Music and My Life

New CD Purchases

2007-01-28T11:05:00.000-06:00

I just bought some really great CDs yesterday at Cheapo Records in St. Paul. I picked up White 1 by Sunn O))), Moving Pictures by Rush, and Witchcraft's self titled. Anyone into drone should definitely check out White 1 by Sunn O))). Moving Pictures is a classic progressive rock album and highly recommended for any Rush fan. Witchcraft is 1970s style hard rock/doom metal paying tribute to Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and Pagan Altar.

Long Time, No Post

2007-01-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

Well it has been quite a long while since I have made a post on here. My break was okay though it could have been better. The spring semester is well under way and the realization of graduating is starting to dawn upon me.

Musically, not much has changed. I have written a few more riffs that I am currently working into songs. I am still jamming with TJ though we are making zero progress. We have yet to find a bassist or vocalist and it seems as though he is uninterested in working on the music we have written. I am going to give it another month or so and if no progress is made by then I am going to abandon ship, take my music and do a one man recording project until I can get back into a heavy metal band. Discussions of an Enshrined reunion have come up again though I doubt that anything will come of it, mostly because of the lethargic attitudes of the other guys. There were two tentative jam/rehearsal dates set to reunite the original line-up of the band, sans the two weakest members, but each of those dates fell through because of poor scheduling and miscommunication. At this point I am just about ready to give up on the whole rock/metal band idea until Sasha and I move to Seattle. Perhaps once I get there, I will find what I am looking for.

On a separate note, I do not expect to produce any more doom metal podcasts. I simply do not have the time to do them any more. With a wedding to plan, school to finish, job searching, and salvaging my music career, I cannot take the time to put together those podcasts. I hope that those of you who listened to them enjoyed them. Hopefully there are other people out there doing it and keep promoting the doom metal scene.

Oh yeah, I must not forget to announce that Candlemass has found a new vocalist!!!!! The new lead singer for Candlemass will be Solitude Aeturnus' Robert Lowe. Some of you may recognize that band from the Epic Doom Metal podcast I did featuring the music of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus. This is great news for Candlemass. Robert fits their style perfectly. I expect the new album to be killer! Congrats to Rob and Cnadlemass.

Well that just about wraps it up for now. I will try to post more often, at least once a week if not more.

All Sorts of Good News!!!!!

2006-12-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

I got engaged this weekend! I proposed to Sasha at her work on Saturday night and she said YES!!!!!! We are both very happy and very much in love. Both of our families know about the engagement and are also happy for us. It got it as sort of an early Christmas gift though I have wanted to propose to her for a couple of months now. I am very excited to spend the rest of my life with her. She is the love of my life. We plan on getting married sometime in early 2008 after she finishes college and are both settled in our respective careers. I never thought that this would ever happen to me. It is the greatest feeling in the world.

I jammed with TJ on Friday and it went very well. He is exactly what I am looking for in a guitarist. He has keen sensitivity for rhythm, time, melody, and style. We jammed for about an hour and it seemed to click. I gave him the tabs to some of my songs and taught him a few of the riffs. We also wrote three new riffs in our free form jam session. He and I read each other quite well and it seems that we both have the same musical vision. We will start rehearsing twice a week as soon as the new year rolls around. In the next couple of weeks he is going to learn the songs I already have written, and we are both going to write some more riffs. Then when we start rehearsing we will arrange our riffs and ideas into songs. In the mean time we will be actively searching for a bassist and vocalist as well as deciding on a band name. Right now we have two names in mind and they are "Gallows End" and "Demon's Gate." Hopefully we can decide upon a name in the next week or so. I plan on staying in touch with TJ through e-mail while I am in Racine Wisconsin visiting my fiance's family. I am leaving tomorrow morning and I won't be returning until December 29 or 30.

The semester is now officially done for me and I can look forward to a month's worth of vacation in which I can spend more time with Sasha, focus on writing music, and finish constructing the band. All of my finals went very well and I expect to receive all A's in my course work, though I may end up with a B+ in Woodwind Methods. I will not know what my grades are until early January. Until then, I am going to kick back and enjoy some well deserved vacation time without worrying about scholastic issues. I will continue posting updates with each new development that happens with the band.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A GREAT NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

More Updates

2006-12-14T18:07:00.000-06:00

I have officially severed my musical work with Aaron. That means that the projects that we were working on are now void. There will be no Enshrined reunion and there certainly will be no further work with The Light's Demise. Aaron and I have decided that we are too different musically and I do not wish to be in a band with him because he will not allow for other members creative input. We are still friends and will remain in touch with each other, but future musical projects involving he and I are probably not likely. Despite all this bad news I am quite relieved. This has opened up the possibility of getting my own doom metal project started.

Tomorrow night I will be jamming with a friend of mine named TJ who is a guitarist. He is extremely interested in joining the doom metal band with me. He is big into droning, funeral, and sludge doom. I will probably show him some of my riffs, see what he has written, and test his technical capacities as well as musical knowledge. I hope that this audition goes well and he can offer what I am looking for musically. I have decided to abandon my search for a drummer as I will be taking over that position myself. So, if all goes well I will be drumming for the band and TJ will be playing guitar. The next step would be to find a bassist and vocalist.

Things seem like they just may come together for this band. It will be nice to finally be in a band were I actually have some input in the compositional process, unlike Enshrined. I was thinking of a name for the group and Dark Prophecy seems to have a nice ring to it. At least it is sort of a doomy name. I will post an update either tomorrow night or Saturday morning to let you all know how the audition turns out. There is still hope for me yet.

Pictures of My Favorite Bands

2006-12-13T13:35:00.000-06:00

Black Sabbath

Pentagram

Saint Vitus

Candlemass

Rush

Jethro Tull

Uriah Heep

Yes

Sunn O)))

Deep Purple

Slayer

Pantera

Trouble

Pagan Altar

Judas Priest

Iron Maiden

Dimmu Borgir

Immortal

Cannibal Corpse

Morbid Angel

Nile

Borknagar

diSEMBOWELMENT

Cathedral

And last but not least:

Anal Cunt- My favorite joke band!!

Movie for Music in the Web

2006-12-05T18:22:00.000-06:00

This is a movie I had to do for an in class assignment for my Music in the Web class.

Epic Doom Metal Podcast

2006-12-04T21:02:00.000-06:00

This is a podcast I did on Epic Doom Metal featuring the music of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus. In this podcast I do an in depth discussion of the influence Candlemass had on the doom metal genre. I hope you dig it.

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Frustration

2006-11-30T18:36:00.000-06:00

Well I auditioned a drummer last night for my doom metal band and the guy had no fucking clue how to play doom metal. I guess I didn't make it clear enough to him that the music I am writing is primarily doom metal and requires a drummer who can keep a steady beat at an extremely slow tempo. Perhaps the dude thought he could handle it but much to his surprise, playing accurately at tempos below 60 BPM is more difficult than one would expect. He told me that he had never heard music like that before and thought that he could learn how to play it. I tried to count off the tempos to him before I started playing the riffs but he seemed to want to go twice as fast as I wanted to go. Maybe I am being a little too picky but I want a drummer who knows the style from the get go so that the band can quickly mobilize in the creative process. The last thing I want to deal with at this point is teaching someone how to play this type of music. I need talented musicians who can quickly adjust to this style if they haven't already played it in the past.

So I am back at square one again. I am thinking that I will probably just become the drummer because I doubt I will be able to find any percussionist in the area who can faithfully play this kind of music. That leaves me with trying to find a bassist, vocalist, and guitarist. If any of you knows any talented musicians or are a talented musician yourself who plays these instruments and live in Minnesota, please let me know. I am going to make a poster to hang up in local music shops and on campus. I will use the following criteria. The following qualifications are of utmost importance:

1.)Have a developed understanding of music theory including chords, scales, modes, time signatures, and song writing ability.

2.)Possess previous experience as a member of a rock or metal band.

3.)Have a good attitude and dedicated work ethic. Egos are NOT welcome!!

4.)Own equipment and have a means of transportation.

5.)Encompass an open mind and can work democratically with other people.

6.)Are willing to set aside 2-4 evenings a week to rehearse plus weekend and night time gigging.

