Saturday, July 12, 2025

Entry 1190 - Paysage d'Hiver - Nacht


Style: black metal, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: A frigid and desolate landscape in audio form

Thoughts: This album contains four tracks. Two of which are ambient/dungeon synth and the other two being black metal. Each other songs is well over 15 minutes long and it speaks to the type of music contained in Nacht.

The two ambient tracks encapsulate the cold weather of a winters night. Snow all around you, your body heat quickly dissipating... hope is fading. The keyboards used have an icy cold touch to them, and they are paired with field recordings of wind. The combination is enough to make a warm summer's night freeze over.

The black metal is more straight forward in it's approach. For a Paysage d'Hiver album the production is impeccable. All the instruments are able to be heard clearly, the drums are muted but still discernable as are the vocals. It's a whirlwind of riffs that slowly progress over the songs length. It's not so much a song as it is a journey from the starting riffs to the ending riffs. Each one transitions slowly into the next and before you know it you're in a completely different place.

There are a lot of Paysage demo's. Nacht was one of the first ones that I heard years ago. Compared to some of his other albums this one is very easy to get into, and offers a great starting point for the project. A great balance between the cold ambience and the harsh black metal.

Friday, July 11, 2025

Entry 1189 - Pauldron - Under a Reptilian Moon


Style: dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: a soundtrack to a game that was never made

Thoughts: Dungeon synth strikes again. Another entry into this amazing genre that has a very distinct feel from any of the others in my collection. Pauldron has created for all intents and purposes a video game soundtrack... only the game was never released. 

Every track on here has a distinct feel, like it is meant to paint a picture of a specific place. Sleepy Fishing Village sounds exactly like that with the incoming waves and simple melodies. A Magic Seal in the Tangled Forest sounds exactly like you would expect it to... picture a foggy forest in a 16 bit RPG. Enter the Temple has a Zelda-esque feel to it with a bit of ominous overtones. Guarded Hallways is tense as if expecting a battle. The track list goes on and on.

I haven't heard anything else from this project. To my knowledge they have released two other albums that I am very curious to check out soon. Hopefully they live up to the standard set by Under a Reptilian Moon.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Entry 1188 - Paradiese Lost - Obsidian


Style: Doom metal, gothic metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A celebration of all the things that the band has done across their storied career

Thoughts: I wondered where Paradise Lost was going to go after Medusa. It completed their journey back to their roots by nearly completely eliminating the clean vocals and fully embracing the doom/death of their first two albums. Obsidian does the next logical thing and does a retrospective on all of their discography, giving the listener a glimpse of all the things that came before.

There are two songs I want to focus on. The first being the opener Darker Thoughts. This song shows the entirety of Paradise Lost's discography in one song. Starting with acoustic work and Nicks fragile clean vocals, the song bursts open with a string quartet, growls, and the full band playing their signature doom/death style. The balance between the acoustic portion, stringed section, and metal sections is the perfect analogy for the bands discography. Varied, well executed, and consistently excellent. 

The second song is Ghosts. This song harkens back to One Second/Host and shows the bands love for 80's goth rock... specifically Sisters of Mercy. The opening riff could have been lifted directly from any of the three Sister's albums. The song sounds more like Paradise Lost once the chorus hits, but man that tribute to goth rock is amazing. 

Paradise Lost is again at a crossroads. Where do they go from here? A new direction that no one thought possible? Do they continue to explore everything they've written? Who knows, but I'm curious to find out.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Entry 1187 - Paradise Lost - Host


Style: Electronic pop/rock, atmospheric rock

Primary Emotions/Themes: Personal struggles, moving on from the past, loss of meaning

Thoughts: This album released nine years after Lost Paradise... nine years. Outside of Ulver I can't think of a more drastic change in style than Paradise Lost had in the 90's. After creating the doom/death genre with their debut album, each subsequent album became less heavy and more gothic until we got to Host.

The shocking change aside, Host is a great album. Sounding more like Depeche Mode than anything they had done in the past, the album demonstrates that the band is capable of writing in a myriad of styles and still creating a fantastic album. The focus here is less on guitar riffs and more on electronics and a string quartet along with Nicks clean vocals. 

The shift away from guitar music is one that works well for the band here. The guitar is still present but it has so much processing on it that it feels more like a synth than a guitar. To the long term fans of the band this album was kind of on the horizon after Draconian Times and One Second. It seems that this was a one and done though, as after this the band started making their way back to their roots. 

I recently found out another project that Nick and Greg called Host that continues this goth rock style. Very interested to check that out. In the mean time I have the original album which remains one of my favorites from the band regardless of how far they strayed from metal. Quality is quality regardless of the genre.

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Entry 1186 - Pa Vesh En - Pyrefication

Style: Raw black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: this music encapsulates dread

Thoughts: Out of all the black metal band's I've found within the past five years I think Pa Vesh En may be one of the best. The way their music is written taps into a primal fear that I have not heard in much other music, certainly not much black metal. It's raw, it's primitive, and it's immediate in it's delivery. 

