Spring Semester Courses

Taking a break from all the Metal mayhem, I’ll provide my traditional course assessment for the new semester. I’m turning up the heat and tackling 21, count ‘em 21 credits this spring. Among them are three languages, so it should be a lot of fun.

Italian I

Even before showing up I knew this class would be easy. Italian is basically a cross between French and Latin, two languages I’m very familiar with of course. I’m taking this course for two reasons. First, it will be useful when I travel to Rome (for sure the highlight of my life!), and it’s a part of my Honors thesis project, which involves Dante’s Inferno, my second favorite book of all time. Even more exciting about the thesis is that I’ll be translating part of my first favorite book, Vergil’s Aeneid.

 Latin Prose of the Late Republic & Early Empire

This next installment of the advanced Latin sequence focuses on the prose writings of Julius Caesar and Cornelius Tacitus and their discourses on Roman Britain. This class has only three people, the “Triumvirate” of James Brophy, Joe Mileson and myself, with Tina Passman ex cathedra. Since it’s just us, we’re shooting for a graduate-calibre pace. My first assignment was over 500 lines!

 Educational Psychology

This is the final entry-level requirement for secondary ed. majors, before I submit my “e-folio” and qualify for advanced teaching courses. As the name implies, this explores the role of psychology in accounting for students’ behavior and learning in the classroom. So far we’ve covered theories of learning/cognitive development and how they apply to the teaching practice.

 Civilizations: Past Present & Future IV

This final chapter of the epic Honors tetrarchy brings us to the threshold of the 20^th century. With thousands of years of history, philosophy and science behind us we now see how minds such as Nietzsche, Freud and Du Bois apply and synthesize ideas into a new century of modern thought. My love for antiquity will be challenged, but I anticipate on gaining more appreciation for more recent discourses. Better yet, Zev is in my preceptorial seminar, forming yet another intellectual triumvirate with our partner in crime, Quinn.

 Elementary Ancient Greek II

This is a continuation of the course with the book Athenaze, which is the Greek equivalent to Ecce Romani. This semester is just four of us: the Latin Triumvirate plus Megan. So now it’s more like the cast of Seinfeld. Now that we’ve streamlined we’re picking up the pace and should be reading Thucydides in no time (well not quite).

Introduction to Astronomy

I actually took astronomy in high school in place of physics. The subject always interested me, despite its use of mathematics. I needed to satisfy a science-lab prerequisite and this was more fun than geology or biology, but less math-intensive than chemistry or physics. The class consists of lectures by the eccentric Dr. Comins, and a laboratory unit taught by a Chinese TA whose English is barely intelligible. It’s a good thing I’m already learned on this subject or I’d be completely lost.

Deathspell Omega – “Manifestations 2002″

2007 saw the release of Fas – Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum as the second panel in a monumental triptych begun three years prior. It was a clear departure from many standards of Black Metal, even the revolutionary Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice. Many fans embraced this new brand of dark, calculated chaos. Abandoned were those too conservative to stray beyond their Black Metal orthodoxy.

For this latter group (but really all DsO fans in general) the Manifestations compilations are a glorious blessing. We feel like archaeologists who discovered a lost history. This is especially true on Manifestations 2002, of which no material was released prior. Like filling in gaps in the fossil record, we can now appreciate how these French Darkthrone worshippers evolved into the apotheosis of Black Metal’s 3^rd wave.

So you can see why those wary of the latest material are beyond excitement. Just the artwork itself foreshadows the storm of darkness and hatred unleashed upon pressing play. “Tyrants And Slaves” delivers such an assault, with relentless blast-beats and oppressive riffing. Rasping amidst the tempest are Shaxul’s shrieks, higher pitched than Mikko’s signature growls, reflective of the band’s adolescence. This track also showcases the haunting melodies their lead guitars are capable of.