7.)You must be at least competent on your instrument. Virtuosity is not necessarily required though it will make you a better candidate.

8.)Most importantly, you must have some sort of prior knowledge of heavy metal and must be a fan of Black Sabbath. If you do not like Black Sabbath than please do not apply.

I feel like my quest to form a band is becoming completely futile. I hope that these posters will turn up some people who want to make this kind of music. If not, I guess that the project will have to go on the back burner until Sasha and I move to Seattle in 2008. Then maybe it will come together.

As for the other band I am currently working on with Aaron, we have completely changed direction once again. Aaron decided that he did not want to reunite Enshrined but rather try and work around Chris's schedule with Cult of the Undead. Personally I do not foresee this working out and the outlook for this project is even more grim than the doom metal band I am putting together. I don't see how it will be possible for Chris to work with us when he is already in a band that plays 3 days a week and gigs almost every weekend. That does not leave very much time for him to work with us.

I am now considering backing away from this band to focus my energies on forming my own band. I am extremely frustrated right now and need some time to reflect on the current situation to figure out what I am going to do. If any of you have any thoughts or ideas, please give me your two cents. I would much rather do the doom metal band but getting people together to accomplish this task will be difficult. At the same rate, I am not as excited about the band with Aaron, however, it does have a more steady line-up though it is still not complete. I am stumped as to what I should do. As the great doom metal band Buzzoven wrote, "I am at a loss."

Traditional Doom Podcast

2006-11-27T21:13:00.000-06:00

This is the podcast I did on traditional doom metal. It is only part one of a multiple part series that I plan to continue early next year. On this podcast you will here musical examples from the legendary doom metal band Saint Vitus and cult doom band Pagan Altar. Listen and doom your ass off to some great tracks!

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Good News!

2006-11-27T17:56:00.000-06:00

I just got off the phone with Aaron and we have come up with a possible solution to our lacking a band problem. We are going to try and reform Enshrined by picking up some of our old members. The line up we are discussing involves Aaron on rhythm/lead guitar, Justin on drums, Chris on rhythm/lead guitar, and myself on keyboards. With this set up we will only be lacking a bassist. All of our other parts will be covered. We do have a few ideas for a bassist and we are hoping to get someone within the next couple of weeks.

Our plan is to use two or three of the old Enshrined songs and write the rest of the material from scratch. Aaron is in the process of discussing this quasi-reunion with the other guys. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a bassist. Essentially this would be the third re-vamped version of Enshrined, minus the two weakest members of the old band line up. I think that if this all goes through we will probably start gigging and recording demos sooner than I initially expected.

We are not entirely sure if we will go under the name Enshrined or not. Personally I would rather go by that name than the one Aaron currently has picked out for us which is The Light's Demise. I think it would be in our best interest to come up with a completely new name since the style of the music is different than what we were making in Enshrined. We will ultimately decide this as soon as we complete the line up.

It is all up in the air at this point. I am hoping that the reformation of Enshrined will be completed by the end of this week so that we can start rehearsing and writing new material. I will continue to post with each update I get. These are some very exciting and uncertain times for me and my musical career. I hope that it will all work out for the best.

Updates

2006-11-26T22:29:00.000-06:00

Well I have a few updates regarding my life and musical activities. The band that I had blogged about earlier is still in the process of writing music. We did suffer a huge set back last week as our drummer decided to abandon ship and rejoin his old band, Cult of the Undead. We are now currently in search of a drummer in addition to a bassist. Aaron and I have decided that we will continue to write music and search out musicians to fill the band line-up. As of right now I do not expect much progress to be made until early January at the earliest. We still hope to have the group fully functioning and performing live before the end of this coming summer. Things are moving slowly but it should eventually pick up.

Lately I have been very busy composing music to possibly start my own doom metal band. I am currently working on four songs, two of which are near completion. I want to try and write 8-10 songs and then assemble a band to perform with. This band would happen concurrently with the other band I am working on with Aaron. My goal is to have two active bands that will keep me busy as a songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. Besides, I have the need to get some of my own original material out in the clubs. This area could use a good doom metal act anyways. Look for future posts regarding this doom metal project in the next few months. As soon as I have some tracks recorded from either of these projects I will post them on here for you all to listen to and comment on.

In other music related news pertaining to my life, I received an e-mail back from the folks at doom-metal.com and I have made it into the final round of selection. I probably will not know if I got the job or not for at least two or three weeks if not more. I will make another post as soon as I hear something about that position. I hope I get it!

On a non-musical side note, I went to the Science Museum of Minnesota with my family and girlfriend today to see the Body Worlds exhibit. This is an exhibit featuring real human cadavers dissected to show the different tissues, organs, nerves, vessels, and bones of the human body. It was an interesting exhibit. The downside was that there were 500 people in the exhibit at the same time so it was hard to see each specimen. The large number of people made it difficult to read the side notes to each part of the exhibit and the lines were ridiculously long. I think that the exhibition in and of itself was very cool and I probably would have enjoyed it more if there would have been only 50 people there rather than 500.

We are right around the bend and there are only a few weeks left in the semester. I will continue composing and working on my heavy metal projects throughout the next couple weeks before finals start and I have to focus my time and energy on that. I will also be performing The Nutcracker Suite on Saturday, December 2, with the university Orchestra as principal trombonist. This concert is happening a mere two and a half weeks after our November 18 concert in which we performed the Jupiter movement from Gustav Holst's The Planets. We have a very active schedule and we are playing fun music. A week later I will be performing Christmas carols as a euphonium player in Merry Tuba Christmas. My performing schedule is getting a little more active. Hopefully I can maintain this pace until I get a fully functioning band. I will post more updates as soon as things start developing. Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T10:11:00.000-06:00

I am writing this post just to say that I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving, that is if you celebrate it. It is a time of year to be with family and friends and enjoy each other's company. Oh yeah, and don't forget about the food! I feel that thanksgiving is by far the most universal holdiay in the USA. It is completely secular so anyone of any religion can celebrate it and it unites families. Other holidays may do some of the same things but none, at least in my eyes, are as special as thanksgiving. So whatever you may be doing for this long thanksgiving weekend, keep in mind those whom you are close to and cherish this special time of year. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!!!!!

Possible New Job

2006-11-21T17:10:00.000-06:00

I applied for a position as an album critic for www.doom-metal.com, the premiere site on the internet for information on and promotion of the doom metal scene. My job would be listening to new albums from doom metal bands and writing reviews to be posted on the website. I just sent in my "resume", essentially an e-mail with my qualifications and a sample of my reviews. The job wouldn't be paying, however, I would get to keep the albums I review. I would also be working with the top people who have an inside to the doom metal scene. I hope I get the job. I want to do this very badly. Wish me luck. Below is a link to the site.

www.doom-metal.com

Proto-Doom Podcast Pt. 2

2006-11-20T19:38:00.000-06:00

This is the second installment of my two part podcast on the founding fathers of doom-metal, Pentagram and Black Sabbath. Last week I discussed Pentagram and their importance in the doom metal scene. In this podcast I discuss Black Sabbath and their importance. This is the longest podcast I have done thus far. Unfortunately I feel that it still does not do Sabbath justice in expressing how important they were to the doom metal scene and the heavy metal scene in general.

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Concert Review

2006-11-15T18:25:00.000-06:00

The concert review below was written as a critical and technical assessment of a recital that took place on Tuesday, November 14, 2006. It featured the music of composition student Jon Woods. Below I have provided my reaction to five of the pieces performed at the concert.

Wind and Water This was a piece written for a woodwind trio consisting of a flute, clarinet, and soprano saxophone, accompanied by piano. The general melodic contour of the music was in a legato style with few large intervallic leaps. The harmonic form of the music varied between moments of 12 tone serialism in the vain of Schoenberg and functionally tonal harmonies in the style of Richard Struass and other late romantic composers. Each instramental line was soloistic, yet supplemental to the music intertwining with it. This was due in part to some ingenious contrapuntal voice writing. The overall soundscape of the piece was extremely beautiful. The flute and clarinet melodies were especially helpful in making the music sing gorgeously. The soprano saxophonist had some trouble with her parts which in turn jepordized some of the beautiful music making that was happening amongst the group. The piano part was fairly simple and sparsely written though nevertheless expressive and musically effective. Some points of the music had repeated thematic ideas that created a trancelike musical atmosphere and completely relaxed the audience almost into a nirvana of sorts. Overall the piece was extremely well writen and performed equally as competently. The choice of instrumentation for this piece was perfect and captured the artistic intent of the composer effectively.

