So, what album should I choose to introduce the genre in No Sölo Metal? That’s an easy one!

Old times, darkness, forests... This is clearly a good cover for Bergtatt

It has to be Ulver’s debut: Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler (“Taken into the Mountain – A Fairy Tale in 5 Chapters”). That’s a long title for a short album. But what an album! This is an absolute masterpiece of black (and folk) metal. Many consider it that way not because this is the most trve black metal release ever, but because it moved the genre to the next level. Ulver showed black metal could be much more than it was, and they did that in 1994, when the Norwegian scene was arguably at its most relevant moment.

Bergtatt is actually quiet for a black metal album. Flutes, acoustic guitars, and smooth, slow voices are an integral part of it, maybe even more prominent than the genre’s typical relentless drumming, heavily distorted guitars and shrieking vocals. Satyricon arguably were the first to introduce acoustic interludes in black metal in their ’93 debut Dark Medieval Times (Ulver’s own demo was also recorded that year) but in Bergtatt they are much more prominent.

You may be wondering how does it sound, so let’s hear Capitel I!

That’s my favorite capitel. It has almost everything that is good about Bergtatt, good riffs, a surprising acoustic interlude, and great guitar solos. Ulver start the album in an interesting way: the song has a typical (maybe a bit slow) black metal background, but ancient chant like vocals clearly state this is not your average Norwegian black metal album. It may not sound that original today, but it was in 1994.

And I’d dare to say it gets more interesting in the next four songs. The band explores further in both directions: brutal and acoustic. Even when this kind of contrast has become almost a cliché, the songs never feel forcefully changing gears. Blast beats have a meaning, they come when they must and support the narrative about the girl lost in cold norwegian forests.

Composition, production, story and  cover work together to make Bergtatt a piece of art. A word of warning though. Ulver are not prone to repeat themselves, so you better look elsewhere if you like what you hear and want more. Stay tuned!

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That’s why this is their most important record. And that’s why Isis would probably have never  reached the same peaks again. Even if they had decided to continue their career, they would be forever under Oceanic’s shadow.

A sober and minimalistic cover

So, how does it sound? Heavy, vast, powerful, calm, unstoppable, beautiful, frightening, mesmerizing, intimidating… just like the ocean. I cannot think of a better title for this album. If you read the lyrics it makes much more sense. Oceanic is a concept album, it tells (or more exactly suggests) a story about incest and suicide through drowning. Quite serious stuff as you can see, but it fits the music well.

If I must choose a single word to describe Oceanic, it would be dramatic: songs are long, serious, tense, with lengthy build ups that suddenly explode in enormous climaxes. Isis’ music is not very technical or complex, but it is really effective. They are masters of tension and release, but unlike blues players, they make it in a more extreme and unpredictable way.

Bass lines swing you like smooth waves in the sea, but repetitive  guitar melodies and dry, precise drumming create a feeling of uneasiness, remembering you of the storm to come. Thundering guitars are a relieve when they come. Hardcore metal  sinking everything in its path, building tension ad infinitum until the whole thing inevitably collapses again… Calm before the next storm.

All this has become a genre cliche. If you are familiar with the style but don’t know this album (unlikely thing) you may not find it that original. You may even think it is not that good. As I already said, Isis have perfected their craft. Oceanic is a long album (about an hour) and it is dense, really dense. Production is quite good, but the sound is loud and abrasive. And though each song is different, they share a similar structure (you know, tension and release).

So it may be hard to swallow it whole, specially if you ears are not used to the style. There it is, I said it! Yes, this is a classic. This is really good. But it’s not perfect. I’d even dare to say Oceanic works better as a two part album, some kind of double EP. Even the album structure seems to suggest this. The central interlude, titled just “–” is a good place to split it. The first part would be composed of four really solid songs. The second part seems even more interesting when listened on its own. “–”, Maritime and the first half of Weight together are a loooong and great intro, a 10 minute crescendo that doesn’t fully explode until the next song.

You can think Oceanic is too long for its own good, or you can think of it as two great parts. Anyway, Oceanic is undoubtedly a stepping stone in metal history.

This is an absolute must.

