I guess reviews of really old metal is starting to be a theme, but it's my blog, and it's something that I want to write about.
Disembowelment is a stupid name for a band of this style. Transcendence into the Peripheral is far more appropriate for a musical concept that remains unique in all of metal as far as I can tell. The members junked the idea after one record, to make more conventionally ambient music (Trial of the Bow) closer to the Dead Can Dance vein.
Ego, namely expressing one's self with humble honesty is a common theme in the music that I admire. Transcendence is a perfect example. The music sets out to be what it is and nothing more, even if it does so on a pace that would make Opeth seem simple and direct. The songs are more like journeys, some with ends, some without. It works for me, but I'll be the first to admit that it will bore the crap out of a lot of people. To me, the journey is always more important than the destination.
Transcendence is all about atmosphere. I'd describe the sound as slow-style grindcore performed with a doomdeath mindset. This is probably the slowest grindcore you'll ever hear, though you'll catch the occasional blast beat as a random act of nature. Everything is squared-off, and the riffs trudge benignly in simple structures. The guitars play new-agey explorations upon the slow-riff foundation with the same reverence for the timeless. Doomdeath cliche's such as female vocals and cello are used with zen-levels of restraint. The vocals aren't anything special, death vocals meant to sound like ghostly whispers. They work reasonably well.
The effect is sludgy and swampy, but not evil. I really don't like the metaphor of the evil swamp; I like the peaceful, ancient swamp where life arises almost miraculously all around you once you choose to accept the calm. Still waters are disturbed by insects and amphibians, and dappled sunlight decorates the undergrowth. Solitude is its own reward. That's the atmosphere conveyed by Disembowelment, and I find it immeasurably effective. This metal does not rock, and it sacrifices tremendous levels of listenability for its dedication to its concept. Transcendence into the Peripheral will never be among my most frequent listens, but it returns to my player when I want to escape, to ponder reality without prejudice, and to seek an alternative perspective without the burdon of disgust.
Uncompromising does not always mean the heaviest, the fastest, or any of the other superlatives associated with extreme metal, and I admire those who are willing to be headstrong in such an unconventional manner. Transcendence into the Peripheral was released by Relapse, and is pretty tough to find. If you have the chance to snag a copy, don't pass it up.
Now I can get on to business.
Ghrankenstein
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Embracing Doom
http://www.myspace.com/embracingdoom
Xeper is a great guy, and a scholarly devotee of the guitar, not just as an instrument of music, but an instrument of chaos. His band is called Embracing Doom, and their effort is a worthwhile combination of both.
I've been meaning to visit Embracing Doom's myspace page for quite some time, but "quite some time" tends to be about the interval before which I get down to shit. In that time, several million babies, most of which will mature into useless oxygen thieves have been born, and several thousand of them, who could have grown into world-changing scientists and innovators have died.
The proportions are the same, but the spin is vastly different. Since this post is for Xeper and the guys in Embracing Doom, as well as anyone else who cares to hear my opinion about their blood effort in expression, I'll advise up front that I'm not into spin when it comes to projects like this. I'm not into hollow butt-suck reviews for friends, nor do I use hyperbole to describe music (or anything that involves personal effort) that I don't like. I'm telling it as I see it, and hear it, based on my minimal exposure, to their online music. I'll also mention that I have no posting restrictions, and that ED afficionados are welcome to respond in their own voices.
Embracing Doom sounds like a young band. That's not a bad thing, in that I hear a solid foundation that could evolve in infinite directions. I like the current result, a team that is all on the same page musically and working for technical synchronicity. ED has decided as a group that it must perform each-others' ideas before proceeding to the next innovation. It's conservative approach that will lead to greater understanding and co-interpretation later on, with the side effect of a tight live program today. There will be time to build, and it's up to the members to decide upon which scale.
I'm surprised at the influences they list: Slayer, Megadeth, Unearth, Six Feet Under, Shadows Fall, Machine Head. I'm from an earlier age, and what I hear is a Texas-style (e.g. Pantera plus...) Celtic Frost. Celtic Frost was riff-oriented, thickly structured, and featured the entire band as a collective rhythm instrument. The Norwegian bands that revolutionized extreme metal in the 1990's were heavily influenced by Celtic Frost; the difference was that they were largely dominated by a single personality. In the case of Embracing Doom, it's an established common ground, and a limitless blank slate.