Raw black metal is the perfect medium for Pa Vesh En and the message the music sends. The poor production obscures the music, making the individual parts much harder to discern. This way the riffs, screaming, effects and drums all blend together to create this distorted mess that sometimes resembles music. The resultant atmosphere is more based on raw emotions such as fear, paranoia, and helplessness. 

Pyrefication is a bit less intense than Maniac Manifest, but still retains that murderous atmosphere... the entire reason I got into the band in the first place. The more I get into this project the more I enjoy it. I'm tempted to pick up the rest of their albums, in fact I'm going to make a point of it.

Monday, July 7, 2025

Entry 1185 - Parfaxitas - Weaver of the Black Moon


Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A truly sinister foray into the black metal realm

Thoughts: I picked this one up without hearing it. It came highly recommended from the guys over at Meteor Gem and they have excellent taste so I went for it. Needless to say their streak of excellent recommendations remains in tact.

The brand of black metal that Parfaxitas has on hand is rather intense. The riffs have a razor sharp edge to them that pierce the air without mercy... and they never let up. Even when the music slows down the music doesn't get less intense, it merely gets more ominous. 

All six tracks have this quality, and it translates to an incredible album. The members of this group are all experienced veterans in the black metal field and the end result here shows. Each of the tracks are so meticulously crafted that this album had to take quite some time to write. The balance of harmony and dissonance is also to be commended, it's a rare balance that Parfaxitas strikes here. 

I don't think I've spent nearly enough time with Weaver of the Black Moon. Even after spinning it multiple times I still feel like there is more to look into and digest from these six songs. This is easily an album that could grow into one of the best of the year, I just need to spend some more time with it so that I can truly relish in it's riches.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

Entry 1184 - Panopticon - ...And Again Into the Light


Style: Folk inspired black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Take a deep breath before listening, this one hits heavy

Thoughts: Every time I listen to this album I have to prepare myself emotionally. There is so much sorrow, so much helplessness here that it's soul crushing. 

The title track is all acoustic and starts the album off with the notion that hope is present but fleeting. It sets the tone for the album, and lets me know that this is not going to be an easy listen. Even sitting here now writing about it tears are welling up. 

I don't want to go into exquisite detail on how Panopticon accomplishes the emotional devastation that he does here. I want this to be something that I can experience again and again without remembering the fine details. Some albums deserve that kind of respect, and this most certainly is one of them.




Entry 1183 - Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element Part I


Style: Progressive metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: One of the most diverse yet consistent releases within the progressive metal genre

Thoughts: A powerful riff opens the album, complete with double bass drums and a keyboard backing. It's a wall of sound approach that smacks me in the face almost every time. Without hesitation Used shifts over to a near Korn sounding verse, complete with rapping and strange pinch harmonics. The alternative metal comparisons continue into the bridge where start stop riffing takes over from the nu metal... and then the chorus happens. 

Layer upon layer of soaring vocals, angelic keyboards, clean guitars, jazzy drums... it's almost like its a different song. We went from Korn to Queensryche in 2 seconds flat. It's not a different song though, it's still the same one. This is Pain of Salvation on The Perfect Element.

The first track is a great introduction to what the listener can expect during the duration of the album. Crazy transitions that somehow work, insane musicianship, a vocal range that seems nearly impossible for a human to hit (there were talks a while back that Daniel was a counter tenor). The album is a tour de force of technical and artistic prowess. One of the single best albums to ever come out of the progressive genre.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Entry 1182 - Pabzzz - After the Rain


Style: instrumental hip hop, jazzy hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Small moments in time captured in audio form

Thoughts: Instrumental hip hop is always such a trip for me. More often than not the songs are short and to the point, trying to explore small packets of emotions for a minute or two at a time. Pabzzz takes this concept and runs with it.

After the rain is a collection of seventeen songs in just under forty minutes. In the brief time that we spend together we get a whole assortment of styles and beats. Each one of these songs lures me in and takes me hold hook line and sinker, one moment at a time. 

One minute I'm jamming to some jazz, another some rain dropping down on my windows, the next a recollection of what life was like years ago. At this point in my collection I've weeded out a lot of the bad apples from most genres. Instrumental hip hop went through a similar purge as most other genres in my collection, and I'm very glad that After the Rain made the cut several times. It's an outstanding album.

Friday, July 4, 2025

Entry 1181 - Overcooked - Kingdom Tour


Style: video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: A soundtrack that is every bit as lively as the conversations had while playing the game

Thoughts: I don't know if there is a more stressful game in my collection than Overcooked. Trying to play/coordinate this with friends/family is a quick way to start arguments and or end up sleeping on the couch for the night. 

Listening to the soundtrack... it brings back a lot of suppressed memories. Shouting requests back and fourth as the kitchen is sliding from side to side. Wondering who is going to do the dishes. Meanwhile the music hums so cheerfully to itself in the background without a care in the world.

