Entry 1053 - Jessica Moss - Entanglement

Style: Experimental ambient, modern classical

Primary Emotions/Themes: An uneasy look into what modern classical music can accomplish

Thoughts: Classical music is such an interesting genre to me. The fact that you have such an array of instruments gives it near infinite possibilities. Be it the grandiose operas of Wagner, the technical marvels of Bach, or the beautifully sorrowful Rachmaninoff piano pieces...  there is something for every kind of mood and situation contained within this genre.

Jessica Moss' take on the genre is one that I've heard before, but not with these instruments. Droning ambient is a genre I have a hard time getting into on a regular basis, but every once in a while something does break through. In Moss' case, her violin is the instrument that broke that wall for me.

The slow drawing of the bow across the strings along with the accompanying stringed instruments gives this a string quartet feel, but with a very lethargic pace of delivery. It's fascinating to hear the instruments progress at a glacial pace and then go right back to repeating the same notes over and over. By the end of side A Particles has shifted from a slow droning noise piece to a near full classical monument by the end. It's a phenomenal highlight of the album.

Fractals is the content of side B which is less concerned about creating an atmosphere with instruments other than the strings. This may as well be a full on classical piece, just with a modern ambient interpretation. It's equally as engaging as Particles, yet does so in a completely different manner.

I do need to look further into Jessica Moss' discography. The two albums I have from her I enjoy immensely. Both Entanglement and Phosphines have their own unique character and I'm reminded that I need to revisit them more often.

Entry 1052 - Jazzhop Cafe - Eastern Voyage

Style: Lofi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Lofi hip hop draped with the flavors of the far east

Thoughts: Every time I remember that I have this album I automatically think: do I really want to keep that? Is it worth the space that it takes up in my collection? It will put me in a cycle that goes something like this: clean the record, debate if I want to put it up on Discogs, put record one on the turntable... and quickly forget that I was considering selling it.

I'm a huge sucker for Japanese and Chinese instrumentation in my music... especially when it is used well. As fickle as lofi can be, the songs on here are not that. Nearly every single track on this compilation is expertly crafted. Even better the way the track list has been curated makes the songs flow in such a way that it sounds like they belong together. 

The music itself is simple: a lofi beat with some backing instruments. What makes this album's main theme work so well is the emphasis on eastern instrumentation: primarily that of Japan and China. This is what gives the album its cohesion, its character. 

If I'm honest about it, I should really just stop trying to convince myself to get rid of this thing. It's good enough to keep in my collection, especially since good lofi is hard to come by. The way that the album is put together makes me yearn for more music like this. Anything that has me craving more after two fully loaded LP's damn well better be good enough for my collection.

Entry 1051 - Jasper TX - An Index of Failure

Style: Ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: Slow, morose music that reminds me of my shortcomings

Thoughts: Crate digging is one of my favorite things about record collecting/listening. You go through some old dusty bins that have been sitting around for ages and something catches your eye. The price is right, but you have no way of seeing if the music is good or not... do you take the risk and bring it home? That was exactly the situation I found myself in with Jasper TX's An Index of Failure.

Needless to say I bought the record, and when I put it on my turntable I was graced with an ambient score that took me on an uncomfortable trip down memory lane. You see, the title of the record isn't just for show, it tapped into my unease about my past actions and it dragged those deep and often long forgotten memories back to the surface. The ones that make me cringe, the ones that make me well up with regret, the ones that make me cry. 

Jasper's music is based around slow looping melodies... not too unlike a certain Brian Eno on his first forays into ambient music. These melodies are minimalist... so much so that I struggle to call them proper melodies. A single chord repeated over the coarse of 11 minutes (Rivers Flow), slowly cascading against my ears to the point where I'm overwhelmed by the past and all I want to do is curl up in bed and forget about the world.

I don't know how often I can listen to this record, it takes my mind to dark places. That said, I will never get rid of this thing... it's too powerful and too moving. The way that it stirs up emotions in me like no other record in my collection can makes it worth keeping. Even if it only hits the turntable once every other year.

Entry 1050 - GODSPEED 音 - プレーンサイトに隠れて

 

 

Style: Barber beats, vaporwave

Primary Emotions/Themes: A lengthy and enjoyable foray through chill beats and relaxing melodies

Thoughts: Slow hypnotic beats move like waves. I find my body swaying as the music ebbs and flows. The music crests through my speakers as the expertly curated samples move in complete harmony. This is the world of プレーンサイトに隠れて.

Like so much of Godspeed's other music プレーンサイトに隠れて is the very definition of what good barber beats is. The music doesn't try anything too adventurous, nor does it break any boundaries... but it's so damn good that I can easily look past that.

