So now you can take what you need….Enormity.

I’m not ashamed to do a little “close to home” and personal plugging here on my seldom read blog.  If nothing else, it will serve as a record in time of something I have wholeheartedly believed in and had the honor of watching grow and bring irreplaceable enthrallment to anyone whose attended a show…

It’s my pleasure to introduce everyone (those who have escaped my eager wrath of sharing) to some dear friends of mine who have just released their anticipated first EP.  These guys are Enormity folks and to quote their own “About Me” section on their official Facebook page:

“During the Fall of 2009, Mr. Gecowets and Mr. Scarazzo decided they needed to find a permanent drumming solution for some material they had been writing together for the past couple months. Shortly after, they came across a flyer put up by Mr. Roehrig, citing a grand majority of the heavy duty influences you see to the right( Metallica, Pink Floyd, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Tool, ISIS, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Down, Opeth, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Stone Temple Pilots, King Crimson, Mr. Bungle, Rush, Type O Negative, Black Sabbath, and many many more.) The two gave him a call, they spoke, and they all met up a couple days later for the first time. The first jam was cut short by an irritable prick, but it was enough for them all to know the chemistry would flow with a little time. Throughout the following year, they would slowly shape their art and choose its title – Enormity.”

Their EP is four tracks, running around half an hour and deserves to reach far beyond the reaches of Nashville, Tennessee.  Enormity has a message to spread that is as large in scale as their sound, stage presence, influences, and talent. I could sit here and rattle off about these guys in as much length and detail as the bands I’ve written about in the past however I will let the music speak for itself with utter confidence that you won’t require any more from me.

(http://enormity.bandcamp.com/)

“In his silence the storm corrodes…”

At long last, the highly anticipated and prematurely scrutinized (don’t you dare call it a “super group” collaboration) release of Storm Corrosion’s first and self titled album dropped yesterday and if you were as lucky as I was, you purchased (or knew someone who purchased) the pre-order and couldn’t wait for the journey.  A new ritual for myself is a bottle of wine, incense, and a notebook for jotting down first impressions- this listening experience was no different and all the while more different than I could have ever conjured up.  The album contains 6 darkening, maddening, fairy tale tracks and half way through, I jotted down the following thought:

“Despite both established and gifted musicians well in the venture of their soaring legacies; this album stands on its own and is identifiable purely based on taste and familiar voices.  A heart wrenching, thought provoking gem.”

I stand by this thought until the very last moment of this experimental, multi-derived influence album.  Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have pulled from a vast and immense love of classics and given this seemingly “throw back” album a very impressive and fresh approach.  You can always decipher whether it’s Wilson or Åkerfeldt gracing your ears on the album as their personal influence is easily distinguished.  It is entirely too difficult for me to choose a favorite thus far as we’re only given 6 tracks to choose from and each of those contain enthusiastic and swooning descriptions in my notebook.

The first track, “Drag Ropes” –which I witnessed the music video for, prior to hearing the album– cannot be heard without visualizing the video.  I think this is because in my opinion it did a phenomenal job in depicting the haunting story-telling taking place in this track.  I’m in love with the vocal melody “Lies are manifold and the truth can now be told.” I love the bass that follows this fantastic vocal play almost as much.  When I sat down to listen to this album for the first time, I was hearing it on vinyl.   “Drag Ropes” ending is also the end of Side 1 of the 2 disc vinyl collection.  I found this oddly delightful!  There is something indescribably satisfying about the rotating, static, sound right before the record player pin releases from a vinyl.  You get to experience this simple bliss multiple times before your Storm Corrosion journey comes to a close.  2 discs, 6 songs… Just think about it.

The second track, appropriately titled “Storm Corrosion” is presented to you— on side 2, track 1 and only (oh yes!)—with storm sounds before acoustics that give one an angelic harp-feel.  Wilson is the first vocals heard as opposed to in “Drag Ropes” you hear Åkerfeldt.  This track brought me to a place of unwavering thought, and reflection of experience.  Wilson’s vocals are almost painfully beautiful and pull you down into a buzzing rhythmic hollow that is somewhat nightmarish and distant right before the final verse “passed on the second hand slips outwards…” My mind channeled Silent Hill and ideas of eyes flickering before awaking…

The third track, “Hag” (Track 1, Side 1, Disc 2- oh so fun!) mere seconds into the song, I wrote down the following prediction: aggressive.  Maybe the title was subliminal for me?  Either way I vindicated later on… First things first I must note how I adore Wilson’s deep breath/sighing vocal style throughout this track.  It’s mesmerizing and very fitting here.  There is also a nice bass stroll, Mikael’s guitars are very apparent, and the old sitcom TV laughter is a nice touch before the lyric, “a corner of the churchyard.”  Then it hits, organ aggression splendor accompanied by bass and distant drum rolls.  This track is deliciously evil right up to the ingenious ending of TV laughs right before the word “silence.”  Very clever.

The fourth track, “Happy” (Track 2, Side 1, Disc 2) contains the classic Wilson “da” and “la” and speaks nothing of the title; not that I was expecting Beach Boys.  It became more clear to me on this track that I would be getting several Silent Hill vibes as there are many musical surprises and jumps.  A taunting, teasing, devilish affair.  Truly “twisted beautiful” as described on Storm Corrosion’s Facebook under “genre.”

The fifth track, “Lock Howl” (Track 3, Side 1, Disc 2) is an instrumental with blood rising tempos and a cheery perilous.  I’m digging the clap sounds, shuffling guitars, and attitude that closes with the voice heard saying, “yeah” before it’s time to change the disc for the final time and final track….

