http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZNxbFVs0c4
Thanks for watching :)
The Hawthorne Passage - Agalloch Guitar Cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZNxbFVs0c4
Thanks for watching :)
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta music. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta music. Mostrar todas las entradas
sábado, 31 de mayo de 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZNxbFVs0c4
Thanks for watching :)
sábado, 26 de enero de 2013
Soen - Cognitive (Review) A Hard Album to Talk About.
Ok, this is a great album but a hard one to talk about and you already know the reasons why.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="346"]
Everyday without the sun[/caption]
I think that the problem lies in people who are always looking for something new, something that they haven't heard before or something that doesn't remind them of anything. And that's completely ok, I even share some of their thoughts honestly. The reason for this is that it's not only about the music, but about the identity and style of the music also. The identity and the style of the music are equally as important. Why? Because if a band doesn't create their own identity or style and they borrow it heavily from other bands, a lot of people are not going to appreciate their music for what it is because they are going to be too busy comparing it with those other bands. And I think that's exactly what's happening to Soen.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="562"]
Does your singer has to be bald to?[/caption]
But in all honesty, Cognitive is a great album and it has a lot to show for. It's not an original album by any means but it does an amazing job at capturing key elements of the bands that influenced them, combining those key elements in a perfect harmonic and balanced way. Believe me, that is not as easy as it looks. Sadly, a lot of people are not going to be able to realize this because of the reasons that I already described, but thinking about it, I cannot really blame them either.
With all that said, Cognitive is a perfectly balanced album, entertaining and a living proof of what the genre of progressive metal is capable of doing, combining key elements of their most important bands nowadays. It's not an album that is going to change your life, unless you have never been exposed to this kind of music before. If you haven't, this album is going to be the magic door that will introduce you to the iconic bands that influenced them and to the genre itself.
In this sense, I like to compare Cognitive with Flying Colors. They are not the greatest and most original ground breaking albums in existence but both of them are a great way to introduce yourself to the genre. Flying Colors with Progressive Rock and Cognitive with Progressive Metal. If you don't care that much about styles or identities you will also enjoy this album a lot and for those who do; It's completely OK to dislike this album but you cannot say that it's a bad album, it's not original, it doesn't create anything new, but is not bad music in any way. I care a lot about the style and the identity of the music, but I was still able to appreciate the elements that they were able to compose in a lot of the songs.
Drums, Bass and Guitar were perfect. Vocals pretty well but I felt like they needed something else to create a different and more original identity. The exact same goes for the artwork and music videos.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="515"]
Not the most convenient art direction to take, just saying.[/caption]
The themes that the album explore are also interesting to analyze, they mainly revolve around the conflicts of reaching cognitive freedom and the struggles to protect it.
These are the most influential songs, in my opinion.
I specially love the ending, reminiscing of April Ethereal.
If you liked them, and if you keep an open mind, you will definitively like the album and draw your own conclusions.
Thanks for reading :)
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="346"]
Everyday without the sun[/caption]I think that the problem lies in people who are always looking for something new, something that they haven't heard before or something that doesn't remind them of anything. And that's completely ok, I even share some of their thoughts honestly. The reason for this is that it's not only about the music, but about the identity and style of the music also. The identity and the style of the music are equally as important. Why? Because if a band doesn't create their own identity or style and they borrow it heavily from other bands, a lot of people are not going to appreciate their music for what it is because they are going to be too busy comparing it with those other bands. And I think that's exactly what's happening to Soen.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="562"]
Does your singer has to be bald to?[/caption]But in all honesty, Cognitive is a great album and it has a lot to show for. It's not an original album by any means but it does an amazing job at capturing key elements of the bands that influenced them, combining those key elements in a perfect harmonic and balanced way. Believe me, that is not as easy as it looks. Sadly, a lot of people are not going to be able to realize this because of the reasons that I already described, but thinking about it, I cannot really blame them either.
With all that said, Cognitive is a perfectly balanced album, entertaining and a living proof of what the genre of progressive metal is capable of doing, combining key elements of their most important bands nowadays. It's not an album that is going to change your life, unless you have never been exposed to this kind of music before. If you haven't, this album is going to be the magic door that will introduce you to the iconic bands that influenced them and to the genre itself.
In this sense, I like to compare Cognitive with Flying Colors. They are not the greatest and most original ground breaking albums in existence but both of them are a great way to introduce yourself to the genre. Flying Colors with Progressive Rock and Cognitive with Progressive Metal. If you don't care that much about styles or identities you will also enjoy this album a lot and for those who do; It's completely OK to dislike this album but you cannot say that it's a bad album, it's not original, it doesn't create anything new, but is not bad music in any way. I care a lot about the style and the identity of the music, but I was still able to appreciate the elements that they were able to compose in a lot of the songs.