As a transition piece, Manifestations 2002 reveals a step up in complexity and a firmer grip on their craft. With this they rise to a level beyond even their countrymen Antaeus’s latest output, Blood Libels. But amidst this passion and vigor we find elements employed in their later material. For example, “Procreation Epidemic” contains the same melody used to greater effect in “Kénôse II” three years later. With this compilation (though all from a single recording session) the jump from the formulaic Inquisitors of Satan to Si Monumentum… no longer seems miraculous, but a logical progression. The music itself is evidence of a turbulent era, from which Shaxul departed the band, citing the clandestine philosophy that DsO was adopting.

This is by no means a money-grabber compilation of B-sides. This was material intended for release, but pushed aside in preparation for the band’s monolithic breakthrough. Currently on their way to the trinity’s conclusion, the band has unveiled a hidden chapter crucial to understanding the coalescence of a cryptic vision. And even for those new to the band, this is the perfect place to start. For this is supreme quality Black Metal by any standards: vicious, melancholy, and dark as the depths of Erebus. Manifestations 2002 is further proof that Deathspell Omega are the pontifices maximi of post-millennium Black Metal. 

Limbonic Art – “In Abhorrence Dementia”

Too often an album is reviewed after only a few listens. This temptation befalls not only zealous fanboys and “noobies”, but also the more literate demands of a zine reviewer. I had belonged to both classes of writers, but after a long hiatus I have returned with a new idea of what it means to justly encapsulate an album’s merit into words. So I begin with In Abhorrence Dementia, one of few albums I have given so much devotion to fully understand and appreciate.

For the span of a year I honored Limbonic Art as my favorite band. I immersed myself in their works, giving every detail its due. At this moment only a fraction has withstood the test of time. Moon in the Scorpio captivates me with a transcendent aura, while Ad Noctum provides a malevolent catharsis to my deepest hatred. But in between these opuses comes the masterstroke, the pinnacle of complexity and creative energy: In Abhorrence Dementia.

I came to understand this monument not only as Black Metal or even symphonic Black Metal, but as the transcendence of the former and the quintessence of the latter. Imagine Black Metal as Judaism and symphonic Black Metal as Christianity. Limbonic Art as saviors have resurrected from the ashes of the 2nd wave a fresh interpretation of extreme music. They sculpt the maligned dualism of SBM not into a unity of opposites but a colossal symphony. For as Beethoven expanded the classical orchestra, Limbonic Art count guitars and percussion not as the base elements but as just another rank of instruments: stops on the console. 

Such a paradigm is unique to In Abhorrence Dementia, where on other albums the standard Metal template was favored. That’s not to say the aesthetic is gone; punishing drumbeats, atmospheric guitars and banshee vocals pervade the massive soundscape this album conveys. Through this ether the orchestra weaves melodies and harmonies at multiple levels. For example, the flutes take center stage opening songs like “Descend to Oblivion” while the piano shines on “A Demonoid Virtue”. The full range of synthesized instruments work in ensemble rather than taking turns backing up the guitars. One could listen to this album ten times and focus on a different layer each time.

This diversity flows with remarkable consistency, from ambient passages to majestic climaxes. The latter of which often demonstrates the best use of clean vocals in Black Metal (i.e. the title track). It runs the gamut of emotions, from brooding darkness to apocalyptic glory, to carnivalesque insanity. A church organist once called this the “soundtrack to a Hieronymous Bosch painting.” It is a must for any metalhead inclined toward classical music. So rarely is the synchronization of extreme metal and classical music so deftly executed: Limbonic Art’s finest hour.

Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2008

Happy New Year! 2009 has arrived, and it’s time to list my favorite Black Metal albums from the now previous year. As a bonus, I made a short film counting down each album, with a sample song and artwork from each. Enjoy!

 

And the list…

10. I SHALT BECOME – WANDERINGS

This USBM solo project, a decade dormant, resurges in a cloud of melancholy, atmospheric Black Metal. A stronger effort that the stale debut Wanderings, Requiem presents a clearer production and more use of synthesizers to paint a depressive picture. For fans of the mellower side of the genre. 

9. NEO INFERNO 262 – HACKING THE HOLY CODE

Industrial Black Metal is a hit-or-miss genre. This attempt is a French “supergroup” of members from Antaeus, Arkhon Infaustus and Vorkreist. They do it right, with twisted riffs and eclectic samples set over trance beats and inhuman blast volleys. There’s never a dull moment on this, one of the most unique albums I’ve yet to hear.