The sixth track, “Ljudet Innan” (Track 1, Side 2, Disc 2)  The first thing I wrote was “King Crimson?”  And then I jotted down, “Most unique track.”  Quite a surprise with the entire style and feel.  Mikael’s vocals had every nerve in my body on ends (in a good way) and led me into a world beyond our own. Wilson’s vocals are lovelorn and shivery.  I had to know what “Ljudet Innan” meant and found it translates into “ancient music” in Swedish.  If this is true, where’s my DeLorean time machine?

If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out the interviews/ Q&A’s with both Mikael and Steven discussing this harrowing, pleasing record.

(http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/artist/Storm+Corrosion)

I wish I had a better way of aggregating this work of art, but alas I shall guide you to someone who can undoubtedly do this better than I could ever hope to…

“Do not make music or art to please other people. We just got together and it poured out of us. With this record you’re entering into a very unusual and unfamiliar sonic universe and that’s a very exciting thing to be part of.”-Steven Wilson

3rd Time, deserves a charm…

“I think that the whole beauty of making music is that it’s kind of unpredictable.  We don’t have any boundaries of how complex or straight-forward a song will be.  It all comes out naturally when we get together and arrange songs.  It’s really all about what’s best for the song in general.“

– Christian Netzell (drummer) of In Mourning.  (Taken from an interview by El Greco with http://www.stormbringer.at/)

I’m more than delighted to be doing a review for a band that I’ve been supporting the past couple years now, In Mourning of Falun/Vansboro, Sweden.  This band made up of  two previous October Tide members: Tobias Netzell  (vocals, guitar) and Pierre Stam (bass) along with Tobias’s brother Christian Netzell(quoted above) have been active since the year 2000 where they first released several demos before undergoing some tweaks in both their musical direction and line-up.

In 2005, 2 new guitarist joined:  Björn Pettersson and Tim Nedergård to aid the band’s progression from their initial goth inspired roots into what Christian now describes as “melodic, melancholic, and progressive metal.”  In 2008 the band released their well acclaimed first full-length album Shrouded Divine, followed in 2010 by Monolith.

I recall the first track I ever heard from In Mourning was “Amnesia” off their 2008 release and immediately I was asking myself, “Why the hell am I just now hearing this?”  It was reminiscent of Opeth yes; in which, considering their Swedish and musical background, they’re probably well custom to such a comparison.  Perhaps, a bit of a broken record actually… Nevertheless, there are far more dreadful things to be compared to.  There is always Abba, right?  (Please review Anthony Bourdain’s Swedish episode of his show No Reservations to fully appreciate this reference.)

Back to my primary purpose here (ramble on!), educating you fine people on In Mourning and what better timing that the fast approaching release of their 3rd full length studio album entitled The Weight of Oceans.  Highly anticipated by the select and bright few of us- who have huddled in our underground caves, hearts pounding, disbelief building (because you haven’t heard them yet, shame); over this unbelievably underrated band. I say, let this 3rd attempt be the well earned charm In Mourning needs to be more wide-spread.  Little comes to my mind as tragic as the struggle brilliant people have to overcome simply to be heard and share their incredible gifts.

Less than a year after the release of Monolith, In Mourning let word slip back on December 20, 2010 (via facebook) that they had already begun rehearsing new material.  Now, thanks to( http://kaaoszine.fi/) we’re able to stream this material until the official release on April 18, 2012.

GET YOUR THE WEIGHT OF OCEANS PRE-ORDER: (http://www.recordshopx.com/artist/in_mourning/the_weight_of_oceans/#cd)

Now, I’ve expressed previously that I have unwavering patience in holding out for the official release of albums I’m dying to hear.  However, In Mourning has promoted this opportunity and in order to support them, I broke one of my own rules.  So far, my first impressions are as I had suspected… The band has maintained their pedigree and sound from the previous 2 records, especially Monolith.

In saying this, I do not wish to give the false notion that I’m disappointed.  In my opinion, the band has every right to do this as the sound they’ve honed in the last 4 years is a sound they deserve to be recognized for.  It’s only a matter of time until they reach a substantial amount of listeners and can finally relish in the bliss of being heard.

Because we’re all critics now thanks to the power we derive behind the safety of our keyboards, I will point out the one weak point I found based on 5:25 minutes into the song, A Vow to Conquer the Ocean. I felt the guitar piece was slightly weak and sounded more like “musicians tinkering with metal and becoming a bit lazy.”  With 3 individuals playing guitar, the possibilities are vast and grand- and generally In Mourning‘s guitarist harmonize and compliment each other in ways music has been thirsting for.  In fear of getting a head of myself (too late) this was the one complaint I had overall.

When I sat down to give this album a try, I had several scrap sheets of paper before me.  I numbered the sheet 1-9 and was tickled to find that when going back through, specific words I used to describe what I was hearing were in the title of the track.  I was curious to know the band’s writing process seeing how they’ve excelled in choosing song titles that can easily be visualized and interpreted through transcendent chords, bridges, harmonies, melodies and all remaining musical glory heard on the album.  The artwork had me thinking, “yet another homage paid to Cthulhu,” but in no way does In Mourning replicate the many uprising tributes to a H.P. Lovecraft favorite.

The Weight of Oceans is a harmonious blend of the intensity and experimental attributes I’ve come to love from In Mourning in addition to the beauty and sensible mixture of clean and heavy vocals.  They’ve even included a brief yet elegant piano interlude (appropriately entitled “Sirens“) on the album that segue’s tastefully into “Isle of Solace.”  If I’m going to play favorites here however, I’d have to say “The Drowning Sun” because it perfectly gives the impression of day fading into night, while the sun disappears into the unrelenting and mysterious ocean below.

