Deadly Eye Candy - 2008 Tales Of Terror and Suspense EP

Band : Deadly Eye Candy
Album : Tales Of Terror and Suspense EP
Release Year : 2008
Genre : Experimental | Metal | Freestyle

Tracklist :
1. 3 Centos and a Bottle of Moca Mola
2. Bernice Worden Vs 22 Caliber Rifle
3. Dial M For Murder
4. Tales Of Terror and Suspense
5. They Severed Head

This is my favorite local band, they're awesome!!
Deadly Eye Candy is an experimental quartet from Bogor, West Java.
Started as another band project by Mr.Chainshaw as the lead vocal with his local hometown mates. they are Sleep-O on bass, Hell Kid on guitar, and Big Momma on drums.
with their totally different musical background they decided to make an experimental metal band with so many genres mixed up.In one song they put heavy guitar riffs and some metal core beats and suddenly in the middle part they changed it into a danceable swing music or with some jazzy guitar riffs. And last but not least Mr. Chainsaw’s unique way of singing, screaming and growling has add a different taste to their musical style.
After months of experimenting on sounds and music, they decided to make their first EP, which was finally released on march 2008 by a local indie label from Jakarta called FASTYOUTH RECORDS. Their unique music and sound soon captured ears of teenagers on many major cities in Indonesia. On November 2007 they went on a Java - Bali tour with their hometown partner Last Pain, performing on big cities like Semarang, Surabaya, And their breathtaking closing act at Twice Bar- Kuta Bali.
Early on 2008 Sleep-O and Big Momma decided to leave the band to concentrate on other issues. They were replace by Kiddy Buddy on drums, a very talented young musician, and Kinky Val a cute female playing Bass.

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Cynic - 2012 The Portal Tapes

Band : Cynic

Album : The Portal Tapes

Release Year : 2012

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Jazz | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Endless Endeavors
2. Karma's Plight
3. Circle
4. Costumed in Grace
5. Cosmos
6. Crawl Above
7. Mirror Child
8. Road to You
9. Belong
10. Not the Same

When Cynic released their debut album, Focus, way back in 1993 the musical landscape was much different. The experimentation that we all take for granted was not so prominent back then and metal, in particular, was not to be diluted by any other genres. This left Cynic and their blend of death metal, prog, jazz and new age in a very tough position. When it came to Focus, the average metal fan was totally lost and even their label didn’t know how to promote them. Obviously, nobody at Roadrunner Records has ever admitted to their completely inept attempts at marketing the band, but there could be no other explanation for sending them on tour with artists such as Cannibal Corpse -- and not the current incarnation; we’re talking the Chris Barnes-fronted “I Cum Blood” version of the band. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the band’s next step was to simply throw their hands up in the air and give up. This lead to a majority of the band ‘reforming’ as Portal – a collaboration that lasted just long enough to record a demo before disbanding.

Anyone that has ever had the chance to hear the demo knows that old-school Cynic fans would have been shocked if it had been released back in 1994. Oddly enough, though, following behind the release of Carbon-Based Anatomy, The Portal Tapes album actually blends seamlessly with Cynic’s current direction (almost sounding as though it really did come afterwards). It continues the band’s focus on creating otherworldly soundscapes through the use of cold layers of synth, progressive/laid-back guitar melodies and chill, almost abstract, vocal deliveries. It also continues to display drummer Sean Reinert’s ability to dazzle with his percussive abilities despite the mellow nature of the music. There is also what one could call a progression from Carbon-Based Anatomy to this release (despite the latter coming before the former) through the band’s increased use of female vocals. When Portal was conceived, female vocalist Aruna Abrams was brought in to do the majority of the vocals and she is a perfect fit. Her crisp vocal delivery is the perfect complement to Jason Gobel’s relaxed approach. Her vocals are just as mellow as his are, but with his voice occupying the middle range and hers moving more towards the upper register, they combine to create a full, rich vocal experience.

