Summary Judgments, Volume 4

Bags

Sometimes, it's just not my bag. Sometimes, I've already got a bag like it, and I'm happy with that. Sometimes, it's a bag of shit.

As always, the X out of Y songs tells you how far I made it into the record before shelving it.

Persefone: Spiritual Migration (2013)
(5 out of 13 songs)

I haven't read the site in a couple years, but I bet the guys over at MetalSucks absolutely shit their pants over Persefone. It's very high-quality prog-metal with (synthesized) symphonic elements, like a heavier version of Symphony X (or to a lesser extent, Dream Theater). I'm not so much into that kind of thing anymore, but this was good enough to hook me for a while anyway. The thing that eventually turned me off was, I can hear how much these guys are a part of the metalcore generation. They have some of the rhythms I hate from metalcore, and the vocals (both clean and harsh) are right out of that school of metal. I'm just too old for this, but for what it is--it's pretty awesome.

Be'lakor: Of Breath and Bone (2012)

Grayish Tranquillity

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

Apparently "Be'lakor" is the name of a demon in the Warhammer series. I will admit to not knowing a damn thing about Warhammer, or any other table top/RPG game for that matter. I could not tell you the difference between Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons. It is just not something I have ever known about. What I do know is heavy metal. And I know what I like.

Be'lakor is a melodeath band in the vein of mid-era Dark Tranquillity. Oddly they are from Australia, which is kind of bizarre for a band of this style. I would have assumed Be'lakor hailed from Sweden or Finland or some other country in that area. Australia is not really known for its melodeath.

Dark Americana Briefs, Part 7

Home and Far Away

Riitaoja: Mantereelle (2013)
3.5 out of 5 stars

Now here's something a little out of the ordinary for this series: a Finnish band with Finnish lyrics. But the fact it's Americana is undeniable, with Western-sounding electric guitars and banjos, plus a bit of harmonica, and an overall American folk vibe through most of the music. The promo spiel referred to Wovenhand (possibly because the promoter was catering to me specifically?) but it's a fair comparison. That's not to say the European-ness is absent. The vocal style (both female and male) is decidedly un-Americana, and a few lighter tracks sound very Euro. Complete with bass and understated drums, the best songs on here are fantastic, even bordering on heavy (as the title track). Besides the great songs there are also a few very good droning tunes, as well as some weak ones that might sound like lullabies or lifeless indie rock. Overall, much more good than bad.

Live Shows This Month

Tonight, I'm going to my second show in almost a decade. But if there's any band that can get me out of the house, it's Opeth. Them, and Wovenhand, but I think they're in Europe now or something.

I've been a huge fan of them for years, and now that I've had time to digest it, Heritage hasn't changed that. In fact, I listened to it on Tuesday on a system not unlike what people used in the 70's, and it sounded even better. With production that dynamic, you really need a system you can crank up, and get great separation.

Anyway, I'm mostly a hermit, as I'm sure you've gathered. But occasionally a band does come through town that I want to see. This past week, there have been too many. Boris was here on Monday, and Volbeat Wednesday. Clutch is going to be here with The Sword next week. Months and months go by without any bands I care to see, and then all of these within 10 days. Also, apparently the not-quite-Alice in Chains a day later. Sadly, I'm only able to make the Opeth show.

The Volbeat show was interesting to read about . . . . I've been saying for the last five years that they should be huge in the U.S. I found out they were headlining a local 4,500-seat arena and took that as vindication. That is, until I saw the follow-up message that the show would be at the Bourbon Theatre instead. That's a 750 capacity place.

That sure makes Volbeat look bad, but their last-minute move forced Mushroomhead to move. Also, whose bright idea was it to schedule two shows on the same day that are going to draw mostly the same crowd? Don't you think the second band's tour manager might have picked up on that, and realized in a town this size that's a problem?

Amnion/Balmog: Grim Repulse of the Southern Lodge (2013)

Spanish Black Split

Review by Metallattorney. He is the law.

I really enjoy splits. They are an excellent way to discover new music from a couple of different bands in one place. I usually prefer them when there are more than one song from each band on the split, as is the case with this one. No matter though. Amnion and Balmog are two black metal bands from Spain. Spain has quietly developed a fairly impressive black metal scene.

Amnion is a bit of a mysterious band. I can not find much current information on the band. This song is very dark. It is particularly hateful styled black metal. Nothing pretty about it. The drums are a bit too high in the mix and there is nothing remarkable about the instrumentation or vocals. The riffing gets a little repetitive at times and the song kind of drags toward the end. This really is not anything terribly new.

Thrawsunblat: Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings (2013)

They Like Trees

If I came right out the gate to tell you any specifics about Thrawsunblat, you might make the mistake (as I almost did) of dismissing them out of hand. So instead, I think it prudent to begin with my assessment of the quality of Wanderer on the Continent of Saplings.