I highly recommend this album to anyone whose interested in discovering new and promising melodic and progressive metal.  Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many fishes swimming in that sea, but with In Mourning there is hope for the future of what could be a lost art.  Few people have the patience for music that sets out to tell a story anymore.  We reach for the “next” button without haste on our music devices and overlook the time, precision, and detail that is put into carrying an entire idea to a close.  The Weight of Oceans is well worth the time and journey of being beckoned into dark and yet immensely enchanting waters.

Opeth’s Heritage

     Finally!  Following a wait, that I can’t even recollect how many months, bitten down nails, and day dreams it took to reach– September 20, 2011– the date set for the release of Opeth’s 10th full length studio record, Heritage–had arrived!  The morning was overflowing with eagerness and anxiety, knowing it was out there but I had the usual routines to tend to.  Once 5pm hit, the hunt for Heritage began.  Go fuck yourself Best Buy, no luck there.  FYE had only one copy and I snatched it, ran to the the cash register, and sat through a speech about “Would you like to sign up for…”  Now this irks me to begin with but this poor girl clearly had no idea the dire nature of me making it out with this album and racing home to finally listen to 10 new Opeth tracks that had never graced my ears prior.  To appease her, I signed up for some offer stating “We’ll replace the CD for the next 2 years if anything happens to it for just $2 more.”

“Sure,” I think I nearly spit while saying, my eyes dashing around the counter.  Afraid to make eye contact or she’d think I was a junkie, waiting for my fix.

She uttered more nonsense about registering online, I just nodded and snatched the bag from her and tore out of FYE like a jackal.  Now I’m putting you the reader, through the delayed agony I endured awaiting to go on a new Opeth journey.  So I’ll cut the remaining irrelevant details short.  Upon arriving home with a bottle of Maynard’s Chupacabra Caduceus wine, lighting the greatest incense from this years Renaissance Festival, turning off the lights, and grabbing a notebook- my first Heritage experience began:

(I’m copying directly from the notes I made while gathering my first impressions as well as adding more insight now during my 2nd listen through.)

I held my breath, sipped on my wine, and heard the first heart wrenching piano keys of the title track, Heritage–my excitement about to burst from my own chest.  Beautiful bass and piano intro.  Sounds very thoughtful; presumably the perfect prologue to the journey that awaits (in which, it was!) I can visualize this intro playing before their live set.  This is definitely still Opeth….

The Devil’s Orchard

“No stigmatas revealing our vices… And there are no stigmatas revealing our vices…”

I had been very eager to hear this track as I’d already heard so much about it.  Mostly gravitating towards negative feedback.  They are human, and Opeth is capable of releasing some iffy material and I was almost expecting such…. Not the case, not in my opinion, not here.  Right at the beginning, I noted the keys.  They always give away the identity of Opeth, and I also recorded: “I’m missing Per already.”  I wrote the following words to describe what I was hearing over all: “Evil, looming, experimental, jammy.”  I then gave credit to the drums and ended by saying it felt Porcupine Tree reminiscent.  After all, the line “God is Dead” Mikael had wanted to take out but was encouraged to leave it as it was by Steven Wilson (among other members of the band) who helped mix all the tracks.

I Feel the Dark

“And you’re going out to war.  When the beast is coming home.  And the sun is seen no more.  For the devil’s love you bore.”

Acoustic plucking and vocals carry you into I Feel the Dark.  There is a lot of suspense and build up in this track;  mystical echoes and creeping whispers.

A flaking wish inside…

I really enjoy the vocal melodies within this track as well as the acoustics.  I also have to direct attention to the almost UFO sounding effect that comes later in the number.  Over all, after the first 3 tracks, I felt intrigued…  But I wasn’t blown away by it, not just yet.  As can be deduced by the scribbles in my notebook:

++After the first 3 songs my impression is: I’m not blown away but I am intrigued.  I can feel the greatness awaiting me.  Like a person you meet for the first time and you can’t quite put your finger on what it is or why you like them.  There is simply something about them, something very familiar as well; that upon future meetings you can better pinpoint–along with a deepened understanding of them as a whole.++

Then after a brief intermission, I came back and started with:

Slither

“A bleeding heart led by desperation.  Like a bird on a wire.  A broken promise of dedication.  Never ever again.”

Immediately I wrote, “????”  I like it on its own, but as a part of what I’d been hearing so far??? The vocal direction even felt a little unfamiliar.  I did however love the drums and keys (big fucking surprise.)  A day later, going through my 2nd listen, I still feel it’s a bit obvious.  I say that meaning– it’s going to be an obvious favorite for people who are on the fence with the album.  It’s very catchy and fun.

However, I don’t think it fits the rest of the album.  It reminds me of a person telling this great, mystical, and epic story (the rest of the album) and Slither was the impatient person during the story telling, who had to hop around and add some theatrics.  All in good fun, but if I had to pick a least favorite from the album it would be this one.

Nepenthe

“Friends would leave me in my darkest hour.  Yet trust me with their lives.”

The intro would be delicious on a vinyl player.  Jazzy bass and drums join the first part.  The familiar vocal melodies are back!  Very earthy and psychedelic. There is slap bass and brush strokes on the snare.  This was the beginning of me finding the greatness in Heritage.  This is where my eyes really lit up and I became enthralled with the journey instead of simply speculating, bobbing my head a little, and going along for the ride.  This awe carried on into the next track ten fold.

