So, back in college, I made a couple of mix tapes of bands I thought deserved a little more attention. Handed them out to my friends, all in all, just some good PR for some not-so well known bands. Yeah, I was that guy. I still am, and have been listening to some fun stuff recently, and thought that I would share. Now yeah, I know some of these bands are not that obscure, but they may have dropped off the face of the planet for a few years, and are back. So, give these bands a shot, and if you like what you hear, do yourself a favor and pick up an album or two.
Cold: Wicked World
After over five years, Cold returns triumphantly with a new studio album, titled Superfiction. Check it out on iTunes to get a bonus cover of Aerosmith's Dream On
The Dreaming: Beautiful
Some familiar faces return to my samplers as the lead singer and drummer from Stabbing Westward are joined by a number of other talented musicians. Currently finalizing their second studio album, I can not wait to see them on tour again!
Halestorm: Familiar Taste of Poison
I will be the first to admit that I am not one for female bands, but this caught my attention the other day and has been stuck in my head, in a good way.
Celldweller: Birthright
Anyone that knows me knows that I have been high on Klayton for a good number of years, and really that has not stopped. Come in and take a listen to the best band you didn't know you knew.
Red Line Chemistry: You Don't Get It
Out of nowhere the other day this song hit me and brought me back to some good alt-rock days of the late 90's. Somewhere in between some good STP or Vevet Revolver and the driving bass rhythms of Isle of Q, these guys have what it takes, give them a shot.
Acroma: Orbitals
Driving guitars that give off an A Perfect Circle like feel give these guys a great edge. Definitely worth a listen or two.
Sonota Arctica: Flag in the Ground
Finnish progressive metal. I have a soft spot for the hard rock that comes out of both Finland. Sweeping melodies and epic storytelling. See also Amorphis, Falconer or Epica for more in this vein.
Deathboy: Amphetamine Zoo
Hard electronic driven rock. Hailing from England, Deathboy has recently shown back up and is writing again. Check out some of his older stuff here and then go find his site and see what else this talented musician has to offer.
In Flames: Deliver Us
That soft spot for Finnish progressive metal also extends to the Swedes. Swedish band In Flames brings more melodic death metal to the table, and after almost twenty years of doing it, they still have it.
Ayreon: Liquid Eternity
Dutch composer and musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen combines elements of just about every other band featured so far, from Sonata Arctica's nd In Flames progressive metal, to Celldweller and Deathboy's electronic influences into epic tales that stretch both the ears and the imagination.
Egypt Central: White Rabbit
Currently (July 2011) on tour with Red Line Chemistry, Memphis band Egypt Central brings an Alice in Wonderland inspired post-grunge piece to the mix.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Disturbed: Asylum First Listen
Ok, so my copy of Asylum came in the mail finally, collectors edition, poster with the sheet music/tabs on the back, et al. Very cool.
Remnants: Fun instrumental to start of the disc. Felt like it was going to have a heavier electronic push to it, with the low buzz and the synth sounds, but once the acoustic guitar kicked in, the piece picked up. Nothing to write home about although the guitar work is pretty slick if I do say so myself.
Asylum: Fed into from Remnants, starts off with a quick bass line. John is all over that, ad it remains a pretty basic bass line (on first listen) throughout the song. David needs to use his falsetto more IMHO, "Darkness" was gorgeous, and there were a few times in the song I was expecting it, mainly in the chorus. The use of the electronics in the song added a nice extra level the couple of times I noticed them. Also, the layering of vocals was a nice touch too.
The Infection: I love the sound of David's voice when he is singing, not that I don't like the growling, but he has an amazing voice. Drum level felt a little high and overpowering a little, nothing wrong with the drums, just a little loud. Really dig the guitar work at about 2:25 or so in. Nothing overly noticeable from John on this piece.
Warrior: Quick bass/guitar combo to open the song, and quick vocals from David to match. Good sound, the high/low vocals from David are a nice change of pace.
Another Way to Die: Slowing it down a bunch. 30 seconds in, thinking this would be a great falsetto song for David. At a minute in they pick up the pace, the drums are at the perfect level for this song, remembering seeing this video a few months back. Political statement, drives it's point home though. Another piece where I enjoy the guitar and bass work. I will be learning a few of these songs! But no Falsetto from David.
Never Again: Not sure I like the opening "Woah" after the "Never Again" by David here. Another quasi political song but the instrument effects at the very least caught my attention
The Animal: Electronic opening to the piece. Like the opening growl/laugh. A little to much on the guitars, they are not bad, but the drums, David, and a less busy guitar during the chorus, would do this piece better I think. Not all songs need a guitar solo, while this one is cool, could have been better saved for another song.
Cruscified: Another good piece showcasing David's singing. The toned down guitars during this song are what I would have liked to hear in the last songs chorus. Even the motion in the chorus on this one does not overpower David. I liked this one a lot, probably one of my favorites so far
Serpentine: John having fun with the bass line, I like it. The rhythm change leading in to the chorus felt a little jarring, had to listen to it twice, to make sure i hadn't just misheard though, so must not be too bad. Good level for the guitars in this.
