The Anthill 2.0: Albums, Artists & The Chance To Win A Million Dollars!

Anteater · 07-31-2013, 10:08 PM

The years following the dissolution of Crimson Glory proved to be fruitful, albeit unfocused ones, for Jon Drenning and the rest of the gang. The next few years passed quietly, spent mostly on two side project albums with other vocalists that served as continuations sonically of CG's psychedelic early 90's sound. Still, it was an inevitability that interest in reforming the band would eventually come to a head. In the winter of 1996, Drenning sought out Midnight, who was still in self-imposed exile and wouldn't have anything to do with anyone musically. Naturally, he refused to reform the group. After all, who needs music and a great voice when you can have drugs instead?

Thus, a new singer was required. After some searching around, the ideal candidate appeared in the form of wailmeister Wade Black, who was not only the ideal match for the band in terms of sheer vocal ability, but also in temperament. He was easy to work with, enthusiastic about joining the group and, most importantly, was very professional. This was followed by the return of original lineup guitarist Ben Jackson and the recruitment of Savatage drummer Steve Wachholz, completing Crimson Glory Mk. II and giving them the golden opportunity to take the metal world by storm once again.

Several delays, one stolen-and-then-re-recorded set of master tapes later....1999 arrived, and LP numero quatro Astronomica was released unto the world. Would it succeed where Strange & Beautiful had failed? Read below to find out!

Crimson Glory – Astronomica (1999)

1. March To Glory (3:30)
2. War Of The Worlds (4:09)
3. New World Machine (4:14)
4. Astronomica (4:59)
5. Edge Of Forever (5:46)
6. Touch Of The Sun (5:56)
7. Lucifer's Hammer (4:25)
8. The Other Side Of Midnight (4:29)
9. Cyber-Christ (5:13)
10. Cydonia (5:47)

After letting Midnight's unusual genre preferences rule over the songwriting for commercial swansong Strange & Beautiful back in 1991, Drenning and the rest of the boys took a hard look at the band's sonic legacy with Wade and unanimous agreed on one important point immediately: this was going to be a METAL record. In short, a logical yet modern followup to 1988's Transcendence.

One thing that becomes apparent as the militaristic pummelage of opening instrumental 'March To Glory' rolls into shore is there's a more symphonic nature to composition than what we've heard in the past. On top of that, the bass of Jeff Lords has never been more visible to the naked ear or palpable than it is on Astronomica, and its these impressions that'll lead you into 'War Of The Worlds', where you get an auditory gander of Wade's vocal blitzing for the first time: the guy's a bizarre yet fascinating hybrid between Bruce Dickinson and King Diamond, wielding a pleasant and throaty mid-range that suddenly shoots upwards into a glass-shattering howl when you least expect it. Very fun song though, a Maiden-esque stampede rife with apocalyptic imagery of black eyed angels that raze the world to ashes with fire. As my fellow bros might say..."righteous brah!"

It isn't until you hear a vocoded Wade snarl "I FEEL I'M BECOMING MECHANIZED" on the amazing 'New World Machine' that it begins to dawn on you at just how good this new lineup really is. Wade moves up and down between his registers the way some people ride elevators in a hotel as Lords' bass and Drennings' guitar crumble the Earth below in their frantic interplay. Quite the anthem really, and the record's first big high point.

Side A is actually pretty strong on the whole though: the title track in particular is a nice mid-tempo stomper with some Middle Eastern flourishes and a chorus on par with anything out of the classic Judas Priest or Saxon back catalog, along with being a fun mediation upon mankind itself: "World's spinning round in space / Lonely star without a face / Left by ourselves we trace / Our footsteps back / To Astronomica".

And then comes big highlight numbah three, a psychedelic thrasher called 'Touch The Sun'. More mystic mumbo jumbo lyrically, but when it all sounds THIS good, its hard not to get sucked in. Killer bassline, plus we get more of Wade's lower and clean mid-range throughout than in the past few cuts, giving the listener more appreciation of just how good a find this dude was: any metal band back in '99 would have been ecstatic with someone on this level at the mic. The album finishes out with a menacing ballad ('The Other Side Of Midnight') the scorching 'Cyber-Christ' which copulates the gloom of Alice In Chains with the classic CG sound and an atmospheric, spacious little metal number called 'Cydonia' that brings this musical chapter to a satisfying close. Drowning in mystery indeed!

