tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76334640913369854082024-03-12T21:31:22.725-07:00MindfieldsAlbum reviews of Metal and other genres, various other music related things and whatever else.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-19978829565629636572015-02-09T08:58:00.000-08:002015-02-09T11:23:58.388-08:00The Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b>Released November 1990</b><br />
<b>Merciful Release/EastWest</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3zdcIfc9KdFD4StulxVkyn_ojJAqhjc_MiOtjn14XsObSuXq0yGgyguNlu2pZYYLjnh7RgzrbtzG3G82EyGpYIkGRQvuPtE_hHupAVnFQ51_8eqkmsdG90dzDHwQNjJQV6AN-KA01Eo/s1600/VT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3zdcIfc9KdFD4StulxVkyn_ojJAqhjc_MiOtjn14XsObSuXq0yGgyguNlu2pZYYLjnh7RgzrbtzG3G82EyGpYIkGRQvuPtE_hHupAVnFQ51_8eqkmsdG90dzDHwQNjJQV6AN-KA01Eo/s1600/VT.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Flowers on the razor wire..."</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span itemprop="description">Of all The Sisters of Mercy's releases, Vision Thing is probably the hardest to truly grasp. Andrew Eldritch
must surely have learnt his lesson when his witty, vitriolic attack on
American politics was taken by many as the kind of cock-rock guitar anthem record it was
supposed to be making fun of. The man's quote about "I don't believe in
freedom of interpretation" makes all the more sense in light of this
fact. It's WAY too easy to listen to this album and superficially pass
it off as hair metal or just another American sounding heavy rock album.
Dig deeper and you find some of the best and most powerful songwriting
from our man in the Ray-bans. <br /><br />The other main issue is of course,
the production. The story goes that, after labouring away intensely for
around 9 months, Eldritch reverted to earlier "monitor mixes" which
according to him, retained the "immediate feel" of the songs. This is
not entirely true. Being that monitor mixes are supposed to sound good
on studio monitors (which are supposed to be transparent sounding so as
to allow unbiased evaluation of a mix), the resulting final product
sounds a little bit...flat. It could have been rawer and still have more
impact. I have often wondered what the "finished" version of this album
would have sounded like, also. Of course, nobody will ever know. <br /><br />Oh, and for the first time since 1985,
The Sisters of Mercy are a proper band again. Enter the German
riffmeister Andreas Bruhn, Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Tony James on bass and
top hat, and flower power goths All About Eve's Tim Bricheno providing
additional swirly acoustic guitars. This meant that they were able to go
out on the road again at long last and fan recordings from the 90/91
"Tour Thing" offer some real highlights for collectors of Sisters bootlegs. They even did Wembley Arena two
nights in a row around this time, so clearly they were doing something
right. It was also during the tour cycle for this album that the ill fated Public Enemy co-headline American dates were planned and cancelled before they could get off the ground, due to promoter's reservations about large congregations of mixed race audiences in the same venue. It would have been a groundbreaking event in music history, had it been allowed to go ahead. <br /><br />So what about the songs? Lyrically, Andrew was never
sharper. This album is a treasure trove of weapons-grade lyrical incisions. The two musical highlights of the album, the wonderful
"Ribbons" (a detailed analysis of the theory of love being equatable to a
minefield) and "I Was Wrong" are probably the best lyrically as well.
Others such as "Doctor Jeep" and the title track are full to the brim
with clever and cutting rhymes of the kind Eldritch specializes in.
"Something Fast" and "When You Don't See Me" ("Rainbow In the Dark",
anyone?) offer some powerfully emotional musings on longing and control. "More" marks the
return of Mr. Steinman to the co-producer's chair for a bombastic slice
of power rock, complete with soul backing vocals, that doesn't quite
measure up to his previous collaborations with Eldritch, the epic "This
Corrosion" and even more epic "Dominion". Nonetheless it remains a live
favourite for many fans during concerts of the band's own equivalent of Dylan's "Never Ending Tour", with newer songs but no new studio output to promote, which has been going on in various forms since about 1996.<br /><br />Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a rubbish album. Far from it. Ultimately however,
"Vision Thing" falls slightly flat. It is probably the best example of Eldritch (arguably the most intelligent songwriter of his field) overreaching and overestimating his audience's ability to "get the joke". Those of us who have been deeply in love with The Sisters for years know full well the dichotomy of the dark and po-faced with the tongue in cheek. It's part of what makes their work so endearing and truly, all the more powerful at times. The riffing on Vision Thing is catchy, and sometimes
amusing, but its hardly the magic of "First and Last...". The basslines
are mostly so nondescript that they might as well not be there, don't
expect anything like "Possession" or "Lucretia" where the bass truly
drives the song. Doktor Avalanche sounds fine, just a little dry. Andrew's
vocals are mostly more of a snarl which does fit the music just fine, </span><span itemprop="description"><span itemprop="description">though he occasionally bursts into that famous baritone wail of his</span>.</span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description">So, for better or worse, this is the most recent work by which to judge The Sisters. Don't tell me you're still pretending there's going be another one (I personally gave up sometime around 2012, and I've only been into this band for about 8 years to date). Minus 1993's minor classic "Under The Gun" released to coincide with the "Overbombing" singles collection, it has now been almost 25 years since this last proper album. In a way I'm OK with that. I would rather the legacy of Eldritch rested on a mostly stellar body of work than him continually releasing albums that probably wouldn't be as good as the classic ones. As it stands, I think Vision Thing is a worthy final chapter. Recommend the remastered edition with bonus live tracks, including a
hair raising performance of "Ribbons" that sounds like the apocalypse of
the heart set to a dance beat.</span></div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-68697866204719078922014-10-12T15:26:00.000-07:002014-10-15T13:00:44.794-07:00Killing Joke - Brighter Than a Thousand Suns<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b>Released November, 1986</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b>E.G. Records </b></span></div>
<span itemprop="description"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="description"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfZH8-buoz8lTXrzSQXGJEcUK69KU0L77xethZxVcr5RkWRwRV3M_XnYvW6DxNbuW-99TGDm6G1OSJVUIO_qeC2ccf7OF7CBJCL-mV0qG8CKThQ4U22KaqpuF3xGrsy6PZKBaT6yyL9E/s1600/Killing_Joke_Brighter_Than_A_Thousand_Suns_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfZH8-buoz8lTXrzSQXGJEcUK69KU0L77xethZxVcr5RkWRwRV3M_XnYvW6DxNbuW-99TGDm6G1OSJVUIO_qeC2ccf7OF7CBJCL-mV0qG8CKThQ4U22KaqpuF3xGrsy6PZKBaT6yyL9E/s1600/Killing_Joke_Brighter_Than_A_Thousand_Suns_Cover.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"As pain and joy and sorrow mingle..."</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span itemprop="description">One of the “black sheep” of the Killing
Joke discography, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is in my eyes a vastly
underrated and hugely powerful work. A true modern classic, if there is
such a thing (a bit pretentious I know, but bear with me). It came out
bang in the middle of the band’s “accessible” phase in the mid 80s,
directly following 1985’s outstanding Night Time LP and the accompanying
single “Love Like Blood”, which is still the most successful thing the
Joke ever put out (criminally it only reached no.16 in the UK charts, not a flop by any means, but truthfully it deserved to make the top 5 at least) . Now when I say “accessible”, I mean it somewhat
loosely. The Killing Joke of this period was still aggressive and
powerful, just in a different way. Despite the strong commercial/new
wave leanings of their 84-86 material, it is still true to the Killing
Joke spirit. I doubt there’s a Joker out there who doesn’t worship Night
Time, and rightfully so. Brighter, however, seems to get panned a bit
more.<br /><br />On Night Time, the band’s sound still had a lot of “impact”
to it despite the heavy use of synthesizers and Jaz Coleman actually
singing (something he is apparently rather good at doing) instead of
roaring his lungs out. On Brighter, the aggression is toned down a
little more for some tracks, the majority of the album is soaring and
epic with some hints of the fury of old. Take the first song,
“Adorations”. Its like “Love Like Blood” with the epic and romantic
qualities intensified twofold into a soaring (you’ll see me using that
word a lot in relation to this album), beautiful hymn to the decadence
of humanity with a subtle, yet gravely sombre edge to it despite the
uplifting motif of the chorus. “Sanity” follows suit, with wonderful
haunting keyboards contrasting with Coleman’s powerful singing in the
chorus, and overall a magnificently sad set of lyrics that seems to
perfectly embody the concept of fading power and glory. <br /><br />There’s
plenty of variety to be found. “Chessboards” and “Twilight” are notably
more propulsive and aggressive, the former being more energetic, the
latter more contemplative. Both addictively catchy. Elsewhere, tracks
like “Under a Southern Sky” and “Victory” show that Killing Joke can
write a moving ballad as well as the best of them. These may not be to
the taste of the rabid fan of the first 3 classic albums, or the later
more metal influenced stuff, but taken on their own merits they are both
brilliant songs. “Wintergardens” defines the term “dark funk”, with its
stabs of icy guitar from Geordie Walker punctuating Raven’s deliciously
moody slap bassline, over Coleman’s esoteric rambling. “Rubicon” brings
the album to a terrifying finale, the sound of the world ending, of a
man’s mind tipping over the edge. If this song doesn’t persuade you,
then give up. One of the CD bonus tracks, “Goodbye to the Village”, is
an incredibly powerful song about the fickle nature of progress and the
destruction of places that dwell within our hearts, in the face of
gleaming nightmares of modern architecture. The music and Jaz’s delivery
of his impassioned lyrics are honestly tear-jerking. Not what you would
typically expect from Killing Joke, but they pull it off so damn well
here I can’t help but love it. <br /><br />This album (the original version
at least, more on that in a bit) does have a very “1986” sound to it.
Lots of reverb on the vocals, keys, and drums. Geordie’s signature
guitar is more textural than ever here, but no less effective as
listening to any of the tracks will reveal. Paul Raven offers up some of
his finest basslines, though they may not be as thunderous and raw as
some fans may like they are technically sound and work fantastically
well within the songs. Big Paul’s drumming is at its most “80s”
sounding, with a machinelike precision more befitting the nigh-on
synthpop style of the album. Purists may find themselves missing those
characteristic tribal rhythms that Killing Joke are traditionally most
loved for. Indeed, purists may dislike most of, if not all of this album
on principle....but as fans of Killing Joke, they would be doing the
band, album and themselves a serious disservice in my opinion. This,
coming from someone who admits to being a purist about some things
himself, should say something about the quality of this album. <br /><br />When
the Joke’s discography was remastered in the mid 2000s, Brighter Than a
Thousand Suns was given a complete overhaul. Julian Mendelsohn’s final
mix was replaced with an earlier mix from Chris Kimsey, who worked with
the band on Night Time. In this “restored” version, the keyboards and
reverbs are toned down noticeably in favour of an emphasis on guitar and
bass. Some tracks, such as “Victory” were also edited. This version may
appeal more to hardcore fans of the “classic” Joke sound, indeed it
makes the album resemble Night Time soundwise a lot more. That version
of the album was actually the first one I heard and bought, though I
also made a point of getting a copy of the original too, because I like
the album that much. Frankly, I do prefer the original. However, the
alternate version is just that: an alternate look at the album which
should not be discredited on that basis, as the music is still the same.
