Entry 719 - Meteorlogical Agency - Night Coverage

Style: Signalwave, vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: Short glimpses into different places and things

Thoughts: I don't think I've ever posted a signalwave album prior to this. It's my understanding that signalwave is comprised of short songs that revolve around a single sample or concept. Much like some instrumental hip hop albums out there, there are a ton of tracks with a huge amount of ideas spread throughout.

On Night Coverage there are 27 individual tracks that range from huge orchestral swells to something as simple as a flute playing and a bird chirping. While the individual songs are simple in nature the way that they interact with each other and the way that the album is structured is the real allure and draw of this album for me.

It's not just individual tracks, it's truly an album. The way that this thing weaves in and out of all these small moments in time make the small things start to add up. By the end of the forty minutes or so I feel like I've observed a small snippet of a completely different world. 

I've seen how people interact, how they live, how the world operates in a completely different context... just by listening to this album. I have no idea where this country is, I have no idea what it's called but I do know that this is my gateway to it. 

Night Coverage has no business being as good as it is. It's too simple, it's too sample based, it's too short. It should be an album I hate. God dammit why do I like this as much as I do? I don't know, and it's time that I stopped asking silly questions and got back to listening.

Written February 22nd 2024

Entry 718 - Eldamar - The Force of the Ancient Land

Style: Epic metal, instrumental, dungeon synth?

Primary Emotions/Themes: Wandering forgotten lands

Thoughts: One could be forgiven thinking this album was a dungeon synth album by the way it starts out. A lonely, reverb heavy melody played on a keyboard breaks the silence for several measures before anything else happens - classic dungeon synth. The illusion is shattered though when guitars and drums come in - playing a slow tempo back beat with power chords over top. It's as simple as the keyboard melody, but works for what it is.

The song continues to build with black metal shrieks saying nothing in particular, only adding to the atmosphere and overall feel of the song. The same thing happens with a female voice a minute or so later. Instead of any lyrics the voices merely spew forth notes or things resembling words... nothing is ever clear. I often say with extreme music that the voice is just another instrument, here that is 100% the case as all of the songs are instrumental... with vocals.

And that's the essence of the eighty minutes of this album. The songs meander about for ten to fifteen minutes with the two singers creating the focal point of the music. The keyboards will often take lead when the vocals are not present, but they are rarely all present at the same time. Either one or the other has the lead. 

Where this record goes astray is in its length. The idea itself is very cool and fun to listen to, but when it goes on for fifteen minutes straight at the same pace with the same melodies and the same concepts... it wears out its welcome a bit. This is a bit ironic as I find that I sometimes will enjoy songs in the dungeon synth genre exactly for those same reasons. However, here they have the opposite effect.

Maybe it's the song writing, maybe its the fact that these songs are metal and not dungeon synth. Maybe it's just that I prefer pure dungeon synth sometimes. Whatever the reason this album is too long for my tastes. 

When I do listen it's usually to one LP or the other, rarely both in succession. If I treat this album like two smaller albums rather than one long one it goes a lot further with me. Maybe that's how I'll look at this album from now on, instead of a double LP it'll be part one and part two of the same title.

Written February 22nd 2024

Entry 717 - Druidan Forest - Dismal Spells from the Dragonrealm

Style: Dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: Epic expansive sounds and landscapes

Thoughts: There are very few dungeon synth projects that accurately emulate the early days. The times before things became more intricate, more nuanced. The olden days where it was just a troll in a dungeon making dark music. Druidan Forest is one of the very few active artists that can claim to match the sound of the 90's darkwave style.

Dismal Spells is comprised of four songs, each one of them spanning nearly twenty minutes in length. Each one of them is akin a different chapter in the same book. Each one contains several smaller themes within the larger composition, but the tone of the track remains largely the same throughout. 

These songs go back to the early days of the genre. The days where Mortiis was one of the only people writing in this style. In fact Dismal Spells has a strong resemblance to the first Mortiis full length. It borrows much from both the song writing as well as the production.

The songs have simple melodies that are repeated minutes on end. They are slowly transitioned into other similar styles or complete ambience to fill out the rest of the track time. While in theory this sounds horrendously boring, much like the early to mid 90's material this is incredibly compelling in execution.

The melodies are broken up by spoken word sections that bring some context into the world that we are given an audio glimpse of - the Dragonrealm as it were. Despite its long run time I often find myself listening from front to back  without any sense of the album being overdone or overstaying its welcome. 

When I first got back into dungeon synth - or dark dungeon music as it was once called - Druidan Forest had a split with Old Sorcery. This was the split that I heard and I instantly fell back in love with the genre. It reminded me  of the wonderful compositions from the 90's and it filled me with a deep nostalgia. That nostalgia is perpetuated by Dismal Spells from the Dragonrealm, I truly wish more artists were this good in the dungeon synth genre.

Written February 22nd 2024

Entry 716 - Mgla - Exercises in Futility

Style: Hypnotic black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Repetitive riffs that lead to a trance like effect, the meaninglessness of life

Thoughts: Mgla is an interesting band for me. For many years I've heart this album and my reaction has been an overwhelming meh. Nothing stood out, nothing grabbed my attention. It was just an overwhelmingly mediocre experience. 

Fast forward to a few days ago when I was watching drumming videos and came across one of Darkside playing Exercises in Futility V. The symbol work blew me away. The basic beat was so basic, but where he really shone was in the small details. He would make accents on the two ride symbols or the small bell that he has. The combination was intense and watching him do it live was an incredible experience.

It was enough for me to revisit the album with a fresh set of ears. To say that it changed my appreciation for this record is a bit of an understatement. It's gone from an overwhelming meh to an album that has been on repeat for about three days straight at the time of this writing. 

This album embodies "complexity through simplicity." There are layers upon layers of things to unpack here that I never noticed before. Let's start with the obvious part: the drums. While the heart of the drumming is simplistic, it's the small accents that Darkside gives to each of them that makes them engaging. They are so small that they are easily missed but, if you pay attention they are there - and they add a profound amount to the music.

Listen to the opening riffs of Part I and the small ride accents that are given in between each of the riffs repetitions. Hear how perfectly they fit with the music? It's not an accident. They fit so well that it's easy to miss, but man if you are listening with intent it's a whole new album. 

When the blasting finally comes in on the same song the riff picks up and the drums match with an incredibly well controlled blast beat. It's not fast, it doesn't try to overwhelm the listener. It only does what is needed to drive the song forward... absolute precision. 

That leaves the riffs. These things embody everything that black metal is known for. Simplistic riffs that repeat over time. Hypnotic sways that never let the listener out of their grasp... and every now and then they may just blow you away.

