The Music Scene, Then, Now, and the Future: "Core"

Well, over the past few years (I'd say about seven), the metal scene has been plagued with "core". Now some is good and some is bad. Theres metalcore, grindcore, deathcore, rockcore, southcore (think Every time I die), and blah blah blah... You get the point. The thing is about some of these bands is that they hopped on the core trend and started a terrible band which is now popular with scene kids. Instead of using the hardcore elements we all know and love and mixing with it with thrashy metal riffs in genuine fashion. Most of the bands that fuse rock/harcore/metal don't even sound like metal at all. Listen to "Every Time I Die", they think that their southern riffs are catchy and that their hardcore are "crazy". Either that or its just a big joke. Its just simply bad music that isn't catchy. So if you are going to start a metal band, do yourself a favor and take off the bandanna, white belt, and tight pants, and go find an original inspiration.

Meshuggah performs In Death - Is Life/In Death - Is Death live from their record "Catch 33."

This is an amazing performance by Swedish 5-piece, Meshuggah








No other band is doing what this band is doing right now! Quite simply the most hectic mindfucking riffs. Holy crap!

Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (2005)

1. Ocean Planet
2. Backbone
3. From The Sky
4. Unicorn
5. Where Dragons Dwell
6. The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe
7. Flying Whales
8. In The Wilderness
9. World To Come
10. From Mars
11. To Sirius
12. Global Warming

Gojira is an up and coming band from France that is shaking ground with every step. I recently seen them on their first U.S. tour with Lamb of God, Machine Head, and Trivium, and they were outstanding live. Granted I never heard their material, the performance made me download their discography. "From Mars to Sirius" is their latest addition, and strongest. What is extremely unique about Gojira is how their lyrics are influenced by their environmentalist views. Basically every song's lyrics involve some sort of destruction or preservation of the Earth.

The instrumentation is of very high quality, everything seems to fit. The drummer is especially exceptional with his blast beats and generally interesting fills. Its a drumming style that is seldom heard in the death metal scene.

Every riff is solid and sounds like a fucking train smashing your skull in. There are some brutal riffs and ambiance that just hasn't been witnessed by the North American Metal scene at least. There are times is songs where is transitions rapidly from death to ambient progressive calming sequences and vice versa. This is very reminiscent of Opeth, but they add their French twist to it. So they definitely have their own style.

Some of my favorites on this CD is "Backbone" with its cossack-dance like intro. Its seems mysteriously natural. "Unicorn" reminds me of Pink Floyd, but Gojira's twist involves samples of whale sounds which is very calming. "The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe" lives up to its name 100%, probably their heaviest meat grinding song on this album. Just listen to that first riff, can you hear Nile or Cannibal Corpse coming up with something as heavy or equally progressive? Didn't think so. Check out "Flying Whales", its pretty much their prima donna on this CD.

(9/10) These Frenchies don't stink at metal, thats for sure.

Tool - Opiate (1992)

1. "Sweat" – 3:46
2. "Hush" – 2:48
3. "Part of Me" – 3:17
4. "Cold and Ugly (Live)" – 4:09
* Recorded on December 31, 1991 at the Jello Loft, Hollywood, California
5. "Jerk-Off (Live)" – 4:23
* Recorded on January 1, 1992 at the Jello Loft, Hollywood, California
6. "Opiate" – 8:28
* Contains the hidden track "The Gaping Lotus Experience", which plays at 6:06 into track 6, refering to the number of Satan (666).


Two years after their formation, Tool released "Opiate". It features Tool in their developmental stage and playing what people consider to be Alternative Metal. Which is partially true, but most of the riffs on this album are groovy and progressive. I think a better genre would be "Progressive Groove Metal".
The lyrics are very anti-establishment and anti-censorship, with no shortage of expletives. It captures the essence of Tool very well, lyric-wise. The music, is very good for a band in its infancy, but is just groove riffs when you get to the bottom of it. Included is two live-songs displays their flawless live performance, which is of surprising quality for the time.
"Jerk-off" is definitely their best song on this song, very catchy. The title track also comes in a close second. If your a newer Tool fan, you'll probably like this. Hard-rock fans will appreciate this one as well.