Shade From A Lone Tree This was an improvisatory piece of music in which the performer, an electric guitarist, was to look at a piece of graphic notation (ie. pictures) and play the feelings that each picture provoked. The sound of the guitar was then manipulated electronically by a computer program and redistributed through one of four speakers set up in each of the coners of the recital hall. The style the guitarist used to display his emotional interpretations of the graphic notation was primarily in a blues style with heavy use of a metal slide, quarter-tone bends, and minor pentatonic scale runs. The interaction between the guitarist and the computer manipulated sound was one of call and response with the manipulated sound serving as the response to the intial thematic statement made by the guitar. This music was very interesting to listen to, though a little challenging at times. The improv session lasted way too long and quickly became tedious after the 7 minute mark. Overall, I thought that this was an interesting venture into the realm of electronic music, though it was aurally overbearing and much too long.

Tough Love Tough Love is a Russian influenced unaccompanied viola solo in the vain of Shotakovich, Prokofiev and other early 20th century Russian composers. This piece was by far the most traditional piece on the program, both in harmony and form. The solo lines were very lyrical and the tempo was around an andante with lots of rubato and accelerandos. Large intervallic leaps and heavy vibrato were other characteristics that made the music sing like an operatic tenor voice. The performance itself was moderately successful. A few out of tune notes did detract from the overall quality of the performance though the dynamic contrasts and phrasing were excellent. The expressiveness of the music came out beautifully and Jon's choice of writing these melodies for solo viola was a good one. Despite a few minor technical difficulties I was able to deduce that this was a well written piece of music and it was quite enjoyable to listen to.

Around Around was inspired by a ceramic artist who convinced Jon to write a piece of music that involved pre-recorded tape sounds interacting with the process of throwing a pot. The goal of the piece is to have the actions of the ceramicist line-up and be reflected on the tape. This was a very interesting concept and was very effective. It was mesmerizing to see just how closely the sounds of the tape lined up with the actions of the ceramicist. The sound of trickling water and the turning of a wheel corresponded very closely to the ceramistic wetting his hands in a bowl of water and turning the wheel at different speeds. I found this to be a fascinating piece that effecticely mixed visual art with music.

Growth of a Glass Plate This piece was written for three percussionists making use of timpani, marimba, and vibraphone. The dynamic of the music was very soft and stayed soft throughout the entirety of the piece. Musically this piece displayed overt indeterminate thematic ideas much in the vain of composers like George Crumb and John Cage. The timapni was used as the time keeping instrument of the ensemble and played basic rhythmic patterns underneath the vibraphone and marimba. The melodic material of the marimba and vibraphone consisted of short indefinate phrases that employed heavy use of acro (bowing the bars with a cello or double bass bow). Musically I found this piece difficult to follow and the thematic material to be abrupt and disjoined. Ultimately the poorly thought out indeterminacy of the phrasing and choppy melodic material made the piece unsuccessful in stirring any sort of interest for myself or the audience.

CONCLUSION:
Overall I felt that this recital was very good. Jon had a lot of different musical ideas and styles incorporated into his compositions. He effectively displayed his ability to write music in many different mediums as well as solidify the fact that he has gift for writing gorgeous melodies and wide musical soudscapes. Out of all the pieces that were performed that night, I felt that there was truly only one bad piece and that was Growth of a Glass Plate. Mr. Woods' other compositions were of par excellence and provided a variety of musical experiences that pleasured as well as challenged the auditory senses of the listener. This was a good concert. As his style grows and becomes more personalized, I believe that Jon Woods will have a successful future in music.

Proto-Doom Podcast Pt. 1

2006-11-13T18:32:00.000-06:00

This is the first part of my two part podcast installment on proto-doom metal. This podcast is a discussion of the music of the legendary doom metal band Pentagram. I also included two tracks recorded by the band in the early 1970s.

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My New Band!!!

2006-11-10T20:19:00.000-06:00

That's right, I recently started jamming with some musicians and we are trying to form a heavy metal band. I am working with the guitarist from my old heavy metal band, Enshrined, and the former drummer from the band Cult of the Undead.

Our style is in the black metal vain of bands like Dissection, Arsis, Immortal and Emperor with technical death metal elements in tribute to Necrophagist mixed with progressive rock influences including Rush, Into Eternity, and Yes. I guess you could say that we are very comparable to Borknagar though a little more agressive and up-tempo.

I am currently in the process of writing keyboard parts to accompany the riffs that we have written thus far. I am really enjoying playing with these guys and music is starting to come together quite nicely. We are still trying to fill out the line-up and are currently in search of a bassist and possibly a second guitarist. We also are still trying to name ourselves. We have a few ideas floating around, one of which the is The Light's Demise. The other two guys seem to like the name a lot though I think that we could think of something better. If you have any ideas let me know!!

In the mean time we are writing music and trying to solidify a song list. I have a good feeling about this band and I hope that it turns out to be a better band than Enshrined was. At least I know that the musicians I am working with on this project are more technically proficent as well as more dedicated than my former Enshrined band mates. I will continue to post on our progress to keep you all updated on how things are going with the band.

Five Concert Reviews

2006-11-10T19:29:00.000-06:00

Review of Wagner's Lohengrin This is a concert review of Richard Wagner's Lohengrin's opera as performed by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Apparently the musicians and actors did a magnificent job performing the five hour long opera. The director and costume designer were violently booed for their poor interpretation of the legendary Wagnerian opera. From reading the review I pretty much gathered that if it weren't for the wonderful performance of the orchestra, the conductor, the chorus, and the solo singers, this opera would have been a complete disaster.

Jazz Vibist Stefon Harris This was a very positive review for a live concert put on by jazz vibist Stefon Harris. The author was extremely impressed with Harris' technical proficiency, arrangements, and overall musicianship. The programming of the concert was an even mixture of jazz standards and original compositions. The author writes that Harris has a keen mastery over many different styles of jazz and has mastered the art of jazz arranging, making note of the performer's excellent rendition of Duke Ellington's New Orleans Suite. Obviously the author thought that this was an excellent performance. The author only furthers this implication with in depth musical analysis of a few pieces from the performance.

Iron Maiden Concert Review This was a short review giving credit where credit is due, in my opinion. The only complaint the author had with the concert was that Maiden decided to play all the tracks off of their new album, A Matter of Life and Death, before launching into their classic songs. He did say that Iron Maiden actually managed to make this unconventional approach work. I am not surprised. It's Iron Maiden for fuck's sake! They are one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever. Need I say more?

Rave Rush Review This was a rave review for a live concert Rush did on their Vapor Trails tour back in 2002. The author was extremely excited to see the band having been a fan of their's for 21 years and never attending a Rush concert. Needless to say he was more than impressed with the band's live performance. The technical proficiency of the band never ceased to impress as they blazed through a 3 hour set with only one 15 minute break. I myself remember seeing Rush on this very same tour and can honestly say that my experience was very much the same. I was blown away by the band and became even more of a hardcore fan after seeing them live. This was a very accurate review and well detailed, though a little lacking on in depth musical discussion.

Folk Concert Reviews This site offers many short reviews of west coast folk concerts, specifically in the California area. Almost all of the reviews are positive and do not offer a whole lot of reflection into the musical aspects of the performances being discussed. This site probably functions better as an informational site than it does as a site for concert reviews. A lack of critical musical assessment detracts from this site's credibility.

Death Doom Podcast

2006-11-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

This podcast discusses some of the characteristics of death/doom metal. I also clear up the confusion concerning what sorts of bands qualify as death/doom. On this podcast you will hear examples from death/doom legends diSEMBOWELMENT as well as a track from up and coming death/doomsters Roanoke. Listen if you dare!!

