Surprised ?? ... Even i was sometime back when i came across this site , which claims the origin for this new subgenre of metal. So what exactly is Dweeb Metal. It's defined by the website as
'It is progressive / symphonic / avant-garde gothic / black / death metal, particularly heavy, melodic and with female vocals. My two all time favorite bands in these genres are Lacrimosa and Tristania. Some other favorites include (in alphabetical order) After Forever, Arcturus, Artrosis, Devil Doll, Dreams of Sanity, Finntroll, Forgotten Silence, Golden Dawn, Hollenthon, Nightwish and The Sins of Thy Beloved.'
If u read a bit on the website , that this name came on the perpetual motion message board cuz this person called Chris Mictchell (the person who named this metal) posts a lot on that board on the kind of music mentioned above, with the username 'dweeb'
Wierd isnt it ? ... Crazy ppl naming more genres as though we needed more :)
crazy crazy ......... super crazy
mvikred
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Scariest Song
I dont know how many of you actually have one...................I am listening to Cannibal Corpse right now. I mean I really dont get it ? , why do these people actually write about such gore stuff. If you look at them as not a gore metal band by excluding their lyrical content rom the songs, Cannibal Corpse is one helluva band. They write such gruesome stuff that it totally freaks me out everytime i muster courage to read their lyrics to a new song. Now i dont read their lyrics, but i just listen to their music.
Infact because of their lyrical content they have been banned in many countries from performing, printing lyrics or even displaying cover images of their albums. Now, coming back to scariest song i've heard. Its a song written by Cannibal Corpse from the album 'The Bleeding' called 'She asked for it'. If u have the courge to experience the feel of it then go ahead and read it . It makes u feel like you are a Murderer, committing that act as you read. The music blends in well with the lyrics giving it that horrifying aura. Most of their songs have lyrics talking about killing, blood, and stuff which everyone would feel disgusted to even talk abt. Few of their other songs are titled as 'I cum blood', 'Fucked with a knife', etc . This band featured live in the movie Ace Ventura : Pet Detective. I actually have to watch this movie again , jus to make sure they are actually there in the movie cuz I dont remember seeing them. And another surprising fact is that Cannibal Corpse is Jim Carrey's Favourite band.And he wanted them in the movie. Can u believe that ? :P
Many people mistake their gore lyrics and the style of vocals to these people being big time suckers at music. Even most of the avid heavy metal fans , who listen to Maiden , Metallica etc dont tend to like these ppl , jus cuz they portray obscene stuff and talk abt the darker aspects of life. But if u look at them as musicians, every single one of them is talented to the highest level. And the music they make, sounds amazingly melodious at times. Their music is very complex and technical in most of the songs(all the instruments).
I dont know why i wrote so much about Cannibal Corpse , when actually i should be talking abt scary songs. There are many other songs , which need not necessarily be scary due to the lyrical content, but give an eerie feel with its music. There are few songs by Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath , names of which i cant recall right now :D, scared the shit outta me wen i first heard them. But after listenin to bands like Canibal Corpse , Carcass , Anal Cunt, Anal Blast... all those songs (by Floyd and Sabbath) look like gnomes(silly and small ... what a wierd comparision).
Anyways, I am sitting at home right now hoping to have fun for the next week. Dont worry, Sridhar and Pritam i'll try to get some grub.
Cya later , But please do mention your scariest song in the comments ... i've very curious to know :)
mvikred
Infact because of their lyrical content they have been banned in many countries from performing, printing lyrics or even displaying cover images of their albums. Now, coming back to scariest song i've heard. Its a song written by Cannibal Corpse from the album 'The Bleeding' called 'She asked for it'. If u have the courge to experience the feel of it then go ahead and read it . It makes u feel like you are a Murderer, committing that act as you read. The music blends in well with the lyrics giving it that horrifying aura. Most of their songs have lyrics talking about killing, blood, and stuff which everyone would feel disgusted to even talk abt. Few of their other songs are titled as 'I cum blood', 'Fucked with a knife', etc . This band featured live in the movie Ace Ventura : Pet Detective. I actually have to watch this movie again , jus to make sure they are actually there in the movie cuz I dont remember seeing them. And another surprising fact is that Cannibal Corpse is Jim Carrey's Favourite band.And he wanted them in the movie. Can u believe that ? :P
Many people mistake their gore lyrics and the style of vocals to these people being big time suckers at music. Even most of the avid heavy metal fans , who listen to Maiden , Metallica etc dont tend to like these ppl , jus cuz they portray obscene stuff and talk abt the darker aspects of life. But if u look at them as musicians, every single one of them is talented to the highest level. And the music they make, sounds amazingly melodious at times. Their music is very complex and technical in most of the songs(all the instruments).
I dont know why i wrote so much about Cannibal Corpse , when actually i should be talking abt scary songs. There are many other songs , which need not necessarily be scary due to the lyrical content, but give an eerie feel with its music. There are few songs by Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath , names of which i cant recall right now :D, scared the shit outta me wen i first heard them. But after listenin to bands like Canibal Corpse , Carcass , Anal Cunt, Anal Blast... all those songs (by Floyd and Sabbath) look like gnomes(silly and small ... what a wierd comparision).
