Entry 300 - Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse

 

It's 1998, a young Xorn is going through his local record store and sees a CD from a band that I've heard a lot about. I decided to pick it up and plop it in my dinky little boombox. I didn't know it at the time but that album - My Arms, Your Hearse - would rise to become one of my favorite albums ever recorded.

I pressed play on my CD player and after a short intro (Prologue) I was greeted by the immense opener that is April Ethereal. This song weaves in and out of powerful riffs, acoustic interludes and incredible growls. The song introduces you to everything that Opeth is at this point within the span of 8 minutes.

When takes over and expands upon the sound with a more brutal direction. The riffs hit harder and the vocals focus more on a guttural sound. The song takes a turn about 60% of the way through and we're properly introduced to Mikael's clean vocals... and oh man is he good. At the end of the song finishes up with a litany of questions all starting with "When..." Perfect way to end the song.

The album continues to expand and explore this complex interaction between vocals, drums, guitar, and bass for a few more songs until everything is suddenly interrupted and we are greeted with Demon of the Fall. Everything I said before about brutality is completely minimized compared to the vocals at the start of this song. It is uncompromising and channels the namesake of the song effectively. Probably my favorite song on the album, maybe my favorite Opeth song period (though Master's Apprentice is also way up there).

Opeth have created an all time great album with My Arms Your Hearse. No amount of words that I type here can bring a glimpse of how much I enjoy this album. Outside of a the first riff in Karma there is nothing on this album that is less than perfection.

Entry 299 - Rotting Christ - Sanctus Diavolos

 

God DAMN this is a strong album. Probably the best that Rotting Christ have ever put out. They really mastered the combination of melody, darkness, and atmosphere on this album... If this had come out just a year later it would easily be album of the year.

Visions of a Blind order is a mediocre opener and is not indicative of the quality that so much of the rest of the album has. That starts with Thy Wings Thy Horns Thy sin. This song... oh man this song is something else. The band introduces one of the primary elements of the sound on Sanctus Diavolos: choirs. The pacing here is perfect, it starts off slow and slowly builds up and adds in more atmosphere and a powerful female vocal chorus. Then it explodes with a blast beat and a male vocal choir... perfection.

Things only get better. Athanti Este is one of those songs that makes you want to band your head and throw the fucking horns because it hits every single note right. That meldoy, oh my god is it fucking smooth. It's one of those songs that needs you to stop whatever you are doing and just pay attention... no bang your head.... there is nothing else you can do during its five minute duration.

I could keep going but I'm pretty sure my point has been made already. This this is a fucking masterpiece. Rotting Christ firmly placed their flag in the ground and proudly proclaimed that they are a force to be reckoned with. Other bands should take note.

Entry 298 - Remember - Show Me, Enlighten Me, Love Me

 

At what point does an artist completely move out of the genre that they helped pioneer? In the case of Remember, ルートバックホーム was an incredible ambient dreampunk album. It helped solidify the genre as a separate entity from vaporwave all together. Remember has been evolving with every release, with Deep Dive... showing what can happen to the genre when mixed with deep dubstep. Now however, I don't think that we can even include Remember's latest release with the dreampunk genre.

To my ears Show Me, Enlighten Me, Love Me has crossed over from a dreampunk album with deep dubstep influence, to a deep dubstep album with dreampunk influence. We've gone from an atmospheric album that contains interesting beats and sound design to a beat driven album that features sound design and instrumental interplay over atmosphere.

Let's talk about that sound design aspect for a little bit. I have to say I'm very impressed with the instrumentals on the album. They sound deep and rich, and while the bass is the dominant feature of the album it is done so in a controlled and intentional manner. There is nothing sloppy about the bass or really any of the instrumentation.

Towards the end of the album we do get a bit of a call back to the previous album. Miles From the Coast is a meditative track that features no percussion at all. It paints a vivid and dark picture of a futuristic landscape. It acts as a transition track for the album as well.

Prior to Miles from the Coast everything is highly beat driven, whereas after the album take a more atmospheric term. There is still percussion but the atmosphere on Why Bother and Parting The Difference seems to be a bit more of the focus than it was on the first few tracks.

Remember is one of my favorite artists to come out of dreampunk. No two albums are exactly the same, and knowing Jude the next album is either going to be further down the rabbit hole or something else completely. I'm looking forward to hearing what he comes up with next. In the mean time though this is an excellent album to tide me over.

Entry 297 - Hanging Garden - I Am Become

 

I go through phases where I become obsessed with a particular genre for a few days or few weeks. A while back it was melodic doom/death. I picked up I Am Become in the middle of one of those periods where I couldn't get enough of the genre.

Hanging Garden fall somewhere in between mid period Katatonia and Finnish doom/death. The clean vocals remind me quite a bit of Jonas from Last Fair Deal era Katatonia. The growls are well executed and have quite a bit of girth to them, it helps with the delivery as this kind of music needs conviction in the vocals to be effective.

The music weaves in and out of clean and heavy sections. The clean sections are likely accompanied by clean vocals, and the heavier sections often feature growls. In terms of surprises there isn't much here in that regard. The album is melodic doom/death by the numbers.

Despite the album being rather generic overall, the melodies and vocals are well executed. It's an easy album to listen to and fits the mood perfectly if this the genre of choice at the moment. It's one of those albums to put on and acknowledge "hey that's pretty neat" before shelving it again for a year plus before the mood strikes again.

Entry 296 - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Lofi Vol 1: Air

 

Lofi hip hop and me have a strained relationship. When it's done well its a truly amazing genre that can move me emotionally. Those moments are rare though and so much of the genre is the same that it's hard to find something that stands out. Fortunately this Avatar lofi remix album is one of those moments.