プレーンサイトに隠れて and much of Godspeed's discography isn't about innovation, it's about the groove and chilling out. This is the perfect record to put on after a hard days work. Sit back in your favorite listening chair with your favorite adult beverage and let the vibes take you to other places, one side of the LP at a time. 

 

Entry 1049 - Gore - 答​え​ら​れ​な​い​祈​り

Style: Ambient, barber beats

Primary Emotions/Themes: An ethereal trip through the barber beats genre.

Thoughts: In the beginning there was silence. From the silence Chuck Person was born and with this entity eccojams vol 1 was unleashed upon the silence. From this the essence of vaporwave was born, and it evolved from the one into the many. 

One of the many became known as Haircuts for Men (HFM). They created music that was unlike anyone else within the vaporwave spectrum... and we laid our ears upon it, and it was good. This was the state of things for many years, and it seemed as if HFM would be the only essence in this small crevice of vaporwave... but then the renaissance happened. 

HFM all the sudden was not the only actor in this field anymore, many artists - seemingly out of no where - took root and began releasing a myriad of albums. The collective mind laid our ears upon this and dubbed it barber beats (actually I think Aloe City came up with the term, but that's neither here nor there). 

Gore has quickly become one of my favorite artists to come out of this barber beats renaissance. If there is one criticism of the genre, it's that it all sounds too samey. A criticism that can also be levied against lo-fi hip hop, and for me to add a record to my collection in both genre's at this point it must be exceptional. 答えられない祈りis that exceptional.

What Gore manages to do with samples and beats brings me to otherworldly places. This album's cover is about perfect, this album sounds like an act of worship. The beats are strong, but never overpowering. The melodies are drenched in reverb and are tuned to match the lethargic beats perfectly. In short, this thing grooves, and it does so hard.

This is the perfect music to put on and lose myself in. It's perfect for active listening, it's perfect for passive listening. It's simply one of the best entries into this budding genre to date. It makes me incredibly excited to see what else Gore can come up with in the future.

Entry 1048 - GODSPEED 音 - Ч​​​е​​​м​​​п​​​и​​​о​​​н​​​ш​​​и​​​п Р​​​о​​​у​​​д

Style: Vaporwave, barber beats

Primary Emotions/Themes: A lofi look into the barber beats genre

Thoughts: Godspeed is a name that has come up time and time again in the barber beats subgenre of vaporwave. When I started to investigate the genre in more depth recently this was one of the first and most frequent names that came up. Based on this album I can understand why.

Ч​​​е​​​м​​​п​​​и​​​о​​​н​​​ш​​​и​​​п Р​​​о​​​у​​​д doesn't do much in the way of innovation, nor does it do try to expand the boundaries of what would be considered the barber beats genre. What it does in it's stead though is an excellent representation of what the genre is at it's core: chill beats, jazzy and relaxed samples, and a very relaxed listening experience. 

The production may be the most fascinating thing about theis record - it's certainly what helps define it's character. It's similar to that of lofi hip hop in the fact that the music sounds a tad bit washed out in the treble region - much like if listening to a cassette tape that has been played one too many times. The beats however are very predominant in the mix. They are undoubtedly the primary driver of the music when present. 

With Ч​​​е​​​м​​​п​​​и​​​о​​​н​​​ш​​​и​​​п Р​​​о​​​у​​​д Godspeed has found a great mix between relaxed atmospheres and driving beats that creates an atmosphere that is entirely too relaxing. It's subtly addictive the way that the album is structured, every time a side ends I'm almost instantly compelled to put the needle back down and listen again. One of those albums that doesn't hit the turn table too often, but when it does I have a hard time taking it off.

Entry 1047 - Gore - Peractorum

Style: Barber beats, vaporwave, ambient

Primary Emotions/Themes: A journey into bliss as only Gore can do

Thoughts: I make it no secret that I've struggled with anxiety for a good portion of my life. This inexplicable fear of... something... anything. Things that are well beyond my control. My rational brain tells me to let go, to allow myself to be free of these chains. My anxiety simply does not care however about any of that - it asserts it's dominance in brutal ways that I have yet to fully found ways to deal with. 

One small thing that I've found that does help is music. Music is a central part of my life, and I have dedicated a significant portion of it to the enjoyment and chronicling of my collection. Some artists help me mange stress better than others and for different reasons. One artist that is particularly excellent at calming my mind is Gore.

I don't know who Gore is, I don't know where they come from nor what they do with their life. I do know though that they are an excellent curator of plunderphonics and have an uncanny knack for putting together samples in ways that most other artists can't even touch. 

Peractorum came out a little while ago now and it embodies everything that I love about this artist. There is a hint of smoothe jazz intermixed with lounge on many of these tracks. That is nothing new for the barber beats genre. Where Gore begins to differentiate themselves though is through the subtle use of atmosphere and even a touch of ambient. 