Anyways, I am sitting at home right now hoping to have fun for the next week. Dont worry, Sridhar and Pritam i'll try to get some grub.
Cya later , But please do mention your scariest song in the comments ... i've very curious to know :)
mvikred
Fav longest songs
I said I'll post later. But what the hell, couldn't resist :) I'll try and write about the songs which clock over 10 minutes. And this post could be looong.
Where do I start? So many out there. I think its easist to start with the ones that started it all. Pink Floyd. If someone asked me which one of the Floyd albums I liked the most, I wouldn't be able to answer. As I said earlier in one of my comments, it'd be a tie between The Animals, Wish you were here, The Dark side of the moon and The Wall. WYWH wins hands down when it comes to the length of the compositions. Shine on you crazy Diamond features the band in all their glory. Their ability to compose these psychedelic melodies is simply unparalleled. And one such melody which lasts for 13 freaking minutes is pure bliss.
My next favourite would be Opeth. These guys have done it all, from releasing some of the heaviest albums of all time to creating something as beautiful as Damnation (which has only clean vocals and clean guitars). If you aren't familiar with this band, this is how their albums are usually structured.. they have released 8 albums and just one (Damnation) clocks less than an hour. And the average length of each song (I'm guessing) is definitely around the 10 min mark. "The Night and the silent water" (11 mins), "Black Rose Immortal" (20 mins), "Blackwater park" (12 mins) and many others are not just songs, they are mind-expanding epics.
Next "The Doors" comes to my mind. Who hasn't heard the genius of Jim Morrison in songs like "The End" and "When the music's over"? Of course, I'm coming to Porcupine Tree next. This band is the modern day Floyd for me. Some of their songs (read "Voyage 34", which has 4 songs each clocking 13,17,19,13 mins) could be shamelessly Floyd-ish. But who cares! The band has moved on and went on to create some of the most trippy music ever. The band is experimenting more and more with each new release. Steven Wilson (vocals/guitar/effects/etc) is just God. The most trippy bass-lines award goes to this band! With the most laid-back and spaced-out jams, you wouldn't need a joint to get high, believe me. Their songs "Russia on Ice", "The Sky moves sideways" prove this!
Would you believe me if I told you that there's a math-metal/neo-thrash/whatever-the-hell band that made a song 21 mins long? The band's called Meshuggah and the album's called "I". Its pure chaos from the word go. Some of the most insane music to be ever recorded! I totally agree that this is not a band meant for everybody to appreciate, but once you connect with their music, its a whole different play ground with just one player in it... Meshuggah. These guys from Sweden are just mad. I can imagine them going into the studio for recording "I" telling each other, "lets kick the ass of every other band that ever existed" :) If you have any doubts on how talented these people are, I'd just quote Mr. Lombardo of Slayer say Tomas Haake is the best drummer in the world currently and if that doesn't mean nothing to you, go eat your shorts. And the "most extreme music with almost no vocals" award goes to Thordendal's side project "Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects".
There are some more bands on my mind right now, like Edge of Sanity and Green Carnation who have released single-song albums of lengths 41 and 61 mins respectively. I can just go on and on about Edge of Sanity (the band's name is so perfect!), but I'd just suggest you to get hold of the fucking album and a beer. Make sure no one's watching, close the door, switch of the lights and thrash around like a mad dog until you fall asleep.
Where do I start? So many out there. I think its easist to start with the ones that started it all. Pink Floyd. If someone asked me which one of the Floyd albums I liked the most, I wouldn't be able to answer. As I said earlier in one of my comments, it'd be a tie between The Animals, Wish you were here, The Dark side of the moon and The Wall. WYWH wins hands down when it comes to the length of the compositions. Shine on you crazy Diamond features the band in all their glory. Their ability to compose these psychedelic melodies is simply unparalleled. And one such melody which lasts for 13 freaking minutes is pure bliss.
My next favourite would be Opeth. These guys have done it all, from releasing some of the heaviest albums of all time to creating something as beautiful as Damnation (which has only clean vocals and clean guitars). If you aren't familiar with this band, this is how their albums are usually structured.. they have released 8 albums and just one (Damnation) clocks less than an hour. And the average length of each song (I'm guessing) is definitely around the 10 min mark. "The Night and the silent water" (11 mins), "Black Rose Immortal" (20 mins), "Blackwater park" (12 mins) and many others are not just songs, they are mind-expanding epics.
Next "The Doors" comes to my mind. Who hasn't heard the genius of Jim Morrison in songs like "The End" and "When the music's over"? Of course, I'm coming to Porcupine Tree next. This band is the modern day Floyd for me. Some of their songs (read "Voyage 34", which has 4 songs each clocking 13,17,19,13 mins) could be shamelessly Floyd-ish. But who cares! The band has moved on and went on to create some of the most trippy music ever. The band is experimenting more and more with each new release. Steven Wilson (vocals/guitar/effects/etc) is just God. The most trippy bass-lines award goes to this band! With the most laid-back and spaced-out jams, you wouldn't need a joint to get high, believe me. Their songs "Russia on Ice", "The Sky moves sideways" prove this!