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Funeral Doom Podcast

2006-11-07T20:19:00.000-06:00

Okay. I have returned to doing doom metal related podcasts. This one is about funeral doom and features the music of Torture Wheel and Pantheist. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

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Enshrined Podcast

2006-11-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

This is the podcast I did discussing the music of my old heavy metal band Enshrined. I played keyboards and sang black metal vocals for the band. I hope you enjoy the music and the podcast. It was an important part of my life for several years and I think that it best describes where I am coming from musically. Listen to the music and enjoy!

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Overwhelmed

2006-11-02T10:56:00.000-06:00

I have been extremely busy as of late. Between getting all of my homework done, keeping up on my work study hours, and practicing my instruments I am swamped. It certainly is not an uncommon thing for most college students. I think that everyone who is in college or who has gone to college knows exactly what I am talking about. I call it the "not enough hours in a day" syndrome. You know the feeling you get when you have a lot of things to get done and literally do not have enough hours in a day to get it all done. It is most certainly an uncomfortable feeling. I could try not sleeping but that would definitely do more harm than good. I have to sleep at least five or six hours a night to be fully functional the next day.

I guess my main beef is that I have no clue how to get everything done in the limited amount of time I have in a day. I think slowly but surly I will get it done though it may mean sacrificing some of my social life. Oh well, I have been dealing with this for the last four years so another semester and a half is manageable. I guess compared to some people's schedules I do not have a right to complain, but hey it is my blog so I will complain anyways. Wish me luck with the rest of my semester. Hopefully it will end soon.

My Weekend in Duluth

2006-10-31T17:20:00.000-06:00

This weekend went well. Sasha and I did a lot of fun things and even got to relax in between the fun. On Saturday we arrived at the hotel where I proceeded to give her the first of her birthday gifts, a box of gourmet chocolates and a lovely card. Later that evening I took her up to the rotating restaurant on top of the Radisson for a prime rib meal. Then we headed down to the cocktail lounge for drinks. After changing out of our dress clothes into some more comfortable street clothes, we went bowling at the ally across from the hotel. We then moved on over to the casino where we ended the night.

The next morning we woke up to the sunrise over lake Superior which was absolutely gorgeous. We checked out of the hotel at about 11:00 am and headed back home where my parents had a little birthday party of sorts set up for her. She received the rest of her gifts, including some DVD's I bought her and of course cake. She was very happy and I am glad that I was able to do something nice for the woman I love. I normally wouldn't consider myself to be romantic but what the hell, this woman is something special and I need to make her feel that way. I am happy with the way things went and I could not have asked for a better weekend. It definitely was a much needed vacation for the both of us and it was well worth it.

Sludge Doom Podcast

2006-10-31T13:14:00.000-06:00

This is the podcast I did on sludge doom using musical examples from my doom metal side project sOy bomb. Enjoy, have a few laughs, and please excuse the poor recording quality of the demo.

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This Weekend

2006-10-27T17:35:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend has her birthday this coming Sunday, October 29, and I am taking her up to Duluth for the weekend. We plan on seeing some sites, visiting some friends and relaxing. I bought her some really great gifts and I think she is going to like them. At least I hope so. I also intend to take her to some classy restaurants and arts related exhibits. I may even take her to a Duluth Symphony performance if they are playing this weekend. I am really looking forward to it. We are leaving tomorrow morning and plan on arriving some time in the early afternoon to check into the Radisson. We will be staying over night on Saturday and journeying back home Sunday afternoon. I think that this time away from the bump and grind of every day life is much needed for her as well as myself. I will make a post once we return from our trip to let you know how it went. Have a great weekend everyone. I know I will.

Tons of Great Concerts Coming Up

2006-10-25T19:34:00.000-05:00

I was recently looking at a few different heavy metal band websites and there are a lot of great concerts coming through the Twin Cities area. This coming Monday October 30, Gwar will be playing a show at First Avenue. Two weeks later on November 13 the reunited Alice In Chains will play at Station 4 with vocalist William Duvall and that is just the beginning of the madness. Swedish proto-doomsters Witchcraft are coming to the Triple Rock on November 16. On November 19 legendary death metal band Cannibal Corpse will be tearing up Station 4 alongside technical death metal masters Necrophagist and lighting fast death metalers Dying Fetus. Then, on November 22 power metal heroes Blind Guardian hit the Station 4 stage to bring songs of epic proportions to the metal masses.

November is going to be quite a busy concert month. I hope to make it to at least two of these concerts if not more. I doubt attending any more than two of these concerts will be financially possible for me. Now I face the tough decision of which concerts to go to. There are a lot of good shows to pick from so any combination I pick will be good no matter what. For those of you reading this blog that are from Minnesota and enjoy heavy metal, you should go out and check out at least one of these shows if not more. I think it will be well worth the money and the trip.

First Official Podcast (Edited Version)

2006-10-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

This is the corrected version of my first podcast that I did on droning doom metal and the band Sunn O))). There should not be any more problems with the vocal parts. They should be much easier to hear now. Hooray for pro-tools!!!!

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Advantgarde doom metal podcast featuring Black Shape of Nexus

2006-10-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

This is a podcast I did discussing advantgarde doom metal using musical examples from the German doom band Black Shape of Nexus. I hope you enjoy it.

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Messiah Marcolin is Fired!!!

2006-10-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

I just found out that Candlemass has fired their lead singer Messiah Marcolin. You can read about it at Messiah Marcolin Out of Candlemass.

This is truly a sad day for doom metal as the classic line up of Candlemass is now officially done. Apparently Messiah has not been cooperating with the rest of the band and they opted to fire him after he was unwilling to negotiate. The band is going to try to find a new lead vocalist but it will be no doubt, hard for them to find someone good enough to fill Messiah's shoes. I am crushed. Time for me to go get drunk in sorrow.

Candlemass is Amazing!!!!

2006-10-22T16:19:00.000-05:00

I have been listening to a lot of Candlemass lately and I can't help but think of their song "Dark Are the Veils of Death" off of their Nightfall album. It is by far one of the greatest doom metal songs ever written. It has catchy riffing, a heavy sound, and lyrics containing despair and damnation. Below are the lyrics for Dark Are The Veils of Death:

Death is present, the candle has burned out
The scythe is raised, he is eager to reap
The extreme unction prepares for the last flight
but God knows where you will rest
Dark are the veils of death

To sail the seas of eternal damnation
To cross the desert of woe and despair
Or drink the chalice of divine ambrosia
Your life will be put to the test
Dark are the veils of death

Where can your Salvation be
Now when your spirit is free
Where can your salvation be
Now that your spirit is free

Fading Light
disappearing light
Tells you darkness is to come
Ancient rites
The death mass itself
has never revealed where you will go
You will enter realms where angels fear to tread
Open hidden doors within your mind
Sail with Charon, sail into destiny
Accept your death and make it your own choice

It is quite a dark and doomy song. It is the epitome of a good doom metal song. Anyone who enjoys the music of Black Sabbath should definitely check out Candlemass, that is if you do not know who they are already. I highly recommend them. They are a great band!

Mahler, The Equal of Beethoven

2006-10-13T23:25:00.000-05:00

I am writing this post in tribute to one of my favorite orchestral composers, Gustav Mahler. Mahler was a German composer who lived in the late 19 and early 20th centuries (1860-1911). I really love Mahler. I feel that his 10 symphonies are amongst some of the best symphonies ever written. In fact Mahler's 3rd and 6th symphonies rival Beethoven's 5th and 9th symphonies. What made Mahler's compositions, specifically his symphonies so great? First of all Mahler is one of very few orchestral composers who knew how to write interesting intertwining parts that took full advantage of the melodic and technical facilities of each instrument in the orchestra. For example, Mahler's use of the first trombone as a solo voice in the first movement of the third symphony is absolutely breathtaking. He uses the instrument to symbolize the motion of the Greek God Bacchus through the woods, hence the reason scholars refer it as the "Nature Symphony."

He was able to fully utilize the sound and color of any musical instrument and paint a vivid musical picture with it. Mahler worked in sound, harmonies, counterpoint, and tone colors the way a painter works with oils, shading, color, and different brush strokes. Each instrument in a Mahler composition functions as a different color or brush stroke. Not one musical detail is left dull or predictable in his pieces. His compostions are an ever changing soundscape of memorable melodic themes, emotions, tone colors, and harmonic motion.

