Tag music

Cover of the album Eye to Windward by Gigafauna.

Gigafauna—Eye to Windward

Peter Jones Leave a comment

I’ve been a metalhead for decades now. I’d always leaned toward heavier rock, but as I made my way through my twenties, and navigated major life changes and the insanity of medical school, heavier music became one of those key coping strategies. And while my heart remained rooted in progressive music, thanks to a lifelong love of the music of Rush, I began to explore the myriad sub-genres found in metal.

More than perhaps any other type of music, metal embraces variety. There are dozens of different sub-genres, yet all are still recognizably metal. Truth is, it is one of the facets of being a metalhead that I find so refreshing. There is no shortage of different styles of metal that I can dip in and out of, with new styles and sounds to discover.

Some bands find their sound, their style, and settle in and make decades long successful careers from that. My personal favorite thrash metal band, Testament, is a perfect example. On (almost) any one of their albums, it is instantly apparent that I am listening to thrash metal, and honestly that I am listening to Testament. Other bands, however, take the risk of mixing different styles, and do so with varying degrees of success.

Cover of the album Eye to Windward by the band Gigafauna

Enter Gigafauna, a four piece from Uppsala, Sweden. For the sake of disclosure, I will admit that I was unaware of the band until they reached out via the contact form and let me know of their upcoming album, Eye to Windward. Hitting play, I truly had no idea what to expect. What I found, almost instantly, was a band taking that far riskier approach, that chance to mix genres and see what came out.

And what came out on Eye to Windward? A kick-ass album that deftly blends elements of progressive metal, sludge, and melodic death metal with a groove and swagger straight from an 80s hard rock band.

Songs move between moments of heavy grooves, crushing death metal riffs, clean vocals and growls, and back to those heavy grooves. The sense of swagger is ever present, even when the drums move to double time and the growls come barreling in. This all comes together to keep the heaviness from ever becoming overwhelming. Don’t mistake what I am saying: This is a metal album, through and through. But there is a sense of what I would describe as playfulness in how the band weaves together these different styles that keeps if from feeling oppressive.

Some days, I welcome the oppression and darkness that metal can provide. Eye to Windward keeps me engaged with its, at times, crushing heaviness. Yet the variety between the vocal styles and the riffs keeps the album feeling interesting, explorative, and injects a sense of joy into the music, even when the songs are dead serious. This is a difficult trick to pull off, and many bands falter as they try to do so. An excellent example is mid-album track “Plagued”. Harsh vocals start out, with an almost stomping beat. But the band isn’t afraid to take that places, with soaring vocals, textural variations in the guitars, and playing with moments of stripped back drums and bass coupled with layered guitars and vocals. It is an excellent showcase of all the different tools Gigafauna has at their disposal.

Other tracks are more focused. “Pyres” is heavy out of the gate, with my favorite riff on the album. Even here, though, there is a sense of dynamics that prevents the music from ever feeling stale. Album finale, “Vessel,” is a worthy way to close out this journey, taking us through all of the feelings of the album in a fantastic capstone on the experience. A sludgy, progressive, death-tinged epic, Gigafauna sticks the hooks in, tantalizingly hinting at where they may choose to go from here.

That doesn’t mean the album is perfect. There are some transitions that feel less fluid, slightly forced. There are moments where the disparate elements don’t come together perfectly. But that is always the risk when trying to marry these different styles. And while not perfect, the songs are all supremely enjoyable and performed with incredible talent. I am left impressed by the successes found on Eye to Windward, which far outshine the few bumps on the road.

For a band to come out of the dark and really blow me away is no small feat. Gigafauna has done just that with their release Eye to Windward. Mixing metal styles can either pay off or backfire spectacularly, and here it pays off with aplomb.

Icon by Paradise Lost, 30 years later

Peter Jones Leave a comment

I can’t claim to have been familiar with the institution of British metal that is Paradise Lost back when Icon was originally released. It was 1993. I was beginning my trip down the metal rabbit hole, but only just. Like many people who listened to rock radio, I was listening to Metallica and Countdown to Extinction. I had started to branch out a bit on my own, taking my love of progressive rock and seeing how it fit with a heavier sound. Images and Words by Dream Theater was getting heavy rotation.

