Entry 583 - Forndom - Faþir

Style: Viking chant, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Natures majesty, Nordic tales, solitude, comradery 

Thoughts: Row, row for your lives men! All that we are is tied to this boat. Feel the rhythm of the drums as we push the longship ever forward. Row. Row. Row. Feel the pulse of the sea as is crashes against our sides. Feel the blessing of Njord as we move ever forward.

Forndom play a style of music I'm not entirely familiar with. I don't know how to classify it, so I will do my best to describe it. The essence of the music lays in slowly chanted vocals over ever beating drums with atmospheric keyboards laying a backdrop to it all. 

The music has a sway to it, it's almost hypnotic. The allegory of the rowing ship is an apt one. The music feels as if a group of Vikings is moving a ship forward through thunderous waters into places unknown. 

When the melodies are present they are minimalistic. Usually played with half or whole notes and repeating for lengthy periods of the songs. In doing this the music continues to have a hypnotic effect on me. When vocals are present they are in the lower register and are often chanted by a choir of men in a similar hypnotic tone.

Faþir has a strange beauty to it. It's one that I don't have much if any of in my collection. This allure, this sway that the entire album possesses... it calls to me. It beckons me in. It asks me to join my brethren as we sail to far off lands to provide for the families back home. Fear not, my loves, we shall return.

Written October 23rd 2023

Entry 582 - Rotting Christ - Genesis

Style: Melodic black metal, gothic metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Rebirth, demons, power through self, power through satan

Thoughts: Rotting Christ and I have a troubled past. The early stuff, the albums that are most commonly held in the highest regard, do nothing for me. I've tried so many times with Thy Mighty Contract and Triarchy of Lost Lovers. They continue to fall flat with me. 

Genesis however is another story all together. This album sees the band embracing their black metal roots while incorporating all sorts of fascinating influences - the primary of which is a strong gothic atmosphere.

The opener Daemons quickly dispels the notion that the band is shying away from the extreme metal side of their sound. The past few albums embraced the gothic side of the sound perhaps a bit too much, leading to overlong and lethargic sounding albums. This is not the case here. The album starts out at a blistering pace with blast beats, a nearly dissonant guitar riff, and keyboards that embrace the gothic atmosphere perfectly. It demands my attention immediately and never lets go.

The band starts showing the true nature of the record with the epic Lex Talionis. The song starts off with a Gregorian chant with guitars and keyboards creating a heavily layered and atmospheric introduction. The song builds by adding in choirs and layers upon layers of guitar riffs. This is the Rotting Christ that I love. This is the sound that no other band can replicate. It shows up briefly on Genesis, but it would be perfected on the follow up. 

The album continues to unfold incorporating more and varied influences. These include clean vocals, creative use or choirs and chants, rock and roll song structures, and atmospheres so thick they require a sword to cut trough. This is Rotting Christ coming into their own. Genesis is indeed a form of rebirth for them, and while not nearly as good as the follow up it brought new life into the band that was desperately needed*. 

(*This is not to knock Khronos at all, that album rules.)

Written October 23rd 2023

Entry 581 - 猫 シ Corp. & t e l e p a t h - Building a Better World

 

Style: Ambient, beats, dreampunk

Primary Emotions/Themes: deep peace, tranquility, making the future a better place

Thoughts: Waves crash into a shoreline that is not there. Light illuminates a holographic forest. The world as we know it has changed, but it is still our home. Somehow, against all odds humanity overcame it's differences and managed to unite in a singular vision to save the world we are bound to. 

Life is such a fragile thing. In an instant it can change from joy to the deepest depths of despair, and right back. These are the moments that define us, they form us into the beings that we are today. I know I am guilty of holding onto the negative aspects more than I should. I tend to resonate more with them and find it easier to find fault in myself and my actions. 

Building a Better World takes the opposite approach. Instead of trying to focus on the negative within the human psyche and experience, Telepath and Corp have chosen to create music that reflects the joy of what it means to be human. 

The album embraces droning ambience as the basis for it's music. These tones are warm and welcoming. The eschew any notion of harshness or darkness within any of these nine tracks. This is warmth distilled into audio form.

Sometimes the music will grow into more than simple drones. It's not often, but occasionally a gentle melody will guide the music forward. Even rarer still is the inclusion of percussion. These moments give the music life and energy over its playtime. Much like everything else on this album they invite the listener to dwell in a better place.

Building a Better World was billed as a dreampunk album when I first heard it. I honestly don't hear it. This is an ambient album that m a y b e has some dreampunk elements. This is two of the post-vapor worlds best artists coming together to create an album that goes against the grain, fully embraces peace, and does the unspeakable. It tries to instill hope in the listener.

Written October 23rd 2023

Entry 580 - Hollenthon - With Vilest of Worms to Dwell

Style: Symphonic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Power, mythology

Thoughts: To say that I was shocked that the Hollenthon albums were getting a vinyl pressing was a bit of an understatement. I've had the CD's for the band since they first came out and never thought they would see a release on wax. I mean it's been over 20 years since Vilest of Worms was released and now all the sudden here we are. What a time to be alive.

Hollenthon play a rather novel form of symphonic death metal. Sure there are plenty of bands out there that integrate orchestral pieces into their music, but Hollenthon takes it a step further on With Vilest of Worms to Dwell.

Where most bands will have a death metal riff underneath a ton of orchestrations, Hollenthon integrates the guitars as another instrument in the symphony. Sometimes they take the lead, other times they play a supporting role, but the interplay between the two elements is consistent and excellent. 

