Gnaw Their Tongues – “An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14909

 

Scary music: how do we define it? It seems that all sorts of music can be disturbing. For Metal, there are those albums that we are afraid to listen to in the dark, such as Sunn O)))’s Black One or your favorite Darkspace album. Blut Aus Nord also comes to mind, a band often compared to Gnaw Their Tongues in terms of dissonant fright.

Yet why are the two bands compared? The Work Which Transforms God is a cohesive, structured Black Metal album, while An Epiphanic Vomiting of Blood seems more an amorphous cacophony of what I’ll define as Industrial Noise Doom. What merits the association, actually, is the emotional disturbance both albums bring upon you. Dissonant tones come in cold waves. The human presence withers away into deathly terror.

People have compared this album to a horror movie soundtrack. I disagree because a good horror flick is more subtle than violent. This album slogs through an ocean of chaos. Noisy walls of distortion wash over you at the behest of a deep bass and sparse mechanical drumming. Screams from the back of your brain slowly erode your sanity, as a demented orchestra plays a requiem of hellfire. The symphonics on this album appear frequently, often as string overtures and brass fanfares. Subtlety is spared for down tempo bombast.

For Metal fans, the first listen is exciting. But with repeated listens the novelty wears off. Either you abandon this one trick pony or you challenge yourself to finding the deeper meaning, a regulating force to this anarchy. Personally I’ve concluded that there is no solution to this puzzle. It’s really one big messy experiment, an alternative experience. This is geared not at a Metal-oriented audience as much as towards those who pursue whatever’s least accessible. Gone are the safety nets of conventional music: discernible tempos and rhythms, melodic themes, and any sense of order. You’re missing the point if you try to focus on these things. Take it for what it represents: the dark uncertainty of our existence, that there is no governing force in this cold universe, no Platonic good to strive for. Perhaps this is why the music seems so disturbing, that the natural harmony of music is only a human perversion of the cosmic static.

( Online September 8, 2008 )

College is a Work of Merit

For those of you who’d rather see me expound upon the less music-oriented sphere of my life, I thought I’d share a few things with you on how the first month of sophomoredom is so far going. First off, Zev and I have lost not an once of zeal in our academic pursuits, and no less for our culinary elitism. York Commons, where we both ate almost every day last year, has fallen from grace (and no longer opens on weekends), forcing us to explore all that UMaine has to offer and beyond. We eat at York once a week but also go to Hilltop for a similar all-you-”care”-to-eat experience, while the a la carte Memorial Union is convenient to my evening classes. Last night we went out to Pat’s Pizza, which is the only decent restaurant I’m aware of that takes Black Bear Bucks. Zev and I went back there this morning for their breakfast menu (omelette pizza?).

Dining obsessions aside, I’ve found more purpose in my classical studies, as I have earned two offices through the Work Merit program (like Work Study but no credit and no financial qualification bullshit). I’m getting paid by the university to be a Latin tutor, and I already have a client to work with every Monday. In addition to gaining this valuable teaching experience, I will be taking part in a research project as a bibliographer. My job will be to find as much information as I can on the Greek historian Xenophon’s work On Horsemanship. This is a joint venture of the Classics and Biology departments. It should be another worthwhile experience actually using the Fogler Library for something other than a quiet space.

Aside from school stuff, I’m taking bass lessons with Benjamin Moors, a UMaine grad student, and that has so far done wonders for my progress in putting together Xanthus‘ forthcoming debut Pro Gloria Aetatum. Nick has a new song on the way and is rerecording the older songs while I’ve been laying down bass lines and drum tracks. Ryan Page has so far contributed an absolutely godly guitar solo for the song “Iterum Ad Bellum.” This album should be as epic as its theme, the Aeneid.

Here’s a prototype album cover:

Kastigation – “Solitas Votum”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=6&id=14816

For a band whose demo title is almost Latin for “Prayer For Solitude,” Kastigation go the opposite direction by teaming up an unusual cast of characters into a Black Metal syndicate. Just by listening you would never guess the lead guitarist is a teenage girl and the rhythm guitarist is in the United States Air Force. Black Metal is no longer just for the anarchist introvert dwelling on an icy mountaintop or the depths of his basement.