Drums, Bass and Guitar were perfect. Vocals pretty well but I felt like they needed something else to create a different and more original identity. The exact same goes for the artwork and music videos.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="515"]
Not the most convenient art direction to take, just saying.[/caption]The themes that the album explore are also interesting to analyze, they mainly revolve around the conflicts of reaching cognitive freedom and the struggles to protect it.
These are the most influential songs, in my opinion.
I specially love the ending, reminiscing of April Ethereal.
If you liked them, and if you keep an open mind, you will definitively like the album and draw your own conclusions.
Thanks for reading :)
viernes, 24 de agosto de 2012
Dream Theater: Underrated? Overrated? Mainstream? The Most Important Prog Band Now?
I guess that I have a complicated history with Dream Theater. They were definitely my favourite band through a long period of time. To be honest; DT was the band that changed everything for me: the way that I listen to music, they way that I perceive music and I know that this may sound as a complete exaggeration but they were the ones who introduced me to the whole genres of Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Avant-Garde and that's where everything began for me.
I remember, almost 5 years ago when I listened to them for the first time in the"Live At Budokan" DVD, I was completely blown away by this band. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but most importantly, I couldn't believe what I was listening: pure musical virtuosity, complex song structures, impossible solos, a complete new musical genre for me, that I instantly fell in love with combined with my two long favourite genres of my youth: Rock and Metal.
Dream Theater was like no band that I have heard before, they were completely different in every sense of the word. The first time that I listened to them, all the other bands look like amateurs, lacking all sense of musical skills with no other choice but to adopt a simplistic approach to music that I mocked of. Dream Theater were the greatest musicians in the world and period. And I know that's the exact attitude of a lot of youngster that have recently found this band or a lot of hardcore Dream Theater fans who only listen to them have. And yes I know, at first sight Dream Theater could seem as the greatest band out there, they are truly an amazing band, but they're not the greatest band ever (such thing doesn't exist) and another thing: they are not the only band in this genre. At first, is really easy to assume that Dream Theater is the only Progressive Metal band out there just by the simple fact that they are the most popular prog band out there and also, they have one of the most "in your face" styles of composition in Prog Metal music.
But no, there are a ton of Progressive Metal bands out there with different styles that you definitively should know about.(Pain of Salvation, Tool, Animals As Leaders, Cynic, Death is his later years, Fates Warning...) What I'm trying to say is that DT is not the only Progressive Metal band out there, you shouldn't lock yourself up and only listen to them. If you like the genre you should explore the whole genre.
The other interesting thing of DT in this modern age is the apparent course that they have spell into a lot of modern progressive metal bands of these days. I can see that a lot of recent prog metal bands want to create their own sound but; being heavily inspire by the genre itself (the genre that DT apparently conquer) they end up sounding like them. That's something interesting and I guess it most be hard to compose without being influence by the bigger and most popular band of the genre.
In my personal experience, when I listened to Dream Theater the first time, I completely fell in love with them and I kinda had the same attitude that I already describe before, but that attitude fade away quickly for me. And that's when the greatest thing that DT could have done for me happened. I began to investigate about this weird new genre that I have encounter: "Prog" and I quickly trail it back to its true origins: the Progressive Rock of the 70's and that's where it all began. Thanks to Dream Theater I discovered Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Rush, Yes, Camel, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator and my favourite of them all Genesis (of the Peter Gabriel Era of course!). Thanks to Dream Theater I discovered 70's Prog Rock then I moved on to Avant-Garde and this was important because Avant-Garde music made me more open-minded about music in whatever genre, then Jazz, then Classical, then Metal once again, then RIO, then Death Metal then Indie music until the stage that I'm right now in which I basically listen to everything Prog related, everything that sounds weird and interesting, 70's and 80's Pop, Indie rock, Death Metal and pretty much everything except modern mainstream music xD.
And I have Dream Theater to thank for that because they basically opened the doors for me. And I completely love them for doing that and I know that I'm not the only one, it's very probable that if you're a reading this to; you had a similar story with this band. A lot of people love them, a lot of people hate them, some people call their music epic virtuosity combined with everything that the world of music has to offer and other people call their music just a bunch of gymnastic compositions lacking true feelings, creativity or meaning.