Given Cynic’s current musical endeavors, it’s hard not to look at The Portal Tapes as the next logical progression in their sound -- this despite the fact that The Portal Tapes are nearly twenty years old. It’s almost as though the band have finally come full circle and they ended up exactly where they wanted to be way back in 1994. The music is relaxed and very atmospheric, relying as much on the varying layers of melody as on the dual-vocal approach of Jason Gobel and a female vocalist (just like now). It also makes as much use of experimental sounds and ideas as it does the core guitar/bass/drum approach (just like now). Also, the metal and death growls have been relegated to the past in favor of a much more pure, progressive formula that does its best to not be forced into any particular genre (just like… okay, you get the point). And last, The Portal Tapes maintain the band’s high standards and quirky approach to their own unique style of music – just like now! -Trey Spencer (Sputnikmusic)

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D S O - 2012 Pandora's Piñata

Band : Diablo Swing Orchestra

Album : Pandora's Piñata

Release Year : 2012

Genre : Avant-Garde Metal | Progressive | Experimental

 

Tracklist :

1. Voodoo mon amour
2. Guerilla laments
3. Kevlar sweethearts
4. How to organise a lynch mob
5. Black box messiah
6. Exit strategy of a wrecking ball
7. Aurora
8. Mass rapture
9. Honey trap aftermath
10. Of Kali Ma calibre
11. Justice for Saint Mary

 

Pandoras Pinata is the third album from Swedish band Diablo Swing Orchestra. Diablo Swing Orchestra are one of those bands that can't be descibed easily (if at all) as they really don't fit into any normal musical genre or category. I can imagine if you taught the inmates of a lunatic asylum to play and sing the results would be more normal than this - DSO really is quite utterly crazy music, but its also absolutely brilliant. The old saying says that there is a fine line between genius and insanity, and Diablo Swing Orchestra are proof of that - what they produce would sound insane if you descrbe it, but when you hear it then it becomes clear that its a work of genius. Really fucking great album, you should listen to this!! Highly recommended!!!

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Indricothere - 2008 Indricothere

Band : Indricothere

Album : Indricothere

Release Year : 2008

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. II
2. V
3. IV
4. I
5. III

Indricothere is Colin Marston (Krallice, Dysrhythmia, Behold… the Arctopus, Gorguts). The sole recordings that make up the Indricothere LP were tracked on a computer in a dorm room when Colin was in college, long before his time in any of the aforementioned bands.

To say that there’s a lot to take in over the album’s 5 tracks (with the longest topping out at 9:28) would be a gross understatement. Some of this stuff makes current math-metal stalwarts like The Dillinger Escape Plan look staid and conventional by comparison. Indricothere scrambles between what seems like an endless succession of churning, hyperspeed riffs (usually death, but there are some thrashy bits scattered through) and slow, crumbling stomps. Strains of other genres occasionally rocket to the surface of the maelstrom, whether it’s the loops of mutating prog at the core of track 4, or the dreamlike acoustic folk that ripples through track 5. But mostly, this is just relentless, channel-surfing brutality, and everything is performed at an insane level of precision (or a precise level of insanity). The production is terrific, allowing each of the elements to stand on their own even as they try to out-spaz each other.

Impressive as it is, this is kind of thing that will either enthrall you with its ingenuity, or annoy you with its capriciousness. As with most heavily fragmented technical metal, the more you put into it, the less jarring and erratic it will become (expect many many listens to get to that point). However, I do think there is a line between unpredictability and just plain chaos, and this brings up a larger question of what actually defines a song. To bring up an example, I think this year’s Gigan release, while also sharing Indricothere‘s dissonant, volatile psychosis, knew when to pull away and let a song breathe, so that it became easier to “chunk” into memory. You’ll have a harder time doing that with this release. I suppose the easiest solution is just to liken this to jazz, and while nothing here directly smacks of that genre, it does share its protean, self-referencing creativity.

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Tool - 2005 Lateralus 2LP (Limited Edition Vinyl)

Band : Tool

Album : Lateralus 2LP (Limited Edition Vinyl)

Release Year : 2005

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Experimental

Tracklist :

101. "The Grudge"
102. "Eon Blue Apocalypse"
103. "The Patient"
104. "Mantra"
105. "Schism"
106. "Parabol"
107. "Parabola"
108. "Ticks & Leeches"
201. "Lateralus"
202. "Disposition"
203. "Reflection"
204. "Triad"
205. "Faaip de Oiad"


Lateralus (/lætərˈælɪs/) is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for sales of 60,000 in the UK. On August 23, 2005, Lateralus was released as a limited edition two-picture-disc vinyl LP in a holographic gatefold package. Lateralus was ranked #123 on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200" list.

