Entry 666 - Ulver - Perdition City

Style: Electronic, ambient, jazz, spoken word, avant-garde, noise, rock

Primary Emotions/Themes: The city within

Thoughts: 

"Ulver is obviously not a black metal band and does not wish to be stigmatized as such. We acknowledge the relation of part I & III of the Trilogie (Bergtatt & Nattens Madrigal)  to this culture, but stress that these endeavors were written as stepping stones rather than conclusions. We are proud of our former instincts, but wish to liken our association with said genre to that of the snake with Eve. An incentive to further frolic only. If this discourages you in any way, please have the courtesy to refrain from voicing superficial remarks regarding our music and/or personae. We are as unknown to you as we always were."

While these statements were written for the short EP Metamorphosis, I believe that they bear repeating here. Ulver we're - are - never content to stay within a single genre for more than an album. The fact that they created two black metal albums is merely a part of their history - not the definition of it. 

If Ulver had remained within the black metal world who knows what would have happened, but I for one am glad that they broke those bonds. In doing so they created not only one of the most interesting albums in the electronic genre - they created my favorite album... in any genre... in any time period. Perdition City is that album.

Perdition City isn't just an album, it's a soundtrack to the most important moments in my life. It embodies the deepest pain that I felt when one of my closest friends died with unresolved tension between us. It encapsulates the joy that I felt when I realized that there was some meager hope to living this disgusting life. It shows me the perseverance that comes about just from living a moment on this god damn earth and the strength that comes with resisting the urge to embrace the darkness for the final time. It is all that and so much more.

The music contained on these nine tracks ranges from the jazz inspired saxophone introduction of Lost In Moments to the dark ambient musings of We Are the Dead. It's the pop influenced nuance of Nowhere/Catastrophe, or the breaking of music as we know it on The Future Sound of Music. It is Perdition City, and there is nothing out there like this... nothing.

To think that this was released in the year 2000 is mind boggling to me. As of this writing this album is 24 years old. It sounds as fresh and as new today as the day I first put into my CD player. The way that the songs are constructed and flow is entirely unique to Perdition City. I could do an in depth breakdown of every song on here and it still would not even get close to demonstrating the brilliance that Ulver have on this album. 

The one song I will mention though is The Future Sound of Music. My favorite song on my favorite album. Does this mean it's my favorite song ever recorded? I'm not sure... but it's damn close. This song starts out with an innocent tone, a single snippet of what is to come. That tone is soon joined by a piano that plays the backbone of the song - three chords. The song builds off these chords with more electronics thrown into the mix until everything stops. The song is silent for nearly 15 seconds. Then and only then does it happen: the explosion - the climax of the album. 

This explosion has distortion, dispensary, heavy drum beats (played by Bård Eithun - aka Faust) , and feedback in layer after layer. It scared the shit out of me the first time I heard it. Subsequent listens I would have to brace myself because I didn't want to soil myself. This song encapsulates everything that is good about Perdition City: the subtlety, the depth of tone, the ability to change on the turn of a hat, and making something so compelling with so little.

From the very start of this blog I had this post in mind. I wanted my six hundred and sixty sixth post to be my favorite album. I didn't ever know if I would get to this point... I didn't know if this whole thing was a further frolic or if this was something I was going to stick with for the long term. I've answered a lot of those questions for myself since I started this, and with this post I'm about half way through my collection. There is still a hell of a long way to go, but this has been a hella fun ride and I intend to see it through to completion.

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 665 - Ulver - Themes from WIlliam Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Style: Rock, metal, trip hop, ambient, dark ambient, spoken word, EDM

Primary Emotions/Themes: The epic poem: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

Thoughts: And so it came to pass that Ulver left the metal realm. They evolved beyond the confines of  guitar driven music and embraced the digital world. This fourth opus from the band embraces every facet of music, acoustic, organic, inorganic, and synthetic. For what is a wolf if it does not evolve?

The Marriage of Heaven and hell is an epic poem by the late William Blake. He wrote what many consider to be one of the great works of the late romantic period. In this epic he writes about the good and evil of man and how they are both required for the earth to move forward. Ulver takes all the stanzas of the poem and puts them to music. This nearly two hour album is the result of those musical musings. 

To say that this is a massive album is a bit of an understatement. This album is where Ulver planted their flag in the ground and declared themselves to be free of the confines of any genre. To evolve to where no band has gone before and to not be concerned with the troubles of lesser beings. 

This album abandons nearly all tenants of metal. In fact the guitar is a lesser instrument here than one would expect. If anything the electronic element of the band is front and center, all other aspects are secondary.

The way that this manifests is strange an often difficult to listen to. Listen to Garm chant "fires of hell" for several minutes straight over off sounding chords is just one example of how strange the music can get. Sometimes the guitar and drums do take center stage, but those moments are more often used as a climax or a passing fancy rather than the main focus of the album.

Vocally Garm has gone back to his singing that was seen on Kveldssanger, that deep - slightly off key - baritone voice that is an acquired taste to many. At this point it's just what Ulver are. Garm is Ulver and Ulver is Garm, if you don't like one you won't like the other. 

It took me many years to get my head around this album. I didn't like a lot of what the band was doing at the time, and so I would only listen to certain parts of the CD before turning it off completely. As the years have passed the album has grown on me, and now I view it as one of the stronger entries into their discography. Yet another evolution of this fascinating band.

(As a quick aside, the band picture for this one is the band dressed up in suits while sitting on a car. I don't know if that is them leaning into the rumors from Nattnes' or completely unrelated. I would like to think that it's them making fun of the rumors)

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 664 - Ulver - Nattens Mandrigal

Style: Raw black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Wolf in man

Thoughts: This was my introduction to Ulver. This was my introduction to raw black metal. This was my introduction to so many things that would lead to my future within the metal genre. This album. Perhaps one of the strongest black metal albums ever released.

There are so many rumors about this album. It was recorded in a forest with a 4 track. Century Media gave the band a large amount of money for the recording and they spent it all on a car and suits instead. I have no idea of the validity of any of those claims but they add to the mystique of the album for me.

Ulver's evolution is on full force with this album. Coming from the mellow and tranquil acoustic album to perhaps one of the rawest black metal albums recorded at the time. The transition from one album to the next is incredibly jarring if listened back to back.

As much as the previous album is the nature's beauty, this album embraces it's harshness and brutality. The guitars are produced so incredibly bright that they can give me a headache if I listen to the album for a long time. It feels like everything is clipping, the vocals in particular have a lot of distortion on them compared to the rest of the instruments.

The drums are barely audible, and the bass is a low rumble. It's all a jumbled mess... and it's perfect. Everything is designed to be as inaccessible as possible. It took me forever to get used to this, it was just a wall of noise the first few times I listened to it. Something I would play to my friends in school as a joke. 

