Godseed : I Begin

This is not going to be for every one, while not commercial fluff like Behemoth or Dimmu, who I still derive entertainment from , it is not going to be ravishingly grim enough for those of you who only listen to lo fi 90's black metal on vinyl and if that's the case I'm not sure why you would be reading this in the first place unless you have a crush on Ghaal and wish it was you he had tied up and tortured for hours on end. Man crushes aside Ghaal has to have one of my favorite harsh vocal tones in black metal. Perhaps he just know how to communicate with the producer to get the perfect balance of effects to his snarl , what ever it is it works and he continues to give a stellar performance here.

Here Godseed sounds like a side project which came into its own as a band. This is an off shoot of Gorgoroth and I'm sure you have heard all the really cvlt legal battles and drake which went down so I'm skipping all that and focusing on how this experimental black metal band has tweaked themselves out into the purgatory not too far into void as Blut Aus Nord where they straddle the fence of what is considered black metal. It has plenty of the ugly Ambiant chords one associates with black metal though not as straight forward as Gorgoroth, but if you set it against a song like " Carving a giant " , unless we are talking about some of the bands more reaching moments like the song "alrande tre" where they have meshed Rammstein With the chorus to the song "kindergarten " off Faith No More's "angel dust" album.

If you listen to Gorgoroth albums with your arms crossed against you chest complaining how they aren't grim enough for you, then you won't like this ,so stop reading and go get over yourself. One of the non cvlt similarities this has is it is very well produced and while I can appreciate some raw black metal at the end of the day if it sounds like shit how good can it really be. This album needed this mix as there are so many subtle elements going on.

The opener "Awake" starts off your standard blasty mcnasty not falling far from the Gorgoroth tree. This one took a little while to grow on me as the stiffness of the blasts are a little static. There's a creepy bridge I like that breaks things up into a majestic gallop and the chanty clean vocals are a subtle touch. When the organ arrives it feels a little Borknagar and could have been implemented in the verses to loosen up a bit.

"This is from the past" has a powerful chug to it so when the blasts return they feel better than the did at the albums offset.the verses still retain a somewhat militant feel to them. The slower tempo of the b section works even if the riff takes on a repetitive drone.

"Alt liv" this one slaps you with big chords from the start and backs off into one of the albums Rammstein moments. This is where we have left the black metal at home and this one walks very close to Behemoth's side of the street. The therein song writing begins to appear to be take the riff of your b section and just drone on it with a gradual build.

"From the running of blood" this one kinda strikes me as Borknagar for a second, but also retained a lot of the elements I liked amount Ghaal era Gorgoroth. They bang this riff into the grou d before they explodes into some hyper blast maddness.

"Hinstu dagar" gets mean and back to the blasts. Ghaals vocals seem exceptionally scathing, this song is very straight forward until it gets to the syncopated b section. This approach is balanced out by the slower "Lit" where the guitar rings out into a drone and the vocals are performed more like a ritualistic chant. This songs floats of into borderline proggy drone.

"the Wound" the pace picks up and launches into a triumphant gallop. The drone here churns a little differently than the rest of the album with subtle layers of sonics until it blasts it's way out. "Blood line" is Combichrist industrial murk which never materializes into anything aside frame heavy breathing and a synth wash.when a beat comes in at the final minute and half . So I won't factor this ditty in when I adore the album.

While much better than what you might think a side project album would sound like some of these song structures could have stood to have been allowed to venture out , Becuase if you are going to experimental dont half ass it. The performances and production are not half assed and I think the more open minded fans of Gorgoroth should be pleased so I'm going to give this one a 7.5, as I don't seem myself really listening to this out side of shuffle mode once the new car smells wears off of the album.

Kamelot : Sliverthorn

So lets go ahead and get the elephant in the room that is Tommy Karevik out of the way. The bottom line is he isn't as bad as I thought he might be. Primarily because of the Roy Khan impersonation, not as convincing as the old Alice in Chains trick they pulled with much better results due to Jeryy Cantrell's heavy harmonies. There are frequent guest vocals and choral vocals as well as studio tricks but his rather star search like vocal tone has more in common with James Labrie than Geoff Tate who I associated as an influence of Khan. The YouTube videos didn't lie and he has a more generic rock sound than Khan who's voice was darker in some way.