So how's it stack up to the last three records you might ask? To put it lightly...well, it kicks major fuckin' ass! Although sonically quite different in many ways from both the self-titled and Transcendence, this is the album that should have followed in the early 90's as opposed to Strange & Beautiful. Not because S&B is a bad album, but because Astronomica blends some of the latter album's psychedelic tendencies far more effectively with the prog-power metal aesthetic that made the band huge to begin with. In particular, songs like 'Cyber-Christ' and 'New World Machine' are absolute monsters of rage & rhythm that rank right up there with any of the best songs from the first two albums, and the title track, 'Cydonia' and 'Touch The Sun' aren't slouches either!

This leads me to my last point: I can't say for sure whether or not Astronomica (or an album like it with Midnight on vox instead) would have saved the band from commercially collapsing back in 1991, but once you spend some quality time with it...you really can't help but wonder. It's a very strong album (maybe even on par with Transcendence) with a couple songs that might've done really well on radio back then, plus it sports a great bass-leaden production that gives the proceedings a real sense of urgency and drive.

In short, whether your a CG fan or not, Astronomica is a great late 90's metal album that deserves a place in your collection. Some of these songs won't hit you immediately, but give 'em time...they WILL.

So what happened after Astronomica? Lots of things. Everyone went their separate ways after a brief tour in 2000. Thankfully, and this time with a cleaned-up Midnight in tow, the band reunited fully in 2005. A new album was promised and great things seemed to be on the horizon. That being said, things never seem to go according to plan...(TBC for the last time)

Anteater · 08-07-2013, 05:40 PM

So, to put a long and rather interesting story to rest, on the verge of the original lineup fully reuniting, doing a new record, and all that wonderful stuff...Midnight croaks in July 2009. Not from drugs like you'd expect, but rather from a stomach aneurysm of all things...at the ripe old age of 47. Bleh!!

But that's not quite the end either. See, the band ended up finding the frontman they had always wanted not too long after Midnight's death during a tribute concert to their deceased former frontman -- a relatively unknown drummer out of Tampa Bay by the name of Todd La Torre, who was introduced to CG by the guitarist from Jon Oliva's Pain. A mainstay in a variety of local metal acts throughout Florida, Todd has since been catapulted to the attention of modern metal fandom not because of CG...but rather because of Queensrÿche, who ALSO recruited him as lead vocalist in 2012 following a very messy breakup with original frontman Geoff Tate. His debut record as lead vocalist with the original members of QR was released in late June of this year, sounds pretty damn awesome, and currently the band is on tour. What a lucky guy eh?

See, Crimson Glory has been incredibly quiet since 2011. For reasons we don't know, guitarist and founding member Jon Drenning allegedly didn't communicate with Todd or the rest of the band over the last two years. The promised new album? Never happened, leaving this promising new frontman at a complete loss. Thus, when QR came calling, Todd logically (and happily) joined up with them and has been kicking ass ever since.

So, although it remains to be seen on whether or not Crimson Glory will ever grace the world with another fantastic metal release anytime soon, it can at least be said that they've done some damn fine work (4 albums worth) in the past for us to enjoy in the present day. And that, my fine feathered friends, is something only the best bands can aspire to accomplish. Hail to the bloody metal kings!

Coming Up Next: A movie review! Stay tuned.

Anteater · 08-18-2013, 05:27 PM

TOUGH GUYS DON'T DANCE (1987)

For any of you that might be under the illusion that The Room was the "best 'bad' movie of all time" or something along those lines, you are in for a rather rude awakening -- this particular gem starring Ryan O'Neal, Isabella Rossellini, Lawrence Tierney and the infamous Wings Hauser has held that particular title for twenty six years now and counting! There's nothing else out there quite like it: at some point the acting, dialogue and head-scratching plot exceed the Coefficient Of Incomprehensibility and becomes something akin to high art.

To be precise, this is a bizarrely fantastic adaptation of Norman Mailer's noir novel of the same name, directed by...yeah, Norman Mailer himself. Which means that on top of the gut-busting laughter that ensues upon attempting to watch this film, you have the self-deprecated ego of the novelist who wrote AND decided to adapt his own work thrown into the mix.

