Soziedad Alkoholika - Intoxikazión Etílika

Time for some hardcore. Or crossover. Anyway, this is Soziedad Alkoholika (something like Alkoholik Soziety, if you translated it into English), a pretty hardcore band from the Basque Country in Spain. These guys are so hardcore, for years they were banned from playing in many places in their native Spain under accusations that they used their profits to fund the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, better known as the ETA, an international terrorist/separatist organization that operates chiefly in Spain and southern France with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country.
Of course, the media can be a bit sensationalist.

The reality is this:
This band was formed in 1988, a time where many bands in the Spanish scene were shifting their punk style to metal.
This is their first demo released in 1990, containing one of their most famous and controversial songs, Nos Vimos En Berlín, that speaks out against the violence commited by Jews against others and is often taken by the media as an anti-Semite song.
Perhaps the acid lyrical content is not of much interest to most of my readers who don't understand the Spanish language, but the music might be. Like I said, this is the aggressive mix of hardcore and thrash metal that many call crossover, but unlike many bands labeled so, this isn't one leaning towards the other, or a band that plays one with the influence of another and then turns to the other. No... is is literally what happens when you combine primitive thrash metal and dissident hardcore at their best.

The only flaw this demo has is exactly that, that it's just a demo and you can't expect amazing production quality from a demo released almost 21 years ago. But many of these songs would resurface in later releases, and they would be the ones that would turn this band into the monster that it is today, widely recognized and successful in the underground of Spain and Latin America, in particular Mexico.

Soziedad Alkoholika - Intoxikazión Etílika

Tracklist:

1. S.H.A.K.T.A.L.E.
2. No Eres Mas [You Aren't More]
3. Por Favor Deja De Echarme Aceite Hirviendo En Los Ojos (Parte 1) [Please Stop Throwing Boiling Oil In My Eyes (Part 1)]
4. Intoxikazión Etílika [Ethylic Intoxication]
5. Nos Vimos En Berlín [We Saw Each Other In Berlin]
6. Lo Tienes Fácil [You Have It Easy]
7. Padre Black & Decker [Black & Decker Priest]
8. Kontra La Agresión Kastrazión [Against Aggression Castration]
9. La Última Partida [The Last Match]
10. Por Favor Deja De Echarme Aceite Hirviendo En Los Ojos (Parte 2) [Please Stop Throwing Boiling Oil In My Eyes (Part 2)]
11. Sin Dios Ni Ná [With No God Nor Nah]

Text between [ ] represents the translation of the titles.

Gorelord - Force Fed On Human Flesh

"10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 6... 6..."
That's how this awesome album begins.
As I described in my previous Gorelord post, this is a one-man project that plays brutal, groovy, fun death metal with memorable riffs.
In the style of Necrophagia, a band Frediablo played in at one point, the lyrical content is based on horror movie scenarios --including samples of horror movies-- and death metal clichés, and sometimes are so overdone, it feels a bit satirical. Whether that's Frediablo's intention or not, I ignore; but I find it slightly amusing.

Of interest to some may be that the final track of this album features guest performances by Frediablo's former bandmates in Wurdulak, Killjoy of Necrophagia and Maniac of Mayhem.

I highly recommend this to people who like the more atypical death metal and those who value cool riffs. This is probably not to the liking of most people who indulge in more traditional, well-known death metal, like Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Vital Remains, Morbid Angel, Necrophagist, Six Feet Under, etc...; especially if you take your death metal very seriously.

Gorelord - Force Fed On Human Flesh

Tracklist:

1. Dismember Virgin Limbs
2. Crushed Skull On Christian Shoulders
3. Crucified Goat Drenched In Blasphemic Blood
4. Force Fed On Human Flesh
5. Necrophilic Orgy In Entrails & Cum
6. Chainsaw Ripping Skin
7. Alive When Fucking The Dead
8. Maggots Impaled
9. Hell's Kitchen

Collide - Two Headed Monster

I figured I'd been posting way too much metal, so here's a pretty cool album if you're into gothic music.
This is Collide, a duo that's been together since 1992, located in Los Angeles, USA.
The band's name comes from the "collision" of sounds, with singer kaRIN's beautiful ethereal voice and composer Statik's awesome electronic music. As far as the music goes, it is a strange mix of darkwave, trip-hop and a little industrial/EBM and rock thrown in sometimes. This would be their fifth album, excluding their remix albums, and though not my favorite, a pretty cool one.

I would recommend this to anyone into gothic music, or anyone looking for something "softer" than what I usually post here, yet not quite conventional and certainly very interesting, but appropriate to kick back and relax to.

