Deliverance (2002)

El grupo se había afianzado, con Mikael, Martin Méndez y López y Peter. Habían conseguido conjurarse y formar el sonido Opeth, que iba creciendo poco a poco en todo el mundo. Deliverance, un álbum que volvía a antaño con toques más oscuros y canciones de 10 minutos, no tendría el éxito de su antecesor obviamente, pero en la mayoría de temas, por no decir el trabajo completo, Opeth muestra pequeñas y pocas, pero existentes cambios en su manera de componer. La experimentación, puesto que era pequeña, ayudaría a entender mas el futuro que tomaría el grupo, pero sin dudo el camino siguiente sería totalmente otro.

Damnation (2003)

Dejando atrás casi todo el Death Metal que les acompañó siempre, Opeth decidió sacar con este Damnation, un álbum muchísimo más melódico, y de carácter progresivo como siempre, pero encarado mas al rock setentero con una clara presencia de sintetizadores y experimentación en sus melodías que traería sin duda alguna, uno de sus mejores temas lentas, llamados To Rid the Disease. Sus 3 primeros temas, ya te introducen en el enésimo mundo donde Opeth te  tele transporta, con el magnífico y enorme primer trió de canciones llamadas Windowpane, In My Time of Need y Death Whispered a Lullaby, respectivamente.
La carrera de Opeth había tomado por unos años un parón, y la experimentación se adueño de las mentes de los miembros. Y con gran éxito, ya que parecía que todo lo que Opeth componía estaba dotado de algo divino, de un poder de creación admirable para una mente humana.

Ghost Reveries (2005)

Recuerda en varias partes, este Ghost Reveries al grandioso Blackwater Park. Temas como Te Ghost of Perdition, Isolation Years o la célebre The Grand Conjuration son pruebas de que con este álbum Opeth tenía mucho que decir aun y sobre todo con la llegada de un nuevo teclista como Per Wiberg, que añadiría mucha más profundidad musical a la composición de Opeth. En cuanto a la banda, pasarían algunas cosas, que bien podrían determinar el futuro de los suecos. Una de ellas fue cuando se anunció después de casi 10 años, la salida de Martín López, batería del grupo, alegando una enfermedad sanguínea y problemas por “ataques de pánicos”. Bien es sabido después que la verdadera razón fue por diferencias insalvables que mantenía con la actual discográfica, Roadrunner Records. Su lugar sería ocupado por Martin “Axe” Axenrot. Por si no fuera poco, una de las bases importantes de Opeth, como era Peter Lindgren abandonaba la banda por no sentirse con fuerzas de seguir dándolo todo después de 16 años de duro trabajo. Su posición sería remplazada por Fredrik Åkesson, providente de Arch Enemy.

Watershed (2007)

Pese a no haber profundizado tanto en este álbum como en otros, se nota un cierto cambio de aires en Opeth. Mucha más melodía, suavidad que roza la superficie pero no profundiza. Este es el primer álbum, que pese a falta de algunas escuchas, no acaba de gustarme. No podría destacar ninguna canción tampoco, y espero, que como todas las cosas de la vida, necesita su tiempo para acomodarse, no obstante esperemos que los nuevos miembros acaben conjugando buenas canciones como lo hicieron en el pasado, bajo la magnificencia de la gran mente musical  de Mikael Åkerfeldt.

Hay que decir que ha costado y mucho hacer esta reseña discográfica y más siendo Opeth una banda de Metal/Rock Progresivo, pero he hecho lo máximo que mi capacidad musical me permitía. Espero que os guste y disfrutéis de tal grupo.

Artista - Opeth
País – Suecia
Género – Metal/Rock Progresivo
Web – Official – Myspace

I awoke on impact
Under surveillance from the camera eye
Searching high and low
The criminal mind found at the scene of the crime
Handcuffed and blind, I didn’t do it
She said she loved me
I guess I never knew
But do we ever, ever really know?
She said she’d meet me on the other side
But I knew right then, I’d never find her

I don’t believe in love
I never have, I never will
I don’t believe in love
It’s never worth the pain that you feel

No more nightmares, I’ve seen them all
From the day I was born, they’ve haunted my every move
Every open hand’s there to push and shove
No time for love it doesn’t matter
She made a difference
I guess she had a way
Of making every night seem bright as day
Now I walk in shadows, never see the light
She must have lied ’cause she never said goodbye

I don’t believe in love
I never have, I never will
I don’t believe in love
I’ll just pretend she never was real
I don’t believe in lovev I need to forget her face, I see
it still
I don’t believe in love
It’s never worth the pain that you feel