The sound is currently defined by a tight rhythm section. The double-bass percussions and bass act as one unit; they're emphasized in the demo recordings, and they provide a feel of heaviness, coherence, and expertise. I have a hard time differentiating the guitars, which isn't a detriment to the band at this stage. The guitars add texture mostly, with the occasional adventure into solo, but I like the care that has been taken in defining chord structures for mood and aggression. As a whole, Embracing Doom plays behind the beat, an approach that adds to the heaviness and crunch; for an extreme example, think of Pantera's "Primal Concrete Sledge."
This is music theory that isn't afraid to take its time to clearly understand itself, its limits, and its place in time. As before, this approach won't compromise performance value for experimentation until time permits, when the sound as a whole can take the next step. In this respect, it's a lot like Metal Church, who chose to progress deliberately as a band-unit, but whose advance could be measured by effort rather than divergence and "new direction." Metal Church always played a brilliant live show, and I wish more had recognized their band-level proficienty in the razor-sharp execution of their smoothly rounded riffs. I hear the same level of dedication in Embracing Doom.
One aspect that loses out in the online demos is the vocals, and I can't access the lyrics. The vocalist has his own unique style, and that's cool with me. Extreme vocals are the emotional fingerprint of an extreme band. Personally, I like the fact that John and Jane Q. General Public think of it as just talentless screaming. They'll never understand, and those of us who feel things that sound exactly like the extreme vocalist's invocations always will. I just can't hear the vocals all that much, and I can't index those vocals against the lyrics. I know that this is sincere extreme metal, but I can't honestly evaluate beyond that. Based on what I've heard so far, I feel like you guys know your personal issues and your opinions, and I can reliably assume that your vocals accurately reflect that. It's kind of a "benefit-of-the-doubt" conclusion, but I have faith.
Embracing Doom is a band that I'd love to see live right now; If you plan on hitting the Ozarks fucken let me know. This is a show that those of us on the floor live for: close riff-crunching comeraderie, unison headbanging, and slow pits bent on "fuck-yeah" energy.
Personally, I can't wait to hear what ED does next. The "blank-slate" compliment might sound hollow, but I don't want it to be construed as such. Rather, I feel that the whole band can embrace any direction it wants, and make it work.
In my ancient wisdom, I'd recommend that you guys check out anything that you feel is worthwhile, but I'll add:
Progressive metal extremism (musical): Cynic, "Focus"
Progressive metal extremism (atmosphere): Disembowelment, "Transcendence into the Peripheral"
Extreme metal vocals: Obituary (John Tardy), Morgoth (Marc Grewe, Cursed and Odium), Bethlehem (controversially, Landfermann; Dictus te Necare)
Band coherence and following passions: Ankla, Anacrusis, Kyuss
Just my thoughts. I appreciate the opportunity to write critically equally to the opporunity to hear criticism.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
Xeper is a great guy, and a scholarly devotee of the guitar, not just as an instrument of music, but an instrument of chaos. His band is called Embracing Doom, and their effort is a worthwhile combination of both.
I've been meaning to visit Embracing Doom's myspace page for quite some time, but "quite some time" tends to be about the interval before which I get down to shit. In that time, several million babies, most of which will mature into useless oxygen thieves have been born, and several thousand of them, who could have grown into world-changing scientists and innovators have died.
The proportions are the same, but the spin is vastly different. Since this post is for Xeper and the guys in Embracing Doom, as well as anyone else who cares to hear my opinion about their blood effort in expression, I'll advise up front that I'm not into spin when it comes to projects like this. I'm not into hollow butt-suck reviews for friends, nor do I use hyperbole to describe music (or anything that involves personal effort) that I don't like. I'm telling it as I see it, and hear it, based on my minimal exposure, to their online music. I'll also mention that I have no posting restrictions, and that ED afficionados are welcome to respond in their own voices.
Embracing Doom sounds like a young band. That's not a bad thing, in that I hear a solid foundation that could evolve in infinite directions. I like the current result, a team that is all on the same page musically and working for technical synchronicity. ED has decided as a group that it must perform each-others' ideas before proceeding to the next innovation. It's conservative approach that will lead to greater understanding and co-interpretation later on, with the side effect of a tight live program today. There will be time to build, and it's up to the members to decide upon which scale.