Collide - Two Headed Monster

Tracklist:

1. Tongue Tied & Twisted
2. Chaotic
3. A Little Too Much
4. Pure Bliss
5. Spaces In Between
6. Silently Creeping
7. Head Spin
8. Two Headed Monster
9. Shifting
10. Utopia

Adorned Brood - Heldentat

Today I'm gonna post 2006's Heldentat, the fifth album by Adorned Brood. I was introduced to this German band by a very special girl in my life sometime around 2007 or '08, and quickly became a fan of their first album, Hiltia, released in 1996, three years after the band formed.

The band's style was a different form of blackened folk metal, like most folk metal bands outside Spain, apparently. It was different because while the black metal influence was very big, it was very atypical... it was rather "musical", in my opinion. Perhaps when I post that album in the near future I'll find a better explanation.

I only acquired this one roughly a year ago, and only really discovered a few months after. This album, by contrast, features a style of folk metal that was very little to do with black metal. The vocals are mostly clean (and includes female vox), the distorted guitars, when used, have a very different down-tuned sound and play another type of riffs altogether, and the "metal" comes from short, explosive outbursts or just said guitars following a melody/harmony or playing a simple riff, rather than being an essential element.
The "folk" side of it remains similar, although it carries a lot more weight now than it did in Hiltia. It should be noted that, for their folk sound, they only use acoustic guitars and a flute. Nothing more.
Also, unlike previous albums where only one or two songs weren't in English, this is almost entirely sung in German.

In conclusion, if you want something a little bit different, or if you're a fan of folk metal (including the non-black metalish bands, like Skyclad, Mägo de Oz or Saurom Lamderth), this is for you.
Also, if your mates are into metal and drinking, there is a great alcohol anthem here (7 Tage Lang)!

Adorned Brood - Heldentat

Tracklist:

1. Es Ist Zeit... [It Is Time...]
2. Tanze Mit Dem Tod [Dance of Death]
3. In Vitro [Within Glass*]
4. Farewell
5. Sandmann [Sandman]
6. Der Albtraum [The Nightmare]
7. 7 Tage Lang [7 Days Long]
8. Tierra del Fuego [Land of Fire**]
9. Gezeichnet [Signed]
10. Felidae
11. Heldentat [Feat]
12. ...Sie Ist Erwacht [...She Is Awakened]

Text between [ ] represents the translation of the titles.
* = Translation from Latin.
** = Translation from Spanish.

Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters

This band is Ved Buens Ende, which means "by the end of the bow", in reference to Bifröst, the mythological burning rainbow bridge that connects Midgard and Asgard. The band formed in 1994, disbanded in '97, got together again in 2006 with plans to record a new album and called it quits again in early 2007 without taking their plans into action.
This is the only album they managed to record, although there's a demo too, which was recently re-released with bonus tracks, and which I'll be posting later.

This is rather obscure, although this band's small and scattered following seems pretty hardcore to me. Indeed, I'm a very big fan of the very little work they managed to put out.
I'll have to say... this is one of those albums I post where I have to warn you that this isn't for everyone. I got into this from the moment I hit "Play" the first time, but I understand many people have had a very hard time getting into this before becoming fanatics.
This album is... odd. Some would describe it as complex, atmospheric, doom-ish, jazzy, obscure metal with very basic black metal influences here and there. I don't know if I agree with that, but I'll agree that it's complex... very much so.
I'll come out with a cliché again and say that you'd have to listen to this.

I guess the best I can do is say that I consider this to be post-black metal, that I think it's silly that some people call it avant-garde despite the weirdness, and that if you're into black metal, post-black metal, the not-quite-"progressive" complex music and/or the weird, this is probably if interest to you. If not, it's very unlikely you'll find something here.


Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters

Tracklist:

1. I Sang For The Swans
2. You, That May Wither
3. It's Magic
4. Den Saakaldte
5. Carrier of Wounds
6. Coiled In Wings
7. Autumn Leaves
8. Remembrance Of Things Past
9. To Swarm Deserted Away

The Pianist OST

Time for another score/soundtrack!

This time it's the masterpiece of a movie that The Pianist (directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody and Thomas Kretschmann) was.

The score is written by Wojciech Kilar, although this album only really features a single, brief (but nice) track by him; the rest consists of Chopin's pieces. Some of my favorite compositions by him are featured here, and he's quite possibly my favorite "classical" composer.

If you have never heard Frédéric Chopin, slap yourself in the back of the head for me, and then get this. It's not optional.
I don't wanna rant for long, but Frédéric Chopin wrote some of the most beautiful and depressive music ever. It's not heart-breaking, it's unforgivingly heart-fucking-shattering. He's also easily one of the most skilled piano virtuosi that ever lived.

If you know Chopin and don't like him, then there is something wrong with you. Seriously.