Lateralus emerged after a five-year legal dispute with Tool's label, Volcano Entertainment. In January 2001, the band announced that their new album's title would be Systema Encéphale and provided a 12-song tracklist with titles such as "Riverchrist", "Numbereft", "Encephatalis", "Musick", and "Coeliacus". File-sharing networks such as Napster were flooded with bogus files bearing the titles' names. At the time, Tool members were outspokenly critical of file-sharing networks in general due to the negative impact on artists that are dependent on success in record sales to continue their career. Keenan had this to say during an interview with NY Rock in 2000, "I think there are a lot of other industries out there that might deserve being destroyed. The ones who get hurt by MP3s are not so much companies or the business, but the artists, people who are trying to write songs." A month later, the band revealed that the new album was actually titled Lateralus (supposedly named in combination with the words "Vastus lateralis", a human leg muscle and lateral thinking) and that the name Systema Encéphale and the tracklist had been a ruse.

Lateralus and the corresponding tours would take Tool a step further toward art-rock and progressive rock territory. Rolling Stone wrote in an attempt to summarize the album that "Drums, bass and guitars move in jarring cycles of hyperhowl and near-silent death march... The prolonged running times of most of Lateralus' thirteen tracks are misleading; the entire album rolls and stomps with suitelike purpose." Joshua Klein of The A.V. Club in turn expressed his opinion that Lateralus, with its 79-minute running time and relatively complex and long songs — topped by the ten-and-a-half minute music video for "Parabola" — posed a challenge to fans and music programming alike. Drummer Danny Carey said, "The manufacturer would only guarantee us up to 79 minutes... We thought we'd give them two seconds of breathing room." Carey aspired to create longer songs like those by artists he grew up listening to. The band had segues to place between songs, but had to cut out a lot during the mastering phase. The CD itself was mastered using HDCD technology.

Just as Salival was initially released with several errors on the track listing, early pressings of Lateralus had the ninth track incorrectly spelled as "Lateralis". The original title of "Reflection" was "Resolution" before being changed three months prior to the album's release.

The track listing is altered on the vinyl edition, with "Disposition" appearing at track 8. Because of the long running time, the double vinyl edition could not be released like the disc since the songs would not fit on each disc side in that order. By moving "Disposition" to an earlier point, the sides were balanced and could fit the material. However, this edit breaks the segue that occurs between "Disposition" and "Reflection" which, along with "Triad", are often grouped together.

Two of the singles from the album, "Parabola" and "Schism", are featured in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.

The album was a commercial success in the United States, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in its debut week. Well-received by both fans and most critics, it was named Kerrang!'s album of the year in 2001, and the band received the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Schism". During the band's acceptance speech, drummer Carey stated that he would like to thank his parents "for putting up with [him]", and bassist Justin Chancellor concluded, "I want to thank my dad for doing my mom."

NutSie.com ranks the drumming performance by Danny Carey on the song "Ticks & Leeches" number three on their list of Top 100 Rock Drum Performances.

Overall, Lateralus was critically well received and its complexity provoked many responses akin to what Ryan Rayhil of Spin magazine had to say about the album, calling it a "monolithic puzzlebox".

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As I Lay Dying - 2011 Decas

Band : As I Lay Dying

Album : Decas

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Melodic | Metal | Metalcore

Tracklist :

 01. Paralyzed
02. From Shapeless To Breakable
03. Moving Forward
04. War Ensemble (Slayer Cover)
05. Hellion (Judas Priest Cover)
06. Electric Eye (Judas Priest Cover)
07. Coffee Mug (Descendents Cover)
08. Beneath The Encasing Of Ashes (Re-Recorded Medley)
09. The Blinding of False Light (Innerpartysystem Remix)
10. Wrath Upon Ourselves (Benjamin Weinman Remix)
11. Confined (Kelly "Carnage" Cairns Remix)
12. Elegy (Big Chocolate Remix)