I'm surprised at the influences they list: Slayer, Megadeth, Unearth, Six Feet Under, Shadows Fall, Machine Head. I'm from an earlier age, and what I hear is a Texas-style (e.g. Pantera plus...) Celtic Frost. Celtic Frost was riff-oriented, thickly structured, and featured the entire band as a collective rhythm instrument. The Norwegian bands that revolutionized extreme metal in the 1990's were heavily influenced by Celtic Frost; the difference was that they were largely dominated by a single personality. In the case of Embracing Doom, it's an established common ground, and a limitless blank slate.
The sound is currently defined by a tight rhythm section. The double-bass percussions and bass act as one unit; they're emphasized in the demo recordings, and they provide a feel of heaviness, coherence, and expertise. I have a hard time differentiating the guitars, which isn't a detriment to the band at this stage. The guitars add texture mostly, with the occasional adventure into solo, but I like the care that has been taken in defining chord structures for mood and aggression. As a whole, Embracing Doom plays behind the beat, an approach that adds to the heaviness and crunch; for an extreme example, think of Pantera's "Primal Concrete Sledge."
This is music theory that isn't afraid to take its time to clearly understand itself, its limits, and its place in time. As before, this approach won't compromise performance value for experimentation until time permits, when the sound as a whole can take the next step. In this respect, it's a lot like Metal Church, who chose to progress deliberately as a band-unit, but whose advance could be measured by effort rather than divergence and "new direction." Metal Church always played a brilliant live show, and I wish more had recognized their band-level proficienty in the razor-sharp execution of their smoothly rounded riffs. I hear the same level of dedication in Embracing Doom.
One aspect that loses out in the online demos is the vocals, and I can't access the lyrics. The vocalist has his own unique style, and that's cool with me. Extreme vocals are the emotional fingerprint of an extreme band. Personally, I like the fact that John and Jane Q. General Public think of it as just talentless screaming. They'll never understand, and those of us who feel things that sound exactly like the extreme vocalist's invocations always will. I just can't hear the vocals all that much, and I can't index those vocals against the lyrics. I know that this is sincere extreme metal, but I can't honestly evaluate beyond that. Based on what I've heard so far, I feel like you guys know your personal issues and your opinions, and I can reliably assume that your vocals accurately reflect that. It's kind of a "benefit-of-the-doubt" conclusion, but I have faith.
Embracing Doom is a band that I'd love to see live right now; If you plan on hitting the Ozarks fucken let me know. This is a show that those of us on the floor live for: close riff-crunching comeraderie, unison headbanging, and slow pits bent on "fuck-yeah" energy.
Personally, I can't wait to hear what ED does next. The "blank-slate" compliment might sound hollow, but I don't want it to be construed as such. Rather, I feel that the whole band can embrace any direction it wants, and make it work.
In my ancient wisdom, I'd recommend that you guys check out anything that you feel is worthwhile, but I'll add:
Progressive metal extremism (musical): Cynic, "Focus"
Progressive metal extremism (atmosphere): Disembowelment, "Transcendence into the Peripheral"
Extreme metal vocals: Obituary (John Tardy), Morgoth (Marc Grewe, Cursed and Odium), Bethlehem (controversially, Landfermann; Dictus te Necare)
Band coherence and following passions: Ankla, Anacrusis, Kyuss
Just my thoughts. I appreciate the opportunity to write critically equally to the opporunity to hear criticism.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Inspired By...
http://www.whack.org/~ken/
If Sepultura was my "Slayer," then Anacrusis was my "Metallica." As a long-haired high-schooler, and later a longer-haired college student, Anacrusis was the be-all and end-all of heavy music as far as I was concerned. The fact that they were local (St. Louis), and I could see just about every show they played was only part of the equation; I probably would have caught this band anyway.
Being angry, sad, alienated, and everything else involved with life isn't anything different. How Anacrusis dealt with those things was unique for a metal band, in the use of thought, reflection, and even logic instead of tired posturing as a substitute for angst. Making the music reflect the difficulties and emotions realistically and beautifully without sacrificing intensity is what set them apart in my eyes.
I like all of their work, even the primitive enthusiasm of Suffering Hour. They took a lot more influence from Slayer and Forbidden in those days, but they arrived at many of the same musical conclusions as the Norwegian black metal bands independently. Suffering Hour's crappy production and ripping speed, gripped by dark semi-melody aren't all that different to early Emperor, Enslaved, Mayhem, and Darkthrone. Even before Sepultura hit the mainstream, early Anacrusis proved that thrash metal could approach death metal in visceral appeal. Since Suffering Hour was largely music written by Nardi and Kevin Heidbreder prior to the formation of Anacrusis, the band concept hadn't really congealed yet.