I started writing this review on my second pass through on the album, so began to notice sections which took on a happier prog metal element that I don't like because it reminds me of Europe, though I suppose they are going for more of a Helloween feel. I associate it with what I don't like about bands like Stratovarious and Hammerfall, though this album is not as shreddy or obviously metal as those.

Now on my fourth pass through I think I can have a more even handed listen.
"Sacrimomy" is one of the albums better tracks so a fitting opener, they are going for another " march of Mephisto" as The Agonist vocalist Anissa Gluz does her best Shagrath impersonation, so there's a lot of mimicry going on, as Amaranthe vocalist Elize Ryd doesn't have a distinct style of her own but tries to be a metal Sarah Brightman, fitting as the new singer Tommy was inspired to start singing after he hear Phantom of the Opera...the Andrew Loyd Weber musical not the Iron Maiden song.

The problem with this song that is more forgivable seems like the made a table of possible power metal chorus progressions and just rolled a twenty sided dice to pick them, they are very generic for the genre see Symphony x for details.it way to happy and frolicking for me where Roy Khan vocals had tighter hooks and don't sound so obviously European Festival in the rousing fist pump.

"Ashes to Ashes " works for me even though the bridge had a very radio hrs rock feel to it like Trapt or Lost Prophets mixed with Dream Theater. Granted Kamelot has a big itch to scratch as they are only of the only bands I still listen to who do the whole symphonic power metal thing , aside from Night Wish.

"Torn" the melodrama goes up a notch and the stage fans really start blowing the frilly pirate shirts once the chorus kicks in where the problems occurs and it begins to become a test in how high my threshold for cheese. The progressive metal label once tabbed to the band is even more unfounded as songs are even more straight forward than the previous two albums

"Song for Jolee" the ballad I knew was coming, isn't as offensive as I was braced for. Sure there's the whole Dream Theater almost Styx element, I like what is voice does on this one and might even say I like him as a balladeer better than Khan, just not better for Kamelot.

"Veritas" yTakes a darker turn like classic Kamelot and chorus isn't as offensive as the bulk of the albums the counterpoint the chorus the choir provides helps ns the "you will confess I am god" hook works well. This one gets in and out pretty quick so there not chance to muck it up with too much cheese.

"My confession" stays darker in the verse , with the chuggy pre chorus but were turn to the twenty sided dice for the chorus. I know Youngblood is the bands primary song writer so I began to think this is more of his doing and the new kid just came in and sang pre-written melodies, which explains the blandness because I session singer never holds as much emotional investment as one who shares in the song writing process. His girlish head voice which pops up before the guitar solo is one of the few original moments on Karevik's part.

The title track lays on the symphonic element from the get go. The get s heavy in a ghost opera sense. The chorus here skips going to the default dice roll though this one isn't very compelling, as it's more of the same.the choral break midway through is different bunch stays consistent with the more of the same feel to the album. The guitar blazes into attempt change, but it doesn't feel heavy at all.

"Falling like the Fahrenheit " clever song title though it's apparent they are trying to re create Ghost Opera here than break any new ground , the lyrics " like the shadows in my head/ you will play that ghost again" take a little different meaning here and I wonder how many of these lyrics are about Khan. The chorus goes slight Dream Tehater but are a little more like a Hoobastank power ballad. The final two minutes there's a brooding symphonic breakdown,another formulaic element to this album.

"Solitaire" starts off with a riff straight from one of the Helloween rip off bands, then the pre chorus gives you a little hope before the dice come out forte chorus. They tease you with the one heavy riff that only pops it head in for the pre-chorus.

The ballads are actually this albums stronger moments now which is an inverse of the Khan years."Prodigal son" is very ambitious but well executed it starts off as almost an aria with Karevik singing in a delicate sotto voce head register. It builds there skimming some of the happy territory I dislike and the guitar solo was a rather uninspired Brian May knock off. The guitar solos on this album seem to be an obligation to the genre rather than ever adding something to the song , they could stand to take a lesson from Karevik's country men the Swedish Shining on this front .