That aforementioned blasting section in Part 1... yeah that one gets stuck in my head for hours at a time. Everything is so simple, but it's so perfect. Everything fits like a Swiss watch, there are no accidents here. Everything is planned with the utmost care. 

Exercises in Futility is anything but. This album is compelling in a devious and deceptive way. Listening to it casually does not do the performance justice. You need to listen for the small details hidden in the guitars and drumming, only then does the true genius of Mgla stand out. I think I finally get it.

Written February 22nd 2024

Entry 715 - Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy

Style: Orchestral video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: Selections from Final Fantasy titles

Thoughts: This may be the oldest video game related record that I have in my collection. This was acquired at one of the Distant Worlds concerts quite a few years ago. I didn't have anything near my current equipment then, I just thought it was neat to have a record of the concert.

Time has passed and this has remained in my collection, largely unplayed.  I honestly don't know why its essentially been laying around, this is some exceptional music on here. The music in the games was strong to begin with, and now playing them with a full orchestra... it makes the music blossom in a way that it never did on the consoles. 

That's not to say that I don't like the soundtracks on the consoles, quite the opposite. I highly prefer listening to the music in it's original context, however switching it up every now and then isn't a bad thing either. 

This first entry has some of my all time favorite tracks from the series on it. The epic boss theme One Winged Angel makes an appearance, Bombing Mission from the start of FFVII also kicks off the album in strong form. The real star of the show here though is the opera from FFVI.

That scene blew me away when I was a kid, and hearing it in a full rendition here is beyond anything I could have imagined. It's the fulfillment of what it sounded like when I was a kid listening to the 16 bit sound-chip of the Super Nintendo. A dream come true.

Distant Worlds is one of the few orchestral arrangements that I feel does justice to the origonal music. It could be that Nobou Uematsu was heavily involved with the arrangements. It could be that there is a huge nostalgia factor. It could be both and more. I don't know, I don't care. This record is how you do orchestrated video game music.

Written February 22nd 2024

Entry 714 - Devouring Star - The Arteries of Heresey

  

 

 

Style: Slow, brooding black metal with a hint of dissonance

Primary Emotions/Themes: The darkness in man, desperation, slow brooding evil

Thoughts: When it comes to dissonant music there is generally a formula that is followed. The music is dense with a lot of riffs and a lot of notes that typically don't belong together. The music is fast - assaulting the listener with a barrage of sounds that often become so intertwined that it results in a wall of sound effect. The music also tends to be difficult to digest in one sitting. Songs will often be long and require multiple listens to fully digest.

Devouring Star takes dissonant metal and breaks the aforementioned formula... just a little bit. The music is still dense... perhaps more so than the typical black/death metal band in fact. Where the deviations begin though is the speed. 

The Arteries of Heresy takes things a bit slower than I initially expected of the music. Many of the songs have a rhythmic groove to them that is largely unheard of with this kind of music. Most of Procreation of Blood has this infectious sway to the riffs that act as a counter balance to the whirlwind of notes that make up the riffs. It's a delicate dance between the two opposing forces that leads to a more interesting listen.

Most of the songs will alternate between slower, more relaxed portions and the more chaotic faster sections. The balance is just about spot on for the record. The band knows exactly when to change up a riff, a tempo, or even just outright end the song. Nothing has a dominating force, things are as they should be.

Devouring Star is a fascinating entry into the field of dissonant music. Even though I call this dissonant that's only a part of their sound. There is quite a variety of tempos, variations on themes, and even a small amount of melody in between the chaos. It's not all instantly memorable, but it certainly will become infectious after repeated listens. 

Written February 21st 2024

Entry 713 - Mikel & Jokabi - The Ghibli Tape

  

 

 

Style: Lofi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Exploring the wonders of Ghibli music through chilled beats

Thoughts: To call today a rough day is an understatement. Today has been so stressful that I've had thoughts of just wanting to give up... to not exist anymore. I woke up this morning and the first words in my head were "dammit, I don't want to exist." 

Days like today are incredibly difficult, they are more than any human should have to bear. I can't remember the last time I felt like this, nor do I ever want to feel like this again in the future. I'm tired, I'm drained, and I have nothing left to give anyone... even myself.

It's days like today that I need music that either matches the completely downtrodden mood that I'm in or the exact opposite. The Ghibli Tape is the exact opposite of what I feel right now. It instills hope, peace, and a deep sense of calm within me instead of the self destructive emotions that have been there all day.

As far as the music goes, there isn't much to say here. If you know the Ghibli soundtracks these melodies will be immediately familiar. They have been scaled back signifigantly from their orchestral versions in the movies and distilled down to just the basic melody and a simplistic beat. 

Lofi can be done in one of two ways: the lazy way and the right way. The lazy way takes samples and snips them together like the laziest versions of vaporwave. The right way is to construct everything from scratch or do tasteful sampling to create the songs. Mikel and Jokabi do this short album the right way.

These few tracks are a pure joy to listen to. The one and only complaint that I have is the length. I crave more, I need more. Every time I put it on I'm always disappointment that it's ended. Despite that one complaint this rendition of the Ghibli music pays deep homage to the originals. In doing so they have created a wonderful mix tap for days like today.

Written February 21st 2024

Entry 712 - Gelure - The Candlelight Tomes

Style: Dungeon Synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: Reading the sacred texts by candlelight 

Thoughts: Every now and then there comes an album that is the complete package. The album title fits perfectly, the cover fits perfectly... hell even the record design itself matches the music perfectly. Gelure's The Candlelight Tomes is one such album. 

Let us study how this artifact retains such perfect cohesion. Observe the cover, the elderly scholar buried deep in his tomes and scrolls. Searching for knowledge that once was known but has been lost. He searches through them to discover secretes untold. Or perhaps he is imparting his knowledge into a new scroll for future generations? All we are given is the one moment in time and the musical accompaniment.

The Candlelight Tomes, the scriptures that are read by the light of a burning chunk of paraffin wax. The music contained within these forty minutes expertly reflect the sound of scouring through these pages. Reading tales of ancient times, lore long forgotten, times and memories of those who came before. 

The wax upon which this tome is inscribed even resembles the light that is cast out by a candle in the dead of night. It radiates out as it would from a central source of light and casts a shadow at the end of the turntable. 

The package is so complete, so impeccably detailed that it's become one of my favorite entries into the dungeon synth genre. From a glance this may sound just like another ambient inspired dungeon synth album, but I assure that it is not. The depth of thought that has gone into this package... the artwork, the design of the record, the music itself, hell it even includes a map. 

As complete as the visual package is, the missing component is the audio. Sadly I cannot play it through text, but hopefully this small chronicle will give a semblance of the brilliance that is contained within this excellent album.

