Much is being said about the fact that music isn’t progressing or progressive anymore, with a few notable exceptions. The audiences that buy the music are more likely to buy a 5.1 remix of a 1974 re-release over a new and unknown band. It makes me sad when I can come across so much new and exciting stuff to be discovered and that leads me on to this jewel.
‘Tanta Furia’ is the fourth album by Birdeatsbaby, a band new to me, and, to be honest, after hearing this I shall be visiting the back catalogue post haste. The music is dark, chaotic, manically varied and caustic but, most of all, it’s brilliant fun. Its genre busting, you won’t box this in anywhere. I was sent this by the band’s PR Company and I should really thank them. Mishkin Fitzgerald (Lead Vocal, Piano) ForbesColeman (Drums), Gary Mitchell (Guitar, Bass Double Bass) & Hana Maria (Violin) are the four fine components that make up this excellent band.
The album bounces from some very solid pop/rock, Scars (in the mould of Kate Bush gone Goth), to the insane sounds of In Spite of You that is anthemic and maniacal, reflecting the post-abusive-relationship ‘screw you’ message. The beauty and poetry of Bones of God is aching plaintive and emotionally striking… Its sleazy dirty and pure all rolled into one delightful album.
This record is not for everyone, it’s marmite in the same way that Knifeworld are but also a musical universe away, it would make for an amazing double header though. The band are obviously an eclectic bunch with no fear of writing music that they enjoy, drawing influences from as far afield as Lana Del Rey to Evanescence and from Muse to EllaFitzgerald. Birdeatsbaby are creating something that stands out head and shoulders above much of what is being recorded in the mainstream today. I am reminded in many ways of We Are Kin and their last album ‘…and i know…’
This quartet tell stories in music and words and they plunder a style to suit the song theme rather than make the theme fit one style. I think it may be too late for the Prog scene to claim these but they are definitely Progressive with a capital P and their fans, or “The Flock”, are in for a treat when they get their hands on this gem!
“Under A Banner are Adam Broadhurst -guitars, vocals, harmonica, cittern; Jake Brooks – guitars and backing vocals; Simon Hill -bass guitar; Tim Wilson -drums, percussion, backing vocals; Kat Davis – keyboards. Powerful, poetic music about the world and the people and spirits which inhabit it.”
When I was sent this album the above information was all I had to go by. They sent an image for the album and a couple of paragraphs from the wonderful PR people at Bad Elephant Music (Martin) in the email.
Wolverhampton’s Under A Banner are another band new to me but I show no fear in my own ignorance or absence of previous hearing. It went onto my tablet and I begun to listen in bed while I settled to peruse the current reading material, a novel in this case, but often it’s a policy or document for work. My first thoughts, after the first pass through, were of the sheer energy and passion captured in the recording. It is enough to run a small power station for a year. The music screams a preternatural folk roots sound that pulls from many different sources and influences as well. They are the natural descendants of The Pogues, The New Model Army and The Levellers, musically and in their choice of song topic.
The songs range for the vicious political narrative of Kill It All, attacking faith and consumerism through to the revolutionary call-to-arms of Legion. The styles all vary greatly but the central core of folk/punk is forever present. About Lovecritiques on the love song and relationships but with a sense of time perspective, misquote here, “it’s about more than the he said she said” and “in a thousand years we’ll all be dead”.
Already There kicks in with a simple guitar line and very traditional vocal style, Adam’s voice over a single guitar, but lyrically it is an attack on our constant need to add to the layers and barriers between us and what we have already. It has a plaintiff violin threading through the whole melody of the song stating “The beauty was already there”.
For me, the ultimate gem on the album is World of Hope and it shines despite some serious competition from the rest of the album. I suppose my inner cynic was drawn to the despair and loathing of a need to constantly look back at things and not see what we could have or have been.
If you have a desire to hear music written and performed with passion, soul and sincerity, as well as a willingness to open beyond limits, then this is definitely the one for you. I used the musical references of bands like the Pogues and NMA as they are the nearest reference points but, trust me, Under A Banner are neither of those bands, they are a unique force of their own.
Seven Impale‘s debut album, “City of the Sun”, was very well received by the prog audience over the world, and in the year poll of 2014 at Progarchives.com, the album got ranked as the 7th best that year.
So, in spring 2016, Seven Impale teamed up again with producer Iver Sandøy (produced Enslaved, Krakow etc.) in Solslottet Studio to record the follow up.
The band has grown a lot since the debut, without loosing any of their youthful energy. New album “Contrapasso” consists of nine highly varied and complex tracks expanding upon the unique sound Seven Impale started investigating on “City of the Sun”, but….. they’ve gone much further this time.