The original has a more "wall of sound" feel, everything blended
together richly. The restored version, more punchy and with better
definition to the rhythm section.<br /><br />There are albums that belong in
people’s collections that are hugely important to them in a personal
way, due to where and when they heard them, and other such
circumstances. This is one of those for me without a doubt. It pretty
much defined a period of my life, and to this day I still find inspiration and solace in its epic soundscapes and Jaz Coleman's poignant lyrics. I admit that this does give me a
strong personal bias towards it, but frankly it is well founded. This is
potent stuff. Give it a try if you haven’t already.</span>SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-21511493606196446402014-04-27T13:15:00.000-07:002014-04-27T13:17:10.145-07:00Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK42P8fHqN_ucbRJCnNEhzOfpsgtDB1pRerfsxiwWi9mXVpoWNdtIbhAluvOGjnlhXypYPcF5C_ljWEKMQexNupqyhSFhtymiVj3bGhgLzovnPUV_QxjnvTRHjtPY0vQTmt0vxGKjT0E8/s1600/Unknown-Pleasures-Inside-Joy-Division.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK42P8fHqN_ucbRJCnNEhzOfpsgtDB1pRerfsxiwWi9mXVpoWNdtIbhAluvOGjnlhXypYPcF5C_ljWEKMQexNupqyhSFhtymiVj3bGhgLzovnPUV_QxjnvTRHjtPY0vQTmt0vxGKjT0E8/s1600/Unknown-Pleasures-Inside-Joy-Division.jpg" height="400" width="256" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Keep on demolishing those myths</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->Joy Division was without a doubt, one of the most important bands of the
modern day. They practically invented goth, for better or worse,
inspiring legions of clones who could only ever imitate them at the
superficial “gloomy” level. Over the years, much has been written about
the tragic story of this group and its late singer Ian Curtis. Films
such as Anton Corbijn’s “Control” ( a fantastic piece of film making, it
must be said) only serve to perpetuate the myth of Curtis being this
T.S. Elliot type, a brooding poet who stood apart from his friends. That
he was, but only to an extent. Peter Hook’s “Unknown Pleasures: Inside
Joy Division” does much to paint a far more realistic and believable
portrait of the man as “one of us”, and offers probably the most vital
account of Joy Division’s short career yet. He was the bassist, after
all. I haven’t even finished reading this book yet but over the last 3
days I haven’t been able to put it down, and I just had to praise it.<br />
<br />
Having
found myself hooked on his “The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club” I knew
this one would be just as essential. Hooky takes us from beginning to
end, growing up, meeting Bernard Sumner, founding the group, success,
and the sudden jolt of the end while they were on the edge of a
breakthrough American tour. This, apparently, was all that Curtis wanted
all along, but as anyone who knows this band is aware, his personal
circumstances became too much to handle. Given the fact that Hook and
the other members of Joy Division/New Order are currently bitterly
estranged (a frankly sorry state of affairs for what once was one of the
very finest British groups), Hook does make a few personal criticisms
of Sumner and the others throughout...however, he’s always quick to
balance it out by praising them (especially Sumner) as musicians. He’s
clearly proud, and rightfully so, of being a groundbreaking bass player
with lines such as “She’s Lost Control” practically re-inventing the
instrument in the context of modern rock, and its great to see his
appreciation (in hindsight) of Martin Hannett’s genius production of
their music. He also gives an intriguing track-by-track commentary to
the albums which is like gold dust to fans like me.<br />
<br />
However, what
I admire most about this book is Hooky’s down to earth nature. Just as
with his book about the Hacienda, reading “Unknown Pleasures” is like
hearing him reminisce casually, yet thoroughly, about those times as if
you were sat having a conversation with him. Despite their austere
public image, these 4 guys got up to plenty of mischief on the road just
like any other band and there are plenty of funny antics to read about.
Its so refreshing to see the band’s story being told this way. There’s
been so much pretentious nonsense written about Joy Division over the
years, we really don’t need any more, especially not from one of the
guys who was actually in Joy Division. I’m looking at you, Paul Morley.
Now all that's left for Hook to do is publish the New Order book alluded
to in the pages of this one. Can't wait for that.</div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-14901527829748037362014-04-19T05:39:00.002-07:002014-04-19T11:23:31.941-07:00Record Store Day sucks and so do you: a (somewhat) tongue in cheek rant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa0YJR0J60K2mL_UXwYjsYChmAtpLrL_UCM-BLKc87oYmSbSrB3yIyCSK31TChhvU3TPpSqzxz3J1wElQNiyDNC30Oivl1mrdNv5cc9urndr6HJidCa3TA_HfgULgLSZ_KrQ7le2C_mE/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa0YJR0J60K2mL_UXwYjsYChmAtpLrL_UCM-BLKc87oYmSbSrB3yIyCSK31TChhvU3TPpSqzxz3J1wElQNiyDNC30Oivl1mrdNv5cc9urndr6HJidCa3TA_HfgULgLSZ_KrQ7le2C_mE/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa0YJR0J60K2mL_UXwYjsYChmAtpLrL_UCM-BLKc87oYmSbSrB3yIyCSK31TChhvU3TPpSqzxz3J1wElQNiyDNC30Oivl1mrdNv5cc9urndr6HJidCa3TA_HfgULgLSZ_KrQ7le2C_mE/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa0YJR0J60K2mL_UXwYjsYChmAtpLrL_UCM-BLKc87oYmSbSrB3yIyCSK31TChhvU3TPpSqzxz3J1wElQNiyDNC30Oivl1mrdNv5cc9urndr6HJidCa3TA_HfgULgLSZ_KrQ7le2C_mE/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" height="303" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa0YJR0J60K2mL_UXwYjsYChmAtpLrL_UCM-BLKc87oYmSbSrB3yIyCSK31TChhvU3TPpSqzxz3J1wElQNiyDNC30Oivl1mrdNv5cc9urndr6HJidCa3TA_HfgULgLSZ_KrQ7le2C_mE/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ79Ko0Q47B1MPQSjMxxOiayLNDhGmVJaf121vTdMIn3DWQFwjqljJxa400P2c3YQd_pUmYpy-agfFhIW69YYuuYS8t4Fd0HYSUSDluJfxOCcDgY-2eUl_VbCTxFHFWEJ1mAB0fPw3xA/s1600/RSD-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, its that time of year again. The one official day in the year where you're supposed to make a huge deal about independent record shops. Personally I care about them on much more of a regular basis than that, so to me its kind of pointless: why can't every day potentially be a "record store day"? I don't need you to tell me when my "record store day" is supposed to happen, thanks. But this isn't the main issue. The main issue is: its a fucking stupid gimmick. Today, at popular indie stores all around the world (Rough Trade in London for example), vinyl obsessives and hipsters will be queuing round the block to purchase such things as an "exclusive" Nirvana 7", a 12" reissue of the first Oasis single (Christ, who the hell wants that anyway?), or a limited edition Sex Pistols 7" box set. I dunno how the hell much any of that costs at retail (probably too much!), but one thing is constant where RSD is concerned: as early as the following day, many of these releases will be showing up on ebay at stupidly inflated prices as "rare" items. Yeah, they're rare because some guy bought 5 copies of an already limited thing to sell on at a later date. A couple of years ago, an exclusive split 12" between Joy Division and New Order came out for Record Store Day (limited of 800 copies, of course), featuring both band's versions of "Ceremony" and "In A Lonely Place". Bearing in mind that the few recorded Joy Division demos and live recordings of both those songs sound like complete shit, and an original copy of the New Order version can be had for not too much cash, its pretty absurd and frankly disturbing to see something like that floating around on eBay with an £80 price tag on it. I mean come the fuck on. Ok, yeah, on one hand its pretty genius. Buy overpriced, limited edition, inferior modern repress. Sell it on eBay at ridiculously inflated price. Its a good way to make some cash, because you can guarantee that some idiot out there will fall for it. Not me though. Its like those people who scalp tickets for a concert and sell them at increased prices to people in the queue outside the venue 10 minutes before the band goes on. Yes yes, very clever. Making a tidy profit, I'm sure. I'd probably feel like a bit of a cunt doing that. Bow to my moral superiority. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzmPn-dTFurHzmVQ1-AbmO2zbZdsLdkf15yTf8vAinjzkDzTk8tY7S9qyBY4KEMGl98dh9ZoGkswCoXeXy3z0qR8hVQufIWu1frje1nNbBQi9lMLc14ePuXjhUl6byXRjTBRp19fPmS8/s1600/historynotmoneyfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzmPn-dTFurHzmVQ1-AbmO2zbZdsLdkf15yTf8vAinjzkDzTk8tY7S9qyBY4KEMGl98dh9ZoGkswCoXeXy3z0qR8hVQufIWu1frje1nNbBQi9lMLc14ePuXjhUl6byXRjTBRp19fPmS8/s1600/historynotmoneyfront.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can you say the same? Don't you want to?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Modern vinyl. Its a bit of a funny subject to me. I refer you now to a hilarious moment during which I came across a brand new, 180g, "remastered from the original analogue tapes" blah fucking blah and all the rest of it, copy of "Nursery Cryme" by Genesis in the "was there for years-then suddenly disappeared for several years-oh look now its back again because vinyl is trendy now" wax racks of my nearest HMV, the ones that used to be stuffed with Hip Hop and DnB records and is now full of these classic represses because that's what's cool now so of course, we're going along with it....but I digress. So, Nursery Cryme. You know, one of, if not the best, prog albums of its era. It was all new, shiny, and loaded with these gimmicks that the sticker on the front was so damn EAGER to make a big (selling) point of. Sure, sounds good. Timeless classic album, brand new and shiny, all yours for a meager £25. Bollocks. Not ten minutes prior to this encounter I had flicked past an excellent condition copy of an ORIGINAL press of said album in a nearby independent (who will of course be joining in with today's festivities) for £3. A perfectly serviceable, above average example of an original artifact for £3 vs. a brand spanking shiny new "180g remastered from the original ANALOGUE (wow, where do i sign?!?!..) tapes" blah...just had to laugh, really. What would you choose? I'll give them one thing, at least they're not just sticking a CD master on it like some bastard reissue labels (Back on Black, some Earache releases before they fessed up and started doing "full dynamic range" versions...) have freely admitted to in the past. That's like buying a huge black CD/frisbee at two to three times the cost of buying a normal sized, silver CD. Yet all this "remastered from the original tapes" is still effectively a sales gimmick when you can snag an original copy, also mastered "from the original analogue tapes" for a fraction of the price....</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and come on, we're talking
things like Genesis and Floyd here, classic rock that sold/ still sells
millions of units and is still readily available 2nd hand in all the 200 editions that have been made over 30 odd years.</span> Its all gotten a bit stupid these days. Classic albums that are still readily available in either superior or perfectly adequate editions, are being cranked out as ridiculous modern editions which are criticized time and time again by people who actually know their shit. Take your 90 quid "Immersion" box set of Dark Side of the Moon and shove it up your arse, coffee table book and all. I'd rather have an mp3, plus you should know A Saucerful of Secrets is miles better anyway. That 1994, one disc (!!!) "definitive remaster" of Selling England By the Pound (they must have forgotten about that when doing the 2007 "definitive" double disc collector's editions, I guess) suits me just fine.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LbQC3B8CoAQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">In my past life I was Peter Gabriel's shaved forehead. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, Record Store Day. In theory? Not a bad idea. In practice? More like a bad joke. As a huge music lover, it does piss me off and irritate a few of my sensibilities. Not massively, just enough for me to write a descriptive and hopefully humorous article poking fun at its perceived faults. Like it? Go and get involved. Personally I won't be bothering. I'll be laughing while you spend £30 on a limited edition 7" on eBay tomorrow cause you didn't make it down quick enough. Don't worry though. You've still got another 365 days to work on your timing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUETG8M2FJp3TtNQ8KYD4EDr9L4jAzi9u6fwQxqFD1WSvWMWTBP9Y6pjSztKcRrLKM0i0Ymd5hP-ctSmNx3FrxSIOltEgSPH3yXeLtWQIcDX6trfOAMh6CbKBqaoe2qj0SKTURAMnb_U/s1600/egay.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUETG8M2FJp3TtNQ8KYD4EDr9L4jAzi9u6fwQxqFD1WSvWMWTBP9Y6pjSztKcRrLKM0i0Ymd5hP-ctSmNx3FrxSIOltEgSPH3yXeLtWQIcDX6trfOAMh6CbKBqaoe2qj0SKTURAMnb_U/s1600/egay.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
ADDENDUM: Well well well, 26 quid at the time of posting this update. <br />
<br />
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joy-Division-An-Ideal-For-Living-12-Single-Record-Store-Day-2014-/371046652471?pt=UK_Records&hash=item56641a9a37<br />
<br />
In the SAME day even. What did I fucking tell you? The highest buy it now at the moment is £49.99. Haha! Enjoy you twats!SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-53107804728250549772014-02-26T08:03:00.000-08:002014-02-26T08:03:22.716-08:00Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"> <b>Released September, 1988</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b>Situation Two/Beggars Banquet records</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkltA9egJzigiuMRFQL2U0xYaB5b_LArI0U6rBG_vK83kECvcHOx_0SET4ia6clZSufFlZWWR3-L7KEIaQ-ntpdmObt5LSl2MbgkTCfJw6hVIqVExE8Il93uaFfBw6kqLasuanUFWZmw/s1600/nephs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhkltA9egJzigiuMRFQL2U0xYaB5b_LArI0U6rBG_vK83kECvcHOx_0SET4ia6clZSufFlZWWR3-L7KEIaQ-ntpdmObt5LSl2MbgkTCfJw6hVIqVExE8Il93uaFfBw6kqLasuanUFWZmw/s1600/nephs.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span itemprop="description"> </span><i><span itemprop="description"> </span><span class="st">"Does it hurt for I want you to remain?"</span></i></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description">To any self respecting fan of vintage goth,
the entire discography from the original incarnation of Fields of the
Nephilim is worth its weight in gold. This band, largely unlike any of
their contemporaries (beyond superficial similarities, such as hats and
smoke), and indeed unlike any in the world, released a string of
commonly regarded quintessential records from 1984 to 1991, comprising 4
now classic albums and a slew of equally good EPs and 12” singles
including the gothic rock genre’s arguable peak (admittedly, one of
many) in the form of the 12” version of “Psychonaut” (1989), a
staggering 9 minute trip of a song. Sure, they kind of looked and
vaguely sounded a bit like The Sisters of
Mercy early on, but they had a different vibe. Whereas the Sisters’ music was
more about reality combined with clever lyrical metaphors, FOTN’s music,
image and everything else were steeped heavily in the occult, and
mysticism, and bordered on hard rock and classical heavy metal escapism.