Decas celebrates the 10-year anniversary of metalcore stalwarts As I Lay Dying. The EP contains three new songs, four covers, four remixes, and a re-recorded medley track. The new songs sound similar to those on the the band’s last full length release, The Powerless Rise: “Paralyzed” is filled with melodic guitar hooks, pummeling verses, and a soaring chorus. The one standout is “From Shapeless to Breakable,” which is a much less melodic, heavier, and quicker track, featuring blast beats and frenzied shredding. Of the covers, the band’s rendition of “War Ensemble” by always anti-religious speed-metal legends Slayer is particularly good (although slightly ironic coming from this vocally Christian band), as they reinvigorate the thrash standard with a new level of heaviness. The remixes, meanwhile, aren’t exactly noteworthy. The “Confined” remix, in particular, seems almost like a mockery of the band’s classic song, slowing its tempo and adding cheesy synths. Nevertheless, As I Lay Dying fans will enjoy the EP’s new material and covers. Happy 10th anniversary, guys. -DAVID McKENNA

 

 

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Cynic - 2011 Carbon-Based Anatomy EP

Band : Cynic

Album : Carbon-Based Anatomy EP

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Jazz | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Amidst The Coals
2. Carbon-Based Anatomy
3. Bija!
4. Box Up My Bones
5. Elves Beam Out
6. Hieroglyph

When CYNIC finally returned after 15 years of absence since the release of their legendary debut “Focus” (1993) with “Traced in Air” (2008) they did so with enormous success. Raving reviews and high sales catapulted the US band onto all major festivals and back to the forefront of progressive Metal music. Now CYNIC embark on a musical journey that will considerably widen their audience with “Carbon-Based Anatomy”. By moving carefully away from the Progressive Death Metal formula, which they helped to establish, the Americans create more open sounds that include 70s-inspired Prog Rock, Shoegaze, Tribal Folk and futuristic alien shapes. This development was heralded by the experimental EP “Re-Traced” (2010), which their huge fan-base eagerly adapted and praised. Primal and direct, haunting and hymnal, this is CYNIC's most immediate and urgent offering to date!

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Mastodon - 2011 The Hunter

Band : Mastodon

Album : The Hunter

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Sludge

Tracklist :

1 Black Tongue
2 Curl of the Burl
3 Blasteroid
4 Stargasm
5 Octopus Has No Friends
6 All the Heavy Lifting
7 The Hunter
8 Dry Bone Valley
9 Thickening
10 Creature Lives
11 Spectrelight
12 Bedazzled Fingernails
13 The Sparrow

Mastodon have never gone the safe route. Herman Melville's Moby Dick, human-eating tree people, Rasputin, Stephen Hawking, wormholes - topics that aren't exactly the stuff of metalhead dreams, but they've all informed the band's ambitious string of concept albums. And so it comes as a bit of a surprise, on the band's fifth studio release, The Hunter, that the Atlanta-based quartet tackle the concept of...nothing. Or, in other words, anything and everything - wherever their fertile, mind-expanded little minds want to roam. Which, as it turns out, is pretty damn far, indeed, as one listen to the new LP bears out.

While adopting a blissful, scattershot thematic approach, the group - bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor - have sharpened their instrumental attack, one which still manages to straddle the line between hardcore, blitzing metal and progressive rock but now does so, in many cases, within the confines of three minute-songs. Three minutes? Wow, that's pop-tune length! How can any band switch things up so dramatically in such time? Mastodon can, and they do so effortlessly, seamlessly... They play it as it lays, and it's not a sacrifice, it's where the day takes them.

In a further break with tradition, the band, who previously worked with rock stalwarts Brendan O'Brien and Matt Bayles, opted to have Mike Elizondo, whose credits include Eminem and 50 Cent, helm The Hunter - and the results are magnificent. All of the group's mind-melting riffs and rhythms are intact, and if anything, they're magnified, glorified, made somehow more ginormous. It's Mastodon made digestible for the whole world...and the world just might be the better for it. -Joe Bosso

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Cynic - 2004 Focus [Remaster]

Band : Cynic

Album : Focus [Remaster]

Release Year : 2004

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Jazz | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Veil of Maya
2. Celestial Voyage
3. The Eagle Nature
4. Sentiment
5. I'm But a Wave to
6. Uroboric Forms
7. Textures
8. How Could I

Bonus tracks:
9. Veil of Maya (2004 remix)
10. I'm But a Wave to: (=)
11. How Could I (=)
12. Cosmos (1994 Portal)
13. The Circle's Gone (=)
14. Endless Endeavors (=)

All tracks: Cynic. Engineered by S. Burns.
Produced by Cynic, S. Burns, & T. Burleigh.