Some people think that the old DT was the greatest one, other people thing that the new one is the greatest stage that they ever had. But despite whatever other people may think of them, for me, they are the most important prog band right now and the greatest achievement that they did and that they're still doing to this day is inspiring people and introducing them to this genre and that's something truly amazing and is also something that only they could do. Dream Theater is a relative "unknown" band if you want to compare them with the most mainstream bands out there. But without a doubt they are still the most mainstream prog metal band out there, at least they're mainstream enough to pop out in an MTV music video and catch the eye of a future fan. And believe me, just a few couple of Prog Metal bands can do this.
But after all of that, after all this prog journey, no, after all this musical journey that I had and that I'm still too far to complete, I look back once again at Dream Theater and now I realize that I look at them with different eyes and I listen to them with different, truly different ears. I listen to everyone of their albums once again in chronological order to answer these questions: Are they truly that amazing and unique demi-God band that surpasses the way that a lot of other bands create music? Is their music just a bunch of gymnastic compositions with lack of true feeling and meaning? Have they already done the greatest album that they could? Are they overrated? underrated? I will try to answer all of these question in this following series of album reviews that I'm going to do in the course of these weeks, I'm going to review every DT album with a completely new perspective and I'm going to be completely impartial about this giving my honest opinion of course.
So follow me (if you like) in this series of reviews that I'm going to do to rediscover a band that 5 years ago I looked at them like Gods but now I' not really sure how I look at them in a musical sense.
Thanks for reading :).
I remember, almost 5 years ago when I listened to them for the first time in the"Live At Budokan" DVD, I was completely blown away by this band. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but most importantly, I couldn't believe what I was listening: pure musical virtuosity, complex song structures, impossible solos, a complete new musical genre for me, that I instantly fell in love with combined with my two long favourite genres of my youth: Rock and Metal.
Dream Theater was like no band that I have heard before, they were completely different in every sense of the word. The first time that I listened to them, all the other bands look like amateurs, lacking all sense of musical skills with no other choice but to adopt a simplistic approach to music that I mocked of. Dream Theater were the greatest musicians in the world and period. And I know that's the exact attitude of a lot of youngster that have recently found this band or a lot of hardcore Dream Theater fans who only listen to them have. And yes I know, at first sight Dream Theater could seem as the greatest band out there, they are truly an amazing band, but they're not the greatest band ever (such thing doesn't exist) and another thing: they are not the only band in this genre. At first, is really easy to assume that Dream Theater is the only Progressive Metal band out there just by the simple fact that they are the most popular prog band out there and also, they have one of the most "in your face" styles of composition in Prog Metal music.
But no, there are a ton of Progressive Metal bands out there with different styles that you definitively should know about.(Pain of Salvation, Tool, Animals As Leaders, Cynic, Death is his later years, Fates Warning...) What I'm trying to say is that DT is not the only Progressive Metal band out there, you shouldn't lock yourself up and only listen to them. If you like the genre you should explore the whole genre.
The other interesting thing of DT in this modern age is the apparent course that they have spell into a lot of modern progressive metal bands of these days. I can see that a lot of recent prog metal bands want to create their own sound but; being heavily inspire by the genre itself (the genre that DT apparently conquer) they end up sounding like them. That's something interesting and I guess it most be hard to compose without being influence by the bigger and most popular band of the genre.
In my personal experience, when I listened to Dream Theater the first time, I completely fell in love with them and I kinda had the same attitude that I already describe before, but that attitude fade away quickly for me. And that's when the greatest thing that DT could have done for me happened. I began to investigate about this weird new genre that I have encounter: "Prog" and I quickly trail it back to its true origins: the Progressive Rock of the 70's and that's where it all began. Thanks to Dream Theater I discovered Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Rush, Yes, Camel, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator and my favourite of them all Genesis (of the Peter Gabriel Era of course!). Thanks to Dream Theater I discovered 70's Prog Rock then I moved on to Avant-Garde and this was important because Avant-Garde music made me more open-minded about music in whatever genre, then Jazz, then Classical, then Metal once again, then RIO, then Death Metal then Indie music until the stage that I'm right now in which I basically listen to everything Prog related, everything that sounds weird and interesting, 70's and 80's Pop, Indie rock, Death Metal and pretty much everything except modern mainstream music xD.
And I have Dream Theater to thank for that because they basically opened the doors for me. And I completely love them for doing that and I know that I'm not the only one, it's very probable that if you're a reading this to; you had a similar story with this band. A lot of people love them, a lot of people hate them, some people call their music epic virtuosity combined with everything that the world of music has to offer and other people call their music just a bunch of gymnastic compositions lacking true feelings, creativity or meaning.