This rather novel combination allows the music to wash over me in ways that few artists can. It allows me to get swept up in the beats and tones and lose myself in the music. It's an escape, and a greatly needed one at that.

Entry 1046 - Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Style: NWOBHM

Primary Emotions/Themes: A classic of classics

Thoughts: Does Iron Maiden need any introduction? Does this album need any introduction? Should I even bother writing about this? 

I suppose I should write something... but what is there to say? This is Iron Maiden's best. This is one of the best albums of the 80's, challenged only by a few other legendary acts. This is simply one of the best metal recordings ever to come out.

Starting with Moonchild (my favorite Maiden song) the band comes out swinging. The acoustic intro: Perfect. The synth build up: perfect. The absolutely scorching pace and riffs: perfection. Moonchild: perfection.

The album never lets up, never stops. The Evil That Men Do has one of the most catchy chorus' I've ever heard from the band. The title track shows the band experimenting with spoken word and even a bit of ambience. There is so much variety and so many good riffs throughout the forty minutes of the album that I can't narrow it down to a singular moment that defines just how good it is. 

Seventh Son is one of those albums that transcends space and time and reaches beyond the era that it was written in. It is as relevant today as it was when it came out: simply put, this is essential listening.

Entry 1045 - intevention_ - Fauxlii

Style: Lofi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: A collection of short but potent ditties

Thoughts: I don't know how many times I can write about lofi hip hop without mentioning again and again how much of a tenuous relationship I have with the genre. Honestly so much of it feels like it's AI generated at this point, it all runs together with hardly anything standing out. Needless to say, for something to truly stand out and be in my collection it really has to be some quality music. 

Needless to say intevention_'s Fauxlii does exactly that. These songs, while short, leave a lasting impression on me every time the record hits my turntable. Each one of these creations channels such pure emotions - joy, wonder, peace, curiosity - that I'm given pause. Yes given, it's not forced upon me... it's not even something that I have to accept. The music simply extends it's gift and I am compelled to take it, simply by  being in it's presence. 

There are too many songs to write about in the context of this summary, but know that this is truly a wonderful album to listen to. It's subtle in it's ways and won't demand much. But if you find yourself enthralled by the simpler things in life Fauxlii is certainly worth your time.

Entry 1044 - Insomnium - Winters Gate

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A singular forty minute long epic - the pinnacle of their art

Thoughts: One album, one song. This concept has been done before with various degrees of success. Of all the bands to attempt this though, Insomnium was about the last on that list. Sure they have done 10 minute + songs before.. but a 40 minute epic? That's another level all together.

I think instead of trying to dissect the entire opus, I'm just going to go through the series of emotions and reactions that I had the first time listening to the album.

"Holy shit is that a blast beat?"

"Wow these guys, brought the melody back a second, wait... third??? time."

"I'm shocked how well this all fits together."

"This really feels like a complete song."

"This may be one of my favorite epic songs since Crimson..."

Needless to say I was highly impressed with the album the first time I heard it, and that impression has remained with me for nearly ten years since the album's release. I can't think of another moment in Insomnium's long and storied history where they sounded this consistently good or this powerful. 

That said this is still not my favorite Insomnium album (song yes, not album though). That still falls to Since the Day it all Came Down... and that is purely because that was the first album I heard from them. This one though, this is truly something special... a monumental testament to how good of songwriters these Finns are.

Entry 1043 - Insomnium - One for Sorrow

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The perfect combination of sorrow and beauty wrapped in an epic framework

Thoughts: Melodic death metal is a strange beast. It started off exceptionally strong in Sweden, but over time the founders of the genre either stopped putting out albums, started experimenting with different styles, or just became a shell of themselves. For a long time there was nothing that caught my interest, until I randomly found a new band at Tower Records. The record was Since the Day it all Came Down, and the band was Insomnium.

That album showcased a band that had the influence of the early Swedish bands but had ingrained a sense of sorrow and epic scope that simply was not present in the Swedes music. Maybe it was the Finnish origins of the music? Maybe it was their way of making a significant contribution to the genre? I'm not sure what it was, but I know it worked.

Years later Insomnium released One for Sorrow, an album that is possibly the single best representation of their sound as a whole. The instrumental Inertia starts the album off with a slow but steady build that resembles a rainstorm starting. Single notes drip down from the sky until they are joined by multitudes of others eventually cascading down into a full on downpour. Just as the song climaxes Through the Shadows starts and shows the listener exactly what Insomnium's sound is.

Full powerful guitar chords, melodic leads that are blinding in both their intensity and emotional impact, backing keyboards that add just enough to bring out that little bit extra to the music. The powerful vocals of Niilo mixed with the cleans of Ville are something that the band has perfected by this point, and they are again used to near perfection here. The way that the two duet with each other gives me pause... I feel compelled to stop what I'm doing and listen to the music.