This is the perfect soundtrack for the game. It doesn't draw attention to itself, nor does it distract from the task at hand. I just don't know if it works well as an album unto itself. 

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Entry 1180 - Ossuarium - Living Tomb


Style: Doom/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Doom/death that really hammers on the heaviness

Thoughts: Slow riffs, deep growls, bursts of speed, crushing atmosphere... yep this is doom/death. Ossuarium plays a generic yet highly competent version of doom/death that really doesn't bring anything new to the table. What they do bring to the table though is some nasty ass death metal with a healthy helping of doom. 

A lot of bands don't know how to balance the two styles. They either have janky transitions or stay in one style too long. That is not the case here. These guys know how to create riffs and how to manipulate them through the two genres effectively. There is more than one instance where the band will have a riff going at death metal speeds then take that same riff straight into doom territory. When the band does this... chef's kiss.

Not all bands need to be innovative. Not all bands need to bring something new to the table. Some just need to know what the hell they are doing and do it so well that its impossible to ignore. Living Tomb is one of those albums.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Entry 1179 - Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets and False Messiahs


Style: Progressive metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A huge return to form, the band welcomes back some extreme elements to the mix after spending several albums exploring the lighter side of progressive rock/metal

Thoughts: It's rare that I listen to an album and I feel like I'm welcoming back an old friend. Orphaned Land released one of the finest albums in the progressive metal field over 20 years ago with Mabool. Ever since then they have not released anything anywhere near that caliber. Every album I listened to was lacking in one way or another... that is until this album. 

Finally, finally the band has created an album that is a worthy successor to Mabool. The variety that I expected from the band is here. The highly emotional melodies and guitar leads are back, the massive choirs are once again utilized in excellent fashion, and Kobi is growling again. On top of all of this the band has ramped up the folk elements even more than I would have expected. It's all wonderful. 

Dead Prophets and False Messiahs' may be the most diverse album the band has created. It's as aggressive as the debut at points, it's as mellow and atmospheric as Pink Floyd in a lot of places. It's exactly what it needs to be at any given moment, and it's glorious. If this is the last album that the band releases then I'm content with it. It's a beautiful album that deserves more recognition than it's received. 

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Entry 1178 - Orax - Cometa


Style: Synthwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: Simple yet effective synthwave

Thoughts: This was one of the first synthwave albums I bought when I was getting into the style. I didn't know it at the time but it would also end up being one of the best ones in my collection. 

This is about as basic as it gets when it comes to synthwave. Drums, a main melody and some backing instruments. The main instrument throughout most of the album is the piano; one that has a lot of reverb and a pension for knowing what notes to play at exactly the right time. The backing instruments also will know exactly the correct notes, what order to play them in, and when to stop. The drums are the same thing... everything knows what it is and when to engage and when to stop. A rare quality in music these days.

The tracks on Cometa are elegant in their simplicity. Regardless of what the melody or instrument is, it always seems like it's the correct choice for the music. It's deceptively simple, yet so damn effective. Something that most albums miss.

Monday, June 30, 2025

Entry 1177 - Opus Science Collective - Crawlco Block Knockers


Style: Synthwave, funk, video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: An upbeat and somewhat sensual soundtrack 

Thoughts: Cheesy synths, upbeat music, beautiful girls. There isn't much more to this soundtrack than that. 

OSI has created a simple yet effective soundtrack to a game about... removing things... from other things. The music matches what you would expect from a tongue in cheek game like this. Like most of OSI's stuff, this is hardly serious. The upbeat synths have a bit more retro to them than some of the other works I've heard from the artist, but for the most part it's par for the course.

Block Knockers is a short but fun album. It's one of those novelty albums that stays in the collection because of just that.. the novelty of it.  



Sunday, June 29, 2025

Entry 1176 - Opus Science Collective - Ideality


Style: Synthwave, vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: A playful exploration of synths in various genres

Thoughts: Ideality is a a lot of things. It's funk, it's synthwave, it's vaporwave, it's fun, it's upbeat. It's all these things at once The music is whimsical and amusing all at the same time.

From the very first notes of the album the upbeat nature of the melodies and synths is in full view. My entire body wants to bounce up and down with the cadence of the beat. My body starts to relax as the music washes over me, the funk bores its way deep into me as I'm able to fully relax. 

The thing I love about albums like this is that they don't take themselves seriously. It's just a collection of cool songs that are meant to bring joy and happiness. There's nothing complex, nothing deep about the music... this is all surface level and I'm here for it. 

Saturday, June 28, 2025

Entry 1175 - Opeth - Blackwater Park


Style: Progressive death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Opeth take their now signature sound and make it a bit heavier, a bit more brutal

Thoughts: After honing their trademark sound for two albums Opeth decide to change things up just the tiniest bit for their fifth album: they get heavier than they ever have before. Blackwater Park has less clean vocals than ever before, and the riffs are on the lower frets more often than not. It's a monstrous album that many consider the best the band ever put out.