One of the better examples of this is the third song on the album: Lords of Bedlam. The song starts out with a very Vivaldi inspired violin melody. During this section the guitars play an accompanying riff that acts almost as if a cello or double bass would to compliment the main melody. The interplay is so simple, yet executed so brilliantly that it always demands my attention when it comes on. 

Make no mistake though, the driving force here is the guitars. No matter what is going on, the guitars are present. Be it a triumphant horn call or a string driven melody, it doesn't matter - the guitars are there. 

With Vilest of Worms to Dwell has many facets to it. While none of the tracks truly go into brutal death metal territory, songs like Fire Upon the Blade show the band exploring a more aggressive sound. The Calm Before the Storm shows the band playing almost a renaissance inspired sound with the melodies and timings used. Each song has its own take on the Hollenthon sound, but they obviously belong together. Each being a single part of a greater whole.

I've had this long lasting feeling that I want to replicate much if not all of my CD collection that I had when I was younger - just this time on vinyl. I'll probably never fully get there but with the inclusion of With Vilest of Worms to Dwell that dream is one step closer. 

Written October 13th 2023

Entry 579 - City Girl - Time Falls Like Moonlight

 

Style: Lofi Hip Hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Chilled vibes, relaxing beats, great music for rainy mornings

Thoughts: Some days you need to be able to kick back with a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate and relax. Today is a rainy morning and the world sucks. I want to lose myself in some music for a few minutes before I have to go out and face reality. Sometimes you need an album like Time Falls Like Moonlight.

This album's focus is as simple as it gets. It's chill and does everything in its power to relax you. Be that through the low key beats on every song, the smooth jazz incorporated into the songs, light piano, or some gently strummed guitars - the album' sole focus is to get the listener into a more peaceful state of mind.

I'm not sure why I like City Girl over so many other lofi artists, I just know that I do. The way that these songs are crafted are simply better than so many other entries in the genre. The songs flow better, the beats match the music a bit better, the melodies sound less derivative. Whatever the root cause is here I don't know, but I am totally into the end result.

Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate or an aromatic tea on a rainy morning. Take a deep breath in as the fragrance fills the air. Grab your favorite mug and pour yourself a generous glass. Now wrap yourself up in a warm blanket and take that first sip. That sense of warmth that comes with the drink is exactly the effect that this album has on me. It's refreshing and it feels like coming home after a long trip. 

Not every album can have this effect on me, and many entries into this genre have been generic at best. City Girl has managed to create an album that extends beyond the boundaries of lofi hip hop and created an album that I seek out on a regular basis. 

Written October 12th 2023

Entry 578 - Darkspace - I

Style: Black metal, cosmic black metal, dark ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: The depths of space, solitude, cosmic horrors

Thoughts: Sometimes I wonder if I like the idea of Darkspace more than I like Darkspace itself. In concept the band is amazing. Black metal centered around the bleakness and emptiness of space. Cold, calculated, alien music that cares little for the mortals consuming it. Amazing concept.

In execution however the band comes off a bit one dimensional on their debut record. While there are certainly moments where the band channels the darkness of space, the entire album comes off as a bit limited.

The basic formula for Darkspace is to play some ambience at the beginning of the track and then blast in with guitars, keyboard, and drums at full volume. This resulting sound is a wall of noise that lacks nuance. I do really like the idea's that are on the record, especially the samples from 2001 and 2010 regarding the HAL 9000 computer. Those add a degree of creepiness to the album that would be lacking without their inclusion.

Despite the band having various riffs and ideas throughout the album, they all come off as nearly identical. The album relies heavily on blast beats and open chord riffing. While this does create an effective atmosphere the album is too long for its own good. 

Each of the tracks sound a bit too similar for me to effectively differentiate them. At nearly 80 minutes in length the album overstays its welcome by nearly 20-30 minutes. When taken in a side at a time the album is a bit more digestible, however when taken in all at once it quite frankly gets boring. 

Darkspace have something interesting going on here. The concept of the band is excellent, but on their debut album they hadn't quite figured out how to make the music a bit more dynamic. The next few albums from the band are the points where they would master their art and create some truly incredible records.

Written October 12th 2023

Entry 577 - Darkwood

 

Style: VGM, dark ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Deep horror, things that lurk in the shadows, darkness vs. light

Thoughts: Close your eyes. The horrors that lie in the darkness will not only tear away at your sanity, but they seek to devour your very soul. This is the terror for all those that would enter the Darkwood. No one has ever left unaffected. 

Yes, yes... some do depart with their lives. Even those that do manage to find their way out are forever changed, part of their sanity has left them and stayed forever within the reaches of these woods. 

No one speaks about these woods. For you see there is an evil in these woods that goes deeper than folklore. Ancient it is,  before the written word, before the first words were spoken, some believe before time itself. 

Shield your eyes, for the horrors of the Darkwood come for you.

-----

Darkwood is a dark ambient album. The fact that it is a video game soundtrack is secondary.

The music contained within the forty or so minutes of this record feels like being stuck in a deep fog. it freezes and consumes everything that it touches. It's cold, calculating, and entirely unavoidable. 

The majority of Darkwood is carefully crafted soundscapes that conjure base fears coming from the primitive brain. At times they are accompanied by a deep pulsing beat. Samples resembling wind or other woodland sounds round out the music that is found within the album. 

These tones and rhythms at times build to an overwhelming degree. They create stress on the listener and do so exceptionally well. Paranoia is the active term in these parts, resulting in a deep seeded suspicion of everything. 

Is that a shadow moving or is there something there? Is my light bright enough? Am I going crazy? What are these things that are hunting me? Why can't I find a way out of here??

