Halloweekends: Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?

now playing: Picture Me Broken - Devil on My Shoulder

Saturdays in October (I'm sorry, ROCKTOBER) are going to operate a bit differently. I'll still be doing reviews, of course, but they'll be focusing on the most frightening of bands and their terrifying songs to help set the mood for Halloween. This feature is called Halloweekends, and I look forward to having a little fun with it. The inaugural Halloweekends album is also a reader recommendation (though he may not know it). It comes from my buddy Doug, who has previously introduced me to Anamanaguchi and EAR PWR, and previously criticized me for not calling Sonata Arctica's Ecliptica the best album ever.

Murder By Death's 2003 album Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? is a fine choice to get this ball rolling. As most good things are, it is a concept album. Musically, it's a calm, sinister ride through Mexico as a plan for revenge unfolds. With titles like "That Crown Don't Make You a Prince" and "Master's in Reverse Psychology", aided by atmospheric piano and cello from Vincent Edwards and Sarah Balliet, the music on its own can be enough to send chills down the spine and hooks into the brain. However, the music itself isn't the entire reason this album has been nominated for this feature.

Why is this album terrifying? I mentioned it's a concept album about revenge. That's true enough. The Devil is the one looking for revenge after getting shot in a small Mexican town and having his blood (crude oil) stolen to be sold by greedy citizens. The Devil proceeds to curse a local elementary school with a plague of zombies, then watches his evil grow as the townspeople begin killing themselves out of fear and despair. The Devil draws nearer to the town as both sides prepare for war, and all the townspeople who made deals with him begin rotting and falling apart. Finally, the Devil reaches the town with his army and starts laying waste. After wallowing in their sadness and several of them drinking themselves to death, the citizens gather up their arms and start fighting back, even amidst all this hopelessness. And that's where the album ends.

I don't really think I need to go further than that.

Murder By Death has three other albums with some incredibly inventive song titles ("Intergalactic Menopause", "You Are the Last Dragon (You Possess the Power of the Glow)"), but I don't think it gets more frightening than Who Will Survive. You can pick up the album on iTunes or Amazon. While you're at it, check out the website for the album, where frontman Adam Turla provides the lyrics and a more detailed description of each song.

Ombrophilia will return on Monday with reviews of Lucky Boys Confusion and Ra.

Reader Recommendations: Orion Way

now playing: Queen - Somebody to Love

What do you get if you blend Fall Out Boy, Ben Folds, the Beach Boys, and a little bit of Britpop? The first track off Orion Way, the 2007 album from Orange County's Cavil at Rest. I say just the first track because it's impossible to pigeonhole these guys into one specific genre. They strike me as the west coast's version of The Sterns, but even a band as eclectic as that one doesn't quite capture the spirit of Cavil at Rest. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where to begin.

I suppose the beginning of the album would be a good place. "Who's There", the first track, I've already described as a mix of several different artists that don't really seem like they would work together but do anyway. "Let Down Your Guard / A Quick Drive" is the first song that made me think of the Sterns: A prominent, melodic bass line and the subtle use of Hammond organs both make the comparison clear. "It's Still Not As Bad" opens with an odd drum beat that leaves me wondering just what's to come next, but I think this is the only song that actually sounds like the one before it. This is not a bad thing, mind. Following that is "Sun Hands", which mixes it up even more. The introduction reminds me very slightly of southern rock, but then vocals from Ryan Hahn turn it into what might pass as one of Silversun Pickups' slower songs, and then a guitar solo kicks in that brings it straight back to rock before closing on the gentle vocals again.

"We Could Love" has sparse instrumentation until about halfway through, when the piano, drums, and guitar get a little more intense without detracting from the overall feel. After that is "The Flower of Rhodes", which is another mid-tempo track that reminds me of something I can't quite place my finger on. I want to say it's something from The Cab's Whisper War, with electric guitar and piano weaving together with vocal harmonies to create one big ball of sound, for lack of a better word. The heavier guitar in the chorus, unfortunately, detracts from the experience for me. "Tidal Killer" is a bouncy, folksy little tune that makes extensive and expert use of vocal harmonies. There are a few moments where the listener can hear Hahn's voice cracking or straining (only slightly, and never enough to ruin the recording), which adds a sense of realism that I appreciate endlessly.

The album draws to a close with "All is Well and Good", which brings back the earlier comparison to The Cab, but this time the guitar sounds spacier, almost more ambient. The drums make up for this with bass blasts that would fit perfectly in a metal song; they're used sparingly and only for effect, and it's never obtrusive. The bridge melds from studio chatter to piano and drums with accompaniment from bells before bringing it back around to the chorus. A closing clap track segues seamlessly into "House on Stilts", the final song. It wraps up the album neatly by showing that same Ben Folds influence from "Who's There" and throwing in a little bit of everything from the rest of the album in a culmination of everything Cavil at Rest stands for.

In the past, I've criticized albums for being too mercurial, for not conforming to a specific genre. Orion Way does exactly that, but for a band like this, I have no complaints. I'm not sure if they're still trying to explore their style or if this is exactly how they plan to approach music, but either way, it works. Orion Way is available on iTunes and I'm not entirely sure I can recommend it enough. A

This recommendation came to me from Kia at Typo Away.

100-Word Reviews: New Era (Pt. 1)

now playing: Heavenly - Lust for Life

When I first discovered a few tracks by Derdian in 2006, I was excited because I'd never heard Italian power metal before. I'm sad to say that the rest of their 2005 debut New Era (Pt. 1) almost makes me wish I'd kept on not hearing it. The entire thing suffers from lack of production value. The keyboard sounds like an 8-bit MIDI, and not in the cool Anamanaguchi way. The choirs lack power. "Eternal Light" is a pretty solid track, but it still sounds weak. You can check out their MySpace, but I would recommend against buying the album.

Reader Recommendations: Steers & Stripes

now playing: Brad Paisley - Online

This begins the reader recommendations I mentioned on Monday. This album comes to me from my good friend Kia over at Typo Away, who was kind enough to provide me with (I believe the term is) a metric buttload of possibilities, and all I had to do was ask. I think I'll be set for a while, but that shouldn't stop anyone from recommending more music to me. Just leave a comment and I'll add it to my queue.

Now, incredibly long-time readers (we're talking first entry here) might recall me saying that as a rule, I do not like country music. So far, this has held strong, though I must admit the occasional Brad Paisley song is pretty damn catchy. This is largely because in my experience, as the opening track of Brooks & Dunn's 2001 album Steers & Stripes backs up, there might as well only be one country song with a bunch of different lyrics to it. "Only in America" is certainly inspirational, and I appreciate that it pulls off a sense of national pride without drowning the listener in images of Americana, but the instrumentation sounds almost identical to every other country song I've heard. The same remains true of "Go West", slightly later in the album, and "When She's Gone, She's Gone", which also gives us the requisite metaphor of a woman being like something in America -- in this case, the Mississippi River.

I am pleased to say that this trend does not continue, with songs like "The Last Thing I Do" and "Good Girls Go to Heaven" bringing to mind southern rock along the lines of Lynyrd Skynyrd or, more recently, the Ghost Hounds. The album's first ballad, "The Long Goodbye", is no doubt heartfelt, but outside of the closing guitar solo, it still sounds generic to me. I was impressed with "My Heart is Lost to You", which would best be described as a Tex-Mex song: It uses Spanish guitar and salsa drums, but maintains a country feel and overall reminds me a little of Carlos Santana. "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You" struck me as a bit of an odd song, but not particularly in a bad way. I mean no offense to Mssrs. Brooks and Dunn by this, but the backing band sounded (to me) that it had been lifted from a late-90s Backstreet Boys song. It has a bit of a manufactured quality to it, as though it's trying to sound like a pop song when it clearly shouldn't be. I can't really argue with the numbers, though; it was the number one country single of 2001, so I guess it worked.

The second half of the album soon follows with "Unloved", another generic-sounding ballad, but this time it has a backing chorus. Immediately after is "Deny, Deny, Deny", which has help from a xylophone and more Spanish guitar to tell a bit of a talking blues life story. From a musical standpoint, the chorus sounds unfinished, not coming to a clear resolution where it would normally be expected. That's entering nitpick territory, I think. Let's continue. "Lucky Me, Lonely You" has two false starts that are probably intended to add some familiarity to the recording, but all it did was confuse me. "I Fall" is another slow and non-noteworthy ballad, which leads into "Every River", a mid-tempo love song with cliché lyrics, but as they say, clichés are such because they work. Worth mentioning are the hand drums and Hammond organ in the band, keeping it just interesting enough to hold my attention. The album closes with a more than welcome southern rock song, "See Jane Dance", with lyrics and guitar solos that would fit in perfectly on a .38 Special album.