These eight songs weave through the riffs unlike any other in their discography. The band really knows what they are doing at this point and have absolutely perfected their craft. We start to get a little bit of the riffs overstaying their welcome, but not nearly as much as the band would on subsequent releases. 

The major area that the band has improved in is the transitions. All of the songs have silky smooth transitions that flow effortlessly. It's a bit of an analogy for the whole album. It flows so effortlessly that it all seems natural. I'm sure these songs took forever to write, but the end result here is some of the most enjoyable death metal to ever be created. A classic in progressive music.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Entry 1174 - Opeth - Still Life


Style: Progressive death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The continued solidification of Opeth's style, the band continuing to hone the trademark Opeth sound

Thoughts: What a difference two albums make. Whereas the first few albums were a bit chaotic and disjointed, Still Life is anything but. These songs know where they start, where they end, and every note in between. Everything is done with the utmost intent and all of the tracks actually sound like full blown songs rather than a collection of riffs.

This style arguably started with the band's third opus, and arguably better there as well. With Still Life however the band refines some of the roughness from the edges and generates a silky smooth album start to finish. Quite a feat considering how extreme the vocals are. 

Opeth has always been a band that was destined for greatness. It was obvious from the first few albums that the band was different from most other bands in metal. They have defined a distinct sound that is instantly recognizable as Opeth style riffing. There are only a handful of bands like this in the world, and Opeth stand proudly as one of them.

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Entry 1173 - Opeth - Mourningrise


Style: Progressive death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Riff after riff after riff, the songs just keep going

Thoughts: Early Opeth is everything I love about metal, especially 90's metal. It has so many ideas and concepts that it doesn't know where to start and end... so it just throws them all in and see what sticks and what doesn't.

There are so many things going on in this release. So many melodies, so many beats, so many passages. It really feels like the band had too many ideas and couldn't edit them out. The songs are a bit disjointed, but somehow manage to stay somewhat cohesive. In reality though these songs are just a collection of riffs, one after the other without any regard for if it makes a full on song or not.

Mourningrise along with Orchid is the most experimental that Opeth would ever be. They are a moment in time that the band never revisited. It's fascinating, like looking at an archived tome from a period long forgotten. This one just happens to be in audio form.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Entry 1172 - October Tide - In Splendor Below


Style: Blackened doom metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Melodic doom metal with some wicked black metal vocals

Thoughts: I miss old Katatonia. October Tide was created initially to explore what would have happened if Katatonia had kept to extreme metal. After two albums they discontinued the project... until Fredrik Norman left the band and resurrected it. 

In Splendor Below sees the band exploring a more blackened sound than some of the previous albums. This still has strong leanings towards the first two Katatonia albums, but it's progressed significantly since then. It's not just the steady backbeat with repeating melodies from Brave Murder Day (though those do come up from time to time). This is more pure melodic doom metal where the lead guitars put layer upon layer of sorrowful melodies at a time.

October Tide has had some interesting twists and turns over their career, but In Splendor Below is one of the high points in the band's later period. It's a solid slab of melodic doom metal, and rather encouraging after a few mediocre releases. Looking forward to where these guys go from here.

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Entry 1171 - Oceans of Slumber - Winter


Style: Extreme heavy metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A curious mix of female lead clean vocals with black metal influences in a semi progressive shell

Thoughts: What a roller coaster this album is. The band sounds like they are trying to find their sound and in doing so have created a rather unique entry into the metal field. 

The basis of the album is progressive metal/rock lead by Cammie's emotional vocals. This varies from acoustic ballad-esque introductions with her voice sounding venerable  to heavy as hell sections with her belting out at the top of her lungs. That's not the entirety of the vocals though. There are two male singers that use extreme vocals as a counterpoint to the female leads. 

The music takes similar twists and turns. In the same song we'll have nice shifting progressive tunes that will slowly (or sometimes quickly) shift over to extreme metal. The thing is that while it's odd, it doesn't sound out of place. It actually works quite well. Especially when Cammie's and the extreme vocals are layered or duetting. That's where the album has it's true strength. 

I haven't heard much from the band after this album. I'm somewhat curious where the band went from here, but at the same time I don't want to taint the legacy that Winter has. We'll see what the future holds.

Monday, June 23, 2025

Entry 1170 - Ocean Garden - Turn on the Sunlight


Style: Ambient with jazz and vocal elements

Primary Emotions/Themes: Strange ambient music with a saxophone lending its notes along with several unconventional vocalists

Thoughts: Japan creates some of the worlds strangest music man. Ocean Garden looks like it should be a wonderful ocean themed ambient album... and that is partially true. However there is more. Right away on Tune Up we get an elderly man singing "let's get in tune" in a broken voice. Not quite what I expected considering the cover.

It doesn't stop there either. The whole album is ambient... with some extras thrown in. We get female spoken word, saxaphones playing solos, a Theremin at points, child like giggling, field recordings... it really never ends. I never know what's coming next. 