The thing was after a time I found myself liking it. I found myself really liking it. I began to form a sense of arrogance around how much I liked this and no one else was able to get into it. After twenty something years of listening to this beast it still holds a fond place in my heart.

So what is it about this album vs. so many other raw black metal albums that draws me in? It's a combination of that raw atmosphere along with the incredible riffs and compositions. Once you cut through the fuzz there is some truly exceptional music. The chaotic riffs dance around each other, the twin guitars work so well with each other to create one giant wall of sound that is difficult to process without repeated listens. 

In-between the tracks there are small ambient sections that add to both the atmosphere as well as the mystery of the album. What was the band going for when they put those in? Why would they add three to four seconds of ambience in this spot in particular? I don't think I'll ever know, but the album isn't the same without them.

Nattens Mandrigal is not only one of the most important black metal albums for me, it's one of the elite. Ulver would never revisit this style again, and I don't think that they need to. They proved what they are capable of here and if Ulver has shown me anything over the years it's that they evolve.

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 663 - Ulver - Kveldssanger

Style: Folk, acoustic

Primary Emotions/Themes: Norwegian mythology

Thoughts: How do you approach albums from your favorite band? How do you convey the deep feelings that come from each entry into their discography?

Ulver is beyond a shadow of a doubt my favorite band. To this point I've barely covered them and their extensive discography. That is going to be changing over the next few posts. This series is the only entries  that I've had planned since the very beginning of this blog, and I intend to use this time to its fullest.

Kveldssanger - the songs of the evening - is Ulver's acoustic work between their only two black metal albums. The first three albums make up what the band refers to as The Trilogie. Each one of these albums revolves around Norwegian folklore and mythos. This one in particular features the band at their most tranquil. 

Acoustic guitars, cello, clean vocals, and other instruments are used to portray the intense tranquility that this album brings. Most of the album is instrumental, but every now and then Garm's clean vocals will be used. These are not the same cleans that are used on the debut, these are much deeper - a bit less refined - a bit rawer. 

One of the albums greatest strengths is it allows the instruments to breathe. It's mostly minimalist in its approach, only a few instruments playing at any given time. The production is similarly minimal, it allows for the instruments to expand naturally and never tries to make things more than they are. The music's simplicity is the primary focus here.

It's at this point where words start to fail me. I've written the conclusion here about seven to eight times but I ended up purging it because it didn't convey my feelings adequately. I'm going to leave it at this: this album is excellent and is worth an in depth listen. It's not Ulver's best, but it does convey what they are capable of, even when they were young.

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 662 - Mgla - Mdłości + Further Down the Nest

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The filth that is humanity, tranquility through nothingness

Thoughts: I'm not sure what led me to put this one on the turntable today. Mgla is a band I rarely listen to, but for whatever reason today I wanted to listen to them, all be it in a short burst. This EP compilation is perfect for that.

Mdłości sees Mgla at perhaps their best. The band has a sense of urgency here that is rare in their discography. The riffs do repeat quite a bit, but the major difference is the variance in their presentation. One bar the drums will be going slow, then they will switch up on the next meter to something completely different. 

This accomplishes a few things: variance through simplicity as well as allowing the riff to travel more than it would with the same drum beat. Towards the end of Mdłości I there is a small fill that is then accompanied by a double time on the bass drums. It's a small change but the riff becomes even more intense because of it. The two songs are full of small touches like this. 

Further Down the Nest is more traditional Mgla. The riffs are rather stagnant as are the drums. They draw me in though in different ways than Mdłości. While the riffs are more repetitious, they are also more hypnotic and hit that delicate balance of knowing when to move on before overstaying their welcome.

Both EP's are short, both EP's are a great listen. Whenever I need a Mgla fix this is the record I pull out most frequently. It doesn't hit very often but it does these 20 minutes are enough for me to get my fill.

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 661 - Akhlys - Melinoe

Style: Black metal, dark ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: The realms between sleep and waking, true horror, self inflicted hypnosis and terror

Thoughts: Black metal by it's very nature has an "evil" or unpleasant sound to it. It's something that comes with the genre, it's woven into it's DNA. After a time of listening to it though, that effect gets lost... or diluted - I'm not sure which. Either way the fact that the music is supposed to be evil doesn't really phase me anymore.

To describe Akhlys' third album as "evil" would be doing it a disservice. Calling this "evil" doesn't even begin to explain the sound that comes out of my speakers when the needle hits this record. This is not evil, no... this is something more... something sinister.

As much as I want to describe the music that is on Melinoe, I'm not sure I can. I don't think I have any reference points for this. This album is undoubtedly black metal, yet within this genre I can't think of a single album that comes close to describing the notes, atmosphere, or feelings that come to me when I listen to it. 

These riffs, these notes, don't just play... they weave their way into the deepest parts of my mind. The part's where the primal instincts take hold. They grasp onto those base emotions and move them to the forefront of my mind. They become the dominant force in me as the music continues to play. They move me from a state of relaxation to a state of fear and paranoia. 

There is other music that I have in my collection that does this, but the way Melinoe achieves it is unique. It's so hard to do anything else but listen in abject horror when this record is spinning. Every. Single. Time. I listen I'm transferred to this world between sleep and waking where I don't know if the horrors I'm seeing are conjurations of my mind, or if they are me seeing the true reality around me. It's genuinely terrifying, very much the same as the music.

I've never heard an album like this before. Even the Dreaming I, the band's second effort (and first black metal record) doesn't come close to this. Out of all the black metal and dark ambient that I have heard in my life, this one stands above it all as the most terrifying record I own and have heard. It is incredible.

Written January 15th 2024

Entry 660 - Hypocrisy - The Final Chapter

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Aliens, the constructs of man

Thoughts: Over the course of several hundred summaries I don't know if I've been objective or not through most of them. I know that my thoughts change over time, and now looking back at some of my earlier entries I see things that I consider a relic of that moment in time. Perhaps sometime in the future I'll revisit some of the older entries and see how they are a few years later. 

One I know I will absolutely not be objective on is Hypocrisy's magnum opus: The Final Chapter. This thing fucking rocks. It was one of the first truly heavy albums I got into when I was a kid. Not heavy in the way that Korn or Limp Bizkut were, not heavy in the sense that Fear Factory were. Not even the heaviness of Dark Tranquillity or In Flames was a match for Hypocrisy. 

The instant that Inseminated Adoption blasted through my speakers I was floored. I had not heard a riff like that... I don't think ever. As the song picks up and Peter's scream comes ripping through the air, no I had not heard anything like this before. This was eye opening, and this was one step closer and deeper to extreme metal.

Of course the album is still loaded with melody, hooks, and other enticing things to keep me interested, but this was a change. This was a fundamental change. I don't think that I had heard real, true, deep death metal vocals before this album. When the vocals came on for A Coming Race I knew it was different. Everything about this album was different... better. 