I know there's a lot of negativity in the above paragraphs, but truth be told, I enjoyed a decent part of this album. It isn't anything I would listen to voluntarily all the way through, but I can definitely see myself adding some single tracks to my regular rotation. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of twang in this album. I'm constantly worried that country songs will be too twangy (which I realize is like saying "this salt is too salty" or "this Dragonforce solo is too wanky"), so this album definitely exceeded my expectations. Overall, I would call this album average, but I'm proud to say that this album has shattered my preconceptions of what country music can be. Between plateaus of straight-up country, there are valleys of near-lifeless ballads, but they're almost completely offset by peaks of inventive southern rock. And I will never say no to southern rock. B-

100-Word Reviews: Beyond the Obvious

now playing: Murder By Death - That Crown Don't Make You a Prince

I have a love-hate relationship with Lockport-based Jinxed's only album, Beyond the Obvious (2004, One Eleven Records). It has some of the best lyrics I've ever heard in its genre, including the only song I know of to use "iniquities" in a chorus, but the instrumentation might as well be interchangeable. Though the songs are simple, there's a twinge of Take This to Your Grave-era Fall Out Boy that keeps me coming back. The band dropped their drummer, reformed as Mariday, and are still making songs today, but I definitely prefer Jinxed's sound. Pick up Beyond the Obvious on Amazon.

Album Review: Dearest (I'm So Sorry)

now playing: Millencolin - Afghan

I wanted to do a full week of Sonata Arctica reviews, but it struck me about 30 seconds after I posted about The Days of Grays that Sonata only has six albums, and I don't know enough about their demos to do a full-fledged post. So let's keep on barreling through with what's next on my list, shall we? Incidentally, my list is pretty short, so I've decided to start taking reader recommendations. If I only review things I know I like, well, I'm not a very good reviewer, am I? Look for those to start up sometime later this week. Possibly tomorrow!

Long-time readers might remember me mentioning Picture Me Broken back in July, when I first discovered them. I've stuck with them since then, and I'm glad to say it's paid off. Thanks to OurStage, the band rose above dozens of other, lesser Bay Area bands to win a VMA as Best Breakout Bay Area Artist on September 13th. Rapper Kanye West later approached Picture Me Broken singer Layla Allman, saying that he would let her finish, but Gregg was the best Allman of all time. (No, he didn't.)

After their success at the VMAs, Picture Me Broken put out their first professional EP, Dearest (I'm So Sorry). The six-track EP features four new songs, as well as retooled versions of "Live Forever" and "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)", both available as demos via OurStage for some time. Let me talk about the re-records for a second before we go into the new stuff. "Live Forever" sounds harder and stronger, but I'm not sure if it's better. I'm still wrestling with the possibility that I might just be used to the demo. The melody and lyrics have both been tweaked, and the chorus now has keyboard overlaid (one change I do definitely like). I'm not sure how much I like the addition of more screams, even if it adds to the heavier effect. I don't think it will end well for Allman's voice if she keeps it up at that pace. In contrast, the title track doesn't seem like it had many changes made to it; I guess you really don't mess with perfection.

Most of the new songs show some fancy guitar work from Nick Loiacono (look to "Echoes of an Empire" or "Breaking the Fall"); "Echoes" also has a prominent bass line courtesy of Austin Dunn and heavy double bass from new drummer Connor Lung. Allman gets her chance to shine in the grim half-ballad "If I Never Wake Again", featuring piano and vocals and heralded by a gunshot. The band really brings it together cohesively in "Devil on My Shoulder", which opens with a drum solo before the main guitar and bass riffs kick in, then Allman joins the mix and the song just flows naturally from there.

When my biggest criticism is that a song I've grown to like sounds a little different, that's a good sign. If what I read on the Twitter is any indication, the band worked their asses off for this EP, and it definitely shows. The EP is available on Bandcamp. Buyers can download the 128kbps MP3s for free, but quality snobs and people who want to support the band can name their own price (starting at $5.00 for the album and $1.00 for each track) to get the songs in a bunch of high-quality formats. I won't say what I paid, but it was a decent amount and it was worth every penny. EDIT 9/30: If you're so inclined, the EP is now available on iTunes for $5.94. Picture Me Broken has already broken out of the Bay Area; with this EP, I think they can break out into the world. A-

Album Retrospective: Ecliptica

now playing: A Wilhelm Scream - Get Mad, You Son of a Bitch

Imagine, if you will, that it's 1999. Cable internet is just starting to catch on; the Macarena already has. The populace is overcome by the impending terror of Y2K. Boy bands dominate the music scene. Grunge has all but disappeared, and metal may as well be a whisper. Then, from the wilds of Kemi-Tornio, Finland, bursts forth the most pure form of power metal heard since Stratovarius. Ripping guitar, pounding double bass, and soaring vocals come together in a trifecta of bombastic sound to take Nick Carter and Joey Fatone and Taylor Hanson by their heads and throw them from a twelfth-story window.

Did you get chills?

This is what Sonata Arctica's debut album, Ecliptica, did to the world. No it isn't; that's a lie. It's what I wish it would have done. But some of the things in that story are true! This is, in fact, a blast of pure power metal for your ears. Ecliptica comes from before Sonata had truly defined their sound, which is both good and bad. But let's start with the good.

With the exception of a few tracks that never quite made it, this album may as well be hit after hit after hit. "Blank File", "My Land", "8th Commandment", "Replica", "Kingdom for a Heart", "Fullmoon", and "Letter to Dana" have all seen regular rotation at live shows and in my CD player. For those counting, that's the first seven of the ten songs on the album. Ranging from love song to wolf song, from paranoid to overjoyed, from national anthem to video game anthem, these seven songs could easily make the album. (I can't tell you how many people only know "Kingdom" from searching "Kingdom Hearts" on YouTube.) The first wolf song, "Fullmoon", has become the band's flagship song; not counting Ari Koivunen's cover from Finnish idol, I have eleven separate versions of the track. It's been performed at every concert I've seen and I would wager every concert Sonata has ever performed. Powered by crowd callback sections and a dueling guitar/keyboard solo originally between guitarist Jani Liimatainen and multi-instrumentalist Tony Kakko, it's easy to see why this song has become so popular. "My Land" details the beauty of the Finnish countryside, and having been there, I can vouch for the description. "Letter to Dana" is possibly my second-favorite ballad, featuring guest instrumentation from flautist Raisa Aine. And "Replica" was one of the first songs I ever heard by the band; its guitar-heavy nature mixed with a short bass solo and powerful re-entry after the bridge made it an early favorite.

But what of the other three songs? "UnOpened" takes the time to showcase the instrumental chops that would become trademark. "Picturing the Past" is, admittedly, nothing special, but I'll get to that later. And finally, there is "Destruction Preventer", a seven-minute song about environmentalism interspersed with a fantastic backing band. However, most of note is the incredibly high note Kakko hits near the end -- while I'm not sure of the octave, I want to say it's a G5. At any rate, it should be largely impossible for someone with his range to hit, and yet he belts it out like it's nothing.

All right, I've covered the good; now let's get to the bad. Since this album is raw power metal, critics have compared it to Stratovarius unfavorably. Rather than finding their own sound, Sonata has been criticized for sounding too similar to their influences and not bringing anything particular new to the table. While I would disagree in certain places, on the whole, this is an accurate assessment. Those who aren't fans would call several of the songs downright interchangeable. I still believe this album was a very strong debut, especially given the scenario I opened this review with, but if Sonata had kept this same sound throughout their entire career, I doubt I would be as much of a fan as I am now. Fortunately, Sonata never stopped evolving, and they've already far eclipsed Ecliptica. A-

Album Retrospective: Silence

now playing: Cobra Starship ft. Travis McCoy - Kiss My Sass

Sonata Arctica's Silence, released in 2001, is the strongest sophomore album I've ever heard. Though their debut, Ecliptica, was incredibly powerful for a debut (especially considering the music scene in 1999), Silence is where the band really fell into their niche -- before, of course, completely redefining that niche in their later albums. Featuring keyboards from Mikko Härkin and guest vocals from Stratovarius' Timo Kotipelto, Silence strikes a fine balance between humor and sincerity, lightheartedness and terror, virtuosity and tranquility. Don't take my word for it; let's explore the album, shall we?