Through the Shadows sets up the blueprint for the album, and while every song has it's own identity the DNA has been set here. You get some songs that take it in a more extreme direction like Song of the Blackest Bird with its powerful riffs and brief moments of blasting. Lay the Ghost to Rest comes right after the incredible instrumental Decoherence and together they combine to create one of the most epic songs in the history of the band.

One song though stands out, a bit above the others. Insomnium has always known how to close out albums, and the title track here may just be the best example of that. The song lives up to its track name in that I feel the weeping come from every note that the lead guitar plays. This builds up until the final emotional climax of the album, and the song then fades into oblivion with the rest of the album.

One for Sorrow is not my favorite album from the band, but it may be the one I come to the most when I need to hear the Inomnium sound. They have mastered melodic death metal, they have mastered sorrow, they have mastered their sound. They are no longer paying tribute to the Swedish bands of yester year, they now have a sound of their own. 

One of the highest compliments that I can give to a band is to use them as a reference point. "Oh wow that sounds like In Flames" or "That sounds like Opeth" is now joined proudly by "That sounds like Insomnium."

Entry 1042 - Inferno - Paradeigma (Phophenes of Aphotic Eternity)

Style: Experimental black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A wave of darkness is sweeping in, slowly it engulfs me and everything I hold dear

Thoughts: I had never heard of this band or album before picking this up blindly. The cover art fascinated me to no end, and so did the album title. I figured this would be some atmospheric/dissonant/obscure black metal project... and boy was I ever right.

I knew within the first thirty seconds of dropping the needle that I was going to like the album. The intro is dark and foreboding, the instruments were shrouded by a production that made the riffs just a tad bit obscured, and the vocals sounded like a beast howling from beyond the void. 

The essence of Inferno's music is creating a hellish atmosphere, and then dragging the listener through that - willingly or not. At no point in the album do I feel like the music is hollow - even when they strip the music back so only a single instrument plays; it still feels complete. It has everything it needs. 

The thing about Paradeigma is that the whole thing sounds like one extended song. Each of the tracks blend into each other perfectly. Often when I'm listening to the album I lose track of what song I'm on, they are all so cohesive and blend together so well that without breaks in-between the tracks I forget where I'm at. 

This would normally be something I would consider a detractor for the album, but here the quality of the music is so high, and so consistently good that I wouldn't have it any other way. I am exceptionally picky with obscure/dissonant music these days, but Inferno manages to break through all of those barriers effortlessly. This is an exceptional album. 

Entry 1041 - In the Woods... - Omino

Style: Progressive...? Metal - really I don't know, this album is unique

Primary Emotions/Themes: A glorious foray into the experimental metal realm

Thoughts: I had heard Heart of Ages before this. That album was... interesting. I'm not sure if it was interesting good or interesting bad, but it certainly had some unique ideas. The vocals in particular alternated between some dramatic and over the top cleans and some absolutely banshee-esque harsh vocals. It was an experimental black metal album through and through. So imagine my surprise when I put the follow up on and it started with a string quartet. 

299 796 Km/S (or the speed of light) is the epic opening track for Omino. I know I never heard a track like this before I put this album on for the first time, and I don't think I've heard another track like it since. Maybe something Winds would have put out, but even that... the scope isn't nearly as ambitious as the opener. 

299796 Km/S has more in common with a classical piece than it does most metal. As mentioned before the song starts out with a string quartet outlining the major melody of the song. It's not long before the band joins in and begins our fifteen minute adventure. To chronicle the whole thing in words would take far too long, and still not even get close to the epic scope of this track. 

The remainder of the album largely forgoes the strings, but is no less interesting than the opening track. The album twists and turns through peaks and valleys like nothing else I've ever heard. At points it sounds like an ambient album done through metal instrumentation. Other times it sounds like a heavier version of 70's prog groups. Yet other times it sounds like classical compositions carried out with metal instrumentation. As outrageous as all of this sounds, it never feels out of place on the album and all of the songs fit together way better than I would have expected.

In the Woods... would become even more experimental after this, and I don't enjoy Strange In Stereo nearly as much as I do Omino. As is the case with many experimental bands they can be hit or miss. While much of their other entries are a miss for me, for one glorious album they managed to do everything right and create an absolute masterpiece.

Entry 1040 - In Flames - Colony

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The final truly great album from the band

Thoughts: This is it. The final album that was done in classic In Flames style. You could argue that Clayman was that album, but for me the performance here is far superior. 

The main driving factor on this album is the intensity of Anders' vocals, he never sounded as good as he does here. His growl is deep, emotive and powerful. His cleans are immaculate (as opposed to the odd crooning he would adopt later), and his stage presence was second to none at this point in their career. 

