. The Unsubdued 2. Massada will never fall 3. Letter of marque 4. Victim of the light 5. Release me 6. Soul of a wanderer 7. Whispers 8. Lament for soldier's glory (Order 227) 9. Star of delusive hopes This being Desert's debut album it's a powerful statement of intent, and indeed they have a new one out this year, entitled No Regrets. I'd be quite interested in hearing that, if I ever get a chance. Not the messianic experience that Amaseffer was, but then, I didn't expect it to be; but neither was it a comedown after that particular trip. Sterling stuff, and needs to be heard by more people. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2015, 03:01 PM	#3035 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Four years on from the debut of Tim Owens and the rebirth of Judas Priest, and they were back with what would turn out not only to be their last album with him, but also their last for another four years. Demolition (2001) More mechanical mayhem kicks us off, as “Machine man” gives us the sound of machinery, hissing like maybe steam in pipes, then the drumming of Scott Travis batters us down before Tipton and Downing slice in with their guitar work, the song a fast, rip-roaring metal headbanger that is more in the mould of Halford-era Priest than the previous album. “One on one” however goes back to copying Metallica and Slayer and kind of failing on both counts; it's heavy, it rocks but it sounds too much like a clone song. Also it seems to have (oh no) some sort of rap in it? Or am I just drunk? Nice reflective guitar opening “Hell is home” (crickets too?) but I'm not fooled that this is a ballad. I'm just waiting for it to break out of the cowboy rock and into ... well, it stays slow but heavy and I don't think anyone would call that a ballad. Pretty crushing really. “Jeckyll and Hyde” shows Priest finally returning somewhat to the fantasy-themed lyrical content of their early albums, however it's still pretty much Metallica-lite, and it still doesn't work, not for me. There's a really nice keyboard (courtesy of Airey again) and guitar intro to “Close to you”, which I think may actually be a ballad. Well, sort of. Not like some of their other ballads. Not at all really. Sounds like talkbox guitar kicking off “Devil digger”, another powerful grinder with a hoarse vocal from Owens. Is it unintentionally prophetic that he growls ”I don't want to fade away”? More keyboards and an atmospheric opening to “Bloodsuckers” with an industrial feel to it, especially in the percussion, flies along nicely but it's a little disjointed. For some reason Owens completely takes off Ronnie James Dio for “Feed on me”, so much so that for a moment I thought I had put on a Dio album by mistake! It's a great song, but again it's not a Priest one. Chris Tsangrides again lends his composing skills to “Subterfuge”, only the second Priest song he has helped co-write, and it's replete with industrial keyboard riffs though the guitars are hard and menacing enough; in fact, it kind of raises the quality compared to what's been before it. One of the better tracks certainly. Nice laidback guitar to start “Lost and found”, could be a proper ballad here. Some great backing vocals too. Yeah, it's a decent ballad, and a second candidate for standout, though to be fair that's not a very long list with this album. Another spacey introduction to “Cyberface”, the only song on which Scott Travis tries his hand at writing. It has a dark, marching overtone to it and again it's all over the place, not sure what it wants to be. We close then on one more effort from Tsangrides, as “Metal messiah”, a great name for a metal track if ever there was one, hits, but unfortunately it's almost a hip-hop/nu-metal style and it really ends the album on a damp squib and a sour note. The stupid, semi-arabic or islamic chant in the middle is just laughable and reduces what could have been a decent closer into a real embarrassment, and surely set the seal on the end of the relationship between Tim Owens and Judas Priest. TRACKLISTING 1. Machine man 2. One on one 3. Hell is home 4. Jekyll and Hyde 5. Close to you 6. Devil digger 7. Blood suckers 8. In between 9. Feed on me 10. Subterfuge 11. Lost and found 12. Cyberface 13. Metal messiah If it wasn't already clear from the previous album that the writing was on the wall, you'd have to be blind not to see that it really was not working on this, their second album with Owens. I don't know what it is: the magic just isn't there. Sometimes when the lynchpin of the band leaves it just doesn't sound the same and the elements that made the band what they were are missing, or diminished. Again it's the Bruce Dickinson syndrome: who can honestly say they enjoyed The X Factor or Virtual XI? Be honest now. Owens tried, but perhaps too hard. Or maybe it's not fair to lay all the blame on his shoulders; after all, Tipton and Downing were pretty much responsible for all the songwriting here, so the new direction they were trying to pull Priest in was more or less down to them. And it was not working. Something had to be done, and fast, as the sharks began to circle Judas Priest's heavy metal throne and water began to lap at its feet, before one of the oldest metal bands became nothing more than a fading memory. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2015, 03:22 PM	#3036 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	We've had some pretty strange crossovers here --- Country, Black Metal than isn't black metal, and even disco. But we've saved the oddest till last. I had no idea such a thing existed, but senors y senorinas, eet does! Holy frecoles! Ay caramba! And many other badly-chosen Mexican stereotypical quotes all used as a way to introduce you to... Yes, it's finally happened! The most unlikely of linkups, the oddest of bedfellows, surely never the twain shall meet? But Metalachi are the world's first, and to date only, band who mix heavy metal and Mariachi music! Legend has it, apparently, that the five boys, sent to America by their mother who could not afford to feed them and wasn't bothered anyway, landed on the shores of the land of the free to the sound of “Paranoid”, an album which completely took over their young lives and led to them forming the first ever band to mix their Mexican traditional fiesta music with our own favourite poison. Their website makes hilarious reading, but here is what I've robbed from it. I'm not entirely sure who does what, but from the pictures this is what I guess: Vega DelaRockha (Vocals) Pancho Rockafeller (Guitar. Really, really BIG Guitar! Check the pic) El Cucuy (Trumpets) Ramon Holiday (You've got to love these names!) (Guitars?) Maximillian “Dirty” Sanchez (Violin) Warren Moscow (I'm gonna say drums. Edit: there are no drums, so I don't know what the fuck he does.) The band released their first album, imaginatively titled Uno in 2012, and yes, I'm only discovering them now. What YOU been doing, huh? I'm told though that to really appreciate them you need to hear and see them live, but since I'm not heading to LA any time soon, this will have to do for now. Uno --- Metalachi --- 2012 (Yardart Entertainment) Luckily I was able to find this on Spotify, as I had worried it would be so niche that neither of the big two would have it (word to GPM users: they say they have it but they don't) so we can dive right in and the album kicks off with Ozzy's “Crazy Train” with a ig joyous roar of “All aboard!”, much laughter, “Me gusta!” and so on, then the song gets going on mostly violin and trumpets, putting a real Mariachi slant on the classic song from the ex-Sabs man. Then the vocalist (let's assume that's Vega) says “Vamamos!” and off they go. I love the cackling voices and whoops in the background which really add to the Mexican flavour, then a really nice violin solo from Sanchez, more whoopin' hollerin' and laughin' before we pile into “Rainbow in the dark”. This kicks off with a trumpet solo, more laughing, shouts of “Hondelay!” and so on, then the guitars take it mostly, with violin added in, some beautfully Mexican trumpet sliding in too. A great chorus and then the keyboard arpeggio is trumpets and violins to the mex. Sorry, max. It's played at a slower tempo than Dio's original of course, but it's a great version and it's fuckin' hilarious! A truly special trumpet solo and then it all slows down on sad, melancholy guitar and violin, the vocal grinding to a snail's pace, trumpet slipping in too before it kicks up again for the big finish. I'm not sure who originally recorded “Man in a box” (I'm sure someone here will roll their eyes and inform me) but it starts off with a whispered hiss, then “You wanna dance?” before the song gets going on guitar and trumpet with a great group vocal. As I say, I don't know the song so I can't really say how well they do it (though it does sound familiar now that I listen to it. Perhaps a quick Google search ... ah! I see it's Alice in Chains. Well no wonder I didn't know it. Wonder why it sounded familiar? Anyway, time to close this bracket; it's been open way too long and now I've even used a semicolon to further my grammatical transgressions!) but it's a great song. Goes through a few different tempo changes, kicking up in the last minute as El Cucuy unleashes a fine trumpet solo, and into “Sweet child o' mine” we go! I'm of course very familiar with this one (and indeed with every other track from here on) so I can tell you that the famous guitar intro is done on violin! And done very well too. You know, maybe that last guy isn't a drummer. I haven't really heard anything yet that you could call percussion: maybe Mariachi bands don't use drums? Mexicans? Not using one