My Child: Not liking the electronic swell underlying effect in the opening. Nothing wrong with the song, just not getting into it that much. Lyrically sounds a little whiny, and then the lifeline beeping at the end...meh.
Sacrifice: Good contrast between the singing and the growling. Guitar felt a little repetetive but not bad. Like the Jekyll and Hyde reference. Loved the different drum parts, varying enough throughout the song (again, IMHO) to keep it moving. Another one of those places near the end that while guitar solo's are cool, I did not feel that the song needed it.
Innocence: Like the opening right off the bat. David's growling coupled with the singing sounds great. Am really into this song, not hearing anything overly special about it, just everything is seeming to mesh very well.
ISHFWILF: Lots of silence to open this, hoping it becomes something like "Darkness" as that would round out this album very well. Off the top of my head, I have yet to hear David's falsetto. :/ Not digging the silence though, I get the desire to do a 'bonus track' type of thing. Ok, 1:35 in, and the song just kicked in. It's a cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Great song, awesome cover, but I am a sucker for hard rock/heavy/industrial covers.
I am going to skip the bonus tracks, they are live versions of "Stricken" and "Down with the Sickness," good quality recordings though.
OVERALL: The group is comprised of very strong individuals in their chosen instruments, and for the most part they were able to showcase each talent, but a couple of times the songs felt like those personalities were fighting to be the only one in the song you noticed. "Innocence" and "Cruscified" were my favorite pieces and they will be added to my short list of music, as will "ISHFWILF."
Overall I enjoyed the album, will definitely be adding it to my mp3 player, hoping "My Child" will grow on me.
Remnants: Fun instrumental to start of the disc. Felt like it was going to have a heavier electronic push to it, with the low buzz and the synth sounds, but once the acoustic guitar kicked in, the piece picked up. Nothing to write home about although the guitar work is pretty slick if I do say so myself.
Asylum: Fed into from Remnants, starts off with a quick bass line. John is all over that, ad it remains a pretty basic bass line (on first listen) throughout the song. David needs to use his falsetto more IMHO, "Darkness" was gorgeous, and there were a few times in the song I was expecting it, mainly in the chorus. The use of the electronics in the song added a nice extra level the couple of times I noticed them. Also, the layering of vocals was a nice touch too.
The Infection: I love the sound of David's voice when he is singing, not that I don't like the growling, but he has an amazing voice. Drum level felt a little high and overpowering a little, nothing wrong with the drums, just a little loud. Really dig the guitar work at about 2:25 or so in. Nothing overly noticeable from John on this piece.
Warrior: Quick bass/guitar combo to open the song, and quick vocals from David to match. Good sound, the high/low vocals from David are a nice change of pace.
Another Way to Die: Slowing it down a bunch. 30 seconds in, thinking this would be a great falsetto song for David. At a minute in they pick up the pace, the drums are at the perfect level for this song, remembering seeing this video a few months back. Political statement, drives it's point home though. Another piece where I enjoy the guitar and bass work. I will be learning a few of these songs! But no Falsetto from David.
Never Again: Not sure I like the opening "Woah" after the "Never Again" by David here. Another quasi political song but the instrument effects at the very least caught my attention
The Animal: Electronic opening to the piece. Like the opening growl/laugh. A little to much on the guitars, they are not bad, but the drums, David, and a less busy guitar during the chorus, would do this piece better I think. Not all songs need a guitar solo, while this one is cool, could have been better saved for another song.
Cruscified: Another good piece showcasing David's singing. The toned down guitars during this song are what I would have liked to hear in the last songs chorus. Even the motion in the chorus on this one does not overpower David. I liked this one a lot, probably one of my favorites so far
Serpentine: John having fun with the bass line, I like it. The rhythm change leading in to the chorus felt a little jarring, had to listen to it twice, to make sure i hadn't just misheard though, so must not be too bad. Good level for the guitars in this.
My Child: Not liking the electronic swell underlying effect in the opening. Nothing wrong with the song, just not getting into it that much. Lyrically sounds a little whiny, and then the lifeline beeping at the end...meh.
Sacrifice: Good contrast between the singing and the growling. Guitar felt a little repetetive but not bad. Like the Jekyll and Hyde reference. Loved the different drum parts, varying enough throughout the song (again, IMHO) to keep it moving. Another one of those places near the end that while guitar solo's are cool, I did not feel that the song needed it.
Innocence: Like the opening right off the bat. David's growling coupled with the singing sounds great. Am really into this song, not hearing anything overly special about it, just everything is seeming to mesh very well.
ISHFWILF: Lots of silence to open this, hoping it becomes something like "Darkness" as that would round out this album very well. Off the top of my head, I have yet to hear David's falsetto. :/ Not digging the silence though, I get the desire to do a 'bonus track' type of thing. Ok, 1:35 in, and the song just kicked in. It's a cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Great song, awesome cover, but I am a sucker for hard rock/heavy/industrial covers.
