Symphony X- Iconoclast

These days it seems that New Jersey is nothing but a place filled with crooked politicians, overly tanned douchebags, and high taxes. While all that may be true, there is also great things coming out of my place of origin from delicious submarine sandwiches to the real Jersey Shore areas such as Pt. Pleasant, Cape May, and Asbury Park. One of the best things that is coming out of NJ right now is music, namely progressive metal powerhouse Symphony X. Having just released their 8th full length studio album Iconoclast, these Jersey boys have struck gold yet again and delivered a beast of an album.

Rhapsody of Fire- From Chaos to Eternity

Now this is how you go out in style. Rhapsody(of Fire)‘s new release From Chaos to Eternity brings the Dark Secret Saga to a close and also marks the their exit from the fantasy world of Rhapsody(there will still be tours and concerts under the Rhapsody moniker, and maybe other Rhapsody albums, but none taking place in the world they have created). It will be sad to see the Rhapsody saga come to a close, but they couldn’t have ended it on a higher note. Over the years Rhapsody have captivated their listeners with their unique brand of neo-classical power metal and their world of dragons, elves, demons, angels, wizards, and dark geometry.

Random Reviews-Opeth-Ghost Reveries

Every once in a while an album comes along blows the top off the music world.  One of those rare occurrences would be Ghost Reveries by Opeth.  Not only does this album brutalize the listeners auditory sense with its harsh metal passages, it also haunts the listeners soul with its harrowing, elegant, and refined mellow and acoustic passages.  It’s not just an album that relies on the gimmick of changing pace up and down, softer and faster to show a contrast, every movement within this record has its place and every change, sound, word, growl, beat, and note feels perfectly placed, natural, and organic.  Every single sound fits perfectly into place and every sound works with its surrounding dins and tones faultlessly and in the end creates a listening experience like no other.

Between the Buried and Me-Colors

Every once in a while an album comes from nowhere and just completely blows my mind.  One of these rare albums is Colors by Between the Buried and Me.  I had caught a little buzz about this band, but for some reason just kept not checking them out.  One day I was browsing the I-tunes store and took a chance and picked it up not knowing of the absolute insanity on the album(note, DO NOT BUY THIS ON I-TUNES, there is an error on the tracking and the ends of all the songs are cut off and it destroys the seamless nature of the album).  After the download finished I was left speechless after the first song.  Between the Buried and Me have now become one of my all time favorite bands of all time.  I own all the albums, have seen them live a number of times, met them(they’re really funny guys), and will continue to pick up anything that has their name on it.

Isis-Panopticon

I first found out about Isis by catching them opening for a Tool concert during the summer of 2006.  Me and my friends got to the show a bit early and we were able to get some comfy spots on the lawn with a nice view of the stage.  I happened to be in quite a relaxed mood that day and the weather was beautiful.  While we were waiting for the show to start I just laid down on the grass and stared up at the clouds and watched as the day slowly shifted into twilight.  It was during this time while I was in my little sky gazing trance that Isis took the stage.  Having never heard of the band before and happy in my own little world I just kept on gazing into the sky.  As I let myself go into pure relaxation I felt upon my back the hum of the droning bass lines that Isis was playing on stage.  Then my ears started to pick up the guitar tones, ethereal vocals and soft beat of the drums, deeper into my trance I went, still staring up at the sky.  Then the crescendo of the song that Isis was playing burst into deeper and more grand sounds, as that happened, a flock of birds glided through the sky.  And as the song reached its heaviest moments with its droning bass and weightless, wavering guitar giving my back one of the best massages ever the harsh vocals and heavier drums kicked in and I found myself completely lost in a pure trance from which I never wanted to return.  For Isis’ entire set I just left myself in that state of pure bliss, absorbing every note through osmosis, feeling the energy of the Earth pass through me, and observing the beauty of the sky.

Turisas-Stand Up and Fight

Sweeping orchestral pieces, brutal guitars, powerful vocals, songs about grand battles, history and folklore, and fun.  If any of these things interest you, go out and pick up “Stand Up and Fight” by Finnish metal band Turisas now.  You will not be disappointed.  By the time you reach the end of the album you’ll realize you have adorned yourself with full armor, carry a broadsword, and have left a trail of destruction in your wake.

Moonsorrow-Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa

What’s left of the dim moonlight futilely dances around the blackened night sky attempting  to reflect off the mist of precipitation and but it is sent back to darkness by the ash that is mixed with.  A single, hair thin beam of somehow pursues through the gauntlet of grey ash and darkness and meets its end upon meeting what was once a great tree of spruce.  When the determined ray of light lands on the anemic and ravaged tree his once majestic branch gives way and crumbles to the ground covering the men resting below it in a shower of dust and charcoal.  Wiping the darkness from his brow one of the men looks down at his feet and says to his companion, “Well, at least we’re lucky enough to have found this river so we can clean some of this soot off.  Or we could just leave it, the dark can camouflage us from some of the more desperate ones out there.  What ya think buddy?”

The man turns to the other, who is sitting silently close the river and says to him, “Look at that river, as a child I used to swim and play in here.  Now it’s filled with nothing but the poison of the dead and the rust of the technology which ruined us, where did we go wrong?”

Music Video Mania- Worldwide Metal

For many people, metal isn’t just music, it’s a way of life, it’s an attitude and can not be put into words.  The way of metal is quite universal around the globe, but the styles of expression found  in different regions differ.  European bands seem to be more influenced by their culture, The U.S.A and is more influenced by current events and current states of mind, Middle Eastern bands put a lot of their culture and also current events into their sounds.  There is no rule to which region creates certain metal sounds, but it’s quite evident that certain styles are more popular in different areas.

Korpiklaani-Ukon Wacka

I don’t know how Korpiklaani does it.  Since their first album “Spirit of the Forest” was released in 2003, they’ve been able to release 6 more albums.  All of those albums, including the first one, are usually quality releases.  You would think that on the 7th album in 7 years(I can help not to think of “7th Son of a 7th Son” right now, lol) the bands sound would start to get diluted, but no, Ukon Wacka is hands down one of the best Korpiklaani albums by far.  When I hit the end of the album I was pleasantly surprised how each song on this album really stands out from the others on the album.  Each song is unique, catchy, and most important of all, fun.  I think that the blurb on the promo sticker on the front of the cd hit the nail on the head, “Made me wanna drink Moonshine and dance butt naked in the moonlight.”(Inferno, Fin)

Music Video Mania

Ok, so this is something I am going to do on a weekly basis from now on, or maybe a couple times a week if I happen to be bored.  I am going to post a handful of music videos, sometimes there will be a theme, sometimes they will be completely random selections.  Let me know if y’all have any ideas for themes and or have a band you would like me to include.  For today I am going to start off this segment completely random.  Enjoy!!!!