Written February 20th 2024

Entry 711 - L'indecis - Plethoria

Style: Instrumental hip hop with jazz influences

Primary Emotions/Themes: Happy little songs in the microcosm of life

Thoughts: Calling this hip hop is a bit of a stretch. This has so many genres in it it's a bit of a mish mash. Of course there are hip hop inspired beats, jazz infused selections, there's even some prog rock towards the end of the album. They all have one thing in common though: each of the songs have a slice of life feel to them. 

Each one of the songs feels like looking through the window of a home walking down the street. Getting a glimpse of what is going on in other people's lives and then moving on to the next. One song will have an air of mystery, the next a cozy resemblance of drinking hot cocoa on a cold winters night. Another may resemble someone frantically searching for a lost trinket of great import. 

Regardless of what the feel of the song is the end result is nothing sort of a brilliant little album. Now that I think about it, the cover is quite indicative of the music on here. A microcosm of life, contained in a small little package. A glimpse of life's gifts before they are forgotten to the annals of time.

As much as I want to write down every little detail of what is happening in these songs, I think that goes against the point of the album. This album feels like it's something that is meant to be forgotten and perhaps remembered as a passing fancy upon later reflection. It encourages the listener to take another listen, to revisit the lives of those the album captures one more time. 

Written February 20th 2024

Entry 710 - Poison Girlfriend - Melting Moment

Style: Jpop, city pop, electronica

Primary Emotions/Themes: Chilled out beats with female vocals 

Thoughts: This is a bit of a unique entry into my collection. I don't normally listen to city pop or seek it out. A lot of the music is too samey and upbeat for my tastes. I can only handle so much sugary sweetness in my musical diet as it were.

Poison Girlfriend is a bit different from what one might expect from the genre. Instead of upbeat and sparkly music the music is more subdued... I might even go so far as to say its dreary. Instead of the musical equivalent to a sunny day, it's overcast with a slight drizzle. Not terrible conditions, but enough to dampen a mood for sure.

The tempos are a bit slower than I would have expected, the vocals are almost whispered with almost a spoken word quality to them. They are still melodic, but this feels more conversational than sung. The compositions are often in a minor key and almost have an emo/goth rock feel to them... except in a city pop skin. 

Melting Moment is comprised of six songs and each one of them is longer than expected for a pop song. They average just over six minutes each. Normally I would consider this a detractor with pop music, but there is enough going on here to warrant the longer song times. 

The songs will often go through several "movements" and some don't even have a standard verse/chorus structure to them. It's quite refreshing for the genre. Instead there are different sections to each song - each containing their own melodies They will often intertwine between two to four different parts as the song progresses with the vocals being the centerpiece to it all. In a lot of ways it reminds me of early Enigma with the way the songs evolve and the way the atmosphere is. Calm, yet slightly sorrowful and seeking meaning. 

Melting Moment has a lot of good things going for it. Especially in the second half of the album. The last three songs are all real bangers - especially the title track. This thing has been on repeated listens all day and I anticipate that I'll be revisiting it shortly as I don't have anything else like this in my collection.

Written February 20th 2024

Entry 709 - Immortal - Blizzard Beasts

Style: Raw black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Winters Away!

Thoughts: This is entry two into "how the hell have I not had this band on the blog yet??" Immortal is a legendary black metal band that I listen to with some frequency. How I have not written about then yet is beyond me. Regardless that stops now.

Blizzard Beasts was my first exposure to the band. I vividly remember going into my local CD shop and special ordering this and Enslaved's Eld at the same time. I had only just heard of black metal before this and wanted to see what the current album was like for two of the band's that kept coming up on online forums.

Before Blizzard Beasts I had not really heard what people would consider a typical black metal production. The intro was one thing- sounding something like the soundtrack to a horror movie - but when the title track came on I don't think I was quite prepared. The combination of technical riffs, blast beats, Abbath's croaking vocals, and muddy production was a bit too much for my young brain. I could tell that there was a lot going on in the music, but as to what those details were I couldn't make any of it out. It was too much, I turned it off and went back to Dark Tranquillity instead.

Obviously that's not the end of the story or we wouldn't be here. I went back to it some time later, a little bit more prepared for what was to come. I made it further than the title track and actually started getting pretty into the music for the first few tracks, then Mountains of Might came on and I was changed.

Immortal wasn't this mess of obscurity anymore, it was an epic beast ready for battle riding across frozen landscapes. This song was not like anything else on the album, it was unlike anything else I had heard within metal at that point. It contained epic clean guitar passages, complimentary keyboards to add in a cold wintery atmosphere, drums that were tactful and matched the music's cadence at every step. Even the production was cleaner than the other songs.. it was like a different band.

Now that I think about it, mountains of might may have been one of the key songs that got me into black metal as a whole. It was the antithesis of the rest of the album. Instead of blistering riffs that were impossible to follow, it contained distinct melodies. Instead of endless blast beats the song had a variety of drum beats that sounded a lot less like fuzz on the bottom end of the mix. Even the vocals were clearer and more forceful than the chaos that is the rest of the album.

Needless to say Mountains of Might was the gateway. If I could handle that song I could do the rest of this as well... and I did. Eventually the chaos began to open up. Instead of fuzz I heard distinct guitar notes and chords. Instead of an endless blizzard of riffs I heard intricate compositions that were rewarding to dig through and follow. Instead of endless blast beats I began to hear the true genius that is Horgh on drums and his nuances to the drumming in the album. It all came together. 

Blizzard Beasts and Immortal as a whole were critical in my musical journey. Once this clicked it clicked for good. Now that I think about it this may have been the first album that I heard where my initial reaction was "I don't know if I like this or not." In the past all of my favorite albums have had that reaction, and Blizzard Beasts remains my favorite Immortal album to this day. 

Written February 20th 2024

Entry 708 - Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure

Style: Epic atmospheric black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Beauty through darkness, obscurity that rewards observation

Thoughts: I have no idea how I made it this far into this blog without including one of my favorite black metal projects: Ruins of Beverast. To call this pure black metal would be misleading however. This is so much more than that.

Ruins of Beverast is one part black metal, one part doom, one part dark ambient, all wrapped up in the darkness and atmosphere that can only be found in the darkest reaches of hell. I can't stress enough how foreboding the atmosphere is on each one of the albums. So much so that I have to be careful when I decide to listen to the music. I have to listen at the right time or it's going to put me into a very bad place mentally.

The project also seems to be broken up into several chapters. The first two albums have a raw production and with that a more obscure sound. The next two albums clean up the production to create some of the finest black/doom metal ever to be recorded. The final two albums move away from the dark atmospheres into a more ritualistic sound. 

Rain Upon the Impure is the second album from the band, and so features some of the rawest recording that the project has ever done. It's difficulty to quantify how deep the rabbit hole goes with this album. There are so many things going on that even after repeated listens I'm still finding new things. 