LINE-UP:
Paul Masvidal - guitar, g-synth; vocals
Sean Malone - bass, Chapman Stick
Sean Reinert - drums; keyboards
Jason Gobel - guitar, g-synth

With (12 to 14):
Aruna Abrams - keyboards; vocals
Chris Kringel - bass
         

Prolusion. Roadrunner Records continues to reissue masterworks from the glorious past of Prog-Metal. Here is the new version of one of the greatest pearls ever released in the history of the genre, CYNIC's "Focus", which includes enlarged booklet with lots of photographs, additional artwork and new liner notes. The CD is packaged in a pasteboard box and features bonus tracks never before available, which I would have renamed "Focus Expanded". (Roadrunner Remasters series)

Synopsis. This update turned out to be abundant in positive reviews, and I am really happy about this, even though, as I mentioned once before, it's not that easy to properly depict music, which possesses a lot of values and is free of any flaws, like in this very case, several days running, so some reiterations are inevitable. "Focus" is a completely unique album, the stylistics of which represents a mobile blend of Techno Metal, Thrash, and Jazz-Fusion with elements of Art-Rock and the bits of Grindcore (in some vocal parts only) and is both highly innovative and progressive. The musical world of Cynic is a test for anyone considering himself a connoisseur in Prog-Metal. This is an exceptionally eccentric music, the construction of which is beyond the common forms typical, say, for academic Prog-Metal. Cynic's "Focus" is that rare case when, while listening to music, I recall non-Euclidean spheres. Where parallel lines can easily cross each other, and discords create an amazingly coherent harmony. The arrangements are very eclectic and are completely unpredictable, filled with cascades of unusual, rapid, fantastically virtuosi solos and riffs of electric and semi-acoustic guitars, often via guitar synth, bass and Stick, crossing each other by seemingly impossible parabolas to the accompaniment of highly intricate drumming. A wide-variety of different musical directions: familiar, quasi-virtual and surrealistic, all being totally progressive, intermix with each other to form a mosaic, which is both queer and perfect, the alternation of reasonably brutal (black rather than death) and melodic vocals of various colors and shades by Masvidal, who is a true chameleon singer.

Kaleidoscope is the word. All this is typical for each of the eight songs on the album. Regarding stylistics, however, there are some particularities, and they concern the last two of them. On Textures Jazz-Fusion prevails, as a result of which this composition sounds softer, yet, not the least bit less intricate than the others. Thanks to the active use of keyboards, How Could I is rich in symphonic elements in addition. Just listen to the lush synthesizer intro to the song and the excellent fast Hammond-like solo done in the context of the band's joint arrangements at the end of it. By the way, on the 2004 remix of How Could I that solo is vastly prolonged, the factual outro features excellent improvisations on Stick, and the intro is changed as well. Interesting. There are some changes on the other two remixes, but they aren't striking, save the sound. After Sean Malone left Cynic, Paul Masvidal decided to rename the band to Portal, and also to change a musical direction. So as to the last three tracks on the CD, they present our heroes being joined by new bassist Chris Kringel and Aruna Abrams on vocals and keyboards. The music is a blend of Cathedral Metal and Art-Rock with two, female and male, lead singers usually alternating each other, with more keyboards, and with some 'modern' sense in places. The best among these is the 10-minute Endless Endeavors, richly flavored with the Eastern motifs. The new material has little in common with Cynic, which is just logical, but while it's less intricate, this is still a high-quality Progressive, equally original and interesting, and its addition to the CD is essential in my view.