While the music to Avatar The Last Airbender was not something I would seek to listen to outside the show, the remix done for this lofi album is something that I've had spinning on and off for a few days now. It combines a few things that I enjoy quite a bit: repeating themes, far eastern instrumentation, and dynamic songs.

Many of the songs on the Air compilation contain similar melodies, this ties the album together in an intimate fashion. The songs have a sense of belonging to one another. Quite a few of the songs also blend together from one track to the next, this adds to the sense that this is an album as a whole rather than just a collection of individual songs.

I'm a huge sucker for eastern instrumentation. Chinese violin, Japanese guitar, really anything that has that special quality that can only be found in far eastern stringed instruments. They are all here and they are used in tasteful ways to not only play the main melodies but also add to the entirety of the song. Not only does this deepen my enjoyment and engagement of the music, it makes each of the songs it's own within the context of the album.

I'm quite pleased with this album, and I'm glad I was able to pick it up. It's a lathe and overall the volume on the disc is quite low to what you would expect from a record, but ultimately that does not affect my enjoyment of the album.

While I am not usually a fan of lofi, I am happy to call this an exception to that generality.

Entry 295 - Abstractor - Cinerouis Incarnate

 

I have a ton of records that have sat on my shelf for years without getting a proper spin. Now that my first goal of getting caught up with my backlog is complete the new goal is to get these unlistned records on the turntable. Abstractor is the first in this new goal.

One of the reasons this album in particular sat for so long was I could never figure out what the hell the band name was. It's so hard to read on the cover and on the spine that it's pretty much unrecognizable. I went through one of my old order's and found the band name and sure enough when referenced it turned out to be this album.

Six songs, four of them real. The other two are thirty second interludes between the ten minute songs. Blackened doom metal, long songs, and a filthy production. We're off to a great start here.

Abstractor plays feedback laden blackened doom with a healthy dose of death metal on the side. The album will switch styles on a dime, giving it a pretty chaotic nature. One minute were near funeral doom speeds, then without warning we'll be blasting the next second. Takes a bit to get used to the first few listens but it grows on you over time, especially as the atmosphere of the album begins to work its way into you.

The real strength of Cinerouis Incarnate is it's incredibly oppressive atmosphere. Regardless of the speed, when played at high volume the album is simply suffocating. The combination of black metal style riffing, with death metal type chords and the constant feedback... it wears on you and breaks you down. By far my favorite part of the album.

Abstractor have a pretty sick sound going on here. I probably won't listen to this album again for a while, but now that I know what I have when the mood strikes for an oppressive album I know exactly where to find one.

Entry 294 - Pertubator - Dangerous Days

 

It's been way too long since I listened to this one. This album was my introduction to modern synthwave... and it changed my musical tastes for years to come.

Every time I listen to Dangerous Days I'm always a bit disappointing with the first few tracks. Pertubator's Theme just doesn't hit me very hard and is kind of a weak opener. The bass in particular is not nearly as driving as the song deserves or needs... and that is about the last you'll hear me say anything negative about this album.

As the album progresses the songs get stronger, until you get to the absolute mammoth sized middle tracks. She is Young, She is Beautiful, She's Next is an absolute synthwave/darksynth masterpiece. The intensity and urgency that this song brings is crazy. It has a paranoia to that is completely undeniable. It's easily one of my favorite songs on the albums and probably one of my favorite synthwave songs period.

And then there is Humans Are Such Easy Prey... this shit is peak Pertubator. The way that the bass drives the song as well as the d e e p tones that come every so often give me goosebumps and when played at optimal volumes will shake the entire house. You can't get better than this, don't even try.

The rest of the songs range from good to absolutely fucking incredible. This is simply one of the single best records that has been put out in the last ten years, and is Pertubator's best effort to date. Unquestionably essential.

Entry 293 - Dead Can Dance - Within the Real of a Dying Sun

 

Oh wow... I've been listening to this album all my life but this is the first time I've put it on my turntable since I did my most recent upgrades to my sound system. There are points where you think you've heard an album in any way possible... then you listen to it again with new equipment and nope... I have not experienced Dead Can Dance like this before.

As soon as Anywhere Out of the World came on I knew that this would be a different experience. The massiveness of this song is on display right away. The song simply commands attention and will settle for no less. Brendan's voice is a perfect accompaniment to the the dark and stirring music provided by the keyboards.

This is the album where the band would fully embrace the darkwave/dark folk sound that would define their sound moving forward. Much of this album is played out on keyboards, but that is not a detriment in the slightest. It's simply a mark of what the band was at this time... another step in their continual evolution.

While the first half of the album focuses on more traditional song structures to accompany Brendan Perry's voice, the second half is toned more towards Lisa's incredible vocals. The album morphs further and further into the dark folk style and further away from traditional song structures as the run time increases. Its a masterful transition from start to finish, something very few bands could accomplish.

Dead Can Dance remain one of my favorite bands from the 80's or really ever. They pioneered so many musical styles in a such a short time and were hugely influential with their early material. Any band that creates dark music within the last 30 years likely owes something to Dead Can Dance and the styles that they pioneered so many years ago.

Entry 292 - Dryft - From Stasis

 

Ambient music is such a crazy genre. On one end you have droning music that changes once every 33.54 minutes. On another you have field recordings where it's nothing but nature sounds and maybe a few random notes on a piano thrown in. One thing you don't see very often though is ambient music with a percussion component to it. Dryft aims to change that with this release.