Another reason I have the utmost respect for Gustav Mahler is because he had the ability to write music on a grandiose scale such as Symphony numbers. 3 and 6, and on a smaller scale such as the chamber orchestra used in Symphony no.4. His writing for big groups as well as small groups never ceased to be interesting or innovative. Mahler was essentially a late romantic/early impressionistic composer with a flare for Wagnerian style arrangements and orchestrations, and a Beethoven-esque sensibility for good melodies and interesting thematic material. Mahler wrote both in traditional musical forms and structures as well as in experimental and non-structured styles, much like his contemporary Bela Bartok did.

I could go on forever about Mahler. To sum it all up, Mahler was a traditional style composer that successfully integrated experimental compostional techniques into his pieces. In other words, he combined the old with the new to create some of the greatest orchestral works the world has ever known. Mahler was easily as influential as Beethoven and just as thematically interesting as Wagner or Bruckner. Go out and give some of his work a listen. I bet you'll dig it!

What is Doom Metal? Answers and Explanations

2006-10-08T09:50:00.000-05:00

STYLISTIC QUALITIES
Doom metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal that is mostly overlooked by mainstream media and heavy metal fans themselves. If one were to choose a truly underground form of heavy metal music doom metal would top the list as most obscure. Before I get into the history of doom metal let me lay down some basic musical elements that make up this particular style of music and how to distinguish it from other similar styles of metal. The first and foremost indicator of whether something is doom metal or not is its tempo or speed. Most doom metal songs are extremely slow some even approaching drone tempos. Another huge element of doom metal is the use of the tritone or devil's interval, a flattened fifth or raised fourth. Most every doom metal band will incorporate at least one riff in every song implementing the use of a tritone. A third indicator of whether something is doom metal or not is the subject matter of the lyrics. Doom metal lyrics revolve around three basic topics, the apocalypse, depression/suicide, redemption from fate or judgment.

DISTINGUISHING DOOM METAL FROM GOTH METAL
One huge misconception concerning the subject matter of doom metal lyrics is the incorporation of gothic influenced lyrics such as the love songs of My Dying Bride. This is most certainly not a feature of doom metal. Doom metal in its pure form almost never discusses such topics. My Dying Bride as well as other goth bands that play at slower tempos are often misclassified as a doom metal bands because of their occasional slowness, however, they most certainly do not fit in the genre all that comfortably. There are three easy ways to distinguish doom metal bands from goth metal bands and they are:
1.) Goth bands take advantage of the beauty and the beast vocal style implementing clean sung female operatic soprano vocal styles in response to male death growls.
2.) Goth bands do play slow indeed, however, their music does consist of many faster sections. Doom metal is painfully slow throughout the course of a song and album.
3.) Goth metal bands will make extensive use of keyboards, violins, beautiful atmospheres, and write lyrics about love, loss, romance, and death. If you see any of these elements in the music it is more likely to be a goth metal band than a doom metal band.

One little side note to this is that some true doom metal bands do use keyboards, however, they make use of the keyboards in a much different ways than goth metal bands do. Funeral doom bands often make use of keyboards such as organs, pianos, and basic synth settings to add a feeling of fear and an ominous presence to the music. Goth metal bands will use keyboards often in string settings to make the background or atmosphere of the music more serene or orchestral. Below is a list of goth metal bands often misclassified as doom metal:

My Dying Bride
Jack Frost
November's Doom
Anathema
Paradise Lost
Decemberance
Mourning Beloveth
Morgion
Zafira

DISTINGUISHING DARK METAL FROM DOOM METAL
Dark metal is another genre of music that is commonly misclassified as doom metal because of its slowness. Though it is indeed true that dark metal bands have some slow sections in their music, they are not doom metal. Most dark metal bands stay within the 76-104 BPM tempo markings range, making them much too mid-tempoed and upbeat to truly be doom metal. Please note that doom metal is usually 60 BPM or slower! Another distinguishing difference between dark metal and doom is that dark metal takes heavy influence from black metal. Dark metal bands use black metal style screeched vocals and sickeningly corny melodic atmospheres. Another reason why it is easy to confuse dark metal with doom metal is the fact that most every dark metal song is centered around depression and suicide. Despite this similarity dark metal is different from doom metal because of it its use of faster tempos, a black metal vocal style, and means of composition. Dark metal in and of itself is not doom metal. Below is a list of dark metal bands often mistaken for doom metal:

Katatonia
Rapture
Mourning Dawn
Dark Obscenity
Bethlehem
Deinonychus

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DOOM METAL
The actual beginnings of doom metal can be traced back to February 13, 1970 when Black Sabbath released their first self-titled album. On this album, in fact the first track on the A side, appeared the song Black Sabbath. It was a droning tempoed ode to the end of the world, one in which evil triumphs over mankind sending us into an eternity of torture and pain. Many older doom metal fans will claim this song to be the first doom metal song as well as the first heavy metal song. Others claim that this song only laid the foundation for what would eventually become doom metal in the mid 1980s. I happen to hold the opinion that the song Black Sabbath is in fact the first doom metal song and aside from being the first official heavy metal band, Black Sabbath was the first official doom metal band. I hold this belief because if you were to classify Black Sabbath's music today they would fit into the doom metal classification quite comfortably. After the success of Black Sabbath, a whole string of bands formed playing heavy metal music in their likeness.

In the United States, Pentagram followed the tradition. Forming in late 1971 by high school friends Bobby Liebling and Geof O' Keefe, Pentagram took the slow catatonic tempos of Black Sabbath, gave it a deeper Satanic message, and created a darker form of the doom metal that Black Sabbath had already been playing for nearly two years. They had minor success touring the east coast but never successfully landed a record contract. Pentagram in its original form broke up in 1976 but their influence would be felt for the next 30 years. After Pentagram, many up and coming heavy metal bands decided to adopt the doom metal style.

In America, bands such as Saint Vitus and Trouble would pave the way for doom metal in the 1980s, while the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in England acted as vehicle for bands like Witchfinder General and Pagan Altar to keep the Sabbath tradition of doom metal alive and well far into the 1980s. The mid 1980s were a prime time for the development of doom metal. As bands were striving to player faster and louder doom metal was gaining an audience in night clubs around the world with it's slow mournful approach to metal. Some of the most important proponents of doom metal in this time period were Saint Vitus from LA, Trouble from Chicago, Withcfinder General from London, and the reunited Pentagram from Arlington Virginia. These bands were all playing slow dark music in the vain of Black Sabbath. However, up until this time the music had not been officially named. Most people just saw it as slow heavy metal or Sabbath-esque quasi death metal.

Saint Vitus was probably the most important band from the early to mid 1980s playing doom metal. They started off as a punk style metal band and quickly changed to a more Sabbath oriented metal band with the acquisition of vocalist/guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich of The Obsessed. With the release of the classic album "Born Too Late," Saint Vitus had set in motion the explosion of doom metal into the consciousness of heavy metal fans. It wasn't until a band by the name of Candlemass released their first album in 1986 that doom metal finally received the name doom metal.

The Candlemass album Epicus Doomicus Metalicus officially gave doom metal its classification title and solidified it as a staple of heavy metal music. Their following releases only further advanced the genre with their all time greatest album, in my opinion, being 1987's Nightfall. Saint Vitus also continued to help further the development of doom metal and Trouble brought a Christian aspect to the otherwise dark oriented music.

By the early 1990s, bands like Cathedral, diSEMBOWELMENT, and Winter were combining the slowness of doom metal with the heaviness of death metal creating various new forms of doom metal. Death/doom proved to hail supreme in the first half of the 1990s though many other styles were up and coming. Bands like Grief, Crowbar, Eyehategod, and Corrupted gave rise to sludge/doom. Bands such as Skepticism and Thergothon founded funeral/doom and gained international attention from metal fans of all tastes.

