Dave Matthews Band:

Muse:

Dream Theater:

Led Zeppelin:

Bloc Party:

Siguiendo con el recuerdo de bandas míticas que han sido objeto de admiración (como “Thin Lizzy”) de muchos de los grupos actuales, os dejo un video llamado “Highway Star” de “Deep Purple”.

La banda inglesa, surgida en Inglaterra en 1968 es considerada como una de las pioneras del hard rock y el heavy metal aunque también metían sonidos de rock progresivo, e incluso, de pop. Numerosos grupos han basado su música en influencias de “Deep Purple” y, hoy en día, bandas como “Dream Theater” siguen haciendo “covers” suyos en sus conciertos.

Os recomiendo que visitéis la wikipedia ya que podréis informaros sobre toda la historia de este grandísimo grupo.

Os dejo el video de una de las canciones más emblemáticas de este carismático grupo. No es otra que “Highway Star” (joder, parezco un presentador…).

http://www.myspace.com/deeppurple

Qual a semelhança improvável entre o João Gilberto, o Sonic Youth, o Dream Theater e o Krisiun?

É simples, cada um dos supracitados tenta ser o “mais” alguma coisa. O mais sofisticado, o mais diferente, o mais virtuoso e o mais brutal. Todos eles se esforçam bastante em seus objetivos e por vezes pode-se dizer que atingem suas metas.

Porém todos eles se perdem em um momento crucial da coisa toda, eles se esquecem de serem legais. Sim, afinal de contas, estamos tratando de música aqui e música acima de tudo tem que ser legal. Pouco importa quantos acordes dissonantes você toca, se você usa afinações alternativas, se conhece mais escalas ou a quantos BPS você toca. Tudo isso é superado facilmente quando ouvimos o velho “one, two, three, four…” dos Ramones.

Não que a simplicidade seja a chave de tudo. Há muitas tentativas de sofisticação que soam bem legais, o Police por exemplo, ou os Beatles.  Assim como o virtuosismo do Jeff Beck, a velocidade do Megadeth e a esquisitice dos Mutantes. Destes, cada um a seu modo explorou determinadas características mas tendo sempre a música em primeiro plano.

É óbvio e ululante dizer que um Mi Maior do Malcom Young vale mais que todas as escalas juntas do John Petrucci. Mas por que? Porque o Mi Maior do Malcom vem cheio de sinceridade, sem ter que dar explicações, sem ar blasé e sem se preocupar com o mundo. Ele quer tocar o Mi Maior e toca sem medo de ser feliz. Não precisa de um E6/11+ só para não soar óbvio, nem que este Mi seja precedido por uma série de arpejos para parecer complexo, nem de microfonias para ser diferente, muito menos ser repetido 650 vezes em cada compasso para ser rápido.

No final o que ficam são as grandes músicas. O resto é igual a excesso de chantilly no bolo, vai ficar separadinho no prato. Duvida? Então tá: quem acha “All You Need is Love” uma música complexa? É melhor ouvir de novo para responder.

Acá les dejo otro material que ha andado por ahí rolando en la red y que vale más la pena tener por ser una rareza que por otra cosa.

Y es que un cover a los poderosos Motörhead siempre es de respeto, sobre todo si es bien tocado, como en esta ocasión (además vean quiénes tocan acá).

Así es, el 14 de marzo de 2009 se reunieron, en el programa Talking Metal on Fuse de la cadena FUSE TV, Mike Portnoy, baterista de Dream Theater, Frank Bello, bajista de Anthrax y Bobby Blitz, vocal de Overkill, para cotorrear acerca de metal y otras cosas.

Durante el show se les ocurrió a los hosts del mismo, Mark Strigl y John Ostronomy –guitarristas- el improvisar una banda que tocara una grandísima canción de Lemmy y compañía titulada Overkill.

El resultado de este “supergrupo” efímero titulado Turtlehead quedó grabado para la posteridad y se lo pueden conseguir acá.

Carpe diem.

posted on Ty Tabor’s website…

Ty Tabor (King’s X), John Myung (Dream Theater), and Rod Morgenstein (tons of bands) are discussing the possibility of recording a new Jelly Jam album in 2010. This would be their third release as The Jelly Jam and their fifth overall release together. More news coming soon!  [Editor's note: yay!  The Jelly Jam / Platypus / Jughead releases are some of my favorites from Ty]

Ty has some things on eBay at the moment and plans to sell some of Alien Beans Studio’s gear over the next month. Keep an eye out at eBay.

King’s X is still working on the live DVD shot in London earlier this year. Look for a 2010 release.

Ty’s new solo album is coming along nicely. The yet untitled album will also be released in 2010. [Editor's note: double yay!]

~Dan – np: David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) – Live in Gdańsk

Utwory: Galois; Code, Anticode; Reflections; Megrez; Singularity; Redemption’s Way; Komm Süsser Tod, Komm Sel’gel; Rivers Dancing; Srikara Tal; Grace;

Wykonawcy: Trey Gunn – Warr guitar; Sean Reinert – drums; Ron Jarzombek – guitar; Glenn Snelwar – guitar; Sean Malone – bass; gościnnie: John Myung – Chapman Stick

Wydawca: Laser’s Edge

Rok wydania: 1999

Data napisania recenzji: 27.08.06

Subiektywna ocena (od 1 do 10): 8

Widać czasy się zmieniają i dawni gitarowi, i nie tylko, wymiatacze zamiast czarować swoją grą w kapelach metalowych tudzież techno thrashowych czy grających techniczny death metal zakładają zespoły grające czyste fusion (Alex Skolnick Trio) lub kapele z pogranicza fusion, rocka progresywnego czy thrashu (ale raczej z przedrostkiem post-) jak Spastic Ink braci Jarzombek (Ron grający dawniej w techno-thrashowym Watchtower, a Bob w całej masie projektów na czele z zespołem Roba Halforda), który nagrał dwa świetne, pełne technicznych popisów albumy ”Ink Compatibile” i ”Ink Complete”. Do tego grona zalicza się również Gordian Knot, który jest  stricte studyjnym projektem Sean’a Malone’a i Sean’a Reinerta (dawniej przede wszystkim w Cynic), których wspomagają zaproszeni goście na czele ze wspomnianym Ronem Jarzombkiem, Treyem Gunnem czy Johnem Myungiem, których przedstawiać raczej nie trzeba.