7/10 (Worth Checking out)

Opeth - Damnation (2003)

Track Listings

1. Windowpane (7:44)
2. In My Time Of Need (5:49)
3. Death Whispered A Lullaby (5:49)
4. Closure (5:15)
5. Hope Leaves (4:30)
6. To Rid The Disease (6:21)
7. Ending Credits(3:39)
8. Weakness (4:08)

Total Time: 43:32

Line-up/Musicians

- Mikael Akerfeldt / vocals, guitars
- Peter Lindgren / guitars
- Martin Mendez / bass guitars
- Martin Lopez / drums & percussion

Guest:
- Steve Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE) / Grand piano, mellotron, Fender Rhodes & backing vocals

Opeth's 7th album is their experimental "Damnation ". This album is purely mellow, which contrasts to their usual Progressive Metal tendencies and cookie monster vocals. Akerfeldt's amazing voice is completely clean which complements a new addition to the Opeth family: keys. Producer Steve Wilson is a genious at the mellotron and piano on this album, filling in the gap that makes this album complete.

A song that shouts "experimental" is "Closure" with its Middle-eastern riffs and Latin beat. Martin Lopez really shows off his Latin percussion. Martin Mendez also fills in the low end very nicely with every song, especially in "Windowpane"; which also happens to be my favorite track on this album. Every song besides "Ending Credits" (I'll get to that later), is depressing and "Windowpane" is the most emotive. I feel that Mikael Akerfeldt has some of his best solos on this album, simplistic, yet not boring. As with every Opeth album, the clean vocals are amazing, the songwriting is catchy and unparalleled, and a double bonus for Steve Wilson's harmonies and lyrics on "Death Whispered A Lullaby".

The only non radio friendly is "Weakness". When I first heard the song, I hated it. It grew on me, and I now feel that it is up there with "Windowpane". The reason why it isn't radio friendly, is because it is just Synth and Guitar, its really progressive even for Opeth. This song is extremely deep however, and maybe after a few listens you'll appreciate it as well.

"Ending Credits" is Opeth's cover of a Camel song, but it beats me as to which Camel song it is. Thats why it is up-beat, but it still is ever-so melodic in true Opeth fashion. Very solid cover. The only downfall with this album is that there is not enough!

Perfect (10/10)

Between the Buried and Me - Alaska (2005)

This is what I call "Progressive Deathgrind". This band is simply amazing, and this is the album that proves it. I am excited to see what they put out in September on their new album "Colors". I'll be sure to put up a review on that one. Here is some studio footage of "Colors", which features a nice bass solo; probably the best I've heard in a while.

1. All Bodies – 6:12 (10/10)
   
2. Alaska – 3:57 (9/10)
3. Croakies and Boatshoes – 2:22 (9/10)
   
4. Selkies: The Endless Obsession – 7:23 (10/10)
5. Breathe In, Breathe Out – 0:55 (10/10)
   
6. Roboturner – 7:07 (8/10)
   
7. Backwards Marathon – 8:27 (10/10)
8. Medicine Wheel – 4:18 (8/10)
   
9. The Primer – 4:46 (9/10)
   
10. Autodidact – 5:30 (8/10)
11. Laser Speed – 2:53 (10/10)
    

Alright, if your reading this, you are wondering what the hype is about this "Deathgrind" band. Some of the most versatile artists in the industry are in this band, well alright, everyone in this band is extremely talented and it shows. Do yourself a favor a listen to "Selkies: The Endless Obsession", it might change your mind about grind in general. Honestly, I never really liked grindcore, but I feel that BTBAM does "grind" the best with their Meshuggah like feel to grind riffs. Where BTBAM shines, however, is how they contrast their grindy sections with some of the most beautiful sounds ever heard this side of jazz. "Backwards Marathon" is a perfect example of how these guys take you high with Ultra-melodic ambient sequences and then drop you in a free fall of blast beats.