The Pianist

Tracklist:

1. Nocturne in C-Sharp minor

2. Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1

3. Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1

4. Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38

5. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

6. Waltz No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34, No. 2

7. Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4

8. Andante Spianato, Op. 22

9. Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

10. Moving to the Ghetto Oct. 31, 1940 *

11. Mazurka in A minor, Op. 17, No. 4

* = the only track by Wojciech Kilar here.

The 3rd And The Mortal - Tears Laid In Earth

Today I feel like posting this album, The 3rd And The Mortal's debut album, Tears Laid In Earth.
This band formed in 1992, in Trondheim, Norway. Notably, one of the founding members was the gorgeous and amazing Kari Rueslåtten, who is today a famous pop singer in Norway, and who I will be posting later on.
This is the band that started it all. I think it's safe to assume that most of the average readers of this blog have at the very least heard of bands like The Gathering, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Epica and Theatre of Tragedy. All of those bands, and more, owe a lot to these guys.

The 3rd And The Mortal started out playing a form of doom metal that used distorted guitars and heavy drumming with clean guitars and Kari's beatiful voice.
They would later become more and more experimental.

I won't rant about this album. In fact, I don't think it's an amazing piece, although it has some pretty nice atmospheres, and excellent vocal work. What can I say? I'm a big fan of Ms. Rueslåtten, even though I'm not 100% sure how to pronounce her last name.
I would recommend this album to anyone who has any interest in metal history, particularly regarding all these famle-fronted bands, to hardcore fans of Kari, and to people looking for slower, darker stuff that's not quite the typical Doom.

The 3rd And The Mortal - Tears Laid In Earth

Tracklist:

1. Vandring
2. Why So Lonely
3. Atupoéma
4. Death-Hymn
5. Shaman
6. Trial of Past
7. Lengsel
8. Salva Me
9. Song
10. In Mist Shrouded
11. Oceana


EDIT: It has come to my attention that, for some bizarre reason, I posted this album missing one track... or rather, substituting one track for another in this band's following EP with another singer, a song called From The Depth of Memories... it's a great song, and I like it better than the one it substituted, but for the sake of doing things right, I'll be correcting this mistake and sharing said EP in the following days.

Dark Lunacy - Devoid

So I thought, why end the trend of Italian bands so soon?
Here's one I enjoy very much. Oblivious to this I was, until relatively recently, when a fine friend told me about this wonderful band over a bottle of scotch.
Now I bring you Dark Lunacy's debut album, Devoid.
This band was formed in Parma, Italy, in the year of 1997.

Founded by singer Mike "Lunacy" and guitarist Enomys. Joined by the first of many bassist and drummers, Harpad and Baijkal, respectively, the recorded this album in 1999 and released it the following year.

Enomys has described Dark Lunacy's music as "Dramatic Death Metal". Many of us, however, would say that they play a brand of Melodic Death Metal with strong Gothic influences and some Doom overtones.

As I said in the Lord Vampyr post, Dark Lunacy is one of those bands in Italy that writes good lyrics in what they express, but not precisely how they express them. Many of us can look past that and enjoy them (when we can understand them, anyway), but others wouldprobably find them amusing if not annoying for the sheer amount of grammatical errors.
Example?:

"From my vanish life
Take me, I run to you
And show me your beauty side
And save me
With your sacrifice"
The music itself is what I enjoy most about this band. Often sorrowful and melancholic in their own particular way, and very beautiful. It's a simple, typical formula, but the distinction comes with the addition of a string quartet, often playing simple but very beautiful arrangements that add a lot of color to the otherwise average composition. This is not to say the other instruments don't have their moments as well, but these are few and far between.
If you don't know this band but are curious, I highly suggest heading over to YouTube or the awesome GrooveShark and checking out my favorite song of theirs, and also this album's "hit", the gorgeous, brilliant track titled Dolls. I won't rant about that song alone because I don't want to create high expectations, but for many people, it's what makes them fall in love with this band. It's the song that no one can call overrated and mean it... to do so would be to blatantly and unsuccessfully try to be "kvlt" and "tr00".

Dark Lunacy - Devoid

Tracklist:

1. Dolls
2. Stalingrad
3. Forlorn
4. Frozen Memory
5. Cold Embrace
6. December
7. Devoid
8. Varen'Ka
9. Time For Decay
10. Fall
11. Take My Cry

Lord Vampyr - De Vampyrica Philosophia

Those are the two covers of this great album, titled De Vampyrica Philosophia, by Lord Vampyr.
As I mentioned in my previous post about Theatres des Vampires, this is Alessandro Nunziati's (aka Lord Vampyr) solo band.
It's very reminiscent of Theatres des Vampires, and fans of Alessandro's former band will very likely find a lot to like here, but don't be fooled. It's reminiscent; not a carbon copy. This band has its own sound and offers different things that TDV.
In relation to my previous post, I'll also state that this album is much heavier than Nightbreed of Macabria.