Musically Colony is one of the more interesting In Flames albums. In a lot of ways they slowed down from previous entries, yet they managed to create a more diverse sound at the same time. The only real scorcher here is the opening track Embody the Invisible. This matches the intensity and speed of Whoracle beat for beat.

The variety on the album is first seen on Ordinary Story. I was shocked the first time I heard this, Anders was singing. Outright singing. I had heard him speak before, but never in a melodic tone as he does here. He does it so well that I wonder what the hell happened on future albums? Why did he abandon this style? I guess we'll never know. 

Some other noteworthy moments on the album come with the title track and it's cool use of Hammond organs. Pallar Anders Visa is a great acoustic instrumental. The rerecording of Behind Space is also a great addition to the album. Zombie Inc has some cool clean guitar moments. In fact pretty much every song has a moment or two where I have to stop what I'm doing and acknowledge how good the music is.

When Colony first released I wasn't the biggest fan of the difference between it and Whoracle. As time has gone on though I have gotten a much deeper appreciation for the album. They truly show a mastery of the In Flames style of riffing here, almost more so than any other album. It stands as one of the finest entries into the genre, and is the last In Flames album that I consider essential in their discography.

Entry 1039 - In Flames - Subterranean

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The moment where In Flames found their sound

Thoughts: This EP is a definitive moment for In Flames. not only does it contain some of their best songs, but also it's where they figured things out and defined their sound.

Stand Ablaze opens the album and it's everything I love about the band. The piano intro leading into a magnificent melodic riff before the band starts going full speed ahead. We have a new vocalist, so we're missing Mikael's signature sound here but the session guy does a decent enough job. 

The real star of the show here is the riffs. The melodies are signature In Flames "What if Iron Maiden played death metal?" They weave in and out of each other with the twin guitar harmonies alongside great melodic leads. There are so many fantastic riffs in Stand Ablaze that it's nearly impossible to speak ill of the song. 

The rest of the EP is decent enough for what it is, but Stand Ablaze is the true star of the show. We do get a bit of acoustic work in Ever Dying and some nice melodic leads in the title track, but overall they aren't up to the standard set by the opener. 

Side B of this record has some rarities from around the time the EP was released, they are a cool novelty to have, but a vast majority of my time is spent on side A. Listening to In Flames early albums again makes me nostalgic for this golden age of melodic death metal, before the dark times... before the band changed. 

Entry 1038 - In Flames - Lunar Strain

Style: Melodic death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A primitive look into a promising bands future

Thoughts: The early to mid 90's were a treasure trove of creativity in metal. A lot of artists simply asked a question of "what if we combined x with y?" The end results could be fascinating. You get Atheist asking the question with death metal and jazz and getting Unquestionable Presence. You have Phlebotomized asking it with classical and death metal and getting Immense, Intense, Suspense. And then you have In Flames that asked what would happen if Iron Maiden made death metal?

Lunar Strain is their first attempt at that question... and it is unlike any other album in their discography. Supposedly written in three days by Jesper, Lunar Strain starts off with one of In Flames most iconic songs: Behind Space. 

Behind Space is the perfect opener, it shows us exactly what the band is about. Starting off with an instantly recognizable melody the vocalist (Mikael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity) shout out a command to call him by his astral name. The song continues through various melodies and tempos until we get to the end, and this is where Lunar Strain is different from every other In Flames release.

At the end of the Behind Space is a folk guitar interlude. It only last for a few minutes but it's fascinating that the band was experimenting with folk elements in their debut. This is seen again at the start of Starforsaken with violins, and even a third time on Hårgalåten. This is not something the band would ever explore again, and listening to Lunar Strain feels like were looking into a time capsule from 1994. 

Lunar Strain is rough. There are a ton of ideas in here, but not all of them are good. That said this album set the foundation for what would be some of the finest metal albums to come out of Göteborg from any band.

Entry 1037 - Impetuous Ritual - Unholy Congregation of Hypocritical Ambivalence

Style: Dissonant black/death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Utter chaos

Thoughts: There are very few albums that I can't form an opinion about. Most albums I know rather definitively if I enjoy them or not... but this one. I don't know if I enjoy Impetuous Ritual's second album or not. 

The music on display here is chaotic. It's so chaotic and the production is so muddied that it's hard to determine any individual riffs or even patterns happening while the album is playing. It sounds alien, not of this earth. 

It takes my brain almost half an hour to calibrate to the sound on the album. I can't listen to it casually... the album demands attention or it's literally noise. If somehow my brain can break through this insanity then I may be able to actually enjoy the album for what it's worth... but until that time I'm stuck here banging my head against a wall trying to get this to click.