From Stasis is essentially drone ambient with a destructive percussive element. I hesitate to even call this ambient because the percussion and beats are so disruptive to everything. When the percussion comes in it doesn't only make its presence known it demands all the attention in the music... everything else becomes secondary.

In between the percussive assaults the music is quite tranquil if not a bit dark. The cover is quite apt, this does feel like someone floating through space with nothing else around them... that is without the percussion happening at the same time. It's quite a contrast... and this contrast is where the real character of From Stasis is shown.

By meshing two elements that should have nothing to do with each other Dryft has created a rather novel style. Neither one of these styles is unique in and of themselves but the combination of the two is quite interesting to say the least. The execution isn't always amazing, but it remains interesting enough to keep my attention throughout the five tracks on the album. Curious to see where Dryft ends up going from here.

Entry 291 - Ulver - Svidd Neger

 

You know what's a real travesty? That I've gone this long on this blog without posting anything from my favorite band.

To say that Ulver's discography is varied would be a gross understatement. I'm not aware of any other band or project that has changed styles so drastically over the years. Until recently they remained one of the most unpredictable bands to come out in the past twenty to thirty years (possibly longer but my musical knowledge isn't as strong as it should be pre-1985).

On Svidd Neger we see Ulver take on the form of film score composer. This score is much more than that however, this was and remains one of the stronger entries into Ulvers varied discography.

Ulver takes a basis of dark jazz and dark ambient and fuses it together with a neo-classical backing for the duration of Svidd Neger. The album starts out with ominous strings that leads into a subdued melody dominated by pianos and eventually trumpets. As the album progresses many of the themes laid out in the first three minutes are revisited with different instruments and with different levels of intensity.

One of the more intense moments comes about half way through the first side. What could be considered the main melody of the album is played gently on a piano before giving away to a guitar that is gently strumming an accompanying series of notes. This is contrasted by a woman screaming at the top of her lungs as if witnessing some horrific event unfold... it's an incredibly intense moment that only lasts a few seconds but it continues to haunt me well after the album runs its course.

This is Ulver at their best. Instrumental, dynamic, and emotionally charged. When Ulver hits they are some of the best music that has ever graced my ears... and this one is towards the top of the list in terms of quality Ulver albums.

Entry 290 - Droidroy - 明晰夢

 

Sometimes I think an artist can get associated with a genre that may not reflect their true sound. Droidroy has commonly been referred to as a dreampunk artist, however after listening to a vast majority of his music I don't necessarily agree with that genre tag.

Personally I think most if not all of Droidroy's music belongs in the ambient genre... though you could argue that dreampunk is an ambient subgenere in the first place... in which case I rest my point. That said the music has much more in common with Boards of Canada or Brian Eno than say 2814 or Hong Kong Express.

On 明晰夢 droidroy explores short repeating melodies wrapped in a blanket of pure ambience. The album focuses on a few core ideas and then slowly builds out from there, be it a melody, a rhythm, or even a vocal line... each song has something that it uses as a foundation. From that foundation layers are added and built.

The second track is a fantastic example of this. The core element is a short seven note melody that varies slightly with each repetition. To accompany it there is a blanket of ambience put in as the backdrop in addition to several female vocal lines that are scattered sparsely throughout the track.

Droidroy has a fantastic discography of which a few have been put to wax. I'm very happy to have the few that I have in my collection as they are excellent ambient albums that deserve to hit the turntable more frequently. Hopefully the next time between listens won't be as long as it was leading up to this listen.

Entry 289 - Front Line Assembly - Epitaph

 

I love slowing down and taking my time with an album sometimes. Even one I've heard many times before. Sometimes a quick fix is all I need, one spin... other times (like now) I let an album marinate and soak in.

Epitaph is possibly my favorite album from Front Line Assembly. They managed to create a sound on this album that is instantly recognizable... from it's dark and rich bass tones to it's delicate balance of beauty and disgust.

The concept of beauty for FLA is a bit foreign for most of their discography. Most of the time this band focuses entirely on the depravity of the human race and the music reflects that intimately. Epitaph is a bit different.

Sure the album has a near singular focus on mechanical sounds, complex drum beats and harsh atmospheres... but there are moments (fleeting as they are) where things brighten up just a little bit.

Ironically one of the strongest moments of this is on the song Everything Must Perish, while the verses contain the expected vitriol the chorus is a bit different. A melancholic atmosphere comes over the music and the vocals are actually melodic (instead of the usual whispered, spoken spite filled words), and are quite pleasant to listen to. The melodic outro to the album is also filled with a haunting female vocal lead over an incredibly atmospheric composition... this may be one of the best instrumentals that the band has created.

FLA is a continuously evolving band. They have never once revisited this style and that is likely for the best. Each entry into their discography is separate and unique. Epitaph just happens to be near the top of that list.

Entry 288 - Dead Can Dance - The Serpents Egg

 

Oh man I have missed listening to these guys. There is no other musical project that is quite like this. Each of their albums has such a unique sound and instrumentation. The Serpent's Egg is likely my favorite from the band (outside of Towards the Within which may be one of the best live albums ever).

It's actually rather entertaining how I came across these guys. I was listening to a Paul Oakenfold mix and Host of the Seraphim was used as the opener. I looked up the source material and bam I was instantly a fan of Dead Can Dance.

The Serpents Egg sounds like it was performed in a Church or holy venue. Not only does it have that cathedral type sound, but the atmosphere, the ambiance, the instruments, everything... it just reeks of a religious recording. Most of the lyrics are in other languages so I'm not sure what they are saying, but my goodness do I love how they are saying it.

