Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Draconian: A Rose For The Apocalypse
If you've been reading this blog for a while--and I hope there are a few people out there who can say that--you'll know that I adore this Swedish Goth Metal band. Love love love them. So, I wasted no time getting their brand new one (just out today)--A Rose for the Apocalypse.
I'll just tell you up front that I love it. It's not quite impressive enough to overtake their previous release, Turning Season Within, but it's close.
Draconian has this gift of writing music that is both powerful and beautiful--a throbbing, pounding beat accompanied by a synth line or vocal that is almost heart-breakingly beautiful, or a quiet, peaceful moment that erupts into a wild, powerful cacophony that will make you wish you were holding a guitar so you could bang along. (Fortunately for me that is an option!) Female vocalist Lisa Johannson has one of those magical voices that soars over the music or blends in with it--many times her vocals are layered in with the synthesizer line in the mix. Anders Jacobsson's harsh vocals provide a nice contrast--beauty and the beast, sort of. The interplay of their two different vocal styles, the friction that results, is a large part of the charm. There's a reason I've said I want to start a Draconian tribute band. If I can find a group of musicians who can produce music like this, this powerful and this dramatic, then they'll be able to play the kind of music that regularly thunders through my brain, too.
Another secret to their success is their production--there are a lot of sublties in the mix, little things that add so much. These guys know their sound.
Favorite tunes on this one? I've only listened to it all the way through once, and there aren't any tunes on here I don't like, but I'd have to pick "The Drowning Age," "The Last Hour of Ancient Sunlight," and "Elysian Night." Subject to change after repeated listenings--of which there will be many, I can assure you.
My final verdict? An A. Buy it. Now. And get Turning Season Within, too, while you're at it. And prepare to have your mind blown. Yes, it is possible for someone to make music like this.
There's hope for us after all!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Draconian music
Okay, I know I'm late to the party, but I just discovered this Swedish Goth Metal band today.
Oh. My. God.
I've never been a big proponent to harsh vocals (though I have played with them a little lately) but this band has helped to change my mind. The interplay between Anders Jacobsson's harsh vocals and Lisa Johansson's beautiful, clean voice adds such powerful contrast. It's skillfully done. Add to that the unbelievable power of the music--every song is almost too powerful, really. Incredibly dramatic music. These guys need to be doing music for movies.
I'm not kidding, I"m blown away. I'm in awe. Listen to the first track on Turning Season Within, "Seasons Apart." Moments of quiet, melodic beauty, mixed with incredible power and dramatically building music. This is the kind of thing I'm usually trying to do myself, with my own music.
They are currently touring with two other bands I love, Epica and Tristania. Gods. That would be an unforgettable show.
Oh. My. God.
I've never been a big proponent to harsh vocals (though I have played with them a little lately) but this band has helped to change my mind. The interplay between Anders Jacobsson's harsh vocals and Lisa Johansson's beautiful, clean voice adds such powerful contrast. It's skillfully done. Add to that the unbelievable power of the music--every song is almost too powerful, really. Incredibly dramatic music. These guys need to be doing music for movies.
I'm not kidding, I"m blown away. I'm in awe. Listen to the first track on Turning Season Within, "Seasons Apart." Moments of quiet, melodic beauty, mixed with incredible power and dramatically building music. This is the kind of thing I'm usually trying to do myself, with my own music.
They are currently touring with two other bands I love, Epica and Tristania. Gods. That would be an unforgettable show.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Aliens vs . . . Vikings?
I just saw Outlander today.
My brother highly recommended this one to me and it did sound interesting, so I got it from ITunes.
Basically it's a reworking of Beowulf, with the part of Grendel and Grendel's mom being played by alien monsters. And the hero is also an alien.
The basic plot is an alien crash-lands in a lake in Norway in 700 AD after a monster called a Moorwen kills everyone else on board his ship. Of course, the monster also survives the crash and sets up residence in the area, killing everything it can get ahold of. And the only person who can stop it is our hero.