Reason was more polar, and uglier, but the real exploration of members' emotions, and subsequent evolution of the "real" Anacrusis began here. Reason is very uncompromising, sacrificing beauty for the pure statement. The main device was unpredictability, with quiet interludes erupting into violent thrash with a deliberately awkward aesthetic. When you're young, and you haven't quite learned to control the things in your own head, it's an approach that lends itself a lot of empathy. In many ways, Reason "made" me. "Quick to Doubt" is among my personal anthems. Sometimes I still realize that I'm subconsciously forcing myself to screw up, and I remember "Quick to Doubt" long enough to refocus.
Manic Impressions was cold, stark, and chilling. The digital production format honed the guitars into single razors of metal on metal, scraping against each other with leaping sparks. Bass player John Emery got a lot of deserved recognition for his contributions, and the use of the bass as a third guitar rather than a rhythm source enhanced the chill and reduced the mass of the sound. It was almost as if the notes were afraid to hit solidly. Nardi apparently thought it was a failure, but I dug it from the start. Struggling against isolation by yourself is frightening thing. So is giving up the protection that isolation affords (see "Afraid to Feel," in Reason). In Manic Impressions, Nardi and the others faced both challenges eloquently. Just as eloquently, even tragically, the music failed to overcome them; there's no shame in that. It's extremely moving to follow in metal that was shaping itself similarly to Voivod. My favorite quote from Manic is the last stanza on the album (from "Far Too Long"): "I hope in my heart of hearts, with all of my soul and mind, that it's not irreversible; that this isn't all there is."
Most people like Screams and Whispers over the other Anacrusis albums. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Yeah, I was wondering if you were just going to keep butt-trumpeting about the other albums." It has the best title, and I probably listen to it the most because it tends to be more positive in its overall outlook; I've been more positive myself lately. Screams is more about communication and relationships, and it features warmer, slower, and more organic sounds than Manic. Brass and string synthesizer works its way into the music, which is much more technical than before. Most of the tracks involved the entire band in the songwriting, and the multidimensionalism of Screams is worthwhile pondering in itself. As with the other releases, Screams is thoughtful, honest, and moving.
If I've put this much effort into writing an article time and time again, differently on each occasion, you can bet that Anacrusis comes with my highest possible recommendations.
It seems that the official website is largely dead now. The MP3's don't want to download, at least not for me, but you're welcome to give them a shot. Metal Blade still has some Anacrusis music for sale, so that might have something to do with it.
Another triumphant workout for the old semicolon.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
If Sepultura was my "Slayer," then Anacrusis was my "Metallica." As a long-haired high-schooler, and later a longer-haired college student, Anacrusis was the be-all and end-all of heavy music as far as I was concerned. The fact that they were local (St. Louis), and I could see just about every show they played was only part of the equation; I probably would have caught this band anyway.
Being angry, sad, alienated, and everything else involved with life isn't anything different. How Anacrusis dealt with those things was unique for a metal band, in the use of thought, reflection, and even logic instead of tired posturing as a substitute for angst. Making the music reflect the difficulties and emotions realistically and beautifully without sacrificing intensity is what set them apart in my eyes.
I like all of their work, even the primitive enthusiasm of Suffering Hour. They took a lot more influence from Slayer and Forbidden in those days, but they arrived at many of the same musical conclusions as the Norwegian black metal bands independently. Suffering Hour's crappy production and ripping speed, gripped by dark semi-melody aren't all that different to early Emperor, Enslaved, Mayhem, and Darkthrone. Even before Sepultura hit the mainstream, early Anacrusis proved that thrash metal could approach death metal in visceral appeal. Since Suffering Hour was largely music written by Nardi and Kevin Heidbreder prior to the formation of Anacrusis, the band concept hadn't really congealed yet.
Reason was more polar, and uglier, but the real exploration of members' emotions, and subsequent evolution of the "real" Anacrusis began here. Reason is very uncompromising, sacrificing beauty for the pure statement. The main device was unpredictability, with quiet interludes erupting into violent thrash with a deliberately awkward aesthetic. When you're young, and you haven't quite learned to control the things in your own head, it's an approach that lends itself a lot of empathy. In many ways, Reason "made" me. "Quick to Doubt" is among my personal anthems. Sometimes I still realize that I'm subconsciously forcing myself to screw up, and I remember "Quick to Doubt" long enough to refocus.
