Music Banter - Sailor-Mouthed Seeker of Sound

About time I started up a journal I'd say! I've got some ranting to do and music to review.

Usually these entries will be music-related, sometimes not, it's my goddamn journal so I guess it'll depend on proximity to my monthly bloodbath when I feel the urge to type. I won't always review albums I haven't heard. As a matter of fact, I've got a lot to ****in say about albums I've already listened to that really needs to be heard, and this will probably depend on proximity to my tri-monthly rages, or my bi-weekly bouts of rainbows and sunshine dust.

But **** the introduction. Let's get started.

http://img.maniadb.com/images/album/642/642525_1_f.jpg
Candlemass
From the 13th Sun

First off, I've listened to this before. Multiple times in fact, occasionally over and over again back to back. It is, hands down, my favorite Candlemass album and ****ing EASILY the least appreciated. My passion for this masterpiece is so intense, so utterly crushing and encompassing every time I listen to it, that it inspired the beginning of this journal, just so I could rant semi-coherently about it's many virtues while I try to breathe.

If you're a fan of the epic sound Candlemass carved for themselves within the genre and have no room in your heart for compromise, read no further. These lines are not meant for your eyes. Don't get me wrong, I love Nightfall and and all their other bigger works just as much as the next faithful little doomster, but this **** is for those primal souls who constantly ache for a return to the Sabbath days of yore. Björn Flodkvist's Ozzy-worshipping vocals, though not as impressive as Marcolini's on a purely objective basis, fit the feel of the album, and I personally have a preference for the grit of a singer who sounds as though he was forced to vocalize after seeing everyone he loves die. Constantly just a little bit choked up, and as a shameless sadist, this is something I need in my music.

**** your robes and your props. **** your 'darkness', **** your looks, **** your stupid ****ing ego. This album brings to mind a dirty, smelly bar filled with dirty, smelly, contemplative metalheads, jamming deep into the dusk while moonlight and the cosmos lay plastered across a soul-blackened sky to play indifferent witness to their substance-fed despair.... and wonder. Even if we all know it was recorded in a studio.

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Now for a track-by-track breakdown:

1. Droid The riffing in this song is so ****ing catchy! The primary hook is the kind of thing that stays with you for at least the rest of the day after you hear it, and the experimentation with a spacey sort of canvass on which to place it, along with a very pleasantly half-assed vocal performance, makes it a ****ing fantastic listen, and a great intro to the vibe of the whole album. 10/10

2. Tot Right off the bat, you know what you're getting. Bells toll, rain falls, and guitars play gentle, tired riffs while Björn's sleepy voice recounts a thought. Things quickly get more intense with the crashing of thunder, and the spacey vibe returns with the end of the song. Overall, not schematically impressive, but a very soulful and atmospheric listen at times. 7/10

3. Elephant Star This track I was not a huge fan of. Right off the bat you're assaulted with sound, sound very similar to Droid only less enjoyable. The last half of the song is much better than the first, and in this reviewer's opinion, should have been the feel of the whole track. The kind of kinda-**** kinda-great song that would be an enjoyable jam with a beer in your hand. 5/10

4. Blumma Apt Great lyrics in this one. Instrumental structure is very predictable, as are vocals, but if you view it as a bridge between portions of the album as I do, it’s a necessary part of the work. 6/10

5. Arx/Ng 891 Right off the bat… space stuff. You can almost hear stars beaming like dying candlelight in this song, it gives everyone a hint of synesthesia. The drumming here emphasizes this vibe, and showcases vocals even more so than the guitars. The chorus is ****ing fantastic, and there’s some nice experimental synthy stuff going on yet again near it’s conclusion. Most assuredly one of the highlights of this album. 10/10

6. Zog One of the most definitive songs of the album, as it echoes instrumental work of most other tracks and lacks any vocals. Like Blumma Apt, this song too could be seen as a bridge, quickly changing tone about halfway through. 9/10

7. Galatea My personal favorite song of this album! God, it’s ****ing great. You get variety, you get sorrowful vocals that start off almost conversational, you get memorable riffing and offset drums the way they’re meant to be, and the hooking won’t just stay with you for the rest of the day, it’ll stay with you for a ****ing month. A track so wonderful it must be heard in full by all people everywhere. 10/10

8. Cyclo-F Flowing perfectly from Galatea, this one is a song for crowds to sing and headbang with easily. Ozzy’s influence shines brightly here. Drum nerds take note of this one! Lots of creative stuff going on, and it could even be stated as drum worship. They are the stars of the track. 9/10

9. Mythos More fantastic continuity here, and excellently wicked psychadelica Cthlulu homage. A short instrumental piece, it’d be perfectly at home as an intro to some star-spawn retro game. 9/10

10. Oil Vibes and lines dripping with LSD then dunked into carbonated mud, it’s a very atmospheric, surreal track that gets quite post-metal near its close, especially the drum work. A truly ‘pretty’ song. 10/10

11. Nimis Black Sabbath shows it’s ghost here right at the start, a dizzying spectre wearing a new pair of shoes. I love the juxtaposition of the bass and guitar, and while the vocals leave a bit to desire, strings are on ****ing par. It’s almost like the death throes of the album, being second to last track. They seriously sound like they don’t want the music to end, battling half heartedly not out of lack of passion, but fatigue. 9/10

12. Rock ‘n Roll Stoner rock vibe, coming at you hard as ****. This track is entirely different from the rest of the album, and almost doesn’t belong. Fun little number, great song for a quick bar jam, and more accessible to all listeners than the other songs here. They always say a lion is at his most dangerous at his death… and this song epitomizes that old tale. 8/10

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Brings us to an average of…. 8.5/10 for this album! But don’t let the numbers tell you any different. This is Candlemass’s greatest work, and it only lacks a full 9 or 10 because of those one or two stupid ****ing tracks that, though enjoyable, aren’t on par with the rest of its majesty and had to be judged as such.

Stay tuned for my next update. Who knows what it will be? Maybe I’ll bitch about taxes. Maybe I’ll rant about my love life. Hell, I might even go full on nerd and write an essay about why Diablo is the best video game franchise to have popped up of all time, it has crossed my mind.

But more than likely, I’ll review another album, that I’ve already heard, because I have the opportunity to do so.

Carpe diem, my friends. Carpe noctem, Carpe vita, but most importantly…. Carpe Mortem.