Some people think that the old DT was the greatest one, other people thing that the new one is the greatest stage that they ever had. But despite whatever other people may think of them, for me, they are the most important prog band right now and the greatest achievement that they did and that they're still doing to this day is inspiring people and introducing them to this genre and that's something truly amazing and is also something that only they could do. Dream Theater is a relative "unknown" band if you want to compare them with the most mainstream bands out there. But without a doubt they are still the most mainstream prog metal band out there, at least they're mainstream enough to pop out in an MTV music video and catch the eye of a future fan. And believe me, just a few couple of Prog Metal bands can do this.
But after all of that, after all this prog journey, no, after all this musical journey that I had and that I'm still too far to complete, I look back once again at Dream Theater and now I realize that I look at them with different eyes and I listen to them with different, truly different ears. I listen to everyone of their albums once again in chronological order to answer these questions: Are they truly that amazing and unique demi-God band that surpasses the way that a lot of other bands create music? Is their music just a bunch of gymnastic compositions with lack of true feeling and meaning? Have they already done the greatest album that they could? Are they overrated? underrated? I will try to answer all of these question in this following series of album reviews that I'm going to do in the course of these weeks, I'm going to review every DT album with a completely new perspective and I'm going to be completely impartial about this giving my honest opinion of course.
So follow me (if you like) in this series of reviews that I'm going to do to rediscover a band that 5 years ago I looked at them like Gods but now I' not really sure how I look at them in a musical sense.
Thanks for reading :).
jueves, 2 de agosto de 2012
Beardfish - Prog Rock of Our Time: Från En Plats Du Ej Kan Se
Beardfish is definitively one of my favorite modern progressive rock bands right now, they resemble everything that I love from the original 70's prog bands, Frank Zappa and modern hard folk rock. They are one of my favorite bands nowadays because without a doubt; Beardfish is one of the most solid and productive bands out there. In a lifespan of only 10 years they have released 6 albums and their 7th album is coming out this month. Many people called them the "Scandinavian Spock's Bread", jeje, this comment is a little ironic for me since I don't like Spock's Bread, their style is heavenly inspired by 70's prog rock and a lot of people may think that they don't have a lot of new things to offer, but they're wrong.
What I love about Beardfish is not particularly their music style or their musical skills but more like the musical atmosphere that they manage to create in their music: that melancholic, folkish, eclectic, odd nocturne atmosphere they manage to create is the soul of their music and that's what I love the most about them.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="425"]
Rikard Sjöblom, David Zackrisson, Magnus Östgren, Robert Hansen[/caption]
Beardfish was formed in Sweden in the summer of 2001 as a small garage prog band, it was two years later in 2003 that they established themselves as a true band releasing their debut album: Fran En Plats Du Ej Kan Se.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320"]
From A Place You Can't See[/caption]
1. Från En Plats Du Ej Kan Se (7:55)
2. Today (6:42)
3. Spegeldans (8:04)
4. Brother (2:54)
5. Poison Ivy And The Full Monty (6:28)
6. A Good Excuse (5:01)
7. Om En Utväg Fanns (6:48)
8. A Psychic Amplifier (15:01)
Beardfish is an ascending band, which means that every album that they release just gets better and better, their first release is a really solid debut album and it doesn't look like the first album of a band at all.
Is really well produced, and you can see that they had their atmospheric style already define, the music is solid and consistent through out almost all the album, however there are several low points.
The album starts with the dramatic, heavy and melancholic title track, a perfect opening for the album and for the career of this band.
Today is also an amazing song, a little bit more rock-oriented and melodic than the last one.
Spegeldans (The Dance of the mirrors) by far is one of the highlights of the album, it's the first major progressive rock song from the album and it has all the music and atmospheric prog changes of that you love so much, despite been a great song altogether.
Brother and Poison Ivy and The Full Monty which are basically just one song. The first part is probably the most melancholic song of the entire album but it has an amazing intro bass line showing that Robert Hansen is probably one of the underrated bassist out there. The second part is symphonic rock at its finest and will remind you of Jethro Tull and early Genesis and then it turns into a funk jazzy zappa song ending with the amazing bass line that I already described.
A Good Excuse is a good song but I consider it the lowest part of the album, mainly because of the main riff of the song, they use it a lot and I just don't like that riff, but overall is a good funk prog song.
Om En Utväg Fanns you can call this a melancholic folk punk song with an amazing acoustic intro.
A Psychic Amplifier is obviously the highest point and climax of the album, all that you would expect from a true prog band is just right there, musical virtuosity, changing odd compositions, amazing signing and the characteristic Beardfish style all over the place.
Overall and amazing debut and a solid album but there's more yet to come.