No chance for contact
There’s no raison d’etre
My only hope is one day I’ll forget
The pain of knowing what can never be
With or without love it’s all the same to me

I don’t believe in love
I never have, I never will
I don’t believe in love
I’ll just pretend she never was real
I don’t believe in love
I need to forget her face, I see it still
I don’t believe in love
It’s never worth the pain that you feel

I Don’t Believe In Love – Queensryche 1988

Comment: Could be enjoyed either as a part of the story on the album Operation Mindcrime, one of the first and most famous progressive metal albums,  or just a song about sad love and loss. It works both ways.

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.

I finally sorted through another 30 albums or so last night. About 1/3 of it was various Epica studio albums, live releases and singles.  I can’t really say I’m that blown away by them. I’m not going to do a huge write-up about them, but I was really impressed by a few songs, mainly Quietus and Cry For The Moon (YouTube embeds below). What did absolutely blow me away was a rendition of The Imperial March on their Classical Conspiracy album. It’s not really far off from the original, but there is just something about the double bass that pushes it to a new level of awesome. Here it is:

Epica – Imperial March (Star Wars Episode V)

Epica – Cry For The Moon (Set To FF7 AC & FF8! On a side note, can you believe FF8 was for PSOne? The graphics were just amazing)

Epica – Quietus

Лейбъл: InsideOut

Дата на издаване: 15.06. 2009

Формат: CD

Жанр: Рок, Метъл

Стил: Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Modern Rock

Идеална символика – 4-и албум в 44 минути и 44 секунди! Поредно отлично представяне от полските труженици на прогресив рок-фронта

Ривърсайд са полска прогресив рок/метъл група, основана през 2001 във Варшава от четирима приятели. Те спечелиха световното прогресив настроено внимание с дебютната си работа “Out Of Myself“ (2003), която предлагаше забележителна комбинация от метъл, симфоничност и психeделичен (респективно атмосферичен) рок. Тя силно напомняше за най-красивите страни на гении като Пинк Флойд, Поркюпайн Трий, Дрийм Тиътър, Туул… Което от своя страна водеше до другия, отрицателен полюс на настроенията, тъй като някои по-наострени ценители на тази музика погледнаха и все още гледат обвинително поляците в претенциозност и подражателство.

Чудесният им дебют все още държи своя слушател в настръхнало състояние и прагматична чувствителност въпреки изминалите години. Докато например третата творба “Rapid Eye Movement” (2007) си е елегантно осъществен комерсиален пробив. През 2008 г. лидерът на поляците Мариуш Дуда (соло вокали, бас китара, акустична китара) се отчете с дебютен едноименен диск на проекта си Лунатик Соул – енигматично звучащ и акустично-изографисан експеримент, който със сигурност ще има още по-благо продължение.

Двойният концертен диск “Reality Dream“ (2008) сложи точка на първата фаза от развитието на Ривърсайд, защото представи песни от трите албума на групата, образуващи трилогията Reality Dream Trilogy и затвърди впечатлението, че компанията около Мариуш е много силна група.

Новият, четвърти студиен албум на Ривърсайд “Anno Domini High Definition” започва нова серия в творчеството им. Той е динамичен, екстремен, топъл, модерен, чувствен. Досегашните им запазени марки са още по-набиващи се на слух и същевременно са налице по-разложени атмосферични моменти. Добре построеният твърд груув и засилените насечки пък дават на групата правото все още да има термина “метъл” в стиловото си определение.

Всъщност, “Anno Domini High Definition” отвсякъде е напоен със символизъм – вгледайте се само в заглавието, състоящо се от четири думи. Във времетраенето от 44 минути и 44 секунди пък са разположени цели 5 композиции, отдаващи внимание на бързината, с която се развива днешното общество и съпътстващите го човешки взаимоотношения (“променливата модерност, забързания живот, стреса и страха от бъдещето” както твърди лидерът Дуда). При това не става дума за концептуална творба – просто това е централната тема, която налага своите натрапчиви послания на слушателя.

Силно впечатление прави челната употреба на клавишни и орган, откъдето може да се предвиди бъдещото развитие на тази група. Звукът е чудно балансиран, с красива чуваемост на отделните инструменти, като изобилстват солидни китарни намеси и енергични ударни партии.