Of course there's quite a bit more to it than that, but that's the starting point. It's set around 700 AD, a period of history I know almost nothing about, so I can't attest to the historical veracity.
To begin with, though, there are a couple of things about films like this that usually irritate the piss out of me, which weren't issues here--namely, the alien hero that looks, acts, hell, is, human, and also two civilizations that have never encountered each other before that speak the same language. Both of those are dealt with here. The solutions used aren't original--and really don't bear close scrutiny--but they only take a tiny bit of screen time and they satsify the grouchy old coot in me and let me watch the thing.
Overall I dug it. The monster was well done, interesting, and remained mysterious all the way to the end. There were a couple of moral questions I thought were going to be side-stepped, but they weren't, something else I appreciated. The acting was fine, the effects were very well done, and I watched it on my iPod, which means I got full benefit of the sound editing, too, via my ear-buds. Also, the resolution on the screen on that thing is amazing, which offsets the tiny size. To me. Plus, having John Hurt and Ron Perlman in the cast is an added bonus.
The only problem I had was about a third of the way through it sort of seems to forget what it's all about for a little while--there's a party scene that goes on way too long. Granted, it's important to the plot, but a few minutes could have been shaved from that. It was starting to get tedious. But then it picks up again.
Overall, though, I give it a B. Had to ding it a letter grade for that party scene. I still recommend it to you--it's a fun flick, well acted, and visually very interesting. Check it out!
My brother highly recommended this one to me and it did sound interesting, so I got it from ITunes.
Basically it's a reworking of Beowulf, with the part of Grendel and Grendel's mom being played by alien monsters. And the hero is also an alien.
The basic plot is an alien crash-lands in a lake in Norway in 700 AD after a monster called a Moorwen kills everyone else on board his ship. Of course, the monster also survives the crash and sets up residence in the area, killing everything it can get ahold of. And the only person who can stop it is our hero.
Of course there's quite a bit more to it than that, but that's the starting point. It's set around 700 AD, a period of history I know almost nothing about, so I can't attest to the historical veracity.
To begin with, though, there are a couple of things about films like this that usually irritate the piss out of me, which weren't issues here--namely, the alien hero that looks, acts, hell, is, human, and also two civilizations that have never encountered each other before that speak the same language. Both of those are dealt with here. The solutions used aren't original--and really don't bear close scrutiny--but they only take a tiny bit of screen time and they satsify the grouchy old coot in me and let me watch the thing.
Overall I dug it. The monster was well done, interesting, and remained mysterious all the way to the end. There were a couple of moral questions I thought were going to be side-stepped, but they weren't, something else I appreciated. The acting was fine, the effects were very well done, and I watched it on my iPod, which means I got full benefit of the sound editing, too, via my ear-buds. Also, the resolution on the screen on that thing is amazing, which offsets the tiny size. To me. Plus, having John Hurt and Ron Perlman in the cast is an added bonus.
The only problem I had was about a third of the way through it sort of seems to forget what it's all about for a little while--there's a party scene that goes on way too long. Granted, it's important to the plot, but a few minutes could have been shaved from that. It was starting to get tedious. But then it picks up again.
Overall, though, I give it a B. Had to ding it a letter grade for that party scene. I still recommend it to you--it's a fun flick, well acted, and visually very interesting. Check it out!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Poetry for the Poisoned
I dig Kamelot, I'll let you know right away.
And this one, which came out last July, does not disappoint. They continue to develop musically, thematically, lyrically . . . Lead singer Eric Khan is in fine voice, as you'd expect, but these guys flex their creative muscles.
The one is darker than their previous work. The guitar work is a bit more pronounced, and there are more solos than I normally expect from them. All of this is a Good Thing. Getting Epica's Simone Simons to contribute vocals on a couple of songs is also a Good Thing--she's no stranger to Kamelot's recording sessions but here she's especially wonderful. Check her out on "House on a Hill." Absolutely wonderful song.