Haxprocess

“A name inside a memory.  Waiting for you.  When words can’t win her.  There is nothing to do.”

My favorite off the album!  A sad, and thoughtful intro with acoustics, drums, and bass… Keys join…. Then the beautiful first line “Life line in a drop of blood…” A Capella joined soon after by the piano melody from the intro.  A dreamy and yet heartbreaking song with enticing, nearly teasing melodies.  The sounds in the background, the whole atmosphere of it– I was smitten with!  I noted:

“Feels like Opeth home…”

Hearing this reminded me of seeing “The Night and the Silent Water” live which is what brought me to love Opeth in the first place.  I fell in love all over again with this song.  I felt my eyes burning and welting up with tears at the beautiful bass lines towards the end of the track.  A smooth and heavenly guitar solo accompany the bass here, but it’s the bass that nearly had me sobbing.  And is what seals the deal of making this my favorite track, period.

Famine

“I can’t see your face.  And I can’t breathe your air.  So I wonder why I get cold inside.  When I hear your name.”

“Native.  Eerie.  Hypnotizing.  “Other Worldly” and tragic sounding… Carrying heavy weight story.  Piano +vocals=Beautiful.  Then guitar kicks in after lovelorn intro.  Bass+drums stomp your ass;  taking you on a journey for sure.   Prepping you for an influential story, as if beckoning ‘Listen up, listen here.’ Evil, evil break down.  Grabs you by the balls.  Teasing the listener.”  The following words were scribbled in the notes I took upon my first impression of Famine.  I then went on to write my thoughts after the song had ended… “Opeth is wanting to reintroduce overlooked components and sounds from musics’ past and invite you to see them in a different form.  A darker, more daring form.”

On a side note however, I never thought in a million years when listening to Opeth I’d think of Ron Burgundy playing his jazz flute… But there was a brief moment during listening through this number, I couldn’t help but crack a smile and think of just that.

The Lines in my Hand

“Burning voice of insanity.  Nothing is the same.  Barren lands for the idle man.  Finds all the lines in my hand.”

“Very ye old Opeth!  Could have been on Watershed”  are the only notes I had written about the 8th track on the album.

Folklore

“And you will see what you mean to me…”

Ah, the song where Mikael brings in a phaser for his vocals!  Also the song where I made several notes referencing this track as the “fun guitar sliding song.”  I wrote that it had somewhat of a “jerky” (in all the right ways) intro.  In the beginning the song kept foreshadowing brute force, a “balls to the wall” conclusion- if you will.  Repeatedly I referenced the “sliding guitar” sounding like some doomy, psychedelic delight.  I also enjoy the choir/angels effect that fit perfectly with the brief solo and then carried through to the epic conclusion.  This was another of my favorite tracks from the album.  The kind that you look forward to when you meet again…

Marrow of the Earth

The final track, if like me, you weren’t blessed with getting any special editions of the release.  It had definite “end of the journey” vibes.  I had written that it felt like taking one last look back at the home you’d come to know right before parting with it.  Like the title track, this too was an instrumental–and went along with the prologue’s theme.  It had to have been intentional!

Over all, I am excited to have more time with Heritage and I must say I’m relieved that it wasn’t the sack of shit I’d been hearing of.  With that being said this is an album for music lovers with a deep appreciation for varying musical elements; as well as patient listeners.  Be able to appreciate music as part of an atmosphere that is absorbing you.  Try your best to understand also, that musicians are presumably doing what they love and want to keep doing it as long as time will permit.  Sometimes, in order to do that, a band feels the need to do as people claim “sell out.”  When I hear that term I think of a band churning out album after album of what they hope to be “hits” with all the masses.  I don’t think of a band going through changes, evolving, exploring new territory and capabilities.

These artists have to go out on the road and perform sometimes grueling tours ever so often and play through the same material again and again… Wouldn’t you want to change things up a bit?  Does that say that Opeth has lost their identity?  No.  Does that say that they will probably lose a couple more fans following this latest release, probably so.  I feel there were a number of Opeth-Heads who wanted Blackwater Park 2011.  But Blackwater Park is greatness that cannot be replicated and shouldn’t be either!  These artists, are human and we all grow and pull in inspiration from all walks of our lives.  It’s only natural to expect that somewhere in that journey, that musicians will experiment with their sounds.

Thus far, I’ve liked where Opeth has taken us each and every time.  I will miss Per terribly and have some question as to whether or not anyone else can continue to bring what Per has brought to Opeth over the years.  As that brilliant man is one of a kind.  But time will tell…. In the meantime, I recommend taking the Heritage journey for all who are willing to remain open minded and for all who appreciate the endless possibilities music has to offer.  Especially the endless possibilities that come with bands of monstrous talent, such as Opeth.

“Go for it, do that horrible thing.”-Devin Townsend

It has been requested that I do a review for Devin Townsend Project’s latest release.  Townsend has pulled somewhat of an Opeth Deliverance and Damnation with his Deconstruction and Ghost.  Although, I’m positive that the motivation and purpose behind the two double releases differ; the only reason I compare them is that both were released at the same time, with one being heavy and the second being mellow.  I’ve read from various sources that people feel Deconstruction is comparable to Strapping Young Lad and Ghost is similar to Devin Townsend Project’s first release, Ki.   Even Devy himself has commented similarly– noting however that with Ki there were some heavier elements whereas with Ghost it’s utter serenity.