Entry 1036 - Imperium Dekadenz - When we are Forgotten

Style: Mid-paced black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Lifeless, boring, wasted potential

Thoughts: I don't know what happened. The previous album was so damn good... and now we get this...? 

When we Are Forgotten sees Imperium Dekadenz double down on their mid paced atmospheric black metal. While the music still maintains a strong sense of atmosphere, much of the emotions behind it and almost more importantly the dynamics in the music have been all but stripped away.

The title track starts out promising enough, picking up largely where Dis Manibvs left off. It's a mid paced emotion laden piece that works in some tasteful cleans. That's about where the positives for the album end though. From here on out the band seems to be phoning it in by the numbers. 

The highly emotionally charged songs of the precious album are largely gone. There will be flashes here and there, but the soul has left the body. The riffs are lifeless and don't evoke nearly the same level of emotions that I heard in the previous album. I don't know what happened, but whatever changes these guys made were not good.

I really hate writing stuff like this, I wanted to like this album so much... but I just could not bring myself to enjoy it. It's a damn shame and a waste of potential.

Entry 1035 - Moonsorrow - Suden Uni

Style: Viking metal/black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: A continuation of the legacy started by Bathory

Thoughts: Bathory is one of my favorite musical projects ever. So much so that the only tattoo I've ever gotten is of the Bathory goat head. The world was a little bit worse when Quorthon died. In his absence many bands have tried to carry the torch of his musical legacy, but few have done so as well as Moonsorrow. 

Moonsorrow's debut is a surprisingly mature foray into the viking metal field. While black metal is a huge influence, the primary driver is viking metal with all it's glory. The black metal primarily is seen in the vocals and various blast beat driven sections. The rest however is steeped in the glories of viking metal.

Mouth harps? Yes they are here. Accordions? They are here as well. Epic soundscapes? Yes, they are basically the driving force of the album. It's hard for me to believe that this is a debut album, it feels way more refined and developed than most bands at this stage in their careers.

Perhaps the best representation of this is the second song on the album:  Köyliönjärven jäällä (Pakanavedet II. The song starts out with a huge chugging riff accompanied by a mouth harp. As the song progresses the guitars open up into full chords and an accordion is played as a complimentary instrument. As the song matures the band really starts to bring in layer after layer of keyboards and guitars resulting in an absolutely massive sound. 

This is essentially the blueprint for the entire album. Create a basic structure at the beginning of the song, build that up through a combination of riffs and then continue to add layer upon layer until the song is overwhelming to the listener... then do it all again. 

Moonsorrow would continue to go on to release a discography that is one of the best in metal. This is only the beginning, and oh what a glorious beginning it is.

Entry 1034 - Imperium Dekadenz - Dis Menibvs

Style: Mid paced black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Hypnotic black metal

Thoughts: Imperium Dekadenz, a name synonymous with mid paced black metal. I've been listening to these guys for quite some time, but their albums never really caught my attention for long. They would have repetitive riffs and mid paced drumming that would repeat. In many ways this creates a hypnotic effect, but I never really sought them out. It was the musical equivalent to background noise.

That all changed with Procella Vadens. All the sudden they showed more life to their music, more dynamic song writing, and a bit more variety than just a mid paced black metal plod. It was the point where I finally started to notice them. The band would truly come into their own though with Dis Manibvs.

Here the band still has that backing of the hypnotic black metal, but they are not shy to add in the occasional blast beat or to strip the music down when needed. Really what the band has accomplished here is quite excellent, it respects the foundations that they set in the previous albums, but it shows maturity and growth. 

The atmosphere in particular is what brings me back to this album over all the others in their discography. It balances not only the sorrow that the band has had within their sound since the very beginning, but they add in an element of magnificence with it. It makes the album feel like I'm listening to something that aspires me to become greater than myself. 

Listen to the title track... tell me that doesn't stir some kind of emotion deep within. Listen to Still I Rise and try to not be swept up in it's currents. Listen to the short instrumental Somnia and tell me that it's reverbed acoustic guitars don't have emotion strewn in every note.

This is the best album that Imperium Dekadenz have put out. At some points they would come close to the beauty captured in these ten songs, but never again (as of this writing) did they ever do it so consistently. If I only ever have one album from this band in my collection, this is it.

Entry 1033 - Immortal - Sons of Northern Darkness

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The cold of winter seeps into my very being

Thoughts: After Immortal's big shift on At the Heart of Winter I wondered if they would ever explore the more chaotic side of their early albums again. Damned in Black gave me little hope that they would ever explore that earlier style again... but then I heard One by One - the opener for Sons of Northern Darkness and I was intrigued. 