Płytę wypełnia blisko godzinna dawka muzycznej “masali” najwyższej próby, pełnej wirtuozerskich popisów, połamańców rytmicznych, a wszystko osadzone gdzieś między czystym fusion a rockiem progresywnym z delikatną domieszką klimatycznych przerywników w postaci ”Galois”, ”Komm Süsser Tod, Komm Sel’ge” czy ”Grace”, któremu blisko do wspólnych ambientowych dokonań Davida Sylviana i Roberta Frippa z czasów ”Gone To Earth”. Świetne ”Code, Anticode” to porywająca, dynamiczna kompozycja z niesamowitymi solówkami, w “Reflections” mroczny riff jest rozjaśniony przez czyste gitary, których partie to wspaniała uczta dla ucha. W ”Singularity” ponownie powraca cięższe riffowanie, muzycznie jest to chyba utwór najbliższy poprzednim projektom muzyków Gordian Knot. Przesycone orientalnym klimatem ”Redemption’s Way” i ”Srikara Tal” są z kolei polem do popisu dla perkusyjnego kunsztu Seana Reinerta. Ozdobą ”Rivers Dancing” jest bez wątpienia porywające gitarowe solo Rona Jarzombka, prawdziwa perełka gitarowej wirtuozerii. Na pewno ewenementem na tej płycie jest jednak udział, aż trzech nominalnych basistów, którzy grają tutaj na Chapman Sticku lub Warr Guitar instrumentach charakterystycznych choćby dla King Crimson i Tony’ego Levina.

Debiut Gordian Knot to naprawdę kawał świetnej muzycznej mieszanki, polecam wszystkim miłośnikom instrumentalnej wirtuozerii, pełnej łamańców rytmicznych, ciekawych melodii i niezwykłego klimatu. Warto przesłuchać, pomimo pojawiającego się czasem wrażenia, że muzyka Gordian Knot to taka trochę, brawurowa a jakże, ale sztuka dla sztuki. Jednak odrobina muzycznego masochizmu wiecznie nienasyconych artystów nikomu nie powinna zaszkodzić.

Autor: Tomek “BlaKcThrone” Jałukowicz

THE greatest band ever (in my opinion of course). I first discovered them back in 1987. I was hooked right from the start. Their music was so technical and unlike anything I had heard of before.  The only question I had was, could they reproduce it live! And to my surprise….YES! What you hear on their albums is what you hear in a live performance. I have seen Dream Theater play in a small club in their early days and have seen them in a large arena. Twentysome years later, here I am, still a hardcore fan. I own many tapes, cd’s, videos, DVD’s, concert shirts, fan club stuff, stickers and many mp3 files of rare songs, etc. And, I even have the “majesty” symbol tattoo’d on my back. The first of many yet to come DT related tattoos. I know many people who do not like this band for numerous reasons, and thats okay, I am fine with that. To each their own. But for my money, it does not get any better. Dream Theater has one of the largest fanbases worldwide even with very minimal corporate mainstream support. You will not hear Dream Theater on mainstream radio….and that’s how we want it. Forever DT! It has been instructed to those in charge that the song “The Spirit Carries On” will be played at my funeral when I die.

My favorite Dream Theater Album: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence

Their latest music video:

Mike Portnoy: Drums

John Petrucci: Guitar

John Myung: Bass

James LeBrie: Vocals

Jordan Ruddess: Keyboards

Videoclip del tema Wither, incluido en el último álbum de la banda de metal progresivo Dream Theater, Black Clouds & Silver Linings:

Let it out, let it out
Feel the empty Space
So insecure find the words and let it out

Staring down, staring down
Nothing comes to mind
Find the place turn the water into wine

But I feel I’m getting nowhere
And I’ll never see the end

So I wither
And render myself helpless
I give in and everything is clear
I breakdown
And let the story guide me

Turn it on
Turn it on
Let the feelings flow
Close your eyes
See the ones you used to know

Open up open up
Don’t struggle to relate
Lure it out
Help the memory escape
Still transparantness consumes me
And I feel like giving up

So I wither
And render myself helpless
I give in
And everything is clear
I breakdown
And let the story guide me

I wither
And give myself away

Light reflections on the page
The worlds want to create

I drown in hesitation
My words come crashing down
And all my best creations
Burning to the ground

The thought of starting over
Leaves me paralysed
Tear it out again
Another one that got away

I wither
And render myself helpless
I give in
And everything is clear

I wither
And render myself helpless
I give in
And everything is clear
I breakdown
And let the story guide me
I wither
And give myself away

Light reflections on the page
The worlds want to create
The worlds which you create

Let it out let it out

]]> http://shagrath.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/dream-theater-progressive-metal-new-video/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:01:00 +0000 shagrath http://shagrath.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/dream-theater-progressive-metal-new-video/

დავბრუნდი კიდევ ერთი ახალ ჯგუფს ვერ დავარქმევ იმიტო რო ძაან ძველია წარმოსადგენად : ) Dream Theater ალბათ მეტნაკლებად ყველასათვის ნაცნობი ჯგუფი ვისაც Progressive Metal –ი იზიდავს ან უბრალოდ ვისაც კარგი მუსიკის მოსმენა უყვარს. თავიდან საერთოდ ვერ ვუსმენდი მაგრამ თანდათან მომეწონდა ხოდა ბლოლო ალბომი საკაიფო გამოუვიდათ განსაკუთრებით ერთი სიმღერა Wither, ალბათ თვითნაც მიხვდნენ ამას და კლიპიც გადაიღეს რომელიც აქვეა პოსტის ქვემოთ : )

Dream Theater are such amazing musicians, it is scary. I liken Dream Theater to a “Heavy Metal Electric Light Orchestra”. Of course, that is my humble, Metal opinion. The song Wither, from the 2009 Dream Theater album Black Clouds & Silver Linings, (on Roadrunner Records), is an incredible work of Progressive Metal. This song has struck a chord with me, (not to sound sappy), with all of it’s content. With it’s layering of music, lyrics, mood and edginess, Wither is a song that stands out amongst a ton of music I have been listening to, this past year of 2009. I always tend to shy away from ballads, only this is Dream Theater… and I’m all ears to Wither. James LaBrie has flawless vocals on Wither, amazing. Hopefully you can enjoy this song and video of Wither as much as I do.