To those reading this and not having a clue what this is about: this is very well-played symphonic and melodic black metal, with gothic undertones, and a persistent lyrical theme about vampires and related subjects. This album in particular follows a story.
While I'm not one to demand that lyrics are good or have certain characteristic to them, I value lyrics I find enjoyable.
While Lord Vampyr doesn't seem to speak English with absolute dominion (quite far from that, actually...), a trait he seems to share with many of the more well-known Italian bands (Dark Lunacy, anyone?), if one looks beyond the evident grammatical errors, the lyrics paint interesting pictures. They are very well-expressed, in a way. And some people have stated that they find a certain charm in them. If you're a grammar nazi, then perhaps at the very least, you'll find it somewhat amusing.
Another point about this album that I value a lot, is Lord Vampyr's versatile vocals. He uses clean vox in various ranges, as well as black metal-like vocals, and a few spoken parts. That probably doesn't sound particularly varied, but there's a very clear difference between his melodious mid-high pitch clean voice and his deep, low clean voice.
Additionally, while the band is composed by the usual instruments for this type of music (guitars, drums, bass, keyboards & vox), the music feels varied. There are pianos, harpsichords, symphonic keyboards, acoustic guitars... there are blast-beats, slow piano parts, a weird keyboard solo at some point, and so on. I find that in metal, there's an endless amount of albums that have a sound. A whole album, a single sound. This is one of the reasons I had such a hard time getting nito the more extreme sub-genres like death, black and doom metal. I personally enjoy very much when I don't get that from an album, and this is one those cases. Perhaps to the average Madonna fan, a song like Die Herrschaft Des Bluts and a song like Morgana sound very much alike, but to the average metalhead, the whole composition style of the two tracks feels like a very big contrast. Indeed, the credits will reveal different members were involved in each song, and it's refreshing.


In conclusion, if you like melodic/symphonic black/gothic metal that doesn't feel like it's on one of the major labels, that doesn't give off that Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth commercial vibe, you're probably going to love this. If you're a fan of Theatres des Vampires, particularly the early/mid period, you'll likely dig this too.
However, I would generally recommend this very much to anyone who likes metal in general.

Lastly, if you like this but it's new to you, you may want to check out Theatres des Vampires.


Lord Vampyr - De Vampyrica Philosophia

Tracklist:

1. De Vampyrica Philosophia (Intro)
2. Carmilla...Whispers From The Grave
3. A Sad Litany Of Vampires
4. Nocturnal Vampire's Orgy
5. Blood Lovers
6. Morgana
7. The Ophelia's Ghost
8. Die Herrschaft Des Bluts
9. ...Now...Sleep...

Theatres des Vampires - Nightbreed of Macabria

On this occasion I bring to you an album I very much like.
This is Theatres des Vampires, a band that despite the French name, hails from Rome, Italy.
I actually once had a debate with some ignorant about the language of the band's name... she said it was Italian, but it takes only a little bit of knowledge in that language to know the name would be Teatri dei Vampiri. Her argument was that it didn't "look French." I had to explain to her that it doesn't "look French" because they omit the accents in the band's spelling; otherwise it'd be Théâtres des Vampires.
Contrary to popular belief, the name translates to English as Theatres of the Vampires, rather than Theatre of Vampires.

Irrelevant linguistics anecdote aside, this band was founded in 1994, after the demise of Sepolcrum (which later became VII Arcano), by their former members Lord Vampyr and Count Morgoth, real names Alessandro Nunziati and Roberto Cufaro, respectively.
They began playing black metal, of the more melodious sort, and became increasingly so, to a point where they became more of a gothic metal band with more extreme overtones, perhaps also a bit on the symphonic black metal path, one could say.
With this album, their sixth, and the following too, they dropped nearly all of their extreme metal elements and adopted a gothic metal sound closer to deathrock than their roots.
Lord Vampyr would leave the band and instead focus on his solo band after this album, and Count Morgoth would follow after the next album, leaving female vocalist Sonya Scarlet and company in charge of the band. They shifted to a gothic sound closer to darkwave, EBM and industrial in their latest album at the time of this writing, titled Anima Noir. They have an album scheduled for release in 2011.