As for the individual instruments themselves, the lead guitar is most noticeably extremely advanced. Listen to the sweeps at the end of Selkies for proof of the lead's technical and melodic qualities. The Bass guitar is extremely tight throughout the album, often following the guitar's complicated grind and melodic passages; twice as hard to play on bass. Now the percussion involved in this album is top notch. I really haven't heard a drummer on record utilize as many styles and techniques as BTBAM's drummer. I hear Chris Alder, Neil Peart, and Martin Lopez in this guy, very creative and NEVER boring. Tommy, on vocals hits the high and lows very nicely, and seems extremely dynamic. Keyboards are spot on, not too much and not too little.
The only flaw I could dig up is that some songs could have been arranged better (less random). That's about it.


"All Bodies", "Selkies", and "Backwards Marathon" are must listens, each present amazing progressions and unprecedented moments of pure brutality. This album will satisfy your sweet tooth for Prog and Death, and everything in between.

Overall (9/10) - Very Strong

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (2005)

March 2005 Lava/Atlantic Records 7567934372


Tracks:


1.Deadwing (9:46) (8/10)
Cool Intro, very unexpected. Nice progressive sound to it, simplistic is what it is. Solid and heavy riffage throughout, with very expressive leads. Seems like the intro electronica segment is played throughout the song which gives the song its smooth ambient tone. Very skilled and well placed bass lead at roughly the seven minute mark. Transitions are silky. Outro is well executed. I feel that this song could have been shorter, however, and written a bit more efficiently. Its a decent opener, however.


2.Shallow (4:16) (6/10)
Intro is a bit weak. Pre-chorus is a beautiful segment however. This song's strong point is this lyrics which speaks of isolationism and the modern world, which is very relevant. Alright song, but not a strong point in this album.


3.Lazarus (4:18) (10/10)
Very radio friendly song with a beautiful mellow tone to it. It's just really well written, thats all. Great piano and guitar leads. This is a great song.


4.Halo (4:38) (7/10)
Love the dissonant bass intro, it shouldn't sound great, but it does. Pretty basic song structure which is more lyric oriented. Some good prog riffage, however, and strong guitar solo.


5.Arriving Somewhere but not Here (12:02) (10/10)
Awesome ambient tones coming from this one. Very deep intro. Guitar lead slips in very nicely with smooth transitions throughout. Very catchy chorus and these UK vocals in general are top-notch, I'm telling you, this guy could sing for the Beatles. Again, expressive leads throughout. Drums and bass are solid and have sexy nuances from time to time to keep things interesting and most importantly, ambient. Song mid-way breaks into a Tool/Bluesy influenced riff sequence, nicely done Mr. Wilson. Goes back to the main motif with great form. Bass lead sounds amazing at this point (almost sounds like a synth). Down-beat guitar solo follows which is one of the most emotional solos I've heard in a while. The Outro is very well thought out, slowly decrescendos the song and fades out. This song is a must listen for anyone interested in ambient music.


6.Mellotron Scratch (6:56) (9/10)
Interesting "bitter-sweet" intro, Nirvana-esque. It maintains this mellow tone throughout. The vocal layering in this song is exceptional. Wow - the falsetto vocals at the end as nothing short of amazing, which makes for an amazing outro.


7.Open Car (3:46) (10/10)
Just a great song in general. You have to listen to this song, just everything is extremely well put together. Think "Beauty and the Beast".


8.The Start of Something Beautiful (7:39) (7.5/10)
Sexy synth introduction. But for five minutes with the same progression? Its a bit much. After that however, there is a beautiful chord progression with the piano and the bass guitar with the melody. Then a nice synth lead seeps in. The Outro saves the song.


9.Glass Arm Shattering (6:13) (9/10)
Cool ambient guitar chords, turns into something tropical, nice. The rhythm section shines in this song. Trippy sound throughout. Again with Steve Wilson's vocal layering, pure genius. Cool song to space out to, more so than a Pink Floyd song, which is a strong statement, mind you.


10.She's Moved On (Bonus) (5:00) (10/10)
Lyrics are very relateable in this song, however, this music under the lyrics are solid as well. Every instrument shines in this track. Wilson's song writing shines.


Overall-(9/10) Very Strong

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10/10
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