On “Contrapasso” you find a band that are more daring, experimental and complex. Again, they touch upon the harder soundscapes as well as including more catchy and upbeat tracks, but on this album everything goes one step further.
Visiting places where no band has been before, with “Contrapasso” Seven Impale pay no heed to genre boundaries. Melding melody, experimentation, dramatics, atmosphere and contrasting rythms, with “Contrapasso”, Seven Impale has created an essential album for any fan of progressive rock! Listen to new track ‘Languor’ now:
Despite my ever widening musical interests and the list of artists I listen to growing at a rapid rate, there are always bands that have defined historical points in my life, regardless of genre. Opening new chapters in my musical dictionary has always excited me, that rush you feel on hearing a band for the first time that resonates and elates, making the hairs raise on your arms and the delicious tingle stroke the back of the neck is exquisite. Suddenly you feel immortal and could do anything.
The band invest, you invest and you feel part of the journey they take, the ups and downs the highs and lows and the progression. A much needed progression so as not to stay static, waste away, fade and disappear. The progression will lose some investors along the way from band and fans and gain new ones. There will always be naysayers, those who don’t want change, refuse to understand and will always bemoan the perceptive loss of what they enjoyed through any deviation. But I feel a band has a duty to themselves to follow their hearts and at times that will mean blocking out the negativity to allow the creativity. We owe it to them to try and understand and listen with open minds and hearts, if we do not like the new direction then by all means leave the flock but attempts to desecrate should be left at the door as you exit.
And so it is with Evergrey who, along with Sylvan, introduced me to the heavier side of Prog. ‘Recreation Day’ blew me away, especially the title track, and I invested, like a coke fueled trader, in their stock. They have always excited me, and I have awaited new releases with relish. Then something happened. Had I become used to the sound, taken the music for granted without realising after all these years? ‘Hymns for the Broken’ hit me like a musical tsunami, refreshing, vital and passionate making me feel like the the first time I’d heard them. It hammered into my Top Ten of last year and was never dethroned, beating off any pretenders.
And so to the new album ‘The Storm Within’, could it match or surpass it’s predecessor?
(Picture credit Josefin Wahlstedt)
Opener, Distance, wrong foots me initially with slow echoing piano but then it kicks in, heavy and with intent guitars burning, drums roll, bass thunders and keyboards majestically swirl as Tom S Englund emphatically reminds us ‘it’s not over, we’ll soon be closer than before’. I don’t think I’ve ever felt closer as an eerie escalation pumps the blood vessels and the pulse increases. The sound is swelled with a children’s choir fading out to the haunting piano keys. Like a tornado it has picked you up, spun you round and landed you back where you started, static electricity crackling into…
Rikard Zander’s keyboard charge with the musical hounds of hell in pursuit and the heartbeat increases, the energy Passing Throughyour body. Tom’s vocals urgent and beseeching, soaring solos from Henrik Danhage tearingmusical veins apart like a practised surgeon, tendons strained by the pounding bass of Johan Niemann, twitching the muscles driven by the drums of Jonas Ekdahl as the keyboards race out into the distance leaving fading notes in it’s wake popping like blood vessels.
A haunting call and the chopping guitars like a savage axeman swing into play as an explosive burst from Jonas hits you in the cranium. The vocals seek to reassure as you regain your bearings, Somedayyou will shed your vulnerability and we will all be welcomed with open arms together, carried into the symbiotic bloodstream of the musical body.
Heavy pulsating bass and guitars exhale with force, cloying at the icy air as the drums drive freezing winds and Tom entreats you not to be lead Astrayinto the cold winter of sorrows, stay strong against adversity, don’t give in, don’t let go. The guitar cries with the vocals and you feel a chill as the onslaught reaches a juddering halt. Breathe.
Piano and strings softly lament a relationship that can never be, to expect it would to be asking The Impossible. A forlorn hope that can only break hearts and torment souls. Is there no end to this?
Ripped from futile reverie by the sheer aggression of music, racing across the aural planes like a savage hoard. Anger bursts fromMy Allied Oceanof torment. Destroy, burn it all, leave no stone unturned as the instrumental blows lay all to waste. Keys fan the flames of guitars and bass as the black smoke drums bring darkness and leave nowhere to hide, no safe haven.
Grandiose keys and guitars put us In Orbitin this wonderful duet with Floor Jansen (Nightwish), adding cream to the bitter coffee of Tom’s hurt as he runs from the pursuant staccato guitar riffs and dreams that haunt.
No respite or let up in intensity as keyboards berate and the crestfallen The Lonely Monarchseeks to understand why he keeps trying to keep a crumbling relationship from falling apart. Dueling guitars torture the air, thoughts screeching through his head and thundering to a finish.