Now, I’m a big fan of concept albums… In fact, I’ve often wondered why artists wouldn’t make all their records concepts as opposed to a mixture of songs with varying subjects that bare  no real connection.  So naturally, the first thing I wanted to research and decipher on my own was the concept behind DTP’s Deconstruction and Ghost tales.  Before sifting through several blabbermouth.net interviews, I already had in mind that it was going to be a journey of self.  Something Devin has consistently opened up about and made clear was a driving factor for much of his work since Strapping Young Lad.  Unintentionally, I feel he found some of that with SYL as well and thus driving him to the stand he firmly resides with currently.

For all die hard Townsend fans, you have to acknowledge and appreciate the patterns within his work: humorous and often bold approaches lyrically, ability to combine more sounds than some poor bastards could stomach, frequent revisiting of subject matter (even using many of the same lines, intentionally of course!), and impressive use of vocal range as well as musical showmanship. I have to admit however, that upon first being exposed to Deconstruction — I felt a bit overwhelmed with what I was hearing.  My first impression was that some of the tracks could have two if not three things removed and deliver the same message but more clearly and less explosive.  Now I’m aware that Townsend is known and praised for his ability to give music a lot of weight, leaving the listener nearly speechless, before shouting, “It’s just so full!”- and that is it!  If Devin’s work were to be compared to a painting, you wouldn’t be able to find one speck of paper left after the paint had been distributed;  every inch covered in a marvel of colors and shapes. Yet, with this being said I felt that what I had been “sneaking a peek” into as far as Deconstruction was concerned was a splash of so many colors and shapes that the end result was just a mucky brown stain of what could have been.   Keep in mind, this perspective came to me before the album had officially dropped (June 20, 2011) and before I set out to write this review.

Now over a month later, having had time to digest DTP’s Deconstruction and reading numerous Q&A’s with Devin himself, I feel very differently and somewhat embarrassed by my initial point of view;  and I reached my change of heart due to the following comments that led me to a better understanding:  (All Townsend responses came from an interview conducted for Metalsucks.com)

“Deconstruction allows me to say, ‘Look, if I’m to do heavy music now, this is how it interests me.’ ”

“Deconstruction is not meant to be anything but deconstruction.”

“From a lyrical point of view, it relates to certain things in my own frame of reference- maybe Strapping, or my connection to heavy music, or confronting certain things in my self.”

“Ultimately the point of the record is that if you analyze it too far, it comes across absurd.  If you focus on all these motivations (the 3 listed above) it becomes this journey up your own ass.”

With these words in mind and further listening sessions with the Deconstruction album I’ve found that it’s wonderfully full, bravely compiled, theatrical, haunting, makes me laugh –appropriate reaction once you’ve heard,

“Oh I reeeeal good at dat savin’ da world thing dere..oh yeah, I’ve got my special savin’ the world boots on…” from the dizzying “The Mighty Masturbator” track.

It also contains some incredible guests including: Mikael Akerfeldt, Ihsahn, Greg Puciator, Paul Kuhr, and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.  All coming together to add the long range of elements Devin was hoping to include on his journey of dissecting the usual approach of heavy music.   On that journey Devin comments:

“It ended up that  I still love heavy sounding guitars, rapid drums, complicated note choices, and things that are crow-barred together to work harmonically that maybe aren’t supposed to.  I like that.”

Layer upon relentless layer, Devin proves once again that Metal doesn’t have to follow the simple pedigree that some feel it must oblige by to maintain the appeal the genre has with its many fans.  We can’t go to the store anymore and look for mustard without expecting to find Dijon Mustard, Mustard with a hint of Hot Sauce, so on and so forth.  So why wouldn’t music also provide us with options?  Why is it that we expect music to be any one thing, when we ourselves are a plethora of personalities and truths.  It’s been asked of Devin on more than one occasion (since news hit that he was releasing a Special Edition Duo release with Deconstruction and Ghost), “What type of personality does it take to create both records?”  It takes a human.  We’re all complex and yet we can be simplified with no more than a hand full of emotions, but with that comes individual descriptors.  And thus, with this all being said if you’re interested in diving into an album with a concept that Devin himself has called “pretty bleak”, all the while being taken on a journey comparable to a soundtrack to any great movie with an extra dash of kick ass as well as harmonics then give Deconstruction a listen through.  It’s like going back into the days when people listened to radio plays or soap operas as opposed to going to see a play or turn on the TV.  You yourself can decipher the images that go along with your idea of bleakly deconstructing a personal journey and making it your own bizarre show.

Then you can sail away with the album Ghost.  Unwind all tensions built up from all the wreckage of self discovery and bask in the infinite peace that comes with acknowledging and being accountable for ourselves and the paths that we’ve led.  Personally, if I had to sum up the double creation, I’d have to say– ingeniously personal and human and with that there is remarkable and admirable truth.  Back when we’d started with Deconstruction, the first line on the album being,

 “Close your eyes.  Get ready…”

Which sets the mood for both records in my opinion, whether it was intentional or not.  The first line of Ghost being,

“I fly over the mountain to save my solar wake….”

Certainly intertwines perfectly with the album booklet showcasing forest scenes, tall rocks in the middle of an ocean, vivid waterfalls, etc.  If I had to choose a favorite of the two, it would depend on what day you ask me and I think that’s the whole point when considering Devin’s point of view when releasing the two records at once and ultimately the point considering music as a tool and outlet for the individual to make sense of their world as well as day to day.  If none of the above has made any sense to you, then you’re not ready for either.  One thing I have yet to touch upon though which is a relevant topic, considering what Devin is often known for… What place does humor have, if any, in metal?  Now bare in mind, this topic holds no relevance when discussing the Ghost album because it’s neither metal nor intended to be humorous.  Again however, I ask….