Conclusion. Cynic is one of those few brilliant bands and performers who pioneered uniting such seemingly incompatible styles as Prog-Metal and Jazz-Fusion: Sieges Even, Watchtower, Atheist, John Zorn, to name just a few. Besides, Cynic reached the heights that none of the other artists working in this genre had set foot on before them. Don't miss this masterpiece on any account. Finally, if you like "Focus", I strongly urge you to pay your attention to King Diamond, starting with his famous dilogy "Them" and "Conspiracy". You'll love it!  -progressor.net

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Marty Eason - 2011 Lazy Bones

Band : Marty Eason

Album : Lazy Bones

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Freestyle | Experimental

Tracklist :

01 Crack Rock and Rolls
02 Out of Service
03 Chuck's Medicine
04 Accidental Offspring
05 Pretending To Be Cool
06 Witch Hunt
07 Float

Marty Eason are a solo project from Marty Eason. He's coming from Carrollton, GA. A 21 years old, and he's been playing guitar for six years and producing music since 2008. He like to play every instrument and music he can get a hold of, and he always down to jam with musicians unafraid to go all out.

Lazy Bones is an experimental, heavy and groovy musical venture. There's a lot influences here on this EP, from Progressive metal to freestyle jazz etc. If you really dig with an experimental music, you should try this one!! I don't know what to say again about this one, you better listen it by yourself, this dude is sick!! And thanks to Marty to sharing his music project here!! Well, enjoy!!

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You can also check Marty's jam band called Cosmic Extract. Cosmic Extract are a two piece jam band from Carrollton, Georgia. Making funky, groovy jams. Visit their Facebook page, and get their Discography on Bandcamp. Enjoy!!!

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THOU - 2011 The Archer & The Owle

Band : THOU

Album : The Archer & The Owle

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Doom | Sludge | Metal

Tracklist :

01 - Voices in the Wilderness

02 - Something In The Way (Nirvana Cover)

03 - Summit Reprise

04 - Bonnet Carré

05 - Cold World (Pygmy Lush cover)

06 - There There (Pygmy Lush cover)

Recorded throughout the turn of the decade, THOU deliver another potent 40 minutes of triumphant doom-laden sludge fury. Atypical heavyness to say the least, the ultra-crushing sound THOU has become known for is subtly enhanced by unique elements ala piano, atmospheric noise, horns, double bass and several re-envisioned cover songs for keen ears to decipher. Along with otherwise unreleased "Summit"-era material, this lengthy EP contains THOU's original half of the now postponed split release with PYGMY LUSH, oddly inspiring the band to then cover two tracks by their collaborators' latest work. Its all spice added to the overall stunning effect of a truly visionary band; intelligent commentary atop six massive tracks of absolutely bludgeoning music. Comes on color vinyl housed in a beautiful spot-glossed "tip-on" classic style gatefold LP jacket, this is yet another brick in THOU's ever-strengthening wall of spite and menace. -throatruinerrecords

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Aliases - 2011 Safer Than Reality EP

Band : Aliases
Album : Safer Than Reality EP
Release Year : 2011
Genre : Progressive | Mathcore | Metal | Experimental

Tracklist :

01. What’s Left For Us?
02. The Reality of Beliefs
03. We Never Should Have Met
04. Refraction
05. All That Glitters is Gold
06. While I Drown
07. The Beginning Has No End
08. Sirens

Aliases is a 5 piece tech / progressive metal band based in Manchester, UK. It's a new band founded by former Sikth guitarist Pin. His former band made quite an impression back in the day and it’s often cited as one of sources of inspiration for the current “djent” movement.

Safer Than Reality is still a very intense effort, despite the more song orientated approach. “All That Glitters”, “Sirens” and “What’s Left For Us” as just as ferocious as Sikth in their prime. Short interludes like “Refraction” and “The Beginning Has No End” form a welcome relief from the overall onslaught that is Safer Than Reality. Another highlight are the vocals provided by Jay Berast. His growls, screams and clean vocals form the perfect counterbalance to the guitar antics by Leah Woodward and Pin himself. “The Reality Of Beliefs” and “We Never Should Have Met” are two other shining examples of what Aliases is capable of.

 

Production-wise there’s nothing to complain about Safer Than Reality. The dry and in-your-face sound give this album some additional venom.Safer Than Reality is a very promising and mature debut EP. The overall performance is as tight as helland the songs are memorable as well.