It's very hard to discern what Mr. Mailer was trying to do exactly here -- did he find his own gumshoe fiction so laughable that he thought it needed to be reinterpreted as a nonsensical satirical exercise upon the genre? Did Wings Hauser pass Mailer the blunt at some point mid-production in order to insert his own choice of dialogue into the script as Capt. Alvin Luther Regency, a man who has the power to turn every word that passes between his lips into comedy gold? And a crotchety Lawrence Tierny too of all things? ANNNND Ryan O' Neal being Ryan O'Neal? Absolute madness...madness I say!

I could rave for hours about Tough Guys Don't Dance, elucidate accolade after accolade in regards to this wonderful wonderful movie's cinematic merits, but at the end of the day the best thing you can do for yourself is obtain a copy immediately. It truly is an experience unlike any other, a movie so off the scale bad (in an endearing sort of way) that you'll be thrown off your circadian rhythm for at least a day afterwards.

Watch the trailer below, then get hoppin'! Andele, andele, andele!

Anteater · 09-01-2013, 12:52 PM

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On 'Album Spotlights', we look at specific albums by different bands/artists/outfits that in some way stand out from the crowd. Perhaps the album has an unusual backstory, atmosphere or some other set of traits that elevate it above its ilk and era. Whatever the reason however...enjoy!

Geinoh Yamashirogumi – Ecophony Rinne (1986)

1. Primordial Germination (11:50)
2. Falling As Flowers Do - Dying A Glorious Death (7:56)
3. Dark Slumber (5:12)
4. Reincarnation (13:38)

From my perspective, great music in any genre is clairvoyance: for a brief period of time, whether through words or via vibrational patterns and a rich instrumental palette, you are allowed a glimpse into some facet of experience or reality that lies beyond your immediate forbearance. And when it comes to the album experience itself, your time with it might tell you far more than you ever could have imagined about those who conjured it into being.

Ecophony Rinne (which translates to Reincarnated Orchestra) is a late 80's offering by the elusive Japanese music cabal Geinoh Yamishirogumi (the guys behind the soundtrack to Akira) which attempts to capture the experience of death and rebirth in a musical setting. Lots of primordial musical elements collide with chime-infused Gamelan and some sleek synthesizer work that wouldn't be out of place on a Tangerine Dream outing or some of New Age's spacier purveyors. Needless to say, it's a beautiful combination between the bizarre & unnerving, managing to get under your skin a bit despite being only 4 tracks long and not even clocking out at 40 minutes.

Sitting through this album from start to finish is a bit like reading Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem 'The Bells' for the first time, or maybe something like the first part of Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Hill House'. Despite being the musical equivalent of a seemingly tranquil descent into death, there's some darkness right there under the surface, beating like a heart. Watching as a life trickles into nothingness. Waiting for the spirit to leave the body...

Anteater · 09-13-2013, 04:44 PM

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Lets face it folks: life can be a real ugly bitch. That's why via Anteater's Life Lessons, you'll get some insight into something (non-music related) that I'm familiar with, usually in a five point list format that'll give you food for thought in future encounters with said subject.

Life Lesson #1:
Five Things To Watch Out For When It Comes To Insurance

First, a bit of background. When I came straight out of college, I was unsurprisingly greeted with an inflexible and rather ornery marketplace that couldn't give two shits about my Mass Communications degree and internships. Secondly, the college I graduated from, whilst not a terrible educational institution, wasn't exactly on most businesses' top hiring locale lists when searching for new blood. Thus, I made something of a left turn and ended up getting hired as an "independent insurance producer" for Farmers Insurance, which is one of the biggest players in the industry here in the U.S.

Needless to say, I learned a lot of things during my half year tenure on the sales end of things. Wasn't exactly a walk in the park getting my certifications for auto, homeowners, health & life insurance, etc. either. Thus, here's a five point summary on a few things I learned, stuff which applies both to people looking to get INTO the industry, but also to any of you who have ever bought insurance or are getting to the point where you need to look into it.

1. Don't just sign an insurance contract because the price is low. The agents WILL let it happen even if you aren't properly covered.