Looking back at it the album really is a pivotal point in my evolution in metal. This album let me know that the ocean of extreme metal was indeed deep and I had just started wading into the depths. 

The crazy thing about this album is just how well these songs hold up over time. So many of them kick as much ass now as they did when I first heard them. Adjusting the Sun has a m a s s i v e breakdown that is almost unparalleled. Request Denied mixes clean and harsh vocals to such a strong degree that I have a hard time thinking of a better example. Lies is a slower and chunkier song that is filled out with strong atmospheric keyboards. The whole thing just fucking rules.

When I was a teen there was a metal show that came on late on the weekends. The intro riff that played in between songs was that opener for Inseminated Adoption. I always wondered where that riff came from when I was listening. Now I know. It's funny how that comes around. Now this album is one of my favorites in the melodic death metal genre. If I could only get one Hypocrisy album this would be the one. Without a shadow of a doubt.

Written January 14th 2024

Entry 659 - Abigor - Apokalypse

Style: Raw black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Satanism

Thoughts: Recorded in a few hours, these 17 minutes are the most ferocious that Abigor have ever been. These six songs serve only one purpose - to eliminate any and all who listen to them.

Abigor is unabashedly one of my favorite black metal projects. No two albums that they have done sound them same, yet they are always unmistakably black metal and unmistakably Abigor. 

Apokalypse sees the band blasting as quickly as they can through these tracks. Unlike many of their contemporaries though they don't just have basic riffs to go with the blasting, no - there are complex leads and intricate interplay between the instruments. Something many bands can do, but only Abigor could have done Apokalypse.

The interesting thing about this album is where it lies in their discography. It's around this time that the band would be fully embracing the use of keyboards in their albums. Opus IV, Nachthymnen and Supreme Immortal Art are all rife with keys and this EP shows none of that. It's the most basic of black metal, guitars, drums and vocals - I don't think they even used a bass on this release.

Abigor is one of the few bands that I endeavor to get every release that they put out. I don't always know what I'm getting, but the thing I do know is that it will be quality. Don't let the lack of  length to this summary take away from the quality found within. Despite the short play time, this is top quality black metal. I would expect nothing less from Abigor - one of the elite bands in the genre.

Written January 14th 2024

Entry 658 - Diamanda Galas - The Divine Punishment

Style: Vocal insanity

Primary Emotions/Themes: The filth of man, the horrors of religion, shunning the befouled

Thoughts: "When any man hath an issue out of his flesh, Because of that issue he is unclean.

Every bed where upon he lieth is unclean and everything whereon he sitteth, unclean.

And whoever touches anything under him shall become unclean."

So begins the chronicle of the gospel of Diamanda Galas. The Divine Punishment is given unto those who would be unclean, those who would befoul themselves with that which is unclean. They shall be shunned from all those who are still clean, lest they themselves become unclean. For this is the law of the plague.

The Divine Punishment came out in the mid 80's, right at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Diamanda has been one of the most vocal people supporting those who are afflicted by this terrible disease ever since her her brother passed from it. The Divine Punishment explores what life is like from the perspective of those afflicted by this terrible disease. 

It was a scary time, no one really knew how it was spread back then. There was so much misinformation going around that people avoided those who had AIDS as if they were unclean. Shunned from society, cast off, destined to die. This is the Divine Punishment.

For those unfamiliar, Diamanda has a harrowing vocal style. It pierces the air like nothing ever before, and will never be replicated after she leaves this mortal plane. Her voice can be as angelic as the heights of heaven and as demonic as the ninth pit of hell, often times in the same song. 

Her work on the Divine Punishment starts out very rhythmic and religious. As the litany of those who are unclean are laid out the percussion helps drive the music forward. After this proclamation the music takes a drastic shift. 

It casts aside any sense of meter or structure. It casts aside lyrics and words. Instead it embraces the haunting and deeply disturbing vocal escapades that Diamanda has become known for. Her voice pierces the air like nothing else can. It bores itself into the depths of my brain and will not leave. I myself have become unclean from her chants and her wails. 

I've had people ask me how I can listen to this willingly. To be honest I'm not entirely sure. It's not easy to listen to, it's not pleasant to listen to, and more than once I've gotten a headache from it. Why do I listen to music like this? The only rational reason I can give is that I enjoy music that pushes the boundaries of what's conventional. I enjoy compositions that make me question my definition of music. Much like my foray into noise last year, Diamanda pushes that boundary. Is this music? I think so - but even if it is not, it's worth every second of my time that I spend listening to her incredible recordings.

Written January 14 2024

Entry 657 - Judas Iscariot - Distant in Solitary Night

Style: Raw black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Satanism, anti-religion

Thoughts: Judas Iscariot, betrayer of Jesus Christ, first among all blasphemers. A being so incredibly devious and full of sin that satan is said to feats on him for eternity in the frozen depths of hell. 

   

In black metal I can think of very few projects that are held with such reverence as this one. Whenever someone mentions Judas Iscariot the praise is pretty unanimous. Despite this project being from the US  (and a no where town like DeKalb, Illinois at that) it's held in as high of reverence as many of the 2nd wave bands from Norway.  

With some of the albums I fully understand it. Thy Dying Light is one of the finest black metal albums to ever come out of the US. Other times though I don't fully understand what the hype is all about. Distant in Solitary Night is one of those albums. 

At its core the album is heavily repeated riffs that are simple and somewhat sloppily played, particularly the drums. Sometimes this works in the projects favor, other times it lingers too long with no progression - and I think this is where I falter a bit with this album over some of Akhenaten's releases. 

It still is obviously a Judas Iscariot release, but where other albums have that "it" factor throughout the entire album, whereas this one does not. There are times when the album is fantastic. Where the Winter Beats Incessant is a fantastic slower song where the riffs have a hypnotic sway to them rather than the stagnation that is felt on the faster songs. 

Is Distant in Solitary Night a bad album? No not really. It's just no where near as good as some of the other releases in Judas Iscariot's discography. The transitions are lacking, the riffs are lacking, the venom from the first few albums is lacking. Even the atmosphere sometimes feels a bit hollow. 

All that said, this does have that early second wave black metal feel that I crave so much from time to time. There are some times where I n e e d to listen to raw black metal from the 90's, nothing else will do. With that in mind, this album fits that criterion to a T. For that this release has a permanent place in my collection, it just won't see the table as often as some of the other releases in the Iscariot discography.

Written January 14th 2024

Entry 656 - Kamelot - Poetry for the Poisoned

Style: Symphonic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Dark fantasy

Thoughts: This is it, the final Khan album. With very few exceptions this is the last truly great Kamelot album. 