Genre mashing and other types of experimentation throughout the 1990s and 2000s would contribute to creating the diversity found within the doom metal scene. Bands would go on to experiment with how slow and simple they could possibly play, creating droning doom metal, whereas other doom metal bands experimented with long complex arrangements and multi-movement songs spanning from 20 to over 70 minutes in length. Currently, almost a dozen different sub-genres of doom metal have been identified and are academically accepted. Below is a list of each sub-genre with a brief explanation. Note these are just the basic sub-genres and are by no means all inclusive.

Traditional Doom Metal- This is doom metal in the vain of Black Sabbath with clean sung vocals and minor riffing at drudgingly slow tempos. Examples of traditional doom metal bands include, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Pagan Altar, Goatsnake, and Northwinds.

Epic Doom Metal- This is doom metal in the vain of Candlemass that uses clean sung vocals and is mostly focused on conflict and the redemption of man. Other epic doom metal bands include Solitude Aeturnus and Lamented Souls.

Stoner Doom Metal- This is doom metal that combines the doomy elements of Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus with the Psychedelic elements of Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Pink Floyd, creating a groovy yet dark sound. Examples of stoner doom bands include The Electric Wizard, Sleep, Cathedral (1995-now), Buzzoven, and Grand Magus.

Funeral Doom Metal- Painfully slow doom metal focused on death and the life cycle. The sound is defined by creepy church organs, evil orchestral string settings, and growled death vocals. Examples of Funeral Doom Metal bands include, Thergothon, Skepticism, Graves at Sea, Shape of Despair, and Mournful Congregation.

Death Doom Metal- This is essentially doom metal with death metal style riffing and vocals played at 60 BPM or less. Examples of Death Doom Metal Bands include Winter, diSEMBOWELMENT, Thorr's Hammer, Roanoke, Cathedral (1990-1993), and Warhorse.

Black Doom Metal-This is doom metal that combines elements of black metal with the slowness of doom metal, Unlike dark metal, however, black doom is focused on the apocalypse and deeper Satanic messages. Some examples of black doom metal bands include Nortt, Worship, Funeral, and Dolorian.

Sludge Doom Metal- This is a mixture of traditional doom metal and stoner doom metal but played at slower tempos with lower tuned guitars. Sludge doom is catatonically slow and severely depressive. Examples of sludge doom metal bands include Crowbar, Eyehategod, Grief, Noothgrush, Corrupted, and Sloth (UK).

Droning Doom Metal- Droning doom metal is the slowest most brutal form of doom metal. It is probably the slowest form of metal in the world if not the slowest type of music in the world. In drone music it is not uncommon to hear a power chord held for five minutes with a moving guitar line underneath it creating uncomfortable dissonances. This music is not easy to listen to or easy to digest. This type of doom is not usually recommended for beginning doom metal listeners. Much experience with doom metal is necessary to fully understand this type of doom metal. Examples of droning doom metal bands include Sunn O))), Earth, Moss, Monarch, Boris(early), Khanate, and Burning Witch.

Proto Doom Metal- This is a term often used by younger doom metal fans when classifying the founding fathers of doom metal (i.e Black Sabbath, Pentagram) and other bands that play in that style, examples of which include Ironman, Witchcraft, and Place of Skulls.

Advantgarde Doom- This is doom metal that combines many different elements of music together. For example a doom metal band that displays elements of funeral doom, sludge doom, droning doom and death doom might be classified as advantgarde doom. It can also include doom metal bands that have jazz, classical, or progressive rock elements in their music. Examples of advantgarde doom include Wreck of the Hesperus, Aarni, Dolorian (late), Black Shape of Nexus, and Unholy.

CONCLUSION
As you can see it is quite clear that doom metal has grown into a diverse and interesting style of music. It is sad that not many people know what doom metal is. Even within the heavy metal community doom metal is still an obscure sub-genre that only an elite few know about. Needless to say that those of us who are part of the doom metal community are a close and tightly nit bunch. To me doom metal is one of the heaviest and darkest forms of heavy metal music. Some of the most evil sounding and terrifying bands in the world are doom metal bands. Though doom has been getting a lot more attention lately it is still grossly underestimated in its influence on the heavy metal scene and is very rarely ever given the attention it deserves. Hopefully this will soon change so that more people can hear this type of music and realize how amazing it truly is.

My New Guilty Pleasure

2006-10-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

Well I never thought I would see the day when I would go out of my way to go cheer on a sports team at an athletic event. For the majority of my life I have had little interest in sports but lately my girlfriend has been getting me into hockey. I went to my second hockey game last night and I must say that it is a hell of a lot of fun. The energy of the crowd and the intensity of the players is really quite a spectacle. Hearing the excitement of the crowd when the home team scores a goal is something only matched by crowds at rock concerts. Yes that's right, I compared a hockey game to a rock concert. Crowds at hockey games are much like crowds at rock concerts, they are loud, enthusiastic, and intense. Hockey crowds may be a little more intense than rock crowds.

I found myself getting caught up in the sheer energy of the game. I couldn't help myself. It was as if a primal beast within me was being released, hoping to see a fist fight, wanting to see the blood of the enemy. Terrifyingly enough, it is quite an enjoyable feeling! So here I sit writing this post wondering what the hell has happened to me. This man who used to put off sports calling them simple minded and barbaric is now slowly becoming a barbarian himself. Perhaps it is because it satisfied some inner primitive urges for violence and competition. Maybe it is just because I had a lot of fun. I don't know. The only thing I do know is that I am going to continue to go to the games and continue to enjoy it. Call me a sell out. Call me a dim-wit. But I tell you what my friends, I will still go to the games to get my fair share of abuse. So that's my guilty pleasure. Maybe I have let myself down by giving into it, or maybe, just maybe I have discovered a new side of myself that I never thought existed.

Clothing Does NOT Make the Man!!!!

2006-09-29T23:51:00.000-05:00

I never truly understood the purpose of fashion trends. To me it seems like too many people in our society are obsessed with their image and go out of their way to buy and wear all of the latest trends. This is completely contrary to my personal creed and ideology. To me, the substance of a person's character is of much greater importance than the type of shoes or clothes they wear. Buying a $150 pair of pants will not make you a better person inside. I think the reason that a lot of people are obsessed with dressing themselves up in a conucopia of designer clothing is to cover up what little they have to offer intellectually and emotionally. Many of these people lack any sort of intellectual merit or self esteem.

Physical attractiveness is not what determines the quality of a person. Granted I understand the need for basic personal care such as proper sanitary practices (ex. Showering, brushing one's teeth, combing one's hair, and wearing clean clothes), but outside of these couple basic cosmetic necessities it is just vanity that causes us to buy that Abercrombie and Finch shirt or spend $175 on Doc Martens. Do we lack a moral conscience? Have we forgotten what is truly important in establishing our worth as human beings? Do we honestly think that expensive clothes and plastic Hollywood looks will make up for our inadequacies as human beings? These are the questions I ask myself when I see all of these image obsessed sheep flock in herds to the night clubs and other places of socialization to show off their latest credit card purchases.

I guess it is a scene that I will never understand. Maybe it is because I am not hip enough to get it. Or maybe it is because I have more important things to do with my life than sitting around and worrying about making up for my imperfections with expensive and meaningless purchases. Perhaps someday we will realize that there is more to life than what we look like. Perhaps we may figure out that what we do and who we impact is more important than how we look while we are doing it.

Podcasts

2006-09-29T22:11:00.000-05:00

The Unsigned Rock Show This podcast is a radio style podcast in which the podcaster introduces all of the underground rock bands he is listening to and plays songs from these bands. The sound quality of this podcast was average with a few glitches. I found this podcast on www.podcast.net. It was apparently this person's first podcast and it took place only a few days ago so it is not surprising that I did not find any other updates. The length of the podcast itself was rather long. I sat through approximately ten minutes of it before I decided to go to something else. For the most part this podcast was well done. The only problem I had with it was that the host's taste in music is particularly poor, in my opinion.

Contrast Podcast This is an excellent podcast much in the same vein as the previous podcast but with much better sound effects, cleaner sound quality, and more eclectic and interesting music. The podcast was approximately 40 minutes in length and is operable in iTunes, Juice, or Yahoo. Overall this was a very cool podcast with some interesting musical samples. Updates are available several times a week, keeping the podcast fresh and interesting. A highly suggested podcast for anyone with a taste in eclectic underground music of all sorts.