Personally, I think this band's best era was the mid-period, when they went softer but kept it metal, still. This is their last great album according to me, and my favorite by them, without a doubt.
Whether you're into metal of all sorts, or into the numerous varities of gothic music, but particularly if you're into gothic, metal, and gothic metal, I think this album has something for everyone.
Gothic dance-ish beats like Macabria, symphonic metal stuff with great choruses like The Jester's Shadow, sorrowful gothic rock moments like in The Curse of Headless Christ, double bass drumming over plam-muted riffs on A Macabre Banquet, vocal duets in Lady In Black... and so on.
Another thing I like about this album, is that despite the variety, it does feel like a cohesive work. There are some themes here and there repeated throughout the album, but it's not made blatantly obvious. There are also certain atmospheres achieved throughout the album with different songs. On occasion, I play only a selected portion of the album so stay within a specific ambiance. And I'm able to play another portion to seek out different things.

In conclusion if this is the sort of stuff that appeals to you, you'll likely love this, if not as a whole, at least many of the great individual songs in this opus. If you're the kind of person who uses the term "faggoth" often, you're better off sticking to the first couple of albums, 'cause you'll hate this, no doubt.

Lastly, if you like this, you may want to check out Lord Vampyr.


Theatres des Vampires - Nightbreed of Macabria

Tracklist:

1. Welcome To Macabria
2. A Macabre Banquet
3. Lady In Black
4. Angel of Lust
5. Luciferia
6. Incubo #1
7. Macabria
8. The Jester's Shadow
9. The Golden Sin
10. Carnival Day
11. Incubo #2
12. The Curse of Headless Christ
13. Mourning Day
14. The Undertaker & The Crow
15. The Beginning of The End
16. La Danse MacabriA du Vampire

Carnival In Coal - Collection Prestige

Today I bring you some unusual music. This is Carnival In Coal, a French band formed in 1995 and disbanded in 2007, after a demo and four albums, this being the last of them, released in 2005.
This band plays a form of extreme metal mixed with pop, funk, disco and more, creating an extravagant, avant-garde style.
Truly, even if you're a fan of avant-garde music, you'd have to listen to this one for yourself.

Be warned, though: this band is not for everyone, and this album even less so. I would only recommend this to fans of the band and fans of the avant-garde and weird.

Carnival In Coal - Collection Prestige

Tracklist:

1. Party At Your House
2. Fuckable
3. Satanic Disaster
4. Right Click... Save As...
5. Cartilage Holocaust
6. The Lady And The Dormant Sponge
7. Delivery Day
8. Ohlala
9. Living In the Plastic Age (Buggles cover)
10. D.O.A. (Drunk Once Again)
11. Promenade

Rammstein - Rosenrot

Rammstein is a band that should need no introduction. Among the most successful bands from Germany in recent times to be sure.
They play either a very commercial form of Industrial Metal, or a very Industrial form of Nu-Metal. Different people have different views on that particular subject, but regardless, they are among the pioneers of the sound that has been called Neue Deutsche Härte; indeed, if the merit of starting the genre goes to Oomph!, the credit for making it as big as it is goes to this band.

This is their fifth album, released in 2005, and possibly my favorite to date. It has many great songs, including Rammstein's tribute to their large and dedicated fanbase in Mexico: Te Quiero Puta!
It's a song symbolic to me, but beyond that, it's of special interest because of the many related things the title can mean. Indeed, there are many different translations around. The word "puta" in Spanish is a shortened form of "prostituta" ("prostitute", clearly), but with time has gotten a meaning of its own. In Mexico, and quite probably most of the Hispanic world, the word is used as "whore" and "bitch" would be used in the anglo-parlant world... one being the perhaps relatively derogatory form of such profession (or behavior reminiscent of the profession) while the other is merely an insult typically (but not exclusively) directed at females; in fact, one of the two possible forms of "son of a bitch" in Spanish is "hijo de puta".
In addition to not knowing which of the two meanings of that word is, the lack of a comma could mean many things.
And finally, the verb "querer" (from which "quiero" comes) can mean to want, to like or to love, but it's very important to note that in the latter meaning, it differs significantly from "amar", the other verb used to express the same, because when "querer" is used it indicates more of a crush than true love, or otherwise not romantic love, but instead friendly affection or something along those lines. The cultural connotations of each of those two words as I've described are very common if not absolute in Mexico, and while I'm not 100% sure, I suspect in the rest of the Hispanic world as well.
So the song's title is intriguing because it can potentially mean:
"I Like/Love You[,] Whore/Bitch!"
"I Like/Love You [Being A] Whore/Bitch!" as in "I Like/Love [That] You [Are Being A] Whore/Bitch!"
"I Want You[,] Whore/Bitch!"
"I Want You [To Be A] Whore/Bitch!"
Et cetera...
The lyrics, unfortunately, do nothing to clear this up, and though they may not mean anything to those who don't speak Spanish, most of those who do --myself included--, find them highly amusing.