The above exclamation may seem like something you all probably suspected anyway, but I just wanted to lay those doubts to rest decisively: its true to a fault no matter what company you end up going with. Even a successful guy with his own personal agency possessing a decade or more under the belt will rarely, if ever, go out of his way to tell you the specifics of a policy unless it factors into his or her pitch. As far as Farmers went, the typical renewal rate for any one person for their auto or homeowners' policies was something like 40% back in 2012. Why? Because when your rates go up after a few months, you'll most likely seek out a company that offers you a lower price for the same level of coverage.

Basically, most agents are aware of the turnover and simply want you to sign a policy whether it properly covers you or not. To quote my own regional supervisor -- "Its just a numbers game. Don't stress too much about individual prospects.".

My advice? Educate yourself a bit on the specifics of your policies if you haven't already and don't just go with someone just because the price appears low. Because they're perfectly happy to screw you over since they know you'll most likely change companies in six months anyway.

2. Being a "reserve" or "independent" agent for a big insurance company is like trying to use Google without an internet connection: futile.

I'm just going to lay it out here right now for any of you who are curious about becoming an agent for a major insurance company, are thinking about it, etc: they WILL blue sky you and then give you absolutely nothing to work with afterwards.

What does that mean exactly? Basically, most insurance companies are incredibly antiquated when it comes to training & supporting new agents who get hired. You're thrown into an industry where you are INUNDATED with competition at both the local and national level, are forced to buy all your own stuff (leads, marketing materials, direct mail, etc.) and are paid mediocre commissions despite the complicated sales & delivery process that occurs even after someone agrees to buy (for me it was 10% on auto, 20% on home and 40% on life).

Furthermore, this is the 21st century right? Well, guess what your superiors tell you if you try to do any marketing online? "You can't use Facebook to market, you can't make a website and you can't market yourself. You can only use what we provide to market." And yet they make you pay hand-over-fist for what they "provide"...*vomits*

I could go on and on all day about numerous problems I ran into getting into this industry during my six month tenure, but in laymen's terms most insurance companies with an agent program go out of their way to make it as excruciatingly difficult as possible to sell a product that's already difficult to sell in the first place.

3. To become a "career" agent for any insurance company, you have to go thousands of dollars into debt.

The selling point of becoming a reserve agent like I did for a big insurance company is that if you A. Make your 40/4 sales quota and B. Diligently attend training over a six month period in any major insurance company, you'll be able to sign a Career Agent contract and open up your own agency at a location of your choice, which then leads to huge money down the line.

Thing is, they don't tell you that you don't get that agency just because you made Career: Farmers needs to let you "borrow" money to open up the location, which you "agree" to do upon getting "promoted" from reserve to Career. Furthermore, your agency from the point it opens needs to meet certain monthly quotas or your debt accumulates huge interest. There's even a term in the industry for the process of repaying the often astronomical debt you accumulate to open an agency - "running to daylight". Scary stuff, no?

4. Insurance agents have little to no control over how much a policy will cost a prospect, but consumers always have a better option somewhere else.

The hardest part about selling insurance for just one company is manifold: the cost of acquisition when it comes to a lead who will even let you quote them can range from an actual financial cost ($10-$50 on average if buying leads, marketing locally, etc) to time (making 100 or more phone calls a day just to get someone to talk to you), to the biggest variable of all: even if you get someone to let you quote them on their cars, house, a life policy, whatever...there's simply no way to know how cheap or expensive its going to be for them until you spend an hour or two dicking with your company's quoting interface. Which ain't something you can do on a smartphone, lemme tell you lol!

From my point of view, this is a huge problem for the insurance industry. Delivery and speed is everything in today's world: How can you effectively sell something to someone when it takes you hours just to give them a price point? Especially when that's the only thing that'll make or break a sale in an industry this competitive?

It's a troubling reality that is in stark contrast to what they'll tell you at the office. During my weekly training seminars, one thing the district manager would stress ad nauseum was that price ultimately didn't matter to most prospects if the policy you pitched to them could meet their needs comprehensively. This, it turned out, was complete bullshit. Price IS everything, and how great a policy is only matters if the person can afford it begin with. People can get reliable insurance anywhere. Reliable insurance at the best price though? That's their prerogative.