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Isis posing very seriously

I confess I’m a fan of the band, so the break up is no good news for me. But I’m not terribly surprised either. Isis career is quite linear and even predictable. They can be considered fathers of post-metal (Neurosis being grandfathers). They created a style of their own and perfected it album after album: there’s not a bad one! I would even dare to say each release has been better than the last one. But it is also true they haven’t managed to reach the relevance of 2002′s Oceanic.

Wavering Radiant is a good farewell album, albeit not a very original one. Paradoxically, we must blame the enormous impact of Oceanic for it. That release spawned a legion of copy-cat bands, saturating the post-metal scene and diluting Isis’s originality .

So, given the circumstances, I understand their decision. Isis have written a page in metal history pioneering the post-metal genre and leaving us a handful of excellent releases after 13 years. They’ve been an example of integrity and craftsmanship until the end. Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!

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Ok, now we have an adecuate soundtrack.

Omar Faruk is a Turkish musician. He is most renowned as a ney player, but he has played quite a few instruments onstage tonight: baglama, zurna, some kind of drum, and of course his voice. He’s been backed by two percussionist, a guitar, a keyboard, and a kanun that has been the best part of the concert for me. Both the instrument’s sound and the player are amazing.

Omar Faruk’s craft is usually classified as world music, mixing traditional eastern music with some modern elements. Listening to the sweet ney sound over ambient synths has been quite mesmerizing. But the man is in fact quite eclectic: his band has played some flamenco, a little bit of jazz, a drum solo, a percussion only song… even some hip hop beatboxing!

It’s good to see this kind of artists get success and recognition. Their music is different and original, yet accessible and entertaining.

In the last post I complained about traveling a thousand miles and listening to the same music. Tonight I’ve been in Turkey and Andalusia without leaving the city.

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Music is part of the environment, so traveling can also be a good way of discovering new styles. Malta, however, has been quite like home. And I don’t think that’s a good thing.  The effects of globalization in music are an interesting topic of discussion. It has multiple benefits for all: it’s great been able to enjoy music from far away. But it has its downside too: You travel 1000 miles and you are still listening to the same (crappy) music. WTF!

I suppose having been a British colony doesn’t help. Bay Radio, which plays international hits, seems to be the most popular station. Doing a quick scan on the car’s stereo didn’t yield better results: I found some news stations and one playing Italian ballads. Nothing very interesting to say the truth…

So I spent a whole week there and I only got to know two Maltese artists. This one:

Live music in Valletta

… and Renzo Spiteri, a great percussionist who wrote the soundtrack for the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni visit. It’s great music, able to transport you some millennia back  in time. Now that’s travelling!

Of course they are! You want proof?

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

The Clash - London Calling

Mikel Oldfield - Tubular Bells

Nirvana - Nevermind

The Beatles - Abbey Road

There you have proof. These images are legendary, even more famous than the music they represent. They are icons by themselves, probably more easily found on t-shirts than on albums. They have inspired countless parodies, imitations and rumors, and will continue to do so. Hey, they even make Dark Side of the Moon shoes!

So, in view of these proofs, I think I can affirm album covers are indeed important. Or at least they are important on some levels.

A good cover will never make bad music good. But it can make a legend out of a good album. And that’s something, isn’t it?

What do you think? Did you already think they were important? Otherwise, have I convinced you?

Stay tuned for Part II!

Circle the Wagons is not black metal by any means. It is old school heavy metal recorded with typical Darkthrone raw, lo-fi, muffled production.

Wild, old school, black & white. Just like the music.

Fenriz has been talking about classic heavy metal stuff lately, so maybe this album shouldn’t be such a surprise.  But I won’t try to trick you: this is not an album for every single heavy metal lover out there. It sounds somehow like Mötorhead recording in a garage with Lemmy having smoked a little too much (not very flattering, I know). They know they can sound much better, but they don’t care, they still show passion.