Челната композиция “Hyperactive” още със самото заглавие казва всичко – хиперактивната действителност смазва всичко и всеки. Тя звучи тежко, но е балансирана и със спокойни етюди. Раздвижената чрез доста извивки, изригвания и насичания “Driven Тo Destruction” предлага също укротени темпови движения плюс чисто класическа прог част от 70-те.

Най-отличителното – не, по-скоро най-богатото изразяване на полските музиканти е в “Egoist Hedonist” – адски влизащо начало, по-късно изпъква обемист багаж от нагъчкани про-метълски моменти и веселяшка (ска) идиотия в средата. Разложеното чрез атмосферност и старостилност “Left Out” даже леко дразни като отношение, но пък обогатява албума. Заключителната композиция “Hybrid Times” е красива чрез трепетите си, тревожна и гневна по свой си начин.

Дотук всичко звучи много добре, като за отлична оценка. Все пак някои пролуки в албума го отдалечават от нея. Например осезаемата липса на повече допълнителни бекинг вокали, лесно разчетените лирики, налучкването на собствената идентичност всред старата арт/прог картина и 90-ски прогресив прототипи. Тоест, на Ривърсайд все още им е рано да станат главни герои на сцената си.

Супер препоръчителен албум, който небрежно и замъглено припомня за красивата прогресив рок сцена на 70-те всред измеренията на новото (прогресив рок и метъл) хилядолетие и същевременно стои напълно модерно и леко напредничаво за времето си.

Оценка: 8 от 10 – страхотен

Автор: Боян Стойчев

Торент: http://fenopy.com/torrent/Riverside+Pol+Anno+Domini+High+Definition+2009+mp3+192+Progressive+Rock+Metal/MjEwODk1OAВидео:

First off, I’m changing the title for my music “reviews” on my blog.  “On Repeat” has a nicer ring to it than “Hooked On” does.  I’m also introducing a new set-up that, hopefully, will make this entry shorter than the Gotthard one.

Now, I’ve been dying to write about this album for some time now, and tonight’s my first chance to do so.

Band: Guilt Machine

Album: “On This Perfect Day”

Released: August 2009 (Europe), September 2009 (USA) on Mascot Records

Genre: Progressive rock/metal with lots of ambiance

Background Info: Arjen Lucassen is regarded as one of the genuises of progressive rock and metal.  He’s the mastermind behind the rock opera project Ayreon and the metal space-capade Star One, as well as one of the founding members of Stream of Passion.  Now, with the Ayreon saga completed and SoP moving on with new members, Arjen has focused his efforts on a brand new project, known as Guilt Machine.

Guilt Machine is probably Arjen’s least complex musical project.  It doesn’t feature 17 singers and ten or so guest musicians.  Instead, there are only three musicians (five, if you count the string instruments) and one singer:

• Jasper Steverlink (Arid) – vocals
• Lori Linstruth (ex-Warbride, ex-Stream of Passion) – lyrics, lead guitar
• Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree) – drums
• Arjen Lucassen – guitars, keyboards, bass, programming

Music: Progressive rock/metal is a very complex musical style, and Arjen does it well.  Each track is lengthy (the shortest track, “Over,” is just over 6 minutes long) and layered, so they hold your attention till the end.  Also, most of the songs don’t keep to the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus format.  “Over” is the one exception, but it’s still more intricate and evocative than your average radio hit these days.

How does Guilt Machine sound?  Well, a lot like Ayreon, but more quiet and brooding.  There are plenty of loud moments, including Lori’s awesomely complicated guitar solos (lots of “wah” and tremolo effects), and some of those spacey-sounding synthesizers.  But, there are also plenty of softer moments, which are beautiful and soothing to listen to.  “Twisted Coil” is probably the best example of the balance of the loud and quiet moments, since it’s the most epic track on the album.  “Over” and “Season of Denial” also combine the two sides of Guilt Machine effectively.

There is, however, one song that sends chills down my spine and a thrill through my body when I hear it: “Green and Cream.”  While it starts off as atmospheric and calm, Chris Maitland’s quick cymbol work lets you know this song will soon take a different direction.  Then, you get to the vigorous first chorus (“Green and cream, selective and pure…”), Lori’s quicksilver guitar solo, and finally the compelling second chorus (“Pull me out of the dark…”), and perhaps you’ll find yourself as smitted as I am with that tune.

Lyrics: The lyrics on this album are also different from most lyrical content on any Ayreon album.  They don’t turn each song into a chapter of a story.  Rather, the lyrics are more abstract and cryptic, and focus on themes such as guilt, regret, and depression.  And despite this being Lori Linstruth’s first crack at writing lyrics, they’re pretty darn good.  She uses lots of emotion and imagery, making it easy for the listener to relate to each song.