On top of that the album is l o n g. Seven tracks and just shy of eighty minutes long with two of the songs being interlude tracks. This leaves us with five tracks that are all well over ten minutes long. The tracks themselves may as well be a small self contained album. They twist and weave in unpredictable ways and force me into an uncomfortable journey as it leads me through its mountains and valleys. 

One moment a song will be going at a slow doomish pace with atmospheric keyboards playing a melody. The atmosphere is so thick at these points that it's almost palatable. Just as the musics hypnotic tendrils start to really sink in, a blast beat will take over out of no where and force me into another direction completely. 

Even though the transitions can be jarring, the music itself shifts quickly from one hypnotic moment to another. These riffs have a way of sweeping me up and carrying me wherever the hell they want. To be honest it's almost too much. I have to take this album in chunks, one record at a time. Even though it's all amazing music, the production requires me to listen intently to get as much out of it as I would like. This means that I'm straining and listening at high volumes for extended periods of time. 

That one qualm aside, Rain Upon the Impure has an allure to it that is truly rare in music. It's difficult to listen to - yes, but it keeps begging me to come back by it's quality. This is an incredibly challenging yet entirely rewarding album. I once saw a quote about it that I believe fits this and the band perfectly: "Ruins of Beverast is not over rated, or under rated. They simply exist and those who are destined to find it are the chosen few."

Written February 18th 2024

Entry 707 - 51717 - Paranoia Star

Style: Electronic, Noise, field recordings, experimental

Primary Emotions/Themes: Experimentation through sound, strange compositions that shouldn't belong together yet somehow work

Thoughts: Paranoia Star feels like it's taken right out of a science fiction soundtrack. The album starts out with a low tone that slowly modulates. During these modulations what I presume to be samples of people talking are piped in over the... music...? The longer the track goes on the more the static increases and the more disjointed the song becomes. By the end of Guide to the Perplexed the entire experience is rather unsettling... it's the perfect introduction for what is to come.

This album is not music in the traditional sense. For a vast majority of the album there is no melody, there is seemingly nothing for my mind to grab on to and say "that is my anchor." Rather it presents a series of scenes and/or portraits in musical form that it leaves up for interpretation. Perhaps a deeper listen will provide something.

One track will sound like a heart beat distorted by machinery. The next may very well sound like what a mind at peace is, only to be interrupted by horrendous nightmares. The music is not gentle or forgiving to the listener. Rather it is insidious and erodes my mind away a little bit at a time.

Paranoia Star is one of those albums that I have trouble recalling the specifics of the music when I am not directly involved with listening to it. What I do remember tho is how it makes me feel... and that is an overwhelming sense of unease. 

Most of the songs have some type of electronic pulse that works as a drumbeat/percussion, though in execution ends up sounding more like an electronic heart beat than anything organic. It's this pulse that gives the music it's life, the one thing for my mind to hold on to - my anchor. When it's there I have that all important grounding factor, when it is absent the music has its way with me.

Each of the eight songs contained within the album are specifically designed to give me a deep sense of disquiet. The music toys with me on and off by giving me small parts for my mind to hold on to, only to take them away just as quickly. I don't even remember where I found this album, but it's such a unique entry into my collection that it's something I keep coming back to. Fascinating album.

Written February 18th 2024

Entry 706 - ESPRIT空想 - 200% Electronica

Style: Vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: Chilled out to the max

Thoughts: I have such a love/hate relationship with vaporwave. So much so that I have to bring it up in almost every vaporwave record I post, I talk about it. For the most part I find the style to be lazy and uninspired, but when an album hits... it hits hard. 200% Electronica is one of the very few that exceed my expectations from the get go.

What sets this one apart from so many of the seemingly endless other vaporwave records out there are two main factors. The first and most important of these is that the music is sample free. This automatically puts it well above the competition. By excluding samples form the writing process 200% Electronica is able to manipulate the sounds to exactly what Mr. Clanton wants without having to borrow from other artists or sounds.

The secondary factor that boosts this album is the fact the the songs are so damn groovy and chill that they are nearly impossible to ignore. These songs not only have me bobbing my head at nearly every turn, they have me in a trance by their sheer nature. 

While all of the songs on here have the relaxed and lethargic feel that are staples of the genre, they never fall into the trap of being boring or derivative. This is where the sample free nature of the music truly has it's benefits. It feels nostalgic, but not for anything specific - rather the feelings of the 80's and 90's are captured in the music instead of being a direct part of the music. 

George Clanton has a couple of truly great albums in his catalog. This album and the 100% Electronica album recorded under his own name are two of the best in the vaporwave genre. They contain all the elements of the genre without falling into the traps that so many other vaporwave artists do. Simply excellent music all around.

Written February 18th 2024

Entry 705 - Kalaido - View Through the Mist

Style: Eastern influenced lo-fi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Tranquility, inner peace, beauty of nature, harmony

Thoughts: I open my tired eyes and I'm greeted by the wonderful view of a tranquil lake. A gentle breeze flows through my hair and I am compelled to take a deep breath. The fresh spring air fills my lungs and I am invigorated with it's purity. 

This is a place where nature still holds it's claim on the land. This is a place that man has forgotten, a world free from "progress" and the business of city life. This is the way life was meant to be - one with nature. The land provides for me and I provide for the land. It's a cycle of mutual trust and reciprocation. 

It's not an easy life. In many ways it's harder than anything that was done in the city. Life here demands much of me, but I am free. Free from the stress of civilization. Free from the pace of urban life. Free to come and go as I please. Free.

----

This small recollection is how Kalaido's latest EP makes me feel. It is simple, it is refreshing, and it is free from stress. He incorporates lofi hip hop beats with eastern instrumentation to create a truly wonderful atmosphere. 

This release in particular differentiates itself from so many other lofi artists in the scene by the inclusion of real instruments. This album is not composed solely of samples - the guitar, flute, and other eastern instruments are played over top the beats in a way that sampling never could capture. 

The one thing I do wish about this album is that it was longer. It's run time is under twenty minutes and it leaves me wanting more... so much more. After the untimely passing of Elijah Nang the eastern influenced hip hop scene has had a huge hole in it. Kalaido has helped fill that hole with this release. 

Written February 14th 2024

Entry 704 - My Dying Bride - As the Flower Withers

Style: Doom/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A profound sense of loss, unmitigated violence, romance and lust

Thoughts: All things have a beginning. All things have an end. Even the mightiest of rules fall to the sands of time. Here we chronicle the humble beginnings to one My Dying Bride and with it the start of one of the most fascinating bands within the metal genre.

As the Flower Withers is an incredibly raw and open debut album. Not just in the presentation of the music, but the emotions that are presented here. There is nothing held back, nothing is masked, everything is laid out on the table - musically and lyrically.