I was a bit let down by Ghost Opera (outside of the title track). I felt like it was too one dimensional, with a vast majority of the songs being middling in pace. By themselves they were ok, but as a whole the album started to drag. 

Poetry for the Poisoned corrects this mistake almost immediately. The Great Pandemonium starts off the album and it's a good one. The song switches between a brooding gallop and a full out double bass barrage for the drums. The riffs have a middle eastern feel to them with the note/chord progressions chosen, and the vocals switch between Khan and Speed (from Soilwork) creating a clean/harsh vocal dynamic that Kamelot has done well in the past (like March of Mephisto).

The album's main strong point though is the pacing. The songs vary between slow, fast, and everything in between. Dear Editor acts as an intro for the sinister The Zodiac which focuses on a serial killer. Hunter's Season combines Kamelot's quicker pace with Khan's excellent softer vocals to create one of the more memorable chorus' on the album. House on the Hill fills the obligatory ballad spot for the album. Finally, the album is tail ended by an epic, multipart title track that nears 9 minutes in total. The album is absolutely filled to the brim with compelling songs.

This is not an elite album, but it is a solid one. It's a strong rebound from Kamelot's previous album and gave me a hope for the future. Alas, Khan left after this album released and with his departure the band took a massive hit in quality. The only album that has matched this in quality with Tommy on vocals is Haven. Even then it still feels like it's missing one of the key parts of Kamelot's sound. Khan was truly irreplaceable.

Written January 12 2024 

Entry 655 - Lustmord and Karin Park - Alter

Style: Dark ambient, vocal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Reality is not as it seems, the darkness in man's heart

Thoughts: I've been meaning to post about this album for quite some time. Lustmord is a legend in the dark ambient genre and Karin Park from what I can tell mostly does solo vocal work. The few snippets I've heard here and there seems to be a sort of dark folk pop, no where near what she puts out on this album. 

Alter is a trip into the dark side of the mind, a place where reality contorts and obliterates expectations. A place where the our true feelings manifest, a place where we can't mask what we really are, a place where we have to face the truth. 

The music on Alter is deceptively simple. It can be summed up as such: dark ambient soundscapes, field recordings, and haunting female vocals. That's it, that's all that is on this album. What makes it so effective then? It's how these three seemingly innocent ingredients are stitched together that elevates this album to something greater than it's individual parts.

The main focus here are Karin's incredible vocals. She immediately brings to mind Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance or Jarboe from Swans. Those deep, haunting and somewhat disturbing female voice that resonates throughout the recording and into the world beyond. 

Her voice, while never uttering real words, speaks more powerfully than most lyric based approaches. These chants, moans, and wails sound like a woman fighting against an inner demon, struggling to face her own mortality. It sounds as if they are the final cry for help before the darkness comes in.

Lustmord creates an excellent accompaniment to Karin's vocals. The soundscapes grind, scrape, and pierce the silence around her voice. Not only does this add to the eeriness of the album as a whole, it elevates it beyond what it could be with only her voice (as powerful as that is). 

The two artists compliment each other to near perfection. As one ebbs the other flows and vice versa. There is very little here in the way of a crescendo, almost everything is kept as minimal and as quiet as possible.  I often have to turn my sound system up way higher than I would normally to catch all the small details that are buried deep within.

Alter is one of the best things Lustmord has done, not just recently but throughout his entire and storied career. Karin is the secret ingredient that he needed to create a masterpiece. This album is highly recommended to anyone and everyone who likes dark music, morbid contemplation, and subtlety in the black corners of the mind. Essential listening.

Written January 12 2024

Entry 654 - Running Wild - Under Jolly Roger

Style: Heavy metal, pirate metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Pillaging, having fun, the joy of being a pirate

Thoughts: Running Wild, the lost child of the 1st wave of black metal. The first two albums are nearly as satanic as anything Merciful Fate put out, but they seem to be forgotten in the annals of time. That's not what we're talking about today though, today we're talking about the first album that Running Wild put out in their most famous style: pirate metal.

Pirate metal is one of those genres that is defined solely by the lyrics. You have so many different styles lumped into the genre. Anything from traditional heavy metal, black metal, death metal, or just about anything else you can throw in. Just put on a peg leg and adopt a parrot and you're good to go.

Running Wild fits strongly into the traditional heavy metal category. These songs are out to do two things: rock your ass off and take all your booty. Rolf's deep and gruff voice is perfect for this. There is no refinement, just some dude who's been drinking too much singing about different adventures of pirates on the seven seas. 

The riffs here are the main star of the show though. They are simple, they are plenty, and they kick booty. Almost every song on here has the verse/chorus/solo structure - and that's perfectly fine by me. There are so many riffs that succeed so greatly in creating a fun and festive atmosphere while still having that heavy metal grit that so few bands have. 

I don't have many records in the traditional heavy metal styles, but I'm glad that this is one of them. I'd been wanting to pick up a few of Rock 'n' Rolf's records at some point and I'm glad they finally got the repress that they deserved. Long live the Jolly Roger.

Written January 12 2024

Entry 653 - Assumption - Hadean Tides

Style: Atmospheric death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Crushed under the merciless weight of the underworld

Thoughts: Assumption is such a curious band name. I don't think I ever would have associated it with atmospheric death/doom metal, but here we are. 

Hadean Tides is an album that came out of no where and smacked me up side the head. A few months ago Sentient Ruin had a ridiculously good sale going on and I listened to a bunch of new bands to figure out if I wanted to pick anything up. I passed on this album then for whatever reason. 

When my order came in a download code for Assumption's latest was included. I put it into Bandcamp and started listening. I instantly regretted not getting the album. By the time I wanted to pick it up the price had gone back up to the normal level so I waited. There was another sale more recently and I picked this one up without a hesitation.

Assumption play down and dirty death metal with a healthy dose of doom mixed in. This is slow, mean doom/death. It's like an incredibly meticulous predator that is easy to run away from, but it's relentless in its pursuit. If you rest, even for an instant, you are dead.

Now, doom/death of this variety is nothing new, in fact I would be hard pressed to say that Assumption brings anything new to the table in terms of innovation. What they do bring though is nasty ass riffs that are steeped in atmosphere and marinated in hatred. 

Let's examine the title track. The intro builds into this massive collection of riffs that become overwhelming. The song begins with a bass, ride symbol, and clean guitar to establish a sense of atmosphere and melody. Once repeated a couple of times, the band comes in with a riff that is wrapped in a malice and approaching at a dangerous pace. 

The song continues to swirl back and fourth between different riffs but maintains the slow build over the course of the first few minutes. After a brief pause at 4 minutes in the song takes a dramatic turn, introducing blast beats and chaotic riffs. On repeated listens it makes sense with the way the song has been going, but the first time I was not expecting it at all. 