Would you believe me if I told you that there's a math-metal/neo-thrash/whatever-the-hell band that made a song 21 mins long? The band's called Meshuggah and the album's called "I". Its pure chaos from the word go. Some of the most insane music to be ever recorded! I totally agree that this is not a band meant for everybody to appreciate, but once you connect with their music, its a whole different play ground with just one player in it... Meshuggah. These guys from Sweden are just mad. I can imagine them going into the studio for recording "I" telling each other, "lets kick the ass of every other band that ever existed" :) If you have any doubts on how talented these people are, I'd just quote Mr. Lombardo of Slayer say Tomas Haake is the best drummer in the world currently and if that doesn't mean nothing to you, go eat your shorts. And the "most extreme music with almost no vocals" award goes to Thordendal's side project "Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects".
There are some more bands on my mind right now, like Edge of Sanity and Green Carnation who have released single-song albums of lengths 41 and 61 mins respectively. I can just go on and on about Edge of Sanity (the band's name is so perfect!), but I'd just suggest you to get hold of the fucking album and a beer. Make sure no one's watching, close the door, switch of the lights and thrash around like a mad dog until you fall asleep.
Friday, October 28, 2005
2112
Rush - 2112.
This isn't going to be a long post. I'm not sorry and I'm guessing you aren't wiping away your tears either :P
The song, not the album, is what I'm talking about. 20+ minutes of Godgiri is what 2112 is about. There's a silly science fiction story that the song is supposed to talk about, something about some priests taking over the world blah blah blah. That's not important. What is important, is that, without really knowing any of the details of the story, you still get a feel of what's happening while listening to the song! The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth.
The song is of course, by Rush, so everyone plays whatever they play amazingly well and with clinical precision! That's what I sometimes dislike about progressive rock: the fact that they're so intent on technical brilliance that they lose sight of the feel of the song. 2112, however is a happy exception to that rule, with music that....oh wait, I've already told you about the feel.
Neil Peart is the only band member whose name I remember. He's the drummer, by the way. Supposedly one of the best drummers in the world and famous for matching the guitar note to note (so to speak), he seems to do infinitely tricky things with the drumset through the course of the song. Jacob's Ladder, with it's unusual count in the second half of the song, is another song where you can see Peart's GodGiri.
The bass is also God! I'd been told (even before I began to notice bass in songs) that Rush's bassist was one of the best ever and with this song, you can atleast see that he's eligible for the title. The keyboard and the guitar are both too cool, creating the whole sci-fi atmosphere better than any words that Asimov ever wrote ;)
I just read on wikipedia that Neil Peart wrote this song. Drummers are too cool!
The song is of course, by Rush, so everyone plays whatever they play amazingly well and with clinical precision! That's what I sometimes dislike about progressive rock: the fact that they're so intent on technical brilliance that they lose sight of the feel of the song. 2112, however is a happy exception to that rule, with music that....oh wait, I've already told you about the feel.
Neil Peart is the only band member whose name I remember. He's the drummer, by the way. Supposedly one of the best drummers in the world and famous for matching the guitar note to note (so to speak), he seems to do infinitely tricky things with the drumset through the course of the song. Jacob's Ladder, with it's unusual count in the second half of the song, is another song where you can see Peart's GodGiri.
The bass is also God! I'd been told (even before I began to notice bass in songs) that Rush's bassist was one of the best ever and with this song, you can atleast see that he's eligible for the title. The keyboard and the guitar are both too cool, creating the whole sci-fi atmosphere better than any words that Asimov ever wrote ;)
I just read on wikipedia that Neil Peart wrote this song. Drummers are too cool!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
So here is the Title bar Mr. Sridhar
How i wish i cud get high and fucking head bang , but cant do it .... if i'd try that right now then the floor wud be a mess, all thanks to my leaking nose . This fucking cold is not letting me do anything. Not even letting me type this fucking blog with both my fucking hands. Ok enuf abt my frustration now. Lets jus move onto music, the main reason for this blog and blah blah blah( I know that u guys know that this is a place for music .. blah blah blah).. damn i'm so sick . seriously i am sick . I know i'm pakaoing u ppl , so now i'll actually move onto music
Now as Sridhar mentioned , I was totally hooked onto Atheist for the last week. If u chk my scrobbler page then u wud see that i have been listening a lot of Atheist. Now apart from Unquesitonable Presence, I have been listenign to a lot of other stuff. Let's now pick one band , that most of them wudnt know abt ...... Aeon and their album 'Bleeding The False' is one of the most brutal and fast paced album i have heard in the recent times. The lyrics though arent very intellectual and dont contain a deeper meaning. But the music is good.They have amazing riffs for few songs and the drumming..... the drumming needs a special mention. I dont know the name of the drummer , but I did read his interview and trust me this dude is amazingly fast. Almost all the songs in this album have blast beats for like 99% of the time. Now that doesnt mean that this guy has loads of talent. But one thing this guy surely has is stamina and energy , to keep going at the the same tempo for 3 mins in a 3:30 song.