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Mastodon - 2004 Leviathan (Special Edition)

Band : Mastodon

Album : Leviathan (Special Edition)

Release Year : 2004

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Sludge

Tracklist :

1. "Blood and Thunder" (Feat. Neil Fallon)
2. "I Am Ahab"
3. "Seabeast"
4. "Ísland"
5. "Iron Tusk"
6. "Megalodon"
7. "Naked Burn"
8. "Aqua Dementia" (Feat. Scott Kelly)
9. "Hearts Alive"
10. "Joseph Merrick"

Bonus Audio DVD
1. "Naked Burn" (5.1 Surround Sound)
2. "Aqua Dementia" (5.1 Surround Sound)
3. "Hearts Alive" (5.1 Surround Sound)
4. "Where Strides the Behemoth" (Live)
5. "Battle at Sea" (Live)
6. "Thank You for This / We Built This Come Death" (Live)
7. "Crusher Destroyer" (Live)

Leviathan is a concept album by progressive metal band Mastodon, released in 2004 by Relapse Records. The album is loosely based on the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick, with the songs: "Iron Tusk", "Blood and Thunder", "I Am Ahab" and "Seabeast" released as singles. Three magazines awarded it Album of the Year in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.
Leviathan was also released with an Audio DVD in a limited edition set with a black and gold slipcase. The album brought Mastodon great critical acclaim and, thanks to the ensuing tour, a considerably larger fan base. Leviathan had sold 103,000 copies by September, 2006. Guitarist Bill Kelliher considers this album to represent the water element.

Musically speaking, Leviathan simply scores across the span of the heavy metal menu. The guitar work employed swivels and rolls effortlessly in and out of divergent styles--- thrash, progressive, melodic death, NWoBHM, southern prog, and even the sporadic foray into the types of scale work used in neo-classical. The compositional texture is rather like what might occur if the various styles used in heavy metal formed a musical coalition of sorts, not separate, but equal. Even still, these are masterfully synthesized by Mastodon into something distinct to the ears of even the most jaded listener, revealing a fresh and novel approach. The sound is hard, but refined. The arrangements are complex, yet maintain a savage and raw feel. Few take the time to appreciate just what sort of task, by implication, the production of Leviathan itself involved, by way of sound mix and mastering.  Respectively, Matt Bayles and Alan Douches should be regarded as names to look out for, based upon the exquisite performance they gave, behind the controls of Leviathan.

One final note - drummer Brann Dailor's snare fills on Leviathan deserve special mention. He has a very precise technique and the way he intersperses quick little bass drum licks with fluid, single stroke snare rolls is beyond impressive - it is awe-inspiring. At times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Mastodon's Leviathan is one monster of a record... 

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Stolen Babies - 2006 There Be Squabbles Ahead

Band : Stolen Babies

Album : There Be Squabbles Ahead
Release Year : 2006
Genre : Metal | Experimental

Tracklist :

1 Spill!
2 Awful Fall
3 Filistata
4 A Year of Judges
5 So Close
6 Tablescrap
7 Swint? or Slude?
8 Mind Your Eyes
9 Lifeless
10 Tall Tales
11 Push Button
12 Gathering Fingers
13 The Button Has Been Pushed

Upon discovering this band "Stolen Babies", I didn't quite know what to think. And as I tried to pinpoint exactly what it was that was pulsatiing through my eardrums, I really began to find myself at a loss for words. Most of the musical gurus label this band as metal, and yet that is such a vague categorization of such a confusing yet rewarding band. With elements of ska, punk, industrial, cabaret, and just about any other genre you feel like throwing in there...it becomes very evident that this band's music makes for a unique journey.

In fact, upon looking at them, you might be mistaken that you are in fact looking at a circus. Either that, or the Dresden Dolls added a few more members. Dressed from head to toe like mimes...and at times in other strange accessories. And there stands the beautiful lead vocalist, her name slipping from my mind at the moment, accordian in hand. What is this freak show they are trying to present?

Well, There Be Squabbles Ahead is one masterfully written album. Each and every song is crafted to near perfection, and manages to be unique and yet incredibly catchy at the same time. And even at times, heavy in nature. It's an undeniably catchy pop album wrapped in a fascinating metal/cabaret package, making it both aggressive and easy on the ears. It's Sleepytime Gorilla Museum collaborating with The Dresden Dolls to make an incredibly strange musical concoction. That's one way to describe it. In many ways, it's rather hard to describe it in words alone, you just have to listen for yourself.