Manic Impressions was cold, stark, and chilling. The digital production format honed the guitars into single razors of metal on metal, scraping against each other with leaping sparks. Bass player John Emery got a lot of deserved recognition for his contributions, and the use of the bass as a third guitar rather than a rhythm source enhanced the chill and reduced the mass of the sound. It was almost as if the notes were afraid to hit solidly. Nardi apparently thought it was a failure, but I dug it from the start. Struggling against isolation by yourself is frightening thing. So is giving up the protection that isolation affords (see "Afraid to Feel," in Reason). In Manic Impressions, Nardi and the others faced both challenges eloquently. Just as eloquently, even tragically, the music failed to overcome them; there's no shame in that. It's extremely moving to follow in metal that was shaping itself similarly to Voivod. My favorite quote from Manic is the last stanza on the album (from "Far Too Long"): "I hope in my heart of hearts, with all of my soul and mind, that it's not irreversible; that this isn't all there is."
Most people like Screams and Whispers over the other Anacrusis albums. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Yeah, I was wondering if you were just going to keep butt-trumpeting about the other albums." It has the best title, and I probably listen to it the most because it tends to be more positive in its overall outlook; I've been more positive myself lately. Screams is more about communication and relationships, and it features warmer, slower, and more organic sounds than Manic. Brass and string synthesizer works its way into the music, which is much more technical than before. Most of the tracks involved the entire band in the songwriting, and the multidimensionalism of Screams is worthwhile pondering in itself. As with the other releases, Screams is thoughtful, honest, and moving.
If I've put this much effort into writing an article time and time again, differently on each occasion, you can bet that Anacrusis comes with my highest possible recommendations.
It seems that the official website is largely dead now. The MP3's don't want to download, at least not for me, but you're welcome to give them a shot. Metal Blade still has some Anacrusis music for sale, so that might have something to do with it.
Another triumphant workout for the old semicolon.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
Monday, March 19, 2007
Why This Copycat Blog isn't a Copycat Blog
Welcome to Screams and Whispers.
This was the name of an old blog of mine, taken from an inspired recording of the same name by a metal band called Anacrusis that seems to be forgotten by almost everyone but me. As before, this will be my venting source. It's not meant as a destructive forum, but dealing with the negative often means fighting through a lot that is genuinely destructive.
That's nothing special; a lot of blogs are similar. If you're reading this it's because you're probably familiar with my more legitimate writing elsewhere on the internet. I write about the automotive industry elsewhere, and this is not an automotive blog. I don't intend to talk shop here, except on an elemental level. There are some obvious things that I think I should get out of the way, but beyond that it's just me. If reading Ghrankenstein about Ghrankenstein is worthwhile to you, I'm genuinely touched, and I'm glad to hear from you.
The first item up for business is the incidental spawning. I'd been thinking about resurrecting my webjournal for quite a while, and in a few particularly high-anxiety episodes I actually sat down and started. The clincher is HoeyHimself's blog, since I had to create a blogger account to post there anyway. Killing two birds with one stone is efficient, and hey: free birds.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
This was the name of an old blog of mine, taken from an inspired recording of the same name by a metal band called Anacrusis that seems to be forgotten by almost everyone but me. As before, this will be my venting source. It's not meant as a destructive forum, but dealing with the negative often means fighting through a lot that is genuinely destructive.
That's nothing special; a lot of blogs are similar. If you're reading this it's because you're probably familiar with my more legitimate writing elsewhere on the internet. I write about the automotive industry elsewhere, and this is not an automotive blog. I don't intend to talk shop here, except on an elemental level. There are some obvious things that I think I should get out of the way, but beyond that it's just me. If reading Ghrankenstein about Ghrankenstein is worthwhile to you, I'm genuinely touched, and I'm glad to hear from you.
The first item up for business is the incidental spawning. I'd been thinking about resurrecting my webjournal for quite a while, and in a few particularly high-anxiety episodes I actually sat down and started. The clincher is HoeyHimself's blog, since I had to create a blogger account to post there anyway. Killing two birds with one stone is efficient, and hey: free birds.
Sincerely,
Ghrankenstein
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