EventsThe Incident | Porcupine Tree
I think the only thing regarding Porcupine Tree that amazes me more than meeting supposed rock/metal music aficionados that have never even heard of Porcupine Tree is how many albums they’ve released and have yet to bore me. This is a band that is constantly growing and led by someone with a very clear passion for music. Whether you’ve never heard Porcupine Tree before or you’re a long time fan, their latest release will not disappoint.
Ki | Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend actually has a rather extensive music résumé, and while I encourage you to check it out, I’d just be regurgitating wikipedia if I tried to summarize it. On the other hand, I have been listening his latest album, Ki (2009), practically non-stop since Monday night. I’ve gone from worrying I may have finally bought an album based on instinct I would end up not liking, to thinking this isn’t so bad, and finally to realizing… holy shit, this album is brilliant! Hopefully, I can help you skip the first few steps.
Spirit | Apse
If I had to explain Spirit in one sentence, I’d say it’s a dark, atmospheric, and experimental post-rock album. It has a tribal feel at times, and the vocals are used as an additional feature to the overall sound rather than the primary source of the melody, as many post-rock groups are prone to. Other adjectives I think perfectly describe this album are: haunting, creepy, spacey, and weird.
Gloria | Disillusion
I could write an entire editorial about the nuances of attempting a complete sonic redefinition, so I won’t bore you with the details (yet!) and I’ll get back on topic. I’m not sure I can succinctly express to what extent I love Gloria, but it’s not often that I hear an album so ground breaking that my review of it turns out to be full of general and fundamental ideals about music. I think this album will be hit or miss for most of you. It will challenge how you think metal should sound; so much so that you may even try to claim this isn’t really metal… but you’d be wrong. See, for me, this is the best kind of metal I never thought existed. To quote Disillusion’s MySpace page: this sounds like “David Lynch on Metal”.
Uplifter | 311
I feel that I have to start this out with a disclaimer; I’m a huge 311 fan. There is a very good chance that my opinion about anything they put out is going to be biased seeing as they are my favorite band. You can take that for what it’s worth and I hope that instead of discounting my point of view because of it…you’ll feel that being a fan for 16 of the band’s 19 year history gives me at least a little credit to write this and gives you some energy to get off your ass and check out 311’s music.
Mabool | Orphaned Land
Orphaned Land is an Israeli progressive metal group that, not surprisingly, is heavily influenced by middle-eastern sounds and Jewish themes.
Idmen | Indukti
Indukti wastes no time grabbing the listener’s full attention in this album, and they continue to develop their dark, haunting sound and wide range of influences from around the globe.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Just in case I haven’t made it clear enough how eclectic my taste in music is, I decided to pull out an old gem by the name of Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GYBE). Yes, their name includes an exclamation point… shouldn’t yours? GYBE is a nine piece post-rock band from Canada. To be honest, I never thought to call them post-rock until I researched them a little bit before writing this post. I always thought of them more as a mixture of rock, classical, and experimental meant to be played as a movie soundtrack. Personally, I think they’re a little too abstract to be called post-rock… but what do labels really mean anyway, right?
Back to Times of Splendor | Disillusion
To all metal heads looking for intense, heavy, articulate guitar work and drumming, creative song structures, melodic singing, and a strong sense of diversity throughout an album, you need look no further than Back to Times of Splendor.
ADHD | Riverside
There’s something very different between my first review of Riverside and this one. When I wrote the first review, I had literally just found them that very night and only owned Rapid Eye Movement (2007) and Voice in My Head - EP (2005). At the time, I thought they might be on to something, but nothing really clicked. It’s been more than a year since that first review. I now own their first three full length studio albums (i.e. the Reality Dream Trilogy) and two EPs. Nirav and I have also since had the privilege of meeting them backstage at their only non-feastival show in the US to date for an interview with the lead singer, Mariusz Duda. So can you tell the difference between when I wrote my first review and now? Riverside has become one of my favorite bands and among the best of my finds since the start of Obnoxious Listeners.