Circle of Wagons won’t never be among my favorites, but after a few spins I find it strangely appealing. It feels authentic, respectful of their influences while still sounding like themselves. And they even play some guitar solos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmE7HZmsF2k

With this album, the duo proves once again they are more intelligent than their trve kult norwegian necro produced black metal legion of worshipers. Interestingly, the very pioneers of that sound have moved away from it, progressing and exploring while still maintaining their essence. Circle the Wagons is still Darkthrone: it’s direct, simple, crude, but this time it’s enjoyable. Quite a feat!

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I discovered them last week. They are from Los Angeles. They play 100% instrumental post-rock. And they’re awesome!

The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer is their third album. I have not listened to their previous efforts, but they surely have become a confident band. Which is not surprising knowing that the they are veteran musicians from the scene, including Jeff Caxide from Isis on bass.

The album does follow the usual genre cliches: long songs with long build ups that suddenly release tension, an epic but melancholic feeling, and a focus on ambience. However, it does not sound generic or uninspired. Melodies are simple but effective and memorable, guitar effects are interesting, and the rhythm section is somewhat jazzy.

The Fear Is Excruciating, But Therein Lies The Answer is a somewhat pretentious title, but I think it suits the music well. As I said, the album is a bit melancholic. But at the same time, it feels optimistic, like showing a positive attitude even when facing an immediate danger.

A good cover that captures the album's feeling

This is an album to get lost in. I try to stay focused while listening to it, but I cannot. It sucks you in. By the time you’re back to reality, with the last track’s great crescendo, the whole thing is suddenly over and you know it’s time to click replay.

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Not that it is their fault. Mainstream music is today more vocal centric than some years ago. Guitar solos used to be the coolest part of the song. Guns N’ Roses’ November Rain was (is?) immensely popular and it has several instrumental parts, totaling several minutes. But of course, it’s been almost 20 years, and today we want everything easy, quick and with a cool looking singer.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with vocals or singers. But I think of the vocals as just one more instrument. Sometimes it is more prominent than others, and sometimes it is completely absent.

Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is composed just for a piano. Does it need vocals to be popular? Of course it doesn’t! And you can still find it today’s movies and advertisement.

Music has value by itself. It can be entertaining, moving, funny, wild, calm or aggressive, with or without vocals. Music has the power to make you feel happy or sad, to make you dance or chill out, to tell a story, or to evoke a distant landscape.

It is the ultimate abstract art.

What do you think? Are vocals that important? Do you enjoy instrumental music or need something to sing along?

Lasse Hoile did another fine job for the band

“The Incident” has quite an interesting structure: it is a double part album. The first one is composed entirely by Wilson, and it is supposed to be just a really long song divided in several movements. The second and shorter part is a band effort, some kind of EP with new content unrelated to the other disc. This of course did nothing but raise my already high expectations. So, did “The Incident” lived up to them?

Not really.

Do I think it is a bad album? Not at all! But, I think something is lacking…

Actually, (almost) all the ingredients are there. “The Incident” follows the path started a few albums back. Its genre lies somewhere between metal and prog-rock. Compositions are quite long for the average rock album, mixing beautiful, relaxing parts with more aggressive passages. However, vocals are invariably smooth and melodic, something unusual for a band with so many metal influences. This time, the overall sound of the album is a bit mellower, returning to their nineties’ sound. And let’s not forget to say that production is top notch, as expected from Mr. Wilson.

So, what’s the problem with this album? It’s hard to tell. Maybe its just me, but it feels a little… uninspired, specially the vocals. The central song of the album, “Time Flies”, is quite generic for Porcupine Tree, and in “Drawing the Line” vocals border annoying level. That’s the worse performance in the band career, IMHO. Another problem is that the first part of the album does not feel like a single musical piece. It’s more like a collection of songs that segue one into the next. It just lacks cohesion. It sounds good, but I can’t enjoy it as much as previous efforts by the band.

The second part is actually very good. This is what I was expecting! But, I was expecting a double album of these, not just an EP.

When I first listened to “The Incident” I was unimpressed. However, I thought the album would eventually grow on me. And it has. In fact, I find it difficult not to recommend an album this good. It’s just not their best work. I think “In Absentia” is still their best one for newcomers.

Let’s consider this just an incident in an impressive career.

So, what do you think? Did you find the new album as good as the older ones?

Listen on Spotify: Porcupine Tree – The Incident

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