While the atmosphere is about as ethereal as a garage jam can be, it suits Kastigation’s up-tempo approach. The guitars never sustain a riff too long, nor do the drums hang on the same beat. There are so many drum fills that they threaten the flow of the music at times. You can sense that these musicians are barely keeping their technical prowess in check. Still, they are not afraid to sport some flares of Death Metal and progressive highlights.

Songs like “Then We Prevail” take the genre’s elements down to earth, with double bass drums thundering beneath an ever-evolving vortex of aggression. All the while the vocalist spits hateful acid to complement the instrumental fury. Guitar leads frequently shine forth, and a couple bass solos help create contrasts in intensity.

These Coloradoans are fierce but they don’t rely on Norsecore blast-beats to deliver their message. The compositions are too deep to hide behind a constant wall of snares. Their melodies are neither depressive nor malicious, but passionately engaging.

This band was built for the concert stage, which explains why the production sounds more like a live recording than a studio mix. Still I wonder how this band would sound with a higher-grade production job, as it willingly transcends the basic Black Metal aesthetic. Hopefully some attention from labels can beef up the sound on future outputs.

( Online August 26, 2008 )

Blacklodge – “SolarKult”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14838

Warning to all Black Metal fans. Prepare for a new experience unlike any other so far explored by your precious genre. It started with Mysticum planting the seeds, and Aborym’s cultivation: a virus spreading through the French underground. Industrial Black Metal can no longer be contained, and Blacklodge has pioneered this monstrous fusion to the next level. At last, pulsating industrial beats meet blackened fury without compromise or adulteration. We’re not talking about your minimalist Blut Aus Nord approach. The riffs on Solarkult are more technical, but in line with both the Black Metal vibe and the myriad industrial beats hammering below them. What’s so special about this band is the frequent use of EDM-style synthesized drums, as opposed to the standard “rock kit” drums programmed by bands like Limbonic Art. The difference you feel is the bass drum playing a larger role, acting as the beating heart of the album. Oftentimes it carries the rhythm on its own without the snare. This is also effective in blast-beat sections where the bass drum is the only one keeping time. This album is so surgically engineered that it’s even devoid of keyboards. There’s no need for catchy keys to distract any listener who dedicates his or herself to uncovering the deeper meaning within the guitar lines. Songs like “Angels Refinery” and “Templars” will be most ear-pleasing on the first listen, but once you get used to this unusual sound, you’ll become equally entranced by the less accessible tracks. And with over an hour of material to navigate through, you could listen to this album twenty times and still get hooked on a certain song like didn’t like before. Slowly but surely, it all makes sense. One reason this album endures so well is its dual nature. Since this is both a Metal album and an Industrial album, you could listen to it both ways. Two magnets of opposite polarities become twice as powerful when combined, but when pulled apart they are still effective on their own. Subtract the computerized beats, putting a real drummer behind these riffs, and you have a quality Black Metal album. Take away the guitars from these techno drums, and it still stands on its own in the eyes of industrial enthusiasts (industrialists?). This union of Black Metal and Industrial pervades the lyrics entirely. Ever since Mysticum started the whole “Planet Satan Revolution,” many bands in the same vein have conceptualized the dark lord as a pharmaceutical medium. Solarkult seems to be a concept album about how Satan enslaves humanity through drugs and technology. However you interpret it, what Saint Vincent sings about is as darkly bizarre as his delivery, as if your typical Black Metal vocalist was committed to an insane asylum. Solarkult is almost frightening in how it so perfectly combines two distinct genres without making concessions. This is a must for those not offended by mixing Industrial into their Black Metal. On the flip side, Industrial fans looking into extreme Metal can use this to acclimatize. But whichever your persuasion, this is guaranteed to be one of your most unique listening experiences. Whether you headbang to the riffs or dance to the beat, this is well worth your dedication.  ( Online August 28, 2008 )

WEBSTREAM IS UP AND RUNNING!