I am going to skip the bonus tracks, they are live versions of "Stricken" and "Down with the Sickness," good quality recordings though.
OVERALL: The group is comprised of very strong individuals in their chosen instruments, and for the most part they were able to showcase each talent, but a couple of times the songs felt like those personalities were fighting to be the only one in the song you noticed. "Innocence" and "Cruscified" were my favorite pieces and they will be added to my short list of music, as will "ISHFWILF."
Overall I enjoyed the album, will definitely be adding it to my mp3 player, hoping "My Child" will grow on me.
Friday, July 2, 2010
The best band you don't know you know.
Band: Celldweller Label: Fixt site: www.celldweller.com
The best band you don't know you know.
If you have watched network television, played video games, or been to the movie theatre over the past 5 or 6 years, you have probably heard the electronically fueled sounds that are the product of Klayton’s Celldweller. Labeled everything from Post Industrial to Electonic, to a combination of metal and trance, Celldweller is all that and more, taking the best elements of each, the heavy guitars of metal, the digital effects of industrial and the flowing beats of trance, while adding haunting and compelling vocals to lyrics that can strike chords with the listener, bringing melody to emotions.
Released on January 28, 2003, Celldweller’s self titled debut release is a 15 track rollercoaster with haunting melodies, aggressive rhythms and ear catching vocals. Klayton, formerly of Circle of Dust, Argyle Park, and Angeldust (with magician Criss Angel), produced, wrote, and played all instruments on the album, not only showing how diverse his talent is, but also allowing his creativity to shine through. Two years later, Celldweller released The Beta Sessions, a two disc set featuring rough cuts from the recording of the first album, as well as pure instrumental versions of many of the tracks, a 29 part odyssey of adrenaline filled sound. Sprinkled throughout the last 5 years Celldweller has released his own remixes as well as other’s remixes of his work, a cover of the disco-era “Tragedy”, a song originally recorded by the Bee Gees, songs for various video games, and acting as producer on a pair of songs by Breathing Underwater as well as many other bands.
After the release of the debut album Klayton took his own Esion Media label and transformed it into what is now Fixt. Fixt is a multifaceted media company that not only supplies music from muliple bands, including Blue Stahli and The Dreaming, but also merchandise as well as artwork. One of the other projects of Fixt is the “Take it and Break it” series, where various tracks used to create songs, including cuts that do not make the final version, are released to the public with the intention that self aspiring artists will re-mix the songs in their own vision. The remixes are then submitted into a competition where other (ab)users can vote on their favourite remix. The winner and runner-ups receive various prizes, including, but not limited to iPods, professional audio software and hardware, as well as CD hosting at CD Baby for a year. Previously, once the contests are over, the top remixes will be placed on a CD, which is then sold through www.fixtstore.com/storefront.php. Currently, nine tracks by Celldweller, with a new one upcoming soon, and one track by Subkulture have been given this treatment, spawning some spectacular remixes and giving some talented musicians the outlet they need and deserve.
In August of 2009 Celldweller released the first two tracks of "Wish Upon a Blackstar"; an album that has been in the works since 2005, some songs of which date back to much earlier. The initial digital release date of 8/25/09 saw the Fixt Servers responding to the vast number of attempts to download and purchase the album as a Denial of Service attack, locking both users and administrators out. Over 24 hours, and two server upgrades later, finally saw the release of "Louder Than Words" and "So Long Sentiment." These two songs comprise chapter one of the new album, which will be released in five chapters of two songs each, as Klayton finishes them. The release came in two flavors; a cheap, no fluff version with just the songs, and a deluxe edition, which, in addition to the two tracks and a digital art book, also included various demo tracks of the songs, as well as an audio commentary with Klayton talking about the eveolution of the song over the various demos. "Louder Than Words" is a song about consequences, "Actions speak louder than words do" being repeated throughout, and that theme permiating the song. "So Long Sentiment" is about facing what you are as a product of your past, but moving onward. The melody of this song is both haunting and beautiful, with the use of digital effects and layering peppered throughout the vocals, coupled with the drum beats keeping the song fresh. The lyrics read like a diary as the writer finally accepts who they are and lets go
"Under this crushing wait , I'm sinking
It never goes away, the thinking
Echoes in empty rooms are saying
Time to erase the rest of me"
The second chapter of "Wish Upon a Blackstar," is just as fueled, and the third is coming soon. Proving that he is not one to rest on his laurels, Celldweller has also release "Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol.2 - Chapter 1" which is a vocal-less fueled 4 tracks, clocking in at about half an hour, including a twenty minute track that he created to help himself sleep.
With Chapter 3 of "Wish Upon a Blackstar," the rest of "Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head," and a live show being developed, look for Celldweller to continue to make an audible impact.
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