From the technical aspect the production is clear, but immediately recognizable as late 80's/early 90's metal production, especially the drums. The bass drums in particular have that hollow thump to them that was so prevalent at the time. The guitars are muddy yet somehow clear at the same time, and the vocals howl over it all. 

This album is the only My Dying Bride record that does not feature Aaron's clean singing. Everything except for two lines in The Return of the Beautiful are his visceral growl draped in reverb. It's primitive, it's violent, and it fits the music perfectly. Clean vocals would not have worked on this album. 

As menacing as the vocals are, the riffs match them bit for bit. The album already shows a mature writing style for a good portion of the album. My Dying Bride's signature dual guitar riffs are all over the place. One guitar leading the other in a gentle yet sorrowful dance as they consign themselves to oblivion. 

Rick's drumming is also quickly forming into a staple of the My Dying Bride sound. Those signature fills with the double kicks  on the bass and snare then slow tom rolls right after. Often imitated, but never duplicated - instantly recognizable. 

Where the band would later focus more on the slower and more emotionally draining styles, here the band is seeing jumping from their signature sound to faster and almost pure death metal styled riffs. Sear Me has a section that is far more brutal than anything the band would write in the future. This is duplicated in The Forever People, a song the band still plays live to this day. 

The band also utilizes feedback effectively throughout the album. The guitars will play a note and then be allowed to slowly feed back before playing the next. It's especially effective in the slower sections of the album and adds to the unhinged and raw feelings that the album embraces. 

As the Flower Withers is not only a fantastic debut, it's one of the better albums out of My Dying Bride's discography. Truly, any of the first four to eight albums (depending on how you like to look at it) are incredible. Such a run is more than most bands can ask for, and for My Dying Bride is was just the beginning. 

Written February 12th 2024

Entry 703 - Bal-Sagoth - The Power Cosmic

Style: Epic black metal, pure cheese

Primary Emotions/Themes: The cosmic beings and the mighty power they hold, the best keyboard work this side of the milky way

Thoughts: When I first heard Bal-Sagoth it was Starfire Burning Upon the Iceveiled Throne of Ultima Thule. That is one of the biggest mouthful's I've ever uttered for an album title. The song titles aren't much better. What did matter though was their incredibly unique music.

Bal-Sagoth in written description can seem like an exceptionally serious band. They sing about great sorcery, mystic beasts and vast legends. On The Power Cosmic they speak about the powers that forged the universe and the clashing between good and evil. The music has a strong interplay between guitar and keyboards with both instruments serving as the lead in various parts of the songs. Often times they will compliment each other so well that the song would be severely lacking if either instrument were to be taken out.

The drums and bass are an excellent compliment to the melodic leads. The drums on this album are played by none other than Dave Macintosh (later of Dragonforce fame). Then there are the vocals. This is perhaps the most distinctive and unique part of the band. The minority vocal style is a typical black shriek that is used for specific characters and emotions. The primary vocal style on display here is a deep narration that carries weight and authority to it. It's emotive and highly engaging. 

Everything on paper sounds like this should be high epic fantasy that leads me into the depths of fantasy. The truth of the matter is that this is perhaps one of the cheesy albums I've ever heard. Those epic keyboards intentionally use the worst of the worst synthesizers. The guitars compliment these keys in the best way possible by accenting the notes with their own melodies. The interplay between the two is very well done, but it feels more like a Conan or Flash Gordon soundtrack than anything out of Lord of the Rings.

The vocals... oh the vocals. Byron's narration is what makes this band for me. He not only narrates, but he does it with such authority and conviction that it feels like he truly believes that he is delivering the mightiest of speeches. I've never heard anything quite like his vocal delivery in another band. Bal-Sagoth stands alone.

Despite the cheesiness, this album is pure quality. The music is catchy, and oozes quality. It tells me that the band is intentionally putting the cheese in intentionally to further their sound. The Power Cosmic is instantly recognizable, as is the rest of Bal-Sagoth's discography. This is without a shadow of a doubt... amazing.

Written February 6th 2024

Entry 702 - Mortiis - Født til å hersk

Style: Dark dungeon music

Primary Emotions/Themes: Mystic lands far away, the art of medieval music

Thoughts: This is the album that started everything for what we now call dungeon synth. Back then there was no name for the genre. It was called dark wave, electronic, ambient, or my personal favorite from Mortiis himself: dark dungeon music.

When I first heard this I thought it sounded like an extended intro to a black metal album. In fact the entire album may as well have been a black metal intro the way that it played out. Fifty minutes of poorly played, out of time, overly simplistic keyboard music. There was nothing else like this when it first came out. 

Sure there were other electronic outfits out there at time, but nothing that came from black metal sounded like this. The closest thing would be some of the ambient tracks that Burzum was experimenting with on his albums. 

The fact that this contained nothing else but the dark dungeon music was significant though. This was a shift. There was no more black metal here, there was only the keyboard. Through the use of this singular instrument the atmosphere changed. It was no longer bleak and dark, it now revolved around exploration and discovery. A more fantastical atmosphere as it were.

Instead of hell, we had mountainous landscapes. Instead of worshiping satan we are exploring forests and misty hills. Instead of belting out the screams of hell, we have a slow contemplative melody that poorly resembles its synthesized instrument.

I remember the first time I saw the CD for this album. It was sitting at a Border's book store and it looked interesting to me. I had no idea that how influential this would be, it was just a cool album to have back then. 

Mortiis has gone through a lot of changes to his art. For my money the 1999 album The Stargate is my favorite, but there is something about these mid ninety's albums that will always have a place in my heart. There is a purity to this music and its simplicity that it not found in his later works. 

Despite the poor keyboard playing, despite the horrible vocals, despite the overly simplistic nature of everything, despite the fact that the melodies repeat themselves way too much. Despite all that, this album is worth listening to, every single imperfect moment is worth listening to. 

Written February 6th 2024

Entry 701 - Devin Townsend - Synchestra

Style: Progressive metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Reflections on life, silliness

Thoughts: When was the last time you heard an album with two intro tracks? There aren't many of them, and there are fewer of them that are good. This is one of the very few that meets both criterion. 

Listening to the opening notes of Let It Roll I'm overcome with nostalgia. The melody reminds me of the best moments of Devin's discography. It's just an acoustic guitar and his voice, but it's so authentic and it's missing the bombast that so much of his music has. It doesn't last long, by the end of the track the full choir is there and everything is as massive as normal... but those opening notes, those are fucking fantastic.

The album probably really starts with the second intro, that being Hypergeek. It builds up over time until we get the typical Devin sound. Huge guitars, huge choirs and an aggressive yet fun riff. There is a wonderful balance of playfulness and heaviness in this song... and for the entire album for that matter. These two intro songs are great to let the listener know what they are in for over the next hour or so. 