I never thought I’d see the day, but the folks over at WMEB finally jerry-rigged a solution to our plight. Beginning Sunday, September 14th, “Ministry of Metal” will be listenable worldwide from 7 to 10 PM. Local listeners can still tune in to 91.9 FM, but thanks to a temporary server a global audience can now experience high quality sound from UMaine’s Metal guru. 

To listen to my show, or any show on WMEB, simply click this hyperlink: http://130.111.184.106:8000/live.m3u

Clicking on the above link should automatically open your default music player, and the stream should start. If this does not happen, here are some instructions for opening the stream manually:

iTunes Users: Copy the URL, then open iTunes. Under “Advanced”, select “Open Stream”. Paste the URL into the text field, then click “Open”. This will permanently add the WMEB-FM webstream to your iTunes library.

 

Winamp Users: Copy the URL, then open Winamp. Under “File”, select “Play URL”. Paste the URL into the text field, then click “Open”.

 

 

Windows Media Player Users: Copy the URL, then open Windows Media Player. Under “File”, select “Open URL”. Paste the URL into the text field, then click “OK”.

 

Please bookmark the webstream link or else go to “WMEB Webstream” under the Metal heading on the right side of the main page. Happy listening!

Praeter Caelestis – “Ghost of Gods”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14749

 

Now, before some of you Latin scholars out there cry bad grammar, be assured that the moniker of Praeter Caelestis is correct, for it is a medieval derivation. Too many Black Metal bands pervert this ancient language to look cool, but to those like me who give a darn, it comes off as silly posing. For those unenlightened, the band’s name means “Beyond the Heavenly,” or as I interpret it, “Beyond the Gods.”

The music presented here is a doggie biscuit to any symphonic Black Metal connoisseur. Specifically, we have ourselves another Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk emulator on our hands. Synthesized symphonics don’t carry the melody; rather they accentuate the deftly crafted riffs. Praeter Caelestis studies the same “sophisticated Black Metal art” that inspired albums like Nokturnal Mortum’s To the Gates Of Blasphemous Fire and Crionics‘ Armageddon’s Evolution.

What sets this album on its own are the female vocals, which reminisce of Covenant’s Nexus Polaris opus. As for the lead vocals, these mid-pitched growls are competent, but fail to match the intensity of the other instruments, as compared to competing albums of this style. This is no blemish, but a place where improvement is suggested. 

Depending on how you view it, this album is a epic journey, or perhaps too long for its own good. It’s great that a band wants to showcase all of its hard work, but any recipe tastes better when you boil it down to concentrate the flavors. In other words, quality over quantity! My favorite album this year is barely over a half hour. 

The production is heavy, aggressive, modern and unorthodox in regards to Black Metal. It’s a tough game to play, given that Anthems… is the gold standard, and this music comes within sight of the mark. Mindful of the rift in Emperor fandom, this album favors the Anthems… camp over those who prefer the more ethereal In The Nightside Eclipse. So if you like your symphonic Black Metal hard, heavy, and intelligent, a la later Limbonic Art and Dimmu Borgir, Ghost Of Gods will sate your craving.

( Online August 15, 2008 )

Fall Classes: First Assessment

I’ve completed my first week of classes, so I’ll pass my judgment through these first impressions…

HON 211 – Civilizations: Past Present & Future III

This is the third semester of the Honors sequence, focusing on literature from the late Renaissance up through the 19th century. The texts cover philosophy, history, science, religion, politics, and basically anything that lends perspective of the past and the development of Western Civilization. As we steamroll through the Age of Discovery, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution we meet the likes of Shakespeare, Galileo, Rousseau, Locke, Darwin, Marx and many more. We read The Tempest for the summer read and the first lecture (courtesy of the infamous Michael Palmer) once again cast the text as a Platonic metaphor. My favorite part about this course is how the various ideas are connected between the ages. I just finished reading Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius, which is sure to recall Aristotle and the debate of humankind’s place is the scheme of the universe.