Lisa's voice in particular is the very definition of haunting. Brendan's voice is the yin to her yang. Where she is haunting, he is grounded. Where she is ethereal, he is stout. The contrast works incredibly well, and they utilize both vocal styles to the utmost of their ability.

This album is one of the very best within my collection. It is short, and as such often spends a lot of time on the turntable as I keep wanting to re-listen. This particular time around its been playing for six hours straight.

Entry 287 - Do Skonu - The Grand Awakening Among The Great Sleep

 

I completely forgot I bought this record years ago. I probably listened to it once and then filed it away. I pulled it out this morning and decided to give it a spin... not sure that was the best use of my time.

The first few tracks are slow, repetitive and have... interesting vocals. Sometimes this combination can be exceptionally well executed and create a bleak and unique atmosphere. Do Skonu is not one of those bands.

The production here is thin in such a way that everything sounds hollow. It doesn't create atmosphere it simply sounds bad. The riffs beg to have just a bit more variation to them. They are all extremely basic and don't really offer much to the record. The vocals also sound like a frog croaking. This can be done well (see Inquisition) however here they simply make me laugh.

This is the kind of album that at least for me will remain forgotten, as it won't be in my collection much longer. There are good ideas present here, and with a bit more refinement or perhaps a bit more chaos a better album could have emerged. As it stands though, this is likely the last time I listen to the album.

Entry 286 - Front 242 - Tyranny For You

 

Have you ever needed to listen to something completely divorced form what's been on your turntable recently? I've been focusing so much on metal and ambient the last few weeks that I needed something in a completely different genre to get me going today. Enter Front 242.

I picked this album up a long time ago, I can't even remember how many years its been. For the longest time I avoided this band. EBM has always been a hit and miss genre for me and for the most part I stayed away from Front 242 for whatever reason. When I finally decided to check them out I realized how much of a mistake I had made.

Tyranny (For You) is an album that both embraces the 80's and 90's EBM but also manages to sound way a head of its time. Much of the album's instrumentation has that unmistakable EBM percussion and melodies. That hard driving industrial type metal on metal beat combined with the highly synthetic melodies... if someone asked what EBM sounded like I would point them to this album as a primary reference point.

The vocals too have that semi spoken semi shouted quality to them that completely defined the genre. Where the band begins to differentiate themselves from the genre they helped create (or created depending on who you ask) is in the atmosphere on the album.

While the ablum is steeped in 80's instrumentation the atmosphere that the album produces sounds like something from the 90's to the mid 2000's for the electronic genre. It's incredibly dark and bleak, much more so than any of the other albums that came out around when Tyranny was released. While the nostalgia trip provided by the instruments is neat, it's the mood of the album that keeps me coming back.

This album is crazy good, probably my favorite from the band. It's a reminder to me that I don't listen to this style of music nearly enough, something I need to remedy.

Entry 285 - The Lovecraft Sextet - Miserere

 

Out of all my entries so far this is going to be one of the most important ones. This blog was originally created as a way for me to keep track of records that I hadn't listened to yet. A vast majority of the entries have been records that were just sitting around waiting to be listened to. As of this moment Miserere is the last such record. After this I will have no unlistened records in my collection.

What happens when you combine dark ambient, jazz, and a distant black metal vocalist? You get Miserere.

The album starts off with a saxophone and an incredibly ominous atmosphere. From there it slowly builds to include some very light jazz drumming a double bass (stringed instrument) and some black metal vocals. This is the general template for the album from this point forward with many variations on the theme.

The sheer level of pure atmosphere this album is able to create is quite impressive. I've found myself sitting in a dark room with this playing and letting the music wash over me. I don't have anything else quite like this in my collection and I'm likely going to seek out some more in the near future.

Entry 284 - Krallice - Diotima

 

I forgot these guys existed. Plain and simple. I remember they created quite the stir when the debut dropped about 15 years ago, I also remember enjoying the first three albums quite a bit before I lost track of the band. When I saw this at my local shop a few days ago I figured I'd pick it up.

Krallice play a rather disjointed and somewhat technical style of black metal. The instruments most of the time are all just kind of doing their own thing with not much regard for each other. Usually one guitar will generally fill the role of rhythm with the other generally filling the role of lead... but that's not entirely what is going on here.

The riffs themselves are structured in such a way that they seem haphazard. It almost feels like free jazz at some points... but then the riff will repeat, indicating that this is indeed intentional. Once my mind started to get used to what was going on with the riffs after all these years the album began to become more enjoyable. The title track in particular is exceptionally well done.

The band explores a lot of interesting ideas on Diotima. The first two tracks are by far the shortest and pack a high density of riffs in them. The remaining longer songs still contain a lot of riffs but allow them to grow more over time and have a bit more of that free jazz feel to them. That's not to say that the riffs themselves sound like they come out of a jazz architecture, but more the way that they are played in a similar way to jazz improvisation.

Now that I picked up Diotima I think I'm in the market to get the self titled and Dimensional Bleedthrough as well. My experience with Diotama was quite enjoyable and I fully intend to explore the band a bit more and see if the other two albums I enjoyed in years past are consistent with my memories.

Entry 283 - Kazuya Nagaya - Dream Interpretation

 

This is another one of those albums that contains musical elements but is not music at its core. Dream Interpretation whisks the listener through many different soundscapes. Some of them are strange, some are sorrowful, all of them sound like they come from the subconscious.

The first track, Thanatos, is actually a bit deceiving for a first track. It starts out slow but then builds into this chorus of strings that bleed sorrow and regret. It's a powerful moment that stands out early and is never quite repeated throughout the runtime.