Sorry, [/endrant]
Now, on to the good stuff.


Rammstein - Rosenrot

Tracklist:

1. Benzin
2. Mann Gegen Mann
3. Rosenrot
4. Spring
5. Wo Bist Du?
6. Stirb Nicht Vor Mir (Don't Die Before I Do)
7. Zerstören
8. Hilf Mir
9. Te Quiero Puta!
10. Feuer Und Wasser
11. Ein Lied

And for fun, here's a translation of the tracklist, for those who don't understand German:

1. Petrol
2. Man Against Man
3. Red Rose
4. Jump
5. Where Are You?
6. Don't Die Before Me
7. Destroy
8. Help Me
9. I Love You Whore!*
10. Fire And Water
11. A Song

* = Very roughly, and open to interpretation. See my rant above...

Sigh - Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien

Sigh is a black metal band from Tokyo, Japan, formed in 1990, and led mainly by multi-instrumentalist and composer Mirai Kawashima.
Originally a black metal band, and notably signed to Deathlike Silence Productions (which released Sigh's debut album in 1993), the record label of Norwegian musician Euronymous, of Mayhem fame. With the years, Sigh took an increasingly experimental path to forge their distinctive progressive sound, leaving behind much of its black metal roots.
This particular album, one of their latest, sees a partial return to the band's older sound... in some way. It is far more oriented towards the old black metal than it is to their more recent experimental, avant-gardish form of progressive rock/metal with only black-ish vox. But it's not quite that either. The production is very clear, especially compared to everything they did before, and I dare say the extreme metal elements are more appriopriately described as modern rather than classic. It also features very strong symphonic elements, which they included before, but not in the past couple of albums if I recall correctly.
Additionally, I might as well call it a concept album, at least as far as music goes. Many themes or motifs are repeated throughout the album; in a sense, it does come across the movements of a whole symphony, which was probably the band's goal with this record anyway.

So in short, if you're a fan of Sigh, or if you're at all into weird black metal, post-black metal, and/or avant-garde music, I'd say you owe it to yourself to check this one out.

Hangman's Hymn: Musikalische Exequien

Tracklist:

Act I:

1. Introitus/Kyrie
2. Inked In Blood
3. Me-Devil

Act II:

4. Dies Iræ/The Master Malice
5. The Memories As A Sinner
6. Death With Dishonor
7. In Devil's Arms

Act III:

8. Overture/Rex Tremendæ/I Saw The World's End
9. Salvation In Flame/Confutatis
10. Finale: Hangman's Hymn/In Paradisum/Das Ende

Primordial - To The Nameless Dead

Primordial is a folk/black metal band from Skerries, Ireland, formed in 1987 but not really active until 1991.
They play a rather distinct form of music... it's not the sound that comes to mind when one reads/hears something like a "combination of folk and black metal." That sounds like cliché black metal with the folk influence here and there... I could name a hundred bands. Not necessarily bad, but I find Primordial's take on that set of words very refreshing indeed.
This band creates special atmospheres. I cannot describe them obectively, or by anything resembling objectivity. I won't make an attempt at ranting about it, because I don't feel like it today; but I'll just say, this is music I can get lost in, let my mind wander off...
In conclusion; if I had to describe this band and album in a few words, I'd go with: epic (overused at as it may nowadays), somber, atmospheric, sincere, intelligent, persistent. Great lyrics and amazing musical atmosphere that flows underterred.

Primordial - To The Nameless Dead

Tracklist:

1. Empire Falls
2. Gallows Hymn
3. As Rome Burns
4. Failures Burden
5. Heathen Tribes
6. The Rising Tide
7. Traitors Gate
8. No Nation On This Earth

Macabre - Dahmer

Macabre is one my favorite death metal bands. They started playing together in 1985, in Chicago, Illinois. Notably, they've never had a line-up change.

This long-lived group seems to have used two main different styles throughout the years.
The first is more 80s-like: fast, thrashy, somewhat low-fi, like many other bands in the genre at the time.
The second, newer sound is more of a "modern" sound, with cleaner production, but also slower, groovier, crunchier.
I really enjoy both styles. This band has always features a signature black humor in their lyrics almost exclusively dealing with serial killers and mass murderers, which combined with the afore-mentioned playings styles - which always feature amazing performances from each musician in their respective field - makes for a great, fresh sound, that despite being perfectly able to define the genre as an exmaple, is far from generic.

In this particular album, released in 2000, they only talk about one particular serial killer. As you might've guessed, that's Wisconsin's most (in)famous killer of all time, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, The Milwaukee Monster.
The album is a biography of the killer, and is therefore in chronological order.
I believe one of the bandmembers attended to Dahmer's trial, where he was found guilty of 15 of the 17 murders he was initially indicted with.