What place does humor have, if any, in metal?

I’ve considered this question frequently in the past.  I’ve come up with, “Well Devin could be the Metal-ish version of Frank Zappa….”  And then I remember Gwar, who aren’t so much as appreciated for their outstanding musical abilities as solely for their humor and live performances.  And let’s be honest, many Metal fans take their music rather seriously.  As I’ve fallen victim of this attribute myself… So where would lyrics such as:

“Ah gimme that wine!  Gimme that acid!  And I wanna lose everything that’s policing us, and then everything must begin!  And I wanna do heroin!  And I wanna do crack cocaine!”  (Taken from the track “Praise the Lowered” on Deconstruction)

or the intro line,

“You could take anything!  A benign object of any sort…You could take a cheeseburger and deconstruct it to it’s source!  Cheeseburger!  Cheeseburger!  Cheeseburger!”  (Taken from the self titled track off the album)

Stand with the serious Metal crowd?   I think it’s where Devin falls short for many of the genres fans.  His lyrics haven’t always been on par with those say of….Metallica on the And Justice for All… album.  But he’s come to terms with recognizing the difficulty in answering the same question I asked and has found that as long as he’s accountable for what he puts out now, there is no shame in it.  So with the above excerpts from the Deconstruction album and after reading how he’s pleased with and accountable for it, I think there is a place for Devy’s humor on this one, however absurd it may appear to some.  I think it contributed to the point Townsend was trying to convey and thus served its purpose. I’m curious though–with my interpretation of Deconstruction (realization, self discovery, and closing certain chapters in a characters life–for example the Devin we knew of Strapping Young Lad) I have to wonder if we’ll continue to see these type of lyrics from Devin. In closing to whatever few tumble weeds and followers I’ve gained…. Take the time to go on duo musical journeys.  It’s always the best of both worlds from your favorite musicians!  Devy Metal! 🙂

Dropping off the Opeth family tree..

Everyone is entitled to their opinion yes, constructive criticism if you will… But it appears to me that more and more people are using the internet for what is often referred to as the “only 2 reasons for using the internet” (bitching and porn.)  Everyone is a fucking critic now and fans expect too much of the artists they love.  Ultimately, it isn’t up to us what musical direction a band takes.  We either go along for the ride, continue to love what is given, or step off.  It’s beyond me though how people go about it at times.  It’s more important to voice your opinion of uneasiness over a band’s new artwork or anxiety over whether or not the new album is going to please you, than to remember why you jumped on board in the first place.

Alright, I’m aware that I am practicing one of the two reasons for using internet currently (and I’m not referring to tilting my head from side to side watching Allysin Chaynes take it from some random guy in a public park. Hey, more power to them!) But I am referring to the growing speculation over the latest Opeth release, set to either please or dissuade the Opeth army in September of this year.  I say, in Opeth I trust! Why shouldn’t I?  Why shouldn’t we?  Despite the band’s track record of falling members over the years (note Per who recently left the band, shown falling from the Heritage tree on the latest album) and what some would consider risky moves that may stray from the Opeth code fans expect the band to abide by– I feel time and time again Opeth has delivered!

I personally get excited when I see a band taking on something new, especially a band like Opeth who has consistently shown that when they take risks, it works!   Bands are meant to evolve and create refreshing work each time, and those that succeed are the ones that recognize they put out good records in the past, that can’t and shouldn’t be redone.  They take what they learned from each album and carry over pieces of it in the new.  The one constant in life is change but it’s apparent to me that there are those of us who don’t adapt.  It’s a shame.

Isis dives into a concept depicting drowning as a blissful release

“Oceanic”, the 2002 release from Boston (and L.A.) based band Isis, is quoted by vocalist Aaron Turner’s, ” The only album we’ve done where I came up with one narrative and it ended up being the most cohesive story I’ve told with any of our records..” (In a Combat Music radio interview) Turner light heartily laughs when the interviewer comments on themes containing “rape” and even “incest” within the lyrics in the record. “I haven’t felt entirely comfortable verbalizing it…” Turner goes onto to say in regards to the concept within Oceanic.

Upon reviewing the lyrics myself I’ve found what anyone digging into an Isis album will come to find, you must dig deep. Turner does this on purpose for the same reason I feel the band throws predictable song structure out the window. To keep things interesting and leave the listener in eager anticipation of what’s to come next. Like Tool, with whom Isis is often linked and compared to, the band likes their fans to interpret things on their own and not have it all right there in front of you. What’s the fun in that? Therefore, this was a challenge I was more than up for and put a lot of time into best portraying my version of what’s behind the story that is a continuance of the previous water and female theme heard in prior Isis releases. Here I go…

+The Beginning and the End

“long you both laid in the sun’s yellow stare. on the edge with eyes rolled back. the waves were calling him.”

The title itself is a foreshadow of what’s to come with the lyrical content of this record. It begins to paint the picture of an emotionally numb individual who has lived his entire life in seclusion until he meets this female who becomes his other half and begins making him reassess life. Lots of references to the “edge” and “light” in this song. The edge being the point in ones life where hope is lost.. The light being this chance meeting of an individual who has him seeing life in a whole new, yes you guessed it, light.

“as he teetered on the edge. the waves were calling him. he had seen it. felt its might. bent under.

washing away. he thinks of you. everything slows. light flashing through.”

