Blog → New Forays: Follow-up

Here's what I now think of the albums I detailed in my post entitled New Forays:

R. Borlax

Fantastic, but hardly as good as The Mechanical Hand. They're far more obnoxious sounding, and the songs are much less infectuous and playful. For a debut album, it's a lot of fun, but it still feels like a debut album. Fave tracks: Bunnies, Seven Tentacles and Eight Flames

Bergtatt - Et eeventyr i 5 capitler

Speaking of debuts from my favorite bands.... I do believe this is disappointment #2. It is beautiful at times and gloriously aggressive at other times, but it's hardly the inquisitive, courageous music that I love hearing from them now. You can blame my current lack of appreciation for black metal, I guess. I do love that first track though, I troldskog faren vild

Mabool

Being so highly recommended by my friend AjaxHunter, I decided to check them out, and... thanks, dude! They're like a middle-eastern Opeth, a statement which belittles their off-kilter but extrememly originality. I say it anyway though, because I think it will get more people to check them out. Fave Tracks: Halo Dies (The Wrath Of God), Norra El Norra (Entering the Ark)

Effloresce

Like King Crimson? No. In fact, Oceansize seem to dabble into the kind of hard rock you could hear on the radio, which is hardly what I call experimental enough to be regarded in the light of the Crimson King. Yet this turned out to be one of my best purchases this year. The reason is that every damn song is good, and feels different from the last. Porcupine Tree fans should take note: this album tickles me in a way that In Absentia tickled me. They use a lot of drifty soundscapes and know how to let a good melody take over a song. The nearly ten-minute long Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs is so pleasing to the ears that you'd think it was only a few short minutes, and you'll hate for it to end. This is a must-own for fans of tasteful metal who don't mind owning a rock CD now and then. Trust me, you won't mind Oceansize. Another of my faves: One Day All This Could Be Yours

Suspended Animation Dreams

Amazing. What a find. There are some doom metal growlings and a lot of female and choral type singing, and some truly bizarre lyrics. There's a whole lot of acoustic guitar; not a lot of distortion, but enough to call this a metal release. There are a ton of other instruments too, like violins, piano, harmonica. The focus is on beauty, the songs are carefully arranged and oddly upbeat, the adventure is welcoming. It definitely passes the Steve Wilson School of soothing aggression. Be sure to check this album out if you haven't already. Fave tracks: No Place Like Home, Awake

The Indian Tower

Well, I took a chance. I feel as though I came up empty. Pearls and Brass is certainly a cool band, mixing old-school blues into their heavy-handed rock and roll. The album sounds like a Queens of the Stone Age album, but with notes flying all over the place. As a fan of mathematical music and QotSA both, you'd think I'd go nuts for this, but I find myself tired of their sound after two or three tracks of listening. Still, putting this album on when you have visitors is like putting on a sweet pair of shades. If you want a listen, try this song: The Face of God


And now, the music I've recently purchased:

Jesu

I don't know much about doom metal. I'm usually too much of an active listener to enjoy downtempo styles of music. But Jesu has been deified by critics, and I'm a sucker for music with any kind of acclaim (I'm very much a snob). So I purchased this used (my first used purchase) and gave it a listen. So... very... slow... but somehow, it generates a crushing melancholy that hits my musical sweet spot. Getting into bands like ISIS and Pelican were essential for me to enjoy this, I think. You better like distortion if you're looking into Jesu, because they lay it on so thick that there is a speaker crackling that is sure to drive audiophiles absolutely nuts. Like a lot of hard-to-like albums, I discovered my love for Jesu during homework time and while falling asleep. My favorite tracks are Friends Are Evil and Man/Woman.

Panopticon

ISIS. That's all that needs to be said. Fans of Tool, you need this album. I haven't been so moved by music in a long, long time. I have their Oceanic album, and I adore it, but this is just too much. I tend to imagine the vastness of the ocean when drifting off to ISIS, or my favorite scenes from movies, or what the creation of the universe must have been like. This is why I listen to music: to be taken away. ISIS are now high on my list of favorite artists. Music fans, buy this. Or, try a track to see if you like it. How about this: So Did We

Aeolian

This math-y hardcorish metal band got some comparisons to Mastadon, but I don't think it's fair. Sorry, but they're just not that smart. I haven't listened to this album enough to get a full opinion, but so far I just see it as a fun, ultra aggressive headbanger that I put on occasionally for the company of noise.

The Silent Circus

I bought this because I love their latest CD, Alaska. So far, it does nothing for me. But then, neither did Alaska at first.


Please, please, PLEASE give me recommendations. I'll also take comments and criticisms. Naked photos: also welcome.



Horse The BandUlverOrphaned LandOceansizeSubterranean MasqueradePearls and BrassJesuIsisThe OceanBetween the Buried and Me