5. You run into a lot of crazies, unfortunates or a combination of the two.

Just a forewarning to prospective insurers among ye: you WILL run into all kinds of prospects, and a lot of them are going to weird you the fuck out.

For example, I spent a three day stretch just cold calling last year about a month into my contract. About 200 calls in or so on day two, I managed to secure an appointment with a Russian fella (we'll call him Vlad) at a local Starbucks to go over his various policies. As you can imagine, I was pretty happy. He sounded polite, friendly AND told me he was going to open up a restaurant later in the year. I could see the big $$$ lighting up before my eyes. Za-zing cha-ching!

The following day, I went there. Was about a 20 minute drive or so. I was dressed to kill in one of my suits, had my materials and notepad ready, the works. Felt pretty damn good at first...until nearly 2 hours passed and nobody showed up for the appointment.

The crazy part? I called his phone again the next day to reschedule the appointment, only to get some OTHER Russian dude on the phone who asked me who I was working for. After a brief explanation, he told me never to call again or something would "happen" to me that "looked like an accident'. Hung up pretty fast after that one. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty scared and perplexed. Had I inadvertently nearly met up with someone from the Russian mob earlier?

On another occasion, I managed to secure a client in a nearby city. Upon arriving at her home, I was aware that I was in an economically questionable location, the "projects" as it were. The client herself was nice enough though, an older African-American lady with a big family and an incredibly ramshackled looking abode. Before even making the visit, I had done a pre-quote on her based on the information she gave me and even printed it out. The price was good, the history looked stable, etc. Basically, I thought I'd be walking out of there with 3 auto policies and a homeowners policy within the hour.

Upon hopping on her PC and doing an official quote though my company's system though, it turned out she had neglected to tell me about two prior wrecks, plus wrecks her kids had within the last year. The cost of her prospective policies, of course, skyrocketed, and there was nothing I could do. So after multiple days, many phone calls, an hour long drive and an additional hour of quoting...I walked out of that home without a sale. She didn't even have the money to pay the first month, and she was already living paycheck to paycheck.

And these two incidents were just a couple of many I ran into in my quest to wrangle the money out of people for commissions. Enlightening to be sure, but it also lets you see people at their lowest whether you want to or not.

Conclusion

Do your homework thoroughly whether you are buying insurance or getting into it as a career. Trust me on this one!

Anteater · 09-27-2013, 08:17 PM

The Omega Experiment – Self-Titled (2012/2013)

Genre: Progressive/Atmospheric Metal
Sounds Like: Devin Townsend, Anathema, TesseracT

So, since Metal Month is just about here, feel like asking...who here is a fan of Heavy Devy?

*looks around as everyone raises their hand* Good, because The Omega Experiment are one helluva Townsendian knockoff if there ever was one, as well as being one of metal music's best kept secrets of the last year or so.

A quick bit of background: the guys behind this project are a dynamic duo from Michigan, Dan Wieten (singer/guitarist) and Ryan Aldridge (keyboardist). After releasing a killer EP back in 2011 or so, they caught the attention of Devin Townsend himself and proved to be an incredibly popular opening act during his Deconstruction tour. Which really helps when you have a musical approach that's as enthralling, atmospheric and professional as the guy you are opening for!

So, onto the independent self-titled debut they released last year (but got re-released this year officially): basically, its pretty damn close to perfect. Dan's got a more "pop-rock" sort of voice than Devin does, but when you layer him a billion times over and give him a killer hook to work with on soaring single-worthy numbers like 'Gift' or 'Karma', the results are spectacular.

Although its never stated explicitly, the album plays out a bit like a concept record about substance addiction and recovery, with the songs themselves following the ups and downs that come with the territory. That being said, the music is so engrossing and stratospheric that the lyrics become almost like an afterthought, but its still interesting nevertheless.

But enough beating around the bush: if anyone has an itch to sink their teeth into some indie modern melodic metal with a serious case of Devin Townsenditus...you've come to the right bus stop.

Oh, and for those of you living in Europe., they're going to be at ProgPower 2013 in a few weeks with Hacride, Fates Warning and Shadow Gallery....don't miss 'em if you get the opportunity!!

