Tag black metal

Ne Obliviscaris – Portal of I

Peter Jones 1 Comment

Writing about 30 albums in 30 days has been a good exercise for me. It has helped me dust off the cobwebs that have accumulated in the writing portion of my brain, and has given me the opportunity to perhaps think a bit more about why I like some of the music I like.

I don’t think I could say it has made me a better writer, yet. But hopefully that will come with time and with some continued writing.

As I’ve been thinking about what album I should finish this endeavor out with, I struggled a bit. Strictly for my purposes, I felt it should be some piece of music that has had a more profound impact on my life. Yet, I’ve already written about a number of those. I’ve hit upon Neurosis, Fates Warning, Opeth, and some others. So, just for fun, I thought I would fire up iTunes and see what album has the highest play count.

And I was blown away.

I actually think there has to be some sort of error in the way iTunes counted things, because it says that I have listened to some tracks of Portal of I but Ne Obliviscaris over 1,400 times. Yet, while I doubt that total number, there can be no mistake, Portal of I was another massive breakthrough album for me, and led to Ne Obliviscaris being one of my very favorite bands.

I wish I could recall how I stumbled across this album. It was something online. There was a lot of buzz building, despite the fact it was the first album from this young Australian band. It seemed there was a bit of a bandwagon forming, so I decided I would jump on.

Again, gut trusted, payoff ensued.

Portal of I is an amazing album, one which, personally, I don’t think Ne Obliviscaris has topped, despite subsequent albums being stronger as albums. Portal of I just has some of the most amazing metal songs I think I have ever heard.

Playing another melange of genres, Ne Obliviscaris is firmly rooted in some of the more extreme styles (death and black metal are a staple of the sound). However, over all this is a very strong progressive component. Many songs are longer than 10 minutes, with multiple passages and recurring motifs, in a fashion that calls to mind classical music to be completely honest.

Furthering the classical music comparison is the central, and really essential, use of violin in the music. It would be tempting to relegate the violin to brief moments here and there. However, Ne Obliviscaris intelligently writes their music understanding that the violin is a central instrument, much like the guitar or bass. Every song is replete with lyrical violin that adds a unique and beautiful layer to the music. Played by Tim Charles, the clean vocalist, it is really present nearly all the time that Tim isn’t singing, and at times plays off the lead guitar as well.

Beautiful really is one of the most effective ways to describe the music of Ne Obliviscaris. Take, for example, my favorite song off Portal of I, “Forget Not”. A tribute to a family member of the band, the first 5 full minutes are primarily violin and acoustic guitar. The music ebbs and flows, building and retreating throughout the entire 12 minutes.

Other songs are equally as powerful. “As Plague Flowers The Kaleidoscope” is a monster of a song. Layering clean vocals and black screams and death growls from Xenoyr, this is another song full of crescendo and denouement, an emotional journey from start to finish, that really showcases just how dynamic, moving, and fascinating metal can be.

Make no mistake, this is a metal album from a metal band. Yet, they are extremely willing to push the boundaries of what we would traditionally consider extreme metal, melding different styles, genres, and dynamics to create something that, at least as far as I have thus found, is a truly unique sound. Sure, other bands are doing many of the same things NeO does, but I have yet to find a band that blends them all together as seamlessly as these Aussies do. Add on that, they just come across as a super affable bunch, very willing to interact with fans and to have a relationship with those fans (particularly via Patreon), and you have a band that is super talented and a class act all around. I love all their albums, but Portal of I still remains my favorite, likely as it was my introduction to this fine act.

The Great Old Ones – Cosmicism

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Black Friday can mean only one thing: Black metal.

Not really, of course. But in my heart, maybe, just a little. After all, black metal has (had, maybe, as it has grown so far beyond it’s initial roots) some mighty rebellious roots as far as establishments go.

And, well, after years of engaging in the Black Friday brouhaha, I have really shied away from it these last few years. So, there it is, my act of rebellion against the capitalist establishment. Haha, so rebellious, right?

But really, I’ve been meaning to write about this album all freaking November long, the months is 2 days from being gone, and I still haven’t managed to get around to it.

Honestly, I don’t know why either. I really have become a huge fan of The Great Old Ones. I dig their quasi post-black metal take on Lovecraftian mythos. I really do. In a similar fashion as Sulphur Aeon does with their death metal, TGOO weave Lovecraft’s stories and ideas throughout their music, making it an essential part of the album. This isn’t some one off idea like Metallica and their classic instrumental “The Call of Ktulu” (intentional misspelling according to the band).