Finally the song returns to the eerie peace of the intro. As it fades out the band has shown everything that they are capable of on Hadean Tides: deep and rich atmospheres, sudden bursts of energy, and above all that slow abhorrent hatred that is coming for you no matter where you are. This may not bring any innovation to the table, but it sure as hell is a good listen. Sometimes you don't need something new and unique... sometimes you just need a damn good album.

Written January 12th 2024

Entry 652 - Sulphur Aeon - Seven Crowns and Seven Seals

Style: Melodic black/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Madness, loss of control, powers beyond mortal comprehension

Thoughts: Sulphur Aeon are the masters of album titles, including one of my favorite album titles ever: The Scythe of Cosmic Chaos. Seven Crowns and Seven Seals is not nearly a strong of an album title as the previous effort - did that deter me from checking the album out right away? Yeah it actually did. 

The band took so long between efforts that I was pretty disinterested in the album when it first dropped. Sure I'll still listen to Gateways to the Antisphere and Scythe on a semi-regular basis but any desire I had for new material had faded a few years back.

Eventually I did check out the album and my first impression was an overwhelming "meh." The intensity and the vitriol form the previous release didn't seem to be found anywhere on this album. In its place was what seemed like a strangely melodic version of the band. Sure they still had moments of brutality and the incredible atmosphere from the previous album showed up every now and then... but something was missing.

Turns out after a few more listens what was missing was my willingness to accept that the band had evolved their sound. Those strange melodies that I heard my first time? Yeah, they aren't strange. They are incredibly well crafted and intricately designed to draw the listener into a world of swirling chaos and unimaginable horrors.

The band has lured me into a false sense of security. By hearing melody I immediately dismissed it as the band "going soft." Sure they used it in copious amounts before but the cosmic horror ethos was always the primary focus. This is still very much the case, but the melody is used as an enticing morsel to lure you in, before the true horror that is Sulphur Aeon takes hold. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. The band had ensnared me again.

Maybe the best example of this is found on The Yearning Abyss Devours Us. It starts off with with a hypnotic melody that crashes in out of no where. The rest of the band accents the main guitar riff and builds it up into this massive behemoth before the vocals even start. The band then shifts into high gear for just a few moments before slowing down and introducing clean vocals. This was a pretty big surprise for me, especially considering how brutal the band had been in the past. 

As the song progresses the melody is still there but the riffs slowly shift towards being more chromatic. The melody becomes more chord driven rather than individual notes. Those chords begin to shift into a more rhythmic form as the song progresses into its later stages. Before you know it the band has shifted into the same cosmic horror that they are so renowned for. It's still here, it's just hiding. Much like the horrors that they sing about, they only make themselves seen when they want to be.

Seven Crowns and Seven Seals now has it's claws solidly into me. It took a few listens but this shit rips. The whole album effectively uses melody and the rhythmical chaos of before in perfect equilibrium. I hope its not another 4-5 years before we hear from these guys again. Either way though this is an incredibly strong entry into their discography. 

Written January 11th 2024

Entry 651 - Kamelot - One Cold Winters Night

Style: Symphonic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Live performance, dark fantasy, historical figures

Thoughts: To this point I've only talked about albums with Tommy as Kamelot's vocalist. It's time to talk about the Khan era of the band.

Roy Khan is the secret ingredient that took Kamelot from being another power metal band to one of the best bands in metal. His voice, his performances, his enunciation, his emotion, everything about Khan is elite. 

At first the music had a hard time keeping up with him. Siege Perilous and The Fourth Legacy are excellent vocally but the music was not as compelling. It wasn't until Karma released that the band tapped into their full potential. That album not only set the bar for the band, but for power metal as a whole. It's easily one of the best albums in all of metal, one that the band wouldn't be able to match again (though the Black Halo comes close).

I don't have Karma on vinyl, I don't have Black Halo on vinyl. What I do have is One Cold Winter's Night, the live album that captures the finest songs off of both of those albums in a live setting. There are other songs on here as well, but the main draw are the songs off of those two albums.

The band starts the set off strong with The Black Halo and Soul Society. Soul Society in particular is an incredible song, it demonstrates how you properly do power metal. Even though it contains every single stereotype of the genre, the song is elevated to an new stratosphere due to how the way it's constructed. Instead of lifeless guitars providing a backing for the keyboards to carry the melody, they play an active role in the songs dynamics. The melody will consistently swing between the two instruments and they will often engage in a call/response style of song writing throughout the song. Instead of the drummer constantly pounding the double bass there is variance in the drumming. Of course the double bass barrage is used throughout the song but it's used as more of an exclamation point rather than the whole backing of the song. 

This attention to detail continues throughout not only Soul Society but the entire set. Even songs that I don't care for too much on their respective records (Center of the Universe comes to mind), are done so well here that it's hard to ignore them. 

One Cold Winter's Night is an album that I almost passed on when it first came out. I'm usually not a huge fan of live albums, preferring to see the bands in concert myself rather than watching  a video or listen to a record of a live performance. In this case though, I'll never be able to see Kamelot of with Khan again, so I have to pull this record out if I want that experience - even if it is not as good as the real thing. 

Napalm has been working on getting Kamelot's back catalog on vinyl. I'm hoping that if this continues, the next set of records will include those incredibly coveted treasures known as Karma and the Black Halo. If they never happen though, One Cold Winter's Night is a damn fine substitution.

Written January 10th 2024

Entry 650 - Airborne Kingdom

Style: VGM, ambient, classical, acoustic, Arabian, orchestral

Primary Emotions/Themes: Discovery, exploration, wonder, mystery

Thoughts: This game and soundtrack were destined to be in my collection. I adore games that have exploration as the main focus and I am hopelessly addicted to city building games. Combine both of those and you get Airborne Kingdom.

 The whole concept of Airborne Kingdom is building a flying city. The larger it is the more it can explore. The more you build it the more you have to worry about keeping it afloat and balanced. It's a simple concept and the execution wonderful.

Of course a game needs music in order to feel more immersive. From the first few moments I played Airborne Kingdom I wanted the soundtrack on vinyl. I looked around and no one had pressed it yet, so I stopped the search. Nearly a year later I find out that Manawave pressed it and it was available. I don't know why but I waited to pick it up, and I'm kind of glad I did. Black Friday gave me this wonderful treasure at a bargain price.

The music in Airborne Kingdom is nothing short of the perfect pairing with the game. It excels at giving me feelings of wondering what's over that next hill? What's across the sea? What's in that town over there? Will any of them want to join me? 

The music itself is deceptively simple. It's light and airy (get it?), often played with woodwinds and an acoustic guitar. As the tracks progress more instruments are added in, but they never increase in pace or urgency. There is this deep sense of calm over these tracks, they never have a sense that something is wrong... only that there is more out there that needs to be explored.