In scoring this album I didn't bother factoring in cinematic opening and closing pieces as they are not really needed. Since I was surprised this wasn't as bad as my fears of a Roy Khan less Kamelot had me imagine, I rounded the score up a half a point to an 8.5 which might be generous considering I don't see this being something I am really going to wear out like "Ghost Opera" which is a clear 10, even with the ballad missteps.

Interview : Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke

If you have read my review of Killing Jokes' incredible 2012 album, then you already know the high regard I hold this influential band, so it was a special honor to talk to Frontman Jaz Coleman.

Wil...I really love the new album. How was the process for this different now that you have been in this for 34 years?

Jaz...It was different, for the last album, it only took two weeks. For this one, it came in stages. When you are making records back to back its important to take your time. Normally, Youth has an idea and we jm on the structure of those songs. This time, I went back with Jordy and picked it apart. There were different sessions. We try to maintain the standards of our work.

Wil...Has your work in recent years in classical music influenced the songwriting process with Killing Joke at all?

Jaz...Not really. They are two separate camps. It's a different approach, and I don't let them bleed over.

Wil...I think your work on the new album is one of the best vocal performances of your career. What do you attribute this to?

Jaz...what the music conjures up. I originally didn't want to be a vocalist, so I started off as the keyboardist and was nominated for the position. So I attribute it to hard work and attention to detail. Breathing and quitting smoking helped. 60 concerts in a row can really bash your voice. They don't give a fuck and can do it, so I have learned a lot of exercises and tricks of the trade, like steaming.

Wil...Speaking of touring demands, I know you guys were slated to tour with the Cult and Mission U.K., but dropped off. Is this because it seemed like too much of a nostalgia package?

Jaz...It didn't seem fair to Killing Joke to be the third band on a bill at venues we had just headlined. I don't have much time for Billy, but Ian is a nice enough chap. But nice guys aside, they play such abysmal cock rock.

Wil...Have you guys given thought to going out with one of the bigger bands that you have influenced, like Tool or Ministry?

Jaz... We have never had the vision of being a stadium band. I don't like playing for more than 5,000. There is no intimacy. Playing rock star has never been important to me. Being an experimental band, you don't have the same success, but what you get is longevity.

Wil... The 2012 album is coming out in America next month, but has been out in Europe since April. Was this Spinefarm's decision, or what factored into that?

Jaz...by the time I got to the sixth album, it is something I accepted. We couldn't get released in America until 95 with Pandemonium. We have been indifferent to reviews. Albums are now seen as massively influential, but when they were released, the press was slagging them. I'm grateful for where we are at because when you think of stardom and other people's lives... I mean, just think of Kurt Cobain... How miserable.

Wil... I know a lot of your beliefs are based on a Rosicrucian system, and when I think of that, I think of Golden Dawn and the whole transmutation of the threefold being and spiritual alchemy, who do see that connect with your musical process?

Jaz...Tantra, unification, kundalini. The mantric chant and music are connected to sexual liberation. Sexual repression and fascism go hand in hand. There are very different layers of physical needs. Enlightenment can not occur without opening the pelvic region. The judeo Christian moral codes have become no longer relevant. The music of the 60s brought about a sexual revolution. Take the pill, and have sex for pleasure. It's the rhythm of rock; the rebellious nature is an important function. Sex is not just for procreation; the idea of the nuclear family is becoming obsolete.

Wil...I think that is why, I know at least currently in the States we are seeing a boom in polyamory.

Jaz...Absolutely, it's changing. Education is key. It doesn't end with schooling. Self-educate. Looking at the mystery of Killing Joke, we are many things: producers, musicians, artists, composers, an occult master, and architects. I'm very proud of what I have done. There's glory, gold, and influence. We have never been a band with number-one singles, but we have had an influence. Everything material fades, but influence lasts. I have never been a material person. I carry everything in two bags. I'm very nomadic; there is a lot to learn living in so many different places.

Wil... in 2012, the lyrics that really stood out to me were on the song "Colony Collapse" and the line..." changing our emotional development." I see how America is putting itself to sleep with social media but in the bigger picture, how do you see this relationship with technology?