No, such is not the case here. Rather, Cosmicism, like the albums that come before it, is entirely built upon the Cthulhu mythos, incorporating passages from Lovecraft’s works and building an entire presence around those stories and that universe. I find Lovecraft and his work interesting, and likewise continue to enjoy it here.

So why has writing about this album eluded me so? Perhaps, in an eldritch sort of way, thinking about it causes it to become slippery in my mind. I can’t hold onto it, lest it drive me mad. Mayhap that is it. Or really, maybe it’s just because I’m struggling putting into words my thoughts on this album. So this will be rough.

I love Cosmicism. I really do. I preordered it the second it was announced, I like the previous albums enough. Of course, I went with the vinyl preorder, as one does. But even then, ended up jumping for the special edition CD with a little Cthulhu statue, which now sits on my desk at work. You know, as one does. I mean, doesn’t that just scream, “Trust me, I’m a doctor”? The statue nicely compliments my Neurosis flag, my Allegaeon flag, my Imperialist flag, and my Plini flag. So, actually, I guess the office decor already gives of a, shall we say, unique vibe.

But back to the album. Musically, it has the hallmarks of black metal. There are blast beats, tremolo picking, rapid strumming, harsh vocals. But there are also passages that lean more towards the death metal side of things, heavier and more aggressive than usual black metal. The production is loud, but no lo-fi to the point it is painful to listen to. You can actually tell there are multiple (3!) guitars at play here, layering nicely to add to the music. Yet there are also those moments of slower music, of quieter music, of atmosphere at play here that add to the depth of the album.

And oddly, that’s really about all I feel like I can intelligently say about the album. I’ve been listening to it since it released, and I really like it a lot. But I struggle at articulating why. I don’t have an emotional connection with this album, it is too otherworldly for that. But it is an excellent album of interesting and well played and written black metal, Which seems more than I can ask on a cold, snowy, Black Friday.

Vintersea – Illuminated

Peter Jones Leave a comment

A few months ago I received and email regarding the upcoming album from Vintersea, a metal band hailing from Oregon. I honestly can’t recall exactly why I received the email, but it mentioned the cover art for Illuminated had been created by Xenoyr, harsh vocalist for Ne Obliviscaris.

This instantly intrigued me, as I am a huge and unapologetic NeO fan. If Xen was contributing something to this band, I assumed (whether this assumption was correct or not) that there must be some merit to the band and their work. The email also detailed a special collectors pack of the album, including CD, vinyl, t-shirt and photo book. I’m a sucker, and tell me this collectors pack is limited and includes the vinyl and, well, I had to force myself to not just press “Add to Cart”. You know, self-control and all that.

At the very least, I felt I should check out a song or two before I made the jump. Again, this is what we call “being responsible”, right?

Enter “Illuminated”, title track, and lead single from the album of the same name. I added it via Apple Music (most likely) and started listening. I’m sure I’m not the only one to have certain songs indelibly linked to memories, and this is one of those cases. It was late at night, my entire family had gone to bed and the house was dark. I was letting the dog out one last time for the night, and was jamming to this previously unknown to me band.

“Illuminated” starts off well enough, some keys and then some relatively standard sounding modern metal guitars. The sound was crisp, clean, and the guitar had a good tone. Lead singer Avienne entered the mix with a very pleasant voice, some layered effects to add to it, and a mild build in intensity with some double bass as the song progressed. Then it pulled back again, easing off the gas pedal. It was good, solid, if not entirely impressive music. An oddly placed spoken word passage appeared (turns out the album is a bit of a concept album, but I didn’t know this at the time), and then a bridge with, again, some very pleasant vocals. So far, my favorite part of the song was Avienne’s vocals.

Still, nothing about this was grabbing me. It wasn’t standing out in any way from a handful of other relatively generic, female fronted metal bands. Even the guitar solo was just fine. It was pleasant and enjoyable, but not attention grabbing.

And then it hits. About 4:45 in, the song gets quite a bit heavier, and Avienne suddenly breaks out some throat ripping growls, the double bass really kicks in, and now we have something different.

So sudden was the change in my interest, I remember saying out loud in the darkness “Okay, you guys just sold me.”