La banda de metal progresivo más influyente de la última década, los neoyorquinos Dream Theater, han lanzado su más reciente video de la canción Wither, proveniente de su último disco de estudio Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

Este video, de excelente manufactura, se ha dado a conocer a nivel mundial el día de hoy 18 de noviembre y pueden verlo acá abajo o en la página de Roadrunner Records en este link.

Más información pronto.

Carpe diem.

Certains vont dire qu’il n’y à que des clips de Dream Theater sur Metal Hang (c’est pas vrai, il y a aussi Devin Townsend !). D’autres diront que Wither n’a rien de Métal. Ils n’ont peut-être pas tort, mais c’était surtout pour les images de Paris ou Londres que je vous mets la vidéo en ligne !

Roadrunners Records 2009

[Édition du 19 novembre 2009] Une Petrucca est cachée dans cette vidéo. Sauras-tu la retrouver ?

Utwory: Sequence I – The Weight; Sequence II – The Lonely Views of Condor; Sequence III – The Unbreakable; Sequence IV – Stigmata; Sequence V – Blue Wide Open; Sequence VI – To The Ones Who Have Failed; Sequence VII – Lighthouse; Sequence VIII – Styx

Wykonawcy: Markus Steffen – gitary; Alex Holzwarth – instrumenty perkusyjne; Oliver Holzwarth – gitara basowa; Arno Menses – wokal;

Wydawca: SPV/InsideOut Records

Rok wydania: 2005

Data napisania recenzji: 07.08.06

Subiektywna ocena (od 1 do 10): 10

Gdzieś tak pod koniec lat osiemdziesiątych w świecie metalu pojawiło się dość ciekawe zjawisko muzyczne, które zostało ochrzczone mianem techno thrashu czyli niczym innym jak porażającą techniczną wirtuozerią odmianą thrash metalu, zakorzenioną bardziej w  muzyce jazz, fusion aniżeli w NWOBHM czy punk rocku. Wtedy swoje album wydawali takie tuzy, dzisiaj już często niesłusznie zapomniani, jak Mekong Delta, Watchtower czy Atheist, a wśród nich również czwórka monachijczyków z Sieges Even. Niemcy po dwóch już klasycznych dla nurtu albumach “Life Cycle” i “Steps”, ta ostatnia to niemal pomnik ku czci Rush, nagrali album “A Sense Of Change”, który musiał być nie lada szokiem, gdyż pozbawiona agresji muzyka pokazywała zupełnie inne oblicze Sieges Even bliższe klasycznego art rocka czy muzyki fusion, a na dodatek utwór tytułowy to kompozycja opracowana tylko na wokal Jogiego Kaisera i … kwartet smyczkowy, bez gitar, bez perkusji. Widać, że jak łamać schematy to na całego. Kolejny album “Sophisticated” powstał po czteroletniej hibernacji, podczas której Kaisera zastąpił Greg Keller, a Markusa Steffena Wolfgang Zenk. Doprawdy trudno w to uwierzyć, ale po wymianie połowy składu bracia Holzwarth potrafili zmobilizować zespół i stworzyć album, który okazał się jednym z najlepszych w ich całej karierze. Niesamowity zbiór muzyki z pogranicza rocka progresywnego, fusion czy technicznego metalu po dziś poraża olśniewającą techniką i pomysłowością. Potem nagrali jeszcze album “Uneven”, który może nie porywał tak, jak poprzednik, gdyż był przede wszystkim jednoznacznie metalowy, ostry, ale też pełen wirtuozerskich popisów i połamańców rytmicznych, które stały się już dawno wizytówką zespołu. Potem nastała ośmioletnia cisza, o zespole już troszkę zapomniano, płyty na półkach zdążyły się pokryć kurzem, aż tu nagle ukazało się na rynku …

… “The Art Of Navigating By The Stars” sygnowany przez klasyczny skład z fenomenalnym gitarzystą Markusem Steffenem i braćmi Holzwarth, ale za to nowym wokalistą Arno Mensesem, który jako czwarty (!) w tej roli w zespole wydaje się być wreszcie tym odpowiednim.

Po pierwszym przesłuchaniu pomyślałem, że to niewiarygodne, jak zespół po tak długiej przerwie zdołał powrócić z TAKIM arcydziełem. Płyta jest koncept albumem składającym się z ośmiu sekwencji poprzedzonych krótką introdukcją. Przeważają długie, rozbudowane kompozycje po siedem czy osiem minut, zdradzające ciągoty muzyków ku klasycznemu progresowi i w zestawieniu z poprzednim jednoznacznie metalowym “Uneven” zaskakują mnogością nowatorskich pomysłów i ekspresją godną muzyki metalowej, ale zupełnie pozbawionej charakterystycznej agresji i ciężaru.