What I love about Beardfish is not particularly their music style or their musical skills but more like the musical atmosphere that they manage to create in their music: that melancholic, folkish, eclectic, odd nocturne atmosphere they manage to create is the soul of their music and that's what I love the most about them.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="425"]
Rikard Sjöblom, David Zackrisson, Magnus Östgren, Robert Hansen[/caption]Beardfish was formed in Sweden in the summer of 2001 as a small garage prog band, it was two years later in 2003 that they established themselves as a true band releasing their debut album: Fran En Plats Du Ej Kan Se.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="320"]
From A Place You Can't See[/caption]1. Från En Plats Du Ej Kan Se (7:55)
2. Today (6:42)
3. Spegeldans (8:04)
4. Brother (2:54)
5. Poison Ivy And The Full Monty (6:28)
6. A Good Excuse (5:01)
7. Om En Utväg Fanns (6:48)
8. A Psychic Amplifier (15:01)
Beardfish is an ascending band, which means that every album that they release just gets better and better, their first release is a really solid debut album and it doesn't look like the first album of a band at all.
Is really well produced, and you can see that they had their atmospheric style already define, the music is solid and consistent through out almost all the album, however there are several low points.
The album starts with the dramatic, heavy and melancholic title track, a perfect opening for the album and for the career of this band.
Today is also an amazing song, a little bit more rock-oriented and melodic than the last one.
Spegeldans (The Dance of the mirrors) by far is one of the highlights of the album, it's the first major progressive rock song from the album and it has all the music and atmospheric prog changes of that you love so much, despite been a great song altogether.
Brother and Poison Ivy and The Full Monty which are basically just one song. The first part is probably the most melancholic song of the entire album but it has an amazing intro bass line showing that Robert Hansen is probably one of the underrated bassist out there. The second part is symphonic rock at its finest and will remind you of Jethro Tull and early Genesis and then it turns into a funk jazzy zappa song ending with the amazing bass line that I already described.
A Good Excuse is a good song but I consider it the lowest part of the album, mainly because of the main riff of the song, they use it a lot and I just don't like that riff, but overall is a good funk prog song.
Om En Utväg Fanns you can call this a melancholic folk punk song with an amazing acoustic intro.
A Psychic Amplifier is obviously the highest point and climax of the album, all that you would expect from a true prog band is just right there, musical virtuosity, changing odd compositions, amazing signing and the characteristic Beardfish style all over the place.
Overall and amazing debut and a solid album but there's more yet to come.
martes, 3 de abril de 2012
Arch/Matheos - Sympatethic Resonance Review
I must admit that I completely underestimated this album, and that is coming from a Fates Warning fan. I don't know what was I thinking: I wanted it to be good, but something in my subconscious told me that it was going to be bad or not that good. Especially since Jim Matheos hasn't been part of a big project for a long LONG time, except for OSI that I don't like very much. The last album with Fates Warning was in 2004 and Twist of Fate with John Arch was in 2003. The same with John Arch, no, John Arch was in worse conditions, he hasn't made an album since his Fates Warning years in 1986 and an EP in 2003. I was exited by the idea of the album but skeptical at the same time.
Man that I was so SO wrong
[caption id="attachment_190" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Shelter me my asylum, SHELTEEEER MEE[/caption]
Sympathetic Resonance is easily the most balanced Progressive Metal album that I've heard in years. This is Progressive Metal at it's purest state. All the pieces fit together incredibly. The solos, the harmonies, the vocals, the lyrics, the drums, everything fits perfectly and it feels natural, they're not trying to be pretentious, they're not desperately trying to do new things. They just stick with their true genre and did what they do best. This album made me remember why I used to call Jim Matheos the Father of Progressive Metal.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="220"]
That's right, The FATHER of Progressive Metal[/caption]
He truly is, and now I can say it without any doubt. I said that this album is Progressive Metal at it's purest state because if you listen to it, is Heavy Metal with Progressive arrangements and structures, that was what Progressive Metal was all about in the beginning. No synthesizer, No overlong keyboards solos, No woaaa woaaaa (cauf cauf Rudess cauf), No symphonic theatrical sounds. Just two amazing guitarist, one of the greatest bass players ever, a bad ass drummer, and an incredible singer who's voice is still in perfect shape after all this years.
I was completely amazed of Arch voice, it has change, but now is way more unique , it still has that Bruce Dickinson feel but more high and operatic than ever.
This is the song that made me fall in love with Arch's voice, amazing song
His style is still intact and his voice has change for the better
I said that this album is balanced because all the songs are perfect, there are no bad, slow or transitional songs, all of them are solid, bad ass, with unique and original riffs and solos, great lyrics and if you were a fan of Progressive Metal in the mid 80's it'll definitely throw you back.