As the album progresses its true nature begins to show. Singular notes played with odd instruments are allowed to fade in and out of existence while either silence or an ambient background fills out the remainder of the song. The end results are something akin to what you would hear from a Buddhist meditation session, or even something you would hear of the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack.

For the longest time I debated if I wanted to grab this record. I wasn't sure that it was to my liking. I finally decided that it was time to bite the bullet when my bandcamp plays ran out. That usually indicates that I enjoy something enough to warrant a purchase. After spending even more time with the record now I'm glad I picked it up.

Entry 282 - Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part II: Flight of the Migrator

 

I can't just listen to the first part can I? These two albums are two parts of the same coin. Part 1 is the more methodical and contained of the two. Part II is far more varied and dynamic... yet somehow ends up being less interesting than part I.

It's not really that the album is bad, I think I just prefer the slower more deliberate pace of the first part. This one has a much more progressive/power feel to it which normally is not my thing.

The difference is felt right off the bat with Chaos. This track alone has more speed than any part of The Dream Sequencer. It's a fun ride of double bass drum and dueling guitars.

The upbeat pace continues throughout most of the album, and while I'm not the biggest fan of it most of the time I can't help but bob my head at certain points. There is one glaring exception to all of this though. The single greatest song in all of the Universal Migrator albums: Into the Black Hole.

Why is this song so great? Well for one the Pink Floyd mannerisms of the first album are combined with the power and dynamic song writing of the second. The song is also well over 10 minutes long giving it a lot of time to explore different ideas fully. Oh and this one guy named Bruce Fucking Dickenson is on lead vocals... don't know if you've ever heard of him but he's ok.

Thus ends the Universal Migrator duo of albums. Are these the best albums that Ayreon has put out? Probably not. They are pretty damn good though and I'm glad to finally have some Ayreon on wax. I missed the first round of pressings on these albums, happy to have them in my home.

Entry 281 - Ayreon - The Universal Migrator Part I: The Dream Sequencer

 

What would happen if Pink Floyd played metal and employed a dozen vocalists? I'm pretty sure it would sound close to Ayreon at this point their musical career, especially on Part 1 of this epic two part album. Listen to the title track and tell me that doesn't sound like Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

Comparisons aside this album is exceptionally well done. The assortment of vocalists that Arjen was able to amass on this album is quite impressive. Each song seems like its written for each collection of vocalists.

Highlights include My House On Mars with Johan's gothic drenched croon. Neal Morse on The First Man on Earth also showcases his incredible vocal range. Damian Wilson also provides powerful and emotive vocals on And the Druid Turns to Stone. Really all the tracks have well curated vocalist selections and powerful performances... there isn't a bad track on this thing.

The music on the Dream Sequencer is almost all mid paced. It works exceptionally well for the album as it allows the melodies to build slowly and lets the vocalists shine. In 2084 there is this synth solo that comes between the vocal lines that gives me goosebumps, something similar happens with My House on Mars.

There are so many small details on this album that add up over the course of the 70 minutes. Be it a guitar solo that weeps emotion, a synth that emphasizes the scifi nature of the album... or really anything. There's so much here to dig into. I'm elated that this got reissued on wax. Hopefully we'll see some more Ayreon on vinyl soon... that would be very welcome indeed.

Entry 280 - øjeRum - There is a Flaw in My Iris

 

I don't know when the last time was that I heard an acoustic guitar based ambient album. I've got one to two others in my collection but they are exceedingly rare.

There is a Flaw In My Iris is a short eight track album that is almost exclusively based around an acoustic guitar and sparse monotone vocals. It's incredibly minimal and requires quite a bit of patience to get anything out of.

Throughout my first few listens I greatly enjoyed the guitar moments. They have this way of being musical but at the same time allowed to be the primary contributor to the ambience as well. The notes will play and then be allowed to fade into silence. This is where the core balance of the album is, music counteracted by nothingness.

I find this interaction to be fascinating... if a little frustrating. Sometimes the album gets in its own way. The vocal sections in particular do nothing to add to the music and would probably be better left out.

Despite my frustrations with certain parts of the album, overall its a nice listen. It's a decent debut album that experiments with a lot of different concepts. Some fail and some succeed... that's just the way things go with experimental music sometimes.

Entry 279 - Misthyrming - Meo Hamri

 

My enjoyment of Misthyrming seems to be completely random. I'll put on an album of theirs and it'll sound like some of the best Icelandic black metal ever created. I'll the same album on a few weeks later and it'll sound like utter trash. I have no idea why this happens, but it's been happening for years now.

Something seems a little different with Meo Hamri though. The more I listen to it the more... the more it sinks in... the more it makes sense. Things are starting to fall in place. This has never happened before with one of this band's albums. It's either feast or famine, never a gradual unveiling of it's treasures.

Let's take side A for instance. The first track is a chaotic mess that almost made me turn off the album the first time I heard it. By the fifth time I was used to it and just let it be what it is... it's the only track on the side that has this level of dissonance to it.

The remaining songs focus much more on creating a deep sense of unease in the listener. Sure they still go all out with the blasting, but its much more controlled and the riffs make more sense than the opener. In between all the tracks are little snippets of dark ambience that only serve to enhance the sense of growing unease. I'm finding that I quite like this.

After spending some quality time with Misthyrming's newest album I think I'm going to go back to the other two and see if there is something that I've missed. I bought this one with the hope that it would click and I would find it enjoyable. I'm still worried about my history with this band, but for now at least it seems like the goal of actually liking an album by these guys has been achieved.