Już pierwszy utwór “The Weight” sugeruje, że mamy do czynienia z czymś niesamowitym, na początek ciężka, akustyczna partia gitary, która będzie powracać jeszcze kilkukrotnie w tym, jak i innych utworach na płycie, do tego świetna lekko jazzująca praca sekcji rytmicznej, niesamowite partie solowe a na dodatek idealnie pasujące do całości wokal. Wielce obiecujące początek dający nadzieję na więcej i aż trudno w to uwierzyć, ale dalej jest jeszcze ciekawiej. Kolejny na płycie “The Lonely Views Of Condors” rozpoczyna się ładną partią gitary akustycznej, a potem przeradza się w niesamowitą, pełną ciepła, ale też niezwykłego czaru i mocy kompozycję z kapitalnymi harmoniami wokalnymi Mensesa, a na finał dostajemy  fragment z przesterowaną gitarą i podwójną stopą perkusji. “The Unbreakable” może być uznany za utwór wzorcowy przykład nowego oblicza Sieges Even, mnóstwa akustycznych brzmień, wysunięta partia basu, świetny wokal. Szczególnie to, co się  dzieje od mniej więcej 3min. 30 sek. utworu to prawdziwy progresywny majstersztyk, w którym dzieje się tyle, że spokojnie można by obdzielić kilka innych utworów. Całe mnóstwo łamańców rytmicznych, zapierające dech solówki gitarowe, a do tego unoszący się nad całością duch muzyki fusion w idealnej symbiozie z progresywnymi patentami. “Stigmata” to kolejny naprawdę solidny utwór ze świetnymi solówkami i ukłonem w stronę Rush. Najdelikatniejszy na płycie “Blue Wide Open” otwiera bardzo ładna partia wokalna a capella, następnie ciekawie rozwijając się nad świetnym podkładem gitary (charakterystyczne bicie akordów na akustyku i niesamowite solo na gitarze klasycznej). “To The Ones Who Have Failed” wydaje się być młodszym bratem “The Weight”, ale na pewno równie intrygującym. Na koniec jeszcze dwie świetne kompozycje, delikatna “Lighthouse” z partią fletu przywołującą wczesne Genesis i “Styx”, w którym jak w pigułce skupiono wszystko to, co najlepsze na najnowszej płycie Sieges Even.

Najnowsze dzieło monachijczyków wyprodukował Uwe Lullis. Trzeba przyznać, że to pełne ciepła, krystaliczne brzmienie, ale też pozwalające wyczuć ciężar i ekspresję, daje naprawdę wielką przyjemnością w czasie słuchania tego albumu. Tak naprawdę na wyróżnienie zasługuje każdy z muzyków z osobna: Alex Holzwarth – za niesamowite partie perkusji, nabijanie tych rytmicznych połamańców przychodzi mu z niezwykłą łatwością i do tego to na jego grze opiera się cały ten muzyczny monolit; Oliver Holzwarth – świetnym pomysłem było wysunięcie basu, który często pełni rolę pierwszoplanową napędza całość, nierzadko intensywnym pulsem; Markus Steffen – brak słów, olśniewająca technika użytkowa, genialne solówki, a do tego ten niezwykły feeling; Arno Menses – wreszcie wydaje się, że odpowiedni człowiek na właściwym miejscu. Jego delikatne harmonie wokalne oraz pełen ekspresji śpiew znakomicie pasują do tej układanki.

Otrzymaliśmy w sumie jeden, długi ponad sześćdziesięciotrzyminutowy utwór pełen muzycznych barw i wrażeń, niezwykle spójny, uporządkowany, bardzo dojrzały i bogaty aranżacyjnie, ale nie ma tam zupełnie wrażenia barokowego przepychu. Co ciekawe całość skomponowana została w taki sposób, że zupełnie nie czuć braku instrumentów klawiszowych.

Dla mnie bomba i najlepszy progresywny album 2005 roku, a kto wie też czy nie najlepszy w ich całej karierze. Muzycy na pewno nie powiedzieli jeszcze ostatniego słowa i już na 2007 rok przygotowują kolejny album. Patrząc wstecz na ich twórczość pewnie będzie zupełnym przeciwieństwem poprzednika. Jednego można być pewnym, że Sieges Even poniżej pewnego bardzo wysokiego poziomu nie schodzą, co udowodnili już nie raz. Oby więcej tak wspaniałych płyt.

Aha i jeśli ktoś sądził, że Dream Theater nagrywają naprawdę świetne techniczne płyty to polecam posłuchać nagrań Sieges Even i czas zmienić zdanie

Autor: Tomek “BlaKcThrone” Jałukowicz

Pues aqui dejo el ultimo album de Dream Theater, para estrenar la parte de musica, jajaja

Son los primeros 2 discos

Disco 1:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CL27JTWO

Disco 2:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0UY7D7ER

Contra: dre4m

Ladrón que roba ladrón….. jaja enjoy

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Free Xbox Live Weekend
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New Ridge Racer game
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Bioshock 2 cover art
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EA, Ubisoft, SCEA and Disney sued over voice recognition suit
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Lost planet 2 pre-order bonus
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Microsoft dismisses Natal launch rumors
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EA closing down Pandemic Studios
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Infamous 2 to have online support
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Capcom details Super Street Fighter IV replay mode
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Sports Authority Retailer now selling wii
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Metriod Prime on DS?
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Playstation 3 firmware v3.1 preview
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ESA: 42% to give or get games this holiday
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Religious leaders slam Modern Warfare 2
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Miyamoto hints Wii Music 2
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Yoichi Wada Ensures Final Fantasy will not get exhausted
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Namco Bandai new rpg countdown
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Gearbox: id, Crytek ‘risking failure’
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Mario Galaxy 2 to use super guide
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Wiiware demos ready for DL
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Valve on Left 4 dead 2 boycott
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Mario Voiceover on Link’s voice
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Square Enix first global game
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Modern Warfare 2 banned in Russia
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Kutaragi starts new company
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Call of Duty to get paid-for online services
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Modern Warfare 2 to get its own ghost game
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Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox 360 outsells PS3 version 2:1
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Dream Theater recording instrumental track for God of War 3
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High Voltage: big announcement coming soon
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OnLive to work on portable and mobile devices
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Heavy Rain dev on Modern Warfare 2 controversy
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Video Game Industry not recession proof
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Online multiplayer for Dead Space 2
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Olen kauhea ronkeli progressiivisen metallin suhteen. Yleensä en edes etsiskele siitä genrestä uusia bändejä, niitä vain tipahtelee silloin tällöin eteen. Eräs esimerkki on Malpractice, jonka edellisen levyn Deviation from the Flow (2005) päätin heräteostoksensa ostaa muutamalla eurolla muutama vuosi sitten. Ja kas kummaa, jostakin syystä se kolahti, varmaankin vienojen thrash metal-viittaustensa takia. Bändin musiikin perustana ei ollutkaan tekninen hiplaaminen kuten välillä progemetallibändeillä tuntuu olevan tapana vaan bändi oli edelleen selvästi metallia monimutkaisista biisirakenteistaan huolimatta. Sain kuultavakseni myös bändin ensimmäisen levyn Of Shape and Balancen (1999), mutta se ei sitten enää oikein napannut kun se tuntui kauhealta raakileelta. Muutamalla eurolla löysin sitten vähän aikaa sitten myös bändin uusimman tuotoksen eli Triangluarin (2008).