A few moments of respite in beautiful melancholy as Evergrey produce their best kept secret, Tom’s better half, Carina Englund. Having sung on all their previous albums she steps rightfully to the fore on this heart-aching duet The Paradox of the Flame. Caressed with Rikard’s sublime piano playing and accompanied by lush violin serenading the bitter-sweet realisation that the relationship is lost. Guitars join the heartbreak as the violin soars and all fades as a memory and I feel a shiver run down my spine and the hairs prickle on my arms.
The fierce torment as youDisconnect from the entreating and you are almost overwhelmed by the shuddering barrage that snaps you away with a full on musical onslaught. Tom’s emotionally wrenching pleas torturing himself, his guitar sparring with the lightening dancing fingers of Mr Danhage, as he rends the strings across his fretboard urged on by the pulsing throb of Johan’s bass and the flying sticks of Mr Ekdahl. The pace slows with variation and an angelic like voice cries us out to the dying instrumentation.
Majestically, the band take us into the last and title track The Storm Within, all the pieces have been building to this classic piece of Evergrey bombast. All they are and have is thrown into this and elating as only a song can when it emotionally connects. Happiness and sadness ride hand in hand as the album reaches it’s fervent climax and leaves me emotionally drained.
So there you are, another year and another definite inclusion in my Top Ten of the year. Whilst this is not the same Evergrey I first heard, to me this is the new and improved model. They have progressed and I feel myself privileged and honoured to be able to listen to albums like ‘The Storm Within’. Long may they continue.
THIS is why I love music and always will, it touches you and can carry you though what ever storms you face, lifting you above it all. I will invest in this until my dying day as it’s dividends will outweigh any losses and repay you with an Emperor sized fortune.
This solo album is, as Andy told me, a diary of his healing process following his serious illness last year. The literal translation of (machte es) Durch is “Made it Through” and this album is music that he considers to be “the extra material in the CD that is life”.
The album consists of 5 tracks, each different from the other, all of which thematically cover his musical influences and loves. From the electronic territory of Tangerine Dream journeying through Funk/jazz/trance through a tribute to Camel and an exploration of Borodin’s Classical influences. This all sounds highly pretentious and self indulgent doesn’t it? The reality is that it isn’t even vaguely pretentious, mainly because Andy is one of the most grounded people I know who has a passion for life and living it artistically through his music.
After his heart attack just over a year ago, enforced inactivity, especially after a particularly hectic and productive previous two years, cannot have sat well with him. The product of this sits on a CD for all to see and be laid bare.
The Pursuit of Oil opens the album and it comes straight from the Tangerine Dream ‘Ed Froese’ play book. Coming in at just under 22 minutes, this song shows an insight into what TD stood for in the early 70s. It starts and builds through the piece with a tension and atmosphere which makes you want to burst, until you get to the last 5 minutes when it explodes into a guitar (sound) and keyboard celebration of the ecstasy of being alive. Theo Travis adds a beautiful Flute refrain on this track that is the icing on a very impressive cake.
The album then flows directly into the title track Machte Es Durchcontinuing the thematic survival, almost “Phew”, feeling. It has a Jazz rock/prog style with a foundation that only a “Hammond organ” can provide. Intrinsically, it is a musical version of a journey with all the metaphors of improvisations and returns to the common core.
The idea for the title of The Hood Of A Dodge comes from the Bruce Springsteen song Jungleland but the music comes from the Trip hop Acid jazz of the 90s and, to be honest, feels like my experiences in the 90s at festivals and surviving that time somehow intact, Massive Attack and Portishead, eat your hearts out. It was recorded, apparently, in Ward 17 of Leeds General Infirmary last August, how I would have loved to have been on the ward that day!
Yuri Gagarin – From the Steppes of Central Asia is an interpretation of the classical composition by Alexander Borodin“In the Steppes of Central Asia”, the site of the Soviet Union space program and as far from the west as you can actually get geographically without being back in the west, so to speak. The power and passion in this track is worthy of the likes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s ‘Pictures At an Exhibition’ and I think that, performed live especially, it would definitely be of that level.
Music Inspired by ‘Music inspired by the Snow Goose’has been around for a while and Andy posted a version of this on youtube around Christmas 2013. It’s a fun homage to Camel and explores the classic Camel album “inspired” as they say in the book. Here is a full album in 9 minutes given the Tillison touch. His love and affection of the original ring true throughout the track and it is a mischievous fun trip full of nostalgia.
This is a healing album that I have taken to heart and passes the listening in the dark test as well as driving up the A1 from Scotch Corner to Newcastle and back several times over. As coping strategies go, this is a very good for the creator and the listener.