Darkwood sadly omits some of the best tracks on the digital soundtrack on LP version. As much as I wish the entire soundtrack was on wax the selection on the record is serviceable - the album works fine for what it is. While the full soundtrack would have been better, this condensed version is certainly more welcome than not having this on wax at all. 

Written October 11th 2023

Entry 576 - Devil May Cry - Disc 1

 

Style: Rock n' Roll, VGM, hard rock with some electronics, ambient, dark ambient, pipe organ

Primary Emotions/Themes: Controlled violence, dark brooding, gothic romanticism

Thoughts: A single but potent piano note plays over a dark series of chords. The souls reaped from fallen enemies laid bare, crystalized into solid red orbs. Each orb bearing the face of the unfortunate being who was slaughtered by the hellish fiend known as Dante. 

Pipe organs flare out of the distance, a choir quickly joins them conglomeration of notes as the dark overtones swell into existence. The world becomes dark as the music slowly seeps into every crevice, every nook and every cranny. Like a slow but brooding fog the music slowly takes over everything in it's path, reflecting the darkness held within.

"Let's rock baby!" Says a white haired man wielding an over sized sword and two guns that have an abnormal aura around them. Pushing play on the stereo behind him the foul creatures that have entered into this place are quickly dispatched. They leave behind curious red orbs that are swiftly collected by the white haired man - death follows in his wake.

Devil May Cry is an action packed game that was quite unlike anything that had come before it. The locale's in the game are highly influenced by the Gothic styled architecture as well as more modern interpretations of the same style. The music reflects this stylistic choice intimately.

Dark ambient passages interrupted by pipe organs, choirs are common place in one of the two predominant styles in the soundtrack. These sections blend together and create a deep and brooding atmosphere that reflects the darkness hinted at in the games surroundings. They add that extra touch to drive the atmosphere to the next level.

On the other side of the musical spectrum the game engages in guitar based combat music. While the guitar is the primary instrument it is hardly ever the sole instrument being played. It is almost in perfect harmony with electronic effects and beats. These two elements work together to create a high energy rock/EDM hybrid that has a dark edge to it. It's fantastic, and something I've heard implemented elsewhere like it is here. 

The way that the tracks weave in and out of each other is what pushes this soundtrack over the edge for me. It goes from a collection of cool songs with unique ideas to something that becomes incredibly memorable and impactful. The care taken to ensure that the tracks work together through their ordering and the natural ebb and flow that comes from that is immaculate. I'm so glad that this soundtrack finally got pressed to wax - it is one of the high points of my collection.

Written October 23th 2023

Entry 575 - VA-11 HALL-A - Disc 1

Style: Synthwave, VGM

Primary Emotions/Themes: Bar music, upbeat songs, background music

Thoughts: Having played through VA-11 HALL-A the soundtrack takes on a bit of a deferent life for me. Listening to this record brings me to the titular bar, making drinks while listening to different peoples stories. 

A vast majority of the soundtrack is contained within a jukebox that you set up at the start of every day in the game. Whatever songs are selected is what plays in the background as the story unfolds. There are few points in the games 10 or so hours that you don't have control of what you are listening to. Even in those points, the music fits so perfectly that I didn't even care.

The first record for this epic boxed set contains about half to one third of the songs that are available within the jukebox selection. The rest is filled out with songs that you hear in between work shifts. 

Everything on this first record is synthwave, with a vast majority of it being the upbeat jukebox selections. The tracks taken from the in-between scenes and at home are decidedly more laid back and comfy sounding. Two different sounds, all created within the same genre of music.

Of the two styles I prefer the more relaxed tracks. They have a welcoming feel and tend to resonate with me a bit better than the barfly music. The more traditional synthwave tracks are meant to channel the energy of the VA11-HALL-A bar and the more active pace of a busy work environment. The thing that works so well on the record format is the two styles are worked in together in such a way that they balance each other out - a bit of ebb and flow as the record spins. I quite enjoy it.

This is the first of five records to this set, each one brings something just a little different to the table. It's a great way to start off one of the better soundtracks to come out in the last five to six years, and it fills a specific need that I have in my collection. Good stuff.

Written October 11th 2023

Entry 574 - Decoherence - Ekpyrosis

Style: Dissonant black metal, atmospheric black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Swirling chaos, things beyond the realm of man, quantum mechanics...?

Thoughts: This album is a bit of an enigma. At one moment the band hints that they are going in a predictable direction, the very next instant they have traversed into completely unexpected waters. It makes for a fascinating listen.

Decoherence play an atmospheric and often dissonant style of black metal that is unpredictable from what the genre normally provides. Many of the staples are there: riffs that sounds more like an air siren than a guitar, unpredictable shifts in structure and atmosphere, and the constant sense of dread that comes from the dissonance mixed with black metal. All these things are present and are done exceptionally well.

Where Ekpyrosis starts to differentiate itself is in the song structures themselves. There are extended periods of the songs that fade into near dissonant ambience, making it even more difficult to discern what is going on. Furthermore the genre is known for it's blistering pace to rip the flesh off the listeners bones, not so here. Decoherence has extended sections where the band plays at not only a slow pace, but near doom metal speeds.

The song Collapse has a nearly three minute section where the band fades into dissonant ambience and slower tempos towards the beginning of the opus. It then builds tension like few other entries into the field. By the time the blast beats are unleashed, they are accompanied by a huge sense of release. This happens not only at the beginning of the song, but several times during the course of the ten minutes the track. 

This is seen multiple times over the course of Ekpyrosis. The band is not afraid to slow things down when needed and crank up the atmosphere; an atmosphere that is dark and foreboding.  It offers a strong contrast to the typical blistering speeds typically found within the genre. This combined with song titles that seem to reference quantum mechanics (Rearrangement Collisions, Directionless Angular Momentum) you have the makings an album that stands out in a crowded field. 