 8. LEVIATHAN – MASSIVE CONSPIRACY AGAINST ALL LIFE

This is Wrest’s magnum opus. Years of countless demos and splits culminate in this moment of grandeur. The Deathspell Omega influences help, but it’s Leviathan at its core. The scariest part, though, is that Wrest claims to have a few similar albums waiting in the wings.

 

7. VENEFICIUM – DE OCCULTA PHILOSOPHIA: A MISSAE TENEBRAE

 

This is symphonic Black Metal taken to the next level. Rather than laying synths over a Metal track, Veneficium play classical music with Black Metal instrumentation. Backed by strings and a mighty organ, the compositions ebb and flow with uncompromising power.

 

6. ARCKANUM – ANTIKOSMOS

 

Shamanistic ritual meets straight-up Black Metal styling. Their first full-length in a decade busts out crunchy, catchy and epic riffs, organic drumming and signature vocals.

 

5. NACHTMYSTIUM – ASSASSINS: BLACK MEDDLE PT. 1

 

2006’s Instinct: Decay was the perfect fusion of dark, ethereal Black Metal and psychedlic rock. This year’s output is the natural progression from that, and the Pink Floyd influence is now at the forefront. While they can never top their ’06 opus, Assassins delivers sufficient force drenched in trippy effects.

 

4. DARKESTRAH – THE GREAT SILK ROAD

 

I’m not much a fan of Folk/Black Metal, but when your native land is Kyrgyzstan, the ethnic flavors are most appetizing. This unique formula of Middle Eastern melodies and epic/melancholy riffing (provided by the German Anti) combine into a tour de force, celebrating centuries of tradition with a modern approach. And if their sound isn’t unique enough, they sport a rare female vocalist.

 

3. AVERSE SEFIRA – ADVENT PARALLAX

 

My first experience with this trio was at a show in New Hampshire. There I made this the first 2008 album I purchased (and got autographed) and it’s held up for many months against competing releases. Ironically, this band from Texas pen incredibly complex, “intellectual” Black Metal (just read the lyrics).

 

2. DARKSPACE – DARK SPACE III

 

This release blew through my soul like a supernova. This space-themed syndicate are masters of atmospheric Black Metal. Their third album combines their relentless debut with the maturity of its followup (Dark Space II), and stands a the Swiss’ best yet. My best description for this album is “being eternally blown in and out of a black hole.”

 

1. BEHEXEN – MY SOUL FOR HIS GLORY

 

This band took me completely by surprise. Since I picked up this gem in July I fell in love with these Finns’ whole discography. Of all the excellent efforts affording my ears this year, this is the one that struck the deepest nerve and gave me lasting pleasure through dozens of listens. Please check out my review of this victorious album.

The Home Stretch

I’m sitting in the Fogler Library right now, working on my Latin paper. Finals week is at hand. I expect I’ll brave the storm and be back in Arlington on Wednesday night. Between then and New Years I will present my Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2008 list. My 2007 list is the most searched-for part of this blog, so putting out another one should increase my total views quite a bit. Those tuned in to “Ministry of Metal” on Sunday the 14th will hear the list played in song, with my top album of the year played through in its entirety. 

Wish me luck and Happy Holidays!

When Zev Breaks Into the Studio…

My roommate Zev Eisenberg leaves no territory uncharted when it comes to his passion for photography. On a whim he descended into the abyss of the Memorial Union and snapped some shots of my show in progress. Click each picture for a larger version. Thanks Zev!

Maine Campus Interview – Full Text

So it turns out the Maine Campus website is incredibly lame in that it requires registration to view any of its content. It’s free, but annoying enough to prevent most people from giving a damn. So here’s the full text of the interview as published by both the website and the printed publication.

WMEB Spot: Ministry of Metal
by Kegan Zema

Jeremy Swist, a Latin and secondary education student at the University of Maine, hosts the weekly radio show, “The Ministry of Metal,” Sundays from 7 to 10 p.m.

MC: What got you first involved with WMEB?