All Songs Considered Includes an interesting and eclectic mixture of music from many different genres all mashed into one giant podcast ran by NPR. Discussions involving many people arguing about the value of certain types of music provides for some interesting and heated debate; however; makes the podcast quite long at just under an hour. There is also a lot of discussion on general music news and upcoming album releases. The sound quality of the podcast was okay, but a little fuzzy at points. Updates and new podcasts seemed to be few and far between. As to why this is I cannot completely determine. This podcast can be found directly at Yahoo podcast site.

The Metal Show This particular podcast was hosted by Randy from Lamb of God and was basically one big hour long tribute to the fallen metal god Dimebag Darrell. The sound quality was surprisingly good considering the low quality software program they used to transmit the broadcast. The only complaint I had is that this podcast is not updated very often with the latest podcast having taken place several months ago. The contents of the podcast were excellent and definitely appeals to us true metal warriors. A highly suggested podcast for anyone into heavy metal.

Apparently I am the Bomb at Doing the Worm A really boring podcast with goofy unimaginative garage rock. The sound quality was very clean though the content of the podcast itself was rather boring and insignificant to my own personal interests. This podcast is available at the Digital Detroit Radio website. The podcast is just a simple audio sample file running approximately 20 minutes in length offering very little insight into the music played on the show or the topics discussed. The updates are of an adequate number but not overly active. If you have a chance to listen to this podcast, pass on it.

Common Misconceptions About Heavy Metal

2006-09-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been thinking about the state of heavy metal music in this country and I have come to realize that there are a lot of misconceptions about what exactly heavy metal is and what the heavy metal subculture is all about. First of all, not everyone who considers themselves a fan of heavy metal worships Satan. That is a very common fallacy affiliated with the music. It is true that there are quite a few references to Satan and other anti-Christian themes in heavy metal music however, very few of us are actually Satanists. I myself happen to be an atheist.

Another common misconception is that every metal fan is a long haired drug addict who lives in their mother's basement. Again I must insist that this is a completely misguided stereotype. I won't deny that there are a few loser drug addicts who listen to metal but you probably wouldn't find them in any higher numbers per capita than you would with fans from other types of music. Most of us are hard working honest citizens who maintain our own homes, pay our bills, raise our families, and are contributing members to our communities. Long hair is only an option if you are a metal fan. By no means is it a requirement. Some of the most purist of heavy metal musicians have short or shaved hair (i.e. Rob Halford, Kerry King, Jack Owen, Bruce Dickinson).

The thing that pisses me off the most besides all of the above is how so many bands get listed as heavy metal bands even though they are not. Some of these bands are okay but many of them are not very good and are destroying what society views as heavy metal. Just because a band uses distortion pedals doesn't make them a metal band. Below is a list of bands commonly misclassified as heavy metal

MUDVAYNE-Sorry folks they are simply a hard rock band and not a very good one at that!
SLIPKNOT-Some of their earlier releases could fit into the spazcore scene pretty well but their newer material is definitely not metal.
KORN-This is just a hard rock band tuned down very low with disco, funk and rap elements. Nothing metal about them at all.
TOOL-Though a very good band that is quite interesting musically, their sound is way too soft to be metal.
THREE DAYS GRACE-They suck and are definitely not metal.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE-They are a fucking emo band!
BREAKING BENJAMIN-Just a simple untalented hard rock band. They are not even close to anything metal.
SEETHER-They are a decent hard rock band. Definitely not metal.
LINKIN PARK-They are rap rock band at best. They have no metal elements whatsoever.
LIMP BIZKET- Another shitty rap rock band
LOST PROPHETS- How could anyone even confuse these guys for metal?
NIRVANA- Sorry just a grunge rock band.
HED PE- Metal? Give me a fucking break!
LED ZEPPELIN- Okay I really love this band. They wrote some of the best rock songs in history. However, they were nothing more than a hard edged blues rock band even though they did influence the first heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath they themselves were not a heavy metal band.
DEF LEPPARD AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS GLAM- 1980's glam rock is by no means metal. It is hard rock performed by cross dressing ninnies.
HATEBREED-These guys are hardcore. Hardcore music has it's roots in punk and is therefore not metal. That goes for all other hardcore bands.
AFI- They are a punk rock band. Period. End of story.
MARILYN MANSON- This shock rocker is merely a goth influenced artist that makes industrial rock. He is probably the most misclassified musician as he most certainly is NOT a heavy metal artist.
NIN- Good industrial music though still not metal.
ATREYU-Are you fucking kidding me? How could anyone mistake these no talent soft sounding pussweeds as metal? They are a really bad screamo band. Which brings me to my next point. Screamo is NOT metal either. It is just a different form of punk music, just as emo is.
HIM-This band is gothic rock at best.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD-Though somewhat metal sounding with their guitar work they lack all the other qualities a metal band must have to truly be a heavy metal band.
PAPA ROACH-Originally started as a rap rock band, they are now emo. They never were metal.
STONE SOUR-Just an acoustic version of Slipknot without the retarded outfits.
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE-despite popular belief this industrial hard rock band is not metal by any means.
MONSTER MAGNET- This is a stoner rock band. Nothing more, nothing less.
CHEVELLE-This band is a crappy punk influenced hard rock band with less than stellar guitar work and song writing abilities. They lack any sort of metal qualities.
TAPROOT-Another hard rock band misclassified as metal. They are definitely not heavy enough to be metal.
EVANESCENSE-These Lacuna Coil wannabes are trying to make metal but failing at it miserably. Lacuna Coil actually succeeded at making female fronted metal. This band however is a joke.
WICKED WISDOM- Jada Pinket Smith is not metal neither is her band.
KITTIE-Another crappy all female outfit trying to make metal but merely producing poorly written hard rock.
OTEP-This is more of a screamo band. I fail to see how anyone could confuse them for metal. Tuning down and screaming does not make a band metal!
STAIND-Started as a hard rock band but have gotten progressively softer and more boring as time has passed.
POWERMAN 5000-This is an industrial rock band that is commonly misclassified as heavy metal because Spider is the brother of Rob Zombie.
DOPE-Just a rap rock band.
POD- Christian hard rock with crap for guitar riffs.
CREED-More crappy Christian rock garbage.
COLD- Really boring commercial hard rock.
ANY KIND OF NU-METAL-Nu-metal is not truly metal in the sense of what heavy metal is all about. All nu-metal bands are exactly the same. Their formula is boring and predictable and it consists of tuned down hard rock with bad singers, shitty guitarists, and poorly written songs. Most people who think they are into metal but are actually posers listen to nu-metal. In other words, NU-METAL IS NOT TRUE METAL!!!!!!

BANDS THAT ARE IN BETWEEN HARD ROCK AND HEAVY METAL:
GODSMACK-Cool band that writes catchy songs. It is hard to consider them a heavy metal band even though they are heavier than most hard rock.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN-Interesting mix of traditional Turkish music, hard rock, funk, and metal elements. They definitely have moments of metal however, they have lots of non-metal material that keeps them from truly being a heavy metal band.
ALICE IN CHAINS-Dark like a metal band and great songwriters at the same time. These guys are so close to being metal it is scary. Their lighter material keeps them out of the heavy metal realm though.
BLUE OYSTER CULT-Another dark sounding band that has too much soft material to truly be a heavy metal band though they are much more sinister than most hard rock groups.
DEEP PURPLE- As much as I love this band it is hard to call them metal. It is true that Ritchie Blackmore's guitar riffs set the stage for some classic metal innovations and conventions, though the band themselves were not really a heavy metal band. Maybe if I were alive in 1971 and had just bought the Machine Head album I would have thought differently; however, compared to their contemporaries (i.e. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motorhead) they are a classically influenced hard rock band with proto-metal elements.
GUNS N" ROSES-Though a strong band with great songs and a hard hitting attack, I see these guys as an even mixture of hard rock and heavy metal. Ultimately making them neither a hard rock band or a metal bands but something in between.
AC/DC-These Australian madmen provided some of the chunkiest blues based riffs ever heard in the history of rock. Their sound is signature to that of hard rock however their very hard edged guitar attack almost makes them a metal band. Again I must insist that they lie somewhere in between hard rock and heavy metal.