It wouldn’t be until many years later, 2009 to be precise, when Paradise Lost appeared on my radar, with their release of Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us. I had been gradually expanding my musical tastes over my years in medical school and through residency. Those were incredibly difficult years. Years that have left scars on me that I carry with me to this day. One of the ways I dealt with the trauma of those years was to embrace the darkness that metal music embodied.

Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us resonated with me. The heavy, dark tone, with a gothic atmosphere and a sound that spoke of some of the uglier aspects of life was what I needed. Hell, there was even a track on that album titled “Living with Scars”. Yeah, I was almost instantly hooked.

One of the most wonderful things I have experienced in life is discovering a new band that already has a healthy catalog. I’m not kidding or being hyperbolic. I love music, and the joy of discovering a new band, and then diving into hours of near music is just sublime. Such was the case with Paradise Lost. There were 11 full albums from the band that preceded that most recent release.

To say I was excited would be an understatement.

As I am wont to do, I also began reading about the band on the internet. I read all about Draconian Times and how it was often considered their landmark record. I listened to and loved that album. But there was another.

Two years earlier, the band had released Icon. The cover was striking but unsettling. But by this time, I was all in on the band. So I listened to it.

And quickly discovered my own, personal favorite Paradise Lost album.

I actually don’t think Paradise Lost has a bad album. They have very, very different albums. A trip through their discography will be one of fascinating discovery, as the music moves from death/doom, to gothic metal, to dark synth pop, back to gothic metal, and ending (currently) at a healthy death/doom and gothic mix. There isn’t a dull moment.

But I still kept coming back to Icon. There is an urgency, a power to the songs that I find still keeps them vibrant to this day. It is an album that stands proud amongst all other peers in the metal world of the early 90s.

And so, with the 30th anniversary upon us of this influential and seminal album, Paradise Lost chose to re-record it.

We have, again, a triumph.

Icon 30 is Icon brought into the modern world. The original always had just a bit of soft edge, in terms of the production. Icon 30 gives this album the edge it always had, but that wasn’t evident. It doesn’t matter that these songs were written and originally recorded 30 years ago. They don’t sound dated in the least.

Rather, particularly with the new recordings, they have all the bite that they were intended to have, and are as relevant to the world of music and metal as they were 30 years ago. Perhaps even more so.

There are no breakdowns to be found. Paradise Lost didn’t need them to punch you in the gut. Nick Holmes’ voice is powerful, gritty, urgent and intoxicating. The guitars shine and drive. The bass and drums are punchy, groovy, and listening to this version of the album just proves what incredibly musicians and writers the band is.

Icon has been, for the last 15 years, my favorite Paradise Lost album. Icon 30 has reconfirmed that love and is a vibrant example of just how timeless metal music can be.

More subgenres than genres

Peter Jones Leave a comment

I’m a metal head. Have been for a few decades now. Given that it has been that many years, one of the aspects of metal that I barely even notice anymore is just how many subgenres there are.

This was brought to the forefront of my mind just yesterday. I was at work, and music was playing. At one point, someone asked me, “What the hell is this music?” It gave me pause for just a moment. I had actually chosen some of my music that I deemed to be the most “accessible” and the least unusual or offensive to the other people in the room with me. In my line of work, often people are asleep. In that case, I listen to whatever I want to. But when people are awake, I strive to be more selective in what I choose to play.

So, it really surprised me that, what I had deemed to be easily accessible and “normal” metal warranted such a question.

Still, I tried to answer and offered that I would consider it “gothic doom.”. That was when another individual in the room offered the observation, “I think there are more genres of metal than there are genres of all other music combined.”

That made me think. Because, honestly, I’m not sure that the truth is too far off from that comment. There are so many subgenres that all fall under the metal umbrella. There are entire, 20+ minute YouTube videos that discuss the different genres of metal. On the surface, that seems insane.

But to me, it just seems natural. It makes sense. Hell, it even seems necessary. Because, of course, just because someone likes Iron Maiden, that does not, at all, mean they are going to like Gorguts or The Melvins. They all fall under the metal umbrella, but they are so different as to not even seem like the same type of music. At least to those of us already in the “know”.

But, again, why is it that way?

Despite all being metal, so many of the subgenres found within the genre have very little in common with each other, other than the fact they use distorted guitars, bass and drums.

And, well, that is all that really sets metal apart from all other genres of music. So it isn’t that odd, is it?