I completely love this album, I think that possibly is going to become one of my favorite albums of all time. This project was amazing and I'm so exited of what they're going to do next. I heard that a new Fates Warning album is going to be release this year :D and after this I just can't wait.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"]
7 years guys, 7 years[/caption]
I don't know of this is going to become a Black Sabbath / Heaven or Hell thing. When they are with Alder is going to be Fates Warning and when they are with Arch is going to be Arch/Matheos? Jejejeje I really don't know.
Too bad that Mark Zonder is not in any of these projects :(
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"]
Where are you hiding Mark ?[/caption]
Bottom line, the album is absolutely amazing and you must check it out, fresh Progressive Metal at it's finest.
[caption id="attachment_191" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
And another thing, if you absolutely hated this album, you just don't like Progressive Metal, I'm sorry but is as simple as that.[/caption]
Here are two amazing songs of the album:
On The Fence
Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)
Thanks for reading.
Man that I was so SO wrong
[caption id="attachment_190" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Shelter me my asylum, SHELTEEEER MEE[/caption]Sympathetic Resonance is easily the most balanced Progressive Metal album that I've heard in years. This is Progressive Metal at it's purest state. All the pieces fit together incredibly. The solos, the harmonies, the vocals, the lyrics, the drums, everything fits perfectly and it feels natural, they're not trying to be pretentious, they're not desperately trying to do new things. They just stick with their true genre and did what they do best. This album made me remember why I used to call Jim Matheos the Father of Progressive Metal.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="220"]
That's right, The FATHER of Progressive Metal[/caption]He truly is, and now I can say it without any doubt. I said that this album is Progressive Metal at it's purest state because if you listen to it, is Heavy Metal with Progressive arrangements and structures, that was what Progressive Metal was all about in the beginning. No synthesizer, No overlong keyboards solos, No woaaa woaaaa (cauf cauf Rudess cauf), No symphonic theatrical sounds. Just two amazing guitarist, one of the greatest bass players ever, a bad ass drummer, and an incredible singer who's voice is still in perfect shape after all this years.
I was completely amazed of Arch voice, it has change, but now is way more unique , it still has that Bruce Dickinson feel but more high and operatic than ever.
This is the song that made me fall in love with Arch's voice, amazing song
His style is still intact and his voice has change for the better
I said that this album is balanced because all the songs are perfect, there are no bad, slow or transitional songs, all of them are solid, bad ass, with unique and original riffs and solos, great lyrics and if you were a fan of Progressive Metal in the mid 80's it'll definitely throw you back.
I completely love this album, I think that possibly is going to become one of my favorite albums of all time. This project was amazing and I'm so exited of what they're going to do next. I heard that a new Fates Warning album is going to be release this year :D and after this I just can't wait.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"]
7 years guys, 7 years[/caption]I don't know of this is going to become a Black Sabbath / Heaven or Hell thing. When they are with Alder is going to be Fates Warning and when they are with Arch is going to be Arch/Matheos? Jejejeje I really don't know.
Too bad that Mark Zonder is not in any of these projects :(
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"]
Where are you hiding Mark ?[/caption]Bottom line, the album is absolutely amazing and you must check it out, fresh Progressive Metal at it's finest.
[caption id="attachment_191" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
And another thing, if you absolutely hated this album, you just don't like Progressive Metal, I'm sorry but is as simple as that.[/caption]Here are two amazing songs of the album:
On The Fence
Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)
Thanks for reading.
sábado, 19 de febrero de 2011
The Best Progressive Rock Album of the Decade
In this post I'm reviewing an album that I seriously consider to be the greatest progressive rock album of this past decade (2000 - 2009), I don't claim to know every single prog rock album released in this past 10 years, but I have listen to many and I think this the one.
Progressive Rock emerge in the end of the 60's and beginnings and first half of the 70's, since then Prog went pretty much underground and that's how we like it. Over the years, since its "Fall" Prog Rock has been adapted to a lot of other genres, such as Jazz, Fusion, Experimental and especially Metal. I consider Progressive Metal to be the greatest gateway to future generations to get in to Progressive Rock.
I love Progressive Rock, because is such an adaptable style of music, you can mix it everything Symphonic Music, Jazz, Techno, Metal (every subgenre of it), Pop, Experimental, Canterbury, Avant RIO, Latin Music, EVERYTHING. Is such and adaptable and experimental style. And makes it more powerful because the more it grows the more genres it has and the more experimental it gets. It just absorbs and grows and grows and grows, its crazy and beautiful.
In this last decade Prog Rock really emerge once again since its hiatus in the 80's (well Neo-Prog took its place, but Neo-Porg just wasn't the same). Progressive Metal emerged in the 90's with such bands as Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Queensryche, Pain Of Salvation and more. And I think that helped Prog Rock to emerge once again in the 2000's.