Written October 11th 2023

Entry 573 - Dead Silent Slumber - Entombed in the Midnight Hour

 

Style: Melodic Death Metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Necromancy, life after death, death, witchcraft

Thoughts: Dead Silent Slumber is a one off project from Jens Ryden from around the turn of the millennium. It's a keyboard driven melodic death metal project that thrives on catchy melodies and "spooky" atmospheres. If I didn't know any better I would say the Castlevania series of games was a direct influence on the seven songs housed on this album.

I have a suspicion that the music on Entombed... was written tongue in cheek. The music leans heavily into catchy melodies, but the instruments chosen for the keyboards give the music an undeniably cheesy feel. The first example of this comes right at the bridge and instrumental section of the opener. The pipe organs come in at such an opportune time that it feels like Dracula should be rising from his grave. 

The second song picks right up where the opener left off. Again the pipe organs dominate and are paired with a galloping riff. The keyboards shift from pipe organs to poorly synthesized strings and the cheese factor is raised even higher. It reminds me of a Castlevania soundtrack, particularly something from Symphony of the Night. 

Outside of the corny keyboard and guitar interplay, the music is actually quite good on Entombed... The riffs are fully developed and provide a solid foundation while they keyboards drive the melody forward. While the music is death metal by the vocals and some of the aggression there is no blasting here. This is solidly within the "melodeath" version of the genre. 

The album is infectious. These songs will end up stuck in my head for hours at a time. They are easily digestible metal versions of pop songs. While that may sound like a knock on the music, it's not inherently a bad thing. Every now and then I need something that you can sit back with without having to think too much on it. Dead Silent Slumber is the melodeath equivalent of doing just that.

Written October 10th 2023

Entry 572 - Abigor - Fractal Possession

Style: Experimental black metal, industrial black metal, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Satan through technology, theological Satanism, Satan as a cosmic entity

Thoughts: Abigor are one of my favorite black metal bands. Not only do they reinvent themselves with every album, they do so while keeping their sound within the confines of black metal. Sure there are external influences, but the core is always, ALWAYS black metal. 

Fractal Possession was my long awaited return of the band. They had disbanded after the rather lacking Satanized. The band was "put on ice" before the Pale Moonlight Songs could be released. According to PK and TT the music was too complex and intricate for anyone to understand. What the true reasons were for the breakup I don't think we'll ever know. 

What I do know is that in 2007 this album was released and it was not at all what I was expecting. Previous efforts from Abigor were intricate and required multiple listens. Be it layered keyboards intermixed with the guitars or layers of riffs creating a cacophony of sound that took time to truly dig into. Fractal Possession goes in a different direction than anything the band had done previously.

Instead of keyboards and intricate arrangements, we have strange and uncomfortable riffs played in a sterile and clinical environment. The music contained within Fractal Possession has a highly mechanical feeling... one not meant to be consumed by human beings. 

The riffs are difficult to follow. The drumming is chaotic. The vocals are the most human part of this, yet even those sound refined and sterile to the point where the humanity is eerily cleansed from it. 

The music does not flow like anything that would normally come to mind. The riffs utilize parts of the fretboard should not go together. Notes are layered in ways where electronics dominate the music, or they pull back the riffs themselves eschew the same inhuman feeling as the mechanical parts of the album. It's not normal music, but it is still within the realm of music.

Fractal Possession was not the return of Abigor that I thought we would get. Instead we got a different iteration that was needed. The band had to be reborn in order to continue, and in this rebirth they fused with the Satanic interdimensional being that rules the cosmos. The resulting album is no less strange and confusing one would expect from such an unholy union.

Written October 9th 2023

Entry 571 - Fyrnask - Forn

Style: Black metal, ambient, neo classical

Primary Emotions/Themes: Darkness, mystery, ritualistic repetition

Thoughts: This is a tough album to write about. I have conflicting thoughts about different parts, some are fantastic, while others are not nearly as compelling. 

When listening to Forn the prevailing feeling is that this is a mysterious album. The instrumentation and melodies are often unclear as they are shrouded in ambience or other obscuring effects. 

So much of Forn is not even metal, the first five to six minutes of the album are choir lead dark ambient - lending a highly meditative and religious tone to the albums introduction. When the metal finally does come in, all the mystery and subtlety is driven aside - washed away in a furious morass of black metal.

That's the basic ingredients to Forn: religious and meditative dark ambient tracks and seething black metal that weaves in and out of it all cloaked in the deep shroud of mystery. It's a simple enough formula that does a decent enough job to keep my attention, but at least for part of the album I feel like something is lacking.

When the music is on point this is excellent stuff. Those moments are scattered in and out of the album, and make for some truly memorable moments. Be it the initial riffs of Draugr and the way they grab on to me and never let go. Or be it the incredible string driven instrumental Fornsǫngvar, Fyrnask has an incredible knack for making stand out moments shine incredibly bright.

The problem for me here is the rest of the album. Outside of a dozen or so stand out riffs or ear catching moments in the album I really don't remember much of the rest of it. It may as well be a blank tape. I remember listening to this album several times, but I'll be damned if I can remember any specific part about most of it. 

This project has had my curiosity for quite some time, and while this album doesn't quite fulfil the potential shown, there is enough here for me to continue to explore. Maybe on on of the other albums from Fyrnask the glimpses of greatness can shine through for most of the album.

Written October 6th 2023

Entry 570 - Thyrfing - Hels Vite

Style: Viking metal, black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: War, violence within nature and man

Thoughts: It's amazing how much one member of a band can make a difference. I've tried to get into Thyrfing for many years prior to this release and could never quite get there. The music either did not grab me or the vocals were off, or something else prevented me from truly enjoying it. Hels Vite changed all that.