Anteater · 10-09-2013, 10:47 AM

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Yes, ladies and gents...time for a new movie review. Feast your eyes upon this early comedic masterpiece by famed director Peter Jackson....or be square!

MEET THE FEEBLES (1989)

One finds it hard to look into New Zealand cinema over the last twenty years or so without running into Peter Jackson atleast once or twice. His iconic adaptations of Tolkien's fantasy universe aside, every film this guy has done stand out from the crowd in some way. He also has quite a knack for horror-comedic panache, a trait he shares with American director Sam Raimi. Available evidence of this include his debut Bad Taste and 1992's Braindead, both of which I highly recommend to the splatter/horror aficionados among ye. They're a lot of fun!

Still, if there's one film in Jackson's filmography that qualifies as a bonafide cult classic "tabasco laced-enchillada-up-your-nearest-orifice" sort of experience, it would be this hilarious and demented Muppets-parody called Meet The Feebles. Funded by a bunch of loony Japanese investors and subsequently released back in 1989, audiences didn't take to it at all, resulting in an abysmal box office performance. However, in retrospect...they just didn't know what they were missing. Jackson excels at savage, black-hearted humor, and this film is a loaded gun full of laughs that either enchants you or makes you wonder if you ingested LSD on accident prior to viewing. Regardless...this is easily one of the funniest movies ever made in any genre or era bar-none, whatever your preferences.

Like Tough Guys Don't Dance, this film is something you need to see to really believe it. The premise of a theatre troop of Muppet knockoffs preparing for a big television debut doesn't seem like much at first, but Jackson's comedic insanity grabs you before you even realize you've stepped into his world. From the gut-busting dialogue to parades of lulzy absurdities that just keep on coming, there's a relentless sort of glee chortling beneath the plot and characters here that is damn near infectious, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Every director has a period of time in their careers where they're willing to do anything and craft films that seem almost schizophrenic in comparison to movies they do later on which win them critical and commercial acclaim. Although some may disagree, I still believe Jackson was firing on all his cylinders best from the late 80's through the mid 90's, and Meet The Feebles captures this maniacal creativity at an all time peak.

So watch the trailer below, grab a bag of jellybeans, and light up a blunt. You're going to need 'em, but don't worry: you'll have a helluva good time!

Anteater · 10-18-2013, 10:44 PM

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Underrated albums: Albums Which Are Not Overrated By Any Stretch Of The Imagination. Or, to put it another way...probably something you dismissed offhand because it wasn't higher than 3.5 on RateYourMusic.

Queensrÿche – Promised Land (1994)

Genre: Art Rock / Progressive Metal / Alternative Rock
Sounds Like: Pretty unique sounding album...no immediate contemporaries

Although this doesn't always hold true across the genre spectrum when investigating a band or artist's music for the first time, the general rule is that the albums that don't get talked about much tend to be the ones...well, not worth talking about.

However, like most things in life, there are always exceptions to the rule. Exceptions such as progressive metal pioneer Queensrÿche's 1994 release Promised Land, a strange and experimental followup to the 1990's multi-platinum smash hit record Empire.

Put together over a 6 month period over on the San Juan Islands north of Seattle, Promised Land remains, in my humble opinion, the band's crowning achievement to date. Leering down like the devil himself on a vast, electric ley line between the worlds of alternative rock, heavy metal and a dislocated sense of experimental spaciness, the album remains a menacing, prophetic observance of American society and, as Thoreau might has surmised, a glimpse into the human spirit as it struggles quietly and desperately within that framework.

For those of you unfamiliar with the lineup, its the classic one, AKA vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarists Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer/sound effect orchestrator Scott Rockenfield. Possessing a tandemic, awe-inducing harmony together since the classic EP all the way back in 1983, these guys were still on one helluva roll ten years later and the results speak for themselves. It wouldn't last...but the best things never do.

Highlights you may ask? All of 'em if you want the honest truth, but the stylistic diversity here really gives you the opportunity to pick your poison as you please. For the straightforward heavy metal/early 90's grunge fans there's the pummeling 'I Am I' and the industrialized fervor of 'Damaged', both quite single worthy I might add. But what if you'd rather have some Pink Floyd inspired acoustica? 'Out Of Mind' and the Beatles-esque 'Lady Jane' might be more to your liking. And for you more adventurous folk who crave the most progressive, out-there material QR have to offer, there's 'One More Time', the monolithic title track and bass-driven 'Disconnected' (complete with some sax!). But really now, this is a deliberately constructed record where every song plays its part: they all have their merits, so let yourself experience them as a whole!