Entry 278 - White Ward - False Light

 

Good lord this one took a while to click. When the album first dropped I listened once and was extremely disappointing. Love Exchange Failure and Futility Report are among some of the best black metal to come out in the last 10 years. I thought the band had completely lost it with False Light... I was wrong.

At the prompting of a friend I revisited the album a couple of months ago. By the time the trumpet solo started in Leviathan I was sold on the album. I'm not sure what I heard the first time I listened to False Light but whatever it was it is not what I am hearing now.

This album is incredibly dense. Every moment of every minute on the album is jam packed with riffs, ambience, jazz, and intensity. The incredible thing about what White Ward have here is the intensity takes on different forms. Not just the sheer force of the music, but also the incredible emotional impact that each of the songs has.

Much like the albums preceding the saxophone plays a large role in the sound of White Ward. This is largely a continuation of what was found on Love Exchange Failure. The sax is used as both a pivotal part of the more ambient sections as well as a climactic piece for when the band needs a solo or that one extra element in the music to drive it over the edge. It works so well with the band that White Ward simply would not have the same impact as it does without the sax at this point.

False Light is one of those albums that sets the standard for the genre it's in. Hardly any other band can match this level of song craft at this point. It's albums like this why I still listen to metal.

Entry 277 - Profetus - The Sadness of Time Passing

 

Funeral doom is one of those genre's I love in concept but in execution it's very difficult to find something I truly enjoy. I love the idea of incredibly slow dark passages, incredibly long songs, and this mountain of music slowly crushing everything in its path. Rarely does that potential ever get realized though.

Profetus have all the elements of an amazing album. The pace never seems to go above 30 bpm, the vocals are deep and powerful, and they use a fucking pipe organ for most of the album. The songs themselves are even well written and draw me in... something is just missing though.

When I sit back and really think about it I think it's the production. The Sadness of Time Passing is a well produced album, everything is clear and easy to make out. There is something missing on the bottom end though. I want my funeral doom to be absolutely c r u s h i n g and it simply does not quite get there. The riffs certainly have the potential to be that, but they lack that glacier sized punch that I need with this genre.

That said these songs do have a LOT going for them. The dark ambient passages that naturally come with the genre are exceptional, especially on Northern Crown where female vocals are weaved in... this section gives me goosebumps. The pipe organ is something I wish more bands would use, it creates such a strong atmosphere and it works perfectly with funeral doom.

God I wish this album had just a tad bit more oomph on the bottom end. If it did that then I think we may be looking at a top ten contender. As it stands though the album is a very good release with untapped potential. I think I would love to see these guys live with the immense sound that normally brings... I think these songs would strongly benefit from that.

Entry 276 - w u s o 命 - Lonely Streets

 

This is the final wuso record that I was hoping would be pressed. Between this, You'll Be Okay I Promise, and Hold It Together three of my favorite dreampunk albums have been put to wax.

Wuso's style is self dubbed cinematic dreampunk and I tend to agree. The music has a strong visual quality to it, it feels like you are taking part in a soundtrack or a visual soundscape.

While Lonely Streets is not as strong as Hold It Together it's still a strong entry into wuso's catalog. It's the album where he found his sound. The combination of low base tones to guide a more distant melody all seen through the hazy fog of a city at night all began here... at least for wuso.

So much of this album is how the melodies build into crescendo's that never truly explode. Rather there is a tension that builds and slowly releases between tracks. As the album progresses this expand and release concept is explored through different ways and I find it incredibly fascinating to listen to.

So much of dreampunk is painting a picture through music. Wuso does this throughout the album, balancing the urban instruments and melodies with the dreamlike ambient backing tones. It still blows my mind that he was 16 or 17 when this album came out.

While this album is not nearly as good as some of the albums that would come after it, Lonely Streets is an important album for me to have in my collection. It was one of the first albums that really clicked with me in the genre. I'm glad that it got the treatment it deserved.

Entry 275 - Desert Sands Feels Warm At Night - 夜道

 

Well this is a pleasant surprise, I wasn't expecting this until May. This is probably the first (and maybe last) slushwave record I have in my collection. It's one of the very few in the genre that has stood out to me.

Slushwave is a sub-genre of vaporwave where the sounds are slowed down even more than normal. Much of the genre is based on samples much like regular vaporwave. On top of that there is a heavy emphasis on phasers. The end result is something that has an underwater or slushy sound to it.

Desert Sand Feels Warm at Night has an ongoing series of sample free slushwave albums. This one is the second in that series, and in my estimation it's his strongest output. The full album was edited down quite heavily to fit on two records, I believe the full release is well over two hours long.

The editing actually works well for the release. On the digital and tape version the songs can go on for over half an hour repeating next to the same thing the entire time. While this creates a wonderful atmosphere eventually it can get old. On the records this is mitigated somewhat due to the shorter length of the release.

Each side has a slightly different feel to it. Side A is a bit livelier. Side B is pretty much traditional slushwave. The real standout here though is side D. Everything that I said about the album repeating itself until it gets old can be applied to the single song on side D, but instead of getting old it acts like a lullaby to put me to sleep.

Every note has this super soothing tone to it, the percussion is barely audible and it acts like a heartbeat to drive the song forward. It all works in perfect harmony and its the true highlight of the album for me.

Like most vaporwave I'm not a huge fan of most slushwave. This album stands as the shining example of what is possible within the genre. It may or may not remain the only slush record in my collection, but if it is then the genre is well represented.

Entry 274 - Thorns - Thorns

 

Thorns debut album. I haven't heard this thing in nearly a decade, and while I have fond memories of listening to it I didn't remember much except a few different riffs. I remember most profoundly that this was what I thought this is what Dodheimsgard's 666 International should have sounded like. I've since come around on 666 International (after more than a decade), and I was curious what my reaction would be to Thorns after such a long time of not listening.