Another day, another new treat via cyber mail from the wallet emptier.
This time, I chose the album on the basis of the beautiful artwork.
See what I mean?
So, as per standard operating procedure, I magically converted the ones and zeros Mr WE sent me and stuck them to shiny metallic disc, inserted said disc into a receptacle in a black box with a single glowing eye, pressed the arrow and…
It unfolded into a musical tapestry that beguiled and enchanted in equal measures.
What Children In Paradise sound like – All about Eve meet Panic Room. Bjork and Lisa Gerrard guesting with Opeth. Iona, Dead can Dance with guitars… Nightwish, Panic Room, that whole Symphonic Rock , female fronted Prog metal thing that’s a staple of the European Rock diet, but with a Celtic twist.
This is a recent area of Prog / Rock/ Metal that I’ve been dipping the metaphorical toe in.
There are the angelic voices and big guitar parts as seems to be the recipe for all of the above. But whereas Nightwish go operatic and Wagnerian on you, The Children take the folk / Celtic route. That’s where the charm of this album captured me. It’s haunting, mellow yet has bursts of Death metal growls and big guitar riffs. But it also has delicate keyboards, melody and a wide soundscape to get lost in
If I labelled albums by feel and vibe, then this would fit in with Arjen Luccasson’s “Ambeon” Devin Townsend’s “Ghost” album, Luna Rossa’s “Secret & Lies”, White Willow’s “Ignis Fatuus”, or the Nordic Giants albums.
It mixes elements of Prog ( lots of understated guitar , very Pink Floyd in places) , elements of folk , straight forward head shaking boogie ( Part 2 Cu Chulainn Is Mine has a middle passage that cries out for air guitar and good ol’ Headbangin’ !) added to the mix are a smatter of Metal guitar and crashing drums. Live, this would sound magnificent, the orchestral parts sweeping you away.
So, for the 5th listen I put on my nice shiny new headphones, and was transported into the land of the Children.
Alone opens with a big drum sound and a pulsing bass, choppy piano and possibly a harpsichord? The singer intones words pure of tone .As with most mp3 files, the sound is compressed to the disservice of the words, but the feel of the track is cinematic and the strings swirl, leading to a guitar layered piece with acoustic and electric parts jousting and combining to build the epic soundscape.
Lyrically, it sounds like a song of unrequited love, her waiting for him, offering to help him, telling him she waits for him, all she has to give is her love… She’s waiting for him to acknowledge and reciprocate…
I wait opens with voice and acoustic guitar, a plaintive song of longing, the protagonist’s lonely view echoed by the music with flutes or Celtic pipes making an appearance.
I’m Falling opens with the sound of either a tuba underwater or a very very angry wraith playing saxophone. Intriguing sample! Here we have a “cookie monster” growl, but it doesn’t intrude, on the contrary, it adds a sense of narrative to the piece, whether this voice is a force for good or evil in the story I’m not sure, but we seem to be at a tipping point with the middle section taking on a much heavier sound, big big riffs, thundering bass and a great flanged guitar solo.
The atmosphere invoked in the next track I Will Follow You is one of menace, the promise of following you more of a threat than a promise if you’ll forgive the pun.
Battle is looming at least it feels that way with the snare drum echoing as the guitar crash through the mix. Far from being a song of devotion, the declaration of “I will Follow “slipping through the music and into the next piece.
Here it’s all about waiting, a sunny feel with the pure voice and melody slowly being enveloped by darker chords, the menace builds as the track grows, This is the core of the album, a trilogy with the Metal side coming through with a huge guitar sound, lush strings and orchestration conveying the power and majesty of a full throttle rock band.
The voice is deep in the mix, centre stage but overwhelmed by the thundering battle all around it. The narrator still waits for them to come back to her through the battle and in part 3 it appears that even dying won’t stop the reunion, with her now pleading to come find you, never leave you, and that his is your nightmare – not sure if it’s being lost, being found or something worse, but the music drives on, a big big sound very nice it is too.
As you may have guessed, I like what is here.
I liked it so much that in the middle of writing this, I stopped, logged onto the Band’s website and ordered a bundle of both albums for 30 Euros…
Yea, the curse of Martin strikes again!
I also then discovered the nationality of the band, and thought C’est La Vie, a second Gallic Prog band, C’est Tres Bon!
I digress, tracks 9 & 10 , In My Mind and He’s Dying are where the Celtic vibe comes to the front – For those of a certain age, think Davy Spillane goes metal, or for those of you younger than the Century, the sound is very much in the feel of Troy Donockley (Iona & Nightwish) . Uilleann Pipes mixed with guitars and a full throttle rock band. A Glorious noise indeed.