Jaz...the transhuman agenda, nanotech, and biotechnology. What might extend life might cause us to lose all emotional faculties. The ability to feel and cry homogenized. The defining aspect of humans is our humanity. That is traded in. I don't own a computer or a cellular phone. Things I want to learn, I search for. I want to use books because the Internet doesn't provide all the details that come from the search. It took Sarah Brightman seven months to find me and the bass player of Guns N ' Roses tried to find me for six

Wil...does this self-imposed isolation have a meditative quality that aids your creative process?

Jaz... My creative process is I take myself to the edge with exhaustion, not sleeping for three days then I go in and argue with my band mates. It's the extreme options coupled with earnest debate that breaks the wall.

Interview : Venien of Von

The forefathers of American Black Metal,whose influence had a profound impact on the second wave of black metal which came out of northern Europe and shaped what we think of as black metal today. So it was an honor to get a chance to talk with Venien the man behind Von and found out what it's like to Be one of the founding fathers of modern black metal.

Wil...First let's talk about the recording of your 1992 album "Satanic Blood" . What prompted that and what was the process like ?

Venien...It was the show we that Erik of Watain asked us to do that prompted that. Shawn ...goat quit the band again after that gig, so had to handle pretty much everything
. the process took hold in the stood, there had been a lot of bootlegs over the years but this is going to be the first official release recorded in a proper way the way it was mean to be heard.

Initially when they process of putting it back together was back in 2006 in the MySpace years. Erik from Watain touch base with us and offered us to come out for what would be a record release for them and all of a sudden things started to develop . So as sort of a dress rehearsal we recorded a seven inch to give away .

Will... How was being back on stage and playing with bands you had such an impact on?

Venien... We came on late after Watain and Goat wasn't as prepared as I though he would be , so by not handling his business the show didn't go off as planned so it was rather bittersweet.

Will...so what does the future hold for you regards to live dates are you looking to do one off shows in a festival setting or really tour?

Venien...After the reunion show we came back to Pheonix and has dates booked like the hole in the sky festival and Goat called and asked us to cancel the dates. So we had to regroup and re think the live show but now we have a few dates of this year, the ritual of the black mass and next year do a world wide tour. We have a really cool set over and hour of not only songs of satanic blood but new songs, after all we have twenty years of material.

Will...So what was it like to have made the style of music you did in a time and froma scene that was mainly into thrash and what you guys did back in the late eighties early nineties is what people think off when it comes to modern black metal? What influenced that?

Venien... In high school I was into punk rock and when I moved with my dad for his work to Honolulu freshman year , I got a job where I met Shawn/Goat and we hooked up and were jamming in the garage. At the time he was more into Classic rock like Led Zeppelin. Working in a factory one summer I met Brent/ Snake and we got him to come in and just smash on buckets to create this really raw brutal sound. It was punk meets metal and then the elements like tremolo picking came in. We were in Venom and Sodom but wanted to make something more brutal and darker , just relentless. We were the band nobody wanted to book Becuase every one was into thrash.

Will...so what was it like to find out all these big black metal bands like Dark Funeral, Watain and Taake were citing you as an inspiration ?

Venien... We never knew any thing about it , we had no idea as we had never released an album, just demos until years later We heard the material we created surfaced through tape trading in the underground and these bootlegs surfaced. It's overwhelming to think about.

Will...so is there new Von music on the horizon?

Venien... Yes, there is "Tribal blood" which comes out in April of 2013, it is part of the Dark god trilogy. The dark god album is split into three parts the first is a progression from where Satanic blood left off. The second rise of the ancients is different but with similar theme and elements and then I have a solo album which has a lot more options and types of styles.

Will...so coming back , what are your thoughts on the current metal scene of today any particular band really stand out to you ?

Venien...Recording I have been in a self induced exile and I havent had the luxury to to invest a lot of music. The guitarists I'm working with now are in their twenties and are into everything as far as extreme metal and know all the different sub genres out there and keep me up on it, cus when we started playing there wasn't all that you were basically just playing metal. There's a lot of intense stuff out there and no particular bands I like more than others though, we did some work with Coffin Worm.

Will... So now twenty years later are we going to see similar occult Themes to what was on "Satanic blood? How is music now spiritual expression for you?