Their discography defines goth rock as much as the other giants from
that era like The Sisters, Bauhaus, and all the rest. When it comes to
choosing the best of their classic trio of studio albums I find myself
always coming back to one more than any other: 1988’s almost self
titled, “The Nephilim”.<br /><br />Why this album? Well, it seems to fit
nicely in the middle of their progression as a band, being the 2nd of
the 3 albums. Its heavier, consistently better and more densely layered
than 1987’s nonetheless impressive debut “Dawnrazor”, and more
energetic, punchy and concise than 1990’s
somewhere-far-beyond-this-world Prog-goth epic “Elizium” (which despite
having just as much potential to be the best, is let down at times by
its own airiness and long winded arrangements). “The Nephilim” fits
right in the middle of those albums and displays this band at its
absolute best on the album format. Fields of the Nephilim is a band who
in their prime, were able to completely transcend the limitations of
their genre trappings and create a profound and timeless sonic
experience, and this album is a perfect example of that. The classic
line-up of McCoy, Yates, Wright, Pettit and Wright had a chemistry that
was undeniable, all you need do is listen and hear their unique craft at
work. From Tony Pettit’s distinctive bass playing (really, this guy was
THE goth bassist, listen to THAT “Psychonaut” bassline or the intro to
“Love Under Will” and just try to disagree!), the textural yet driving
guitars of Peter Yates and Alex Wright, to Nod Wright’s propulsive
drumming topped off with Carl McCoy’s unmistakeable intonations, these
four guys were quite a team. There are plenty of live recordings (many
bootlegs and an official live album) to prove
that they were just as effective on stage too, and a concert film
recorded on the tour to promote this album entitled “Forever Remain” is a
must watch for any fan.<br /><br />The atmosphere this album exudes is
thick and almost tangible, otherworldly while being warmly familiar. It
feels like returning to something sacred, submerged in a warm glow
coming from some place that isn’t quite real. At least, that’s the
effect it has to my ears. Backing up this unearthly atmosphere is some
seriously killer songwriting including such instantly recognisable
classics as the endlessly re-playable single “Moonchild” and the
climactic “Last Exit For The Lost”, alongside fan favourites like the
relentless “Chord of Souls” and the moving “Love Under Will”. “Phobia”
sounds almost like Motorhead. All powerful, highly addictive songs. For
me though, the real highlight has to be “Celebrate”, a subtle and
haunting bass and vocal duet with whispers of guitar to bring shivers to
your spine (it was perfected as a slight remix on the “Psychonaut”
B-side, yet another reason why you really do need that 12”). The use of
atmospheric samples to add layers to the sound and bridge the songs is
revelatory in an album of this kind. The imagery inside the sleeve is as
compelling and mysterious as the music within it. Carl McCoy’s lyrics
have always been largely shrouded in mystic imagery which some might
call clichéd or dubious, but they can make for some interesting
interpretations for your own situations and his powerful, unique voice
drifts over the songs with clarity and purpose.<br /><br />Overall, this is a
highly potent package that is commonly regarded as one of the essential
albums of the style. If you want to get a good idea about 80s Goth
music and just how good it was, get this album. Its a bewildering
thought to me that this stuff was actually popular once upon a time,
several years before I was born, in an era where contemporary popular
music was vastly superior in (not just) my opinion. FOTN themselves are
still around, albeit in a largely unoriginal lineup (the original band
fell apart after “Elizium”, nowadays is essentially McCoy and hired
hands, though bassist Pettit has been seen playing with them live again
recently), producing the occasional inferior yet promising album like
2002’s “Fallen” (incomplete demos from an aborted reunion of the
original band at the end of the 90s) and 2005’s underwhelming and self
referential “Mourning Sun”. The essential body of work from this band
remains in the 80s, created by the original line-up. Now, go and check
out, and buy, this masterpiece of an album...and don’t forget
“Psychonaut” while you’re at it. </span><br />
<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-74986423190658779812014-01-17T07:47:00.001-08:002014-01-19T13:02:32.688-08:00Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Released: November 26, 1986 </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Directed by: Leonard Nimoy</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Producer: Harve Bennet</b> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Screenplay: Nicholas Meyer, Harve Bennet, Steve Meerson & Peter Krikes</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54pd-GjONp8jMJxeR5koRBWAtmb8HYFD-HhzXGTaABKvLr8f64w_zwvjnEqKoZjQjcvc4XFmzSLfTC2FcsCzKFLhBDfZNe40sRgNm0e2cN4M5rcSNAkOhL13Tp2EAvDzPAASaMI_A0dg/s1600/MPW-37781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54pd-GjONp8jMJxeR5koRBWAtmb8HYFD-HhzXGTaABKvLr8f64w_zwvjnEqKoZjQjcvc4XFmzSLfTC2FcsCzKFLhBDfZNe40sRgNm0e2cN4M5rcSNAkOhL13Tp2EAvDzPAASaMI_A0dg/s1600/MPW-37781.jpg" height="400" width="268" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Everybody remember
where we parked...”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Time travel plots are a staple of sci fi, especially in the
world of Star Trek. Frankly, its a bit of a cliché. However, there are some
examples of the idea being pulled off really well, and one of those is The
Voyage Home. This film was the most successful of the Star Trek series to date,
and is still held in high regard by many fans including myself. Its certainly
one of my very favourite Trek films, up there with The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered
Country all sharing the top spot in my mind for the best of the TOS era
features. The thing that makes The Voyage Home so successful is just how
different it is to either of those aforementioned films, and indeed how different
it is among all the Trek films. In a noticeable change of pace, our heroes find
themselves on 20<sup>th</sup> century Earth in a “save the whales!” adventure
marked with priceless comedy thanks to the unforgettable onscreen chemistry of
the cast. There’s no real violence, no Klingon bad guys, no space battles. Star
Trek IV is pure, light-hearted fun, and that’s precisely the reason why its so
good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
As the final part in the trilogy of films that began with
The Wrath of Khan, The Voyage Home sees Admiral Kirk and co. and returning to Earth to face
judgment for their actions in the previous two films. What starts out as
something that seems to be along the lines of the other films, takes a sharp
right turn. An alien probe is harassing the planet Earth, looking for Humpback
whales. In the 23<sup>rd</sup> century, they’re extinct. Of course, the natural
answer is to attempt time travel by the ludicrous means of flying around the
sun at warp speed, and after a surreal time travel sequence where do they end
up? San Fransciso, 1986. The first shot of our heroes, wandering around the
streets of the city, looking sorely out of place and accompanied by roaring contemporary
Jazz Fusion replete with impossibly 80s programmed drums and synth (indeed the
entire soundtrack is a noticeable departure from standard Trek film music), is
one of the most charming, funny and priceless moments in the entire history of
this franchise. Their interactions with the “primitive and paranoid culture”,
as Kirk puts it, are just effortlessly funny, as are their interactions with
themselves. The chemistry between these actors to generate humour was never so
obvious as in this film. Having recently just seen this again after several
years, the “save the whales” mentality of the film has also never stuck out to
me as much. This is undoubtedly a sign of the times, and its nice that they
were able to put a relevant and contemporary message into the film. The rest of
it is filled with non stop examples of effortless humour and great character interactions;
I forgot how funny this film really is. This is one that has me laughing almost
all the way through, every time. Let's not forget the inherent humour in a Russian guy, in 1980s America, stopping people in the street to ask where the nuclear vessels are kept. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Of course, everything works out in the end as it should,
with our heroes making a successful return to the future bringing with them two
Humpback whales and a disenfranchised 20<sup>th</sup> century marine biologist.
For saving the day yet again, they’re rewarded with a brand new shiny
Enterprise and the chance to fall flat on their faces in the underwhelming and
largely derided follow up, The Final Frontier. The Voyage Home, though, is a
fantastic film and one that even non Trek fans will be able to enjoy due to the
setting. For many Trek nuts, myself included, The Voyage Home is one of the
unmissable highlights of the film series. As with Star Trek II, the version I have discussed is the 2009 remastered DVD, which presents excellent picture quality. The packaging and bonus features are again somewhat minimalist, but the only other version of this film I've owned is an older VHS so the improved picture is very apparent to me. If you want more comprehensive bonus features, nicer packaging and perfectly adequate picture quality, get the 2003 2-disc collectors edition, or indeed the newest BluRay version which combines this edition's image quality (except probably even better, being a BluRay) with the 2003 edition's extensive bonus material. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>My rating: 5/5</b> </div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-32514555515892319702014-01-16T09:58:00.001-08:002014-01-16T11:10:59.904-08:00Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt"> Released: June 4, 1982</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Director Nicholas Meyer</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Produced by: Robert Sallin, Harve Bennet (executive)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Screenplay: Jack B. Sowards, Nicholas Meyer (uncredited)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt"> </b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b class="rymfmt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK216FmCXpLww7PgjN4pxPTyozuTx-dpP1tKx2UpqCJKOUJvyRHOqhy-5bwg4zk04-3exZP8UMXgK0GPvErorbwHAQgGHnZTxkuOIIz790n7g4lpAdf8GtgybyuHOOx-Q46EFQBQkR1eI/s1600/star_trek_wrath_of_khan_movie_poster_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK216FmCXpLww7PgjN4pxPTyozuTx-dpP1tKx2UpqCJKOUJvyRHOqhy-5bwg4zk04-3exZP8UMXgK0GPvErorbwHAQgGHnZTxkuOIIz790n7g4lpAdf8GtgybyuHOOx-Q46EFQBQkR1eI/s1600/star_trek_wrath_of_khan_movie_poster_01.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">"Can I cook, or can't I..."</b></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"></span><span itemprop="description"><br />I'm
sure that's what went through Nicholas Meyer's head when he watched the
final edit for this. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while not an
inherently bad film, was a less than ideal start to the Star Trek movie
series. It just took a bit too long to make its point, and the story
wasn't exactly A-grade material. Put it up against the smash hit A New
Hope that came out a year prior, and the winner is obvious. For the next
film in the Trek series, I'm sure they realised they had to step up
their game a little bit and come out with a film that would make an
impression. In that they succeeded, and also created a film that is
still regarded by many as the definitive Star Trek feature. <br /><br />I
have never seen Space Seed, the original series episode featuring Khan
that serves as a backdrop to this movie. I'm not as big a fan of TOS as I
am of TNG, DS9, and so on. If you have seen that episode then you'll know
exactly what's going on from the beginning. Thankfully this film is
successful enough that it doesn't require you to have seen the episode
to get into it, though it may help if you have an idea of just who Khan
is to explain the connection between him and the rest of the characters.
Put simply, the film center's around Khan's obsession with revenge on
Kirk that untimately proves to be his undoing, while Kirk survives and
is free to save the galaxy and spout one liners another day. At the
center of all this lies Genesis, a world-creating device of unimaginable
power which Khan sets his eyes on, that provides the foundation for the
film after this one, and the one after that in part, too. This is the
first film to introduce many elements that would become synonymous with
the Trek features, including the distinctive red uniforms (not like the
“space pyjamas” of The Motion Picture). Ricardo Montalban gives an
unforgettable performance as Khan, subtly menacing and explosive when
needed, without ever going over the top. If you want to see a top actor
doing a classic villain role, watch this. He and Kirk face off in their
respective ships in one of the most memorable space battles in film
history. Like a classic submarine fight, both ships are effectively
running blind in a nebula and almost collide with each other in one
instance. Its a tense, dramatic battle scene that leaves both ships
crippled. In the end, a certain crew member sacrifices himself so the
Enterprise can escape to safety, while the Genesis device goes off
aboard Khan’s stolen ship and creates a new world which becomes the
focus of the next film in the series. The rest of the cast is on top
form, the screen chemistry between these people (especially the classic
Bones, Kirk and Spock trio) is undeniable and just a joy to watch...and
isn’t Kirstie Alley just stunning? There are some good awkward moments
between Kirk, his ex wife, and son that he didn’t know about. James
Horner’s score is one of the most memorable of the movie series, and
there are some great visual effects from stunning matte paintings to
charmingly dated CGI that was doubtless the absolute cutting edge in its
day.<br /> <br />Unlike some, emptier sci fi, The Wrath of Khan is really
classic character drama in a futuristic setting, topped off with some
great action and the moral/political take on things, the reflection of
the human condition that defines classic Trek in the minds of so many
fans. This film is the first part of the classic 3 film series of Treks
II, III and IV that are basically one big story arc. This is the film
that was so good, so classic, that they ripped it off like you wouldn’t
believe for 2013’s style over substance Star Trek Into Darkness. I just
got hold of the newest 2009 DVD edition of this film, remastered in
1080p from the original print, which apparently needed a bit of
restoration work as it wasn't in great shape after all those years.