This album is cold. It is mechanical. It is inhuman. The riffs have a mechanical... almost militaristic feel to them. Everything is calculated down to the microsecond. The synths are intentionally synthetic and made to sound inorganic.

The production is a perfect match for the feel of the riffs. There is no "fun" in the instruments, nothing like Sunlight Studio's buzz-saw sound. This - again - sounds inhuman. The guitar tone is clean... so much so that it feels too perfect. The drums are precise and each stroke of the kit is entirely audible from the other, there is no muddling at all... its perfect.

Another thought I had about this album many years ago was that this may be the future sound of black metal. There was so much experimentation going on around 1998-2005 in the second wave innovators that I genuinely thought that black metal was going to morph into completely new territory. Now, 20 years later this album still stands as a pretty unique entry into the field of black metal.

As much as I enjoyed the album when it first released I can look back at it now and enjoy it in its historical context. It does stand up against the test of time and provides an excellent example of experimentation while still adhering to the core black metal sound. This is an excellent album.

Entry 273 - Milk Outside a Bag of Milk, Outside a Bag of Milk...

 

I'll get this done and over with. This album is strange... exceedingly so. The full soundtrack to this game is about 4 hours long and here we have about 40 minutes of it in a selection. The curation was apparently done between the label and the artist... the end result is fascinating.

To call this record musical would be slightly misleading. I think its more a collection of notes and atmospheres. There are certainly parts of the album that do contain musical elements, but they are repeated in such a way that they aren't necessarily music.

The remaining parts of the album shrug off any sort of musical identity altogether. These sections range from a deep disturbing tone that resonates over a few minutes, a guitar that simply can't seem to form a riff, to near silence. It's these moments that are truly eerie and unsettling... they often go on for so long that it becomes almost awkward. They do overstay their welcome and I think that is entirely the point.

This is one of those albums that treads the line between noise, music, and something else. It's that something else that makes this album so fascinating to me. While it is a game soundtrack (a game I have yet to play), the album itself is worth checking out simply because of how uncomfortable it all is. One of the more unique releases in recent memory.

Entry 272 - Aara - Triade II: Hemera

 

I first came across Aara a few years back. Their debut album blew me away with its combination of religious atmospherics and the insane vocals. The albums since have been a bit hit and miss for me. Triade I though was mostly incredible, adding in some death metal levels of intensity into the already aggressive form of melodic black metal. It was going to be a tough album to follow.

Triade II felt like a bit of a let down compared Triade I at first. Phantasmagoria does not start the album off well. It's slow, it lacks the intensity of Triade I and a greater emphasis on melody. It's not bad, it simply does not grab me as much as I expected an opener to.

Adonaia's Elegien doesn't really do much to help as it is very similar, except maybe more emphasis on melody than the opener. The end especially has a dueling melodic interchange, that while well executed does not grab my attention as well as it should. After that though the album begins to show its true character.

Sonne der Nacht kicked my ass. That death metal like intensity is back full force and simply did not let me breathe. The interplay of male and female vocals was an interesting way to get me into the song and as the song progresses the riffs just do not stop. It's likely the highlight of the album for me.

The entirety of the second side keeps pace. At no point does the album let up from the intensity... and this is where it won me over. No it's not as good as Triade I was, but it's very close. I wish the album started off just a bit stronger, but after a brief falter it more than makes up for it. A worthy sequel and I'm looking forward to the third entry even more now.

Addendum after a few more listens: Phantasmagoria and the second song work in the context of the album. They are the most melodic songs by a long shot and they set the stage for what's to come. I think I was caught up on the melody because there are quite a few good riffs in these songs as well. Overall really strong album.

Entry 271 - Panzer Paradise - Do They Still Dream In Heaven

 

It's hard to think of an album that has a more fitting cover than this one. It's not because any one thing has any sort of deep meaning or connection to the music (that I'm aware of). Rather the mashup of all these different visual elements is a perfect representation of the music that's on Do They Still Dream in Heaven.

At it's heart the album is a beat driven instrumental album. Many if not all the songs have some trap leanings, but this does not necessarily sound like an instrumental hip hop album. It sounds more like a combination of vaporwave, video game music, some hip hop elements, and just random ideas that are thrown together.

Each track has almost nothing to do with what came before it or after it. One track will have a chip tune melody over a hip hop beat, and then the next song will completely flip things on it's head with acoustic guitars, a woman howling, or an 808 worship. It's all over the place and it's probably my main draw to the album.

I'm drawn to music that is random and has a stranger side to it. Panzer Paradise's album is nothing but random from one track to another. The thing is that despite the randomness the album works. All the music comes together in a way that is enjoyable. No one track is longer than a few minutes so each idea is visited for a short amount of time.

I grabbed this album a few weeks ago on a deep discount. I had been thinking about grabbing it for some time before that but with 50% off I had to pull the trigger. Despite some earlier reservations I had on my first few listens I'm ultimately glad I picked this one up... it's certainly a unique addition to the collection.

Entry 270 - Chicory - The Sounds of Picnic Province

 

Well this certainly is a change of pace from the main game OST. The main focus of this record seems to be acoustic instrumentation and simplicity. Much of the diversity that is found in the main Chicory soundtrack is not here, this is simple, quiet music.

The Sounds of Picnic Providence thrives in peaceful melodies. Some of them are more forward than others but all of them give a very chilled out vibe. On one track a violin leads a beautiful serenade, on another an acoustic guitar and piano play lonely chords as they decay into silence. On yet another track a flute plays with an echo that makes it feel like its in a cave.