In what would become a trend at concerts, the album opens with "...Of Silence", a spoken word introduction that builds up and leads seamlessly into "Weballergy", a song about internet relationships. Songwriter Tony Kakko has said that this song was written as a sort of Take That to critics who told him that his lyrics weren't appropriate for heavy metal. "False News Travel Fast", though its title is grammatically ambiguous, features a call-and-response section during the bridge in between two solos and closes with a single line from Kotipelto, possibly foreshadowing Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson's involvement on the next album. As we continue through the album, we run into "The End of This Chapter", the second song in the saga of Caleb, introduced in this album and elaborated upon in Reckoning Night, Unia, and The Days of Grays. Over the next seven minutes, Kakko hisses in English and French over grim, keyboard-laden instrumentation the tale of a stalker falling into a jealous rage, yelling "You should know by now that you are mine". I do not want to be in a dark alley with Tony Kakko after hearing this.

The next song is concert mainstay "Black Sheep", the story of a monstrous miller taken from a folk tale. Of special note is that this song appeared in Japan's Guitar Freaks 10th Mix and Drummania 9th Mix, two video games based on playing fake plastic guitar and fake plastic drums, respectively. Until I learned this, I think I underestimated the hold Sonata had on the Japanese market. Moving on, we come across a perpetual favorite of mine, "Land of the Free". Again, the bridge has a callback section, which I've only been able to participate in once, much to my dismay. The entire song, an anthem to freedom, is aided by driving double bass from Tommy Portimo, who I am pretty sure has legs of steel. Skipping ahead a bit, we go past "San Sebastian (Revisited)" and its trademark soaring vocals from Kakko to land on "Revontulet", a rare instrumental of just over 90 seconds showcasing the skill of Härkin and guitarist Jani Liimatainen. Following that is what I believe is Sonata's best ballad, "Tallulah", a soft, flowing song with just enough guitar to add power while being unobtrusive. And of course, I would be remiss not to mention "Wolf & Raven", which fits a number of descriptions: This album's most popular song; this album's wolf song; the most requested song at concerts; and possibly the heaviest song in Sonata's repertoire.

It should be obvious at this point that I hold Silence in very high regard. My criticisms, therefore, are fairly shallow, all things considered. There are a few lyrical problems (for example, "unless we try real hard" in "Land of the Free"), but that's scarcely bothersome enough to matter. I suppose the only major issue I have is that the album doesn't seem to have aged well. It sounds very much like a product of its time, even though its time was only eight years ago. Compared to future albums, it sounds flat and dull, and not even the recently issued re-master seems to fix that. Still, that isn't enough to dampen my opinion of the album significantly. I'm glad that Sonata Arctica has never stayed silent. A+

Album Retrospective: Winterheart's Guild

now playing: No Doubt - Spiderwebs

Now we're getting into the classic stuff. Released in 2003, Winterheart's Guild is a strange sort of album. This is not because nearly half the album is ballads, or because at ten tracks, it's one of Sonata Arctica's shortest albums to date. No, this is largely because Zelian Games has taken the title of the album and indeed many of the concepts therein and, with the blessing of the band, begun creating a video game. Winterheart's Guild looks promising, though at the moment it seems to be in development hell, as it were. Which is unfortunate, as the game is rumored to include at least one unreleased song from Sonata Arctica. Still, I have faith in Zelian Games, and perhaps when the technology arises to beam video games directly into our cerebral cortex, we'll be able to play Winterheart's Guild as we listen to Sonata's 15th or 20th studio album.

A man can dream.

Enough about the video game, though; let's get to the album. Winterheart's Guild is more keyboard-driven than the band's earlier two albums. This predicts a change in direction that would become more prominent on Unia, but when I first heard this album, I was a little confused. Up until Reckoning Night, the keyboard player in Sonata Arctica was a little like the drummer in Spinal Tap, only without the death. Their earlier demos and Ecliptica featured jack of all trades Tony Kakko on keyboards, while Silence had ex-Kenziner keyboardist Mikko Härkin. Winterheart's Guild has, if I may, four bitchin' keyboard solos that Kakko may not have been able to play on his own. So who better to play them than ex-Dio, ex-Rising Force, current Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson? I can only imagine what a great moment this must have been for Sonata, whose earlier albums drew much of their inspiration from Stratovarius.

That inevitable rush of emotion transfers immediately into the album, which features high-energy staples like "Victoria's Secret" and "The Cage" (the wolf song and the perpetual big finish in live shows) interspersed with stark piano ballads like "The Misery" and "Draw Me". "Gravenimage", the second track and a personal favorite, ups the ante, starting out as a ballad and turning into an intense guitar-fest at the halfway mark. In the oft-overlooked "Champagne Bath", keyboards turn to marimbas during the bridge in a finger-breaking triple meter that really speaks to Johansson's virtuosity. All the while, drummer Tommy Portimo blasts out the double bass in eighth note triplets, Kakko brings the soaring vocals, and Jani Liimatainen uses just the right amount of guitar effects to keep everything interesting and tied together. There's even room for a few bars of solo from bassist Marko Paasikoski. I don't really understand why this song goes unappreciated more often than not, as it's a great example of the band as one unit at their best.

I wish I could say the same for some of the other songs. Despite Johansson's guest work, Winterheart's Guild has been my least favorite Sonata album for a while. "Broken", the second single, has become a main fixture at concerts, but for me, it treads the line between power ballad and power metal too carefully, never straying even a millimeter to one side or the other. I will say that the line "heaven's closed / hell's sold out / so I walk on earth" is one of the better things Kakko has written, but it's barely enough to make the song interesting. In contrast, "Silver Tongue" has excellent instrumentation, but I'm put off almost entirely by Kakko's poor diction and downright befuddling word choice ("call me Ishmael if it ain't a lie", for one). I'm not sure if this album is meant to be transitional material or not, but I can say I'm glad that the band has taken most of the good songs with them and left the rest to freeze to death. B-

Album Retrospective: Reckoning Night

now playing: Falconer - The Clarion Call

2005's Reckoning Night marked Sonata Arctica's first serious foray into the progressive elements that would later permeate their music. This was also the first album for keyboardist Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg, who was selected for the position after a night of drinking -- a tradition he keeps up to this day. It also marked my first serious experience with the band: I'd listened to a few tracks, but Reckoning Night was the first full album I bought. As an introduction to the band, I think it works quite well. Songs like "My Selene" and "Wildfire" (both largely underappreciated, I think) hark back to an earlier, more definitively power metal sound that could be found on Silence or Ecliptica, while the nine-minute epic "White Pearl, Black Oceans..." is an excellent harbinger of the grandiosity to come. (As an aside, "My Selene" is of special note as the only song written by former guitarist Jani Liimatainen in his time with the band, thus ensuring, unfortunately, that the song will never be played live.)

Several songs on this album became fast favorites for me, and even now, four years later, there is only one song I feel slightly less emphatic about: The mid-tempo second track, "Blinded No More". It follows a typical structure, but doesn't seem to go anywhere. In fact, the only reason I listen to it anymore is for the snarling wolf at the end that leads into the next track, "Ain't Your Fairytale", the wolf song on this album. In fact, Sonata seems to have mastered the transition in here: The end of "Fairytale" goes perfectly into the calm instrumental "Reckoning Day, Reckoning Night...", which in turn segues seamlessly into the album's biggest single, "Don't Say A Word". The blaze of "Wildfire" is put out by the gently lapping waves that open "White Pearl". As a cohesive unit, this album works wonders. It is definitely meant to be listened to continuously.

Let's return to "Don't Say A Word", another grim, sinister tale from master wordsmith Tony Kakko. The song falls as part three of the saga of Caleb and Juliet (see Unia and The Days of Grays). Caleb has broken into Juliet's home and is lamenting all they could have had as he watches her sleep. She has no idea he is even there, and is gone before first light arrives. The morbid tale is interspersed with hissed Latin phrases from guest speaker Nik Van-Eckmann, one of Kakko's former teachers who also had a role in 2001's Silence. This song has become a staple of their live concerts, and rightfully so: It's incredibly energetic and the crowd loves it.

Unfortunately, I feel this comes at the cost of neglecting other equally fantastic songs. The closing ballad, "Shamandalie", gets occasional play at live shows, but I've only heard "White Pearl" once, and I had to go to Finland to get the opportunity. "Misplaced", the first track, and "Blinded" used to open every show, but now they've fallen to the wayside. Well over half the album, including the half-power, half-prog cautionary tale "The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet", has never been played at any show I've been to, or (to my knowledge) at all. It makes me feel as thought the band isn't proud of what they've done here, which just isn't right. Sonata has every right to wave their flag high before sticking it in the ground. Reckoning Night is a strong, upstanding album that does power-prog right. A

Album Retrospective: Unia

now playing: Sonata Arctica - In the Dark

Sonata Arctica's fifth studio album, Unia ("Dreams"), dropped in May of 2007 and proved immediately divisive among American and Finnish fans alike. The album marked a potentially unsettling change of sound from power metal with progressive influences to what some billed as "pretentious" straight-up progressive metal. Additionally, the cover art debuted a new logo for the band; the previous one had remained unchanged for eight years. This would also be the last album original guitarist Jani Liimatainen would play on: Some complications involving the Finnish military arose, and the band decided to go on without him, taking Elias Viljanen in his place. Understandably, fans had several reasons to be displeased with this album.