You see, One by One continues the clean production that the band started with in At the Heart of Winter, but it has that insane chaotic technicality to the riffs that the band showed on Blizzard Beasts. The stacatto riffing with the furious blasting from Horgh... god damn, they were back. At least for one song. 

Of course not the entire song is the chaotic insanity that is Blizzard Beasts, but it does contain parts. The later half of the song goes more in the melodic direction, but for those glorious first few minutes of the song the band shows that they can still write the good shit. 

This continues straight into the title track. That opening riff is catchy as hell but still has that chaotic edge to it that the band has been missing. This is again seen in Within the Dark Mind. The first half is more melodic, but then they start blasting around the five minute mark and that hint of chaos comes back in. Great stuff. 

In many ways it feels like Sons of Northern Darkness is the celebration of their entire career. For many years this was the last album that Immortal produced, and I thought it was a fitting end to their discography. Of their more melodic side, this is easily the best album they produced in that style.

Entry 1032 - Immortal - At the Heart of Winter

Style: Epic black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The title says it all, this is the very heart of winter

Thoughts: Oh wow what a change. This is the first Immortal album without Demonaz and the change in style is immediately evident. Instead of a thirty minute album consisting of nine to ten songs, we have a six song album spanning nearly forty five minutes. Instead of a raw recording we have the cleanest production that the band has ever had. Instead of the band posing for the cover, we have a fully painted cover. The changes are many and they are very real.

The instant that the album is started the changes are evident. Withstand the fall of time has an enormous introduction that sounds different than anything the band has created before. As the song progresses the music becomes slowly more familiar to the Immortal we know. Sometimes we'll get some chaotic riffs, other times we'll get a blasting section... but overall there has been a fundamental shift in the bands sound. 

The music is now more deliberate. More focused on melody than it ever was before, in many ways more accessible than it ever was before. The only time that the band has sounded like this in the past was on Mountains of Might on Blizzard Beasts. It's as if the band took the ideas in that song and decided to make an entire album out of it. 

Now the real question is, is this good or bad? For my money, there is more good here than bad. There are some points where the band falters a little bit, but overall this is quite an enjoyable album... but it also marks a shift in the bands style. Gone are the raw days of the early albums. In many ways the honesty of those albums is gone as well... instead we have a version of Immortal that is more polished and approachable.

 

Entry 1031 - Immortal - Battles in the North

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The cold of winter

Thoughts: Immortal has always been a band that evolves their sound slightly from one album to the next. A small change in pacing, a change in the way that the songs are written, or even just a tweak in the production. With Battles in the North however, for the one time in their career they stagnated for an album.

Battles in the North is the little brother to Pure Holocaust in nearly every way. The blistering pace of the second album is there, just not as ferocious. The sense of cold and bitterness is there as well... but again it's not as well developed or as demanding of my attention as the second album is. It truly feels like Pure Holocaust part 2 in every way.

There are slight differences here and there. For one the production is a bit more muted than the previous album. While this in and of itself is a neutral thing, I feel like the album could have benefited from a tiny bit clearer production. There is a LOT going on with the riffs, and sometimes the guitars get lost in the murky production. 

Battles in the North is by no means a bad album. In fact it's one of my favorite 90's black metal albums. Abbath and Demonaz created an incredibly challenging and blistering work that is one of the defining albums of the genre. That said, given the choice of listening to this vs. the second album, Pure Holocaust will hit the turntable nearly every time.

Entry 1030 - Immortal - Pure Holocaust

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: The violence and harshness of winter in audio form

Thoughts: Out of all of the four early Immortal albums, this is the one where they truly found their sound. Gone are all of the acoustic and epic elements of the debut. Gone are the slower sections. Gone is everything that would compromise the singular vision of this album.

Pure Holocaust sees Immortal define their sound. This album is laden with blast beats, tremolo riffing, Abbath's trademark vocals, and a cold heart in the north of winter to tie it all together. 

Everything about this album screams black metal. The riffs - my god these riffs - define the genre. They are fast, they portray the perfect amount of atmosphere. The way the songs are layered out is chaotic, with random moments where the band starts to play seemingly as many notes as possible before going back into a more atmospheric minor chord riff (see A Sign for The Norse Hordes to Ride for a perfect example of this).

I can't stress enough how much this album is the epitomy of black metal. The production, the song writing, the drums, everything. I know, when asked, many people would point to an album like Transylvanian Hunger as one album that has the pure essence of black metal. To those people I would counter with Pure Holocaust - this is the very definition of the genre.

Entry 1029 - Immortal - Diabolical Full Moon Mysticism

Style: Primitive black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Raw black metal with a flare for the epic, foundational work

Thoughts: The first four immortal albums are among some of the finest black metal ever to be recorded. Diabolical Full Moon Mysticism however stands out among them. Not that it is better or worse than any of the others, but it shows a side of Immortal that would not be fully explored until much later in their career. 