All of these tracks are a wonderful listen and they all have a similar scope. As an added bonus the tracks all blend into each other, either a melody leading into the next track or some soft ambient sounds (wind blowing, a river flowing etc) softly guide the music towards it's inevitable conclusion.

I can see why this was released separately from the main soundtrack. This is a very different type of album than Chicory proper is. The main soundtrack had a strong mix of electronic and acoustic instrumentation, whereas here this is 90% or more acoustic. I like the change and it goes as a nice accompaniment to the boxed set.

Entry 269 - Verberis - Adumbration of the Veiled Logos

 

Apparently adumbration means the state of being in shadow or shade. That's an interesting choice of words since that would imply subtly in the music... of which there is none, at least not at first.

Verberis play dissonant black metal. The riffs show little adhesion to any type of melody, they only seem to exist to create chaos and create a cacophony of sound. The vocals are your standard black metal fare with maybe a hit of death metal on the lows. The drums are deceptively well done. They fit well with the music, however there are small little touches throughout that add flare to the music. It was only after I bought this record that I learned that Jamie Saint Merat was behind the kit... no wonder they sound masterful.

While the band is content to obliterate any sense of melody or traditional musical identity they also have another side which focuses more on ambience and subtlety. A vast majority of the album is complete insanity, however there are points where everything gets stripped away and quiet melodies play to a tranquil ambience. This was a bigger shock to me than any of the riffs that came before it, as most of the time music like this lacks any type of melody or subtle touches. It was quite welcome.

After buying this album I had a bit of buyers remorse. I have so much dissonant black metal in my collection, did I really need another album? Through listening a few times today the album does enough with it's emphasis on the atmospheric side to justify a place in my collection. It may not get spun as often as some other albums, but when the mood strikes this album will be back on my turntable.

P.S. the last song is 20 minutes long and fucking killer... album worth it for that alone.

Entry 268 - Vukari - Aevum

 

I picked this up from a local shop a few days ago, never heard of Vakari before this. The album cover stood out and there was a nice big sticker that said "atmospheric black metal" that plus a very modest price tag made this a blind buy.

Atmospheric black metal is indeed what this band is all about, and they do it almost completely without keyboards. The band specializes in reverb laden guitar riffs that border on dissonance but never quite get there. It's a cool effect that's utilized in many different ways over the playtime of the album.

Aevum is an album of ebb and flow. There are points where the band is slow and brooding... a lonely melody plays above a full backing of guitars and bass. It's an incredibly full tone that borders on the "wall of sound" style.

The album also has sections where it lets completely loose. It's here where the band will border on death metal intensity, and I love it. Even during these more visceral parts the band maintains a strong sense of atmosphere.

I've spun this thing probably 2-3 times today taking it all in. I love albums like this that I had no idea about before and are a pleasant surprise when you put them on. The sound is so rich and the atmosphere is so thick you need a knife to pierce it. I'm certainly going to be checking this band's back catalogue based on my experience with this one.

Entry 267 - Mistcavern - Into Twilight

 

This EP is a paradox to me. It does nothing original, in fact it's pretty derivative black metal. Pretty much everything that's recorded in these 20 something minutes has been recorded somewhere else before.

The keyboard intros and outros? Yeah they sound very similar to early Bathory. The riffing in general reminds me of early Satyricon... in fact much of this reminds me of the Shadowthrone with slightly different production. Maybe with a side of In the Nightside Eclipse.

The keyboards play an integral part to the music here, they provide an added layer of atmosphere that the guitars start but don't quite finish. When everything else is stripped away and a slow ambient section takes hold the keyboards are the star. They are an integral part to the sound that Mistcavern has here... and it's probably part of the reason why I enjoy this EP so much.

Most of the time when I hear a derivative band I pass pretty quickly. But sometimes... once in a blood moon there is a band that pays tribute in such a strong way that I have to pay attention. Into Twilight is the latest case of that happening.

Not only does this EP have great songs, the production and pacing are nearly perfect. At 20 minutes long there isn't much time for the album to develop, but every moment here is used to maximum effect. Nothing overstays its welcome or feels under developed. As short as it is it feels like its the perfect length.

Mistcavern has my attention with this one. This EP was released a few years ago now with no other recordings done under this name. If this is the only release under this project for the foreseeable future then at least it stands a strong tribute to those who came before.

Entry 266 - Coniferous Myst - Lost Mountain Pathways

 

We talk about raw black metal all the time and how it portrays a very specific mood that can't be achieved any other way. Well I present raw dungeon synth.

What is raw dungeon synth? It's dungeon synth created with the same sound chip that PC speaker used. In other words this sounds like a soundtrack to a Commodore 64 game, or any other PC game that came out in the 80's. These bleeps and bloops are raw... they hurt my ears, they are nearly unalienable from a physical standpoint, and that is exactly the point.

There is no other way to get this tone other than to try hard; this took a lot of work and dedication to achieve. The ironic thing is that there are several samples of things such as water, doors opening etc. scattered throughout that sound just fine, but the melodies played just completely override them. They are in your face, that they demand your attention.

The actual music here is incredibly minimal. There is at most 2 things going on at any given time: one melody and one backing instrument... most of the time they are playing single notes. Chords are a rarity though they do pop up from time to time.

The jury is still out on this one. It's gonna take me a good while to fully appreciate it, if I ever can. With as difficult as it is to listen to without getting a headache it's going to take me quite some time before that happens. If it ever happens at all.