Triumph is the first true song of the album and it does everything you would expect a Devin song to do. His addictive voice is front and center. The riffs are fulfilling and fill out the air they take up nicely. It's catchy and Devy's emotive voice helps take the song to heights it couldn't reach without it. It's everything I want from Devin.

That's kind of the long and the short of Synchestra. It's a Devin Townsend album by the numbers. It has the experimentation that the early albums have. It even has the absolute kookiness that was seen on Infinity - Vampolka and Vampira channel huge Bad Devil vibes. Vampolka in particular is one of my favorite intro tracks... maybe ever. Same melody as Vampira... just done in the style of polka. That level of humor hasn't been seen since Punky Bruster. 

Some of the songs on here just don't do anything for me though. Baby Song it's cringey and breaks up the flow of the album. Notes from Africa is a bit awkward for my tastes and doesn't do well as a closing track... at least for me. 

Synchestra is what I would consider the last truly essential HevyDevy album. It's got a lot of good stuff going for it, but you start to hear a little bit of the train going off the rails. It's loosing a bit of focus, and the following few albums just wouldn't be up to the same quality that I was used to. That said he had one hell of a run. 

The fact that all of these Devin albums have been part of the same box set is absolutely mind blowing to me. All of the albums that I love from him in one place. If I got them individually it would have cost me 2-3x what this one set cost. It's one of the single best purchases I've ever made for my music collection. 

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 700 - Devin Townsend - Terria

Style: Atmospheric metal, progressive metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Loneliness, nervous breakdowns, peace, finding meaning

Thoughts: Every artist that has been around for a while has that one album. That album that is bigger than they could possibly have imagined. The album that you look back on and nod your head slightly... yeah... that's the one. Terria is that for Devin.

Terria is the album where Devin matured. Terria is the album where Devin went from a child to a man. Terria is where the songs became real. Terria is THAT album.

Instead of the crazy experimentation of Infinity we have deep contemplation on the meaning of life. Instead of the rage and unbridled silliness of Physicist we have Devin contemplating brokenness and loss. Instead of the fulfilling yet inconsistent Biomech we have a series of songs that are some of the most profound songs ever recorded within the metal genre... actually scratch that. These songs are some of the most profound to be recorded within any genre within the past 25 years or so. Terria is THAT album.

I remember when this thing first came out. Devy was saying that he wanted it to be an Ocean Machine for the earth, and I don't think I could have thought of a better starting point for this album than that. The wall of sound, the massive riffs, the choirs, they are all here. But there is so much more to this album than just Ocean Machine part 2.

This is Devin Townsend perfected. This is Devin Townsend finally reaching his full potential. This is HevyDevy tapping into everything that he has been building towards with this album. All of the failed experiments, all of the successes, they all lead to Terria. 

The opener Olives is a strange use of several chords that build and build until the album actually starts with Mountain. This song is honestly not a great opener, it lacks the power that much of the album has and does not have the same atmosphere that the rest of the album does. Best to get this one out of the way quickly.

Earth Day though... this is where the album truly starts for me. This nine minute epic shows Devin in all his playfulness while still delivering a song that is a behemoth in terms of quality and impact. The riffs are the size of a mountain, the atmosphere is so thick it can be cut with a chainsaw... everything is massive. 

Not only does it feature great riffs and pacing, this song brings back the choirs from Ocean Machine. None of the previous album had done this, but now we have it back. This is the start of what makes this album special, it breaks me out of so many different moods and brings me back to a state of peace, but even then the album hasn't truly begun until track 4.

It's not until we get to Deep Peace that I begin to truly be at rest. This song... my god this song. This song has gotten me through so many times. I had a nervous breakdown when I was younger... this song helped me through it. I had one of the worst breakups in my history when I was in my mid twenty's... this song brought me peace more so than anything else could. 

Devin reassures me that "It's alright to cry, it's alright to lean on everyone." I don't know if that's sarcasm or not but it doesn't matter, it reminds me that I'm ok to lean on my friends - the few that I do have. The music here as well... it's just too good. The massive guitar solo that goes on for three minutes in the middle of the song... close your eyes and let it take you away to a land far away. A place where pain does not exist and life is fully enjoyable.

Canada comes on right after Deep Peace and it may as well be part 2. The opening riff, holy shit when that comes on - it brings peace to my soul. Its so massive and it's so calming that I don't have any choice but to let it take over. 

Everything about this album from this point forward connects deeply with me. The wonderful break in the Fluke where Devy has a full on choir during the songs slower part... if you've heard it you know what I'm talking about. Listen to that while driving through some mountains... it's peace. That is peace to me.

The moment in Nobody's Home where you audibly hear Devin's heart break. It kills me every time. The buildup during Tiny Tears that breaks into arguably the most powerful moment of the album as the full weight of the world is used to close the song out. It's too good... it's peace... it's Terria. 

No matter how many times I listen to this, it brings me back to my state of zen. This is one of the most important albums in my life. It has been for 23 years and will remain so for the next twenty three onward. It's too good, it's too important... and now I finally have it in my collection. 

All that said... just remember "music, well it's just entertainment folks!"

-------

As an aside, this is the final album that I had on my "Albums I need before I die" list. At this point I can consider my collection complete. I know that I will continue to get albums as they impress me, but all of the albums I consider essential are now in my collection. What a fucking amazing feeling that is. 

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 699 - Devin Townsend - Physicist

Style: Extreme metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Rage, violence, silliness

Thoughts: Devin is an interesting individual. I could be remembering this incorrectly but I seem to remember that Physicist was created because he didn't want to create another SYL album for Century Media at the time. This was supposed to fill that gap, Jed, Byron and Gene were all on board as well.

Now wither or not this album meets the standards of SYL is up for debate. For me it's different enough that it can be seen as adjacent to SYL, but it's not similar enough to be called the third Strapping album. Physicist is not nearly as technical or as filled with unbridled rage as City. 

In fact if anything this is a rather light hearted album. A lot of the riffs on here are almost playful in nature with riffs ranging from copying the Superman theme (Material), to being almost downright happy (Jupiter), to mimicking video game music (Irish Maiden sounds like a Turtles in Time track). The original version of Kingdom is here as well, this would be rerecorded for Epicloud at a much later date.

Of course there are songs on here that are absolute insanity as well. Death, Devoid and Victim are all scorchers that rival the intensity of SYL. The odd ball on the album though is Planet Rain. This is a 10+ minute epic that goes through several different movements before settling into a silent rainfall for the end of the album. It's loud, it's long and it's kinda an odd edition to the album, not sure it fits with the rest of the songs on here.