Now lets talk about this New Wave of Progressive Rock (2000's and forward) what I like the most of the new bands is that they all know and respect the classic 70's feel of Prog Rock and convine it with their own style or other styles making their music and the genre evolve at the same time.
The main bands of the NWOPR (yea that's right NWOPR!!!!) would be Phideux, Beardfish, Spock's Bread, The Mars Volta, Pendragon and Ayreon. But ironically this album that I gonna present to you is not from any of those bands. This is what I consider to be the greatest prog album of the last decade.
Birds and Buildings - Bantham To Behemoth (2008)
Whaaaaaaaaaaa... who the hell are these guys? Birds and Building are a pretty unknown band from Washington and in 2008 they release their debut album name Bantam to Behemoth which, the best way to describe it is... A Progressive Jazz Metal Fusion Symphonic Masterpiece, yea these guys are pretty big. And this album is even bigger.
I consider this the best modern prog rock album, because it combines so many genres so well, it shifts between Skillfully Jazz to Kick ass Metal to Progressive streaming passages to sentimental symphonic moments and to odd imaginative scenarios, everything I could ask for, and its also conceptual, well at least musically, lyrically aaaaaa I'm not sure.
Now a brief description of the Album tracks
1.- Birds Flying Into Buildings (9:12)
This is a fast pace, balls to the wall symphony, when I listened to this song for the first time I couldn't believe how well Jazz and Metal could go together. The Sax in this song is on fire, really is brutal, is even more brutal than the guitar, and the keyboards are skillfully perfect, an excellent introduction to this masterpiece.
2.- Terra Fire (3:33)
It stars like a calm reflexive ballad and turns in to a Hard Rock Progressive rush, it would have been an excellent single.
3.- Tunguska (6:33)
This one, as the last one stars really calm, some keyboards patters repeat from the first song, after that it turns in to a well structure progressive allegory with a lot of King Crimson influences.
4.- Caution Congregates and Forms a Storm (10:51)
Ok these three next songs, are just the greatest composed paces of music that I have heard in this lasts years, these three are definitely the highlight of the album.
Caution Congregates... stars as this beautiful melancholic symphony that stars to cheer up in a more reflexive note and suddenly jumps into this Eclectic Prog scenario but without leaving the symphonic fell behind, the songs stars to get a little bit darker and darker in to transforming in to this Progressive Jazz Metal passage, culminating in a redeeming guitar solo and piano passage. After that, a really nice acoustic moment and the song ends with a really reflexive passage created by the Bass, Piano, Flute and Synthesizer.
5.- Chronicle of The Invisible River of Stone (9:17)
Following up, almost starting with the same notes, begins Chronicle... it quickly creates a peaceful and mysterious atmosphere followed up by a beautiful female singing, after that, a brief Eclectic jump and the singing returns. And when the singing is over, then reflexion materialized into music, that's it, there's not other way I could describe it.
6.- Yucatan 65: The Agitation of The Mass (10:38)
Yucatan stars with this awesome acoustic introduction jumping to a dark arabic movement very well written jumping into acoustic, eclectic and symphonic it's just beautiful, all the pieces fit perfectly, the feelings to: Reflexive into Anger into happiness into more Reflexion. The song, then constructs this wonderful unison between the guitar and the keyboards culminating in an awesome kick ass riff accompanied with a keyboard solo.
7.- Chakra Khan (5:57)
Very aggressive and dark, an angry metal eclectic jazzy adrenaline party.
8.- Batallion (9:57)
You can call it the climax of the album, stars with a really fast paced bizarre singing, jumps quickly in a Jazz movement with a lot of parts from the first song and chronicles. The quick singing returns and then everything culminates in this large passage jumping in to eclectic, melancholic, symphonic, heavy metal, orchestral, reflexive, progressive, everything just goes crazy.
9.- Sunken City, Sunny Day (3:23)
A calm atmospheric acoustic epilogue for this album.
If you wanna know more about them here, you should really check them out:
MySpace
ProgArchives
So, please check this album and comment what was your favourite prog album of this past decade.
This is the opening track of the album
well that's all, see ya.
Progressive Rock emerge in the end of the 60's and beginnings and first half of the 70's, since then Prog went pretty much underground and that's how we like it. Over the years, since its "Fall" Prog Rock has been adapted to a lot of other genres, such as Jazz, Fusion, Experimental and especially Metal. I consider Progressive Metal to be the greatest gateway to future generations to get in to Progressive Rock.