Since I anyways spoke abt drummers , let me clarify few doubts of pritam. I am no master of drums , so i might be wrong also but i am gonna write here wat i know . People might correct me in the comments section. Infact it wud be better if commented. Anyways, off beat is somethign that is not done usually or rather in a conventional pattern. Now suppose u r playing a snare on the 3rd beat in ur normal 4 by 4 pattern. Now in an offbeat , play the snare on the 4th beat. This is the basic off beat(I think:D ). But this can be done in a no. of variations and can bring out a cool effect. Especially wen chords change in a song , we can use these off beats to give it that little spice. Now , wat exactly are odd time signatures. Everyone gets confused with this. Even i used to and maybe i still am . But wat i know as of now is wat i am gonna talk abt. Odd timing is something that is not 4x4 or 8x8. Odd timing can be a 6x8 , 5x8 , 23x16, 13x16 and the permutations nd combinations can be infinite. So wat exactly do u mean by 5x8. Its simple , u r playing 5 beats in a normal 8 beat staff(8x8 has 8 beats in 8 beats) so this is wat odd time signature means. The bands that use this a lot are The Dream Theater, Meshuggah( A lot ) and sometimes even Death. Let me give an example. Try listening to Meshuggah's New Millenium Cyanide Christ. This song is the pinacle of odd time signatures, the best there is , and was composed by Tomaas Haake(Meshuggah Drummer... and my GOD :D) . He goes 4x4 on hands and goest 23x16 on legs for 5 bars and 13x16 on one bar. It sums up to 128 beats which equals 16 beats on 8x8 timing. This is totally a genius way to structure a song and to even physically cross the barriers of independence is a step higher. Thats abt Odd time signatures Pritam. Wat am i learning now ? ... i'd be lucky if i got time to even have a look at the drum kit man. I dont get time to practice. But at the moment , i am practicing the rudiments . The double stroke roll, the paradiddle and the flam. Along with that i am doing few of the double bass excercises. My stamina has increased right now . I can presently do a continuous double bass beat for 2 mins. But still it has to be increased. And then it is obvious that i have to also get better at hand work. Will take time. But i hope that i do it as soon as i can.
Lets get back to music. Apart from Aeon , i have also heard black water park by Opeth and the Mantle by Agalloch. Cant stop loving these songs, no matter how many times number of times i hear them. The mantle is so soothing, and Opeth bring out the best in music , in melody , in lyrics , in everything. The songs bleak , the leper affinity , dirge for november jus lift my heart to the blissful state where i can completely forget all the worries in this wretched place called IIT. Ive got one more friend of mine hooked onto Opeth. They are like magnet, once u listen to them , u r compelled to listen to them again and again and again .. and it never stops.
Chimaira ... have u heard abt this band ? .. EVER ?? common guys its an amzing band. Its a metalcore outfit from US of A. I was listening to their album called Chimaira(a self titled album). They have their own feel to all the songs, which marks the uniqueness of the band. The songs , nothing remains, comatose , salvation .. all are so well strutured with the right mix of rage , anger and frustration.
Well after a fucked day with labs and 2 quizzes the only thing i look froward to is, to listen to music once i get back to my room. It feels so good. Right now i'm listening to Aeon - Bow Your Head . I've also found this amazing black metal band called Abigor. And there are many other bands that need a mention , but if i write everything now , then there wud be nothing left for next time. I'll keep adding more , as an when i find something interesting. Untill then ...... Arrghhhh ... jus FUCK OFF
mvikred
Now as Sridhar mentioned , I was totally hooked onto Atheist for the last week. If u chk my scrobbler page then u wud see that i have been listening a lot of Atheist. Now apart from Unquesitonable Presence, I have been listenign to a lot of other stuff. Let's now pick one band , that most of them wudnt know abt ...... Aeon and their album 'Bleeding The False' is one of the most brutal and fast paced album i have heard in the recent times. The lyrics though arent very intellectual and dont contain a deeper meaning. But the music is good.They have amazing riffs for few songs and the drumming..... the drumming needs a special mention. I dont know the name of the drummer , but I did read his interview and trust me this dude is amazingly fast. Almost all the songs in this album have blast beats for like 99% of the time. Now that doesnt mean that this guy has loads of talent. But one thing this guy surely has is stamina and energy , to keep going at the the same tempo for 3 mins in a 3:30 song.
Since I anyways spoke abt drummers , let me clarify few doubts of pritam. I am no master of drums , so i might be wrong also but i am gonna write here wat i know . People might correct me in the comments section. Infact it wud be better if commented. Anyways, off beat is somethign that is not done usually or rather in a conventional pattern. Now suppose u r playing a snare on the 3rd beat in ur normal 4 by 4 pattern. Now in an offbeat , play the snare on the 4th beat. This is the basic off beat(I think:D ). But this can be done in a no. of variations and can bring out a cool effect. Especially wen chords change in a song , we can use these off beats to give it that little spice. Now , wat exactly are odd time signatures. Everyone gets confused with this. Even i used to and maybe i still am . But wat i know as of now is wat i am gonna talk abt. Odd timing is something that is not 4x4 or 8x8. Odd timing can be a 6x8 , 5x8 , 23x16, 13x16 and the permutations nd combinations can be infinite. So wat exactly do u mean by 5x8. Its simple , u r playing 5 beats in a normal 8 beat staff(8x8 has 8 beats in 8 beats) so this is wat odd time signature means. The bands that use this a lot are The Dream Theater, Meshuggah( A lot ) and sometimes even Death. Let me give an example. Try listening to Meshuggah's New Millenium Cyanide Christ. This song is the pinacle of odd time signatures, the best there is , and was composed by Tomaas Haake(Meshuggah Drummer... and my GOD :D) . He goes 4x4 on hands and goest 23x16 on legs for 5 bars and 13x16 on one bar. It sums up to 128 beats which equals 16 beats on 8x8 timing. This is totally a genius way to structure a song and to even physically cross the barriers of independence is a step higher. Thats abt Odd time signatures Pritam. Wat am i learning now ? ... i'd be lucky if i got time to even have a look at the drum kit man. I dont get time to practice. But at the moment , i am practicing the rudiments . The double stroke roll, the paradiddle and the flam. Along with that i am doing few of the double bass excercises. My stamina has increased right now . I can presently do a continuous double bass beat for 2 mins. But still it has to be increased. And then it is obvious that i have to also get better at hand work. Will take time. But i hope that i do it as soon as i can.
