scroogles

Re: New Purchases/Acquisitions I'm not sure it could be described as doom/death - there's a few tracks on youtube, but I reckon the best it this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8o-ftICKMY

Re: New Purchases/Acquisitions "Diaries From the Gallows", by Eventide. Quite an unusual take on melodic death metal, with slow, carefully-considered themes and sparse instrumentation. It's really, really good - a definite for fans of the genre!

Re: some good gothic metal bands? I'm not sure if anyone's mentioned these, but three of my favourite gothic albums are Epica's "The Phantom Agony", "Seducia" by Silentium, and "Embrace the Storm" by Stream of Passion. They're all ambitious, but very understated and mature albums, which probably slip under the radar for most people because of their less bombastic approach (unlike that of groups like Nightwish, Within Temptation, etc.). But by my reckoning, these are just about the best gothic metal albums produced - absolute gems!

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! Hey, guys - if you're still interested, the Inner Fear review went up the other day on my blog. The link is in the signature for my posts...

Re: Dimmu Borgir! Dimmu have really suffered for starting out as a Black Metal band. Agreed, they changed their style considerably, but I really don't think any of their stuff can be considered in that genre since PEM, perhaps even earlier - if they'd started out with that sound, they'd have been considered somewhere between extreme gothic/symphonic metal and melodic death metal (depending on which album you listen to). For what its worth, I struggle to think of a band who can match the intensity and power of their sound in those genres, even with their 3-4 filler tracks per album. It's great for a fan of those types of sounds, but I can imagine less so for their old school following...

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! Hey BlutAusNerd - I know of the subgenre, but it's not anything that ever appealed to me in a musical sense. Pls don't think I was having a go at Slayer (I've actually never ha anything to do with them!). You're right about "left hand path" lyrics, of course, but it seems to be a minority of bands that go in for those themes. The masculinity and some of the more outrageous examples of misogyny in the genre may have something to do with the general anger and power in metal (think, for example, of the recent cover for Raped By Pigs' album) - although female-fronted death metal bands might be a counter-example to that. But even when you have supposedly more subtle treatments of themes of sexuality, as in various gothic bands (Nightwish, but also Silentium's album, Seducia, and Inner Fear's recent First Born Fear springs to mind) seem to portray a demonic (or, at least, exploitative) vision of female sexuality. That's not to say that some of those songs aren't about lost love, etc., which has always been a common thread, but even when there's talk of heartbreak, the issue is so heavily gendered that it produces a very particular image of women. It's a really interesting topic, I think, and I'm going to try and put pen to paper on it in the next few weeks, so all you guys' input would be much appreciated!

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! There is something really irritating about badly executed vocals, agreed (Mstr. Filth's in Damnation and a Day always frustrated me in that way), but I still think there's a real problem with lyrical themes. As I said before, I think the demonisation of women, and especially female sexuality, is something that hasn't been overcome in metal (across genres, actually, but overwhelmingly in male bands - surprise!) The days of Nazi-themed lyrics seem largely to be over, although it was never something that I saw very much anyway - that's clearly good. But it's still a personal gripe of mine...

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! I agree with you guys on the issue of lyrics (what I find most depressing is the pervasive misogyny in metal). @ murph - Inner Fear benefit a lot from not having the baggage of once being black metal (like other extreme gothic metal bands like CoF and Dimmu Borgir). Sarah Jez has always been somewhere on the edge of the two, thanks to her role in Cradle of Filth, and while she hasn't got the best voice ever, there's been some good music floating from her direction. @ Strategos - extreme ends of gothic and symphonic metal are certainly acquired tastes, but if you fancy giving them a go, bands like Inner Fear are probably best, given the strength of their melodic content. I'm going to try to have a review of their album up on my blog in the next few days, so check it out if you're interested! p.s. I already read your review, I think! Thanks for the heads up, anyway!

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! Yeah - it was a bit, murph, but I reckon this one will match it! To be honest, Strategos, I was totally gutted by Within Temptation's stuff post-The Silent Force. I thought it completely surrendered the style of music to the commercial mainstream. I've not yet had a listen through Imaginarum, though. I'll definitely give it a go after your recommendation! There is a problem with a lot of (especially goth-focussed) symph bands just being totally immature with their music and going hell for leather with every song - strings, brass, double bass pedals, choir, the lot - which is exhausting and actually pretty boring to listen to. I'd say that Epica's latest release is just about the strongest in the genre around at the moment, but give it 4 or 5 listens through before you make your judgement - it was a grower rather than an immediate hit for me! There are some other really notable ones you should look out for, too. You should really give the first and third albums of Stream of Passion a go (I thought the second was way off the mark by their standards). Also, if you like Leave's Eyes, you might be interested in Midnattsol. They were set up five or six years ago by LE's lead singer's sister, and have a really distinctive sound. Not something I could listen to constantly, but well worth having in your collection! There's also a new album by Sarah Jezebel Diva out in the next few days (if you didn't know, she cut her teeth doing the backing vocals for Cradle of Filth and a few other bands), and the first track they released from it sounded pretty good. There's always Therion, too. They can be a bit abstract musically, but they always produce at least a couple of good tracks with each album, and they had one out a couple of years ago, as I remember. Sorry for the length of this! One final question, though - are you interested in any of the more extreme symphonic styles? I quite liked the debut by a Czech band called Inner Fear (another Cradle of Filth connection, this time the drummer), and the most recent release by Swallow the Sun is a pretty impressive bit of work, too!