GRE 101 – Elementary Ancient Greek I

This class has been a breeze so far, given that Greek is grammatically identical to Latin. But given a new set of vocabulary and spelling mechanics, I’m starting at square one. I plan on working this language well into my post-graduate studies. It also goes towards my Classics Minor along with classes like Mythology, Ancient Philosophy and Greco-Roman History.

PSY 224 – Adolescent Psychology

This is a requirement for all Secondary Education majors. It gets rather intimate with teen issues and explores the adolescent mind. So far we’ve covered all the lovely details of puberty. Meh.

LAT 453 – Poetry of the Late Republic & Early Empire

This is my only Latin class this semester, a seminar in which we translate the works of Catullus and Horace. This class should advance my understanding of Latin poetic conventions and metrics. In addition to this class I am applying to be a Latin tutor, a paid position through the Work Merit program.

COS 120 – Intro to Computer Programming

This satisfies part of my Mathematics Gen-Ed. requirements. We’re learning the basics of programming language using VisualBasic, which, as implied by the name, is a more graphic-oriented program for simple computational function, or something like that. I’m really hoping they offer a “History of Mathematics” course soon which can take care of my other Math requirement.

 

In addition to these courses, I have signed up for weekly bass lessons with a UMaine grad student. I have also resumed weightlifting at the Fitness Center three days a week, and I plan on attending some of the Honors 111 lectures to refresh me on the Classics. Add to that the radio show, review writing and potential tutoring, and I’m looking to have a very productive semester.

Behexen – “My Soul For His Glory”

Published by The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14638

 

There are very few albums out there from which every single song can be called a favorite. Each track from Emperor’s Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk, for example, is prone to get stuck in my head, beckoning me to return to that album for another go. The latest long-player from Finland’s Behexen, for me at least, has become one of those albums. I can’t remember the last album I listened to so many times in such a short period of time.

And of course there is reason to this. My Soul For His Glory is a fresh mix of the best Black Metal has to offer. Dirty riffing and blasts serve only as the necessary filler to make the majority of this album sound even sweeter. Most songs feature this formula of faster sections giving way to slower, mid-paced sections. “Born in the Serpent of the Abyss” (>mp3) is a prime example of this, as it transitions from blasting chaos, to a mid-paced groove, and then into a sonic landscape of chanting, backed by the very audible bass, and even an emotional guitar solo. The following “Demonic Fleshtemple,” however, provides memorable moments at a consistently fast pace.

As just mentioned, the bass is not only well-represented, it plays a role almost equal to the guitars, often playing its own harmony and deepening this already profound work of “orthodox” Black Metal. The Finnish sound is known for its heavy bass, but Behexen work it into a production quite similar to that of Casus Luciferi and Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice (again with the orthodoxy). Guitar leads waft like ether above the heavy rhythm section, while the drumming never stagnates.

We all have those individual songs we love to go back to again and again to give just one more listen. The same notion applies to this entire album. That statement alone speaks for the quality songwriting presented here. Tapping into the darkest emotions, My Soul For His Glory sustains a cathartic ebb and flow. Daily it beckons me to another satisfying listen. We’re halfway through 2008 and so far nothing has topped this. It’s got another six months before it might join Aborym (‘06) and Deathspell Omega (‘07) for my “Album of the Year” certification.

( Online July 26, 2008 )

…And We’re Back!

Summer has finally reached its conclusion, and here I sit on the edge of a new descent into chaos. I’m all settled in at 316 Balentine Hall here at the University of Maine for my sophomore year. It feels great to reunite with all my friends and peers, whether our interests are academic or musical. At week’s end I’ll give a primary assessment of all my new classes.

I’ve got a slew of published reviews ready to be syndicated to the blog, so expect plenty of fresh material flooding onto this page. I’d say the links could use some updating as well. 

As for the realm of radio, WMEB’s “Ministry of Metal” will debut its second season next Tuesday (9/9) at 9:00 PM Eastern time, and will run every week till midnight. All I’ll say about the webstream is that it’s a “work in progress.”

I’m hoping to keep this blog active throughout the busy school year, so please leave comments to validate my effort!

So I’ll leave you with some pictures of my new dorm room. You’ll see I took advantage of the extra wall space. Click on each picture for full size.