This is the debut of vocalist Jens Ryden, formerly of Naglfar. To say that the music takes on an entirely new dimension with him on vocals is a bit of a disservice. This is more like a steroid injection of the highest quality. The band not only sounds renewed, they sound stronger than they ever have in the past.

Jens' voice has a bite to it that is highly uncommon in metal. Almost every extreme metal band uses some form of harsh vocals, but very few use them as effectively as Thyrfing does on Hels Vite. They have a venom to them, they are vitriol taken audio form. 

Let's take a closer look at the second song Från stormens öga (from the eye of the storm) for a prime example of how well this works. The song starts off with a slow and grinding riff that is eventually built up by both vocals and keyboards. The song stays the same pace but as the music gets more intense the vocals go from a calmer whisper/growl/howl to this raging beast rabid with bloodlust. By the time the chorus comes in there are small breaks in the voice that only add to the untamed and unhinged nature of the vocals. It's like he's losing all control as the rage is building up inside him. It's incredibly emotive and an example I will give to many people who state that you can't get any type of emotion with harsh vocals. I beg to differ.

The second song is only one of seven on the album. Each one of them has moments of brilliance both musically and vocally. This is easily the band's best effort and it's going to take a momentous effort by them (or really any other Viking metal band) to top this. One of the absolute pinnacles of the Viking metal genre. 

Written October 5th 2023

Entry 569 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

Style: Experimental, many many genres

Primary Emotions/Themes: Nonsense, Frank's adventures, love lost, fatalism

Thoughts: 

We sail tonight for Singapore
We're all as mad as hatters here
I've fallen for a tawny moor
Took off to the land of nod
Drank with all the chinamen
Walked the sewers of Paris
I danced along a colored wind
Dangled from a rope of sand
You must say goodbye to me

I don't know if Tom Waits had a fever dream while writing Rain Dogs or if he was experiencing a moment of clarity. Whatever was happening, he created one of the finest albums in modern music.

I can't adequately summarize this album. I will not be able to write down my thoughts accurately. This album is one of my all time favorites and I know my words will never do it justice. Tom Waits is a musical genius, and Rain Dogs is his magnum opus. Nothing comes close to touching this.

Very much like Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs is all over the place musically. Some songs sound like they are sung by a drunken sailor - the first track Singapore is a prime example of this. Some tracks are more gruff an have a more straight forward deliver - like the titular track. 

Other songs still have an eerie vibe that send chills down my spine. Clap Hands is notorious for doing this to me every time I put the album on. No matter where the music goes, the quality follows. Be it a percussion driven track with xylophones leading the way (rumored to be played with real bones). Or a full on orchestral track that brings back the wonders of Tom's early works, the quality is always there, never wavering. 

Rain Dogs lyrics are penned from pure madness. The lyrics are clever rhyme schemes that begin to make sense and then are completely lost within a few words. We get magical lines like "making feet for children's shoes" or "Time is always money, For the boys at Union Square, Go on and bust your ass till doomsday, don't forget to say your prayers."

I could write an entire essay about each of the 19 tracks on Rain Dogs. They are each entirely unique, but all of them are tied together with Tom's unmistakable voice. This album, like so many of Tom's other records, needs to be heard to truly contemplate the madness held within. 

All that said, We sail tonight for Singapore 
Take your blankets from the floor
Wash your mouth out by the door
The whole town's made of iron ore
Every witness turns to steam
Fill your pockets up with earth
Get yourself a dollar's worth
Away boys, away boys, heave away

Written October 4th 2023

Entry 568 - Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium - Nahab

Style: Experimental black metal, avant-garde black metal, dark ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Chaos, unspeakable horrors, incomprehensible beings, alien soundscapes

Thoughts: There is no band that sounds like this on the planet. Blut Aus Nord is a completely unique entity in the field of music. They have created several sounds that reflect both the beauty of nature and the absolute un-namable horrors, all within the same project. Somehow its all recognizable as Blut Aus Nord, despite how diverse the sounds are.

Nahab pulls Blut Aus Nord definitively into the world of H.P. Lovecraft's lore. The titular character being a witch associated with the elder god Nyarlathotep. This particular god has been described as taking great joy in spreading madness. I can't think of a singular better description within the musical journey that Blut Aus Nord has put out with their latest album than that.

As experimental and as alien sounding as Undreamable Abysses was, Nahab takes things a step further... in every direction, all at once. It is more extreme, it is more chaotic, it is more dynamic, it is more varied, it is stranger, it is calmer, it is full of madness... it is all things, yet is it is nothing at the same time. 

The music contained within Nahab is alien, it is not of this world. There are certainly elements that tie the music to the human plane of existence. Sometimes there will be a riff that has a legitimate melody to it, other times there will be a particularly blistering blast beat driven section. But these moments of clarity are rare and hardly resonate the true structure of the album. 

Most of Nahab sounds like it is decaying in front of us. The riffs will start with a singular note or chord and then seemingly rot from existence as if phasing in and out of reality. The vocals sound like an inhuman purr rather than anything a homo sapien would normally vomit fourth from their mouth. The drums take on almost a free jazz approach, with odd accents to the music and beats that seem out of phase with the rest of the instruments. 

Blut Aus Nord has created strange albums like this in the past. Both The Work Which Transforms God and MORT have entered this strange world of decaying riffs and mutated rhythms. With Nahab the band revisits these sounds in a different time in their career. This is somehow a bit more uncomfortable than those earlier albums. Maybe that's the entirety of this side of Blut Aus Nord's music, a contradiction, a paradox - alien music written by denizens of Terra. Music that should not exist yet somehow it does. Nahab is a clear highlight of their extensive discography at this point.