I love the instrumentation choices that they used for the soundtrack. The acoustic guitar in particular is allowed to breathe and expand like so many other albums that I love. Silence is used as a balance to the instrumentation... the two are in constant harmony, one never dominating the other. 

This is a soundtrack that really needs to be heard to be experienced. It's a beautiful score and deserves far more recognition than it has gotten. When I was active in the video game community I would often post about overlooked soundtracks and why people should check them out. If I was still there then this soundtrack would absolutely have been an entry into that series of posts. This will have to do in it's stead. 

Written January 3rd 2024

Entry 649 - Susumu Hirasawa - Siren

Style: New age, ambient, electronic, vocal, pop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Ethereal soundscapes, self reflection, moments of awe

Thoughts: I'm not sure I'm going to be able to contain my inner fanboy from coming out on this one. Susumu Hirasawa is one of my favorite artists, especially his 90's and early 2000's output. Siren falls right in the middle of that time period, and it's one of his better releases. 

I found out about his work from the Dreamcast game Sword of the Berserk. The theme song  is performed by Mr. Hirasawa and I was instantly in love with his sound. His ethereal compositions, his forceful yet gentle melodies, and above all his incredible voice. I had never heard anything like it before, and I've never heard anything like it since. 

Siren is one of the strongest representations of everything that I like about his sound. It contains the weird synth sounds that I've only ever heard in Susumu's music. It has a representation of how good of a vocalist he is on so many tracks. It has the quirky samples and instrument selections that can only be found here. It has everything that I need. If I never get another one of his records, this one has it all.

Let's take a look at the title track for a minute. This has everything that makes Susumu's music special. The song starts off with a bunch of kids singing and honestly it's a bit off putting. The song then goes into a slow, almost march styled composition. The first verse has Susumu's voice mimicking the lead synth melody. The two work well together, but don't really stand out one way or the other. In essence the song is "fine" for the first verse the the chorus comes in, and out of no where the song goes from "fine" to magical.

With the chorus, the children's choir comes back, Susumu's voice goes up almost an octave and he chants "Siren" in such a delicate yet forceful way. It takes the song from being grounded in the earth to being forced into the heavens. It transcends the mortal plane and channels something from beyond, something that only the very best music can do. 

This is just one song... there are countless other examples of why Susumu Hirasawa's music is elite. Holy Delay channels the same feeling of being otherworldly, yet in a much calmer sense than the title track does. Nurse Cafe has a joy to it that is hard to replicate. Day Scanner is a driving track that is close to what he does with the Berserk track Forces. It's one of the most direct tracks on the album. Siam Lights is shrouded in mystery. Every track, each and every one of them... they are all magical.

Siren is an album that will never leave my collection. Hell I didn't think that I would ever own this thing. I hope that I can get some of his other records that have been pressed recently, but they are really expensive. If this is the only one I can get then it's an outstanding addition to the collection. One of those rare records that makes my collection one step closer to complete.

Written January 2nd 2024

Entry 648 - Fires in the Distance - Air Not Meant for Us

Style: Melodic doom/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Personal struggles, beauty through suffering

Thoughts: "I don't know how you feel about longer songs, but this one is worth every second of it's runtime," ~ a conversation I had with a friend recently regarding the first song off of Air Not Meant For Us - Harbingers. 

I hesitated on this album so many times. I had it in my cart at least twenty times with the initial pressing, only to let is slide away. I don't know why I hesitated so much. Maybe it's because of the genre. A lot of times I will really enjoy melodic doom/death only to burn out on the album quickly. Maybe it's because I spend to much time debating if things are worth entering into my collection these days - especially newer albums. Maybe I was just dumb. 

Whatever the reason, I missed the initial pressing. As soon as I saw "sold out" I knew that it was a mistake. Sometimes you hesitate so much that when its gone I feel that pit in my stomach, that's what happened here. I knew that if I had another chance I had to jump on it, and I did. A small pressing came up recently and I picked up a copy without hesitation - and now I'm sitting here listening to the immense opener that is Harbingers.

Ten minutes and forty one seconds, that is the length of this opening track. That's a hell of an ask to start off an album. Not only a ten plus minute song, but the longest song on the album on top of that. The first time I heard it I was skeptical that it was as good as I remembered it. It's happened a thousand times before: I hear a track and think it's crazy good. I go nuts and go back to listen again... then I'm left wondering if I'm hearing the same song. What was it that I liked so much before?

That did not happen on the second listen here, or the third, or the fifteenth. This song is actually that good. It mixes brooding slow riffs with d e e p yet discernable growls that set an absolutely immense atmosphere. Let me go off on a slight aside here - I often believe that words like immense or massive are overused when it comes to describing music. I try to use it sparingly, and I use it with great intention here. Harbingers is immense, it is massive. It feels like it is larger than it should. It feels it's a song that is larger than life. It is fully deserving of these words.

That aside over, where the band truly separates itself though is their keyboards. The song starts off with a strong orchestration on top of the incredibly thick opening riff. This only gets better as the band swells into this melodic behemoth that slowly crushes me under its massive weight. 

The band demonstrates their ability to write dynamic music when they pull back the massive riffs, the colossal arrangements and menacing vocals. The best parts of this song - and album - come in the quiet moments, the time in-between the behemoth like glaciers. It's in these parts that the piano takes center stage with just a touch of reverb. The melodies played in these moments have a tinge of nostalgia to them... nostalgia for something I've never experienced before - yet long to have.

The rest of the album follows much of the same pattern as Harbingers, though the song writing never quite reaches the heights of the opener. It's crazy how strong this album is. The atmosphere is so peaceful yet menacing at the same time. The musicianship is slow but direct and deliberate in its approach. The melodies are incredibly compelling, yet never overbearing. Everything here is done with the utmost intent and precision - it's as close to perfection as this genre can get.

Written January 2nd 2024

Entry 647 - VHS Tokyo - Re: Hello, Goodbye

Style: Synthwave, chilllwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: City night life, embracing youth, life before it got complicated

Thoughts: I think this may set the record for the longest I have waited for a record to arrive. I ordered this record in November of 2021, and then waited... and waited... and continued waiting. A year passed and the record company mentioned that the plant that these were assigned to had problems and they would have to start over again. 

Another year passed and finally it's here. Was this album worth a two year wait? I think that there are only a handful of albums that are worth that kind of waiting period, and this is not one of them. That said this is now in my collection and the past is the past.

VHS Tokyo unapologetically plays synthwave - the type that is content to chill out and take it easy on a warm summers night. Nothing here is harsh, nothing here is loud (except maybe the first audio sample)... nothing is offensive to the ears. It's a cool breeze in the middle of a blistering hot evening in June.

The tempo is right around 90-120 beats per minute. There is no urgency, and that is exactly what I want/need from music like this. The synths are unapologetically laid back and the melodies are equally appealing to the ear. 