Despite the strangeness I'm weirdly attracted to the album. I've always enjoyed off kilter music, and Ocean Garden is certainly that. If anything this album serves as a reminder that there is odd music that can sound good instead of being weird for weird's sake. I don't think I've heard something quite like this in the past, and likely never will again in the future.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Entry 1169 - Obtained Enslavement - Witchcraft


Style: Symphonic black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Incredibly complex black metal that takes multiple listens to even scratch the surface of

Thoughts: There have been a lot of bands that try to add layer upon layer in their music. Be it Abigor and their three to five guitars. Or Emperor with their crazy compositions. In that same category, but much less talked about is Obtained Enslavement. Their two middle albums of Witchcraft and Soulblight did this complex style of black metal as well as any of the bands in this time period.

After a brief dungeon synth-esque intro, the band immediately starts to show us why this album is elite. Two guitars dueling each other with harmonious melodies, only to have a piano come overtop shortly after. The three instruments start to weave in and out of each other, only to have more layers of keyboards, timpani come in. My head is swirling and it's only 2 minutes into the album. 

This is the entirety of Witchcraft. More guitars, more keyboards, more drums, more vocals, more of everything! It never stops, it never lets up, it never shows any sort of mercy. It knows exactly what it is and expects the listener to keep up or to move to the wayside. Easily one of the best albums from the 90's.


Saturday, June 21, 2025

Entry 1168 - Obsequiae - Suspended in Brune of Eos


Style: Black metal, folk

Primary Emotions/Themes: Ethereal black metal accompanied by beautiful folk/acoustic sections

Thoughts: Obsequiae is a black metal band. There is no denying that. But calling them a black metal band is like comparing a pond to an ocean... there is so much more to their sound than simple black metal. 

Suspended in Brune of Eos is a bit more primitive side of the band. It does not contain the fabled harp of the later entries in their discography, nor does it contain nearly as many acoustic breaks. It's not as well written, nor as well constructed as their later albums are... but I still love it. 

Even here, at the beginning Obsequiae has enchanting melodies that are akin to streaks of light coming through cloudy skies. This truly does have a heavenly quality to it, despite the extreme nature of the music. There are hardly any fast parts to any of these songs, relying more on mid pace and those enchanting melodies to pull the songs through. And pull it through they do.

Despite the fact that these songs are not as strong as the later albums, the band shows the listener exactly what they are going for. The enchantment in the music is there, and the band would only flourish more from this  point forward. God I wish these guys would release another album.

Friday, June 20, 2025

Entry 1167 - Obseqvies - The Hours of My Wake


Style: funeral doom metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: the entirety of human sorrow distilled into one album

Thoughts: Funeral doom is a genre that shows so much promise, but it's so rare that a band can tap into even a small moniker of what the genre is capable of. They fall short on the production, the melodies, the commitment to utter despair, or something completely intangible. Obseqvies falls victim to none of those... they have in essence created the perfect funeral doom album.

Three songs, one hour. This is funeral doom. Never once does the band go beyond 30 bpm. This is funeral doom. The riffs are so slow and so heavy it feels like an inescapable doom is crushing me. This is funeral doom. The vocals are so deep and guttural that I can't understand a thing that they are saying. This is funeral doom. The keyboards and riffs ooze with sorrow and collectively weep for those lost. This is funeral doom. The Hours of My Wake defines funeral doom.

Whatever processed this band to create this record I hope that no human on earth has to repeat it. There is so much sorrow, so much pain here that it feels real. The songwriter(s) had to have gone through something incredibly scarring to create something like this. While I wouldn't wish that on anyone else, I am so glad that the band managed to tap into those emotions and create true art from it.

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Entry 1166 - Oblique Occasions - Terminally Online


Style: vaporwave, barber beats

Primary Emotions/Themes: Barber beats that focus' around a familiar theme

Thoughts: I swear I've heard a lot of this album before. There are songs here that have music from other games and series that are just slightly altered so that I can't quite put my finger on them... but man they feel like deja vu every time I listen.

The whole thing has a jazz theme to it. I find myself enjoying this entry in Oblique Occasions discography more than most because of that. Again though the melodies sound so damn familiar all the time. I know this is vaporwave and its sampled from some other source... but normally it's not as familiar as this. It drives me close to insane more often than I want to admit.

Oblique Occasions has a huge discography. I only have a few records of theirs, and I'm content with the ones I do have. Every once in a while I'll plop one onto the record player and it ends up staying there for quite a while due to how easy it is to digest. Terminally Online is no different. Fascinating and frustrating all at the same time.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Entry 1165 - Oblique Occasions - Don't Look at Me


Style: vaporwave, barber beats

Primary Emotions/Themes: a bass driven drive into the barber beats realm

Thoughts: As much as barber beats is a cohesive genre, there are small differences from album to album. Don't Look at Me for instance has a much deeper focus on bass and percussion than the average album does. If I have it up too high it ends up shaking the whole house. 