This is some damn catchy music. Memorable leads, great vocals consisting of a hoarse growl and clean singing, plus some interesting riffs. Those elements conspire to make music of an epic quality that’s got a high-quality but not sterile production. It’s very, very good music. Yet, it’s from a Canadian folk metal band. I know! OK, OK, Canadian folk/melodic black metal sounds a little better, but still. The very term “folk metal” is enough to put most of you on notice that you probably won’t like it, and Canadians aren’t exactly known for the genre anyway. This just goes to show that general rules don’t apply in every case.

Ragehammer: War Hawks (Demo 2012)

Fury Death of Steel Witch™

Review by joanismylover, the third metal attorney.

I recall a review in Decibel many aeons ago regarding Iron Sword, I think. The premise was about the name. Alone, or in combination, the following words make a metal band name: sword, iron, fire, ax, steel, witch, blood, burn, coven, ceremony, ritual, fury, death. Add “rage” and “hammer” to that list friends. And while we’re at it, add “war” and “hawk” to it, as well. Ragehammer has hammered the metal rage into this ferocious five song “War Hawks” EP that you need to get right now.

Folk Briefs, Part 5

Folkin' It Up

Comus: First Utterance (1971)
4.5 out of 5 stars

After hearing Comus, a whole lot of things started to make sense to me. Hexvessel clearly learned a lot from this psych-folk/prog-rock band, for one thing. But perhaps less obvious (until 2011 anyway) is the influence on a certain band who lifted the line "My arms, your hearse" from "Drip Drip." Unhinged male vocals, acoustic guitar, violin, flute, and lots of getting weird is what First Utterance is about. At least, if you think a song that methodically deconstructs itself and eventually turns into tribal howling is weird. It's also extremely engaging, dynamic, and in spite of its bizarreness, shockingly catchy. I can't stop listening.

Roderick on the Line

Here's the thing: Music is not the only thing I listen to. There are also a handful of non-musical podcasts that I enjoy, and right now Roderick on the Line just may be my favorite.

The podcast consists of conversations between two men: Merlin Mann, an ADHD-suffering writer, and John Roderick, a musician who is either the most interesting person in the world or the best bull-shitter in the world. I find it beneficial to assume it's the former. Listening to an hour plus conversation between two people might not sound like the best use of your time, but I promise you it is.

Roderick has so many incredible stories that it would be hard to believe they're all true if he didn't sound so honest. He grew up in Alaska the son of a well-connected and well-to-do attorney. He then wandered the world with little more than the clothes on his back, at one point attempting to hitchhike to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and then pursued a successful indie rock career. He now enjoys eating meatball subs in his bathtub and learning voraciously about World War II. The contrast between his bohemian past and his seemingly sedentary present is one of the most interesting things about him.

He seems to be able to speak on any subject, particularly Hitler and music. They might talk about something like RealDolls instead, to hilarious effect. Roderick might explain how he makes efforts to shake a tail, even though he has no reason to think anyone is following him. Or, they might create an elaborate future scenario about how he could become the sheriff of a small town on the Washington-Canada border. It's always well worth hearing.

Roderick one of those middle-aged men who have opinions about everything. His tend to be extremely intelligent, and rarely do they track popular opinion. For example, his take on bureaucracy. “The bureaucracies in [the Eastern Bloc] countries have completely broken down, and when you travel to places like that and you see what it is like when people are living in a world without bureaucracies, you realize that bureaucracies are what separate us from beasts.”

Search for it in your iTunes store, or wherever else you can get podcasts, I suppose. It is so good.

Survival v. Desagravio

Post-Apocalyptic Bukkake

v.
TotalRust was one of the first labels to reach out and develop a relationship with this blog, so I always look forward to getting mail from Israel. They’ve been consistently sending me physical promos for a while now, some excellent (Botanist), some great (Lurk), a few not so good (Shever), and a whole lot somewhere in between.

My most recent Israeli post contained new records from Highgate and Lords of Bukkake. The two bands have a common genre and label, so I’ve decided to resurrect the X v. Y format to compare and contrast the sludge/doom albums Survival and Desagravio.

Kentucky’s Highgate contributed one of the first batch of promos I got from TotalRust, a compilation of their earlier material. It impressed me with “bile-filled vocals” and other blackened touches. This time they have improved production, so they sound heavier. And, there’s a noticeable change of style. All three tracks have an air of brooding melancholy, served well by the production if not by the vocal style. They’ve got the good sense to keep things dynamic, starting out slow but changing rhythm patterns and tempo often enough to make it interesting. The first two tracks are pretty good, but it’s not until closer “Nachwirkungen/Survival” that they get really good, playing with feedback and throwing in a rising tremolo-picked lead. At 20 minutes it accounts for nearly half the album, so on balance I’d say they did a fine job here.