Lets get back to music. Apart from Aeon , i have also heard black water park by Opeth and the Mantle by Agalloch. Cant stop loving these songs, no matter how many times number of times i hear them. The mantle is so soothing, and Opeth bring out the best in music , in melody , in lyrics , in everything. The songs bleak , the leper affinity , dirge for november jus lift my heart to the blissful state where i can completely forget all the worries in this wretched place called IIT. Ive got one more friend of mine hooked onto Opeth. They are like magnet, once u listen to them , u r compelled to listen to them again and again and again .. and it never stops.
Chimaira ... have u heard abt this band ? .. EVER ?? common guys its an amzing band. Its a metalcore outfit from US of A. I was listening to their album called Chimaira(a self titled album). They have their own feel to all the songs, which marks the uniqueness of the band. The songs , nothing remains, comatose , salvation .. all are so well strutured with the right mix of rage , anger and frustration.
Well after a fucked day with labs and 2 quizzes the only thing i look froward to is, to listen to music once i get back to my room. It feels so good. Right now i'm listening to Aeon - Bow Your Head . I've also found this amazing black metal band called Abigor. And there are many other bands that need a mention , but if i write everything now , then there wud be nothing left for next time. I'll keep adding more , as an when i find something interesting. Untill then ...... Arrghhhh ... jus FUCK OFF
mvikred
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
I think reddy (being the head moderator and all) hasn't turned on the subject line thingy. Anyway, my computer has been down for like a week and its been awesome! I didn't download any new music and waste an entire week. Now its back up again, so..
Anyway, I haven't heard any new music in a long time except for this band called Atheist, about which Reddy has already posted. Before that for a week or so, I was hooked to this album called "Pleasure to Kill" by Kreator. Kreator is a thrash metal monster from Germany. Pleasure to Kill (PTK) was released in 1986, the same year in which Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and Metallica's "Master of Puppets" were released! And believe me, PTK is no lesser than the aforementioned albums. A killer album with no fillers :) Its again a riff galore! And many wild guitar solos thrown in here and there. Of late I have observed that its not the guitar solos that draw me to a band's music, but its the riffs. For example, bands like Mastodon and Tool that rarely have a real guitar "solo" have left an everlasting impression on me. Anyway, back to the topic! If you want a sample of the band, check out the song "Riot of Violence".
I haven't met too many people who are into Kreator. And all of you reading this posting, even if you are remotely interested in Thrash, (even if you are just into Metallica :D) please go listen to Kreator. And while you are at it, check out their album called "Extreme Aggression", one of my all time fav metal album. Who knows, may be it will open up a whole new world of metal for you.
Anyway, I haven't heard any new music in a long time except for this band called Atheist, about which Reddy has already posted. Before that for a week or so, I was hooked to this album called "Pleasure to Kill" by Kreator. Kreator is a thrash metal monster from Germany. Pleasure to Kill (PTK) was released in 1986, the same year in which Slayer's "Reign in Blood" and Metallica's "Master of Puppets" were released! And believe me, PTK is no lesser than the aforementioned albums. A killer album with no fillers :) Its again a riff galore! And many wild guitar solos thrown in here and there. Of late I have observed that its not the guitar solos that draw me to a band's music, but its the riffs. For example, bands like Mastodon and Tool that rarely have a real guitar "solo" have left an everlasting impression on me. Anyway, back to the topic! If you want a sample of the band, check out the song "Riot of Violence".
I haven't met too many people who are into Kreator. And all of you reading this posting, even if you are remotely interested in Thrash, (even if you are just into Metallica :D) please go listen to Kreator. And while you are at it, check out their album called "Extreme Aggression", one of my all time fav metal album. Who knows, may be it will open up a whole new world of metal for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kinks
Looks like no band is as simple as they seem! :) What I formed my opinions from must have been the beginnings, and now that I've read about them, listening to their Greatest Hits is a whole new experience. It's easy to see which songs came later and which came earlier. You can actually see (figuratively speaking of course, since what you're doing is hearing) the changing feel and focus of the band with the changing times.