Before this I was accustomed to the lower quality of my VHS copy, I have
to say the difference is remarkable and I have never seen this film
look so good. The bonus features on this DVD version are decent, though not as good or comprehensive as on the 2003 2-disc special editions. The trade off is the much improved picture quality. If you want to know just what this remarkable cultural
phenomenon is all about, you could pick a much worse place to start than
Star Trek II.</span><br />
<br />
<span itemprop="description"><b>My rating: 5/5</b> </span></div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-25899237901586803822014-01-15T14:56:00.001-08:002014-01-15T14:59:48.600-08:00Star Trek V: The Final Frontier<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Released: June 9, 1989</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Director: William Shatner</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Produced by Harve Bennett</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt">Screenplay: David Loughery</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b class="rymfmt"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWsuvMm1kGYvVJ1nld_pgX_4oq4HV4XQulakQdkGuC3WEMn-0kTjVQcPSBkXncBiyOGcK9D-POaYCI3uSHkphugsKYCOJHgfIiD_bCpbGPJuYHldb8xqoOMRCs72CxzstoatRJlCenCU/s1600/trek5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWsuvMm1kGYvVJ1nld_pgX_4oq4HV4XQulakQdkGuC3WEMn-0kTjVQcPSBkXncBiyOGcK9D-POaYCI3uSHkphugsKYCOJHgfIiD_bCpbGPJuYHldb8xqoOMRCs72CxzstoatRJlCenCU/s1600/trek5.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b class="rymfmt"> "I can't help but notice your pain...it runs deep...share it with me!"</b></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"></span><span itemprop="description"><br />That
line, which I think is just great, is one of the few things that stands
out about Star Trek V, a film that is commonly seen as being the single
weakest film in the series. It confuses me that, coming off the back of
the brilliant and massively successful Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,
the followup could be so average. A sub standard plot involving a
journey to the center of the galaxy to find "God", combined with
noticeably weak visual effects compared to the previous outings, caused
William Shatner's first turn at directing to be the thing that almost
killed the franchise according to some. <br /><br />Its actually quite a
funny film at times, but you get the impression that a lot of the humour
was either unintentional or there to pad out the fact that the story
wasn't quite up to scratch. The visual effects aren't as good because
ILM couldn't do it, and the poor guys they drafted in to do it had half
the required time to get it together. Surprisingly, the film apparently
did alright when it opened, but it wasn't long before the critics began
hurling words like "mess" and "shambles", and not without some
justification. Now, that said, The Final Frontier isn't a complete
failure. The campfire scene between Kirk, Bones and Spock is cool. You
can't help but laugh when Scotty walks into the wall and knocks himself
out, while in the middle of saying "I know this ship like the back of my
hand..." (then again, this is such an obviously slapstick moment), and
the scene where the character's inner demons are brought out into the
open is one that I've always remembered. Then of course, we have Kirk
questioning "God" like only Kirk would. I agree, what the hell does God
need with a starship? The brilliant David Warner also makes an
appearance, but as we know he would return in the next film and do much
better. Was that a conscious decision, I wonder?<br /><br />If you're a fan
of Trek, even the weaker movies have some value and are worth watching,
if only to get an idea of just how much better the high points of the
series really are. The Final Frontier is more of a curiosity than
anything else, as it does show some glimmers of potential. Had they had
more time and the budget they needed, I'm sure it would have turned out a
lot better. Thankfully, with the next film in the series, they got back
on track in a big way and produced a fitting end to the series of
original Trek films. That film is unmissable. You can safely skip this
one, however.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span itemprop="description"><b>My rating: 2.5/5</b> </span></div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-85364416371918348492013-11-28T02:15:00.003-08:002013-11-28T02:15:55.368-08:00Cynic - Demo 1991 (Roadrunner Demo)<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Cynic - Demo 1991</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Progressive thrash metal</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1991 Roadrunner Records</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-8n3rUCFoPg-UPUxIAsqtaD1nCr87vLfL-1YNVsyjmwPgwF_Wu_VqpZs8vSaPwaL5IYvTbyxrxYZ7gd_ktCma16ZiYvq12Xl_EFV59yclCky_M4RjUym0GsTRZNUwNZpu4LK0GvgXU8/s1600/1283589878_cynic-demo-1991-demo-1991-download-320.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-8n3rUCFoPg-UPUxIAsqtaD1nCr87vLfL-1YNVsyjmwPgwF_Wu_VqpZs8vSaPwaL5IYvTbyxrxYZ7gd_ktCma16ZiYvq12Xl_EFV59yclCky_M4RjUym0GsTRZNUwNZpu4LK0GvgXU8/s320/1283589878_cynic-demo-1991-demo-1991-download-320.gif" width="204" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Discovering the demo material of Cynic was something of a minor
revelation for me, being only really familiar with the Focus album. At
this point Cynic was quite a different band, though the evolution of
their demos does give a hint at the direction they were headed. The
first two demos from '88 and '89 are more rudimentary if still enjoyable
thrash, the '90 demo an explosive shot of hyper speed, uniquely melodic
technical riffs and relentless drumming that in my mind comes out on
top of enough full albums by other bands. On this demo the sound is
veering more towards death metal and coincidentally is the one that
secured them a deal with Roadrunner I think, it would explain the name
anyway.<br />
<br />
By this point the classic Cynic lineup had been established, with bass
as on the previous demo being handled by Tony Choy, an astonishingly
gifted bass player who was apparently the only one capable of filling
the gap in Atheist left by the insanely skilled Roger Patterson. His
playing also blends seamlessly with this incarnation of Cynic, he
wouldn't have worked on Focus but I would have loved to hear what a full
length recorded around this time would have sounded like. There are
three songs, two of which later appeared on the debut. They are
noticeably different from the Focus versions, as well as the added
appeal of hearing them in these far more brutal incarnations. The
version of "Uroboric Forms" in particular just destroys, in some ways I
prefer this to the album version though it is the most similar to the
one on Focus. "The Eagle Nature" is quite different, the most bass
intensive of the three songs, without the clean break in the middle and a
different ending. The final track "Pleading for Preservation" is the
most energetic and driving one, with relentless melodic thrash riffing
bursting out from a relaxing clean intro, and an ending that was later
reworked into "How Could I" on Focus. Paul's vocals are absolutely
awesome, savage and fitting the music perfectly. No vocoders yet. Of
course, if you're familiar with this band you know the instrumental
performances are just out of this world. If not, then listen and be duly
blown away. There are just some insanely fast riffs in this demo, and
the degree of technical skill is nothing less than highly impressive
while still being completely emotive. The solos especially are quite
frankly, just wonderful. <br />
<br />
Despite its short length this is absolutely worth tracking down, sadly
there has yet to be an official release of the Cynic demos but this is
an essential listen for fans and anyone into early 90s death/thrash.</div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-86328865055361551002013-09-25T15:32:00.000-07:002013-09-25T15:32:39.908-07:00Gorguts - The Erosion of Sanity<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Gorguts - The Erosion of Sanity</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Technical death metal</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1993 RoadRunner Records</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OqqtMeekHA3SejRB3uqXUFtxUY4BZm67Ifyzl3uU1747Tz-H44GBENHHSOb9hhDd-aHnOofRanD2eSvpOTit4JqFu0mGCBDD6G4rlmT-C0eXA7_pSA9p6M1Vl8OZhNzYLVMpmRnnCiQ/s1600/erosiomn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4OqqtMeekHA3SejRB3uqXUFtxUY4BZm67Ifyzl3uU1747Tz-H44GBENHHSOb9hhDd-aHnOofRanD2eSvpOTit4JqFu0mGCBDD6G4rlmT-C0eXA7_pSA9p6M1Vl8OZhNzYLVMpmRnnCiQ/s400/erosiomn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I fucking love death metal. If you were to ask me, what is my absolute favourite death metal album, there's a very strong chance that I'd pick this. Its up against some pretty stiff competition (Death's Human and Individual Thought Patterns, Suffocation's Breeding The Spawn, to name a few) but when all is said and done I think The Erosion of Sanity comes out on top and for me, has done for about the last 8 years. In my opinion this album, released at the tail end of death metal's initial explosion of popularity in the early 90s, represents that "old school" formula taken to its upper limit. In a few ways its also quite a progressive album, released at a time when that style death metal was really coming into its own and a bunch of more advanced, forward looking albums came out (1993 in particular was full of them). Though The Erosion of Sanity is not as "out there" as say, Thresholds or Elements, it is still definitely something of a left field choice for favourite death metal album over the likes of Tomb of the Mutilated and Leprosy. What really makes this album stand out to me is the quality of songwriting and the riffs, many of which are among my very favourites in all of music, period. The progressive tendencies of this album serve to embellish the music and give it additional intrigue, rather than being the sole focus.<br />
<br />
Gorguts' first album, 1991's Considered Dead, was an enjoyable if somewhat derivative (recorded at Morrisound, produced by Scott Burns, guest appearances from James Murphy and Chris Barnes, etc) slice of solid traditional death metal. It had a bunch of great riffs that made it stand out as being better than average, but on the whole it wore its influences on its sleeve for all to see. For The Erosion of Sanity, the band seemed to make a gigantic stride forward into a sound that was entirely their own. Apparently this album was inspired a fair bit by two albums in particular: Suffocation's Breeding the Spawn and Atrocity's incredible Todessehnsucht (another big favourite of mine), two albums that are considerably abstract compared to most "standard" death metal. This influence can be detected in some of the riffs and choice of harmonies (Breeding's jerking, unusual rhythms and Todessehnsucht's almost neoclassical compositional values), but Gorguts have still managed to create a unique piece that is quite rightfully hailed by many as one of the genre's greatest achievements. After "With Their Flesh, He'll create" flays the skin from your proverbial limbs with its barrage of intense riffs and addictive tempo changes, the metal attack stops for a moment and the startling piano intro of "Condemned to Obscurity" emerges from a sinister low keyboard drone. This is hands down, one of the most profoundly beautiful and haunting things I've ever heard. What's even better is that it, in the best compositional way, subtly mirrors the equally bewildering pinch harmonic driven opening riff which then lurches into a series of equally irresistible riffing. The intelligence of the arrangement behind these songs is something that has never ceased to impress me, displaying a level of compositional awareness that lesser bands wish they could get near. Everything just flows so well, and there is a definite sense of subtle and bewitching melody behind many of these brutally punishing themes. The production this time is handled by someone called Steve Harris and is mixed by the well known Colin Richardson. To be honest, the move away from Burns and Morrisound did this album a huge favour. I don't dislike the classic Floridian death metal sound, in fact I love it, but this album wouldn't be as good if it sounded like another Morrisound job. The production is clear while retaining the right amount of grit, it has qualities that I'd describe at both warm and bright and it sounds unlike any other death metal album I can think of (the guitar tone in particular is just great). The mix, while heavy on the guitars and vocals, allows everything to be heard well enough. Attentive listening may be required to pick out the more subtle nuances in the drumming and bass playing.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the performances. As I have mentioned, the guitar riffs are just impeccable. I cannot praise them enough. Luc Lemay and Sylvain Marcoux achieved a fantastic quality of riffing on this album. Lemay has always been one of my favourite extreme vocalists and here he gives a thoroughly caustic performance, his agonized sounding vocals lend the album a character that it just wouldn't have if the vocals were merely your standard "low as possible" growls. Up there with the likes of Martin Van Drunen on Consuming Impulse for sure. The bass work by Eric Guigere is precise to the rhythm guitars, which considering the complexity of some of the riffs is admirable in its own right, yet the playing is also highly imaginative elsewhere, not afraid to offer an additional melody to create a sound that is harmonically quite rich in places. He also uses an overdriven bass tone for the most part (and a chorus/flange at a few points!), something I would normally not be very fond of in death metal, but it seems to fit the feel of this album quite nicely. Stephan Provencher's drumming is also to be commended, keeping a solid beat with plenty of propulsive double kick, great fills and very interesting use of the cymbals and hihats. I also have to point out that he only uses one blast beat on the whole album, allowing more creative beats to be used. All this is complimented by a brilliant set of lyrics concerning such subjects as insanity, nightmares and the subconscious among others, taking it yet further beyond the worn out cliches of years past. And then, the cover art. Just...wow. Dan Seagrave never drew a better picture in my opinion, and that must be saying something as he drew a lot of undeniably classic album covers. The image is very strange, full of fantastic details and rich colours (sadly the album cover only represents around a quarter of the whole painting, which can be viewed here: <a href="http://www.danseagrave.com/detail/the-erosion-of-sanity/">http://www.danseagrave.com/detail/the-erosion-of-sanity/</a>) and to me it illustrates the "feel" of this music perfectly, and really completes the whole thing.<br />
<br />