Like most if not all barber beats though the album does have a wonderful groove to it. The extra bass makes it reverberate through my whole body as I'm swaying with it. There's also this muddiness to the production that gives is a bit of a radio audio quality... something you may hear out of the mid 50's or on AM radio.

As the album progresses so does the allure it has over me. Something about the way that Oblique Occasions makes their music makes me want to finish an album as soon as I've put it on. Great music to chill out and reset to.




Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Entry 1164 - Oblique Occasions - Sable Covenant


Style: barber beats, vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: guitar driven barber beats that has a heavenly quality to it

Thoughts: It's been a busy day. I need an album to sit down and chill out to. A proverbial deep breath as I wind down and try to let the stress leave my body. Luckily it's time for Sable Covenant to hit the turntable tonight. This is exactly what I need.

Much like the roses and spices in the plague doctors beak, this album serves as a musical palate cleanser for a day. The smooth beats and flow of the music are guided by guitars, pianos and trumpets. All of which do an outstanding job at luring the stress from the day to leave my body. 

Like most barber beats, there isn't much variety here. Really though, that's ok. I don't listen to music like this for musical intrigue. This is in my collection to chill me out, and it does so with excellence. 

Monday, June 16, 2025

Entry 1163 - Obijuan and Philanthrope - Konoha


Style: hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: this is music to lay back to and enjoy life, relaxing to say the least

Thoughts: I've enjoyed Obijuan's music in the past, I've also enjoyed Philanthrope's music in the past. I had no idea that they created a collab album. When I heard of this album's existence I picked it up without even listening. I knew it was going to be good.

Needless to say Konoha did not disappoint. The album has this effect where it fades in and out over beats and Obijuan's vocals. It's surreal and oddly relaxing. It lures me in deeper and before I know it my entire body is swaying back and fourth to the beat and sway of the music. 

Side A of the release is the vocal side, side B is the instrumentals. It's great to play them back to back as they are quite different experiences. I don't know what side I prefer... they both are excellent in their own rights. Either way though, this is the type of hip hop that makes me want to explore the genre more and more.

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Entry 1162 - Obkatiekat


Style: Brutal death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Instrumental death metal from an unlikely source 

Thoughts: I never thought I would have a vtuber album in my collection. Virtual youtubers are anime girls with a real life person animating them through motion capture software. Normally you can expect anime covers and jpop from their musical excursions. So when someone says that there is a death metal album coming out from a vtuber, you can understand why I was skeptical. But I'll be damned if Katie's album isn't brutal as all fuck.

After a short piano intro, we're introduced to the album proper: melodic leads over heavy seven string riffs and drums to match. Faded was way heavier than anything I would have ever expected with it's opening riffs, but I was floored when the melody slipped into the background and a proper death metal riff came out of my speakers, complete with blast beats. 

This is not deathcore, this is not melodeath, this is not nu metal... this is straight up death metal with heavy leanings into the brutal death metal realm with the monstrous breakdowns. The further the album progressed the more I found myself truly enjoying it. This wasn't something that was just out of shock value... no this is a great instrumental metal album. Shows that great music can come from unexpected places.

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Entry 1161 - Nortfalke - Moonjeie


Style: Dungeon synth, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: The light of the moon trickles through the forest, illuminating the world with it's pale glow

Thoughts: Nortfalke's music has not changed much over the years at it's core. It's essentially slow moving melodies played over atmospheric keyboards. One of those descriptions that sounds incredibly boring in theory, however in practice it is anything but.

The reality of things is that the music contained on the disc is haunting. It's a frozen landscape of musical notes. The cover of the album is nearly perfect, the moon light is the overall ambience and the trees provide the individual notes. It's majestic and it sends chills down my spine.

As with all Nortfalke releases this one stays on the turntable for a long time. They are among my favorite dungeon synth artists active today, and have yet to release an album I did not like. Best enjoyed in darkness and with the night sky in full view.

Friday, June 13, 2025

Entry 1160 - Nortfalke - Atmosfeer


Style: ambient, dungeon synth

Primary Emotions/Themes: Long compositions that hypnotize me into a frozen trance

Thoughts: I don't quite understand my fascination with Nortfalke. By every measure their music is rather standard dungeon synth with a huge touch of ambient music splashed in. Every time I listen to it though I'm swept away into distant realms and far away places.

Slow repeating melodies that are backed by multiple layers of keyboards is the basis of what is heard on Atmosfeer. It's essentially the same song the entirety of each song... and that's around ten minutes of run time for each one. It should be boring. It should be an easy skip... but it's not.

Instead it draws me deeper and deeper into it's clutches. I'm enthralled by the layers, the simplicity of it all. It draws me in further every time I listen. Even now I have a deep urge to flip the record one more time so that I can listen to the whole thing over again. Putting this record on my turntable is a dangerous proposition.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Entry 1159 - Noby Noby Boy


Style: Video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: One of the most bizarre albums in my collection

Thoughts: A tuba and drums playing a simple melody. This is how Noby Noby Boy starts... this quickly goes into the next track where the same instruments are joined by a choir of... things... saying nobi nobi nobi nobi... and it only get's stranger from there.