Swist: I saw an advertisement on FirstClass, and they said they needed metal DJs. So I thought I might as well take the opportunity to expose the kind of metal I was into, which wasn’t the kind that most people think of what metal is.

MC: What characterizes your type of metal?

Swist: I specialize in extreme metal, like black metal and death metal, but I also love more traditional styles like doom metal and heavy metal. What most current people think of when they think of metal is the new-wave American heavy metal, like Lamb of God and Godsmack and some bands that aren’t actually metal. People who aren’t into metal, they look at that [type of metal] and think that’s what the entire genre is like. But that’s the case with every genre of music. People will look at hip-hop and if they’re not really into it, think hip-hop is all 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne, but they shouldn’t by any means represent what the genre really is.

MC: On your show, do you try to show people that there is a whole different side to the genre?

Swist: That’s part of my mission. I am on this forum called ultimatemetal.com, and it’s basically a music discussion forum. I will post the Webstream link, and they [other forum users] will listen in. I get requests from them, and they use it to discover the bands I’m into. Sometimes people who have their own really underground band will send me songs to play on the station, and there are also local bands I promote on the show.

MC: How did you first start listening to metal? As an extreme genre, most people slip into it from something else; they don’t just walk into a store and pick up a Slayer CD out of nowhere.

Swist: How most people get really deep into metal is they start with the bands that they think represent the genre as a whole. Those surface bands that once they’re really into the genre, they look back at them and think they don’t have much substance. In early high school, I got into nu-metal like System of a Down and Linkin Park, and I just moved deeper from there. I got into Metallica and Rammstein and from there, I got into bands that I could no longer find on Napster or Kazaa, so I actually had to physically buy CDs. Then I joined that forum and that opened a whole new world of music to me. The thing with extreme metal is it takes a while to acclimatize, because there are certain elements of it that aren’t very accessible.

MC: Much of the metal scene you’re are a fan of is based out of Europe. Do you feel that you are at an advantage or a disadvantage living in the United States?

Swist: Well I’m certainly isolated from the European metal scene. Metal is huge in Europe. In Norway, black metal evolved kind of as a counter-culture but also very much based in their ancestral roots. What black metal has become today is a very extreme representation of culture. So I just want to make people over here realize that metal is very deep and significant – it’s not just angry music.

MC: The metal scene often revolves around being the most legitimate. However, I have seen many die-hard metal fans embrace Dethklok from the Adult Swim show “Metalocalypse,” a completely fictional band. What is your take on the Dethklok phenomenon?

Swist: Well, I personally don’t really like Dethklok, I have always seen them as just a parody band, stereotyping the metal culture. But I think people are really into them because they are just a fun band. You have another band like Gwar, that’s also kind of a joke band, but there’s also a serious aspect to it.

MC: I noticed you are wearing an Amon Amarth shirt. I know they represent almost the opposite of the idea of being a parody band because they have such a fervent belief in Viking culture. Do find that many of the metal bands you enjoy are fully entrenched in the music they make and the world they live in?

Swist: Well, the problem is that creativity is hard to come by, and no genre of music is free of trends. So with black metal there is the whole satanic trends. Most bands don’t take it seriously, but they think that in order to be legitimate ,they have to adopt that persona. It’s the same with death metal and the death and gore lyrics. The key element to any of those genres is defined by the music, the thematic stuff is just superficial. But because it’s more easily perceptible … a genre is defined by its image, not by its music, and I don’t find that to be fair.

MC: Anything else you’d like to add?

Swist: Check out my show. See the other side of the coin, what’s under the surface, and let the music speak for itself.

“The Ministry of Metal,” part of the complete WMEB lineup, can be heard on 91.9 FM, online at wmeb.fm and on channel 20 of campus television.

“Ministry of Metal” Featured in The Maine Campus

This week’s edition of the Maine Campus, UMaine’s student-run informational and cultural publication, has conducted an interview with myself for the WMEB Spot. Kegan Zema, a reporter and fellow DJ, helped me promote my show by putting my words to the page of what Metal is really about. 

Besides newsprint, the interview is available here on the The Maine Campus website.