Macabre - Dahmer

Tracklist:

1. Dog Guts
2. Hitchhiker
3. In The Army Now
4. Grandmother's House
5. Blood Bank
6. Exposure
7. Ambassador Hotel
8. How 'Bout Some Coffee
9. Bath House
10. Jeffrey Dahmer And The Chocolate Factory
11. Apartment 213
12. Drill Bit Lobotomy
13. Jeffrey Dahmer Blues
14. McDahmers
15. Into The Toilet With You
16. Coming To Chicago
17. Scrub A Dub Dub
18. Konerak
19. Media Circus
20. Temple of Bones
21. Trial
22. Do The Dahmer
23. Baptized
24. Christopher Scarver
25. Dahmer's Dead
26. The Brain

Ihsahn - angL

The second of three solo albums so far released by Norwegian musician Ihsahn, better known as the frontman, guitarist and singer of black metal band Emperor. Released in 2008 and notoriously featuring Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth in one song, this is a pretty good album for those who like Emperor's late days, or somewhat unconventional black and prog metal in general; though in my opinion, the previous effort was even better.

Standout tracks include Misanthrope and Scarab.

Ihsahn - angL

Tracklist:

1. Misanthrope
2. Scarab
3. Unhealer
4. Emancipation
5. Malediction
6. Alchemist
7. Elevator
8. Threnody
9. Monolith

Revolutionary Road OST

This cold morning I want to share the score to a pretty good and relatively recent movie. Anyone who knows me well will know that I place Leonardo DiCaprio among my favorite actors. While this isn't one of my favorite movies or anything, I thought it was a rather enjoyable drama. DiCaprio is great here, but Kate Winslet is even better. And to further enhance the experience, we have Thomas Newman's great music in this film.
Mr. Newman is quite an accomplished composer, and quite possibly my favorite movie score composer in general. Some of you might know him, others might not know who he is, but he has done many great works, some of which I'll be posting in the future, including Road To Perdition, White Oleander, Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Jarhead and The Green Mile.
There's also a couple of 40s doo-wop songs as well.

So, if you're into scores, particularly those which are soft, beautiful, haunting and even pensive, then you're gonna like this!

Revolutionary Road OST

Composer: Thomas Newman

Featured artists: The Ink Spots, The Orioles, The Ravens.

Tracklist:

1. Route 12
2. Picture Window
3. The Bright Young Man
4. Hopeless Emptiness
5. Unrealistic
6. Count Every Star [The Ravens]
7. Simple Clean Lines
8. Speaking of Production Control
9. Golden People
10. Night Woods
11. Crying In The Chapel [The Orioles]
12. April
13. A Bit Whimsical
14. Revolutionary Road (End Title)
15. The Gypsy [The Ink Spots]

Gorelord - Zombie Suicide Part 666

Today I bring you my favorite album from one of my favorite death metal bands. Well, actually, it's a one-man project, but still...
This man is Frediablo. Some of you might recognize him... he's the guitar player who stepped in around the time when Anton Crowley (Pantera's Phil Anselmo) was in Necrophagia.
He also played with his brother Fug on Killjoy's other more black metal-ish project, Wurdulak, a prominent band as Mayhem's Maniac formed part of the line-up; Gorelord would release two splits with Wurdulak in 2001 and the following year.

In September 2005, Frediablo issued a statement, announcing that he was quitting all of his numerous bands, except Grimfist, so he could focus on this solo project.

This is the second of three albums released so far, with another one supposedly in the way since 2007.
Groovy death metal, with solid instrumentation and memorable riffs... that's how I can describe this album, briefly.
Check out for yourself:

Gorelord - Zombie Suicide Part 666

Tracklist:

1. Stench of Flesh Decomposing
2. Screams Choked To Silence
3. Dreams Of The Macabre
4. Horror Gore & Unreligion
5. Outback
6. Shrieks Of The Undead
7. Cumfucked Face Of Death
8. Four Ways To Heaven One Way To Hell
9. I Am Master Here
10. Alive When Fucking The Dead (Demo)
11. Necrophilic Orgy In Entrails & Cum (Demo)

Salem - A Moment of Silence

Today I bring some great Israeli metal, from a friend's request.
This band is Salem, the first extreme metal band from Israel and pioneers of the Oriental Metal movement. They play a form of Doom/Death Metal that features Oriental scales, which sound pretty exotic to us in the West, but it also sounds great in metal.
Definitely check them out if you're into the more well-known Melechesh or Orphaned Land!