Kouvolan kasvattien orkesteri koki muutoksia levyjen välissä olleen kolmen vuoden aikana. Näkyvimpänä oli vokalistin vaihtuminen, joka tietenkin vaikuttaa jo bändin yleissoundiinkin. Aleksi Parviainen hoitaa homman tyylikkäästi, en totta puhuen enää edes muista millaiselta miehen edeltäjä, bändin alusta lähtien mukana ollut Mika Uronen kuulostaa. En nyt hauku Urosta, (heh) tarkoitan vain että Parviainen sopii Malpracticeen kuin lihapullat perunamuussiin. Livenä bändiä en ole nähnyt, joten en voi sanoa miten Parviainen tai muut musikantit osaavat hommansa hoitaa.

Edeltäjäänsä nähden levy ei ensin tunnu yhtä aggressiiviselta, mutta kun kuuntelee levyä tarkemmin huomaa tuon vaikutelman johtuvan siitä että tuotantoa on viilattu. Melodiat ja aggressio puskevat kuitenkin salakavalasti esille eikä niitä voi enää seuraavilla kuunteluilla sivuuttaa. Levyn parhaimmat palat ovat sen aggressiivinen aloitus ja kaunis lopetus. Malpracticen leirissä tosiaankin on asiansa handlaavia soittajia, varsinkin kitarat osaavat kurittaa keppejään. Bändi sortuu kyllä soljuvan soittonsa ohella myös siihen suuresti inhoamaani tilulilu-vuoristorata-soolokikkailuun, mutta tätä ei onneksi paljoa kuulla. Vajaan tunnin kesto ja joidenkin biisien pitkä kesto saattaa karkottaa potentiaalisia kuuntelijoita levyn ääreltä, mutta missään vaiheessa levy ei tunnu liian pitkältä ja järkälemäiseltä eikä se siten kaadu omaan mahdottomuuteensa.

Nyt kun levyn julkaisemisen ja tämän jutun kirjoittamisen välillä on kulunut 1,5 vuotta, voidaan päästä siihen johtopäätökseen mihin ollaan tämän bändin kanssa päästy aiemminkin. Malpracticen kolmas tuleminen jätettiin huomiotta joten Malpractice on edelleenkin aliarvostettu. Vaadin muutosta asiaan, sillä onhan tämä nyt selkeästi kovempaa paskaa kuin vaikka Dream Theaterin uusimmat levyt! Tätä sietävät kuunnella muutkin kuin progressiivisen metallin ystävät!

It’s not only Trivium involved with PS3 game God Of War 3, Dream Theater are in on it too, Mike Portnoy said in a recent update:

“In an unexpected move, we will then enter the studio right after New Year’s to write and record a brand new instrumental track for inclusion on the upcoming ’God Of War 3′ soundtrack. This will mark the first time in the band’s career we have written and recorded an exclusive track for an outside project. Roadrunner invited us to participate and we decided we were up for the challenge!”

For more info on God Of War 3, and any other games, check out http://increationgames.com/

Most of good albums for 2009 are already out. I’ve compiled the traditional top 10 list for this year. Any album that is still coming out i doubt will figure in this list since 2009 was such a great year for music compared with 2008.

Please feel free to comment if you think some album in your opinion is missing. I didn’t make the review for all of them because I didn’t want to post too much crap, if you want a specific review in this list let me know.

Total list i listened to was 146 albums for this year, this is the top 10.

1. Riverside – Anno Domini High Definition

Riverside comes back with a the first album of a new trilogy. New sounds, cohesive music changes, innovative and fresh music. Riverside have composed an album which is a perfect reflection of our times. An offering full of symbolism starting with the fact that the title of their fourth release consists of four words and that the album is precisely 44:44 minutes long and an intelligent take on current reality. Anno Domini High Definition is not a concept album in the classic sense, although it features a central theme and a haunting message. “It’s an album about people who know they need to speed up or they’ll get left behind”

2. Porcupine Tree – The Incident

London’s legendary Porcupine tree 10th studio album. Takes the listener on a thrilling audio journey. In turns haunting, desolate, hypnotic and euphoric, its centre-piece is the title track: a stunning 55-minute musical statement that breaks down into 14 separate and often diverse (though interlinked) vignettes. Not the best work of the band but still whatever Porcupine Tree delivers is above anything out in the market. Excellent sound mixing and supreme recording quality.

3.  Mastodon – Crack the Skye

Mastodon has taken hold of the leadership of the New Wave of Progressive Heavy Metal. Crack The Skye, its fourth original studio album, mines subject matter from czarist Russia and astral travel to out-of-body experiences and Stephen Hawking’s theories on wormholes for an unrepentantly heavy aural assault that will shake the heavens. Some personal songs for the band members and really really impressive guitar riffs make this the third on the list for 2009.

4.  Dream Theater – Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Black Clouds & Silver Linings marks another milestone on Dream Theater’s iconoclastic musical journey, which began two and a half decades ago and now encompasses a hugely impressive body of music that’s established the durable progressive metal outfit as a one-of-a-kind creative force with a fiercely devoted international fan base. The new album – produced by band members Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, who also serve as the group’s main lyricists – offers a vibrant manifestation of the world-class musicianship, vivid lyrical scenarios and ambitious, multi-leveled compositions that have established Dream Theater as a uniquely compelling creative force.

5. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind

A nice surprise in a year full of nice surprises! Not bad at all! I have to sayI was never a big fan of Transatlantic. Not that they were bad, no way. I have both their first albums and I think they are quite good. But I felt something was missing even if their sound had most of what a prog fan wanted: great musicanship, good songwriting, good production and the right influences (meaning symphonic rock of the 70´s). But it lacked a kind of spark. Besides, Neal Morse was clearly the main protagonist on those CDs, making them sound a bit too much like Spock´s Beard (never one of my favorite bands).Well, I´m glad to say that with The Whirldwind they finally made the album we were all waiting for when we heard those musicians were assembling a group. The record drips with the power and conviction that lacked on the previous CDs. And Roine Stolt definitly takes the spotlight here much of the time. Now the band sounds fully like a band. Peter Trewavas is playing some of the heaviest bass in his career (much in the vein of the great Chris Squire), while Mike Portnoy shows he is a truly prog drummer. Best Transatlantic CD to date! The one the finally fulfilled the great expectations of having such extraordinaire musicians doing something as a group.