Vocals: Arjen struck gold her with his choice of a single male vocalist.  Jasper Steverlink has great range, nailing the soft and powerful parts with ease.  His interpretation of Lori’s lyrics is very earnest without over-singing on any track.  I can’t say he doesn’t better on any particular track, but that he’s consistent throughtout the album.  That’s a big plus.

Oh, and there are some catchy melodies on some songs.  That was one of the highlights of the last Ayreon album “01011001,” and “On This Perfect Day” has some solid ones, too.  I’ve found myself humming lines from at least half of the songs, particularly “Twisted Coil” and “Green and Cream.”

Weaknesses: None, to be honest.  Each song is strong and solid in every way.  If I had to pick one song that I don’t care for as much as the others, I’d say “Leland Street.”  It’s not as interesting as the other songs, IMO.

Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5 One of my favorite albums this year.  If you like complex rock/metal music, or a fan of Arjen Lucassen’s other projects, I highly recommend you getting this album.

Best Songs: “Twisted Coil,” “Green and Cream”

Now, I had a little bit of fun with the album lyrics.  Here is a cool Wordle image with the most frequently used words in the lyrics for “On a Perfect Day,” with colors that are fairly close to the album art’s color palette.

 Naomi’s Solar Pumpkin by Ty Tabor

2009 (10 tracks, 42:52)

progressive metal

Progressive metal music – Listen free at Last.fm.

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!

Highlight Kenosis va concerta mâine seara la Cluj, de la ora 20:00* în Irish and Music Pub.

*Probabil vor cânta de la 21:00, în deschidere fiind Blood Print.

Photo: My Space pic.

Remélem hogy senkinek sem kell bemutatnom a Kamelotot, a kedvenc – és egyetlen – (progressive) metál bandámat, ami számomra az egyetlen tökéletesen emészthető metál bandának számít. Hihetetlenek a számaik, hallgassatok bele.

Több infó: http://kamelot.extra.hu/readarticle.php?article_id=8

Well this has been a strange week, one of my favourite bands have had a new record out for the past few days… and I think it is musical masterpiece! The Band I am talking about of course is “Between the Buried and Me”. I KNOW they are about as underground as a space shuttle but the music they write and produce is verging on flawless.
When asked to define a genre I often tend to struggle, it was a question posed by one of my friends earlier this week… how do you define the genre “Progressive”? Simply put, my response was anything which is capable of moving or changing a genre in a new direction. I imagine this is going to cause some fracas amongst the purists who say progressive is “a more complex art form” or “has a different composition in structure and texture than current music”. And I agree with all of these statements, my friends point was though, that if everyone made this music, would it be progressive, simply put… NO. The genre progressive is a progressive word which can change or progress much like pop music will always be changing. No genre is stationary, in 200 years time someone may well be calling Led Zeppelin “classical” much in the same way we call Bach and Mozart classical now (As much this is a far fetched view, we just DON’T know… Classical music is due a comeback anyway!) Anyway, back to the music in hand…

Between the Buried and Me – myspace.com/betweentheburiedandme
Call it what you will but “Between the buried and Me” are a genre defining band. Pushing the envelope on accessible and progressive hard rock and metal. The new album “The Great Misdirect” has been quoted by the band saying “we are very confident in the fact that this is some of the best material we’ve ever created.” And upon listening I would agree. Clearly drawing influences from Pink Floyd in parts, if Pink Floyd were to make their music now, would they sound like this? I certainly hope so, put simply, I WILL make my children listen to this, and I pray they understand and appreciate its beauty.
Overall this album is musically stunning, but I can’t help feeling that with only 6 Tracks it looks from the cover this could potentially be only an EP… I can assure you it’s definitely not! Each track is in itself an individual artwork resting within the album.
This was a big ask for them after their previous album “Colors” is in my “favourite album of this decade pile”, and they have delivered something not only AS strong but also different from the previous outing… my fear of any new album from an artist is the “part 2″ feeling some albums give me. Not these guys. Before “Colors” they made an album called “Alaska”, this was the point which I got interested in this band, and one outright standout song on this album is “Selkies: The Endless Obsession”… Now, they are making albums full of these songs, with EVERY song as strong as the last and EVERY song as individual as the last… With artists like this, it gives me hope that music is still a blossoming flower,where musicians can still make the music they WANT to make.
Thank you Between the Buried and Me.