Venien...I dictate my own life. I defy all. I'm a free thinker and not tied to anything. So there are themes similar to Satanic Blood. The general theme is explained in another format all tied together as a story. As you get older you gain knowledge over the years. Organized religion never appealed to me.

Will...with the landscape for people consuming music now is much different now than it was twenty years ago what plans do you have in regards to getting your music out theere to the fans?

Venien ...Von Music is just myself , doing it pretty much d.i.y style. using pirate press to manufacture. Satanic Blood is being released in a booklet form with lyric sheets and liner notes. People can see all the art work I've done that goes with each song. Rather then the jewel case format it's 12x12 vinyl gatefold style.

Will...Well that gives you more freedom and will appeal to collectors, I'm excited for new Von music and to here where you guys take it , look forward to carchingylu guy love and will of course continue to feature you guys on here as the releases roll
out next year.

Shining : Redefining Darkness

The title doesn't lie. There is truth in advertising here. Darkness has been redefined here as something much lighter than what I normally think of and lighter than Shining's more definitive work like " the eerie cold" and "Halmstad". It's more of the same from The "fodd forlorare" period, though with a slicker production value and not coming out of the gate so blatantly black n roll.

In some ways the band sees where they need to go but can't synch there creative gps to get there in the most concise manner and the opening track is case in point. " Du, Mitt kontsverk" blasts of at a rapid pace akin to black metal but lacks the depth and destiny the band has displayed in the past as part of their sound . It might sound more fitting on the more well adjusted Enslaved's album. Kvarforth is grunting just as harshly as ever but it lacks the anguish and personality that is his trademark. The guitar comes in to give this song it's most redeeming quality. When the acoustic breakdown comes it feels very color by numbers though the clean vocals are improved and better produced.

"ghastly silence" Is forgiven for not being as heavy as their early work because it does succeed at creating a mood similar to "eerie cold" though here its like they have been taking their medication as the depressive and suicidal elements are toned down. In fact the new Nachtmystium conveys those feeling much more convincingly than here. The spoken section is not desperate sounding or depraved but rather goth...think My dying bride. But the song has a good sense of movement. The clean vocals are a little too emo Katatonia , sure these guys mke emotional music but it's cutting in a more destructive sense. The sax blurs the lines between their Norse counterparts , the black jazz ones who I ignored their existence since this was the only Shining for me.

The ugh at the beginning of "Han Som Manniskan" is very familiar and I'm not talking Celtic Frost. Once agin the guitar solos which shreds with a capital s comes in and saves the black n roll. The growls are a little more convincing , my only problem with the songs which brings back the bath tub moans is its a little derivative. The riff at the midway point is pretty killer and the guitar that follows it wins me over on this one. The solos are frequent which I'm o.k with because they are taking it to the next level. So I begin to think more of my problems with this album are production based as the grit is gone.

Hearing him sing in English is a little weird. "Hail Darkness Hail" has the ghostly vocal chant that reminds me Andy Laroque produced this and is why the guitars sound great for a King Diamond record, but I think they need rougher edges at times here. But give Andy credit as he know how to produce the hell out of some vocals. The spoken word section in the middle breakdown takes me back to their glory days though the clean vocals are bland from a melodic sense until the harmony comes in. This album needs to be heard by any metal guitarist who wants to learn how to play tasteful leads. By this point I have accepted the fact like Enslaved there is nothing black metals out this album.

There's a pointless piano ditty before " For the god below" . By the time this one rolls around I'm thinking the. Whole acoustic thing is becoming overdone. A very Enslaved riff comes in, though the vocal pattern reminds me of Dissection , until the weepy Katatonia singing returns. I appreciated the Dissection worship, why should Watain and Thulcandra be the only bands with good taste. The solo around the four minute mark is the first one that I feel is slight filler, where the others really added something and the embelishments after this part are tasty. The lyrics to this songs as a love song to Satan is cute. The line about his devotion to evil I like. The solo at the last minute and a half is pretty epic and I don't use that term lightly. The solos steal the show on this one.