Physicist is kind of the odd ball release of Devin's early works. It's not a bad album by any means, its just a strange one. The craziness of Infinity is carried over a bit and mixed with a pinch of SYL to produce a wacky and somewhat cooky rage filled album. It's a fun listen but not nearly as good as the other entries into the Era boxed set. 

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 698 - Persuasian - Quartermass

Style: Ambient techno

Primary Emotions/Themes: Minimalism, experimentation through four on the floor beats

Thoughts: Thump thump thump thump. That is the basis of this entire album. A basic techno beat. The entirety of the album utilizes the four on the floor beat to form the basis of everything that is about to transpire over the next 25 minutes or so.

The thing about that beat is it's hypnotic. The way its used here is much the same way a foundation is laid down for a house or structure. It's the basis for everything that is to come. Intermixed there are other percussive instruments that fade in and out. There are ambient pads that fill out the silence in between the beats, there are even short snippets of melody that are offered to me as I am lured in deeper to this album.

Despite the simplicity, there is quite the range of material going on here. We have interesting polyrhythms sprinkled in on every track. We have a wide range of atmospheres, ranging from nearly dark ambient to open and welcoming. We have different productions on the drums as well. Some are deep and bass heavy, while others are light and tinny. All of this adds to the texture of the songs.

Quartermass is about as minimal as you can get and still be called music. Most of the time there is at most 2-3 instruments being used, and even then they are looped to the point of hypnotism. This is the essence of  the album, depth through simplicity. Loss of self through hypnotism. Seeking more through less. It's not something I partake in very often, but I do highly enjoy it when I do.

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 697 - Devin Townsend - Infinity

Style: Progressive metal, atmospheric metal, strange experiments

Primary Emotions/Themes: Nonsense, playfulness

Thoughts: Truth - the first track off of Infinity - starts up exactly where Biomech left off. Massive riffs, huge sense of atmosphere, delay and reverb coming out of every pore, and a larger than life presence. It's a short instrumental that lures me in quickly and holds my attention. It leads directly into Christeen which is upbeat and almost poppy in the way it bounces around the room. Heavy metal pop, is that a thing? I think Devy used that term for Epicloud or Addicted when they first came out. Either way it's a thing here too.

This is all well and good, so he made a follow up to Ocean Machine and is content to sit on his laurels. That's fine, Biomech is a fine album and a part 2 wouldn't be a bad thing. This is what I would say if the next song wasn't Bad Devil.

This is where Infinity starts to show what it's all about. Bad Devil is the third track and its... completely bonkers. The main riff alters between a pipe organ and a stupidly heavy riff that sounds like it belongs more in a polka song than anything resembling metal. The fact that we get a horn solo in the middle of it only furthers the polka comparison. What some may call a playful song others would call bat shit crazy. It's like Devy took the insanity of Strapping Young Lad, replaced the aggression with humor and Frankensteined it together in a way that should never work. But it does.

That's the essence of Infinity in a nutshell. The music is playful, it's chaotic, it's unpredictable, and it's fantastic. Not every experiment works, but it doesn't need to. The whole idea of the album is to do things that haven't been done before. When they work, they work exceptionally well. When they don't... well we just move on. 

Infinity is not an album that is content to be stagnant at all. There are many genres here, almost as many as there are songs. It feels like Devy had a ton of ideas and just vomited them all out at once into a singular album. It's varied quality as it is in the genres represented. It's far from my favorite Devin album, but it has a certain mystique to it that none of his other work has. It's fun to put on the turntable for a night and let the insanity wash me away.

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 696 - 2-Mello - Memories of Tokyo-To

Style: Hip Hop, video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: Jet Set Radio tribute, playfulness 

Thoughts: Jet Set Radio is one of the first games that truly got me into my Dreamcast. The fact that you could skate around the entire city and do things however you wanted was kinda crazy for me. I enjoyed the hell out of that game. 

The music in it was also at another level. It was quirky, bizarre, and completely off the wall. I had never heard anything like it before. I've never been able to find the soundtrack outside of the game so in it's place I'm settling for an artistic tribute to perhaps one of the strangest and most wonderful soundtracks to ever come out of the Dreamcast.

To say that 2 Mello recreated the soundtrack would be an outright lie. The music here sounds like it could have been on the soundtrack, but it's not the same. It's a hip hop artists' tribute to the music that's in the game and nothing more. 

That sounds like a pretty harsh take, and it probably is. The music here is not on the same level as the game itself. That said the music is hardly bad, but it lives in the shadow of the source material.

What we do have here is a pretty damn cool interpretation of the hip hop style that is seen on a lot of the tracks within JSR. These tracks range from vocal driven to purely instrumental. No matter what we have going on in the songs though, the beat is the main focus. It's the driving force of the album. 

The smooth sway of Say Somethin' contrasts nicely to the more upbeat and quirky Old to the New. Honestly the later of those two tracks truly sounds like it could have come off the original soundtrack. The vocals are sampled and manipulated in strange and unpredictable ways. There is an old school funk to the bass groove as well that was found throughout the stage in JSR. It's a bit of a strange bird at first, but after a couple of listens it's become one of my favorites on the album.

2 Mello had a high bar to reach here, and while he didn't quite make it the album is pretty damn good on its own. It's got a lot of variety and is quite quirky. Honestly if it wasn't tied to the game so intimately I think I would enjoy it more, because it stands on its own pretty damn well. 

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 695 - Devin Townsend - Ocean Machine - Biomech

Style: Progressive metal?, atmospheric metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Self discovery, interpersonal relationships, reflections life and the meaning of it all

Thoughts: This is going to be the first of many HevyDevy records to be posted in the coming days. I was recently made aware of one of the greatest box sets in existence. Apparently I missed the boat on the Era box sets that came out in 2018 and 2019. They contain a majority of Devin's works until that time. Era II is the box set in question, and it contains every. single. album. that I consider essential from Mr. Townsend.

Ocean Machine. The album that gave me a taste of the music that Devin Townsend really wanted to make. Of course I had heard Strapping Young Lad's City before this, but this was something very different. Biomech is more focused on atmosphere and large than life riffs than SYL ever was. Instead of chaos we have peace, instead of 50 riffs per song we have 2-3, instead of harsh vocals we have a wide range of vocals. Clean, shouted, belted, soft, and yes even some screams like Devy uses in SYL.

The main star of the show here though is the riffs and the atmosphere. I suppose this could be called progressive metal in that the riffs progress over time, but this is hardly a technical showcase. This is more like massive riff after massive riff that fills the entire audio spectrum... a wall of sound if you would. 