Folk acoustic guitar that is beautiful enough to move even the coldest heart. A banjo tribute to the game done in full bluegrass fashion. Ragtime. Conga. Classical suites. Industrial. All of this is here, it all adds to the chaos and strangeness of Nobi Nobi Boy. 

This is from the creator of Katamari Damacy... and honestly no one else could create something like this. It's so incredibly strange, so bizarre that my mind overloads eventually and just goes with it. Highly recommended for people who like off kilter music. 

Entry 1158 - Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks


Style: Industrial, rock, pop, multiple genres

Primary Emotions/Themes: An exploration of melodies and soundscapes within and out of a pop song structure, an album of contradictions 

Thoughts: I heard from several people that Reznor wanted this album to be a revisiting of the Downward Spiral sound. After listening to it more than a few times, I don't think that this is accurate in the slightest outside of the cover (who is made by the same artist as Downward Spiral).

The music here is very different from the past works of Nine Inch Nails,  while still sounding immediately like the band. This is simpler in it's execution, there's less going on here than in pervious releases...  yet that works in its favor. Most of the music is rhythmic by nature with Trent's voice being the main focus. Drums, a pulse and vocals... that's what we get for most of Hesitation Marks, and I'll be damned if it doesn't work.

The album is stronger in its first half than the second, but that's hardly a knock on the album. Considering how varied and diverse NIN's discography it's crazy to me that he continues to innovate as he has for decades now. Probably one of the more creative minds to ever hit the mainstream music scene in my lifetime.

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Entry 1157 - Nine Inch Nails - Quake


Style: Industrial, ambient, video game music

Primary Emotions/Themes: Trent Reznor takes his experimental version of industrial into the video game realm

Thoughts: What if you took the ideals that Nine Inch Nails had explored earlier in the decade, removed all the melodies, stripped down all the complexity? In its place you put layer upon layer of pulses, dark brooding soundscapes, industrial noises, and a general unease that simply will not go away. This is Quake.

Quake's soundtrack is something that I genuinely did not like upon first listen. I was excited for the game, and while the game itself turned out great, the soundtrack I thought was lacking... everything. It had no definition, it had no melody, it had nothing that gripped me... it was just there. As I aged and matured though this is exactly what draws me back to this soundtrack.

Where I once heard noises, now I hear suspense. Where I thought things were lacking I hear layer upon layer of details for me to dig into. When I used to think that this was trash, now I consider this as one of the better dark ambient albums in my collection. I've come around 180 degrees on this, and now consider this an indispensable part of my Nine Inch Nails collection. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Entry 1156 - Nightwish - Wishmaster

Style: Operatic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Everything that was started on Oceanborn is amped up even further on this album

Thoughts: To relive the glory days. I know a lot of times I say that "the old material is better," and for some bands I say that with more confidence than others. Here though I say it with urgency.

Wishmaster is perhaps the bands finest output. There is an urgency to the riffs that is not present anywhere else in their music. It is active, it is full of energy. Even in the follow up, the music is slower and more lethargic than it is here. It's this life to the music that makes me prefer this to any other album (except maybe Oceanborn). 

Sure there are additional songs here and there in the bands discography that share a similar energy, but here its everywhere. It's bustling with life. The band fully leaned into complex riffs, interactions between the keyboards and guitar leads. Classical songwriting without the orchestra. The band did the playing of the melodies, not the full symphony of the later albums. It's stripped down, and it's better music for it.

Monday, June 9, 2025

Entry 1155 - Nightwish - Oceanborn

Style: Operatic power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Neoclassical power metal with operatic vocals and amazing keyboard work

Thoughts: Every band starts somewhere, even bands that are larger than life. From the very beginning Nightwish showed potential. Though Angels Fall First was not a fantastic album it showed that the band was on to something. 

With Oceanborn that potential was realized. The songs have more life, Tarja has more confidence and fits in with the band better. The songwriting is much improved. The interplay between the keyboards and guitar is fantastic. It all just came together here. 

Listening to this now and listening to the bands current output I'm saddened. They had such a wonderful sound in their early works and it just got more and more streamlined as the years went on. At the very least however we have this and it's follow up as the true potential that the band could reach.

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Entry 1154 - Night Tempo - 集中 Concentration

Style: lofi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: A nice change from the typical future funk, a relaxed take on the lofi hip hop genre

Thoughts: I was pretty excited when I first heard this album. I had heard Night Tempo before and lets just say I'm not a future funk fan. I did acknowledge that the music was well put together, and I always wondered what it would sound like if they put out music in another genre... well this album is the answer to that.

集中 Concentration is a short album, just over thirty minutes long. What is contained in those 30 minutes though is pure bliss. The songs are short, and explore a lot of different ideas. These ideas are what keeps me coming back: a string quartet, chilled lounge music, traditional Japanese and other far east Asian instrumentals, etc. 

The album keeps flowing and with every track I get lost in it's groove. Easily one of the best lofi hip hop albums in my collection.