Salem formed in 1985, and have released six full-length albums since then. This is their second, and considered by many, including myself, their best album to date (probably the most accessible, too). Then again, I haven't listened to their new album, though the reviews are not favorable so far.
This album has many songs I consider classic, not only for Salem, but songs that should be metal classics. One such song is the title track, without a doubt.

But I'll let you see for yourself and decide...

Salem - A Moment of Silence

Tracklist:

1. A Moment of Silence

2. Winter's Tears

3. Hour Glass

4. Flames

5. Set The Controls

6. In Another Dimension

7. The Worst To Come

8. An Unwanted Guest

9. Symbiosis

10. Eyes to Match A Soul

11. Who Will Comfort Me Now?

Stahlhammer - Feind Hört Mit

Stahlhammer is a Neue Deutsche Härte/Industrial Metal band from Austria, formed in 1992.
This is their third album, Feind Hört Mit (roughly "The Enemy Is Listening In"), and as with most of their music, is almost entirely in German.

If you're into the NDH sound, industrial, and/or heavy, tight, catchy riffs, this is definitely for you!

Stahlhammer - Feind Hört Mit

Tracklist:

1. Was Ist Das ["What Is That"]
2. Am Liebsten Von Hinten [roughly "Preferably From The Rear"]
3. Feind Hört Mit ["The Enemy Listens In"]
4. Der Mann Mit Dem Koks ["The Man With The Coke"] (Falco cover)
5. Herz Aus Stahl ["Heart of Steel"]
6. Schlag Mich ["Hit Me"]
7. Messerschmied ["Knife Smith"]
8. Jeanny (Falco cover)
9. Kein Schöner Land ["None More Beautiful Land"]
10. Strom Der Zeit ["Current of Time"]

Týr - By The Light of The Northern Star

Týr is a notorious viking metal band from the Faroe Islands formed in 1998.
This is their fifth full-length album, released in 2009, and apparently a bit of a fan favorite.

Indeed, with its nordic imagery, great riffs, epic lyrics and overall vibe, fantastic guitar solos, and progressive undertones, this is a very enjoyable album.


Týr - By The Light of The Northern Star

Tracklist:

1. Hold The Heathen Hammer High

2. Tróndur í Gøtu

3. Into The Storm

4. Northern Gate

5. Turið Torkilsdóttir

6. By The Sword In My Hand

7. Ride

8. Hear The Heathen Call

9. By The Light of The Northern Star

Cor Scorpii - Monument

Cor Scorpii is one of the two bands that rose from the ashes of Windir, after the tragic demise of Valfar.
In 2005, they released their demo, which received much praise from critics as well as fans.
Later, in 2008, they released this album, Monument, which at the time of this post, is the only full-length album by the band; although it has been reported that a follow-up album is the in the works.

Featuring an air of nostalgia and melancholy, Cor Scorpii's atmospheric and highly melodic brand of black metal is undoubtedly reminiscent of Windir.
And so, without any further ado:

Cor Scorpii - Monument

Tracklist:

1. Ei Fane Svart

2. Endesong

3. I, The Damned

4. Our Fate, Our Curse

5. Helvetesfossen

6. Oske Og Innsikt

7. Kjettar

8. Bragder I Stein

Old Boy OST

Today I bring with me the delightful score of what I consider the masterpiece of modern South Korean cinema: Old Boy.

Old Boy is a 2003 South Korean movie directed by Park Chan-Wook and starring Choi Min-Sik, Yu Ji-Tae, and Kang Hye-Jeong. It's the second part in Park's Vengeance Trilogy, although the three movies are only tied by a theme of vengeance, rather than plot.

If you're not already a big fan and you happen to like intelligent, independent, unconventional films, you owe it to yourself to check it out!

This is the amazing, gorgeous score.
Enjoy!

Old Boy OST

Composer: Yeong Wook Jo (or Jo Yeong-Wook in Korean)

Tracklist:

1. Look Who's Talking
2. Somewhere In The Night
3. The Count of Monte Cristo
4. Jailhouse Rock
5. In A Lonely Place
6. It's Alive!
7. The Searchers
8. Look Back In Anger
9. Vivaldi "Four Seasons" - "Winter" 1st Mov.
10. Room At The Top
11. Cries And Whispers
12. Out of Sight
13. For Whom The Bell Tolls
14. Out Of The Past
15. Breathless
16. The Old Boy
17. Dressed To Kill
18. Frantic
19. Cul-De-Sac
20. Kiss Me Deadly
21. Point Blank
22. Farewell, My Lovely
23. The Big Sleep
24. The Last Waltz

Wilkommen!

I had been wanting to start one of these for a while.
May this be a phrontistery for those with a barathrum for new music, and occasionally as a personal growlery for my soliloquies of cognitive profligacy, prolixity and amphigory.

Cheers!