I was not one of them. I distinctly remember calling "Good Enough is Good Enough", the closing track, "absolutely perfect". Featuring Tony Kakko on vocals, Henrik Klingenberg on piano, and a string quintet, the minimalistic ballad is a fantastic way to bring the listener down from the sheer sonic power of the rest of the album. The album opens immediately with a strong guitar riff in the vindictive "In Black and White", which would become the standard concert opener for the next two years (and, I would imagine, for some time to come). "Paid in Full", the first single, follows quickly as a ballad with an edge and a strong bass line. Before long, the album swings back into vindication with this album's wolf song, "It Won't Fade": The wolf pack described in the lyrics is a metaphor for the band, and the stray left of the litter is Liimatainen. It seems almost cruel to make him play guitar on this track, but emotion brings out the best playing in everyone, a point clearly made as Kakko switches between clean vocals and screaming over top of angry guitar lines and gentle piano.

As I mentioned in my review of The Days of Grays, "Juliet" is the conclusion of a story. Unia's sixth track, "Caleb", is the beginning, detailing the childhood of the stalker in a progressive, 4/4-to-6/8 crowd-pleaser with a guest choir and a spoken introduction. After that point, the album descends further and further into prog, culminating with "My Dream's But a Drop of Fuel For a Nightmare". The track is six minutes of deliberately nonsensical lyrics and instrumental virtuosity that builds from bass, piano, and vocals to a combination of instruments that can barely be enumerated. Sitting down and listening to the instrumental version of this track (a bonus track limited to the Japanese edition), I was blown away. This is my first response to anyone who claims that Sonata lost their touch with Unia.

However, for as impressive as many of the tracks are, some still don't quite settle well with me. "Under Your Tree", the main ballad of the album, has a melody too similar to "Victoria's Secret" (off Winterheart's Guild, 2003) for my liking and strikes me as downright boring. It's easily my least favorite Sonata song in their entire repertoire. I also feel that, in his effort to write something new, Kakko dropped the ball in "The Harvest", which uses the lyrics "once planted plastic grapes / the harvest of a lifetime / real bad wine" in complete sincerity. It's a shame, as the rest of the song is really quite good -- I've certainly never heard a metal band use a bouzouki before. I just can't get over those lines. Despite all that, Unia certainly isn't a bad album. I think the sensationalist reactions about the stylistic shift and all that were largely unjustified. I would, however, call the album weak. I believe they were trying to make a bold change in their genre and bit off more than they could chew. Fortunately, all the imperfections were ironed out with the release of The Days of Grays, and I (for one) welcome our new power-prog overlords. It goes to show that if you're going to dream, dream big. B

Album Review: The Days of Grays

now playing: Sonata Arctica - Deathaura

You know, for how much I talk about how awesome Finnish power metal is, this is the first official time Sonata Arctica's gotten a mention on this long-dead blog. What a way to kick things off again, huh? Sonata's sixth studio album, The Days of Grays (Nuclear Blast), hit shelves in America today and I am more than ready to give it the review it deserves. And you know what? Come back every day this week for another Sonata Arctica album review.

It's been two and a half years since Sonata Arctica's divisive and controversial fifth album, Unia. The band took the progressive elements they'd been experimenting with for a few years and kicked them into high gear, culminating in an avant-garde explosion of sound with calliope and Hammond organs joining the regular lineup of bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, and vocals. Fans were not particularly happy, but I can save that explanation for another day. The Days of Grays retains the progressive elements of Unia, but brings along a darker tone, something more sinister and not quite heard of from this band until now. While their previous albums have opened with loud, heavy, hard-hitting tracks, "Everything Fades to Gray" is stripped down to the barest elements with nothing more than piano and strings (and the occasional tympani for effect). Orchestration is heavy on this album all around, in fact; four of the 13 songs feature strings, while the Finland-exclusive two-disc version contains seven completely orchestrated songs.

Just as the listener is getting comfortable, in comes "Deathaura", an eight-minute, multi-part suite showcasing guest vocalist Johanna Kurkela's gentle entry and the band's trademark thunderous sound only seconds later. This is guitarist Elias Viljanen's first opportunity to shine, having been added the band shortly after the release of Unia, and I am proud to say he does not disappoint. From there, the album transitions to "The Last Amazing Grays", the requisite "wolf song" and the first single. Despite the grim feelings the orchestrated bridge may convey, the message remains hopeful. Immediately following is the second single and easily the happiest song on the album, "Flag in the Ground". I can already see crowds of people singing along to this song, a triumphant anthem for love and the future.

Skipping ahead to the second half of the album, "Juliet" reminds the listener that vocalist and songwriter Tony Kakko is a terrifying person. Meant to be the end of a story introduced in their second album, "Juliet" details a stalker, having finally found his love, poisoning himself and expecting her to do the same. When he discovers that she is still alive as death overtakes him, he promises to come back as a ghost and haunt her until the end of her days. "As If the World Wasn't Ending", a few tracks later, seems to take the quote "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" to heart. A man has inadvertently caused the end of the world and spends the song pleading to his love to pretend that they aren't going to die, to enjoy the time they have left together. A darker tone indeed.

Of course, ten years of music haven't dulled Sonata's sense of experimentation. "Zeroes" applies various vocal effects and takes a more political tone, both of which are rather unexpected from a band that's been billed by some as "gay wizard metal". The chorus of "The Dead Skin" mentions human dismemberment (albeit as a metaphor). And then there's "The Truth is Out There", which -- yes, Virginia -- involves alien abduction.

Overall, The Days of Grays is an inventive album and an interesting exploration of just how far one band can push the definition of power metal. My major criticism is the average length of the songs; I fear touring with Nightwish may have influenced the band for the worse. Nothing drags, to be sure, but I fear for the commercial success of the album when half the tracks come in over 4:30. But pithy criticisms aside! I'm glad to see they're putting Viljanen to good use, as he certainly has the chops. Bassist Marko Paasikoski is further up in the mix in nearly every track, which I appreciate as a bassist. It seems others appreciate it, as well: The album sold in excess of 15,000 copies in Finland on the first day of release, reaching gold status in what must be record time. The brightest colors might fade to gray, but at this rate, Sonata Arctica most certainly will not. A-

You can buy The Days of Grays from Sonata Arctica's website. The band is currently touring the USA and Canada with Dragonforce, so be sure to check out the tour schedule and pick up tickets to the show nearest you.

What I Can't Stop Listening To: Picture Me Broken

now playing: Picture Me Broken - Live Forever

Oh, hey, I actually have a blog. Yeah, so much for regular updates, I guess. What with my own flighty nature and an actual job getting in the way, I haven't had a lot of time to get out and discover new music, much less write posts about it. However, thanks to my good friend Jordan Munson, I do have some actual content. This is going to be a bit different from my standard WICSLT posts; it's more of a single-artist showcase than anything else.

Picture Me Broken is a quartet of high school kids from Redwood City, CA. Don't let their age fool you, though; these kids can seriously rock. They were recently invited to play the Warped Tour on June 27th, and not without merit. One listen to their big song, "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)", and it's clear that their comparisons to both Paramore and Scary Kids Scaring Kids are not without merit. I haven't heard guitar work like this out of a modern rock band in a long time. It's a real breath of fresh air. But that's not the only thing they offer. Layla Allman does triple duty, giving infectiously singable lyrics next to passionate screams and just a touch of synth for taste. In "Dearest" and "No Shame" most notably, the use of keyboards during the breakdowns just fits; she knows what she's doing.

Nick Loiacono, guitarist, brings another welcome surprise to the table in "Dead Serious", a bit of a stylistic departure into the pop-rock side of things and what I predict will be a runaway hit. The song features a bona fide guitar solo, which is an element all but forgotten in most modern music today. Loiacono shows impressive chops through their entire body of work. If it weren't for Allman's voice, I'd be hard-pressed to believe "Blind" and "Dearest" are by the same band. This is aided by the versatility of bassist Austin Dunn, who understands that not every bass line needs to be the root for three minutes. What interludes he takes are few, but they're evident and they work. And let's not leave the rhythm section out of it; with Eric Perkins on drums, switching from double-bass breakdowns to more standard classic rock rhythms effortlessly (again, listen to "Dearest"), the whole outfit really comes together.