So while everyone is enjoying Metal Month and reveling in thine latest discoveries and recommendations (here's lookin' at you Trollheart), take a moment to lend an ear toward Queensrÿche and embark upon your pilgrimage to the Promised Land today: stellar songwriting, performances and interesting metal and non-metal songs await you at your destination!

Anteater · 11-10-2013, 06:26 PM

And now for something a little different.

Seal – Seal (1991)

Genre: Pop, Soul, Funk, House, Art Rock, Ambient
Sounds Like: Terence Trent D'Arby, Yes, Massive Attack

One of the best things about being involved in music, whether as a hardcore listener/collector or as someone who performs and puts out material, is that everyone has a completely different opinion about what songs and records have stood the test of time, define a particular era, etc. You could have hundreds of discussions with people on what a "classic" album is to them and come up with a new answer every time. In some cases its like arguing with astronomy buffs on which nebulae are the most beautiful to the human eye.

However, one debate I've seen pop up often both offline and on is which records best define certain decades, with the 90's being a particular point of argument. The cold synths and gated drumming of the 80's were thrown to the wayside in many circles in favor of stripped down, edgier productions and lots of angst (hence the rise of grunge, a lot of alternative rock and "emo" bands in popular consciousness). By 1992, you'd be hard pressed to find any 80's sounding pop act selling out a stadium. R&B and soul/funk was becoming more urban and modernized as well, which is why the 90's are also remembered as a golden period for hip-hop and neo-soul. Not to mention trip-hop, drum n' bass, World music/New Age hybrid projects like Enigma, and so much more. In some ways, the 90's was a musical universe bigger than any that had come before.

But where was it, you might ask, where the sounds of the 80's really "shifted over" and become the 90's on the pop end of things? Some people point to Massive Attack's Blue Lines in '91. Others would tell you it was Primal Scream, Sonic Youth and Depeche Mode. None of those answers would be incorrect, and yet there is a name that trumps them all in sheer influence.

And that, my friends, would be the dreadlock-donning, British-Nigerian former bluesman with the weird scars on his face on the cover above, a dude who seemingly appeared out of nowhere at the end of the 80's and subsequently became a household name pretty much overnight.

Yes, I'm talking about Seal, AKA the "Kissed From A Rose" guy. But this was three years before Batman got him a Grammy. And as timeless as that particular song may be, his debut (and highly diverse) set of songs trumps it to an almost alarming extent. To the quality-starved pop fans of 1991, his arrival was a godsend: what could a real pop star with real ideas bring to the mainstream if they'd just give him a chance to flex his musical muscles?

First though, a quick bit of background. Seal's just your typical British born Nigerian fella with a rare skin condition called Discoid lupus erythematosus. He gets an Associates Degree in architecture, does some work around London for awhile...and then figures out he can sing. From the mid 80's onward he got his feet wet with funk band Push during a tour through Japan and even ran around Thailand awhile as a blues singer. Eventually making his way back to the U.K. though, he met acid house producer Adamski and did vox for a song called 'Killer'. Catching the attention of producer extraordinaire Trevor Horn (Buggles/Yes/Frankie Goes To Hollywood), Seal went into studio, wrote up some songs with Guy Sigsworth (who would later go on to work with Björk!) and a masterpiece debut was created in 1991 for all the world to hear.

So, the songs. All great to be sure, but lets go into some details. First up we have 'The Beginning', a cosmic Sigsworth co-write with a heavy Detroit techno influence, featuring a monstrously good chorus and a delicious acoustic outro that leads into the mystical sounding 'Deep Water', a number that starts off in a stripped down fashion but morphs about midway through into something rather beautiful & proggy, akin in some ways to the stuff Yes was doing in the late 70's. Lyrically, it's about two dolphins that get lost from their home waters and end up near a coastal U.K. city. The citizens try to take care of the dolphins, but they both end up dying due to heavy pollution in the surrounding waters. A less literal interpretation might be commentary upon the transitory experience of living and the inevitability of death. Either way, very powerful song and one of my favorites off the S/T.