Written October 3rd 2023

Entry 567 - Amorphis - Elegy

Style: Progressive death metal with experimental elements

Primary Emotions/Themes: Finnish folklore

Thoughts: Where do I start with an album like this? There is so much going on here, so many facets to cover. I don't know where to start or where to finish. 

I guess well start at the beginning, as all stories do. Amorphis started off as one of the early death metal bands from Finland but quickly started differentiating themselves by incorporating some progressive elements into their second album. This along with clean vocals made the band live up to their name: ever changing, never stagnant. This all came to a head on Elegy.

Elegy is the band's third album and it is a defining moment of the band. The band has truly begun to shed all of the pure death metal roots at this point. While some growls do remain, the main vocal focus here is Pasi's cleans. The duet of him and Tomi work exceptionally well on this album, and unfortunately this is the only time we would see that in the bands career as Tomi would stop all vocal duties after Elegy.

Musically the band has fully embraced the progressive tendencies of Tales From the Thousand Lakes. Elegy embraces everything that the band could think of: sitar, Hammond organ, acoustic guitars, strings, keyboards, electronic experimentation, crazy song structures. The band really threw the kitchen sink at the song writing process with Elegy. 

To be honest the first few times I hear the album it was a bit much. It sounded like a disjointed mess to me and I went back to listening to later albums which were my preference at the time. As I grew older though I revisited the album and I found the true wonder that is Elegy.

The music isn't disjointed, it's more like an excited kid looking through an attic and finding treasures. The band has a cohesive sound throughout, but they mix it with many other genres because... well they can. Why not? No one was saying no at this point, so why wouldn't you experiment? Do all of them work? No not really, but enough of them do to make this album something special.

I don't think that anything captures the essence of this album more than the song My Kantele. The lyrics and the music speak to the sorrow and the pain that real music is made from. The band put it best so I'll close this out with their own words:

Truly they lie, they talk utter nonsense
Who say that music reckon that the kantele
Was fashioned by a god...

It's belly out of hard days
Its soundboard from endless woes
Its strings gathered from torments
And its pegs from other ills

Written October 3rd 2023

Entry 566 - Dearth - To Crown All Befoulment

Style: Nasty ass death metal, dissonant death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Laying in squalor, living among the sewars, unclean horrors

Thoughts: Oh boy this is a good album. Oh mama is this a nasty slice of dissonant death metal. 

The instant the album starts my ass is kicked. The opening riff slides up and down the fret board making it sound like some deranged decaying alien crying out for help. The drums blast away at a rare intensity and the vocals bellow like a creature from the darkest abyss. It's fucking dope. 

To Crown All Befoulment is one of the better album titles I've heard in recent memory. Not only does it catch my attention because it sounds cool, it perfectly describes the album's sound. The riffs on Dearth's debut are done in such a nasty way that they perfectly reflect all things that are fowl and rancid. They are chaotic but not sloppy, they are dissonant but not impossible to follow, they are complex yet catchy enough that they stick with you. 

The band has this uncanny knack for knowing what riffs go together effortlessly. The riffs are varied and can often get quite dissonant though they never get to the point where they are painful on the ears. What the band does masterfully is know when to pull things back, to reign in the chaos and let the music breathe for a measure or two before ramping things back up. 

Dearth are keenly aware of what makes their music work, and the album length is a key indicator of that. This kind of music is best taken in small doses, and the 30 minute play time leaves me wanting more instead of feeling over saturated and wanting to turn the album off.

What a hell of a debut album. These guys know exactly what they are doing and how to execute it to near perfection. I'll be looking for their next album with an excitement I rarely have anymore for new music.

Written October 2nd 2023

Entry 565 - Kamelot - Haven

 

Style: Symphonic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Hope, science fiction, grandiose arrangements

Thoughts: I think this is the first overt power metal album I've written about for this blog. That says two things. One, I am not a huge fan of the genre as a whole. Two, this album is truly exceptional. Not only is it something I'll listen to, but it's an album that I went out of my way to get a record of. 

Haven is the second album with new vocalist Tommy Karevik. I'm not going to spend too much time on Tommy vs. Khan but I will say that if anyone could fill the shoes of Khan it's this guy. The vocals on Haven are phenomenal. They are emotive, they are accurate, they never once take me out of the music because of an off note or undue scream. They are silky smooth and I'm very much a fan.

The music is pretty much standard Kamelot fare. That means intricate arrangements of keyboards and orchestras over galloping riffs and double bass drums for a majority of the album. That can't be all it is though, or else this album would be cast to the wayside like so many other albums in this genre for me. 

What Kamelot does better than almost anyone in the power metal field is pacing. The album will go all guns blazing like the powerful opener Fallen Star. The band will then contrast that with a gravely deeply riff driven song like Citizen Zero. The album is hardly one dimensional, something that is an easy trap for power metal.

Where the band really shines through is the incredible ballad Under Grey Skies. This not only showcases Tommy's vocals to the utmost effect, but it draws in incredibly emotive acoustic work with a pan flute. This song is also contains one of Kamelot's staples: a guest female vocalist. 

The way that Charlotte and Tommy play off of each other is quite frankly remarkable. They effortlessly dance between each other and bring out the best in the other vocalist. Towards the end where Tommy's voice goes up nearly an octave gives me chills. The first time I heard it I think I was moved to tears. If I'm honest, this song is the main reason I bought this record. Probably one of my top songs in the last ten years.