Picture Me Broken is currently working on releasing their first EP, still untitled. While you wait, you can check them out on OurStage and give them your support by voting for them in the monthly contests. If that's not your scene, you can also find them on MySpace and Twitter. They might only have a few songs so far, but I'm picturing good things in Picture Me Broken's future.

100-Word Reviews: ZOMBIES! ALIENS! VAMPIRES! DINOSAURS!

now playing: hellogoodbye - Baby, It's Fact

This is the way May begins; not with a bang but a whimper. I really dropped the ball on this one, guys. I've been feeling ill lately (I'm pretty sure it's not swine flu), and that's compounded by the new job I just started (not music-related in the slightest) that's giving me hours wherein if I'm not working, I'm sleeping. I am still working on the Bamboozle review, slowly but surely; I hope to have that up by Wednesday or Thursday. Let's try to get things rolling again with a 100-Word Review.

hellogoodbye's ZOMBIES! ALIENS! VAMPIRES! DINOSAURS! is both the best-titled and the cutest album I've ever reviewed. Not "cute" like Cute is What We Aim For; legitimately adorable. From track one straight through to track eleven, every song is a catchy little ditty that could easily be used to describe any number of young love scenarios. Swinging back and forth between upbeat dance and slow ballad, the songs on this album show that hellogoodbye had a good thing going. The keyboardist and drummer split in late 2008, leaving founder Forrest Kline stranded, but far from hopeless. Check it all out here.

What I Can't Stop Listening To: April 2009

now playing: Concrete Blonde - The Sky is a Poisonous Garden

First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone who helped spread the word of the events at the TLA. I'll be keeping an eye on the situation, but as I said, I don't really think anything is going to come of this, unfortunately. Philadelphia police officers have been getting away with things like this for years. To speak of less somber things, the end of the month brings us What I Can't Stop Listening To once again. If you missed it last month, I am still providing a direct download of the songs mentioned in this article. Disclaimer: I have no vested interest, monetary or otherwise, in providing these links outside of exposing the readers of this blog to new music. I have acquired everything I provide legally and encourage others to do the same. With that said, here are the five songs I can't stop listening to for April 2009.

05) Silversun Pickups - There's No Secrets This Year

I've already written about Swoon earlier in the month, so I won't have much to say for this track. I will say that the chorus of this song is one that always finds its way back into my head no matter what I'm doing. I also enjoy the way the track slows down and blends into the style of the following track, "The Royal We", and it's for that reason that it feels almost wrong not to include it as well. Alas, you only get one from me. You know how that could be solved? Go out and buy Swoon at Amazon or iTunes today.

04) Guns N' Roses - Catcher in the Rye

To be honest, I doubt I'll ever understand anyone who says they dislike Chinese Democracy because it sounds too unlike Guns N' Roses' previous work. It's been 15 years in the making; of course it's not going to sound the same. What it does sound like is good, solid music that too many people are going to overlook for one reason or another. Let this power ballad help change your mind. The guitar is still incredibly strong without Slash, and the rest of the band is just as powerful; even, hard as it may be to believe, Axl himself, who still sounds as he did in GnR's heyday. If you don't have Chinese Democracy already, pick it up on Amazon or iTunes.

03) Styx - Queen of Spades

Putting this song in the article is pretty much pure self-indulgence. Styx manages to hit almost every single one of the thematic elements I love in songs: Lethal women, gambling, spiders, concept albums, power ballads, and guitar solos. I am a simple man with simple pleasures in my music. Pick up Pieces of Eight (featuring this, "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)", and "Renegade", among others) on Amazon or iTunes. And don't forget to get your tickets to the Can't Stop Rockin' tour, featuring Styx, REO Speedwagon, and .38 Special.

02) My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words

Back when I was shakily learning how to drive, I relied on music to help calm me down. Jack Off Jill's Clear Hearts Grey Flowers shared rotation with The Black Parade, but it was singing along with Gerard Way that finally got me comfortable behind the wheel. And yes, My Chemical Romance might get a lot of flak from... well, everyone, but this album is surprisingly strong as a concept album. I disagree with Way deciding to bleach his hair for the tour, but they can't all be perfect. If you feel like hunting down the special edition, Amazon can hook you up; otherwise, the CD alone can be found on Amazon and iTunes.

01) Concrete Blonde - Probably Will

This song off 1994's Still in Hollywood is strange for Concrete Blonde. The driving bass lines and aggression that initially drew me to the band are gone; instead, this song is stripped down to three-chord guitar, minimal drums, and vocals. It may seem strange that a song like that would be considered an anthem of rebellion, but the line "they will only make us stronger if they try to keep us still" proves that rebellion can have any kind of backing band as long as the lyrics are strong. Still in Hollywood also features live tracks, alternate takes of songs, and covers of Jimi Hendrix, Nick Cave, and others. Their cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing" is superb. You can pick up this album on Amazon or iTunes.

You can download all five of these songs here (36MB).

May is going to start with a bang, as I'll be attending the Bamboozle in the Meadowlands way up in north Jersey. We had little luck with the Ghost Hounds' Vintage Trouble this month, but maybe we'll see it in May. Finnish power metal band Stratovarius also has Polaris coming out in the middle of the month, but you won't have to wait that long for a review. Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.

Police Brutality at the TLA

I promise not to use this blog as a soapbox often, but I just found out about something reprehensible that happened at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia last night. The Bamboozle Road Show, featuring We the Kings, Forever the Sickest Kids, the Cab, mercymercedes, and Valencia, was just finishing up last night when several police officers showed up and attacked members of the bands. Brendan Walter of Valencia writes:

Tonight at the Bamboozle Road Show I witnessed the worst case of police brutality I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure of the exact story of what happened, all I know is that I walked downstairs and was ready to leave the venue only to see Chris V being pushed back into the venue (from the alley) by 3 cops with billy clubs. They were screaming and pushing him to the ground, threw him down onto a glass bottle that he hit his head on, split it open. He was bleeding everywhere and they still continued to beat him with clubs. They would not stop, even when he was compliant. Everyone was screaming for them to stop, I just could not stop yelling, I was so angry. I wanted so bad to have us all go over and pull them off of him, but no one could or we’d be next. Finally they stopped and dragged him outside after a pint of blood left his head and was all over the stage of the TLA. After everything was calmed down a bit, I saw my good friend Ian Planet being shoved inside, slammed into a brick wall, his cell phone thrown across the room and his face shoved onto the concrete floor all because he wanted to go outside and finish his job. The same happened to T-Fair right out back as well.

In a thread on the AbsolutePunk.net forums, a member of mercymercedes mentions receiving several tickets and being aggressively shoved against a car. MySpace Video has footage of the interior of the club during the incident, found here (warning: language and blood). Additionally, two people present outside have posted YouTube videos hosted here and here (with language warnings on both).

I'm not certain if anything can be done about this now (I have my doubts that the officers involved will face any retribution), but I thought it best to spread the word.

This post was compiled with help from BuzzNet.

Album Review: Oxytocin

now playing: Concrete Blonde - Probably Will

If you'd told me that a bunch of developers from Harmonix, the company responsible for Rock Band and the first two Guitar Hero games, were going to make a hip-hop/electronica album, I would have laughed in your face, then gone to see what the internet was saying about it. In fact, that is exactly what I did before running across Oxytocin, a 40 minute continuous mix of hip-hop and electronica tracks from eleven Harmonix developers, including members of That Handsome Devil and BQEZ. The best non-musical part is that it's being released on the internet for free in its entirety.

This may not entirely come as a surprise, but I do not listen to hip-hop, so it's difficult for me to judge this album against others in its genre. However, listening to some of the tracks, I find it hard to put this album into one definitive genre, which is both logical and for the best. Rob Lynch's "Cathode Ray" reminds me very much of Anamanaguchi, whereas "Do It For Me" by Nay brings me back to the happy hardcore heyday in the early 90s. "Subway Tale", crafted by M-Cue and Tarashi, definitely makes me think Gorillaz above anything else. To put it quite simply, even if it is a cliche, this album does have something for everyone. I went in not expecting to like it in the slightest, but I nearly stumbled upon a strange mix of Poe and Jack Off Jill with Ligery and Inner Dialogue's "Perfect", spoken poetry backed by synth and beats. Before I even knew the song was coming to an end, it was transitioning seamlessly into "Blow Away" by Patrick Balthrop, a song that would fit perfectly in a trance club's rotation.