of the effortlessly noisiest instruments in music? Surely not? A great trumpet solo while I head off to Wiki to check and read up on Mariachi bands. Okay I'm back. What did I miss? Oh and no, seems no drums of any sort figure in this style of music. So what does Warren Moscow play? Your guess is as good as mine, amigo! Superb violin solo there, one of the best interpretations I've yet heard, and it leads into another excellent trumpet one. In some ways, I wonder if the lines “Where do we go now?” is particularly poignant for a bunch of Mexicans? Not that they need worry: where they're going is up and into full superstars surely. I love the fact that they tackle “Run to the hills” next; I can already hear “Ron to de heels!” Sorry. Trumpet opening, superb, and the lack of the drumbeat that pulls the song into the first verse is catered for by some great acoustic guitar work, and the baritone backing vocals are hilarious and then there's a brilliant violin solo which I believe Dave and Adrian would be busting a gut at, and also applauding. Of course Vega can't reach the kind of notes Bruce does, but he gives it a good go. Fair play to them. Few metal albums would be complete without a power ballad of course, and Metalachi have chosen the Scorpions classic “Wind of change” (that'll be the burritos then) with some fine trumpet work from El Cucuy and a really nice group vocal. Sweet little acoustic guitar passage then, and violin as we head into the final chorus with trumpet leading the way. Mind you, if you're going to do a Led Zep cover I would have preferred something other than “Immigrant song”, but they make a good effort of it, with some very lively violin as Vega does a decent Planty, though he seems unable to keep a straight face. That baritone backing vocal is there again (not sure who does that) and of course trumpet has its say as El Cucuy weaves his crazy spell. Chula (El Chula Vista?) would probably love this but I'm not that familiar with the song to be able to tell whether they do a good version or not. It's certainly enjoyable though. And that quickly, we're at the end. Yeah, the album only has eight tracks and runs for just over the half hour, but they do end strongly with a fine rendition of Bon Jovi's “Livin' on a prayer”. Sure, it's no man's metal, but that's not really the point: this is after all just for fun, and though these guys can really play and aren't just peesing --- sorry, pissing about, you can't take it too seriously. And if you're going to do a Bon Jovi song, especially in the mariachi style, this is the best one to do, other than “Wanted dead or alive”. Come to think of it, I wish they had done that. I can just see it now: “I'm a gaucho, on a steel horse I ride, I'm wan'ed dead or halive!” Pity. But yeah they do a good version of the big hit, mostly driven on trumpet and with some fine group vocals. I'd just like to have heard Metallica. Or Slayer. Oh yeah, fucking imagine that! Well, maybe next time amigos... TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Crazy train (Ozzy Osbourne) 2. Rainbow in the dark (Dio) 3. Man in the box (Alice in Chains) 4. Sweet child o' mine (Guns'n'Roses) 5. Run to the hills (Iron Maiden) 6. Wind of change (Scorpions) 7. Immigrant song (Led Zeppelin) 8. Livin' on a prayer (Bon Jovi) Look, only the stoniest of hearts and those without a shred of a sense of humour or enjoyment in their lives could fail to love this. Not everyone likes Mariachi, but one thing it is is fun, and these guys have fun on a major scale. Is it poking fun at metal? Well when have we ever cared about that? And is imitation not the sincerest form of flattery, and people usually satirise the things they know and care about, so what's the harm? I think it's fucking fantastic, and I wish them all the best on their journey. You really should read their website for more hilarious insights into the band, especially the finally cleared-up mystery of the “disbanding” of Flesh Mess, and the reason Pancho thought he was a midget for years, to say nothing of the guys' epic trip across the Rio Grande in saddlebags attached to a burro! Oh yeah, this is fun with a capital F, and some pretty fine music too. Well done muchachos, and here's to Dos. Arriba! Footnote: What the fuck? I said above that I'd love to hear them take on Slayer, and would you believe it? It's not on the album, but here it is! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2015, 03:37 PM	#3037 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	To Frownland's final selection with go, with a mixture of trepidation and a certain expectation... Carboniferous --- Zu --- 2009 (Ipecac) Suggested by Frownland First I see this is all instrumental, but features a lot of jazz elements (oh no!) and “distorted sax” (double oh no!) so I don't expect to have anything too positive to say about it, but we'll see. At least the tracks last a reasonable amount of time (no thirty-minute epics here thank god) and there are only ten tracks. We kick off on “Ostia”, which has a hammering drumbeat and a thick bass, then guitar cuts in and it's pretty tolerable so far. There's an interesting sound being made there in the last minute, but I have no idea what's making it. Sounds like an organ, but I don't see any mention of one on the listing. Anyway, we survived track one and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. “Chtonian” is pretty repetitive until a heavy buzzy guitar comes through with an almost doom metal feel, though faster than you would expect in that subgenre. Slows down then about halfway before picking up again; kind of a hurried, urgent sound about it, though as I say quite repetitive. A melody playing now that really sounds like it's a synth, but its sedate tone is disrupted by fast drums, a growling guitar and a sax going wild. Nice bassline in the last minute and it kind of marches off then, tap-dancing part of the way... Snarly guitar pulls in “Carbon”, with kind of staccato drumming. Drops to another really nice bass line taking the tune solo for a few moments, then mostly drives on a wailing sort of guitar with another hammering along, then “Beata Viscera” has a kind of Caribbean feel to it, uptempo drums, salsa rhythm (sort of) and a blaring sax that sounds more like a trumpet to me. Certainly an early progressive rock slant on the music here, while “Erineys” has a much harder, punchier edge and seems to be almost completely driven by the sax work. “Soulympics” is quirkier, with a very Waitslike (alright alright! Beefheart-like) vocal, the first vocal on the album so far, or at least the first I've heard. Hmm, apparently it's Mike Patton. Who knew? Or, in my case, cared. Well to be fair I do quite like this, but surely there are synths involved? How do they make those, well, synthlike noises otherwise? I feel “Axion” tries to be too clever and sort of fails to produce the effect required, as far as I'm concerned anyway: just feels a little like technical wankery to these ears. The sort of echoing sax solo is good though I have to admit. “Minosa hostilis” is just annoying, “Obsidian” is much more laidback --- well, initially, then it kicks up on squealing guitar and drums and kind of swaggers along. We end then on “Orc”, with a slow fade-in buildup which becomes a sort of droning, rising chant. Meh. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Ostia 2. Chtonian 3. Carbon 4. Beata viscera 5. Erineys 6. Soulympics 7. Axion 8. Mimosa hostilis 9. Obsidian 10. Orc Recipe for a ShitStorm Pie: Begin with a generous helping of Trollheart's lack of understanding of this type of music. Add two cupfuls of his lack of tolerance for same, mix in Frownland's annoyance and indignation, blend with a liberal dose of high-minded lecture, put into oven and leave for several hours, until the crust turns purple with rage. Slice up and serve to amused Music Banter audience, ensure food is piping hot before serving. Warning: overindulgence can cause indigestion. And be careful with the pie too. Yeah, it's not a bad album; I certainly don't hate it and in other circumstances I might actually enjoy it, but what the hell does this have to do with Metal Month? I mean, I can't see how any of this could really be termed as any sort of heavy metal. I feel Frownland just threw this at me as a way to smuggle in yet another avant-garde album he wanted me to listen to. Perhaps I'm wrong and this is considered metal, but as someone once said, it's not what I call rock and roll! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2015, 04:08 PM	#3039 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Well there's certainly no problem in picking out the two most important metal albums released in September, two highly-anticipated offerings from two of the biggest bands on the planet, neither of which have released an album for several years. And it's to the kings of thrash we head first. Repentless --- Slayer --- 2015 (Nuclear Blast) I wasn't totally blown away by 2009's World Painted Blood, though in fairness it did come as the final course in a chowdown on Slayer's studio material as I inaugurated the Featured Artist section last year, but even so. A lot has happened in Slayerland since then. I don't care how big and hard and tough the guys are, Kerry Tom and Dave must have felt a gut-wrenching pain at the unexpected death of guitarist, songwriter and founder member Jeff Hanneman in 2013, and indeed Tom had considered breaking up the band, noting that it would be “literally like starting over” if they continued on. But in the event, they came to terms with the loss of their friend and bandmate, and some of the material he was working on prior to, and even during his illness --- unaware