The instruments used sound like they are pulled straight from the 80's. The way they come together to form melodies are akin to different layers of a building being erected in the distance. It starts simple, but as the song progresses more detail is added and eventually the song is seen in it's fully glory... against the setting sun... on a beach in a pastel colored alternate universe.

While all of this is nothing new, there are some things that VHS Tokyo does to differentiate themselves from their contemporaries in the synthwave scene. Every so often there will be a far eastern instrument that is used alongside the synths. While not often, these moments are the ones that make me smile. It's so simple, but when a pan flute or Japanese guitar comes in for a couple of measures it's just cool... good vibes. 

Re:Hello, Goodbye isn't an amazing album, but it certainly isn't a boring one either. This hits a very specific mood that I reserve a portion of my collection for. Those moods don't hit often, but when they do there are very few records that hit them. In this case, when I want to be reminded of chilled out landscapes with a retro Japanese tint to it I've got my album. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go finish my margarita while sitting on a digital beach in my dreams.

Written January 22nd 2024

Entry 646 - Brass Fantasia II

Style: Brass quintet, classical

Primary Emotions/Themes: Wonder, peace, tranquility, exploration, childhood innocence

Thoughts: This is the continuation of Brass Fantasia I, and everything said about the first entry can be said about the second.

The Ghibli movies are some of the best of this generation, and the music is a huge part of that. Arrangement albums like this help put those wonderful melodies into a new context. The way the brass is used still captures the wonderful experience that the original scores had, but they make it a bit simpler, a bit easier to digest. 

Instead of a huge orchestra we get a five piece playing the best of the best. It's the perfect music to sit back with and wind down after a particularly challenging day. Or perhaps any time that I need to be reminded that there is still good in this pathetically disgusting world we live in.

Written December 24th 2023

Entry 645 - Brass Fantasia I

Style: Brass quintet, classical 

Primary Emotions/Themes: Joy, sorrow, wonder, exploration, high fantasy

Thoughts: So this is a bit of an oddball in my collection. Normally when I see an album like this... a small ensemble playing music from a specific series or artist - it's a string quartet or a violin and piano. This is a brass quintet. I hardly ever see brass used in this manner, and even less so with five people instead of four. 

This album was originally released on CD in the early 90's in one volume. The record version has two entries with this being the first. The artwork has been split between the two releases as well, but the entirety of the release has been preserved in two records, nothing has been cut.

This album is almost good by default. The source music is so good to start that there was almost no way that this was going to be bad. It would have to be the worst arrangements I've ever heard to create an unlikable album. I'm happy to report that this is not the case here.

Brass Fantasia is exactly what is reports to be, it is a wonderful brass arrangement of Joe Hisaishi's first few movie soundtracks. I'm going to be as transparent as I can here. Mr. Hisaishi's music is some of my favorite for the film medium.  Actually it's just some of my favorite music. This gives me a huge bias.

I was a bit concerned that the music wouldn't translate well to the brass format. Trumpets in particular have a bright sound to them that can dominate the ears. On top of this they demand attention... I was afraid that they would drown out the music and remove the sense of magic and mystery that the originals soundtracks have. 

Whoever they got to play this though.. they are immaculate. The brass has a delicate precision to it that I would never have expected. I know its possible of course, but again... brass is not the medium I associate with this. I think big bold sounds, not peaceful and mystical compositions. Something you would get from Wagner... not something you can compare to a a Chopin piano piece.

Once I acclimated, the brass sweeps me away into other lands, other worlds. Places where magical landscapes take over and I'm coming along for the ride. I love closing my eyes to this and remembering my favorite scenes.

Flying on a broom in Kiki's Delivery Service, standing in the rain next to Totoro, standing in the courtyard of Laputa. For just a few minutes, I'm a kid again. This is the magic of Ghibli, this is why I love this music so much. It's woven into my DNA. Like so much of the best music out there it recalls simpler times... better times.

Written December 22nd 2023

Entry 644 - Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell

Style: Epic rock and roll

Primary Emotions/Themes: Love, life, rock and roll

Thoughts: "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that!" What is it that Meat Loaf won't do? This is one of the great mysteries in the early 90's music. According to the composer the answer is right there in the song, but I'm still not sure what he's referring to. Whatever the meaning it's an incredible opening track, and one of the best that Meat Loaf ever recorded.

At the risk of sounding cliche, its courageous to start an album with a twelve minute song. Especially for an artist like Meat Loaf. Someone who is ingrained into the mainstream at this time of this album. Most pop/rock songs are 3-5 minutes long, this is three to four times that length. In fact most of the songs on this album are pretty damn long. 

Eleven tracks, two of them over 10 minutes long, the whole album is just over 75 minutes. That's a hell of an undertaking. The real question is though, does the album justify the album length? Is it good enough to listen to all the way through?

As much as I want to scream an emphatic YES! that's not the case for the entire album. The album starts off incredible, one of the best rock albums I've ever heard. Just about everything through "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" is damn near flawless. It blows me away every time I listen to it, and this spin is no different.

The lyrics to "Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" are so relatable to everything that is going on right now that it's scary. The way that it continues to put out riff after riff and verse after verse for seven minutes is incredible. 

The aforementioned "Objects in the Rear View Mirror..." has almost a ballad quality to it with the way Meat Loaf delivers the lines. There is a sense of nostalgia and regret in his voice that gives this track. This over the repetitive riff makes the song work its way into my brain for hours... sometimes days at a time. 

I could keep going with each of the first six tracks on here, but in the object of time I'll sum it up as some of my favorite music on this planet. That said there are still five tracks remaining on the album. While they are not objectively bad, they are significantly lacking compared to that incredible opening salvo.

They range from strange "Wasted Youth" to not nearly as catchy as they should be "Everything Louder than Everything Else" to almost cringy "Good Girls Go to Heaven." These songs have "b side" written all over them and fortunately they are on the last part of the album. I'm free to turn it off after "Objects in the Rear View Mirror..." 

Meat Loaf left us way too soon. I wish I could have seen him live before his untimely passing. If nothing else he leaves us with an incredible legacy, with this album being one of the jewels on that crown.

Written December 21st 2023

Entry 643 - Wolfheart - Tyhjyys

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Finnish heritage, winter, powerful fucking riffs

Thoughts: It's hard for me to think of a band that has better start's to their albums than Wolfheart. No matter what album it is, the opening track (or tracks in this case) just kick my ass to oblivion. Long story short, Wolfheart knows exactly how to write good intros and opening tracks. Tyhjyys is no different.

How do all of the best melodic death metal albums start? With an acoustic guitar intro of course. Tyhjyys follows that strong tradition. The acoustic portion is only to start though as the instrumental builds to incorporate a "hey!" chant and a furious melodic lead before fading into Boneyard. This is where the band shows their true colors.