Saturday, June 7, 2025

Entry 1153 - Night Runner - Thunderbird


Style: Synthwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: A synthwave album that knows what it is and doesn't try to hide it

Thoughts: There are a lot of synthwave artists out there who want to mix the genre with others to create something new and different. Not Night Runner. No, this album knows exactly what it is and doesn't shy away from it.

Even the "acoustic guitar" that starts the album off is synths. Everything in this album is synths, and I love that it embraces it so completely. The whole thing screams 80's and doubles down on that fact with every opportunity. 

This is the perfect music to drive on a highway with. The perfect album to pretend I'm Night Rider. As with most synthwave I don't put this album on much anymore, but when I do it puts a smile on my face.




Friday, June 6, 2025

Entry 1152 - Nightcrawler - Visionary


Style: Darksynth

Primary Emotions/Themes: Darksynth by the numbers except when it's not

Thoughts: Nithcrawler has had a mixed relationship with me in the past. I found much of their music to be lackluster... that was until I found Visionary. 

Visionary is a more focused and outright better representation of what Nightcrawler is capable of. The grooves are more driving and hit that primitive part of my brain a bit better. The music is more diverse, ranging between slower tracks and the more hard driving tracks. It's like he's cut all the fat of his previously released albums and put out a shorter yet more intense offering.

I don't get the urge for darksynth very often anymore, but when I do this one hits all the notes in just over half an hour. The perfect amount of time to scratch that itch.

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Entry - 1151 - Nevermore - The Politics of Ecstasy


Style: Post-thrash, groove, American power metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A venomous critique of the United States justice system, both lyrically and musically

Thoughts: Wow, what a pissed off album. There is anger, there is vitriol, then there is Nevermore. What a change from the debut as well - a rather bland groove metal album that showed potential... but not THIS. These riffs are h e a v y. The vocals are filled with spite and cynicism that it changes the entire character of the album.

Starting out with a critique of Christianity and the intellectual destruction that occurs within that mind frame the band lets the listener know that this is going to be a very different affair than anything they had recorded previously. This continues as the band begins to systematically pick apart the US government, justice system, China's response to resistance, and even AI. An album well ahead of it's time. 

While a lot of Nevermore's discography is angry, this album is the peak of that anger... and it's not a generalized anger, this is pointed at very specific instances that are described in detail throughout the album. One of the best albums that ever came out of the US metal scene. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Entry 1150 - Neurosis - Given to the Rising


Style: Post-hardcore, ambient, post-metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A slow and deliberate bludgeoning with heavy guitars and obscure atmospheres

Thoughts: Time is a strange thing. It can distort memories and thoughts, it can change you, and it can make you forget. Time is a healer, time is a murderer, time is time and we as mortals have nothing we can do against it. It is the great equalizer, we will all be born and we will all end up in the grave. Time does not care, it does not judge, all are equal before time.

Time can also change views, as is the case with Neurosis' Given to the Rising. When I first heard this album I did not like it. I thought it was a big step down from their previous releases, and their post-hardcore tribal sound was starting to get a bit old with me. But that was nearly 20 years ago, and this is now.

Given to the Rising is the quintessential Neurosis album. It has everything that a fan of the band would want: huge, larger than life riffs, ambient sections that are both calming and disconcerting at the same time, tribal drumming from Noah, and dynamics like only Neurosis can create. It's not my favorite album of theirs by any means, but it certainly is better than I remembered it when it first came out. There is no other band creating music like this, so the fact that this is par for the course for Neurosis still puts it miles ahead of the average metal or hardcore band.

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Entry 1149 - Negura Bunget - Virstele Pamintului

Style: Black metal, ambient, folk 

Primary Emotions/Themes: A primitive and highly atmospheric trip into the Romanian forests

Thoughts: Negura Bunget is one of the best bands to ever come out of black metal, I will die on this hill. Not every album is incredible, however the ones that show what the band is truly capable of are elite... this is one of those albums.

While this album does not contain Sol Faur or Hupogrammos, Negru and company still create an album worthy of the Negura Bunget name. While not nearly as complex or as chaotic as the trio's albums, Virstele manages to replicate the atmosphere that the earlier albums have, and even expand on it. 

Starting out with a six minute ambient introduction is a bold move, but it works perfectly with what the rest of the album has to offer. A vast majority of the album is more subdued than anything else the band has put out in the past, with the metal almost taking a back seat to the ambient and folk elements. There are multiple moments on the album where there is no metal for minutes on end, where the music takes a more primitive turn. It relies on percussion and keyboards to bring out the intended results. 

Negura Bunget will always be one of my favorite bands. They didn't always produce amazing material, but when they did it goes to say that I hold that music in the highest regard. RIP Negru. 


Entry 1190 - Paysage d'Hiver - Nacht

Nacht by Paysage d'Hiver Style: black metal, ambient Primary Emotions/Themes: A frigid and desolate landscape in audio form Thoughts: ...