EventsIdmen | 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.
Wavering Radiant | Isis
Perhaps this is me looking for patterns that just aren’t there (because I do that), but Wavering Radiant actually has a focus on the up-beat more than usual. This actually creates a stark contrast between their dark themes that throws off your sense of what’s actually heavy so much to the point that I actually forgot this album is, relatively speaking, not that heavy. Sure, if you can’t get used to the vocals, it’s easy to immediately label this music as very heavy. Beyond that, the guitars and distorted to hell and back and somehow I get the feeling I’m actually listening to something evocative of… no joke… Pink Floyd. Talk about a mind-bender. It turns out I’m not the only that thinks that either.
Indukti
One of my favorite discoveries of the past year was definitely Indukti. Read ahead to learn about their upcoming album and the band in general.
Pelican
I honestly have no clue how I found Pelican. I’m assuming I found them through suggestions related to Isis, but it’s hard to keep track anymore. I do, however, remember cranking them in my living room after purchasing The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw and getting a positive reaction from my roommate who is notoriously over-critical of just about any music. Then again he’s grown to detest everything except Vivaldi and Bon Jovi for some reason… so the joke’s on him.
S.U.S.A.R. | Indukti
S.U.S.A.R. - Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction - at first it just sounds like a nonsensical and possibly contradictory phrase, but it’s actually a real medical term. It’s also an album by the Polish prog rock band Indukti; an album I thought was good after the first listen, but after the subsequent few listens it just seemed to get better, and better, and better.
Salival | Tool
Yes. We all know who Tool is. Yes. We know Dan loves Tool. Yes. We know Dan is in fact a tool himself. No. Dan didn’t know that Salival (2000) was a limited edition. If you want to find a brand new copy of this box set, you’ll have to fork out at least a couple hundred bucks or settle for a used copy for about $60. Is it worth it? You’re damn right it is. Let me tell you why.
Gateway to Post-Metal | Isis
Rhythm. That’s the best word to describe Isis. They are one of the heaviest bands I listen to and definitely the most rhythmically inclined. I believe Isis is among the most influential artists in rock (you just might not realize it), and they’re certainly one the most influential groups among my personal musical influences. It took a few albums for Isis to really develop, but their last two have done rather well for such a niche audience.
Enter | Russian Circles
Russian Circles, although hailing from the Chicago math rock scene, doesn’t really fall into the genre exclusively. I’m sure I’ll get some criticism out of this, but I think they’ve found a really solid mix of the two genres. I hear a mixture of Isis , God is an Astronaut, and Pelican… with just the right amount of math rock.
Artist Profile | Tool
Over the last several years, Tool has grown to become that band that other bands look up to. Though not always popular due to their scary/haunting music videos and very descriptive/honest lyrics, they’ve grown their fan base through their quality of music rather than pop-based singles or crazy marketing schemes. It just takes an unattached/unbiased listening to any one of their songs to get hooked. It’s hard for first time listeners to appreciate at first, but once you hear the intricacies and the meaning behind the lyrics - you can’t help but to appreciate the quality.