So, can you tell that I really, really like this album? In an ideal world, this album and others like it should have given the genre the shot in the arm required to not go through its period of creative limbo during the mid 1990s (which saw some pretty mediocre albums such as Morbid Angel's Domination somehow sell truckloads of copies...go figure). Around this time Roadrunner began to drop many promising artists (Suffocation, Immolation, and others) from their roster in favour of...I'm not sure what, but it probably sucked. Gorguts were also dropped, and dissapeared for a few years before finally reemerging (with a new label and lineup) to turn everyone's idea of death metal on its head with 1998's Obscura, an album that baffles new listeners to this day. Though that is a wicked album for sure, it doesn't quite have the instant charm of The Erosion of Sanity, which is accessible enough to any extreme metal fan on the surface, and which reveals its captivating intricacies over time.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-84862378103401986552013-09-14T13:18:00.000-07:002013-09-15T15:41:46.267-07:00Sepultura - Beneath The Remains<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Sepultura - Beneath The Remains</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Thrash metal</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1989, Roadrunner Records </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5q4RsZF1FO9sQ9JnUnhyHtkorzN7wG0NitW29z2nj1y31zEwko1ILBR_Sx1-GsoFRvYu72acJCw6kLDsHWO4EsizGcI6H-cjTRExj-fohtQENASIQI7pdlCG7sLOG-AmwTZ7o5pMP1_c/s1600/sepultura_beneath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5q4RsZF1FO9sQ9JnUnhyHtkorzN7wG0NitW29z2nj1y31zEwko1ILBR_Sx1-GsoFRvYu72acJCw6kLDsHWO4EsizGcI6H-cjTRExj-fohtQENASIQI7pdlCG7sLOG-AmwTZ7o5pMP1_c/s320/sepultura_beneath.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>NON CONFORMITY</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>IN MY INNER SELF</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>ONLY I GUIDE</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>MY INNER SELF </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I think perhaps that, if this was suddenly the only thrash album on the face of the earth that I'd be fine with it. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but it should go some way towards explaining how I feel about this one. Beneath The Remains is a strong contender for my favourite thrash album ever, and definitely in my top 10 metal albums period. To elaborate I need to take you back to when I first heard it. This was one of those "benchmark" albums that raised the bar quite early on what I considered to be the hardest, fastest, most extreme music during my quest through adolescence to see just how far it could really go. Before this must have been Reign In Blood, if memory serves. Of course, if we're speaking in those terms, Beneath The Remains has been trumped innumerable times since by various death and black metal albums, but those benchmark experiences have a tendency to stay with us. Context is indeed of great importance when it comes to experiencing a lot of music. At the time I heard this I was 14 years old. As I say the most extreme things I was aware of at the time were Slayer albums such as Hell Awaits and Reign In Blood. Suffice to say Beneath The Remains promptly demolished my ideas about metal at that time. Sure, those old Slayer albums are still evil as hell, fast and heavy, but this seemed to top even them. I had a best friend at that time who was largely into the same stuff as me, and we'd share music (specifically metal) as we came across it. He was the one who showed me Reign In Blood, and I'll never forget the way my jaw just dropped when I heard it. Some time later I showed him this, and he didn't like it. That was when I knew I was a fan of extreme music, and this album was the springboard.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
Reality is always more disturbing than horror, and Beneath The Remains is
definitely a take on reality as opposed to Slayer's largely fantastical satanic
approach. The venomous lyrics, fueled by passion and righteous anger were one
of the things that attracted me the most over time, spinning tales of dystopia
and human corruption that you don't have to be from fucked up South America to
understand or relate to in your own life. <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">At first though, the main attraction was the music
itself, the lyrics hard to distinguish through Max's thick accent to my virgin ears. What still impresses me as much as day one is just
how FAST the riffs are. Today any fool (me, for example!) can put together lightning speed guitar
tracks piece by piece in pro tools with enough time, in 1989 it took a little
more and it is a remarkable achievement. The riffs are furious and unrelenting,
the melodies dark and enthralling. The tightness of the playing might cause
wrist pain in guitar playing listeners! The drums are constantly holding
everything together with skill and there is some nice playing going on, but
this is really a guitar album. Bass is practically non existent, though Scott Burns is still to be commended for the punchy and aggressive production. Of course, its
not all just breakneck speed from beginning to end. There are some great slower
and mid paced riffs to shake it up, and in the case of Mass Hypnosis is the
prompt for a fantastic, melodic solo. The previous album Schizophrenia (also
essential thrash in its own right) had showed the Seps moving towards this
point out of their more primitive beginnings, and this album is where they
arrived. Then began the slow descent into painful mediocrity, but let's not go
there! And who can forget the amazing cover art? Brilliantly detailed and mysterious.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The best songs? All of them. Though there are some (Mass Hypnosis, Lobotomy for example) I like more than the rest, discussing the songs individually is irrelevant. More importantly I can't be bothered to dissect every little detail that I like, because you should be doing that for yourself. This album is PURE THRASH. It makes no apologies for being so, and doesn't care if you don't approve because plenty of others do and always will. Though its not a From This Day Forward or a Time Does Not Heal, albums that show how far the boundaries of the genre can be pushed in various ways, I would go as far as to say this album represents the "conventional" heads down, all out thrash approach taken to its logical conclusion. All further attempts by anyone are, for all intents and purposes (minus a few worthy exceptions), a waste of time. I'm looking at you, modern retro thrash scene. You just won't top this. Stop trying. </span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span>SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-29633970772498514202013-08-13T09:26:00.000-07:002013-08-13T10:45:07.196-07:00Deicide - Legion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Deicide - Legion</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Death Metal</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1992 Roadrunner Records</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZiBVAyEWqqI-aEoQycqdu4gGgpJEikkD8kGlp8SADuALzpGu1QrRCczXJfOKp50CYlRiomyCxMi13kwI3QTRnMlMhe_IxnPyA_cSIwzAY1MwjbP1ZTHhkTWVJVChwlFaBKymJmJ7aMA/s1600/legion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZiBVAyEWqqI-aEoQycqdu4gGgpJEikkD8kGlp8SADuALzpGu1QrRCczXJfOKp50CYlRiomyCxMi13kwI3QTRnMlMhe_IxnPyA_cSIwzAY1MwjbP1ZTHhkTWVJVChwlFaBKymJmJ7aMA/s1600/legion.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<span id="myreview_review">Legion. In my opinion Deicide never made a
better album than this. They made a couple of decent ones afterwards,
but in my opinion this album is the zenith that they never reached
again. Especially when considering the joke they've become now with half
baked albums like "Til Death Do Us Part" that bored the hell out of me,
in a way it makes me appreciate this album even more. This is flawless,
supreme brutal death metal possessed of an unmatchable, furious and
primal energy. At just under half an hour in length, it doesn't outstay
its welcome either. The hilarious thing is, I heard they had to record
this one *twice* as the original version was *too fast*! I would love to
hear that version, languishing in some archive somewhere or potentially
lost forever. Then again, it could just be a myth..<br /><br />So what
makes Legion so good? Its basically the first album on steroids.
Everything that made the self titled so wickedly great is intensified
twice over here. The speed, the aggression, the atmosphere, everything.
After a creepy and somewhat humorous intro of bleating goats and
reversed speech, the first riff of Satan Spawn grabs you by the head and
slams you into the nearest hard surface. If you aren't fully sold by
this point, I suggest you give up now and move on to tamer things. This
one song may be the best Deicide song ever. On the whole album, the
riffs are catchy and brutal as hell. The drums are merciless as expected
from Steve. Glen's bass (though the rumour is he didn't actually play
it himself) is the best its ever been, nicely audible for a change and
delightfully revolting in tone, following the guitars but adding so much
by its mere presence. His vocals are also his best performance in my
opinion, you'd think he was a conduit for Lucifer himself! His lyrics
are also a damn sight better than they are now.<br /><br />The music is
probably the most complex this band ever created, its funny to watch
their devolution on the next album which, while by no means terrible,
sounds positively tired next to this one. They hardly play anything
from this live now, either. Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 are the strongest I
think. Fans of quality death metal cannot afford to miss out on this.
Don't let their later decline in quality fool you. At this stage in
their career, Deicide were a force to be reckoned with. This has been a
steadfast favourite of mine for many years now, and will be for years to
come.<br /><br />"Evil unwind...<br />Exit the womb, your life is mine."
</span>SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-3093244225985438602013-01-26T12:00:00.003-08:002013-01-27T09:00:04.315-08:00Cryptopsy - None So Vile<b>Album review: Cryptopsy - None So Vile</b><br />
<b>1996</b><br />
<b>Technical Death Metal </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG55BkuhINXEwGn7kYJcNVOvhngVLJlnLu2JEdNS_POrso7_O4qf5qmgfZg5hlNStjB_xbzjuL-Ug0pxzSRyVDrvCF6bOAaCa14r98fhDS3d-R1IFB3DsSwFi71LiflABuCjUYNeuv99M/s1600/1284711727_cryptopsy-none-so-vile-1996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG55BkuhINXEwGn7kYJcNVOvhngVLJlnLu2JEdNS_POrso7_O4qf5qmgfZg5hlNStjB_xbzjuL-Ug0pxzSRyVDrvCF6bOAaCa14r98fhDS3d-R1IFB3DsSwFi71LiflABuCjUYNeuv99M/s320/1284711727_cryptopsy-none-so-vile-1996.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my eyes, Cryptopsy’s second album is one of the defining
moments of its genre. Taking everything that made the debut so good, and
multiplying every aspect of it by two. NSV is one of the most brutal and
interesting albums out there. The production quality, speed and overall
intensity is massively improved over the debut and while the production
certainly is a lot cleaner it works in the album’s favour and is certainly
nowhere near as glossy and over-polished as a lot of modern tech death tends to
be, mostly to its own detriment in the eyes of many listeners. No, this album
will still blow your head clean off. Call it a happy medium.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ever insane sounding Lord Worm gives maybe his best
performance on this album. The guy sounds like a fucking rabid animal. I’ve
seen some opinions that his performance is too monotonous or gravelly, and I
have to disagree. He throws in all kinds of possessed noises and on the whole
just sounds fully evil. His lyrics are as usual very well written with a poetic
quality to them, disturbing and articulate as opposed to many standard Death
Metal lyrics. Sure they’re nasty and everything, but he does it with a flair
that is pretty uncommon to this style of music (he’s a teacher of English, somewhat
unsurprisingly). Jon Levasseur and Steve Thibault (who for some reason is not
credited, he left after this album) contribute some infectious riffing and soloing
with abstract and twisted structure and a keen sense of melody without being
anything near “melodic Death Metal”. Flo Mounier is as crazy behind the kit as
ever, using the hyperblasts a lot more on this album and doing some backing
screams to good effect. New bassist Eric Langlois is all over the place, a more
than worthy successor to the excellent bass player on the debut album. He uses
more a funk style and tone with some savage slap playing during the breakdowns
and is perfectly audible. For 1996 this is surely a serious benchmark
soundwise. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although most of their albums have something good to offer,
None So Vile is perhaps the highlight of this band’s work. Cryptopsy has always
been a musician’s band as well as a listener’s band and the musicianship on
display here is nothing short of seriously impressive. It may seem a bit crazy
and jarring if you’re unaccustomed to this kind of DM but personally I Iove this
kind of demented sounding music. Canada seems to be the wellspring of some of
the most crazy and fascinating music (these guys, Gorguts, early Kataklysm,
Purescence and Obliveon to name a few) in metal. What are they smoking?</div>
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-67998843486145097362012-09-21T12:24:00.001-07:002013-02-16T07:32:42.457-08:00Steve Roach - A Deeper Silence<b>Steve Roach - A Deeper Silence </b><br />
2008 Timeroom Editions<br />
Dark Ambient, soundscapes<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwegBWBlt9kp_1_LN1rxrtox7mXBOHEZKejZuOKcPp21_fpWEf_liJleHJiXYUf9C3FjUpLBsIzz0JfBG1GVVDT4ovG-gy7yqYTVkxmooT8qRWPm-yufmJT90LrLb_h83RybHzp6ALT8/s1600/a_deeper_silence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwegBWBlt9kp_1_LN1rxrtox7mXBOHEZKejZuOKcPp21_fpWEf_liJleHJiXYUf9C3FjUpLBsIzz0JfBG1GVVDT4ovG-gy7yqYTVkxmooT8qRWPm-yufmJT90LrLb_h83RybHzp6ALT8/s320/a_deeper_silence.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--> A Deeper Silence is an album I often find words to be unnecessary, or
even useless, to describe. It consists of a single 75 minute piece of
music that can best be described as truly ambient, in that it offers
itself as a fully immersive sound world to exist in just as much as a
piece of music to be listened to and appreciated. In my opinion it is
one of the greatest achievements in this genre, no suprise given that
Roach is regarded as a pioneer in the field thanks to classic works such
as the Quiet Music series and the brilliant Structures From Silence, of
which this feels like a companion piece in a way.<br /><br />Emerging
slowly from the speakers like a cosmic sigh, over the course of it's
long running time A Deeper Silence permeates the environment and
consumes it in a tranquil, yet subtly ominous and intense atmosphere
that transports the listener to the inner corridors of their mind, where
deep introspection and reflection are to be found should they be
sought. The sound is vast and timeless, as if it has always been echoing
in a distant corner of the universe ready to be channeled into a
listening experience. However, again I can't help but feel that no
amount of words, elaborate or otherwise, can fully do justice to the
effect of this otherworldly sound. It is something to be experienced at a
level beyond the limits of conventional communication. It is something
to drown your mind in. A piece like few others.<br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-16877525201741700802012-08-03T08:44:00.000-07:002012-08-03T08:44:03.892-07:00Peter Gabriel - Encore Series 2007 (23.06.07 London, UK)<b>Peter Gabriel - Encore Series 2007 (23.06.07 London, UK)</b><br />
"Official Bootleg", themusic.com<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-TrncIVZIUVYRNl1xQey8_ECWFKkPYKBOnXYmkqZfguM2ZqSb4naT97SvS3hkA3QOAkLdKhvogyqoWB-emZRrURE3mAnLffz2RGNT-3YMSDxGVp-xtl9-OM4bb6EdX3gJv8um3nJm5U/s1600/PG07_encore_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-TrncIVZIUVYRNl1xQey8_ECWFKkPYKBOnXYmkqZfguM2ZqSb4naT97SvS3hkA3QOAkLdKhvogyqoWB-emZRrURE3mAnLffz2RGNT-3YMSDxGVp-xtl9-OM4bb6EdX3gJv8um3nJm5U/s320/PG07_encore_cover.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The Encore Series. As an idea, this is just great. A soundboard
recording of all the individual shows from the tour released as a double
CD that you can buy. Really, this is the ultimate concert souvenir.