Coincidentally, my roommate Zev Eisenberg is featured in the same issue in an article for the Juggling Club (I actually took the picture).

In other news, I have just registered for Spring semester classes. I got all my first choices, which are the following:

LAT 454: Latin Prose of the Late Republic & Early Empire

GRE 102: Elementary Ancient Greek II

HON 212: Civilizations Past Present & Future IV

EDB 221: Educational Psychology

AST 109/110: Introduction to Astronomy (with Lab)

In terms of my Spring schedule this will leave me with no classes before dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays, and no classes at all on Fridays. This gives me convenient times to pursue a part-time job, hopefully working within the Modern Languages & Classics Department. I don’t think I could stand another four months in a dining hall dishroom!

Shadar Logoth @ The Keith Anderson House – 10/30/08

Last Thursday WMEB hosted a Halloween “Triple Creature Feature” at the Keith Anderson Community House on 19 Bennoch Road in downtown Orono, Maine. Several dozen UMaine students made the trek over the Stillwater River to see the best metal band the university has produced so far. Opening for dance-pop acts Feel It Robot and DJ Pres, Shadar Logoth sallied forth in promotion of their new album Curse.

Despite announcing their dissolution after their summer show at the 103 Ultralounge, Eaton, Denson and Michaud pulled their act together, though bereft of drumming sensation Ardroth (Bothildir). By the Vader shirt worn by their replacement skinsman, I was assured they hired no pushover. His performance confirmed my hopes.

The old recital hall burst into a haven of headbanging with their first song “Spitting His Curse With Venom”, which quickly moved into a nirvana of clean guitars and virtuous bass-work. It didn’t take long to get the audience thoroughly enthused, including a Joker impersonator being “so serious” (there was a costume competition).

The sound quality was top notch, as Eatons vocals and guitar solos shined through the thunderous rhythm section as did Michaud’s epic keyboard flares.

While playing favorites from both their new album and their acclaimed 2006 demo, Shadar Logoth also threw in a couple cover tunes to spice up the night. Early on they chimed in with the Metallica classic “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to which Eaton deftly adapted some thrashy vocals. So much for Death Magnetic. Later on they belted out a more emotional song by Type O Negative: a song called “Wolf Moon” which got the audience bringing their hands together for an act just as dedicated to their influences as to their own craft.

Given the positive responses after their set, I’d say this concert finally got Shadar Logoth the exposure they deserved since their first performances a couple years ago. Please check out their Myspace link on the right of this page and pick up their new album, soon to be released. I can’t wait to see these guys again, hopefully next time with Ardroth back in the fold.

Setlist:

Spitting His Curse With Venom

Phantom Destination

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica cover)

Footsteps in the Snow

Of the Lanterns

Wolf Moon (Type O Negative cover)

The Dread Lord

 

Universitas Mainensis Condita MDCCCLXV

As hinted by the post title, I have begun my translation of the University of Maine Wikipedia article. I’m already through the first paragraph, and after consulting with Dr. Passman, and navigating all the wiki-protocols, I hope to have a direct translation of the English article. Ite Ursi Nigri!

And on that note, I’m pleased to announce the advent of the Maine Senior Classical League. This has been a major project of my girlfriend, Megan Aydelott, and I will serve as secretary to her presidency. I’ll provide more on this once we have our first official proceedings. We will be attending the Junior Classical League convention later this month in Winthrop, Maine.

And finally, Happy Halloween to all, whether you hit the town in full regalia or sequestered yourselves at home to watch horror movies. Abandoning my original plan to go as The Joker, I suggested that my roommate, Zev Eisenberg, and myself dress as one another. Megan decided to also dress as Zev. For those who knew us, the reactions were epically hilarious. For those unaware, Zev is a peculiar dresser: dress shirts/pants, black goatee and a silly knit hat. Zev threw on some band shirts, glasses, a wig and my camo pants to emulate my character. We joined Melissa Carter’s crew for the masquerade ball at the Memorial Union. With delight we took in the scenery, the tarot readings and the chainsaw exhaust fumes in the haunted house. Of course, Zev had to do a photo shoot before we headed off (more photos here):