I suppose with the diversity of the musical spectrum already covered, my only other comment would be on the fantastic production of the album. Even with songs that fall under incredibly different genres and styles, the mixing remains consistent and in some cases imperceptible. I suppose that's to be expected in a group with six sound designers and two producers, but it's still very impressive. The people responsible for Oxytocin set a goal to make a project that "wasn't rock based", and with just one listen of the album, it's clear that they met this goal. With all the rock bands Harmonix produces (Bang Camaro and the Sterns, to name two), it's easy to overlook those musicians that don't fall under that heading but still have just as much talent as their conventional counterparts. If Oxytocin is a way to test the waters, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the website to see what else they've got planned. At any rate, it's obvious that Harmonix can produce more than just quality video games. A

Keep your eye on Oxytocin's homepage to follow news on what's to come and download the album in its entirety. While you're there, check out the individual blogs and Twitters of the members and clear your schedules for a couple of shows in June with all eleven getting together to perform live.

Album Review: Neverender - Night IV

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - Feathers (Live at Neverender)

While I'd love to continue the trend of going into the story, the truth is that not even the people at Cobalt and Calcium are all that sure what goes on in Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World for Tomorrow. There's a definite end, to be sure: Claudio Kilgannon finally confronts Wilhelm Ryan and ends the Keywork, as has been fated. But it takes the entire album to get to that point, so just what's been going on? Who is the Hound of Blood and Rank? Is the little back porch lady someone we know? And just what is the change that's finally come? Hopefully the upcoming prequel album will shed some light on this, but I'm not counting on it.

Neverender - Night IV is definitely my favorite of all the performances. It starts with the crowd screaming "Raise your hands high!" in the album's title track; that keeps up to the final strains of "The End Complete V: On the Brink", which does not go on for 18 minutes but is impressive nonetheless. Ever since I started listening to Good Apollo II, I knew that one day I would have to hear these songs live. It's the hardest-hitting of any of the band's albums for me, with "Feathers" (which took time to grow on me), "No World for Tomorrow", and the always popular "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" sticking out the most. I've already given my thoughts on "Justice in Murder" and "The End Complete" in other posts; even though it's live and I really do like live performances, I find it difficult to sit through 30 minutes of disjointed music. I feel at some points the audience does, too. If I could turn off this album after "Justice in Murder" (or perhaps "The End Complete II: Radio Bye-Bye", which I actually can stomach more often than not), I would gladly do it, to be honest. Despite that, Neverender - Night IV still stands as my favorite performance in this grand work. The crowd fills in the gaps more often than not, whether Claudio asks them to or he just runs out of breath. And I think at this point, we all know my thoughts on crowd vocals.

I've gained something from this series of reviews, I think. I've had the story of the Amory Wars explained to me in summarized form, yes, but this is the first time I've actually gone out and tried to comprehend just what's going on. And so far? SSTB is still a little incomprehensible, but I've developed a new appreciation for IKSSE:3 and even the latter half of Good Apollo I. I doubt Coheed's albums are ever going to stop growing on me, which means longevity in their future. And keep in mind that they do still have one more album to go: A prequel, taking place long before Coheed, Cambria, and Jesse existed as characters. If it keeps up this pace, I expect even better things.

The Second Stage Turbine Blade: B-; Neverender - Night I: C+
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3: B+; Neverender - Night II: B+
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness: A-; Neverender - Night III: A
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World for Tomorrow: A+; Neverender - Night IV: A

I'd like to thank Cobalt and Calcium for their analysis of the story of The Amory Wars. Coheed and Cambria will be playing a short tour in late May; you can find dates and get tickets on their official website under the Tour tab.

Album Review: Neverender - Night III

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut (Live at Neverender)

Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness brings us into the world of the Writing Writer, who is responsible for penning the story we've been following so far in the previous two albums. (His world is possibly better known as our world.) The Writer is slowly going insane, tormented by visions of casting his ex-girlfriend into the ground, burying her alive. His visions continue in the form of Ten Speed, a demonic manifestation of a bicycle the Writer had when he was a child. Ten Speed brings the Writer to the realization that he's placed his ex, Erica Court, into the story as Ambellina. The only way to end the visions and regain his sanity, Ten Speed says, is to kill off Ambellina. Though the Writer initially resists, after realizing that he is the one in control of the story and he is more than able to kill whomever he wants, resolves to listen to Ten Speed's words and go through with killing the manifestation of Erica Court. Meanwhile, in the Keywork, Claudio Kilgannon begins begging to God, asking what he did to deserve this and just how he's supposed to accept his destiny. He and the Writer both come to the realization that they must end the Keywork to end the suffering, and as Claudio approaches the House Atlantic, the Writer approaches the Willing Well, a full-length mirror that serves as a portal between the two worlds. The Writer joins our battle, already in progress, and assaults Ambellina. Claudio attempts to use his abilities as the Crowing to stop the Writer, but is unable. It's pretty impossible to kill God, after all. The Writer explains his motivations to Claudio, and the album draws to a close with one final cut. Told you it gets confusing. Cobalt and Calcium, as always, has more on the story.

Neverender - Night III begins the parts of the Amory Wars story I enjoy most. My first exposure to Coheed and Cambria was "Welcome Home", appearing on Rock Band. It had been so long since I'd heard accessible modern rock with guitar work like that; I was immediately hooked. (In fact, I think that song is the reason I like prog as much as I do now.) Even if I initially thought that Coheed got royalties based on the number of words in the title, I picked up Good Apollo I anyway and never looked back. I didn't know about the storyline at the time; I just had a bunch of really great songs that didn't leave rotation on my iPod for months. Listening to the album performed live brings more nostalgic feelings, which are always welcome. And since I am so familiar with the studio album, the imperfections that add flavor to the performance are that much more noticeable. This is not necessarily a bad thing! I like getting to hear the band's mistakes. I'm still not entirely sure what happened in "The Lying Lies & Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" that caused Claudio to start early and miss a couple lines, but there's a very human element there that you just won't get in a studio.

Something else you won't get in the studio is the technical proficiency displayed in the 18-minute jam of the final song of the night, "The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut". Unless you're some sort of combination of Jethro Tull and Peter Frampton, you won't be able to get away with dueling talkbox and theremin solos from Claudio Sanchez, guitarist Travis Stever, and a guest keyboard player on a studio album. And it would take some sort of love child of Keith Moon and Neil Peart to justify former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie's blistering seven-minute drum solo. Overall, Good Apollo I is even technically amazing live. If IKSSE:3 is where the band started to hit their stride, Good Apollo I is a near perfection of their sound. I still enjoy Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World For Tomorrow better, but that's a review for tomorrow night.

Album Review: Neverender - Night II

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - Blood Red Summer (Live at Neverender)

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 begins by taking us ten years into the future. Claudio Kilgannon has had time to grow, and Jesse, a character introduced as the Prize Fighter Inferno in The Second Stage Turbine Blade, has had equal time to grow his rebel army, with which he can depose Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhelm Ryan and Head General Mayo Deftinwolf and bring peace to the Keywork once again. If you think it's weird now, folks, just wait. One rebel, Sizer, is captured by Ryan's organization, the URA, and brought to the planet Shylos Ten, where he is tortured and left for dead. Claudio, waking from his ten-year slumber on Shylos Ten, meets Jesse, Sizer, and a new character, Ambellina. Claudio learns of his fate as The Crowing, the prophesied bringer of Armageddon. The four enlist the help of a freighter pilot named (surprisingly) Al and take his ship, the Velorium Camper, to the House Atlantic, Wilhelm Ryan's headquarters. Al hands them over to the URA, but can't bring himself to give up Ambellina and at the last moment helps the group to escape on Jesse's ship, the Grail Arbor, while he remains behind. The album closes with Claudio dreaming of what may have happened if he had been able to protect his parents the night they were killed. I'm actually leaving out some parts, so if you're curious to learn more, read up at Cobalt and Calcium.

With an instrumental flourish and thunderous applause, Neverender - Night II begins. Claudio Sanchez retains his astounding command over the crowd, not simply telling the story of Jesse in the title track but becoming Jesse, ordering the audience "Man your battlestations!" and receiving unwavering response. In fact, this night's performance is leagues above and beyond the previous night's with respect to audience participation. Even when Sanchez is left breathless, the crowd fills in the missing lines by heart, be it wordless vocalizations or Al's final words to Ambellina. Even though this album is not my favorite, I still find myself longing for the opportunity to have seen it live simply for the crowd participation.