Illuminated is a chimera of modern progressive metal, death metal, and some blackened elements that really helped give this band their own identity. The rest of the album is just as, if not stronger than that single. “Spawn Awakening” starts of with a real kick, and I love playing it for others and letting them know just who provides the vocals. While not a dizzying display of turbulent time signatures, there are still plenty of progressive moments to be found. Songs change style and identity, have longer passages, and don’t feel like they are being crammed into a box.

Overall, I quite enjoy the album and there is a lot to really like. My only complaint is the use of saxophone on “Crack of Light”. It falls victim to the “Jones saxophone law” which states that the excellence of a song is inversely proportional to the amount of saxophone used. That is to say, the less sax, the better. Always. Heck, Kenny G’s music would be infinitely more tolerable if the saxophone was removed.

However, that doesn’t detract from what is an otherwise excellent album. This is a tight affair, coming in at only 39 minutes. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and manages to remain impactful by avoiding bloat. The performances are all excellent, and I can’t say enough good about Avienne. She has a wonderful clean voice that is a joy to listen to, and growls that are powerful and punishing. Illuminated is also a very nice maturation and improvement over their previous album The Gravity of Fall. This is a band with a lot of talent, a vision of what they want to become, and are well worth keeping your eye on.

And, yes, I did end up ordering that collectors pack. And I have no regrets.

Schammasch – Hearts of No Light

Peter Jones Leave a comment

I appreciate ambition.

I really do. Ambition will take you a long way, as far as I am concerned. Even if that ambition doesn’t pay off, I appreciate when someone puts it out there and goes for it.

Case in point, Schammasch and their 2016 release Triangle. Talk about ambition. Triangle is essentially 3 albums in one, with a different take on music on each of the three albums. I was instantly intrigued and fascinated by the ambition. And while it does make the album a tad on the long side, it is still a staggering work of art and well worth the exploration.

Triangle put Schammasch on my radar. And 2019 sees them releasing Hearts of No Light, and this record has Schammasch on the short list of most interesting and fascinating bands releasing music currently.

This is black metal at its heart. There are harsh vocals, though not in the usual high, harsh register classic for black metal, but certainly not the low growls of death metal. The other hallmarks are there. Some rapid, tremolo picking, blast beats, and double bass.

What really sets Schammasch apart is their mastery of atmosphere. While this is clearly a metal album, so much of that is balanced by atmosphere. Take first track, “Winds That Pierce the Silence”. After a short piano intro, we get a guitar and drum slowly building for the next three minutes. I love that they are willing to let the song take some time, to really breathe. The sound is somewhat sinister, as the layers gradually come in, finally building to the metal crescendo that is the following track, “Ego Sum Omega”. The flow from the first track to the second is masterful, and the tension created has the listener so ready for the heaviness that this track brings.

Thus it is throughout the album. There is a very post-metal sensibility in the dynamics of Hearts of No Light, with crescendos and denouements throughout. The builds and then the releases come often enough to keep the music fascinating, but not so often that it feels they are forced.

The music has an intensely organic feel to it. It seems to really flow from the band, and subsequently flow across the listener. Vocals are almost chants at times, adding to the powerful atmosphere. Tracks like “Qadmon’s Heir” flow directly into “Rays Like Razors”, two of the strongest tracks on the album. “A Paradigm of Beauty” has an almost Joy Division feel to it, less metal, almost bordering on a pop song. It expertly sets up “Katabasis”, which may be my very favorite song on the album. Here we have another gradual build of just over 3 minutes, that culminates in an incredibly powerful track that elevates Hearts of No Light above many of its contemporaries. Final track, the lengthy and lethargic “Innermost, Lowermost Abyss” is 15 minutes of atmosphere. It may feel long at times, but after the amazing previous tracks, it is an excellent coda to the album.

Schammasch is one of those bands you need to experience. This isn’t an immediate album. I started listening to it digitally, and thought it was a good album. After about 4-5 listens, it went from good to great, and subsequent listens have elevated it to amazing, and I had to order the vinyl. This is easily one of my favorites of 2019, and there have been some incredible albums released this year.

Cobalt – Slow Forever

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Life is full of surprises, that’s for sure.

Take, for example, Cobalt. If you had told me years ago I would like black metal, I’d have told you you were crazy. Had you told me that an American black metal band would become my ultimate go-to music? Even more crazy.

But that’s what Cobalt is. See, sometimes I get in a rut. I want to listen to music, but nothing seems to grab me. I try new songs, old songs, wander through just about every genre without finding something that I want to stick with. For someone who loves music as much as I do, it becomes an increasingly frustrating endeavor. I get cranky, and it starts to really drive me crazy.