And then it stops, a cliff hanger ending. the song drives towards the cliff, the music fades and the haunting final phrase of I see the Light echoes and fades.
It’s not Prog in the pastoral Genesis lineage, this is darker, a twisted hybrid of Celtic roots, Hard Rock and Prog that takes you on a journey through the landscape that’s more EM Escher or Tim Burton.
If “Game Of Thrones” was a concept album, these would be the people to make it.
Progressive rock stalwarts and innovators The Tangent return, after main man Andy Tillison’s heart attack last year, with a great lyric video for single A Few Steps Down The Wrong Road and you can watch it here:
Andy wanted to return to the more socially aware music that he has generally written since he was a teenager.
Andy told me,
” …obviously it’s something where we;ve beaten the punks, the independents, the Bonos and Stings to the post in having something to say about the Post Brexit racism. The song is NOT about Brexit itself… that wouldn’t interest me enough to write a song…”
In an announcement on the band’s facebook page he went on to say,
“It’s a song from a man who loves his Yorkshire, his England, his Britain and his Europe more than the self serving hacks from the tabloid press seem to love anything.
This is The Tangent. We are a PROGRESSIVE ROCK BAND. This is our new song. Play as loud as you can – and make sure you listen to the very end.”
The track, and the band’s upcoming as-yet-untitled album, will feature artwork created by renowned UK comic artist Mark Buckingham, who has provided designs for both DC and Marvel as well as artwork for The Fierce And The Dead.
“The power of music, whether joyous or cathartic must steal on one unawares, come spontaneously as a blessing or a grace–”
― Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
I write reviews and run this website purely for the love of music. I don’t get paid for anything I write or publish and this bothers me not one iota. I am a music lover and I feel it is my mission to expose as many people out there as I can to some of the wonderful, awe inspiring, life affirming songs that are created mostly to be heard and to enrich people’s worlds.
Hopefully this will mean that they will then support the artists by buying the music or sharing it with even more people which will enable those musicians to carry on their creative endeavours. A musical Circle of Life if you like.
This could be upbeat music that just puts you in a really great mood or music written specifically for the love of life. When I’ve had a major upheaval in my life I like to listen to music that soothes my soul and calms me down, cathartic songs that can take the worries and strains of real life and just smooth them away to ease me into a place of calmness. I’m not bothered about genre, it is the music that speaks to me the loudest that I want to hear and, more often than not, it’s one band who my radar zeroes in on….
Italian alternative band Nosound started as a one man studio project in 2005 by Giancarlo Erra, but has since grown into a five piece band, evolving into something unique, focused and powerful. The music is evocative and intense, with personal songwriting. Influences range from Pink Floyd to Brian Eno, from Porcupine Tree to Sigur Ros, passing through rock and electronic/ambient.
As well as Giancarlo (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Nosound is Marco Berni (keyboards, vocals) Alessandro Luci (bass, upright bass, keyboards) PaoloVigliarolo (acoustic & electric guitars) and Giulio Caneponi (drums, percussions, vocals).
I discovered the band upon the release of their 2013 album ‘Afterthoughts’ and I was immediately bowled over by their particular type of widescreen melancholia and wistful imagery which really struck a chord with me. This led to the discovery of their back catalogue including such gems as 2013’s reissue of the wondrous ‘Lightdark’, a remaster of the album originally released in 2008.
Their trademark symphonic lushness and winsome ennui really suited many of my moods and I almost felt reborn and pulling free of the trappings of a painful life after listening to the music.
So, you can imagine that news of a new album by this expressive band is going to make me a happy boy and you’d be 100% correct. Earlier this year an email arrived from the PR company stating:
‘NOSOUND ANNOUNCE NEW STUDIO ALBUM – SCINTILLA & RELEASE FIRST VIDEO FOR “SHORT STORY”’
After barely containing my excitement, I ploughed on to see what we had coming in store for us.
Featuring guest appearances from Anathema’sVincent Cavanagh and acclaimed Italian singer Andrea Chimenti, ‘Scintilla’ is inspired by personal upheaval and a desire for change and is a wholly new musical and visual approach for Giancarlo Erra’s ever-evolving band. Cellist Marianne De Chastelaine returns tot he fold but, this time, in a more free-flowing and improvisational capacity.
He goes on to say:
“The intention with ‘Scintilla’ was to do something a bit more different than previously and illustrating more vigorously what Nosound is today.
During a decade of activity, my listening tastes have shifted gradually towards a more simpler, more direct music with an intimate character that still retains a certain richness and detail in sound.