As I listen to this live performance, and especially after writing out all that information about the story, I feel like this album is where Coheed and Cambria really began to hit their stride. SSTB was decent, but it lacked many of the things that I seem to identify the band with. Not the least of these things is the story itself. With a slew of new characters, conflicting motivations, and conflict in general, the songs in IKSSE:3 are strikingly diverse. This diversity draws attention easily and saves the album from sounding too generic, which was my major complaint with SSTB. Had the band's first album been my first experience with their music, I would have written them off as nothing more than generic rock. Fortunately, my first experience was with "Welcome Home", featured on Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness, which will be featured in tomorrow's review of Neverender - Night III.

Album Review: Neverender - Night I

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - Everything Evil (Live at Neverender)

If you're not familiar with the idea of Coheed and Cambria, the simplest way to put it is that they are a concept band. Each of their four albums, beginning with 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade, falls in sequence, telling the story of Coheed Kilgannon, his wife Cambria, and their son Claudio. The Second Stage Turbine Blade specifically deals with Coheed and Cambria finding out that their genes house a deadly virus that, if triggered, could destroy everything holding their world in place. They have passed this virus on to their son, but his is a mutated strain with the power to destroy the entire Keywork, the main system of planets in this universe. Over the course of the album, Coheed releases the virus (catalyzed by a dragonfly's bite) and destroys the Star of Sirius that holds their current planet in its position, turning Paris: Earth into Silent Earth and leading quite nicely into the next album. It's really far more complicated than can be concisely expressed, but with help from Cobalt and Calcium, the premier Coheed and Cambria fansite, I think I can keep giving summaries of the story to precede the actual album discussion.

Neverender - Night I is simply The Second Stage Turbine Blade performed in its entirety. Admittedly, SSTB and the next album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 are yet to grow on me as both Good Apollo albums have, so I don't think I can provide a completely accurate opinion on these two nights. But that isn't going to stop me! Claudio (Sanchez, not Kilgannon) is clearly very serious about his music, taking the time to ask the audience whether they want banter in between songs or simply to hear the album with no interruptions. (His reply to the audience after putting it to a vote? "You motherfuckers.") On a more serious note, Sanchez makes a clear point in the liner notes to say that he realizes this recording isn't perfect, but that he thinks it's better this way. I'm inclined to agree; a perfect performance of these songs would be unwanted, but by no means impossible. The greatest thing about live albums, I think, is getting the chance to hear how these bands sound outside of the studio. With Neverender as a whole, the band shows that yes, they know how to perform; I am firmly convinced, in fact, that the only studio magic on these albums is overdubbing, which is perfectly acceptable.

But more than that. The little imperfections show that Coheed and Cambria is a band that is not ashamed to be less than perfect. I like and admire that in live performances both on stage and in album form. It shows that the band can still take its music seriously without taking itself too seriously. (And once I get to some of the weirder things on the Good Apollo albums, you'll see what I mean.) It's not the only thing I like; in fact, I'm absolutely crazy about allowing the crowd to sing along. It brings these fantastic senses of nostalgia and involvement both at once. Neverender is full of these moments, but allowing the crowd to sing the chorus of "Devil in Jersey City" and yelling for the audience to join him in "Hearshot Kid Disaster" are the peaks of this night's performance for me.

I wish I could have written more about the specifics, but as I said, I don't really have any opinions on the songs themselves, so I can only comment on the performance. If I'm being completely honest, this album just sounds generic to me; I much prefer the exploration of themes and styles in the Good Apollo albums, which I haven't said enough by now, I'm sure. Check back tomorrow for my review of Neverender - Night II, a complete live performance of In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3.

100-Word Reviews: Heart Full of Fire

now playing: Brother Firetribe - Who Will You Run To Now?

Well, that took a little longer than I would have liked! But I am back 100% now, and don't think my triumphant return will only be heralded by a paltry 100-Word Review (even if today's selection is pretty great). Keep your eyes on this blog tonight for part one in my four-night review of Coheed & Cambria's live opus Neverender.

The unusually-named Brother Firetribe, side project of Nightwish's Erno Vuorinen, play what they call "tennis metal", which apparently means "as 80s as possible". Heart Full of Fire, released in 2008, wastes no time in showing all the best 80s cliches in one massive sonic blow to the head. Even though their songs would stand perfectly well in that decade on their own, that didn't stop them from covering Mike Reno's "Chasing the Angels" as icing on the neon zebra-print cake. Unfortunately, it covers the bad cliches, too; the overproduction makes the album sound overall overwhelming. Still, it's solid, feel-good metal.

Temporary Hiatus

now playing: Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Rewrite

Sorry for the lack of 100-Word Review yesterday, guys. It's getting to be crunch time around these parts, and a combination of papers, group projects, and more group projects is leaving me with less time than I would like for writing reviews. I'm going to call a temporary hiatus on posts here, but I should be right as rain again by next Thursday. Maybe even next Tuesday, if you're lucky. (But don't get your hopes up.) Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.

100-Word Reviews: Light From Above

now playing: Odd Zero - Admire the Liar

Florida's Black Tide, showing some clear inspiration from Iron Maiden, put out Light From Above in 2008. This is another band that got a lot of their popularity from Rock Band; "Shockwave" and "Warriors of Time" are face-meltingly difficult on guitar and laden with more solos than I know what to do with. The whole album, save the cover of Metallica's "Hit the Lights", is like this, combining blistering guitar with thunderous drums and rumbling bass all over clean vocals that make you wonder just where these guys have been. Black Tide is playing Warped this summer; get tickets today.

Album Review: Swoon

now playing: Silversun Pickups - Dream at Tempo 119

I, like many others, first discovered LA's Silversun Pickups from their song "Lazy Eye" appearing in Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Two other songs from 2006's Carnavas, "Melatonin" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles", came out for Rock Band 2 shortly after; it was the latter that convinced me to give Carnavas a shot. It's not a move I regret in the slightest. When I found out that Silversun Pickups had another album in the works, I had to get my hands on it, and here we are with Swoon, their second full-length album, coming out on independent label Dangerbird.

It's clear from the first track that Silversun Pickups have spent the last three years working on their sound. While Carnavas had a few tracks that stood out, it never really clicked cohesively for me; Swoon, however, flows much better and is overall a much more accessible album. And yet for all that's changed, so much has stayed the same. For example, the strong bass lines that initially drew me to "Well Thought Out Twinkles" are still present, coming out most prominently in "Growing Old is Getting Old", "Catch & Release", and the first single, "Panic Switch". Vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert seems to have taken his singing down a notch, though: He has strayed from this strange sense of androgyny the first album had and now sounds like something that would do well on alt-rock radio in the mid-to-late 90s. The good thing is that this works very well in making Silversun Pickups more accessible and can only help their popularity from here.

Perhaps the greatest feat is how this album manages to sound almost mercurial at times and still be suited for almost everyone. Aubert makes a sport out of toying with the listener, switching from fantastically calm to face-rippingly chunky and aggressive from track to track and often even in the same song. This is nothing new to the band, of course; I'm just glad to see that that hasn't changed. See, for example, "Growing Old", which starts serene and halfway through turns into a sonic assault in the best way possible. But that's not the only way Swoon handles slower tracks; in fact, if the song starts calm, most of the time it will stay that way. That's something I really enjoy, because I've been waiting for a great album to relax to for a while. Easily half the tracks on Swoon fulfill that criterion.

Still, there are a few caveats. Swoon has a couple tracks that fall flat for me ("Draining", "Substitution"); in these cases, the songs sound too little like Silversun Pickups' previous work, which makes them seem out of place in the grand scheme of things. In some places, the breathing is too noticeable, which can annoy me if I focus on it for too long. My biggest worry is that all the songs clock in on the high end of four minutes at the shortest. Listeners might feel weighed down by the album or think that some tracks are dragging.

If you're looking for a distinct maturation in Silversun Pickups' sound, Swoon is the album for you. If you've never heard a single Silversun song before, I have to recommend this album likewise. It's a great introduction to the band and it easily rises to meet the expectations Carnavas set. I am also nominating it for the Chillest Album of the Year. B+

Swoon comes out April 14th. Preorder it now on Amazon or iTunes, and don't forget to check out the band's site to see what they've got planned. If you got tickets to Coachella, you can see Silversun Pickups there; otherwise, they're currently touring London.

100-Word Reviews: Bang Camaro

now playing: Taxpayer - Creatures of Habit

Boston-based Bang Camaro are the cockiest of cock rock and I love them for everything they do. With 22 members, 70% of them vocalists, it's hard to take a step in Boston and not run into a band associated with them. But I think my favorite part is their touring policy: If you're in town and know the songs, you can rock on stage as a member of Bang Camaro. I got to see a performance with a smaller cast at the Rock Band release party back in 2007; it rocked my face off. I suggest you do the same.