Of course, changing sounds for a band is not something new, but it's always interesting! Especially when band members change and (I'm guessing) the record company forces the band to maintain some semblance of it's original sound even though the musicians are different!
One band that truly grew with the times is U2!! Listen to October, Joshua Tree, then listen to Achtung Baby, then to Pop and then to All That You Can't Leave Behind and you'll see what I'm talking about. Ok Fine! I know you've heard all their songs before. I just can't stop talking about them because they're my favourite band!
And one band that had these discontinuous jumps in their music was Pink Floyd. I am a sincere believer of the fact that Pink Floyd is what Syd Barrett and Roger Waters made it. David Gilmour for sure was a great singer, great guitarist, a great songwriter, and a great composer. But he wasn't Pink Floyd. And that's that.
I've started rambling again! Shit, I can't stop writing about music once I start. Now, I want to start writing about Dream Theater and Rush and my strong opinions of Progressive Rock! Next post maybe ;)
Oh haan, the song that's stood out this time around:
Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen. This is from the School of Rock soundtrack. I just love the drums and the energy that this song has. It's not that kind of song, I know, but I actually feel like throwing things when I hear this song! It's the ideal song for a lesbian pillow fight video!
And one band that had these discontinuous jumps in their music was Pink Floyd. I am a sincere believer of the fact that Pink Floyd is what Syd Barrett and Roger Waters made it. David Gilmour for sure was a great singer, great guitarist, a great songwriter, and a great composer. But he wasn't Pink Floyd. And that's that.
I've started rambling again! Shit, I can't stop writing about music once I start. Now, I want to start writing about Dream Theater and Rush and my strong opinions of Progressive Rock! Next post maybe ;)
Oh haan, the song that's stood out this time around:
Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen. This is from the School of Rock soundtrack. I just love the drums and the energy that this song has. It's not that kind of song, I know, but I actually feel like throwing things when I hear this song! It's the ideal song for a lesbian pillow fight video!
Why doesn't this thing allow me to name my entry? Where's the good old Subject line? I tell you, this new generation of blogs...it's just not the same anymore!
So, what have I - the cool dude drummer who's trying to figure out how to hold his sticks (puns absolutely unintentional!) - been listening to in the last few (two?) days? Hold your breath...The Kinks! And Ray Charles of course! There's this song in the Ray Charles Ultimate Hits 1 collection "What I'd say Parts 1 and 2", the beginning of which, sounds hauntingly similar to "Break on Through"! I was reading about the Doors and seems they lifted music from a Kinks song also for one of their songs :O
Who cares? The Doors were God anyway!
So, getting back to Kinks (The Kinks?) They're this old band, a little older than the Doors, were famous and all at the time Jim Morrison was going mad. They have well, a unique sound, that seems to capture the general madness and rebellion of the sixties, put it through a goodness filter, and thus get a cheerful, rocky rolly sound that now old men who lived in those times can listen to and feel good about themselves.
It might be unfair to talk about them in terms of other bands, but I can't help noticing that their sound's like a Led Zeppier version of the Beatles sound. I can make out that there's something different about the way that the guitars are played. The bass, the lead and rhythm (Rhythm doesn't have any vowels!) all seem to be.......Kinky, in a cheerful way.
Their Greatest Hits, atleast doesn't have any slow songs and they seem like this band that had concerts where people were jumping about and shaking their long hair, but weren't taking drugs and had probably taken permission from their parents to come. Do you get what I'm saying?
Now my favourite part, The Drums. The drummer has his own style, like most drummers do. And his style is good, like most drummers' styles. To put it in a cliched sort of way, he's unique, just like everyone else ;)
Reddy or Nikhil, please explain to me what going offbeat (on purpose) is. What are odd time signatures? Nothing seems odd or a signature in any song I hear even if I read on the net that this song has an odd time signature! Preferably, write a post about it, one of you! Also include things that you've been learning now so that I can get a few new things to do! :)
So, what have I - the cool dude drummer who's trying to figure out how to hold his sticks (puns absolutely unintentional!) - been listening to in the last few (two?) days? Hold your breath...The Kinks! And Ray Charles of course! There's this song in the Ray Charles Ultimate Hits 1 collection "What I'd say Parts 1 and 2", the beginning of which, sounds hauntingly similar to "Break on Through"! I was reading about the Doors and seems they lifted music from a Kinks song also for one of their songs :O
Who cares? The Doors were God anyway!
So, getting back to Kinks (The Kinks?) They're this old band, a little older than the Doors, were famous and all at the time Jim Morrison was going mad. They have well, a unique sound, that seems to capture the general madness and rebellion of the sixties, put it through a goodness filter, and thus get a cheerful, rocky rolly sound that now old men who lived in those times can listen to and feel good about themselves.
It might be unfair to talk about them in terms of other bands, but I can't help noticing that their sound's like a Led Zeppier version of the Beatles sound. I can make out that there's something different about the way that the guitars are played. The bass, the lead and rhythm (Rhythm doesn't have any vowels!) all seem to be.......Kinky, in a cheerful way.
Their Greatest Hits, atleast doesn't have any slow songs and they seem like this band that had concerts where people were jumping about and shaking their long hair, but weren't taking drugs and had probably taken permission from their parents to come. Do you get what I'm saying?