To balance this out Devin has multitracked his vocals on nearly every occasion possible. This only adds to the massive sound that the riffs have. On top of that it was the first time I heard Devy give us a taste of what his amazing vocal choirs could be like. These things range from angelic to demonic in their execution - though Biomech tends to lean more towards the ethereal end of that spectrum.

I think out of all the Devy albums I own this one may be the most chill. There are of course chill songs on the other albums, but this one has that nice groovy sway to it throughout. That combined with the continuous wall of sound, a heaping ton or reverb on the guitars, and Devin's emotive vocals... you get one hell of an album. 

Easy highlights for me are Funeral and its infectious groove, Bastard and it's minor key shift from the rest of the album, Sister and it's odd inclusion in between songs. There's really something worth listening to on each of the songs on here, but not all are of the highest quality. If I had to choose one Bastard is a clear favorite for me, it hints at some of the styles that would be explored on future albums and sends the album off on a powerful note.

Biomech is the start of Devin's true music era. It's a clean album, but it still has a couple of rough edges. The thing is, if it didn't have those rough spots it would feel too clean, too polished - and that's one of the things I love the most about Devy's music - it feels decidedly human. The emotions he evokes from me come from a place deep within. There are very few artists that can do what he does on a consistent basis.

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 694 - Aeternus - Beyond the Wandering Moon

Style: Melodic black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Ancient landscapes, times long forgotten, sorcery and war

Thoughts: I don't know if I know a story more tragic than that of Aeternus. This band had one of the most unique styles in all of metal. Instantly recognizable, incredibly epic, deep and compelling riffs and melodies. They had it all... for two albums.

The first of those albums was their debut full length: Beyond the Wandering Moon. This album - while less refined than the follow up - offers everything that I've ever wanted out of a new band. A style that is strongly their own, a profound sense that they know what they want to do, and most of all the means to execute their vision to near perfection.

That's not to say that Beyond the Wandering Moon is perfect, in fact it's far from it. What it does have though is a near infallible sense of identity. Aeternus knew exactly what they wanted to do with this album and it shows. Maybe it's the long, drawn out riffs that take minutes to fully develop. Maybe it's Ares' deep vocals that come in stark contrast to almost all the other black metal at the time. Maybe it's the brief yet tasteful use of keyboards and acoustic instrumentation that gives this album it's edge. Maybe it's all of these things put together.

What Aeternus does best is give these songs an incredible sense of scope. What I mean is that Aeternus can take a riff, a concept, a melody and expand upon it and explore variations of it for minutes at a time without it becoming boring. They will change a note or two in an open chord, switch from a blast beat to a double bass driven gallop. Minor changes, but enough to break up the song to give it an entirely new character.

Sentinels of Darkness does this the best on the album. It's a slow song by black metal standards and it revolves around a melodic open chord progression. The song starts out with the main riff and immediately it feels like I'm staring across a deep valley with fog laden over the winding river that formed it over eons. The song continues to slowly progress around this main riff for nearly eight minutes. On paper this sounds like it should be incredibly boring, and I need to reiterate that it is the exact opposite. This song is unlike anything I've ever heard from any other band (including Aeternus), and it maintains its incredible character throughout the run time. Ten out of ten song.

The remainder of the album alters between quicker black metal styled riffs and the more slower to develop riffs similar to Sentinels of Darkness. Whatever the band chooses to do with their riffs, drums, guitars and vocals it works. There isn't a single moment on the album that's worth skipping. It's a damn shame they decided to move off this style later on, they had something magical going on here.

Written February 5th 2024

Entry 693 - Abigor - Taphonomia Aeternitatis - Gesänge im Leichenlicht der Welt

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Satan is lord

Thoughts: A new Abigor album. This is not just a new album. Every time Abigor releases a new opus upon the world it's an event. 

These last few albums have arrived with no hype, no fanfare, hardly even an annoucement. The band said back in March of 2023 that this album had been recorded in full and was now awaiting the release process. Then silence. Nothing. For 9 months there was nothing... and then all the sudden it's here. 

No release date announcement, no hype trailer, no singles, nothing. One day it just shows up for order on World Terror Committee's website. And now it's on my turntable. 

I normally won't spend as much time on the style that the band chooses to release an album but I feel like it bears mentioning here. It's reflective of the attitude that Abigor have. They don't care about hype, they don't care if people miss the release, they don't care about anything but their art. 

They don't make these records for me, or for anyone else except themselves. In doing so they are essentially giving a huge middle finger to any and all who would want to try to build hype around a release. These guys don't need that. They don't need anything from me or anyone else. They are doing their own thing and fuck everyone else.

That leads us to the music. When this first released and I only had a chance to listen one time I though that Abigor was revisiting the "Channeling the Quintessance of Satan" sound but with keyboards and Silenus on vocals. That notion was quickly dispelled after a second listen, but there are some things that make that a good starting point for the music.

The band has fully embraced the complex writing styles of that previous album on here. Many times there are at minimum three guitars. The music is chaotic and often shows no indication of when it is going to shift into something completely different (calling to mind Supreme Immortal Art). But these call backs to the past are more for a vague notion of what this album is, it is neither Supreme Immortal Art or Channeling the Quintessence of Satan more-so than I am Jesus Christ. 

Taphonomia sees the band exploring many themes in a short amount of time. I feel like eight songs is not enough to cover the vast amount of ideas and concepts that the band has spread their net out over. There are so many riffs, so many individual moments on this album that each song feels longer than it actually is.

Take the opening to Soldaten Satans. The band starts with a surprisingly heavy and cohesive riff for a full measure before each of the instruments breaks into their individual strands. The lead guitar waves while the rhythm guitar zags. They shouldn't belong together but they somehow make it work. 

The drums are surprisingly contained having minimal use of blast beats throughout the album. This allows the band to explore chaos at a slower pace, let it seep into the listener and fully erode my sanity before moving on. 

As Soldaten Satans continues I'm pleasantly surprised to hear an audible bass and well placed electronics/keyboards. This by no means is anything like Fractal Possession, but there are subtle touches from time to time that are used to amplify this music rather than dominate it. 

I've intentionally avoided trying to give a play by play on how the songs sound on here. That would make this already too long summary thousands of words. Just know that these songs are written with complexity and inaccessibility in mind. They won't get stuck in your head, Abigor has never been about that and that does not change here. The songs have a slower cadence to them before - this does not mean that blast beats are not here, they are just used sparingly instead. Silenus is as unhinged as he has been on the past few albums, including a fair amount of clean vocals. It's unmistakably Abigor.

I feel like I say this one every Abigor album, but there is no band that has experimented as much as these guys have and still remained entirely within black metal. They have nothing to prove to anyone anymore and the way this album was released shows that they know that. On their band camp page the band has a statement that sums them up better than I ever could: "Supreme and Immortal is the Art of the Devil."

Written February 5th 2024