What I Can't Stop Listening To: March 2009

now playing: Coheed & Cambria - Feathers (Glitch Mob Remix)

Now that this blog is finally starting to pick up steam, I've decided to include a new offering in this monthly article. It's an offering that requires its very own disclaimer, no less! I've decided to start providing a direct download of the songs mentioned in this article, to be found at the end of the article. Disclaimer: I have no vested interest, monetary or otherwise, in providing these links outside of exposing the readers of this blog to new music. I have acquired everything I provide legally and encourage others to do the same. With that said, here are the five songs I can't stop listening to for March 2009.

05) Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow (Live at Neverender)

When I first heard about Coheed's four-night epic telling of their story, "No World for Tomorrow" was the song I was most looking forward to hearing. Long-time readers should know I'm a sucker for crowd callback sections, and with the first line of the chorus as "Raise your hands high!", well. I might be a pretty bad Coheed fan, since I've only really gotten into their later stuff, but good or bad doesn't matter when you can get together with 14,999 other fans and, simply put, rock the hell out. I just wish I could have been one of the lucky few to see it live. But now that the CD/DVD set is out, I can be (sort of), and so can you. Pick up Neverender: Children of the Fence Edition on Amazon or just go for the DVD set if you don't feel like dropping $100.

04) Falconer - Lord of the Blacksmiths

I wrote a little about this song in my 100-Word Review of the album, but not as much as I would have liked. This song starts with a meaty riff that turns into high-speed guitar work, adds a fantastic bass hook in the chorus, and uses the double bass drums to accentuate the story of Hephaestus, godly armorer and lord of the blacksmiths. "But wait!" I hear you say. "That's not enough!" All right, how about a hammer striking an anvil in the last chorus? Does that drive the point home? I hate using this word because the internet has ruined its original meaning, but this song is positively epic. Enjoy it with me, won't you? Then check out Falconer's debut album on iTunes or Amazon.

03) Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker

I pose to you a question, dear readers. Pat Benatar: Great female singer of the 80s or greatest female singer of the 80s? There is a right answer, and it is of course the latter. Some might say "Love is a Battlefield" or possibly even "Hell is for Children" is her best song, but to those people, I say YOU'RE THE RIGHT KIND OF SINNER TO RELEASE MY INNER FANTASY! THE INVINCIBLE WINNER AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE BORN TO PLEASE! As it should be obvious at this point that I have very little of substance to say about this song, let's just do the Amazon and iTunes plugs for In the Heat of the Night and move on, shall we?

02) van Canto - Fear of the Dark

With van Canto, I have possibly too much to say. Let's start with the obvious. Yes, this is a cover of Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark" as it first appeared on the 1992 album of the same name. What makes it special? van Canto is a band whose lineup comprises five vocalists and a drummer; that is to say, it's a cappella metal. I know, I barely thought it was possible, too, but these guys have filled a very selective niche very well. They have a few covers like this, including Metallica's "Battery" and "Wishmaster" by Nightwish, but most of their material is original. You can hear covers of Manowar, Blind Guardian, and Deep Purple alongside their original songs on Hero, available as an import on Amazon.

01) That 1 Guy - Buttmachine

This song by That 1 Guy apparently appeared on Weeds recently, but I don't watch that show, so I wouldn't know. I do know that he played a club in Boston recently and I am kicking myself for having missed it. That 1 Guy is a one-man band featuring Mike Silverman as That 1 Guy playing an enigmatic instrument known only as The Magic Pipe. Silverman constructs his songs as bizarrely as his instrument, and it works; "Buttmachine" is largely nonsensical, but still the greatest anthem to the gluteus since Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". His albums follow the same pattern: Songs in the Key of Beotch is one of the best titles I've heard, but The Moon is Disgusting is where you'll be able to find "Buttmachine" and ten other songs. Pick it up on Amazon or iTunes.

You can download all five of these songs here (39MB). I'd apologize for sendspace, but it's my only means right now. I'll be sure to maintain the link if it goes down.

That's all for March. April will bring reviews of Coheed's Neverender and The Ghost Hounds' Vintage Trouble; if we're lucky, we'll also see Drist's The Science of Misuse. Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.

Album Review: Give Me Back My Metaphors

now playing: The Sterns - Who Stole Your Drugs?

Okay, this one's probably cheating a little, since The Sterns' Give Me Back My Metaphors is a three-song EP, but I've been waiting for this release ever since I saw The Sterns live last October. Like I mentioned in my very first post, this quintet recently turned into a trio featuring the namesake Alex Stern on guitar and vocals, Emeen Zarookian on bass and vocals, and Zak Kahn on drums. I've talked with Emeen and Zak (the former is an employee at Harmonix Studios in Cambridge) and both of them seemed really excited to get this EP together. It doesn't take long to see why.

The title track opens with a killer bass line that moves seamlessly into the same kind of songwriting I've grown to love in this band. It's a sarcastic little song about a relationship, and it manages to rhyme "sympathetic" with "anesthetic". Track two, "Total Fitness", talks about a three-year affair between lovers who met at the gym and shows off some harmonies between Stern and Zarookian that remind me of the Police. And "Who Stole Your Drugs?" seems to be directed towards a couple different people who have done terrible things and blamed it on drugs. And how curious that those drugs are missing now.

Basically, what listeners can expect from this EP is more of a stripped-down sound, since their keyboardist is no longer there. But it's still the same Sterns from Sinners Stick Together; all the songwriting is in place (and has in fact improved), and the band seems just as psyched about these new songs as I am, so that's always a plus. I look forward to hearing the metaphors they've been holding back. A

Give Me Back My Metaphors is available on The Sterns' MySpace.

Album Review: American Soldier

now playing: Queensrÿche - Suite Sister Mary

I know this isn't Coheed & Cambria's Neverender as I said I would do, but thanks once again to my good friend Jordan "Hawk" Munson, Queensrÿche's latest album, American Soldier, was brought to my attention. I had to stop the Coheed review and do this instead. After all, I love prog, I love metal, and I love the 'Ryche. We'll return you to your regularly scheduled Neverender review sometime soon.

The biggest issue I have with any Queensrÿche release after 1990's Empire is that I will inevitably end up comparing it to the group's first concept album, Operation: Mindcrime, released in 1988. Mindcrime is my favorite of all the metal albums I own and I have said on more than one occasion that it is the greatest metal album ever made. I might be unfairly setting the bar way too high, but so far, I haven't heard a Queensrÿche album better than Mindcrime. Mindcrime II fell flat, and the less said about Q2K, the better.

And that brings us to Geoff Tate's latest brainchild. American Soldier is another stab at a concept album, this time with all the songs inspired by stories told to Tate by veterans. Sound clips of these stories are interspersed throughout the album in an attempt to evoke emotion. Unfortunately, it fails to do anything but bore me, quite honestly. Perhaps I'm not the intended audience for this album; perhaps I'm just too jaded at this point to care as much as I should. So the spoken word excerpts aren't for me. It's not like they're all the album is. Let's focus on the rest of the album.

It almost pains me to say this, but from the first couple songs, I could have sworn I was listening to a nu-metal album. If I took Tate's voice out of the mix, I could have heard any single one of these songs on top 40 radio five years ago alongside Disturbed and Slipknot. "Sliver", the opening track, even has channel-panning gang vocals, a mixed-down solo, and a breakdown. This, obviously, does not bode well for a band in the progressive metal genre. The first time I heard a song that could have stood up to the top 40 and shoved it down in an uncaring act of defiance, I was more than halfway through the album. Track 9, "Man Down!", has a powerful and bass-heavy leading riff that, unfortunately, disappears pretty quickly once the song gets going.

On that note, there are parts of songs that do stick out to me. "Man Down!" has the riff. There's a brief saxophone solo at the end of "Middle of Hell" that did surprise me, and the group chorus vocals on that same track definitely reminded me of the Empire era. By and large, though, the album is just bland. It's neither particularly good nor particularly bad, but it's certainly not the Queensrÿche I've come to know and love. If they really pulled all the good parts together, they might have enough for one song of their earlier caliber; two if they stretched it. If these guys plan to do another concept album, I'd like to hear a little less speaking and a little more "Speak". C-

American Soldier hits record stores on March 31st. You can pre-order it on Amazon or pick it up at Queensrÿche's official store. The American Soldier Tour kicks off on April 16th in Seattle; head here for tour dates and more information.