The thing I love about Wolfheart is that they don't forget about the death metal portion of the music. Boneyard screams in with a blast beat and a riff that is designed to rip my fucking face off... but melodically. So it's catchy while I'm being torn asunder.

The death metal goes further than just the music though, the vocals are easily within the "true" death metal category. There is none of this winy half harsh vocals that so many other bands showcase these days in a weak attempt to be aggressive. This is real aggression... but with melody. 

That's how so much of Tyhjyys can be described. It's a beast of an album, but it's also catchy as all get out.  The band goes through these eight tracks in very much the same manner. Kick ass riffs, soaring melodic leads that get stuck in my head for days, majestic keyboards that only add to the wall of sound, vocals that bellow from the depths of hell. All wrapped up in a wonderful package that is designed to beat me into submission.

If there is one knock on Wolfheart it's the lack of variety in their sound. All of the tracks, while good all sound similar in execution. This is hardly a bad thing as the band knows not to overstay their welcome. Eight tracks, forty five minutes... just about the perfect album length - and just enough to fit snugly onto a single LP. 

Written December 21st 2023

Entry 642 - Hypocrisy - Into the Abyss

Style: Melodic death metal, death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Violence, aliens, tributes to the past

Thoughts: When Nuclear Blast announced that they were going to be repressing Hypocrisy's early albums I was excited. I hoped that we would get reissues of the late 90's to early 2000's albums. I passed on the first batch of records that came out. As much as I would have liked to have grabbed them, I couldn't justify it at the time. They would have just sat on my shelf for years without being spun.

Fast forward several months and we get the second wave announcement. Now this was the repressings that I was hoping for. The Final Chapter through Into the Abyss. This era right here, this is my favorite of the band. Let's find out why.

Into the Abyss is slightly different than the self titled or The Final Chapter. In a lot of ways, it sounds like it should have been released right after Abducted. If I'm remembering correctly Peter said around the time of this album's release the band wanted to go back to a more aggressive sound. One more in touch with their death metal roots. 

Legions opens the album exactly the way you would expect with a statement like that. The riffs are solidly death metal and the band is blasting away like they haven't in years. The keyboards have been stripped out and replaced by riff after riff of audio onslaught.

The bands atmospheric and melodic sound isn't completely gone from this release though, just diminished. Songs like Resurrected embraces this along with Unleash the Beast's chorus. It never gets to the levels of the last two albums but it's a nice balancer to the aggression that the band is channeling for most of the album.

Out of this batch of releases for the band this is probably my least favorite. That said, this is still well worth owning, and will hit the turntable with some frequency. This also gives me hope that the next wave of releases (if they happen) will include some of the Horgh albums... now that would be a real treat.

Written December 21st 2023

Entry 641 - Green Carnation - Journey to the End of Night

Style: Progressive metal, experimental

Primary Emotions/Themes: Existential explorations

Thoughts: Green Carnation... what a band. What a completely enigmatic yet so entirely fascinating band. There are so few bands that manage to renew their sound successfully every album, fewer still that manage to evolve in such a natural fashion as Green Carnation have over their career. Every legacy starts somewhere though, and even though this is Green Carnation's debut album it is not really the start of their legacy... we have to go further back for that.

Green Carnation at their birth was almost a direct continuation of anther Norwegian band: In the Woods... If we want to talk about experimental heavy music it is exceptionally difficult not to mention In the Woods... In fact if they were not to come up in conversation, I would question the discussion all together. 

Journey to the End of Night feels much like the fourth In the Woods... album. The riffs, the vocals, the strange progressions, the haunting female vocal leads, the long periods of silence and minimalist ambience, the incredibly long songs... everything oozes In the Woods... and it can be attributed directly to the involvement of the Botteri brothers.

To say that this is a bad thing would be outright false. The music found on Journey to the End of Night is arguably the best that the band ever put out. That's a lofty statement, seeing as the follow up to this album is often considered one of the better progressive metal albums to come out around the turn of the millennium. 

So what makes this one so special? That's hard to quantify. Maybe its the eerie lead guitars that hover over the complex riffs. Maybe its the music's ability to sound off yet be incredibly catchy and infections at the same time. Maybe it's the masterful way that the album makes everything sound like it doesn't quite fit together for most of the album, but then at the key moments it all snaps into place beautifully. Maybe it's none of these things, maybe it's all of them.

What I do know is that over the course of four 10+ minute songs and a short intro Green Carnation has managed to create an mystifying album in both sound and construction. The songs never follow a logical pattern or progress I expect them to. The intriguing thing about this approach is that even though the album never goes the way I expect it to, it never sounds off or unappealing. In fact this unpredictable nature is what keeps me coming back... even well after twenty years have passed. That is a hell of a legacy.

Written December 21 2023

Entry 640 - Windows 96 - One Hundred Mornings

Style: Vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: Chilled out to the max, nostalgia for simpler times

Thoughts: What happens when someone in the vaporwave genre creates original music without samples? Is it still vaporwave, or has it transformed into something else? These are the questions that Windows 96 has me asking with 100 Mornings. 

It's been documented elsewhere that I don't have a good history with this artist. Their earlier works simply did not mesh with my musical tastes. When 100 Mornings first came out it was an easy pass for me. The pre-order was months away from release and only one song was available for streaming. If I don't know what I'm buying 9 times out of 10 I pass - especially if its an artist that I have trouble getting into.

Fast forward to November of last year and the full album released. I found it enjoyable enough to want to pick up. Only problem was that the release had sold out long before the whole album was available for streaming. Oh well, it's just one record in a sea of thousands. I moved on and forgot about it.

Fast forward to earlier this year where I found a buy two get one free sale online and this album was included in that. I didn't hesitate, it was in the cart and off to my house.

100 Mornings marks a strong shift in style for Windows 96. Whereas earlier works showed a ton of classic vapor influence, this album starts to go in its own direction. It sounds like a combination of early 90's infomercial background music, the generic muzak you had in so many restaurants, elevators and malls back then too, and mid 90's video game music. 

This album feels like a tribute to the mid 90's with all the aforementioned elements. To top it all off, the music has a wavy effect to it - like you would hear on an old tape or VHS recording that was starting to go bad. Everything is meant to act as a conduit for nostalgia and for the most part it succeeds.

The music's quality is much higher than anything I've heard prior to this album. The songs are catchy, and have that lazy vapor feel to them. Normally that lazy feeling is a huge detractor for me, but here it's different. While the music may feel lethargic, the song writing is not. These are original compositions and they show a quality to them that most artists in the vaporwave genre are unable to replicate.

I don't know if sample free vaporwave is still considered vaporwave, but I think it probably is. There's this idea of multiple waves of vapor, and this is probably in a later wave of the genre than the early... less original entries.  Whatever it is, I enjoy the hell out of it.

Written December 14th 2023