I think of how close to death he actually was --- sees the light of day on this new album. They have a new label, for the first time in over twenty years, as they move to heavy metal favourites Nuclear Blast, and they have a new drummer. Sort of. Paul Bostaph, who has been on and off their main sticksman when Dave Lombardo is not around, returns to the fold for the first time since 2001, and here I want to put forward a theory that you will all laugh at no doubt. The last album Bostaph worked on was God Hates Us All, which was released on September 11 2001. Whether that was intentional or not I don't know, but it surely created controversy. Now, as he returns fourteen years later, the new album is also released on September 11, and with a title that says “Fuck you, we're not sorry!” So are Slayer saying in about three ways here that they don't regret releasing God Hates Us All on the day of the 9/11 attacks? Or is it all just in my mind? Perhaps Repentless refers to Hanneman, a life lived without regret or fear, and a much missed comrade whose memory will live on through Slayer's music. Either way, it's an interesting theory. Here's another: I originally had the title to that 2001 album in an acronym and only just now filled it in, and you know? "God hates us all" can be written as "God Hates USA" if you leave out the last two letters! Oooh! Conspiracy or what? But you don't care about my theories, or to put it another, more metal way, “Fuck your theories Trolly (I asked you not to call me Trolly; I won't ask again!) --- who gives a shit? Tell us what the fuckin' album is like! Oh, and what the fuck happened to my beer?” Well, you wish is my cue to say fuck you too, I'm not your servant. But I'll tell you anyway, because this is after all what the whole point of my writing this is. I see poor old JC is on the cover again. They haven't mellowed their attitude towards religion then, even in the face of the loss of one of their number. Ah, consistency: you can't beat it! Or, actually, is it him? It looked like Christ originally but now that I see the larger picture.... Well if it is him then it again ties in with the other album, so I choose to believe it is he of whom they once ranted "There never was a sacrifice!" The gratitude of some people, huh? Speaking of consistency, there's a rather deceptive slow buildup on guitar to the opener, “Delusions of saviour”, and it turns out to be, of all things, an instrumental rather in the early Iron Maiden mould. Interesting. Once we get into the title track though it's the Slayer of old, with perhaps hidden messages in the lyric: ”I hate the life, hate the fame, hate the fuckin' scene!” and maybe a promise to their fans: ”I'll be beating this guitar until the day I die!” A nod to Hanneman too when Tom sings ”No looking back, no regrets, no apologies/ What you get is what you see.” A great solo from Kerry King and you can see the man is back. I find Tom's voice --- dare I say it? --- gentler. No, that's not the word. It's not gentle, but it hasn't got the sharp bite of albums like South of Heaven, Diabolus in Musica and of course Reign in Blood. Still, he's getting on now, pushing fifty-five, so you can't I suppose expect his voice to last forever, especially in this particular subgenre. “Take control” is another somewhat politically-themed song, nowhere near as brutal as I remember Slayer being when I listened to their earlier albums last year, but still a good gut-punch with angry lyrics, while “Vices” slows things down to a heavy grind, pumping along with relentless purpose, while new man Gary Holt burns out a superb solo. “Cast the first stone” keeps things generally slow, heavy yes but quite grindy with some more fine solos, both by mainstay and founder Kerry King and by Holt. It kind of marches on; evidence that Slayer are ageing and toning down the speed of their music accordingly? Reflective guitar opening “When the stillness comes”, sussurating drums accompanying a repetitive riff before it begins to kick up a little more, then it falls back to a slow grind with a growled vocal from Tom, his words very discernible, whereas before I often found it hard to make out what he was singing. Good solo there at the end, and into “Chasing death”, where things pick up speed a little, though this is certainly not the Slayer of Reign in Blood days. There's a boogie feel to this as it rocks along, and there's something almost funny about the cadences as he rhymes ”Innocence, common sense, I don't see the relevance” and ”Parasite, socialite, you're never gonna win this fight!” Reminds me of Billy fucking Joel on “We didn't start the fire”. No, seriously, it does. “Implode” is another basically slow, boogie-along track --- oh I'm wrong: it just kicked into serious life. Probably the best of the tracks so far, certainly the fastest. Scorching solo