Northern folk and alt singer-songwriter music are possibly the stronger influences, but generally speaking, everything that is simple, direct and minimal but with rich sound is what I like, and what I hope this album is.”
This latest work marks the beginning of the second phase of Nosound’s fascinating career.
Low key and almost under the radar Short Story makes a very unassuming entrance. Delicate piano, lush soundscapes and an almost ethereal vocal immediately set the tone and calm any rushing heartbeats. With an almost organic creativity to the music, it seems to have a life of its own as it wistfully drifts across your psyche with its gentle sonic palette. Last Lunch immediately takes on a more melancholic and dreamlike note, the music being the tapestry upon which the vocals paint their temperate scene. Initially a paragon of self-control and emotional depth, it really touches you deeply, the wondrous Cello is particularly emotive and touching. 7 minutes of laid back, low key and yet deeply stirring music has an ultimately cathartic outcome and I find myself afloat upon a sea of my own dreams and aspirations. I saw Nosound play live at The Resonance Festival two years ago and can still remember how much of himself Giancarlo puts into the songs as he sings them. They are part of him and come from the depths of his very soul. As the song comes to a close you feel you have been through quite an emotional journey and are all the better for it.
There is a whimsical feel to the opening of Little Man, nostalgic and playful, as the chiming keyboards resonate. It soon opens up into a much more mature track as the soothing strings and heartfelt vocals stir up emotions deep in your psyche. The way the drums are delivered is relaxed and composed and the Cello, once again, provides moments of pure indulgence. A sinuous soundscape is created that leaves tendrils of thoughtful contemplation floating around in your mind, the meandering guitar playing is another highlight of this reflective song. In Celebration of Life sees the first contribution from Vincent Cavanagh and the introduction is as sonically intimate as they come, small pearls of musical delight surround you and leave you in a tranquil state, musing what is to come next. More verdant strings continue the meditative mood. The whole musical vista that is laid before you is celestially sublime and, when the vocals begin, all breathy and gossamer like, the spell is set and you are caught right in the middle of a thing of utmost beauty. The exquisitely heart-breaking solo is absolutely amazing and strikes you right in your heart, a song of pure delight and wonder.
Sogno e Incendio was co-written, and is sung by, renowned Italian singer Andrea Chimenti, it is serenely intense and full of a deeply felt passion. The vocals are delivered in such a fashion as to leave you hanging on every word, whether you understand them or not. The musical accompaniment is classically superb and compliments Andrea’s voice perfectly, it is like a melancholy lament but is oh so beautiful, painfully so in places. The Italian language, especially when sung, is a thing of charm and grace and I am left with a feeling of utter bliss as the elegant guitar floats around your mind. The trancelike Emily is like wisps of cloudlike delights that fleetingly leave an impression on you before moving on, transient and ephemeral notes of music that leave you in a dreamlike reverie. It is surreal but in an exquisite fashion and tugs at your heartstrings all too briefly before departing to who knows where.
Cavanagh returns for The Perfect Wife, a mournful and somber track which wears its heart on its sleeve. There’s a deep lying and potent passion at the core of this powerfully compelling song, the ardent sentiment is clear in the fervor of the vocals. The somber and forlorn music is incredibly emotive and fills you with a sorrowful empathy, the Cello seems to become animate and alive with its own character and draws you even further into this dark and plaintive story. These musicians leave nothing behind and exhaust you with their intensity and ardor, as impassioned a track as you will hear this year. What appears to be an alluring love song at first with its tender piano and fragile vocals, Love is Forever soon reveals its unexpected sarcasm in the cynical lyrics yet you can never get away from the fact that this song has style and artistry at its heart, quite a conumdrum. I just let the winsome music wash over me and enjoy its cathartic powers.
Evil Smile is an elegantly charismatic track that takes you on a meandering journey through a wonderful acoustic soundscape, the organic feel is increasingly evident in the flow and texture of the vocals and the hypnotic music, especially the strings. The trance-like instrumental sections leave you mesmerised, only recovering when the introspective voice of Giancarlo wakes you from your musing state. The final title track Scintilla takes all that has come before and amalgamates it into something even more divine. A fantastical musical journey where you are the only passenger and there is a musical universe of a myriad opportunities in front of you. Hesitant and slightly unsure, it takes small steps before the halting vocals draw you in and the journey commences for real. A song (and, indeed an album) worth listening to with headphones on and silence around you to pick up every tiny nuance and subtlety. Enjoy a fine wine and just relax as this seraphic track cleanses your heart and soul and encourages the deepest parts of your very being with its almost heavenly grace and charm.