Peter Gabriel first released Encore Series albums for his Growing Up and
Still Growing Up tours in 2003/4, and then for 2007's Warm Up tour (and
then again for his 2009 shows). Presented in a double digipak sleeve
with artwork it does have a very "official" feel to it. The show in
question here is the one I attended, at the festival Hyde Park Calling
in June 2007. It was one of the greatest, if not *the* greatest concerts
I've ever seen and being a big PG nut it was just brilliant to be able
to see him live after waiting something like 13 years for the chance. <br /><br />The
"Warm Up" tour was a bit of a special one. Prior to the tour, PG posted
a big list of songs on his website that hadn't been played in a few
years (some not played since the early 90s, some going back even to the
early 80s) and allowed the fans to vote for the ones they wanted to hear
the most. The resulting set lists were then built around the results of
the voting. Take a look at the tracklist and you see oldskool titles
like "On The Air", "Intruder" and "I Don't Remember", all of which
feature on the 1983 "Plays Live" album and have most likely not been
played since then at all. "No Self Control" is performed as per the
original version, not the jazzed up version from the "So" tour and
onwards. "Lay Your Hands on Me" is a real nice suprise as is the more
obscure "Lovetown". Of course a selection of the usual hits are offered:
"Solsbury Hill", "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" as well as "Steam".
Along with "Blood of Eden" this is all that was heard from my favourite
"Us", as this was a festival show it was sadly trimmed down a little:
other concerts were lucky enough to get the amazing "Secret World" and
"Digging in the Dirt", but I can't complain really as I chose to go to
this and it wasn't the only UK date.<br /><br />Now to the sound. It's a
soundboard recording offering a good balance between band and crowd.
Professionally mixed, of course, so no worries there. The main point of
the Encore Series is its "warts and all" approach: this is not a
polished, edited "live" album: this is a LIVE album. All the mistakes
are included, and there are a few: PG occasionally messing up a line or
two, the noticeable off key intro to "Rhythm of the Heat"...but this is
forgivable in light of the really strong performances by the whole band
and my own personal bias, I should think. Its great to be able to
actually listen to this show and have a relic of it, given it was now 5
odd years ago I couldn't remember the details as much as I would have
liked and I was also suprised I could still even get the CD. A great thing to get if you were at one of the shows.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-80473205718405144042012-07-31T07:57:00.001-07:002012-07-31T07:57:49.907-07:00Pestilence - Spheres<b>Album review: Pestilence - Spheres (Roadrunner, 1993)</b><br />
Prog/ Metal<br />
<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYQP-8TZzkOqADYBPG_O0G3D6LzRVVD3TijdXfA2dQHgP-hhilFM4q62bpLPX62LDrk1B2oENuI4zZrrxUfb4RD1jP2eXJC_8eLq37kBr5f340rfzTXx5dCN3hRgdetleMcp82x-y7mA/s1600/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYQP-8TZzkOqADYBPG_O0G3D6LzRVVD3TijdXfA2dQHgP-hhilFM4q62bpLPX62LDrk1B2oENuI4zZrrxUfb4RD1jP2eXJC_8eLq37kBr5f340rfzTXx5dCN3hRgdetleMcp82x-y7mA/s1600/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Out of all this long lasting Dutch metal band's albums, this one is probably the most neglected.<b> </b>Listening to it I can understand why, despite the fact I find it underrated myself. This is supposed to be Pestilence's "jazz" album, while I don't think that is necessarily true its certainly their most wierd and experimental one. At the time of its release mainman Patrik Mameli had supposedly grown tired of the metal scene and its admittedly largely fickle audience, and become obsessed with Jazz virtuosos like Alan Holdsworth. Apparently, after he was first exposed to Holdsworth, Mameli stopped listening to all other music in an attempt to block out all outside influences. Contemporary reaction to "Spheres" was largely quite negative and Mameli later went as far to basically disown the album. Coming from the same year as a whole bunch of seminal albums in the same field ("The Erosion of Sanity", "Focus", "Elements" and "Individual Thought Patterns" being the most obvious choices) it isn't hard to understand how "Spheres" tends to get forgotten about.<br />
<br />
<br />
This is a shame, because "Spheres" is a really enjoyable album. I think calling it "jazz" though is a bit of a stretch. There's not really anything wierd going on with the rhythms and many of the riffs are quite straightforward, just put together really well. There are however a lot of unusual (for death metal) chords on display, and the spaced out soloing certainly adds to the overall vibe. Not to mention the fretless bass playing (courtesy of one Jeroen Paul Thesseling). The album also has a very odd production which, while appropriate for the music it does lack the impact and heaviness expected even from the most leftfield death metal. You'll notice this as soon as the album starts, its mostly the guitar tone which is very odd indeed...but not unfitting in the context of this album. There's also generous use of synths - no keyboards! the booklet hastens to add, instead all the sounds come from guitar synths the same way Cynic did on their debut.<br />
<br />
Similar to the previous album, "Spheres" is made up of tracks seperated by interludes, just not between every track like before...these include definite highlights of the album in Patrick Uterwijk's spacey "Voices From Within", Mameli's bizarre violin instrumental "Aurian Eyes", and Thesseling's moody bass solo "Phileas". Out of the main body of tracks I find "Multiple Beings" and the title track to be my favourites, and whichever one it is that reminds me of Sun Ra having a go at metal. As I've said this album is quite underrated, unfortunately due to the mostly negative reaction to this Pestilence split up afterwards for several years before deciding to reform and be more predictable and obedient on their less interesting comeback albums.<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-76027301080223197332012-07-20T10:38:00.004-07:002012-07-20T10:38:55.053-07:00The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland<b>Album review: The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland (WEA, 1987)</b><br />
Goth<br />
<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TZd_LEiYboPu_bd7qXTGqm75q6Bxovws20pJ8BnIPNh-HGTtc2SRZi9KzLP9p6T4nz5DVR20u-nHbzDwwbNBwwm-sIg1970JYH7Z2oDg3V4DoyE0aVeIT5VMI4V-nzRWneEzgwvAv8k/s1600/sisters_cover400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6TZd_LEiYboPu_bd7qXTGqm75q6Bxovws20pJ8BnIPNh-HGTtc2SRZi9KzLP9p6T4nz5DVR20u-nHbzDwwbNBwwm-sIg1970JYH7Z2oDg3V4DoyE0aVeIT5VMI4V-nzRWneEzgwvAv8k/s320/sisters_cover400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
Described by many as perhaps the quintessential 80s goth album, the second outing by The Sisters of Mercy offers a striking difference to their previous works. By this point the band of previous years had essentially been reduced to Andrew Eldritch and the drum machine known as "Dr. Avalanche". Accompanying him was the controversial Patricia Morrison, former Gun Club bassist (who supposedly played no actual bass on the album), the New York Choral Society, and a small selection of other guest session musicians. It comes as no suprise then, that Floodland is entirely a studio creation and no live dates were performed to support it (After their 1985 "farewell" show at The Royal Albert Hall, The Sisters didn't return to the stage at all until 1990) . <br />
<br />
This album is all about one thing: BIG and BOMBASTIC songs with production values to match. Eldritch teams up with Meatloaf producer Jim Steinman on the singles "Dominion/ Mother Russia" and "This Corrosion". The first opens the album and will tell you everything you need to know about it: it is at once silly and glorious. Gloriously silly. BIG 80s sounding drums and reverbs abound as well as saxophones and brilliantly pompous vocals and synths. "This Corrosion" on the other hand, would be great if it didn't take around 11 minutes to make its point. I like long songs, but there's only so much of this one I can personally take now. The other "hit" track from this album is of course "Lucretia", driven by a propulsive (and programmed) bassline and yet more big choruses. Now that those tracks have been dealt with, we can turn our attention to the real strengths of this album, the non hit single tracks. These include the duo of the sinister "Flood I" and its absolutely MASSIVE sounding partner "Flood II", and "Driven Like the Snow" which after all the times I've heard it never fails to hit me where it hurts the most. The piano/vocal ballad "1959" I can take or leave depending on my mood, while "Never Land" finishes the album on a magnificently creepy and ambiguous note.<br />
<br />
Andrew Eldritch has always been a fine songwriter and on parts of this album he really proves his worth, perhaps more than ever. Especially in the lyrical department, but the hooks and arrangements are no less epic and powerful. With all the overblown attitude surrounding this album I admit I sometimes forget just how great it really is. One of my favourite albums ever, in fact. The reissue of it is well worth picking up, as along with the obligatory B-sides ("Torch" and "Colours") you get the "full" (and apparently fake) 10 minute version of "Never Land" and perhaps the finest possible example of The Sisters doing a cover that completely destroys the original in every way as they always do so well: an amazing version of Hot Chocolate's "Emma", recorded before the original lineup split. Despite their current state of near non existence (regular touring yet no new releases since 1993), The Sisters of Mercy were at the top of their game in the mid-late 80s and there's no better testimony to that than "Floodland".SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-76725490661101162192012-07-18T07:51:00.001-07:002012-07-18T07:51:51.958-07:00Ulver - Vargnatt<b>Album review: Ulver - Vargnatt (demo, 1993)</b><br />
Folk/ Black Metal<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHqOWSF4M8hZe_8gBvYF2lwUQ0B4CSovHNe4kedFiN-v5Y23YblirNIWOL15Aya2tFdR8fCsMfIkl1OjoHelsBzp1cad0fcDQ9kwX_Aq5hftRcRTFRA5Q_gR2aCRwKbpAY0EZRXXXJeg/s1600/4191721294305797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLHqOWSF4M8hZe_8gBvYF2lwUQ0B4CSovHNe4kedFiN-v5Y23YblirNIWOL15Aya2tFdR8fCsMfIkl1OjoHelsBzp1cad0fcDQ9kwX_Aq5hftRcRTFRA5Q_gR2aCRwKbpAY0EZRXXXJeg/s320/4191721294305797.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Norway's Ulver is a chameleon. A band that certainly never made the same album twice and has taken in all manner of sounds in their long career, from their early raw folk/ black metal to glitch, ambient and trip hop until their most recent album this year consisting of covers of 60s psychedelic rock like The Byrds and The Electric Prunes. Obviously there are the purist fans who prefer the early Black Metal days, specifically the reknowned "Nattens Madrigal" album (the supposed "rawest album ever", thought really not at all, and its rawness is very contrived and artificial despite how great an album it is) and dismiss the later material for simply not being old Ulver. I admit I too prefer the early albums though I enjoy a selection of their later works ("Silencing the Singing" comes to mind). This review takes a look at their earliest recording, the "Vargnatt" demo.<br />
<br />
This is a wierd piece of music. It doesn't really resemble the debut album "Bergtatt" despite preceding it directly, although you can see how they would go on to create that album after listening to this. There is more of a crusty feel to some of this that reminds me of early Darkthrone ("A Blaze...") along with some very unusual and avant-garde aspects. The riffing is just plain wierd, dreamy and wonderful. There are folky acoustic passages, and VERY goth sounding clean electric guitars accompanying the fuzzy black metal parts. The bass is pronounced and never dull. Drums are handled by none other than Carl Michael Elde of Ved Buens Ende, which perhaps explains this album sounding more than a little like VBE in places, he performs some very interesting beats on this recording. Garm's vocals here are very strange, a raspy shout paired up with falsetto singing that sounds suspiciously like Morrissey in places. These vocals may be the thing that make or break this demo for you, I happen to quite like them.<br />
<br />
Also, being that this is a demo the production quality may turn you off a lot too. I don't have a problem with it myself, the guitars are a little bit "fizzy" on the distorted parts but aside from that the clean guitars sound lush and the rest of the instruments are well balanced. I think this is very well recorded for a demo from this period, a recent reissue by the killer Greek label Kyrck Productions (who have also reissued the other essential wierd Norwegian BM demos by Ved Buens Ende and In The Woods...) has cleaned it up more removed the heavy tape noise which can also turn many potential listeners away. This is a wierd, wonderful and unique recording.<br />