and I like the little in-joke when Tom sings ”I think you know the song/ I'm pretty sure God still hates us all!” And yet another link to the 2001 album, eh? Eh? The song Hannman was working on before he passed is the only one of his to make it onto this album, and “Piano wire” is good but I have to admit, not great, like sadly much of this album. It's another slow marcher, with some pretty good but not new lyrical material, and I'm sure they only included it as a tribute to his memory: had he still been alive and working with them this could have ended up on the cutting room floor. “Atrocity vendor” is a whole hell of a lot better, almost a look back to the Slayer of old, when they literally did not give a fuck and just went for it. Yeah, I knew that sounded familiar: it was a bonus track on their last album, 2012's World Painted Blood. Oh, guys! Still, it's blisteringly fast, heavy as hell and with a screaming solo: now that's what Slayer are about, or used to be! Even the last line is appropriate --- ”Death forever reigns!” (In blood?) “You against you” is okay but a kind of return to the more grindy marching of the ... hold on now. It just flew into fifth gear and that is some solo from Gary Holt. Could be hope for this yet. Perhaps the album is going to make a strong, up-yours finish? Well we have only one more track to go, but two more solos, one of which is from Kerry King and burns up the frets, and the final one involves the two of them and is a joy to behold. That leaves us with “Pride in prejudice”, which I have to say tones everything back to the slow, grindy snarl that much of this album survives on. There are great solos and Tom sounds suitably angry, but meh, I'm not convinced. A weak ending I feel. But then, a weak ending to a mostly weak album. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS 1. Delusions of saviour 2. Repentless 3. Take control 4. Vices 5. Cast the first stone 6. When the stillness comes 7. Chasing death 8. Implode 9. Piano wire 10. Atrocity vendor 11. You against you 12. Pride in prejudice I don't know whether it came through or not in the review, but I'm mightily disappointed in this album. True, I've only been listening to Slayer for the last year, and that only in one month-long binge through their discography, but from what I heard there I can say with some confidence that this is far from the band I came to know. Batty will of course be able to give you a better idea as to whether this new album measures up to their other material, but for me it's just too safe, too slow mostly and, dare I say it, too old? It almost sounds like Tom is tired, that he's doing this either as a favour to his dead friend or under pressure from Kerry. Either way, he does not sound like he's enjoying it. But as I've said before, what do I know about Slayer? Maybe their fans will see this as a triumphant return, a vindication that the kings of thrash are still holding on to their throne. And maybe they are. But based on the rest of their discography, this sounds old and stale and almost thrash-by-numbers. Have the mighty fallen from their once unassailable perch? That's up to people more familiar with them, and with thrash metal, to decide. For me though, I'm afraid it's more a case of not so much repentless as virtually toothless. And I'm sorry to say, their label has made it virtually impossible to get anything from the album on YouTube. But by now, you've probably all heard it and made up your own minds anyway. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-28-2015, 04:11 PM	#3040 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,548	It's not an avant-garde album, it's an avant-garde metal album. Do you think if someone else recommended it, you would come to the same conclusion? The metal on that album is pretty undeniable from my perspective, but maybe it's the jazz elements throwing you off (yes, there can be both!) Remember, metal can vary quite a bit, from songs like this to this to this Avant-garde metal bands generally have a sound that differs from whatever else you'd hear in the metal world while holding on to a metal vocabulary. If they didn't, they wouldn't be called avant-garde. Lastly, the only track with guitar on it is Chthonian. The rest are just saxophonist Luca T. Mai playing his horn through effects with Pupillo on the bass and Battaglia on drums (ok and occasionally Patton hops on). Anyway, that was pretty much the reaction I expected, but I thought I'd be seeing some green interspersed throughout there though. I'm a little confused on how you're reviewing these though, I didn't know that you would be rating them based off of how metal you thought they were, but rather that you'd do it by how good you thought the music would be. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x Last edited by Frownland; 10-28-2015 at 08:46 PM.