Not so much a leap into the unknown as a slight re-imagining of who they were before, ‘Scintilla’ is more than just a piece of music or an album of new songs. It alters your state of mind and your very essence and you come out of the other side feeling a better and more complete person. That Giancarlo Erra and Nosound can achieve that is testament to their amazing songwriting skills and musical ability. I implore you to buy this album and, as soon as you can, see them perform it live, I promise you will not be disappointed!
“There is a darker side of us all…Every one of us, we have a darker side that we should probably just appreciate that it exists…I believe it’s a beautiful darkness…The Shadow Self, it is a creative force in all of us.” –Tarja
Those familiar with Tarja’s solo work, or with the symphonic metal genre, will find much that is familiar in ‘The Shadow Self’. There are plenty of metal/hard rock guitar riffs, lots of low end, a smattering of strings and choirs, and lyrics that mostly sticks to discussing darkness, anger, love, and the natural world. Tarja has been headed in a single artistic direction since 2007’s ‘My Winter Storm’, and her latest album continues on that path. However, while some artists make a familiar-sounding album due to lack of inspiration or personal comfort, Tarja is clearly perfecting her craft, and ‘The Shadow Self ‘makes up the ground between past efforts and the ideal for what a symphonic metal album can be.
Lifted from an Annie Lennox interview, the album title provides a thematic focal point; indeed, ‘The Shadow Self ‘is the most thematically and musically cohesive album of Tarja’s career. Starting from the premise that each of us have a darker side, and that it’s best to face this darkness head on, the songs here move between introspection and explosive expression.
The singles from the album focus in on the positive, creative force of the shadow self. On No Bitter End, Tarja encourages the listener to engage the darkness on its own terms.
“Blackout the sun/Light nowhere/Tell me you don’t need it anymore…”
To say that we each have a darker side is not to say that we are evil, but merely points to the fact that much of our inner life is a mystery, is unknown, is a void even to ourselves. But perhaps it is in this very darkness that we will find hope, strength, love, and freedom.
“Open up your inner eye/Let hope save the day…To be there with all you need/And nothing left to prove…..”
The chorus and bridge sound a bit like the best of the 80’s power ballads, musically emphasizing the ultimately triumphant outcome of this introspective journey.
Similarly, Innocence maintains a cautiously positive tone in the lyrics.
“Inside of me doors will stay open/A thousand lives to live/Waiting like universes do without an end/Love break into my innocence…”
However, the video version makes it clear that the innocence of the title may very well be that which has been lost, and the album version of the song features an alternate, extended instrumental break that suggests much the same. A solo grand piano picks out the melody, gradually builds in intensity, meanders into pounding and resounding bass chords, then calmly returns to the melody before being joined by a full string section and choral vocals.
The effect is unsettling, occasionally jarring, but finally invigorating. Tarja has done this sort of staggering of classical and hard rock within a song before (Anteroom of Death, Victim of Ritual), but the classical component is more adventurous and thematically cohesive here. As album opener, the song also announces that Tarja is breaking new artistic ground whilst perfecting old standbys.
Even if our inner darknesses contain a positive creative force, they surely also possess immense destructive capabilities. On those who have hurt and abused us, the shadow self seeks self-expression of our most violent impulses. The album explores this aspect of the shadow self as well, showing how even these impulses may be channeled in a properly creative direction.
(Picture credit: Jaromir Zajicek)
In Supremacy, a Muse cover and one of the album’s high points, the target is an oppressive institution.
“Policies have risen up and overcome the brave…Embedded spies brainwashing our children to be mean…”
Instead of fear or angry fantasy, the song expresses a resolve for action.
“You don’t have long/I am on to you/The time has come to destroy/Your supremacy…”
The cover doesn’t stray too far from the original in terms of structure, but it does feature truly heavy guitars, cinematic John Barry-esque orchestration, and stratospheric vocals from Tarja to drive the hook home.
Diva relishes the poetic justice awaiting those who try to diminish our sense of self, if we only walk away and leave them to sink in their own rotten ships. The song may also serve as a personal response to Tarja’s dismissal from Nightwish and their subsequent song Bye Bye Baby. Once again the orchestration is cinematic in scope, carnival sounds and spoken vocals add a layer of creepiness, and Tarja’s vocals highlight both her range and her finesse.
Indeed, Tarja’s vocals are, as they should be, the main feature throughout the album. On Too Many, what could have been an extended fadeout instead gradually drops out instruments until only Tarja’s vocals remain. Whereas another artist might have ended the song with a whisper, or cut the song off after the first line once all other instruments were silenced, Tarja continues to sing until she has completed the chorus. The result is powerful, both in its presentation of the lyrics and in its completion of the album’s theme of a personal journey into the darkest corners of one’s own soul.