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! Hey The Strategos - I first got into metal through bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation, and the like. To be honest, I got a bit disillusioned with the way some of the bands abandoned their more distinctive vocal styles in the past few years. Some recent really good contributions to the genre, I would say, include Stream of Passion and Epica's last albums respectively; I also really like the vocals of Xandria's new frontwoman, but I'm not convinced at all by their music. How about you?

Re: Evening, ladies and gents! Nice one, guys - cheers for the welcome!

It’s not exactly new, but this 11-track gem is definitely one worth giving a go. Little-known Russian band, Riverain, are a five-piece outfit, sporting the growling female vocals of founder-member Anastasia Ligotskaya alongside four guitar, bass, and drum playing men. That’s where the certainties end. Riverain are a group typically labelled melodic death metal, but they don’t seem to bothered with stuffing themselves into any pigeon holes. “The band’s actual style”, reads their webpage, “can be described as varying from melodic death and modern metal to progressive metal with art rock touch.” Overstepping the Verge is their full-length debut, and appears to revolve around the notion of an epic dream. Russian friends of mine haven’t let me in on any of their national bedtime customs, but judging by the experiences of Ligotskaya and co., they involve some rare and magical incantations. Listeners are transported into a world of vibrant colours and deep textures, which seem to use the full sonic spectrum, from shrill screeches and intricate riffs on guitar to delicate and classy keys. Riverain are without the benefit of full orchestral backing, but their use of electronic sounds are self-conscious and self justifying. From the very start, raw synths pour out, providing harmony and counterpoint to driving drumbeats and crunching power chords. Only in the slower sections of songs like “Madman” do generic strings threaten to devalue the effect. Overall, in fact, the whole thing is extremely well produced. It’s always nice to hear the full, deep patter of double bass drumming in those bands that use it, but the unexpected appearances of vocals twisted from deliberately excessive autotune are a no less welcome addition. A dream, and a right good’un too, by the sound of it. But this is certainly not a concept album. There seem to be a few noteworthy references to a hidden identity, revealed to the dreamer only during sleep, an emotional experience, perhaps, which can’t quite be gained through waking consciousness. Track 4, “Heart of Steel” features the lines “I have a heart of steel in my chest/No sufferings, no ache, no pain to feel”, and this interpretation may provide an explanation for the masks on the album cover. The lyrics are, perhaps, the album’s weak point. According to the band’s webpage, they’ve been translated from Russian. And while the translation looks pretty accurate, its probably fair to say such lines as “Winter wood is dark an perilous/And tracks here are quickly covered in slash” probably sound better in their original language. Angela Gossow-style vocals have probably been done better, too (by Angela Gossow, for example), but Anastasia Ligotskaya’s haunting shrieks have more variety than many death-grunters, intertwining whispers, growls, and other (less expected) surprises. Regardless of the obscurity of its main themes, however, it’s hard to argue with the overall balance of the album. There’s a lot to be said for the good old-fashioned intro-outro combination, and Riverain use their license to the full. In true soporific fashion, we are serenaded into the album’s dreamscape with a few well-chosen words – from what sounds like Mrs. Cleetus from the Simpsons – about having “found each other in the dark” to a subtle backing of guitar and keys (the voice, I have been reliably informed, is a sample from the movie “The Green Mile”. News to me!). The tracklisting is carefully ordered, suitably starting with “The Dream”, a complex and deep number which climaxes into a roaring nightmare. There follow a series of hard-hitting and technically demanding tracks, notable amongst them “Breaking Test”, featuring an extended an absorbing instrumental breakdown, and “Heart of Steel”, with some particularly neat bass riffing. And an impressive depth in variety is maintained by the gently flowing ballad, “Madman”, which throws up the pleasant surprise of Anastasia Ligotskaya’s lilting clean-voiced vocals. There is certainly enough variety to keep things interesting, but equally important is the album’s climatic rise, which carries listeners through the excellent instrumental, “K-129” (in reference to the sunk Soviet submarine) and onwards towards the final song, Riverain’s 8-minute, 8-second magnum opus, “Spirits of the Forest”. Throughout, the prog influences are obvious: songs are typically long and musically complex, with vocals often taking a back seat. And it’s not therefore likely to please those fans of the verse-chorus-verse orthodoxy. But the endless invention and development certainly keeps things fresh and exciting. By the time the end of the dream arrives with the outro, it’s obvious is was a night well spent! As might be clear, I really like this album. There’s tons of material crammed into each song, and while it might not be either one thing or the other when it comes to genres, that’s definitely to the band’s credit: not many acts would be as bold with their music. It might have been a couple of years since Riverain released the album, but if they’re thinking of throwing another pyjama party, count me in! Production – 5/5 Lyrics – 3/5 Album Cohesion – 4/5 Music – 8/10 Percentage Score – 80/100

Hey - just set up an account here, so I thought I'd give myself a quick introduction. I recently returned from something of a metal hiatus, and I've spent the past few months getting properly back into the scene. My preferences are on the darker side - extreme gothic, symphonic, melodic death, all stuff with a melody and a bit of drama - but I'll give anything a chance! I also recently set up a review blog, really to keep myself up to date with the changing metal world apart from anything else. Anyway - hopefully see you guys around in the future!