6.  Lamb of God – Wrath

Wrath is inspired by and based on the 10 plagues from the book of Exodus. After the reflective Sacrament (2006), a deeply personal album that found Blythe exorcising his personal demons, Wrath turns its lyrical focus outward, and returns to more of the breakneck riffing that characterized the band’s early material. A more “raw” sound that revives the metal genre with this excelent release from the pure american metal band, Lamb of God. As always, the musicianship is top notch here, especially the guitar playing, and of course, the drums. I consider Chris Adler to be the druming act that nowadays defies genre.

7.  The mars Volta – Octahedron

Hailed by The New Yorker as ‘perhaps the most musically adventurous act currently signed to a major label’ and by Rolling Stone as 2008’s Best Prog-Rock Band, The Mars Volta makes its Warner Bros. debut with Octahedron, the highly acclaimed group’s fifth studio album. Compared to last year Bedlam in goliath this is a completely different approach from the band to a more acoutic music development. Beautifully constructed, with nice melodic sections accross all the album.
My number one complaint (and there were very few of them) about The Bedlam in Goliath is that the band never took a moment to relax on that album. With every song being fast paced and loud I longed for those moments on a Volta record where I could take a breather before the next relentless thirteen minute prog rock latin jazz head bopping track would begin. Octahedron is the Ying to that albums Yang. I for one welcome a much slower album that builds to a more meaningful and impactful conclusion.

8.  Sonata Arctica – The Days of Grays

I wasn’t really sure if the finish Sonata Arctica would even make the top 10 this year on the first few listens to the album. However The Days of Grays is a nice consolidation of what Sonata Arctica has done on the past few years. With inventive and accurate musicianship the have managed to place all the pieces of the jigsaw together and make a nice mix of (Silence / Winterheart’s Guild) and ( Reckoning Night / Unia ) which were two different eras in the band’s history. Now the’ve returned more to their roots but seems like after passing through the Reckoning /Unia era they have brought back with them the best of that musical approach to the traditional speedy that is more like the early days that made them known worldwide.

9.  The Dear Hunter – Act III: Life and death

Following up where Act II left off Act III is more melodic record with the heavy parts heavier, and the soft parts more serene. Set in a WWI era, “Act III” documents the metamorphosis of a fictional central character as he makes the transition from innocence to impurity. This is heavily produced, highly emotional crossover-prog-rock. A lot of it plays like old time show tunes, or like Broadway musical tunes. There are multilayered harmonies (gorgeous), punctuating horns, and soaring string arrangements, alongside inventive guitar and keyboard parts. The Dear Hunter has been one of the underground bands that deserve more attention due of the crescent quality of their music along with every release. Act III beign the best so far that the band has released.

10.  Maudlin of the Well – Part the Second

Maudlin of the Well’s Part the Second is an almost unbelievable testament to what can happen between a truly talented artist and devoted fans. This album was funded by fan contributions (in fact expanded from a limited record of old ideas to a complete album project integrating new and old material) and then returned to those fans over the internet for free. This alone is so mind-blowingly cool, how music should be, that the album will hold a place in history that I hope becomes a model for what can be when we keep the music as the focus. But the fact is that the result is worthy of its historical place, a modern masterpiece. How all these things aligned seems almost divine. But perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. The love of music will never die. And not just any music would be able to muster this kind of support. Perhaps it was the fuel of that love that made the music as wonderful as it turned out.  Despite being very experimental, melodic themes pass through different parts in classical fashion, moods ebb and flow perfectly, and rhythms evolve from simple to complex without ever announcing their cleverness.

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So with this we conclude this years list. Every single album is excellent, hurray for 2009 in music. I just picked them as I like them best. Hope you like the list !!

Some other good recommendations are:

Gazpacho – Tick Tock;
Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing Along Songs for the damned and delirious;
Between the buried and me – the great misdirect

Doctor-X

The other day I came to realise how big 2009 has been for new music. By “new music”, I mean newly released albums, not necessarily new artists (though there have been a notable couple). Anyway, as we are coming to the close of 2009, I decided it would be nice to take a look back on some of the musical works that have mattered to me this year. Evidently, not all the albums that have influenced me are likely to have influenced you, the reader, and vice versa, but I hope you find this interesting nonetheless.

(N.B. Albums are listed in chronological order of their respective UK release dates)

2009 started slowly for music, hence the lack of any (IMHO) worthwhile album release until mid-May to comment upon. It’s therefore fitting that the first album to be reviewed is one that Eminem fans have been waiting 5 years for, ever since the release of Encore in 2004. The obvious question is whether this album was worth the wait. For me, the answer is ‘no’, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Eminem has failed. I think it was an album that really promised much, but didn’t quite deliver. At first unimpressed by the album’s first single release, ‘We Made You’, the song did grow on me. The second single, ‘Beautiful’, was by far the best track, which makes me wonder why Eminem wastes so many album minutes with his tacky comical raps, when his more meaningful songs are in my opinion the most lasting. You ask someone to name as many Eminem songs as they can, and I’m sure ‘Stan’ would be one of the first mentioned. As an album, it’s not a classic, but it does contain a gem or two.

Album: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

Kasabian are one of those bands that will never create anything memorable, but they do have a knack of producing music worth listening to. This most recent release is much like their previous two in the sense that it doesn’t quite deliver as an album, but does boast some real quality songs. Tracks that fall into this category are ‘Underdog’ (initially known as the music from the Kaka advert), ‘Where Did All The Love Go?’ and the very cool ‘Fire’. My favourite song however, is the jumpy ‘Vlad The Impaler’, the video for which stars comedian Noel Fielding. The song provides something new and original, with its relentless drum beat and rough vocals.