Next up is the album's big single 'Crazy', which is arguably Seal's trademark song. Not hard to see why it was a radio smash: it has a lot of the trip-hop trademarks that people were already hearing with Massive Attack and similar artists, yet there's a progressive edge here coupled with a poppy chorus that makes it an instant classic. Its followed by the Adamski-produced, beat-heavy 'Killer', which features nice guitar/synth textures on counterpoint throughout its hypnotic run.

Its interesting to note at this point that a lot of Seal's lyrical content zooms in on reactionary thought processes. In 'The Beginning', its human will vs external evil. In 'Deep Water', its coping with life's transitory nature. In 'Killer', its prejudice and how someone copes with it whilst in 'Crazy', he makes a case for the defense of LSD and a positive examination of its liberating effects upon the human consciousness. Love Seal or hate him, it takes a serious set of balls to create "pop" songs of this caliber, the last of which is in favor of hallucinogenic, illegal substance use...and make it #1 in the world for weeks on end. Clever boy Scarface, clever boy!

We get a bit of downtime next with 'Whirlpool', a bluesy soul piece that details a person struggling between ambition and love. Is it worth pursuing a big dream when you can have immediate gratification with someone close to you? Some people never realize their dreams in life because they settle for something else that distracts from it, so this song could be considered a warning in that regard.

'Future Love Paradise', another single, ain't half bad: a slick bassline coupled with some cool congo and a pretty nice early urban R&B feel makes for good listening. It's a condemnation on some of the worst aspects of early hip-hop culture yet also a defense against the racial profiling that's still prominent today.

However, its closing epic 'Violet' that takes this album from "way above average early 90's album" status and into Hall Of Fame territory. An 8-minute ambient soul concoction of the highest order, Seal's voice floats over the sonic equivalent of a tidal phenomenon, moving in and out over dreamlike currents. The song also features some movie sampling here and there, adding to the laidback, surreal progression and allowing the album to end on a picture perfect note.

For me, Seal's debut is one in a billion. Very few musicians have ever stepped up to plate and hit a perfect game their first time out, yet that's exactly what he did right here. He caught the zeitgeist (trip-hop, techno, the burgeoning neo-soul movement) and augmented his already formidable songwriting talent with the progressive rock nuances of Trevor Horn. The result is an album that doesn't sound like anything else out there, and one that even Seal himself hasn't been able to surpass in his 20+ year career. It defies classification: people have called everything from the poppier cousin of Massive Attack's Blue Lines to a "synth-soul rock equivalent to Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking", but these descriptions simply don't do the album justice. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves, but if there was ever an album that bridged the 80's and 90's music worlds in a tangible, observable fashion outside of rock and metal, then Seal did it here.

So here's a few million dollar questions: do you love beautiful music? Do you enjoy diverse, nuanced songwriting? Do you enjoy thought provoking lyrical content? Hell...do you just like music period?

This was one helluva record from a guy who is severely underrated in the critical music snob department, so go pick up a copy of this sucker pronto. It really is that good!

Anteater · 12-15-2013, 09:27 PM

Sorry for the lack of updates, dear children of the night: it's been a busy winter season for Papa Anteater over yonder. But because I know all of you have been praying for a visitation upon this virtual Hillside, I have THREE things I would like to announce/talk about as we head into the new year-

1. For anyone curious about what I do in real life, I'm the creative director for an online marketing company called BizNearMe. We specialize in helping small businesses reach and retain new customers, plus we build mobile websites and ads that look great on any device. Our website and services kick a lot of ass, so check 'em out here if curiosity strikes.

2. I'm currently doing one album review a day (possibly more as we head into next week) for my AOTY end of the year thread, so I'd love to get everyone's feedback and comments. Here's the link - Anteater's 25 Favorite Albums Of 2013

3. Got an album or movie you want me to review? For a limited time only, I will take requests! Doesn't matter what the genre is: I'm an open book, so gimme your best shots!

That is all for now. I've actually got an incredibly awesome musician in the queue at the moment for the Anthill who I plan to do an Album Series on, so stay tuned for that starting in 2014.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

~ Derek