<br />
<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-80685453015981836322012-07-17T05:22:00.003-07:002012-07-31T07:58:28.867-07:00Mortiis - Keiser av en Dimension Ukjent<b>Album review: Mortiis - Keiser av en Dimension Ukjent</b> <b>(Cold Meat Industry, 1995)</b><br />
Darkwave/ ambient<br />
<b> </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO_JrPSL-KTgEKCdlYt31KcLpTtSlj3irS36w2ou_UkUIm09u-Ew1D63gDkeNNpqNSaeaPpjQzRsB9_r4swBgGrU70DLMr7m9nzwhQMewjPJVEFVY-rMNXFEgiw6_Q5Soxg2zaa9bFY0/s1600/ukjent.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWO_JrPSL-KTgEKCdlYt31KcLpTtSlj3irS36w2ou_UkUIm09u-Ew1D63gDkeNNpqNSaeaPpjQzRsB9_r4swBgGrU70DLMr7m9nzwhQMewjPJVEFVY-rMNXFEgiw6_Q5Soxg2zaa9bFY0/s320/ukjent.jpeg" width="318" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
Any listener of Black Metal will surely be aware of our friend Mortiis and his prosthetic troll nose. he played bass on early Emperor recordings before starting his own solo project about as far away from BM as you can get in terms of sound, but in terms of atmosphere it isn't as detatched as you might think. This is my favourite Mortiis album and I think the last of what is known as "Era 1" - the "dungeon synth" style he created (along with acts like Wongraven from Satyricon's frontman Satyr), before Mortiis albums became more streamlined and based on individual songs ("The Stargate" and so on) and before he tragically slipped and fell into Marilyn Manson's ass. Or something.<br />
<br />
Early Mortiis is all about loooong compositions devoted to transporting your mind away from this world and into his. There are two songs on this album and they're both over 20 minutes in length. They consist of passages of sorrowful and triumphant melodies, classically inspired perhaps. There is also spoken word and some chanting from the troll himself. The sound of the album is heavily MIDI based, think slightly cheesy mid 90s sampling keyboard patches and you're pretty much on the mark. Yes the album does have that very "dated" sound and there may be one or two rather cheesy sounds in there, does this damage it? I think not, if anything it further enhances the atmosphere of which there is plenty (this is no "Daudi Baldrs" believe me, and even then I can find some saving graces in that mostly hated album). The construction and ambience of the pieces is just brilliant.<br />
<br />
Right from the beginning this music will conjure up images of desolate landscapes, ruins and forgotten memories. Or something along those lines. As it is basically ambient music I imagine it makes good background sound for reading, I personally like to just stick it on and lose my head in it. This guy clearly had a vision at this time and on an album like this, its a great thing to behold.<br />
<br />
<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-40228206176731046682012-07-13T06:38:00.001-07:002012-07-18T13:45:01.396-07:00Death - Individual Thought Patterns<b>Album review: Death - Individual Thought Patterns (Roadrunner, 1993)</b><br />
Tech death/ speed metal<b> </b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19EtcPDZt9ec-XJCaSTPZUiD7rJZ57epsoBnhULiSPNDt14_xunhZfRYSJoMEU0F_VlrOP5sz03JQVbzEI0ASCEQ7G7zT4PMC0k946IpynKeG3Jdiq71KkBXHOEVw-31cHooWG9LQKdk/s1600/613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19EtcPDZt9ec-XJCaSTPZUiD7rJZ57epsoBnhULiSPNDt14_xunhZfRYSJoMEU0F_VlrOP5sz03JQVbzEI0ASCEQ7G7zT4PMC0k946IpynKeG3Jdiq71KkBXHOEVw-31cHooWG9LQKdk/s320/613.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Behind the eyes, is a place nobody will be able to touch</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Containing thoughts, that cannot be taken away or replaced" </i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Time to discuss my other favourite Death album, the one constantly fighting "Human" for the top spot in my head. They're both completely different but to my mind represent the very best of Death's discography. Instead of further developing the sound of "Human", Chuck goes off on a new tangent while retaining some similar features. Yet another lineup change is the most obvious one: the Cynic guys are gone, but bass mastermind Steve DiGiorgio is still here (and you can hear him! Thank fuck!) along with Dark Angel drumming maniac Gene Hoglan and guitarist Andy Laroque of King Diamond. The whole vibe of the album is noticeably different: the production is noticeably thinner all around than "Human". That album's extensive passages of bass heavy mechanical grinding are replaced with much more thrashy and melodic playing (starting to become almost not death metal at this point). The songs themselves utilize a bit less repetition and their lengths are also somewhat trimmed down to reflect this. The tracks flow together in a very organic way and they are all highly memorable.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Chucks lyric's are as sharp and on point as ever, this album is full of some of the best ones he wrote IMO. The riffing is still pretty techy, but more speedy and melodic. Laroque's more flamboyant and blatantly melodic lead playing provides a great contrast to Schuldiner's classic Death style solos. Gene Hoglan is at once all over the place and tight as hell, really a worthy successor to Sean Reinert. Steve Digiorgio, after being criminally buried on the original version of "Human", is here given a huge deal more volume and you can hear his bass lines prancing alongside the guitars providing audacious counterpoint at many moments (the breakdown in the title track is a good example, it almost cracks me up from how wacky it is). His tone and playing should be the envy of every aspiring metal bassist, the guy is and always has been perhaps the greatest bass player in metal and a big inspiration in a genre where the instrument is often a bit neglected.<br />
<br />
Overall while it shows Chuck's songwriting and music beginning to move away more obviously from the death metal of the previous albums, "Thought Patterns" shows even more progression from a band that never made the same album twice, even in the early days. And of course, this is the album that featured "The Philosopher", a favourite of all Death fans. Essential!<br />
<br />
(A note on the recent remix/remaster by Relapse: Don't bother. They did an admirable job remixing "Human" but they completely screwed this one up and ruined the sound of the album completely. The mix sounds too mushy and all the reverb on the vocals and leads has been rather stupidly taken off. The only benefit is a full live show from 1993 on the 2nd disc, which is well worth checking out. On Spotify. For free.)</div>SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-42521876741324416832012-06-25T14:41:00.004-07:002012-06-25T14:41:47.705-07:00Katatonia - Night Is The New Day<b>Album review: Katatonia - Night Is The New Day (Peaceville, 2009)</b><br />
Dark Rock/ Metal<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu84H3ecpR1s_fdz9QUHdV6EO1631BNX4Z39dWl8_0jU2a2RrRQHjYLszPuR7pCimdbC4YSX7MY9KRsdh72QzLqkprlt_QqYB7Q5MveVaBNZY4e8ZaDguBZFFtUpj6M1NousCXdYWq-aQ/s1600/NEWS1aec5e817bf864047af61d20979ad9af.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu84H3ecpR1s_fdz9QUHdV6EO1631BNX4Z39dWl8_0jU2a2RrRQHjYLszPuR7pCimdbC4YSX7MY9KRsdh72QzLqkprlt_QqYB7Q5MveVaBNZY4e8ZaDguBZFFtUpj6M1NousCXdYWq-aQ/s320/NEWS1aec5e817bf864047af61d20979ad9af.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Something new now, as I review an album I don't actually think is that great, Katatonia's most recent studio effort "Night is the New Day".<br />
<br />
Given that their new album is now right around the corner (after the obligatory 3 year wait), I figured I may as well offer my thoughts on this one from one of my very favourite bands which I just haven't been sure about since I went out to buy it the week it was released (the last time I actually did that, too). It was just a shame that the first new album by them since I got into them managed to pretty much disappoint me, especially given the hype that surrounded it...you know, all the predictable "its their best yet!!!" press spiel. Mikael Akerfeldt's quote on the sticker attached to the CD case is especially hilarious in retrospect. The promise was all there: an expansion of the previous record while at the same time adding diversity to the sound...but as usual the sales pitch doesn't quite match the product, at least in my view.<br />
<br />
First, what I do think is good: the production is very smooth, definitely their cleanest yet, but its full of texture and very atmospheric. They've also upped the synths on this, very noticeable in "The Longest Year" with the pulsing arpeggios which are nice. My main issue with NITND is this: it's too anemic. It just lacks energy. I know thats fairly accurate of feeling depressed, but something about the more energetic songs on The Great Cold Distance, Viva Emptiness and earlier just gives them so much more appeal. They're dynamic and multifaceted. NITND however, seems content to drift through its duration. They already perfected the sleep-like and simultaneously apathetic/ intense emotional qualities of depression on the amazing "Discouraged Ones" album about 10 years earlier.<br />
<br />
When the album was announced, I had hoped for a continuation of the sound hinted at on "Unfurl". I thought it would have been interesting if they made an entirely down tempo electronica album, as that song was just so stupidly good and the whole thing worked really well. In a way that's what they did, but most of it doesn't measure up to that. Sure, the album is loaded with synths and programmed beats, but I can't help but feel that it falls flat. It just didn't impress me that much, and it still doesn't. They've still got the downtuned chugging thing going on, but a lot of the riffs just aren't that good... they're just there, plodding away for the sake of it at the same pretty low tempo (compared to the frantic opening to "Increase", for example). Another problem: "Idle Blood"....no. You are not Opeth. This is not what I want to hear. A very tedious song I'm afraid. The first single "Day and then the Shade" is also memorable for the AWFUL music video that accompanied it. Enough said about that one.<br />
<br />
There's also a distinct lack of Anders' leads on this album, they had announced they were suffering from some "writer's block" a while before this album came out which I think is probably the real explanation as to why NITND seems to want to accomplish so much, but in reality falls somewhat flat. A handful of the tracks are pretty good ("Forsaker", "The Longest Year",
"Liberation" and "The Promise of Deceit" would be my picks), but on the whole I can't bring myself to rate this as high as I do a lot of their others from the debut up to TGCD. Its grown on me a little over time but even now I'm still not sure. Thankfully, the recent preview of 2012's "Dead End Kings" (out August 27th) sounds as though it will improve on this quite a lot.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-75027608091200536582012-06-18T11:40:00.000-07:002012-06-18T11:40:07.598-07:00Krieg - Destruction Ritual<b>Album review: Krieg - Destruction Ritual (Redstream, 2001)</b><br />
Black Metal<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxbpYKaAFzTWwySAvojqMvetDBud7ZTEvjqwAa2KL2pz8vfe7XrJ-fdECwNDDwCVP8UZgPY1j3nbjLY6Q95BDMfbOATrj9S9QdE0LXPqIInqvSmOdbLx1QXw605poXhhdtJM-vJJLwW8/s1600/70043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQxbpYKaAFzTWwySAvojqMvetDBud7ZTEvjqwAa2KL2pz8vfe7XrJ-fdECwNDDwCVP8UZgPY1j3nbjLY6Q95BDMfbOATrj9S9QdE0LXPqIInqvSmOdbLx1QXw605poXhhdtJM-vJJLwW8/s1600/70043.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"...Stop killing the dead. They're mine. If you don't want the dead coming back to life, why don't you just kill the living...shoot them in the head...are you listening to me?"</i></div>
<br />