But more than that, it helps to really categorize music. There is a vast gulf between the thrash metal of Slayer, the polished progressive metal of TesseracT, and the slow, ponderous build of Bell Witch’s funeral doom.

Or, take, for example, two of my very favorite bands. From a musical standpoint, there is very little that is the same between the building, dynamic post-metal of Neurosis, and the progressive styling of Fates Warning. In fact, it would almost be impossible to find two albums that, at least on the surface, seem more dissimilar than the epic titan of an album Through Silver In Blood, and its temporal counterpart, the excellent album A Pleasant Shade of Gray.

So, to simply refer to both of these as metal albums doesn’t help the listener. One may be right up their alley, while the other could be something they have little to no interest in.

As I think about it, it really is just a type of shorthand. With a style of music that is so varied and has a truly incredible amount of breadth and depth to it, this shorthand helps to describe the music to someone else who may, or may not, be interested.

I love post-metal. It is one of my favorite types of metal. If you tell me something is post-metal, I am going to give it a chance, no questions asked. However, I am much more selective in my black metal. So I’ll need additional information before I decide to listen to something with that label.

Those labels help. They accelerate the process of understanding and setting expectations for the music. And so, something that initially seems to be a hindrance to someone getting into metal can actually evolve into a strength.

And with just so damn much metal out there, that shorthand is a real lifesaver.

A Testament to real metal

Peter Jones Leave a comment

The 90s were weird for metal, man

Testament were never the biggest of the thrash metal bands. They weren’t even officially in the “Big 4” of American thrash metal (though there are plenty of us who would argue they should have been, or were better than the “Big 4”).

But, they will forever be my personal favorite thrash band. And their reaction to the 90s metal weirdness is just one of the many reasons they are.

So, in summary, Metallica stopped being metal, Megadeth did as well. Between grunge and later nu-metal, more traditional types of metal were floundering to some degree. There were exceptions, of course. Pantera became hugely popular during this time, at least in my opinion because they were so uncompromising in their approach.

Holding their ground

Still, there was Testament, toiling away, never nearly as big or well known as many of those other bands. The early 90s saw them changing their sound a bit, with 1992 release The Ritual being more melodic and sounding more mature and polished than previous albums. And one could certainly assume that they were trying to chase after the Metallica-esque success of The Black Album. However, while Metallica is a metal album, but not a thrash metal album, The Ritual still retains most of its thrashiness.

Yet, record companies saw the writing on the wall, and came to the band demanding they move in the direction of their peers, and release an album that was even more commercially marketable, approachable. Less metal, more hard rock, since that really was what was moving sales at the time. And Testament wasn’t immune to this. Founding member Eric Peterson has said that Atlantic Records, their record label at the time, came to them and demanded an “alternative” record.

Those who remember the 90s as vividly as I do will recall that “alternative” was just the catch all for stuff that wasn’t top 40, but also was most definitely not metal. In fact, much of it really couldn’t even be considered hard rock. It was huge, and it was selling millions of records. Take, for example, Nirvana’s Nevermind and it’s more than 10 million copies sold in the US in it’s lifetime, and compare that to The Ritual and its less than 500,000 sales. Clearly, one style was dominating.

From that standpoint, I could see suits trying to tell Testament what they needed to do. And Testament responded in the most metal way possible.

A middle finger to record execs

Low dropped in 1994, two years after The Ritual. And from the very first seconds of the first, and title track, Testament raised a huge, flaming middle finger to their record label. Low finds Testament at their most aggressive, their most pissed off, their most thrash metal, in both music but also in ethos. In fact, “Dog Faced Gods” from the album is pretty much just death metal. It is about as far from “alternative” as the band could have been.

You can guess what happened next. Atlantic Records dropped the band, and they went on form their own record label. And, unfettered by the demands of the suits at Atlantic, Testament decided to get a little weird in their own way.

Demonic stomped onto the ears of unsuspecting listeners three years later. And from the get go, you can tell you are in for something different. Opening track, “Demonic Refusal” counts in with a somewhat distorted voice, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6” and we are introduced full on to Testament’s version of death metal.

Demonic is not a thrash metal album. And for that reason, many people dislike it. Many even hate it. Opinions on the album vary widely. Just a glance across the internet will see review scores anywhere from 0 all the way up to 8 and 9 out of 10. So, why is it so divisive?