Album: The E.N.D (The Energy Never Dies)

I can’t say I was a fan of Black Eyed Peas up until this album, though I must admit I quite liked ‘Let’s Get Retarded’/'Let’s Get It Started’. When the first single to be taken from this two-disc album, ‘Boom Boom Pow’, hit the music channels, I was relatively unmoved. However, the more I heard the song, the more it grew on me. The song is presented as if it were being mixed by a DJ at a club, and I like this idea. I decided to give the album a go on the basis of this song, and I was pleasantly surprised. The highlight for me however, is a remix of the song ‘Don’t Phunk With My Heart’, renamed ‘Don’t Phunk Around’. There is a strong jazzy influence that works really well, and is probably my favourite song off the album. They also remix ‘Pump It’ (‘Pump It Harder’), ‘Let’s Get Retarded’ (‘Let’s Get Re-Started’) and ‘Shut Up’ (‘Shut the Phunk Up’), which are all worth a listen.

Album: Octahedron

Anyone who knows me will know that I love The Mars Volta. I just can’t get enough of their weird and wonderful ways. They are not a band that likes to rest on their laurels, which explains their constantly evolving nature, and also explains why, only 16 months after their previous release, The Bedlam In Goliath, they are already pushing out a new album. Lead singer, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, stated that this album would be their version of an acoustic album:

“We know how people can be so linear in their way of thinking, so when they hear the new album, they’re going to say, ‘This is not an acoustic album! There’s electricity throughout it!’ But it’s our version. That’s what our band does — celebrate mutations. It’s our version of what we consider an acoustic album.”

This considered, it’s really no surprise to find that only two songs (of eight) fall under that category. In spite of this, the album definitely has another atmosphere to it, which they seem to accomplish with every CD they’ve produce. One of the many reasons I’m in awe of them. This album definitely has a strong sense of eeriness about it. Though this element has hardly been vacant in previous works, it appears to me to be more potent in this case. The album also demonstrates the use of a lot of synthesizers, which introduce, as well as end many of the songs. Notable songs are: ‘Since We’ve Been Wrong’ – a delicately crafted song until midway through when the drums explode in, yet the song still somehow maintains it’s intricacy; ‘Teflon’ – carried by a simple yet powerful drumbeat, this song is probably the creepiest in terms of lyrics as we hear about tyres stacked up around a body whilst on fire, and if that wasn’t enough, we get an insight into life as a terrorist; ‘Desperate Graves’ – a song which can be described as a frantic masterpiece, displaying a soaring beat dressed with some very melodic guitar work, but the highlight is the interlude, which manifests some truly powerful vocal work; ‘Luciforms’ – after 1:38mins of synth, this final song begins and soon reaches the chorus, the guitar in which can only be described as frenzied. Then, halfway through the song, it goes up a gear, as the drums pick up and more musical facets are introduced, climaxing with a long, yet insane guitar solo. Beautiful.

Album: Black Clouds and Silver Linings

This provides exactly what you’d expect from a Dream Theater album. Complex riffs, frequent shifts in tempo and mood. The special edition of this album actually boast three discs. The first being the actual album, plain and simple, the second is a concoction of cover songs, and the third disc contains instrumental versions of songs from disc one. My personal favourite is disc two, with the most noteworthy songs being a medley of Queen songs (‘Tenement Funster’, ‘Flick Of The Wrist’ and ‘Lily Of The Valley’), Dixie Dregs’ ‘Odyssey’ and ‘Larks’ Tongues In Aspic, Part Two’ by the magnificent King Crimson. On the whole, the album is a worthwhile listen for any fan of Dream Theaters music, but nothing more.

Album: Lungs

In my opinion the best debut album to surface this year, and certainly one of the overall best albums of 2009 in its own right. I first encountered Florence And The Machine when they performed a song on Jonathan Ross’ talk show earlier this year and I was instantly intrigued, but nothing more. Then I saw the video for the same song, ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’, and knew I had to hear more. I wasn’t disappointed. From beginning to end, Lungs grips you with powerful vocals, mesmeric drumbeats and a harp! Nobody can contest the fact that this album demonstrates originality, and aside from the tracks released as singles, still impresses,  particularly with the hypnotic ‘Drumming’ and the dreamy ‘Between Two Lungs’ to name but a few.

Album: Conditions

If anyone isn’t familiar with the band nor album, they may well be familiar with their only hit to date. The song ‘Sweet Disposition’ was used in a Sky Sports advert promoting the start of the 09/10 Premier League season – the one with Mourinho saying the word ‘Special’ a lot. Anyway, maybe it was because of this advert, but I came to really like the song, so I took a chance on the album. I would describe their style Sigur Rós but with more guitars. They definitely show the kind of melodic vocals you would associate with Sigur Rós, though the lyrics are definitely more comprehensible. It’s a decent album and I would definitely recommend it.

Album: Catch 22

I’m not sure what genre this album would fall under – hip hop, rap, grime – but regardless of that, it would probably be the best album of that genre of 2009. However, that isn’t to say that it’s perfect. Tinchy Stryder has a very simple but effective style, but the downside of that, is that it means many of his songs sound quite similar. This also isn’t helped by the fact that there are a massive 18 tracks on the album, which I feel is a little excessive. What is actually Tinchy’s second full-length album, Catch 22, does however possess a few songs that really stand out. Singles ‘Number 1′ (featuring Dappy) and ‘You’re Not Alone’ are the obvious ones, but ‘Warning’ and ‘Shake Me are also worthwhile tracks. Tinchy seems to have what it takes to succeed in the music industry and I can only see him going from strength to strength.

Album: Humbug

I’m certainly not the biggest Arctic Monkeys fan, but they are definitely well worth a listen. Their third studio album, Humbug, has lived up to this, but not exceeded it. Like their two preceding albums, Humbug isn’t the most consistent. By this, I mean that it’s rather ‘hit and miss’. ‘Crying Lightning’ is one of the highlights with it’s boorish bass and reverberating guitars, along with album-opener ‘My Propeller’, ‘Dangerous Animals’ and my personal favourite, ‘Pretty Visitors’. The other songs are rather indistinctive, which is disappointing. It would appear that the Arctic Monkeys popularity may actually begin to wane, which would have been unthinkable three or four years ago.