“Not too many facing their tears/When sunrise outshines the grey/Many too many living their fears/Only few won’t fade away…”
The repetition of this chorus takes the form of a lament, but is transformed by the choice to drop out instruments and leave Tarja’s voice as the final musical statement. In this closing moment, Tarja is expressing neither pity nor regret for others, but rather resolve and defiance on her own behalf–there are many too many living their fears, but she is one of the few who will face their tears and not fade away.
Befitting its thematic cohesion, ‘The Shadow Self’ also comprises Tarja’s most unified musical statement thus far (in her rock albums, anyway). Tarja has stated that she wanted the album to have more of a band feel, and this does sound more band focused, with fewer orchestral and choral overlays than some of Tarja’s past work. The riffs are little heavier, and Tarja’s lead vocals are kept to the fore, with minimal choral backing on most songs. This makes the ‘classical’ components more powerful when they do become the focus on songs like Living End and Diva.
It also makes room for more musical flourishes and nuances than is typical in the symphonic metal genre. Living End features beautiful acoustic guitar and pipes, while Demons In You begins with a half-minute funky jam before transitioning into a heavy piece spotlighting Alissa-White Gluz’s vocals. Even here, Tarja eschews the generic set of growls in favour of using both growled and melodic vocals from Gluz, allowing these to interplay with Tarja’s own melodic leads.
‘The Shadow Self ‘is unmistakably a Tarja album. It sounds much like other Tarja albums. It’s just a better Tarja album, one that displays a clear artistic vision as well as the skill and confidence to push forward with the arrangements and production.
Oh, and it also includes a bona fide hit song. You’ll know it when you hear it.
Craig E. Bacon is a PhD Candidate in Philosophy at the University of South Carolina. When not actively putting to rest all interpretative questions surrounding Kant’s idea of the highest good, Craig may usually be found at home with his beloved wife and rescue animals, listening to a Prog record with a craft beer in hand. Craig E. Bacon: Music, Philosophy, Beer, etc.
Iconic thrash metal band DESTRUCTION released their new masterpiece ‘Under Attack’ on May 13th via Nuclear Blast Records.
Today, the band has uploaded the lyric video for the track Generation Nevermore.
Frontman Schmier states: “Did you ever ask yourself how is it possible that the global population just loves to make cash with killing our planet and our fellowmen and doesn’t give a fuck? Where is the wake up call of our political leaders in charge? Mankind does not really wanna have a look in the mirror till it’s too late … and this is an angry Thrash song about that sad fact!”
DESTRUCTION will join forces with US-based thrash metal monsters FLOTSAM & JETSAM, Swedish metal maniacs ENFORCER and Brazil’s NERVOSA for a full European headlining tour this fall. Find all dates below!
‘Europe Under Attack 2016!‘ w/ FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, ENFORCER, NERVOSA
15.09. CH Pratteln – Z7
16.09. D München – Backstage
17.09. I Brescia – Circolo Colony
18.09. D Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
20.09. D Bochum – Matrix
21.09. F Strasbourg – La Laiterie
22.09. F Grenoble – La Belle Electrique
23.09. F Marseille – Le Moulin
24.09. F Toulouse – Metronum
25.09. E Barcelona – Razz2
27.09. E Sevilla – Custom
28.09. P Lisbon – RCA Club
29.09. P Porto – Hard Club
30.09. E Madrid – Arena
01.10. E Bilbao – Stantana 27
02.10. F Paris – La Machine 04.10. UK Glasgow – Audio
05.10. IRL Dublin – Voodoo Lounge
06.10. UK Manchester – Club Academy
07.10. UK London – Underworld
08.10. NL Rjissen – Lucky
09.10. NL Drachten – Iduna
10.10. D Rockstock – M.A.U. Club
11.10. CZ Prag – Storm Club
12.10. D Nürnberg – Hirsch
13.10. D Siegburg – Kubana
14.10. A Dornbirn – Conrad Sohm
15.10. B Hasselt – Muziekodroom*
16.10. D Mannheim – 7er Club
*without Flotsam & Jetsam
More DESTRUCTION dates:
10.08. CZ Jaromer – Brutal Assault
14.08. RO Rasnov – Rockstadt Extreme Fest
16.12. NL Eindhoven – Effenaar
08.10. NL Rjissen – Lucky
09.10. NL Drachten – Iduna
10.10. D Rockstock – M.A.U. Club
11.10. CZ Prag – Storm Club
12.10. D Nürnberg – Hirsch
13.10. D Siegburg – Kubana
14.10. A Dornbirn – Conrad Sohm
15.10. B Hasselt – Muziekodroom*
16.10. D Mannheim – 7er Club
*without Flotsam & Jetsam