And why do I love it so much?

A demonic metal stage
Image courtesy of DALLE-3

A case for something different

Look, let’s just get this out of the way, Demonic is not the best album by Testament. Not by a long shot. It isn’t a thrash metal album, and it shows. It lacks much of the speed and energy that is most often associate with thrash metal. The riffs are more simplistic, there really aren’t guitar solos (with perhaps one exception, though the solo in “New Eyes of Old” is very short). And Chuck Billy growls almost the entire album, with very little of his trademark gravelly singing.

So, yeah, it is weird.

But it also stomps. It stomps hard! With Gene Hoglan on the kit, the drums pop, are so precise and powerful that it makes me really pay attention. Yes, the riffs aren’t as intricate as they previously were, but they are heavy, thick, groovy and threaten to snap necks. And while I agree that Chuck Billy is an absolute beast of a vocalist, his use of death growls is compelling to me, despite being fairly one-note.

I like heavy music. And this was Testament just playing heavy music. This same year we got ReLoad from Metallica. It’s hard rock, and even some songs I wouldn’t give the hard modifier to. Megadeth dropped Cryptic Writings, an absolute snooze-fest of an album that is pretty much just AOR. So, at least half of the “Big 4” weren’t even playing metal anymore, let alone anything has heavy as thrash or death metal. Testament was carrying that flame, and would continue to do so with their even more punishing subsequent release, The Gathering two years later.

Still, I have to admit that, in 1997 I wasn’t in to metal the way I am now. I don’t know how I would have reacted had I been a fan of the band at that time, and perhaps it is looking back on it that colors my opinion.

I think Demonic is a great album. It is so much better than much of what Testament’s contemporaries were releasing at that time, and showed a band committed to playing heavy fucking music, even despite intense pressure to do otherwise. In thinking about writing this, I have listened to Demonic at least a dozen times, and it just doesn’t get old to me.

And as a flaming middle finger to the music industry, I love it all the more. What is more metal than that?

My Week in Music – February 5, 2022

Peter Jones Leave a comment

This week was a bit more of a fun one when it came to music. I sort of rediscovered Black Crown Initiate, as well as Persefone. BCI just sort of because. Persefone had a new album drop Friday. I have been a huge fan on their particular take on progressive metal eve since I heard their album Spiritual Migration years ago. This one sort of snuck up on me. Didn’t realize they had one coming out until Tuesday.

Dawn of Solace had a new one drop recently. They have a certain melancholy that just seems to speak to me. Some Meshuggah, some LoG (a workout favorite), and some folk black metal. All in all, a nice mix, with a bit more variety than the previous week. And more to choose from. I definitely listened to more music this week.

My Week in Music – January 29, 2022

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Two things this week.

Lifting and emotionally heavy and dark music. The lifting is the LoG, the Crescent, the Misery Index. Went to my workout playlist for the working out. Other than that, I listened to a surprisingly small amount of music this week considering I had time off and could have really listened to more music.

But when I did, it tended to lean toward the more dark and emotional music. Woods of Ypres (“Finality” is such a gut wrenching song), Dawn of Solace (new album, same excellent dark, somewhat depressive, but melodic music), and some Cynthesis. I did spend a bit of time last night getting into the new Mechina album.

But I still find myself not really listening to music as much as I would honestly like to. Perhaps that will be different this week, going back to work, but finally not having a resident or a medical student with me. Means I can actually listen to music between seeing patients, rather than having to try and teach.

My Week In Music – January 22, 2022

Peter Jones Leave a comment

This was an odd week. 

I just really didn’t find myself drawn to that much in terms of music. Most of this was while operating. Some while working out (just can’t go wrong with Lamb of God while lifting weights), some while just listening to music. But overall, nothing really jumped out at me. 

The Vision Bleak popped on the list due to the recent wolf moon we had. Of course that instantly brought to mind their track “Wolf Moon”, and so I ended up listening to that whole album while working out. Wolverine made a surprising comeback, mostly because they are relatively safe to have in the background when a patient is awake. 

But really, I hope to spend a bit more time this week listening to music, finding things to enjoy again. I feel a bit like I am stuck in the desert. 