Album: The Blueprint 3

I never really ‘got’ Jay-Z in the past, but I recently listened to a bit of his older stuff to see what all the fuss was about. Anyway, I can see why he’s so popular, but in my opinion, there only seems to be 2 or 3 decent songs per album. His most recent release has done nothing to change this. I do however really love ‘D.O.A (Death Of Auto-Tune)’, which has a strong jazz influence, ‘Empire States Of Mind’, which features Alicia Keys, and ‘Young Forever’, a cover of Alphaville’s ‘Forever Young’ and features Mr Hudson. Moreover, the album boasts collaborations with Kanye West, Rihanna, Timbaland and The Neptunes, which is one of the main reasons for my disappointment. Ultimately, I expected more.

Album: The Resistance

Strangely enough I wasn’t awaiting this latest album of Muse as impatiently as I have done in the case of their previous releases. I think this could mainly be due to the way Muse leaked songs on their official website in the weeks leading up to the official release. It’s as if this only served to dilute the anticipation of the album, and had a detrimental effect on my own personal excitement. All that aside, the album is very well put together. For me, it is distinctly different to their earlier albums, and thus satisfies what I ultimately want from a Muse album. I think my favoruites would have to be ‘Resistance’, ‘Undisclosed Desires’, ‘Unnatural Selection’ and ‘MK ULTRA’. Not to forget the three-part song, ‘Exogenesis:  Symphony’, neither, which displays a very strong classical influence and takes the rough form of a classical piece, which I find so refreshing. As an album, I would say it is one of their best, even though I feel its songs, on their own merit, are perhaps not the most withstanding.

Album: Herald Moth

When InMe first came onto the scene way back in 2002 (I think), for me, they could do no wrong. I’ve seen them live on several occasions, but I lost much of my interest in them after bassist, Joe Morgan, left the band. I still listened to their last album, Daydream Anonymous, which was their first post-Morgan, but it wasn’t the same. I didn’t even realise their most recent  release, Herald Moth, was out until a friend asked me my thoughts on it. Anyway, I got round to listening to it recently, and was quite impressed. They’ve acquired a new band member, who I’m assuming is on rhythm guitar, and it seems to have worked, because their latest album does deliver. It’s not quite a return to their earlier stuff, but they do seem to have incorporated it in a way that was perhaps missing from their Daydream Anonymous. Particular mentions have to go to ‘The Art Of Moderation’, ‘Ferocity In Desire’, ‘Happy To Disappoint You’ and ‘You Won’t Hear From Me Again’, which in my opinion are the stand-out tracks on the album.

Album: Tongue N’ Cheek

I never really realised this before, but many of these hip hop album seem to be quite hit and miss. This is no coincidence, and Tongue N’ Cheek is much the same. It has a few amazing tracks. I was skeptical about ‘Bonkers’ when I heard it the first few times, but it grew on me massively. This song is in its element though, when it’s being belted out at a club, much like another song off the album, ‘Holiday’. For me, this song is all about the last minute or so. The rest of the song is rather insignificant in comparison. It’s hard not to jump up and down when the dance part of the song kicks in. The other notable song has a strong reggae influence and is called ‘Can’t Tek No More’. Ultimately, the album is worth a listen, but it’s not one I will go back to in the future.

Album: Liebe ist für alle da

Any fan of Rammstein will know of the long wait that has been endured since 2005’s Rosenrot, but Rammstein have finally returned and it was well worth the wait. However, it personally didn’t seem like this would be the case after hearing one of the songs, ‘Pussy’, which is exactly what it sounds like. Basically, I didn’t have high expectations for the album after hearing this song. The album begins in typical Rammstein fashion – a quiet, melodic intro that is soon interrupted by a brash chaos encapsulated by the shouted “RAMM!…..STEIN!…..” This opening song, Rammleid, really sets the album off like a timebomb. There are so many strong songs that follow. ‘Waidmanns Heil’ is an excellent fast-paced track that probably boasts my favourite lyrics from the album (“Auf dem Lande, Auf dem Meer, Lauert das Verderben, Die Kreatur muss sterben!”), while my personal favourite, ‘Wiener Blut’, is an awesome song that regularly jumps between loud and quiet, fast and slow. The most notable aspect of this album though, is the originality of it. Past Rammstein albums have tended to be quite rigid, but there definitely is a distinct impression with Liebe ist für alle da that they are pushing boundaries. This can be seen in the song ‘Haifisch’, for instance. Im Großen und Ganzen, ein sehr gutes Album.

Album: Only Revolutions

I do like a bit of Biffy. Given that this album has only been in the shops for three days now, it’s hard to give a well-informed opinion. I will try nonetheless. Having heard some songs from Only Revolutions prior to its release, I will concentrate on these. ‘Mountains’ has been around for ages, and wasn’t actually intended for this album, but it’s there. Aside from the chorus, which I find a little ‘poppy’, it’s a decent song. I like the odd rhythm in the verse and the piano solo midway through adds an extra dimension to the song. ‘That Golden Rule’ is a definite contender for my favourite song off the album. I love the hectic nature of the song, which suddenly melts away come the chorus. The highlight of the song though, is the ending. It begins like the quiet before the storm, as the suspenseful drums soon give way to an excellently heavy guitar/string sequence. As for ‘The Captain’, the less said the better. I wasn’t impressed by it at all. As for the rest of the album, generally speaking, it has its moments, but I don’t think it will be enough to replicate the kind of success Biffy experienced with Puzzle.

Well, I hope this was in some way helpful/interesting. It took me a while, but I did enjoy writing it. I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

31.10.2009, Hala Tivoli, Ljubljana

Kot se za Dream Theater spodobi….je bila svetloba zanimiva, mogoče bi bila lahko kanček svetlejša. Opeth so imeli kot predskupina obupno osvetljen oder in sicer z eno samo modro barvo (še vedno bolje kot rdeča) ter sama postavitev na odru je bila obupna. Folka ful, publika bolj mirna kot ne…in to je to.

Žiga