Now my favourite part, The Drums. The drummer has his own style, like most drummers do. And his style is good, like most drummers' styles. To put it in a cliched sort of way, he's unique, just like everyone else ;)
Reddy or Nikhil, please explain to me what going offbeat (on purpose) is. What are odd time signatures? Nothing seems odd or a signature in any song I hear even if I read on the net that this song has an odd time signature! Preferably, write a post about it, one of you! Also include things that you've been learning now so that I can get a few new things to do! :)
Sunday, October 23, 2005
This thing hasn't asked me for a subject (first time on blogger, sorry :P), so if there's no subject, anyone who gives me cold coffee will get my heartfelt appreciation.
Anyway, down (up, I mean) to business.
I sure hope there isn't a barrier on the genre of music that I have to write about, because I'm going to write about Ray Charles! I'm not going to google, read articles on the net or anything, just writing as I listen to Disc 1 of the ultimate hits collection! So, since I don't know anything about vocal range, song structure__________(add technical terms here and tell me what they mean too), what you can expect is a very long post, with no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience...I will dispense this post now.
Ray Charles:
The vocals : GOD! His voice is so perfectly suited for each song on the album! I can't wait to hear more. And then more! Maybe I'll watch the movie. I've heard it has amazing music.
The Drums : This is the first time that I've paid attention to the drums for something so jazzy, gospelly (whatever it was that he sang) for a long stretch of time. The drumming is good, of course, but what I actually want to say is that it's different! The parts of the drumset are used so differently than in Rock! I can see all of you shaking your heads saying "Duh!", but I can't wait to get back to the music room and try to figure out something on my own. As of now, if (when, I mean ;) )I become the world's best drummer, articles about me should include the fact that "I was influenced by various stlyes, ranging from jazz to fusion to what not". Maybe I should write the article myself.
The other instruments : I love the sound of the bass guitar. So I was looking out for that too. And again, I wasnt' disappointed. I don't know what it is, exactly, but the whole way the bass lins are put in seems different. Don't say "Duh!". The guitar, piano are all good in all their individual ways.
But for me, the drums and vocals take it all away. The vocals, because they're God, and the drums, because they're drums. So that was Ray Charles from me for you. But Since I'm already on a roll (I don't want to stop), here's a few songs that have stood out from everything I've heard in the last few weeks:
.1. Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger. Nice song, that's all. The drums in this song are happy in the background for the most part, and that's good :)
.2. Pearl Jam - Elderly Women Behind the Counter in a Small Town (or soemthing like that). The song has a nice feel, and very nice lyrics. And oh, in case you didn't know, Eddie Vedder sings in it too. He's a good vocalist :P
.3. Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death. This is by far the best Judas Priest song I've ever heard! Both the leads are awesome! The drumming is so cool! Especially in the first lead, when the bell (cow-bell?) is used. Again, I can't wait to get to the music room to try it out!
.4. Neil Young - Cortez the Killer. This - even though it seems like the kind of song you play in the background when you're doing other things - has got to be one of the best songs I've ever heard! Let me put it this way...if I made a top 100 list, this is one of the 500 that would surely be in it! The whole feel of the song is so cool, the guitars, the drums, the that, the this all add up. So when he says Cortez came "dancing across the water", you can actually picture it!
.5. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven. I just think that this song should be there in every Good Songs list anyone creates :D
I noticed that of the four contributors to this blog, three are drummers (Yes! I call myself a drummer. Whether I can actually manage a beat of any consequence is an irrelevant matter :P) and one is a bass guitarist. Drummers are so cool! Bass guitarists are also nice, though.
Anyway, down (up, I mean) to business.
I sure hope there isn't a barrier on the genre of music that I have to write about, because I'm going to write about Ray Charles! I'm not going to google, read articles on the net or anything, just writing as I listen to Disc 1 of the ultimate hits collection! So, since I don't know anything about vocal range, song structure__________(add technical terms here and tell me what they mean too), what you can expect is a very long post, with no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience...I will dispense this post now.
Ray Charles:
The vocals : GOD! His voice is so perfectly suited for each song on the album! I can't wait to hear more. And then more! Maybe I'll watch the movie. I've heard it has amazing music.
The Drums : This is the first time that I've paid attention to the drums for something so jazzy, gospelly (whatever it was that he sang) for a long stretch of time. The drumming is good, of course, but what I actually want to say is that it's different! The parts of the drumset are used so differently than in Rock! I can see all of you shaking your heads saying "Duh!", but I can't wait to get back to the music room and try to figure out something on my own. As of now, if (when, I mean ;) )I become the world's best drummer, articles about me should include the fact that "I was influenced by various stlyes, ranging from jazz to fusion to what not". Maybe I should write the article myself.
The other instruments : I love the sound of the bass guitar. So I was looking out for that too. And again, I wasnt' disappointed. I don't know what it is, exactly, but the whole way the bass lins are put in seems different. Don't say "Duh!". The guitar, piano are all good in all their individual ways.