Kamelot breaks every rule I have for this genre. Not all of their albums is fantastic, but when they write a good one, they are one of my favorite artists in any genre. While Haven doesn't quite match Karma or The Black Halo, its pretty fucking close. 

Written October 2nd 2023

Entry 564 - Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

Style: Industrial...?, ambient, noise, acoustic, really just NIN

Primary Emotions/Themes: Anger, angst, suicide, self loathing, regret

Thoughts: This is going to be a tough one for me. I've been listening to Nine Inch Nails for well over half my life at this point, and this was my introduction to them. The music on here has so many emotions attached to it over the years. So many memories. It's hard to look at this objectively... so I won't.

The Downward Spiral is a collection of songs that goes way beyond the sum of its parts. This album takes a multitude of genres and fuses them together in such a genius way that they transcend their individual contributions to create an album that is one of the best of the decade. 

The album starts out with Mr. Self Destruct, a noisy anthem that sets the tone for what is to come. Harsh, yet catchy verse/chorus structures that can turn on a dime into something completely different. The song starts out incredibly noisy with overdriven guitars and shouted/whispered vocals. It's almost like someone or something is waiting to explode in an already violent arena. 

The music increases in intensity until the midway point where everything drops out and a quiet instrumental takes over. This only lasts for a few seconds but its a pivotal moment of the song and the album as a whole. It lets the listener know that NIN is not afraid to try anything and everything - as long as it sounds good. 

This is seen over and over again throughout the Downward Spiral. One song will be incredibly harsh and straight forward and the next will be incredibly soft and touching. The deep seeded slithering of Reptile is balanced out by the welcoming A Warm Place. For every Big Man With a Gun there is a Hurt. The album is balanced nearly to perfection, but not in a traditional sense. 

With each section the album progresses towards the final chapter of title track and Hurt. Both of these songs show a character who is completely broken, driven to the point of suicide and self detest. Nothing matters anymore, the only exit is death. It's such a hopeless ending to the album that it's often hard for me to listen to all the way through.

The Downward Spiral is an album that needs to be taken in as a full album, at least for me. There are musical themes that act as leitmotifs throughout (the end of Closer uses the same melody as the title track for example). For a young me this was a defining album, one that I got into even before metal. It was powerful back then, and it remains so to this day. Absolutely essential listening. 

Written October 2nd 2023

Entry 563 - Assumption - Absconditus

Style: Atmospheric death/doom

Primary Emotions/Themes: Slow deep contemplative passages, darkness vs light

Thoughts: Three songs, nearly 40 minutes of music. With an album that stretches that far with so few songs, it can usually go one of two ways: songs that respect the listener with a huge payoff or songs that meander and overstay their welcome. 

I got into Assumption earlier this year with their outstanding sophomore release. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to see what the debut sounded like. While it is not nearly as good as their second album, Absconditus offers a diverse and intriguing take on the death/doom genre.

The songs on this album are long... very long. Two of them are well over 15 minutes, and the third acts as a glue to tie the longer tracks together. The songs are slow and exceptionally deliberate in the way they deliver their message. Liberation takes 3-4 minutes before even getting beyond the initial riff/intro. Only at the 3:55 mark do harsh vocals come in accompanied by a deep distorted riff. To this point in the song a slow clean electric guitar has been playing a sparse melody accompanied by a drum pattern so slow that it would make any funeral doom fan happy.

While it would be easy to pass the album off as funeral doom, the band changes things up often enough to shed that title. The music will morph over time to the point where blast beats are introduced at a few points in the album, only to slow back down to the unbearably slow pace that they started at a few minutes later.

As with the second album the band loves their atmosphere. The vocals have a heavy layered effect with some delay that gives them a larger than life feel. The production, much like the vocals, is vast and spacious, giving the instruments room to breathe and deepen the atmosphere without the use of too many keyboards. When the keyboards are there they are put to excellent use, making their addition a welcome one rather than dominating the sound.

Assumption is a band that I am going to be paying attention to for some time. While Absconditus is not as good as Hadean Tides, it offers a solid slab of doom/death that's heavy on atmosphere. Couple this with their excellent knack to deliver the right riff at the right time the band has the potential to make something truly great in the future.

Written October 2nd 2023

Entry 562 - Uranium - An Exacting Punishment

 

Style: Industrial, noise, black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Fear, hate, pain

Thoughts: Over the past few months music that incorporates non-traditional elements to create an intentionally harsh atmosphere has become an increasing curiosity. These projects can range from music that is physically painful to listen to, to music that is made all the more intense by the noise elements. Uranium falls somewhere in between those two extremes. 

An Exacting Punishment is an industrial album at its core with influences from several other extreme genres. Black metal influences come in the way of vocals and some guitar riffs. Death metal is seen mostly in the heavier guitars that are seen in about half the songs. Noise comes in through harsh feedback and highly oppressive atmospheres.

The industrial elements make this album what it is though. These five tracks contain slow, absolutely crushing drums that are heavier that a hydrolic press forming red hot steel. Over the drums the music cascades in waves of deep pulses that are layered in distortion and feedback. 

The distortion on the album goes beyond normal levels, not only does it permeate every instrument, it's worked into the very fabric of the release - even the production is mired with it. The distortion makes the music sound a bit more distant and even muddled at points. It's to the point where I thought there was something wrong with my turntable when I first put the record on. I had to listen to the digital album to confirm that the distortion was indeed intentional.

An Exacting Punishment is an excellent addition to my collection. I don't have many albums in this genre, and Uranium is a fine representation of what the genre is capable of. This is an album I'll be revisiting in short order.