Without getting too ahead of myself, washing away reminded me of if you’ve ever written something in sand only to see it wash away once the water reaches the edge… Something once present disappearing like the man’s previous assumptions of his life being rewritten by this female.. And if you’ve ever felt time stop during a pivotal moment in your life.. What was once a life rapidly going nowhere is suddenly, slowing down and becoming seemingly more ambient and clear.

“the water flies, over his head. you are me now. as you lay on my bed.”

^ These lines are repeated and signify, in my opinion, the guy reflecting upon the closeness he feels with the girl. And finally the song closes with:

“this is what he’d always known. the promise of greater beyond the water’s final horizon.”

The whole “the grass is greener on the other side” concept… What once felt like an unobtainable reality for someone dwelling in their emotional seclusion, a far away dream, has been obtained. However, be careful what you wish for..

+The Other

The song takes off and already you can feel the mood has changed dramatically as Turner screams the first lines of the song (“in this secret way. he knew you first….”) The beginning of the end. There is a sadness, a helplessness, quickly followed by tormenting anger as you soon put together that our “changed perspective” character from the beginning has found out a startling truth about his counterpart.

“and from those lips, a seed. your mouth dropped open. darkness fell out. kept close in skin. kept close in blood. and in he was.”

It is later put together more clearly but given away in the beginning with the first line “in this secret way.. he knew you first.” and continues to come together with “kept close in blood.” The female counterpart has had an incestual relationship with her brother. But following this realization in the story is the point where things begin to become skewed for me.. It really starts to become, all how you interpret it.. So like Aaron Turner not feeling entirely comfortable discussing the contents of the lyrical content.. I become not entirely comfortable sharing my version of the story.

“And from those lips, a seed. This is the gift that he received. Twisted roots kept warm. Rape she was and ready for the death.”

So how I pieced it together was, following his uncovering of the females ominous truth (“twisted roots kept warm“) Leading me to believe he feels she’d been protecting something so horrible therefore, a “seed” was planted. And our main character becomes ready for death, accepting his counterpart as rape for “in this secret way.. he knew you first..” Secret replacing “sacred” for the closeness that was felt in the beginning was a lie and is no longer sacred, more closely rape. Our emotionally secluded individual has become destroyed by the truth, retaining nothing of himself. Therefore is teetering on the edge again.. Ready to die.

+False Light

Is a terribly sad but wicked track.. (personally, my favorite from Oceanic.)

“Come down on me my sweet angel. Poison milk from that withering breast. Come down on me sweet suffocation. Poison milk from that withering breast. Your mask is drifting. See what writhes beneath.”

The female is going from his angel to his suffocation because her “mask” has been lifted and the truth unveiled. The lyrics go on to actually include the words “incest” for anyone who has any doubt of what’s going on..

“Porcelain grin is cracking. Incest to uncoil. Your laugh spreads yawning. Black hole formation. Drown and the first real breath takes hold. Washed in chill, so peaceful, sink further. Hold his hand and crush it.”

^ Extremely twisted to me because I got that the brother and sister are watching and somewhat rejoicing in the fact they drove the guy to kill himself. It was almost too easy therefore it bores them.. I have several different theories on the last line about the hand.. But, I’m going to leave room for others to interpret it however they see fit.. (: The song closes with the line..

“The depth of charm in infinite. Discover bliss and serenity in drowning.”

+Carry

The further you go into a concept, the more lost you will find yourself in the grand scheme of things, the big picture. At this point, I am juggling between two theories of what takes place next. I had even began to play with the idea of the female counterpart drowning herself along side our main character after he discovered her truth. I, have since found things to cancel out that theory. Nevertheless, with “Carry” I’m still not entirely confident with where it goes.. But this is as much as I could decipher.

“And the water takes hold. Fills his lungs and crushes his body. Dust floats through sun and water. As you draw close. Fall to me. He sees like he’s never seen before. I will carry you true and free.”

It would appear that our guy is drowning himself at this point in discovering the bliss and serenity in drowning. He’s finally setting himself free of all the pain and emptiness he’s found that life has bestowed upon him. No longer being afraid or tormented by life but rather allowing himself to let go.

“And the water carries him away. Now that you are with me. You’ll swim with me. Soon he ceases to be at all. I am clutching you. True.”

I found the last line interesting from above because earlier the lyrics read, “I will carry you true AND free.” and then here it says, “I am clutching you. True.” That could simply mean nothing and I am reading too far into it. Maybe it’s simply that by the second time true is used, he has ceased to be so he is finally free. In death, he has been set free. Death has carried him to the true serenity he’d craved.

“He sees like he never sees before. He is light in water.”

At last he has found true light and with the weight of the world mere water under a bridge.. (Couldn’t resist a water reference.) The song comes to a close and brings us to the two instrumentals. The untitled track, a mere, barely over 2 minute piece that I feel despite having no lyrics plays as important of a role in the concept as those that do. In comparison to it’s following instrumental piece it’s darker… The humming sound in the water closely resembles crickets (my opinion!) which may make one think of nighttime.. And as the howling transcends into a high pitched howling, one may be reminded of sirens, all the while being well aware of the “marine influence.” You can also hear the sound of waves crashing by and towards the end of the song what songs like footprints walking away in sand (perhaps the brother and sister?) Then comes “Martime” which proceeds the untitled track with an extra minute of what appears more serene in my opinion. The tone of the music reminds me of having an epiphany. It’s considerably more merry all things considered.. Both instrumentals deserve to be played all the way through when listening to the record, not skipped over. They play a very critical part in grasping the concept. Both being incredible doesn’t hurt either. (:

+Weight

There are only two lines in this song, bringing back the female vocals. And yet, the song is 11 minutes long and comes in as my 2nd favorite track off the album. When I first read the title of the track, I immediately thought of an anchor in the water, weighting something down–having known the general theme. The song still displays “aquatic” sounds in a couple parts.