This might not be the direction I think the band should go in,but it's not bad I rounded the score down Becuase I think there is a lot of recycling from "fodd forlorare",which I and of its self was a great album, the riffs had more grit which made up for the formulaic Opeth clean vocal sections. I love real singing, I think there's some great singing with personality on this album, but like Opeth you know it's right around the corner and while not as trite as the old Killswitch Engage good cop bad cop exchanges it sometimes feels like these dynamics could have been explored to a greater extent . So taking this into consideration as well as they fact this was once a great dsbm band who longer makes dsbm , I'll give this one a 8.5 and see how it grows on the first song lead is once I get past the first minute and a half of Enslaved. But I lead own the new Enslve dso give me a depressed Shinging and I'll be happily morose again.

Live Review: Swans

My third live experience with Micheal Gira and Company. I had some trepidation about the venue a new arts complex called Terminal west, Tool artist was doing some sort of hippie freak out next door so while waiting for the doors to open dozens of scrambled burn outs wandered by confused as to what Swans were some even attempted together in line for tickets until informed they weren't the wrong building.

Once inside the venue reminded,e of the Bronze, Sunnydale's club in the Buffy the Vampire show, so it was disappointing when Dingos Ate My Baby did not open. Hawk and a Hacksaw did open and the duo played a set of experimental gypsy folk. While it wasn't really my thing, they played there instruments well, though there sounds sounded to similar despite my friend who likes them at told me all of there albums are different.

Swans took the stage at 10:30 and wasted no time to launch into the sonic flogging. Gira himself describes their live show as being " soul up lifting and body destroying" , damage control on the destruction part was aided by the earplugs distributed at the bar. I went the first twenty minutes or so with out there buffer and then experimented with them as I was up against the stage for the entire show turned to the right facing the flailing Gira as he conducted the band with fervent hand gestures. So the first half of the show I kept one ear plug in my left ear, used both for the second half taking them out for portions where I wanted too not use protection and get the full sensation.

The touring line up was the same as last year with Thor Harris on percussion , Norman Westberg on guitar, Christoph Hahn on lap steel guitar, Philip Puleo on drums and the newest member bassist Chris Pravdica. Pravdica appeared more settled in with rest of the band and his playing was solid.

They opened with " To be kind " and the set was half songs for their newest album " the Seer" including the thirty two minute title track. The rest of their set was new unrecorded numbers which fit nicely against the material from " the seer ". One song was very meaty and came the closet to be an actual metal song than Swans other work. Live the are a much different animal than their albums which show a broader range of wht the band does. On stage it's an exercise in keeping the tension churning and building to pounding crescendos.

Gira's voice was a more resonant croon, than the rasp at the edges it had had last year. This could be from the bluesier tone " My Father will guide me..." called for or his voice is just more warmed up from more frequent touring. This was most noticeable on the song "Avatar". He keeps onstage banter to a minimum, addressing the sound man to turn the house lights on so he can see the people who came there for the experience and to turn the air conditioner down. He later asked the front row not to take pictures as it made him nervous and then in closing commented on how Atlanta was the home of new condos and felled trees, he knew because he had lived here for four years.

The percussion was tightly synced Harris and Puleo were astounding as the hammered the droning punches together to accent the very tribal nature of what Swans do. Always hypnotizing the show had a noted effect on me, lending credence to Gira's self proclaimed uplifting nature to their music. I arrived at the show on the tail of a shit storm day, littered with obnoxious cunts of varied degrees but when I lost myself in the throb of of their music, the inner turbulence dissipated. This brought me to the conclusion to listen to more Swans and less death metal when if find myself running my gas tank on anger all day.

Judging from the crowd I was not the only one who felt the effect. In the front of the stages, people clutched themselves with eyes closed as the took in the sound enveloping them in an almost spiritual reverence. Live you feel Swans as much as you hear them. Part of this is due to the sheer volume the play at, the rest is the soaring nature of their guitar patterns which carve frequencies rather than just riff off of chords. It is also said Gira wants the air conditioning off to create the feeling of an Indian sweat lodge.

The crowd it's self was an interesting mix though heavy on the college aged indie rock hipster type kids, a demographic shift from the old goth crowd in the number of actual goths was limited to maybe two dozen a number about the same as the number of metal shirts I saw which ranged from the obvious Neurosis to Negura Bunget. I did spot an Obituary shirt but from judging by the gay mail man shorts this was for irony. I am guessing the decline in the goth contingent is some have allowed their to return to its natural color and re trying to blend in with "normal adults" in daily life or they know the Swans are sticking to their more current material with out Jarboe.