Written October 2nd 2023

Entry 561 - Hvergelmir - Tomten

 

Style: Dungeon synth, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Vast open spaces, lands untouched by human corruption, deep contemplation

Thoughts: "Standing at the precipice of my destiny, I look out over the sea of clouds. These lands before me are unsoiled by the hands of men. This sacred place must be shielded against the evils of this supposed 'progress' humanity brings to everything they touch. 

In truth they do nothing of the sort. All things blackened by that damned race of bipeds is ruined. They do not... no they CANNOT do anything else. With their cities, towns, roads, and deep seeded need to dominate everything around them. They are no better than the orcs that rape the land's of the east.

These lands are sacred, they are shielded. The magic that binds me to them will forever keep me here, and I do so willingly. This land is pure, let no creature - human or not - lay claim to it, lest they face my wrath."

~The Wizard in White from the chronicles of Tomten

Simply put, Tomten is one of the best dungeon synth albums I have ever heard. It consists of two songs, one being the title track and the second being an unnamed epic on the B side. 

The title track is something that must be heard to truly appreciate it's greatness. The track prefectly channels the essence of winter through the use of a mighty organ. The melodies are simple, but come with a commanding presence that is rare to have in any genre of music, let alone dungeon synth. Well placed samples add to the mystique of the music, making the 20 minutes go by in a flash.

The second track has a more laid back approach, leaning deeply into the ambient side of the project. While not nearly as memorable as the title track the atmosphere produced here is decidedly darker and channels the harshness of winter rather than it's majesty. The track itself does not leave a lasting impression on me musically, however I have strong memories of the emotions I felt during its play time. Lonliness, solitude, and bracing for the inevitable. 

Hvergelmir has something truly special going on with this record. Very few dungeon synth projects have hit me as hard as this one. Almost none have given me as strong a mental image of winter as the title track. Nor given me the deep sense of how dreadful a cold winter can be as the unnamed track. Tomten fulfils all of the potential of the genre.

Written September 29th 2023

Entry 560 - Absu - The Sun of Tiphareth

 

Style: Black metal with some thrash influence

Primary Emotions/Themes: Mythology

Thoughts: It's pretty hard to surprise me in music anymore, but the first time I put this album on I was in for one. I was expecting the album to start with the 11 minute epic Apzu, but instead was greeted by a three minute instrumental before the epic track came on. This was the first of a few surprises in for me as this was not The Sun of Tiphareth that I knew, but a reordering of the tacks that Osmose put out a few years ago.

The music on Tiphareth is quite a bit different than the debut, featuring longer and more intricate songs.  The style has shifted from a death metal to black metal, though this is not typical blast beat driven style of the genre. These songs weave in and out of different tempos and vocal stylings, have a slight thrash edge to them and change multiple times during their play time. None more so than the aforementioned epic Apzu.

Apzu is an incredibly strong opener that features many passages. Some slower and more atmospheric such as the acoustic break with female vocals about 3 minutes in. Others feel more like a militaristic march, such as the epic and staccato riff around the 7-8 minute mark. Yet another section is high tempo and features aggressive blast beats and vocals from Proscriptor. The song closes out with a galloping section that reminds me of waves crashing into the side of a boat with their ebb and flow. The song is a true epic and one of the best that the band has created.

Each of the seven songs on Tiphareth are unique, but unlike V.I.T.R.I.O.L. there is a consistent style emerging here. One that would become uniquely Absu as it was refined in the following albums. As for the rearrangement of the tracks, I think I prefer the original except for one thing. 

This version of the album closes the album off with Never Blow Out the Eastern Candle.  Normally this song is only found on In the Eyes of Ioldanach EP. This is not only a strong closing track, it's one of the best songs that Absu composed. This addition alone makes me consider holding the rearrangement above the original, but it just sounds too off to me and my expectations to crown this version as the victor. Either way, The Sun of Tiphareth is an excellent entry into American black metal. 

Written September 29th 2023

Entry 559 - Amorphis - Skyforger

Style: Progressive metal, death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Communion with nature, folklore, traditional tales

Thoughts: Time. Time is the great equalizer, the great healer, the bringer of perspective. In terms of music, once the initial hype dies down and the dust is left to settle, how does the music hold up?

When Skyforger first came out I was over the initial hype of Tomi coming in as the new vocalist. Eclipse was cool at first but as time went on I cooled on the album. Silent Waters was a bit better but I was quickly noticing a trend in the new Amorphis; while the songs sounded good, the last two albums sounded very much in the same vein. I was starting to lose interest in the band again.

I was hesitant when I heard that Amorphis had a new album coming out. I ultimately listened to Skyforger after enjoying the single Silver Bride. On first listen the album struck me as a bit of a "best of" sound for Amorphis. There were traces of the early works scattered through the songs - the opener Sampo has a great pure death metal section that caught my attention immediately. 

Sky is Mine embraces the delay experimentation of the fourth and fifth albums while adding in a bit more dynamic drumming than songs like The Way had. The cathines from the previous two albums was also there, but there was more to it this time. This one seemed a bit different... a bit... better?

Years passed and I kept listening to the album, and now - finally - I have it on wax. This album has grown into a monstrous opus for me. Skyforger showcases everything that Amorphis is good at throughout their career to near perfection. They don't merely revisit the old sounds, they take them and forge them into the collective sound that is Skyforger. 

Skyforger is a truly rare gem. It experiments and embraces all sorts of influences and sounds that Amorphis have experimented with over the years much like Elegy did. Skyforger however does it through a more mature lens. Elegy throws everything it can into the mix and ends up catching lightning in a bottle for it. Skyforger crafts hones that lightning into a Tesla Coil and forges it into something that is controlled and balanced. Time is indeed the great equalizer, and it has made this album my favorite opus from the band.

Written September 26th 2023