Then I’ll turn on some Cobalt. Doesn’t really matter which album. Could be their breakthrough, Eater of Birds, perhaps their subsequent triumph Gin, or just as often, their amazing return to the music scene, 2016s Slow Forever. And every single time, I’m instantly out of my musical rut. Suddenly, I find joy in music once again. The craziest part of all of this? I couldn’t even tell you why. There is just something visceral about Cobalt that clicks with me, and draws me in immediately.

Slow Forever was my first introduction to Cobalt. Basically a two man band, with all the instruments manned by Eric Wunder, with Charlie Fell helming the mic (having replaced Phil McSorley after some internal band issues). That this really is just two men is astonishing, and the last thing I would have expected given just how powerful the album is.

Slow Forever is an evolution of the black metal found on the previous albums. It is less raw, and actually has an incredibly crisp production that makes the instruments, particularly the drums just pop. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I’d continue to call Slow Forever black metal. At the same time, I don’t know what I’d call it instead. There are elements of punk, hardcore, crust, hard rock, and country. Yes, even country.

Cobalt’s music is just raw, no matter how sharp the production is. The vocals still carry with them that harsh, almost shriek, even with a different vocalist. Instrumentally, this is just filthy, nasty metal, in the very best ways possible. The guitars have a “dirtiness” to their sound. I don’t really know how else to describe them. Many songs are long, the album itself is 1 hour and 24 minutes (with the bonus track “Siege” which is an awesome song). This album is a journey.

There is also something uniquely American about Slow Forever. It has the identity of the west baked into the music. There is a rebelliousness, a celebration of individuality, and also an acknowledgment that things just might be a little effed up. That leads to a powerful authenticity to the music. It is both contemplative at times, and yet just straight up brutal and in your face at others.

Slow Forever is a band that realizes that we just might actually be up shit creek, and they are making sure they scream this loud and clear for all to hear. There aren’t solutions offered here, that isn’t the intent. But Slow Forever is a brilliant, visceral, and raw anthem that wouldn’t be out of place while we burn things to the ground with the hopes of starting over.

Second to Sun – Legacy

Peter Jones Leave a comment

This is a bit of a mix-up today. I hadn’t originally planned to write about this album. In the list of 30 albums for the 30 days of November, this wasn’t on the list, simply because it hadn’t been released yet. But now it has been released, and I simply must write about it.

Second to Sun hail from Russia, and their music is deeply rooted in their country. Songs often take themes from Russian history of folk-lore, and just as often, incorporate sounds that strengthen that tie. And they have been incredibly prolific over the years. Starting out as an instrumental band, they have added lyrics and vocals over the years, broadening their sound. But they still hold close to their instrumental roots, as all of their past few albums have had both an instrumental and a vocal release. Most interestingly, they are such excellent writers, that the two versions feel like separate, wholly realized compositions, not just one version with the vocals stripped away.

Deeply rooted in black metal, but playing around with a host of other elements, including some death metal, so groove based riffs and passages, and always willing to allow the music to progress, Legacy is no different.

Let me just start off by saying, this album freaking rules. I’ve been listening to it almost nonstop for the past 3 days, and it is infectious, addictive, and has a real shot at being in the top 10 list of the year for me. I won’t bore with a track by track discussion, but I will say that there isn’t a weak song here. Some are straight up bludgeoning tracks (opener “Devil” comes to mind). Others alternate, building tension with keyboards and orchestrations, giving the songs room to breath and become more than weapons (“Pages For A Manuscript” for example).

Calling the vocals harsh is like calling ghost peppers “spicy”. Talk about understatement. These vocals could strip the paint right off your deck and sand it at the same time. They are raw, powerful, and uncompromising. But they fit the music so well. This is music written by people who know what they want to do and how to use those tools to make it happen. Instrumentally, there are no drawbacks to be found. The music is frenetic, it is brutal, it is atmospheric, it is haunting.

Second to Sun don’t write music to relax to. This isn’t casual music. It is heavy, it is harsh, and I can imagine that it would be too much for people without some degree of comfort with heavy music. But it is also brilliantly written and performed, and an impressive demonstration of just how vital and important black metal has become as a sub-genre. Far from the church burning roots, Second to Sun clearly demonstrate on Legacy that black metal is simply a tool, and they are using to bring a haunting piece of Russia right into your ear-holes.

https://youtu.be/q9UGNaRbFz8