It could have been the mix but I noticed a more defined distinction between Gira and Westberg's guitar parts. Westburg kept the steady tension taunt accenting the abrasion as needed while Gira strummed more simmering chord progressions. This approach left Hahn to float over them with a layer ambiance and adding chaos to the dynamic builds in songs like "the apostate" where Gira's vocals live took on a snarl of a stooges era Iggy.

Overall, Swans are of course the most intense live act on the road and a clear example on what it means to be heavy without being metal. If my buzz from the show doesn't wear off by the end of the month Converge is going to seem juvenile when I see them in November. They maintained a level of musical integrity and relevance that's legendary and are an act any lover of intense or heavy music should catch after all they have had such a profound influence on everything from post rock to metal to industrial. Granted they are my favorite band , but I think the bias is in check s I went with some one who knows them by my t shirt and incessant rambling only and they went away wanting to hear more. So take there word not mine.

Set list
To be kind
Avatar
She loves us
Coward
The Seer
Nathalie
The Apostate

My Dying Bride : a Map of all our Failures

With My Dying Bride you should know what you are in for...frilly shirtd melodramatic goth metal. Now do you find that entertaining? If not go check out my Neurosis interview for burly man doom. I can get down with a girly adolescent vampire novel or two so let's proceed.

From the opener "Kneel til doomsday" we get church bells toiling and the melancholy menace though things pick where I suppose the chorus should be but My Dying Bride has a fluid style of riff blending that doesn't really follow typical song structure and feels ,ore like movements that verse chorus framework. They pick up the pace from the funeral dirge doom tempo into a gallop and even revving up into a last beat so they are aware it's 2012 and Black metal has become a thing since they released "Turn loose the swans".
The harsh vocals show up on the first track but the album as whole is sung in the baritone goth moan.

"the Poorest Waltz" drops back to the dreary pace you expect from these guys, however the melody on the verse I very catchy and doesn't follow the typical phrasing I except from long time vocalist Aaron Stainthrope. Though he does fall back on the typical lamentations on " a Tapestry scorned". The growls on this one don't do anything to add to the song and the god forsaken spoken word moments make it sound like a book on tape only the drums try to redeem this one.

"Like a Perpetual funeral" starts off like typical doom metal and opens up for the vocals to carry the verse with sparse accompaniment. The drummer is the bands secret weapon so not sure why he sits the first half of this one out, when he comes back in to provide a enough of a back bone for the vocals to sit against. The song builds into a wandering guitar solo but the vocal refrain is a nice touch.

On the title track I began to take note of the fact the guitar tone on this album is a lot cleaner , more like funeral doom that relying on distortion. Here it makes the verses more haunting and the more spoken sections of vocals aren't as annoying here for some reason.

"Hail Odysseus" feels like an awkward misstep when it goes into the more death metal section. Aaron's growls no longer convince me of any menace or darkness and the Gilligans island lyrical conent doesnt warrant the delivery nor the chants which do ork with the guitar accents and grew on me after repeat listens .

It feels like "in the Prescence of Abscence" is the first song where The violin caught my ear on this. This one goes the way of the weep with the drums lingering oppressively behind and pausing for fills. The drone is established in the first three minutes.
Though this one grew on me over time as well. "Abandoned as Christ" just feels better even though it's more of the same from these guys and the lyrics are the albums best.

Overall the changes made as a whole don't shake the boat too much and fall into a color by numbers of what the band does and is good at, even among fans of modern doom this is ong be an acquired taste despite what the band has done to pave the way for what we call funeral doom, the book on tape drama can be a little much so I will give this one a 7.5 with room to grow on so by the time I do my best of we will see if it moved up into an eight and the "abandoned as christ" song is so good I want to give it an eight for that alone.

While metal heads are notorious for not wanting bands to change, some of the lulls of this album are when the band falls back on the same weary doom riffs from the early nineties this burdens Stainthrope with having to carry the songs and while his voice is unique he can all to often default his bleating pleas.