“All in, all in a day..”

The lyrics are repeated throughout..

“All in, all in a day.. A day it changes everything.”

These lyrics could mean any number of things to bring the concept together. However, I’d like to think it’s pretty self explanatory regardless of how deeply hidden the truth behind Isis lyrics are. As a matter of fact, I feel almost silly explaining it. I’m going to say, figure this one out for yourself. The female is singing. A guy has freed himself from the tragedy he knew as an emotionally secluded life filled with painful truths, by taking his own life and drowning. All in, all in a day.. A day it changes everything.

+From Sinking

Again, incredible.. This song somewhat goes back and reinforces the beginning of the concept in my opinion.. It takes you back to the where the main character has confined himself in a world of walls protecting himself from a world he is very estranged from.

“His time there so long. His fingers trace the endless walls he knew so well. And there the breaths were short and hard and thick with salt. And in this place he always knew he’d wake alone.”

This could be describing him finding death, his “after life” very similar to the ostracized life he’d made for himself before death, before meeting his “false light.” That and/or being trapped “in between” death and his “after life.” Being stuck somewhere because despite his best efforts to be at peace with dying, he’s held onto something.

“Hands clutch in panic. In this place he built of sand homes that caved. The walls were weak with salty tears. Through the cracks in the walls he saw the sun. The sun dripped through the cracks and died. Shadows managed to betray.”

I love the line, “shadows managed to betray..” And with the above excerpt I again am left to deduce that he’s trapped “in between.” And, I can’t begin to explain why I feel that way without saying the next lines..

“Like liquid was the sadness. Until in the light he stepped. In this truth he knew himself to be. From sinking sands, he stepped into lights embrace.”

I can’t be sure but the references of “stepping into the light..” is what brought me to this conclusion. By this point in my review, I’m regretfully grasping desperately onto guesses and can’t be certain in what I’m saying so my explanations are becoming more brief. My only real mission in doing this was as a platform to get people interested in figuring it out for themselves, accompanied with a little guidance by me (seeing how you will have no luck researching it on your own.. Again, ISIS keeps it a mystery..) And also because I am hoping that someone else can add to my theories and I can better get an understanding of such a wonderful piece of art. So feel free! Nevertheless, we are pushing through and finishing this despite my low level of confidence this far into the album. By the end you begin to second guess your conclusions, thinking that the end doesn’t support all you’ve thought at this point. Irregardless.. The final track… The conclusion.. .

+Hym

“Love flows fear no window minds time Oceanic. Dissolve me.”

The first line, already a riddle (as seen on the Internet with no punctuation.) Dropping the album name though (I love when they do that!) The mood of the song being very intense, raw, and emotionally gut wrenching. The riddle repeated in the beginning before growling/shouting the following lines..

“His own light, now it’s gone. The thirst came on. And it comes on in waves. He would dream of cells swollen with water. Blank memory, washed away. Swallowed whole through eyes and teeth.”

He is free of his memories.. Free of pain. He felt he always knew his truth (his fate..) except for the briefly he felt he’d found his “light”… The promise of more.. Only to find it was a “false light”.. A betraying shadow.. Distracting him from his truth, his freedom, his bliss. “What a blessing absence of memory could be.. Rid eye of image, cleanse brain with brine..Salt of tears and ocean mesh..” (A quote from the Oceanic booklet.)

Oceanic is powerful, intriguing, and worth the struggle to read ” in between the lines.” Be that as it may, perhaps there is reason for Aaron Turner not having shared this concept with many people, it’s his own vision, something very private and personal to the artist. And many artists feel that creating good art is doing it in a way so that the artist themselves feels fulfilled and given the opportunity to work through whatever objects they are struggling with, reflecting on, or simply taken interest in. At the same time, allowing the art observer to get something that is more closely relevant to their lives and not being too caught up in what artists vision was. Seeing art as a personal expression, take from it what you may. The same way that are countless songs people feel apply to how they feel about something in their love life but in reality the song was written to be about a drug addiction. All the same, I hope anyone reading this has been inspired to check out Oceanic and find their own meaning, if they haven’t already. Cheers!

(September 2009, Blue or Green? Music Spot)

“We’re taking over this town…”

Hello, hello and welcome!  To myself, and to you!  If you’re anything like a business man/woman trying to decide whether or not to hire me and need some type of reference or to see my credentials all that I’ve got for you is a previous music blog I started up several years back when I was 20 years old and residing in Ansbach, Germany.  I entitled it the “Blue or Green? Music Spot”

(http://blueorgreenmusic.blogspot.com/)

I went into that with high hopes and much like my stay in Germany that journey ended abruptly.  However, I am back nearly two years later and looking to refurbish what I had started and hopefully I’ll carry this further than my previous expedition.  My point for all of this is simple not lavish.  I want to ramble on about music, spread the love, and expose what I often find isn’t getting the recognition and respect it deserves.  Like it or love it, I could care less.  Just don’t leave any comments or send me any feedback in regards to your disliking of an artist discussed/featured on this page because you’ll open my mouth for war. But if you can dig it and have any constructive comments, suggestions, and concerns by all means throw it my way.  Now let’s boogie, bubble!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Pugh