There aren't that many albums--not even by these guys--that I usually listen to from beginning to end. This one is that good, though. There aren't any songs I want to skip over. Check it out. It's quite wonderful.
I give this one an A+. And I do not hand those out lightly.
And this one, which came out last July, does not disappoint. They continue to develop musically, thematically, lyrically . . . Lead singer Eric Khan is in fine voice, as you'd expect, but these guys flex their creative muscles.
The one is darker than their previous work. The guitar work is a bit more pronounced, and there are more solos than I normally expect from them. All of this is a Good Thing. Getting Epica's Simone Simons to contribute vocals on a couple of songs is also a Good Thing--she's no stranger to Kamelot's recording sessions but here she's especially wonderful. Check her out on "House on a Hill." Absolutely wonderful song.
There aren't that many albums--not even by these guys--that I usually listen to from beginning to end. This one is that good, though. There aren't any songs I want to skip over. Check it out. It's quite wonderful.
I give this one an A+. And I do not hand those out lightly.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tristania - Rubicon
About a year ago I discovered Stavanger, Norway's Tristania. Out of curiosity I bought their (then) latest album, Illumination.
That album blew my mind and I soon had most of their back-catalog, too. Complex, layered music with haunting male and female vocals--theirs was the perfect sound. If I had the resources my stuff would sound a lot like that.
So, it was some trepidation that I waited this new one, Rubicon. Trepidation because the main reasons I love Tristania so much--the vocalists--were both gone. Would the new people be able to fill those enormous shoes?
I'd say, from listening to this one, that'd be a 'yes'. While the new vocalists don't have the same vocal style as the previous singers they are outstanding in their own right, and I feel like they will do fine when performing some of this band's classics live. Good news, because it would be a terrible thing to see Tristania live and not hear "Shadowman," or "The Ravens." (There is a video of the new lineup performing "Shadowman" and they do it quite well, so no worries on that score.) The new stuff takes Tristania's sound into a new direction without forsaking their roots--lots of stuff their long-time fans will dig here, and plenty to attract new ones.
Pete Johanson returns as a guest musician on a couple of tracks with his other-worldly violin solos. His work on "Amnesia" is particularly wonderful. He plays the violin the way a top-notch shredder plays guitar--musical but strange, haunting, surprising, evocative of another world. Much like Tristiania's music as a whole.
I give it a solid A. Which means you'll love it. Check out their other stuff, too, if you haven't already. Soon you'll have it all. You won't be able to help yourself.
That album blew my mind and I soon had most of their back-catalog, too. Complex, layered music with haunting male and female vocals--theirs was the perfect sound. If I had the resources my stuff would sound a lot like that.
So, it was some trepidation that I waited this new one, Rubicon. Trepidation because the main reasons I love Tristania so much--the vocalists--were both gone. Would the new people be able to fill those enormous shoes?
I'd say, from listening to this one, that'd be a 'yes'. While the new vocalists don't have the same vocal style as the previous singers they are outstanding in their own right, and I feel like they will do fine when performing some of this band's classics live. Good news, because it would be a terrible thing to see Tristania live and not hear "Shadowman," or "The Ravens." (There is a video of the new lineup performing "Shadowman" and they do it quite well, so no worries on that score.) The new stuff takes Tristania's sound into a new direction without forsaking their roots--lots of stuff their long-time fans will dig here, and plenty to attract new ones.
Pete Johanson returns as a guest musician on a couple of tracks with his other-worldly violin solos. His work on "Amnesia" is particularly wonderful. He plays the violin the way a top-notch shredder plays guitar--musical but strange, haunting, surprising, evocative of another world. Much like Tristiania's music as a whole.
I give it a solid A. Which means you'll love it. Check out their other stuff, too, if you haven't already. Soon you'll have it all. You won't be able to help yourself.
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