I love Progressive Rock, because is such an adaptable style of music, you can mix it everything Symphonic Music, Jazz, Techno, Metal (every subgenre of it), Pop, Experimental, Canterbury, Avant RIO, Latin Music, EVERYTHING. Is such and adaptable and experimental style. And makes it more powerful because the more it grows the more genres it has and the more experimental it gets. It just absorbs and grows and grows and grows, its crazy and beautiful.
In this last decade Prog Rock really emerge once again since its hiatus in the 80's (well Neo-Prog took its place, but Neo-Porg just wasn't the same). Progressive Metal emerged in the 90's with such bands as Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Queensryche, Pain Of Salvation and more. And I think that helped Prog Rock to emerge once again in the 2000's.
Now lets talk about this New Wave of Progressive Rock (2000's and forward) what I like the most of the new bands is that they all know and respect the classic 70's feel of Prog Rock and convine it with their own style or other styles making their music and the genre evolve at the same time.
The main bands of the NWOPR (yea that's right NWOPR!!!!) would be Phideux, Beardfish, Spock's Bread, The Mars Volta, Pendragon and Ayreon. But ironically this album that I gonna present to you is not from any of those bands. This is what I consider to be the greatest prog album of the last decade.
Birds and Buildings - Bantham To Behemoth (2008)
Whaaaaaaaaaaa... who the hell are these guys? Birds and Building are a pretty unknown band from Washington and in 2008 they release their debut album name Bantam to Behemoth which, the best way to describe it is... A Progressive Jazz Metal Fusion Symphonic Masterpiece, yea these guys are pretty big. And this album is even bigger.
I consider this the best modern prog rock album, because it combines so many genres so well, it shifts between Skillfully Jazz to Kick ass Metal to Progressive streaming passages to sentimental symphonic moments and to odd imaginative scenarios, everything I could ask for, and its also conceptual, well at least musically, lyrically aaaaaa I'm not sure.
Now a brief description of the Album tracks
1.- Birds Flying Into Buildings (9:12)
This is a fast pace, balls to the wall symphony, when I listened to this song for the first time I couldn't believe how well Jazz and Metal could go together. The Sax in this song is on fire, really is brutal, is even more brutal than the guitar, and the keyboards are skillfully perfect, an excellent introduction to this masterpiece.
2.- Terra Fire (3:33)
It stars like a calm reflexive ballad and turns in to a Hard Rock Progressive rush, it would have been an excellent single.
3.- Tunguska (6:33)
This one, as the last one stars really calm, some keyboards patters repeat from the first song, after that it turns in to a well structure progressive allegory with a lot of King Crimson influences.
4.- Caution Congregates and Forms a Storm (10:51)
Ok these three next songs, are just the greatest composed paces of music that I have heard in this lasts years, these three are definitely the highlight of the album.
Caution Congregates... stars as this beautiful melancholic symphony that stars to cheer up in a more reflexive note and suddenly jumps into this Eclectic Prog scenario but without leaving the symphonic fell behind, the songs stars to get a little bit darker and darker in to transforming in to this Progressive Jazz Metal passage, culminating in a redeeming guitar solo and piano passage. After that, a really nice acoustic moment and the song ends with a really reflexive passage created by the Bass, Piano, Flute and Synthesizer.
5.- Chronicle of The Invisible River of Stone (9:17)
Following up, almost starting with the same notes, begins Chronicle... it quickly creates a peaceful and mysterious atmosphere followed up by a beautiful female singing, after that, a brief Eclectic jump and the singing returns. And when the singing is over, then reflexion materialized into music, that's it, there's not other way I could describe it.
6.- Yucatan 65: The Agitation of The Mass (10:38)
Yucatan stars with this awesome acoustic introduction jumping to a dark arabic movement very well written jumping into acoustic, eclectic and symphonic it's just beautiful, all the pieces fit perfectly, the feelings to: Reflexive into Anger into happiness into more Reflexion. The song, then constructs this wonderful unison between the guitar and the keyboards culminating in an awesome kick ass riff accompanied with a keyboard solo.
7.- Chakra Khan (5:57)
Very aggressive and dark, an angry metal eclectic jazzy adrenaline party.
8.- Batallion (9:57)
You can call it the climax of the album, stars with a really fast paced bizarre singing, jumps quickly in a Jazz movement with a lot of parts from the first song and chronicles. The quick singing returns and then everything culminates in this large passage jumping in to eclectic, melancholic, symphonic, heavy metal, orchestral, reflexive, progressive, everything just goes crazy.
9.- Sunken City, Sunny Day (3:23)
A calm atmospheric acoustic epilogue for this album.
If you wanna know more about them here, you should really check them out:
MySpace
ProgArchives
So, please check this album and comment what was your favourite prog album of this past decade.
This is the opening track of the album
well that's all, see ya.