While all of the early albums have a distinct raw quality to them, its here on the debut that the band is shown to have just a tiny bit more than they would have in the next few albums. The songs are a bit more diverse, there is some acoustic work that the band would drop later on, and overall the music is much slower in pace than what we would eventually come to expect from Immortal.

The fact that was have a nine minute long song to close out the album should be evidence enough that this was something a bit different. Maybe it's Armagedda on drums and his different style that isn't wholly reliant on blast beats. Maybe its the band experimenting with different elements before streamlining their sound later. Maybe its all of these things, maybe its none.

Regardless, Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is an excellent album. One that helped lay the foundations for Norwegian black metal and one that continues to get spun on a regular basis... perhaps even more-so than any of the other albums in this bands incredible discography.

Entry 1028 - Immolation - Close to a World Below

Style: Death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Death metal in the way that only Immolation can create

Thoughts: "Didn't you say Jesus was coming?"

Is there a death metal band better than Immolation? I personally can't think of a better one. The unique way that they work in dissonance with their riffs and the pure disgust that the music evokes is second to none. 

Close to a World Below is on my short list of best death metal albums ever recorded. It shows Immolation at their very best. The music is heavy, it is unpredictable, it's brutal as all fuck, and its completely uncompromising. 

The main appeal of this album (and Immolation in general) is the riffs. These guys have a way of writing riffs that seem normal at first, but then have something just a little off. Maybe its a note played just slightly out of sequence, maybe its a chord that feels slightly off, maybe it's a drum beat that feels slightly syncopated from the rest of the band. 

At first it may sound like the band is sloppy, or undisciplined... but the more I listen the more I realize that this is entirely intentional and that every single note is exactly as the band intended it. It makes my brain hurt, but the more I listen the more I appreciate what is going on.... and having listened to this album for several dedicates at this point these very "flaws" are what makes this album an elite death metal record.

This is the best that Immolation would ever get, nothing in their discography can touch this album. In fact few other death metal albums can come close to the pure chaotic violence that Close to a World Below brings. If I only had one death metal album to listen to ever again, this would certainly be in contention for that title.

Entry 1027 - Friisk - un torügg bleev blot Sand

Style: Black metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Man's fight against nature... and it's perpetual failure

Thoughts: I'm going to be honest, I bought this album because of the cover. The rough sketch of an abandoned town next to a large body of water told a story of tribulation in a way that covers never can. What happened here? Why was the town abandoned? What brought them here in the first place? All of these questions swirled around in my head as I looked at the cover. The fact that this is good music on the record itself is a fortunate side effect.

Friisk play black metal, no frills black metal. Two guitars, one bass, drums and vocals. No gimmicks. 

The results of this is two fold: the band does not really do anything new with their album, however they do it so well that it's hard to ignore. The strongest aspect of Friisk's music is the atmosphere. It has a sense of constant turmoil, a fight against a power greater than oneself. The fact that the band is able to create something so engaging with only the aforementioned instruments is truly noteworthy. 

I tend to view the music in the album as the audio equivalent of the cover. The music chronicles the struggle that the village inhabitants endured before they ultimately had to admit defeat and abandon their homes. In every track (including the intro), the strife is palatable. Every not is dripping with desperation and fear. Fear of the inevitable. 

This is the only full length of the band, but they do have a couple of splits and an EP to their name as well. While I have not yet heard those recordings, that is going to be remedied soon. In the meantime I'm going to be listening to their full length a few more times.

Entry 1026 - Idealism - Sit in Silence

Style: Lofi hip hop

Primary Emotions/Themes: Loss, sorrow, grieving, romanticizing the past

Thoughts: God dammit. God dammit, why do I have to listen to this album again? 

It's not that it's bad... in fact it's the opposite. It's quite good. I'm upset because of the way this album makes me feel. It makes me remember things I don't want to remember, feel things I had long forgotten. 

Idealism has long been one of my favorite lofi hip hop artists. The way that their music make me feel is deeply moving, to the point where it's difficult to deal with the emotions. 

The music itself is largely piano driven. There are far less beats than a typical lofi album, and this ends up being one of the stronger suits of Idealism's art. The piano is allowed to channel the emotions it needs without the interference of a booming bass line. 

The problem is those very emotions though. The melodies combined with the production that makes the album sound like it's being played back on an old reel to reel gives me a huge sense of nostalgia. I remember people in my past that I forgot long ago. I remember things that I did as a child, both good and bad. It makes me want to go back to those times, it makes me want to forget about those times. 

I don't hate this album, in fact it's one of the best in the lofi realm. It's just so damn hard to listen to. In the end though I suppose that's what makes a great album just that.