But for me, the drums and vocals take it all away. The vocals, because they're God, and the drums, because they're drums. So that was Ray Charles from me for you. But Since I'm already on a roll (I don't want to stop), here's a few songs that have stood out from everything I've heard in the last few weeks:
.1. Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger. Nice song, that's all. The drums in this song are happy in the background for the most part, and that's good :)
.2. Pearl Jam - Elderly Women Behind the Counter in a Small Town (or soemthing like that). The song has a nice feel, and very nice lyrics. And oh, in case you didn't know, Eddie Vedder sings in it too. He's a good vocalist :P
.3. Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death. This is by far the best Judas Priest song I've ever heard! Both the leads are awesome! The drumming is so cool! Especially in the first lead, when the bell (cow-bell?) is used. Again, I can't wait to get to the music room to try it out!
.4. Neil Young - Cortez the Killer. This - even though it seems like the kind of song you play in the background when you're doing other things - has got to be one of the best songs I've ever heard! Let me put it this way...if I made a top 100 list, this is one of the 500 that would surely be in it! The whole feel of the song is so cool, the guitars, the drums, the that, the this all add up. So when he says Cortez came "dancing across the water", you can actually picture it!
.5. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven. I just think that this song should be there in every Good Songs list anyone creates :D
I noticed that of the four contributors to this blog, three are drummers (Yes! I call myself a drummer. Whether I can actually manage a beat of any consequence is an irrelevant matter :P) and one is a bass guitarist. Drummers are so cool! Bass guitarists are also nice, though.
Long time .... but it was only because i was swamped with too much of academic work. Though i was stuffed to the brim with work , i did have time to listen to decent amount of music. And i did find one new band, lucky me that i was able to get hands on it. Its an awesome band named, Atheist. I heard their album , 'Unquestionable Presence'. The music is actually very unconventional, with odd song structures. But technically very high quality of music was made for this album. They fall under technical death metal, the genre's forefathers being Death. I found few elements in Atheist's music matching to Death's music . No wonder I like both of them . Though i have heard only 2 bands in the Technical Death metal, i have taken a special liking towards this genre. Another band that Sridhar gave me was Pestilence fron New Zealand. I havent had the time to listen to them, but they fall under Technical Death Metal too. Will listen to them in the near future. Today I was listening to Individual Thought Patterns by Death. I should tell u , it is by all means one of Death's top masterpieces(all albums by Death are Masterpieces of Death Metal) . Gene Hoglan is relentless on the skins. He is simply amazing. His double bass patterns are totally mind blowing. I, being a drummer myself , was paying special attention to the drumming part and it was top notch drumming. It was awesome , super awesome. I first heard hoglan on Symbolic, and from the moment i heard Crystal Mountain , Gene Hoglan was right up there , at the very top, he became my drumming god at that very moment. I wanted to listen to more of Hoglan, go crazy head banging every time i heard one of his songs. Then I started listening to Strapping Young Lad's Alien. And then i heard another song that blew me off my feet the very first time. My all time fav song called 'Love ?' . This song is not only highly energetic drumming wise , but also has an energy a level higher cuz of Devin Townsend. His voice and Hoglan's insane double bass , made me go crazy every single time i heard that song. And even till this day , 5 months after i first heard "Love?", i go crazy wen i play that song. If you are a worshipper , then u gotta know the origins of ur god. So I went on to find out about Hoglan's very first band which was a thrash metal outfit called Dark Angel. Heard their album , Darkness Descends , which was a sensation back in the 80s wen it was released. Still considered as the best thrash metal album along the lines of Reign in Blood(Slayer) and Master Of Puppets(Metallica). Dark Angel was an oldschool thrash metal band , but listening to them you can listen to a young Hoglan drumming religiously at high tempos. Through Dark Angel he changed from a simple fast, thrash metal drummer to a terrific , insane drummer that he is now. He is 3(jus a figure i came up with:P , he might be faster than that) times faster on double bass now , compared to wat he was on Darkness Descends. Jus a piece of info, Hoglan is known for practicing double bass with weights on his legs, and thats the reason , he is the one of the fastest drummer around. For a guy who started out being a rodie with Dave Lombardo , he has reached hieghts that any amatuer drummer(like me) would always dream of. I only wish i wud someday be half of wat he is right now.
Albums to listen to , to admire Gene Hoglans Insane Drumming :
Anyways , cya soon and I hope that the other contributors post something atleast once for a change
mvikred
Albums to listen to , to admire Gene Hoglans Insane Drumming :
- Symbolic by Death
- ITP by Death
- All albums by SYL(full time member of the band)
- All albums by Dark Angel(full time member untill they disbanded)
- The Devin Townsend Band(Side project of Dein Townsend)
Anyways , cya soon and I hope that the other contributors post something atleast once for a change
mvikred
Friday, October 07, 2005
Mastodon. Doesn't the name sound heavy and imposing? Well, their music is all that and more. They are a bunch of insane musicians. First, I heard their 5 song EP titled Lifesblood and fell in love with the music. Its very difficult to define their genre. Its like Tool meets Sabbath meets Slayer meets Alice in Chains. I was immediately searching for their other albums. Got hold of Leviathan and Remission and there's no going back! You get lost in a world of infinite riffs and beautiful drum work. The drummer, Brann Dailor is brilliant. One of the best drummers I've heard. If you are into metal, you would do good to go listen to this band.
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