Wacky Wednesday – “Call to the Warrior” by Affiance

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Wacky Wednesday is a day to write about something that is just different. Could be truly wacky, weird or wild. Might be a little freaky. Could be funny, silly or really just unusual in some way. This might be an opportunity for me to explore some of the lighter aspects of my music.

When thinking about what I could write about on this inaugural Wacky Wednesday, one of the first things that came to mind was the song “Call to the Warrior” by Affiance. Sadly, this band has mostly disbanded, though we did get a surprise single from them in 2020. It’s a real shame too, as they really were an excellent, straightforward metal band. Melodic, exciting, with tons of energy, they are missed. 

“Call to the Warrior” was the first song I really remember hearing from Affiance. And it was really the video that caught my attention. The song is a real banger, very motivating, and a great “pump you up” type of song. 

But the video, it is hilarious and wacky and I love it. Just watch it. But, in short, it is the band performing their own song in Guitar Hero/Rock Band, and initially failing. There is great comedy for a great song. But the video definitely is wacky. 

May the anger soothe your soul

Peter Jones Leave a comment

It was always there. Buried deep within me. There were hints as a youth. Those hints started to become more overt as I aged. It waxed and waned a bit over the years. Yet as I age, it has become stronger, more obvious, and more important to me.

I freaking love heavy music.

Like really, really love it. I do have my limits. There are certain very extreme bands or sub-genres of metal that are still a bit too much for me. But as I have aged, I find myself drawn more and more to heavy music. Genres like death, thrash, black and doom metal just seem to call to me. I siren’s song I cannot resist.

Often, people ask if this music makes me angry. Quite the opposite.

I’m not alone in thinking this either. I am aware of multiple studies in the sociological literature that highlight this fact: heavy and aggressive music helps to regulate emotions, particularly negative emotions. There has even been some suggestion that this leads to better emotional coping skills.

I don’t doubt it. After a particularly rough day at work, it isn’t uncommon for me to find the heaviest, most aggressive music to listen to on the way home. And by the time I get there, much of that pent up negativity has been flushed right out of me.

I liken it to a lightning rod. The anger of the music helps to pull it out of me and siphon it away, to a place that is safe and is much less likely to spill out on those around me. That’s a win in my book.

And so, I find that the angrier the music, the more it just may soothe my soul.

RIP Neil Peart

Peter Jones Leave a comment

Wow.

I really don’t know what else to say at this time. Sort of starts to shine light on your own mortality when one of the most influential musicians in your life passes away.

It was reported today that Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist of Rush, passed away from glioblastoma. He had apparently been fighting this for the past 3.5 years or so. That the band managed to keep this quiet says so much about their respect for their friend and brother.

Rush was my first music love. They were the first concert I ever went to (Roll The Bones tour, 1992, Delta Center), the first CD I bought with my own money after getting a CD player (Chronicles), the first band I ever travelled a distance to see (driving from Durham, NC to Charlotte, NC to see them for the R30 tour), and the first band I ever worked to make sure I had all their albums (19 studio albums, 10 live albums and then multiple compilations).

So, yeah, influential.

Even though I found myself not listening nearly as much as I used to, I never stop respecting the hell out of the band, their music, and each individual member. They were one of the most talented bands ever, with each member truly being one of the very best on their respective instruments.

With the addition of Neil Peart on their second release, Fly By Night, Rush entered and entire new era. Suddenly the songs were more complex, the lyrics more fantastical, the songwriting leaps and bounds above the (still really solid, but Led Zeppelin derivative) hard rock of their debut release. I don’t feel it is at all out of line to say that, had Neil not joined the band, Rush would have faded to obscurity as yet another 70s rock band that didn’t survive. The fact that they continued to write and perform new music right up until 2012 speaks volumes to their dedication, creativity, and hard work. Add to that the fact that their last album is probably one of their best (top 5 for sure), well, not many veteran bands can match that.

Seeing them live, seeing interviews, it was obvious the respect and love that the members all had for each other. The fact that they lived entirely out of the spotlight, with no scandals or drama, again speaks to their character and dedication to their craft.

I knew Rush had called it quits, but there was always that hope. Now, we simply will relish the wonderful music and legacy they leave behind, as there is no Rush without Neil, Geddy, and Alex together. Neil was a true legend, a true genius, and will be missed for sure.