One of an extremely small number of good things to come out of New Jersey, Krieg (alongside other pioneers Judas Iscariot, I Shalt Become and others) is one of America's premier Black Metal assaults. Lord Imperial showed great growth and development as a songwriter and musician across 5 or 6 main releases, but the primary focus of the earlier Krieg albums is an unrelenting sonic attack: pure hatred in musical form. "Destruction Ritual" is, I feel, the best example of this. It comes across mostly as a maelstrom of (strangely well produced) noise, bass non existent and guitars largely inaudible underneath the hurricane of blastbeats and manic screaming vocals. You're not meant to think of it as a group of seperate songs with features of their own as such (although there is plenty to distinguish the individual tracks even to the untrained ear), more like a singular mood soundtrack to being incredibly pissed off. That's my view, anyway.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the music, the playing is tight as hell, actually. The drumming is very focused and pummeling, not sloppy as is normally associated with more raw BM outfits. The vocals are some of my absolute favourite ever in this genre, Imperial is just insane and passionate behind the mic on this one without sounding too silly like some more extreme vocalists sometimes do. The guitars buzz away frantically beneath, some riffs are occasionally detectable if you pay close attention, and there are clean parts that stand out fine, obviously. You may want to listen to this on a decent soundsystem to be able to pick out much detail. There aren't any lyrics to be read in the booklet, occasionally you can pick out some lines that sound great to me ("When I stop to cut myself, I crumble into dust..."). Samples of spoken word are used effectively, to open the album (the quote above) and at other times during some of the interludes across the disc (e.g the brilliant monologue from the end of "American Psycho" in "Suicide Amidst Katharsis").<br />
<br />
This is an album that can only really be fully appreciated when the listener is in the right mood, as is the case with a fair bit of black metal. When you are, I find it to be one of the most effective forms of aural stress relief there is. Being from NJ, it doesn't suprise me how pissed off Imperial sounds on this album. I wonder what he thinks of this twat?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8-F29NVwzjOklcMQ26Wso8pOCfWltmOfanuIKWh27Y0SI4E3vnkjBPIAWUJNWMKNdjgD0tdiTyaiI_4BZAp7ko8NiBGwI5msdeOLk2iL8Sbj84lgRWts-k5dT5UsshDQdJTBjv7TQ34/s1600/8754ecd68bc5a2b5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8-F29NVwzjOklcMQ26Wso8pOCfWltmOfanuIKWh27Y0SI4E3vnkjBPIAWUJNWMKNdjgD0tdiTyaiI_4BZAp7ko8NiBGwI5msdeOLk2iL8Sbj84lgRWts-k5dT5UsshDQdJTBjv7TQ34/s320/8754ecd68bc5a2b5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-88292329758960716402012-06-17T07:52:00.001-07:002012-06-17T07:52:47.674-07:00King Crimson - Discipline<b>Album review: King Crimson - Discipline (E'G, 1981)</b><br />
Prog/ Art Rock<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jrv8s99FJz9_EthtJ-YwjiCFfEqPrkjbx2YolukH3YBCiXwp3VOMx-GHL1ez4EO38Z0HkGN1qaZj_xi4d1KegmOoRebJ4ixe7fGS75phAUyXdJRmCjVqvrjudLrWSkPkAaxV68P5AuU/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jrv8s99FJz9_EthtJ-YwjiCFfEqPrkjbx2YolukH3YBCiXwp3VOMx-GHL1ez4EO38Z0HkGN1qaZj_xi4d1KegmOoRebJ4ixe7fGS75phAUyXdJRmCjVqvrjudLrWSkPkAaxV68P5AuU/s320/front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Discipline is never and end in itself, only a means to an end."</i><br />
</div>
<br />
Although it'd be far too easy, and not at all representative, I could easily sum up this album with just one sentence: "Tony Levin on bass". That alone should have you sold already, never mind the rest...and who are they? Robert Fripp on guitar? Adrian Belew on guitar/vocals? Bill Bruford on drums? That's quite a line up, definitely one for the musicians out there, and believe me these guys certainly do NOT mess around. "Discipline" is the first album of a radically re-invented King Crimson for the 1980s, shedding their 70s Prog trappings for a more concise, yet no less technically stunning approach. Indeed this is one of the few 80s Prog albums that doesn't succumb to the hit and miss "Prog Lite" style that bands like Genesis and Yes began purveying around the same time to mixed, sometimes thoroughly depressing results. There is a strong influence from the likes of Peter Gabriel and most notably, Talking Heads (singer Adrian Belew sounds comparable to David Byrne). A smart blend of Postpunk and Art Rock, cerebral yet catchy and with almost pop sensibilities? Sign me up.<br />
<br />
Right from the opening of the first song, you should have an idea of what you're letting yourself in for, insanely dextrous and propulsive Stick playing from T. Levin and Bruford's equally impressive drumming, provide the groundwork for Belew's bizarre wailing guitar noises and jangly chords (JC120 + Polychorus = TONE!) and Fripp's otherworldly "Frippertronics" style of playing and standard (for him) fretboard arobatics, the two guitarists providing more than enough moments of frantic, interlocking madness across the album's seven tracks. The opening of "Frame By Frame" is perhaps the best example of this, listen and be duly stunned...and there really is some great songwriting going on here, to back up the obvious skill of the musicians. They slow things down a bit on the more ballad-like "Matte Kudasai" and the meandering psychedelia of "The Sheltering Sky". "Indiscipline" is a fractured stab of tension and paranoia, its title track counterpart being more bouncy and relaxed. The bizarre monologue going on during "Thela Hun Ginjeet" ("What dangerous place? What gun? You're a policeman!"), apparently Adrian Belew's recounting of being mugged by Rastas on a field recording trip to Brixton, adds some humour to the brew of musical fireworks. Really, if this isn't one of THE ultimate albums of the early 1980s then I don't know what is. Remember, it *is* Prog so it is very technical and there is a lot going on, so "attentive listening" might be required to catch all the details and make sense of it all (it may also just need to grow on you over time). Otherwise it might come across as "too wierd", but what are you doing listening to KC, or music at all, if that's your attitude? <br />
<br />
I own the 30th Anniversary Edition of this album from 2004, a 24 bit remaster done by Robert Fripp which sounds great, clear and not overly loud or compressed in the slightest. There's also a bonus track (an alternate version of "Matte Kudasai"). There is a more recent 2 disc edition (from the "40th Anniversary Series") which features more bonus tracks, different mixes and surround sound DVD audio. The original record already had killer production, so you can't go far wrong whichever one you pick.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-24993499102433032962012-06-11T11:47:00.001-07:002012-06-11T11:47:13.596-07:00Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age of Wireless<b>Album review: Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age of Wireless (Venice in Peril/EMI, 1982)</b><br />
New Wave/ Synth pop<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnAUjnkSKRjibXEMTpS3CPVNCTuVbIt6x95yWLIA5_uInpzkuzw9Y0OjF8IRF_c5JjfUVsEdwPwTsWNPXBT1QifWeSiBM2UiTZ2fpFzLs0gY56JAUyOb8qNVdFRVxD3ZNL9RvSpT8_oo/s1600/28926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnAUjnkSKRjibXEMTpS3CPVNCTuVbIt6x95yWLIA5_uInpzkuzw9Y0OjF8IRF_c5JjfUVsEdwPwTsWNPXBT1QifWeSiBM2UiTZ2fpFzLs0gY56JAUyOb8qNVdFRVxD3ZNL9RvSpT8_oo/s320/28926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is, simply put, the best damn synth pop album ever. Yeah, seriously. Thomas Dolby has always been an underrated talent, besides that one overplayed song about SCIENCE! that everyone and their unborn child has heard 500 times already....its a good song, but his real skill as a songwriter and sound designer has always been sadly neglected IMO, and his influence is further reaching than many people realise. He has become something of a figurehead in technology also, giving regular talks at the TED conferences and designing the synth engine behind every mobile phone ringtone ever. He released a few albums and worked as a producer up until the early 90s before dropping out of the music business for a while, before resurfacing in the last few years with a live album ("The Sole Inhabitant", 2006) that most certainly proves he still has it, and a brand new studio album in 2011.<br />
<br />
During the early 80s he released this, the first album of his signature moody and cinematic music, characteristics not normally found in a lot of synth pop of the time which was largely one dimensional and overly saccharine. Along with other crucial artists of the time such as Peter Gabriel, John Foxx and others, Dolby showed just what could really be done with synthesizers in a more pop setting, creating many brilliant sounds and textures as a backdrop for his emotive singing. There are also plenty of live guitars, bass and piano to reassure any rockist fools who run for the hills at the first sign of a synth and miss out on a whole other spectrum of sounds. There is such a variety of sounds and moods on display on this album, from the soaring opener "Flying North" through to a fun attempt at synth ska on "The Wreck of the Fairchild", more of a bouncy pop feel on "Radio Silence" and "Europa", the enormous sounding "Windpower" and the simply gorgeous "Airwaves". "She Blinded Me With Science" is included on some later editions, thankfully the latest and very well done remaster restores the original, "proper" tracklist without that song as part of the main album, instead moving it to a bonus track where it works better. Like I said, its good, but detracts too much from the other tracks on the album, any of which could destroy "Science" with their hands tied.<br />
<br />
Very few other albums I've heard, especially in this field, are as consistently excellent as this. The only thing missing is the full length, 7 minute extended version of "One of Our Submarines", which is a strong contender for the single greatest synth track ever made, but it works just as well as its own separate thing. The aforementioned 2009 re-issue also includes the fantastic "Live Wireless" concert film from 1983, something I had never seen before. It features most of this album's tracks and a whole bunch of others performed brilliantly by TD and his backing band alongside some quirky visuals and props and makes this version of the album absolutely worthwhile. Essential for any fan of powerful, inventive synth music.<br />
<br />
<br />SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7633464091336985408.post-74794305782589884812012-06-06T06:35:00.001-07:002012-06-06T09:01:16.610-07:00Thergothon - Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth<b>Album review: Thergothon - Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth (demo, 1991)</b><br />
Funeral Doom<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN34taStX2LtMiAhJCcMyN4qNRdqFoPSAT2ju0yKCGVAxqOFuoGn9YLdyRxHFG1vTwEEyySuG34V5djhJq-GZqCwKr1F7J1eN5BcJAis-f9l-rd0TwuE9UiNJzQYlj_5I_syu23bjiAfk/s1600/109182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN34taStX2LtMiAhJCcMyN4qNRdqFoPSAT2ju0yKCGVAxqOFuoGn9YLdyRxHFG1vTwEEyySuG34V5djhJq-GZqCwKr1F7J1eN5BcJAis-f9l-rd0TwuE9UiNJzQYlj_5I_syu23bjiAfk/s320/109182.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
Its a strangely appropriate thing that this Finnish band, who effectively invented the sound now known as "Funeral Doom" (alongside a small handful of other bands from the same country, namely Unholy and Skepticism), which has sadly become somewhat watered down and predictable over the years as great ideas often do, managed to give birth to and violently abort their own creation at the same time with this almost unbelievable piece of pure aural blackness. With their demo, Thergothon created what I think is the greatest funeral doom recording ever made, and although there are plenty of other worthwhile recordings out there (their own debut album for instance) I still think that this demo is essentially the single most effective one.<br />
<br />
Taking the already somewhat established idea of death metal riffs slowed down to a crawl and injected with sorrow filled melodies, this demo adds a huge cavernous ambience and heavy flanging effects on most of the sounds for a truly creepy, otherwordly feel. The final ingredient is one of the most bizarre, inhuman vocal sounds I've ever heard. Other bands pioneered this sound around the same time with their own unique approaches (Skepticism's church organ fueled funeral procession, Unholy's deranged psychedelia etc) but nothing else I've heard really compares to this. Although only four tracks long, all but the last are over six minutes so it doesn't feel too short despite being just a demo. The production is just great, the drums sound as if they are being played in a huge cavern underneath some terrible Lovecraftian ocean and the guitar sound is just sinister as hell. The added effect of heavy tape saturation on some available versions (mostly downloadable) does add to the atmosphere, later re-issues cleaned it up slightly but it still has the demo quality "tape" sound that gives it character and actually sounds quite good for a demo.<br />
<br />
Every band out there calling itself "Funeral Doom" of the last 20-odd years owes its sound to "Fhtagn nagh Yog-Sothoth", and there's a solid bet that almost none of them are anywhere near as good as this.SoundsofDecayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01106398418358243834noreply@blogger.com0