SOME EXAMPLES OF TRUE HEAVY METAL BANDS:
BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN
SLAYER
JUDAS PRIEST
MOTORHEAD
METACLLICA UP TO 1988
MEGADETH
ANTHRAX
PENTAGRAM (US)
MANOWAR
DIO
PANTERA
CANNIBAL CORPSE
MORBID ANGEL
OBITUARY
MAYHEM
IMMORTAL
SAINT VITUS
CANDLEMASS
EXODUS
KREATOR
KING DIAMOND
DARKTHRONE
OPETH
CHILDREN OF BODOM
LAMB OF GOD
VENOM
CELTIC FROST
BATHORY

As you can tell the term heavy metal is probably one of the most misued genre classifications in the music business. I would bet that there are probably more bands misclassified as heavy metal than any other genre in existence. When determining what separates true metal from false metal one must keep in mind that putting distortion on a guitar and tuning down does not necessarily mean that the band is metal. Being a heavy metal band requires much more than distortion. To be a true heavy metal band the attitude, sound, style, and technical abilities of the band are of utmost importance. If the band seems to write its songs strictly in a radio format than they are probably not metal. If the band is more worried about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, that they are about the quality of their songs than they are probably not a heavy metal band. The heavy metal attitude is one of putting the quality of the music and the message of the songs as the biggest priority over radio success, album sales, or fame. True heavy metal musicians live for the music they make. This is the reason why heavy metal bands are usually the most technically proficient musicians in the rock n' roll world, next to progressive rock musicians of course.

Qualities such as heaviness, darkness, lyrical content, and overall effectiveness of the composition do help define what true metal is; however, there is much more to it than that. It is an attitude and a way of life. So the next time you try to pass judgment onto heavy metal bands or metalheads themselves, stop and ask yourself, "Is this band truly a heavy metal band?" or"What kind of person is this heavy metal fan?" You never know. Perhaps you have worked with or interacted with true metalheads and didn't even realize it. Perhaps that guy with the hair down to the middle of his back wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt is one of the most intelligent people you will ever meet. Maybe that girl dressed in black with combat boots and a Slayer long sleeve shirt is the sweetest girl in the world. I guess what I am trying to say is before you go and judge something, get an informed opinion. Also, don't let mainstream society tell what something is and isn't because most of the time its wrong and is based on overly generalized classifications that do not pertain to any set standard or specific undeniable qualities. So go out and find the truth my friends. I think that you will all be the better for it.

Independent Record Labels

2006-09-19T19:18:00.000-05:00

Southern Lord
This is a very cool independent record label that caters mostly to doom metal. They do have some ambient and experimental black metal bands amongst their ranks. For the most part they sign droning and extreme doom bands. They also do reissues of older doom metal recordings. The site is very easily navigated. All of the links and different sections of the site are in working order. This site is well done and self explanatory. Links to band websites, audio samples, and merchandise of all sorts are all available on the site. For the most part I was extremely impressed with this site considering how underground of a label it is.

Nuclear Blast
This record label signs heavy metal bands of all types. Most of the groups under this label fit into the death metal and black metal subgenres, however they do have plenty of doom metal, hardcore (unfortunately), and grindcore groups. Another cool thing about this label is that they sign a lot of legendary heavy metal bands that are and were extremely influential to the underground heavy metal scene, some examples of which include Candlemass, Agnostic Front, Death Angel, Exodus...Etc. The site itself is very colorful and professionally done. The tabs to each section of the site are clear; however, they are very bland and boring in comparison to the rest of the site. There are of course audio samples and merchandise links but they are a tad bit tricky to operate. Also it takes quite a bit of time to load some of the sound files. Overall I think that Nuclear Blast could have put more time into ensuring that the quality of their site matches the quality of the music they put out.

Metal Blade
Metal Blade is a legendary extreme metal record label that gave many influential heavy metal artists their start (i.e. Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Saint Vitus). The label still carries a lot of death metal and thrash metal acts. It seems to me that they are starting to sign and distribute more hardcore and metalcore acts now than other extreme metal bands. This is rather unfortunate considering that the original purpose Metal Blade was founded was to rebel against the trends. It is sad to see them selling themselves into the trends. Despite the fact that I feel this label is going downhill musically, their site is by far one of the best independent label sites I have seen on the web. This is true probably because they have had quite a bit more success than many other metal record labels. The colors and fonts are very appropriate to the content. There are a lot of images, links, audio samples, and merchandise on the site also which makes it a fun site to navigate through.

Some Random Thoughts On Music

2006-09-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

Being a music major I have had a lot of opportunities to play and experience many different types of music. These experiences have not only shaped me as a musician and human being but they have also illuminated me to different ideologies and cultural traditions. If there is one thing that we as human beings have in common it is our need to communicate. Music is an immensely effective medium of communication and can sometimes say more than words alone can accomplish. Though we all come from various backgrounds, economically, culturally, etc, a need for music is one thing that we all have in common. From the richest CEO to the African tribe member, we all can find some value in music. In truth, music is the great equalizer. It is something that we all experience and can relate to in one way or another. To not have developed some sort of appreciation for music is to not truly be in touch with oneself.

A Review of Several Music Blogs

2006-09-12T18:54:00.000-05:00

1+1=3 This blog has a very thorough discussion of an extremely important classical music record label by the name of Deutsche Grammophon. This blogger did a wonderful job researching the label and explaining its importance in the classical music realm. I found the information in this blog to be fascinating and very useful. This was an excellent blog.

We Make Money Not Art This blog has a couple of different posts regarding music made by feet walking on large electronic keyboards. Each of the separate posts gave a brief overview of each musical exhibit and who designed it. The concept of the "walking keyboard" is one that could be fun for people of all ages. However, I have trouble taking it seriously as a possible new realm of music or a medium for composers to write new music for.

Nameless Writer's Thoughts on Music This writer contemplates the regional and cultural differences amongst the musics of the world. He or she concludes that those listeners that only limit themselves to one type of music are essentially narrow minded and truly do not fully understand the purpose of music in its many different forms.

Animation ID This blogger made a post relating to how Jerry Beck identifies Woody Wood Pecker dancing to Rossini's Barber of Seville as on of the top 50 animated scenes in the history of cartoons. The author proceeded to explain the fine details of the animation and how it interacts with the music. A very informative yet dry post.

Christians and Secular Music This blog is a very biased one stating that Christians can only listen to certain types of secular music. It specifically makes a strong statement against gangster rap and other forms of hip hop calling it sexually promiscuous and irresponsible. That to me, represents a very narrow viewpoint on this type of music and shows that the author wrote this blog clearly to wag his or her finger at music they don't care for themselves. My mother taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Maybe this author should take that advice.

Sociology and Music This was a very fascinating post discussing the relationship between music and sociology. After reading through the post I never realized how much music and sociology intertwined. This is a must read for any sociologist interested in music or musicians with an interest in the cultural importance of music.

British Music Resource This particular blog is a very detailed resource specifically pertaining to British music and bands. The author provides a large list of online resources and critiques each one. Most of the resources listed look credible and his citations are right to the point. The only complaint I had about this blog is that it was a little too busy for my eyes. Otherwise it was a very cool blog.

Paul Simon The author of this blog decided to write about his love of music and how his mother introduced him to all of the great music he listens to. He seems to really enjoy the music of Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, The Stones, Willie Nelson, and tons of other 60s music icons. For the ,most part I found this blog to be really boring and pointless. I happen to like a lot of the same bands as this author, however he fails to make any points as to the merit of the bands or defend his reasons for liking them.

John Mayer Album Review This blog provides an informed critical analysis of John Mayer's Continuum album. The author makes some very solid points in his critique of the album including an equal mixture of compliments and criticism. Overall I found this review to be informative and well thought out.

Rough Mix The author of this blog writes about what type of bands and music groups he prefers. According to him he would rather see a band of singers and songwriters who use as much instrumentation as possible in order to create complex compositions. I do agree with this idea to a certain extent however, I do feel that in a rock n' roll setting too many instruments can detract from the creative process and in turn create an arrogant sound, making the band ultimately unlistenable.