If I am failing to fully give you a grasp to the general sound of this album, I am sorry...but it's certainly hard to describe such an interesting release. The closest bands you will find to this fall into the "avant garde" genre of metal. It's a more contained version of Unexpect, with some resembling that of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, however not quite as far out there as those bands. It's definately a bit poppier than those bands, but experimental in it's own right, and they have certainly created a unique sound all of their own, one that I can see them growing with and someday building quite a big fan base with. It has so much to please so many fans of so many different genres. This is something special, and although they aren't playing sold out arenas across the globe, it doesn't make their sound any less grandoise or epic.

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Burning Flame - 2010 Sky of hate and damned

Band : Burning Flame

Album : Sky of hate and damned
Release Year : 2010

Genre : Hardcore | Metal

Tracklist : 

01. We Just Ordinary People with Amazing Sins.
02. Bullet never lies.
03. Something’s wrong (Rearrangement song).

Burning Flame is a metal band from East Jakarta and Depok, Indonesia,  which was established in May 2004. Burning Flame has just released their EP Album entitled “Sky of Hate and Damned” in 2010. Their EP Album contains 3 songs were sold on Theories Damn Fest event at IDR 5000, and the money from the sale of the EP Album was donated to victims of natural disasters that occurred in Indonesia. After the print version of the EP Album has sold out, this EP Album was distributed for free via the Internet.
Their EP Album tells a story about the human condition that doesn’t escape the hatred and the wrath of God who created ‘em.

Based on three songs above, Burning Flame wraps their songs with the feel of a thick metal. Guitar & bass guitar riff that sounds solid, nicely structured with a clear intonation tone. Accompanied by drumming which varied from one song to other songs and vocals that sounded clear punctuated by shouts that show emotion in their songs.

In addition to the ability of members, they are also supported by the people who are experienced behind ‘em. The people behind this EP Album also have a big influence in helping Burning Flame create a slick sound. This EP Album was recorded in the Red Studio, Bandung with Cepy as an operator. They make the process of mixing and mastering in Evenflow Home Recording, Bandung with Indra Severus as an operator.

This EP Album is the first step of the full length album due to be completed in 2011. Burning Flame is in studio now, writing and recording for their full length album materials. Let us pray for them in order to complete their full length album with satisfactory results.

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Damned Spring Fragrantia - 2011 Damned Spring Fragrantia EP

Band : Damned Spring Fragrantia

Album : Damned Spring Fragrantia EP

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Progressive | Metal | Mathcore

Tracklist :

1 - Breathe
2 - Clarity
3 - Suspended
4 - Renaissance
5 - Unconcerned

DSF were born as a collective with the pourpose of spreading their own idea of composing and playing music.
The course of events made them changing lineup several times, until they reached the necessary balance to record and have their first EP out.
Well, check this one out!!

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Cradle of Filth - 2005 Nymphetamine (Special Edition)

Band : Cradle of Filth

Album : Nymphetamine (Special Edition)

Release Year : 2005

Genre : Black Metal | Symphonic | Metal

Tracklist :

Disc 1
01.Satyriasis
02.Gilded Cunt
03.Nemesis
04.Gabrielle
05.Absinthe With Faust
06.Nymphetamine (Overdose)
07.Painting Flowers White Never Suited My Palettes
08.Medusa And Hemlock
09.Coffin Fodder
10.English Fire
11.Filthy Little Secret
12.Swansong For A Raven
13.Mother Of Abominations
14.Nymphetamine Fix [Bonus Track]

Disc 2
01.Devil Woman (Cliff Richard cover)
02.Soft White Throat
03.Bestial Lust (Bitch) (Bathory cover)
04.Prey
05.Nymphetamine (Jezebel Fix)
06.Mr. Crowley (Ozzy Osbourne cover)

There’s plenty of debate as to whether the move to release special editions of album some time after their initial release date is a benefit to anyone (Especially die hard fans who have already bought the album on the day of release), and when it comes to Roadrunner Records, the practice seems to be the standard rather than the exception.
So as you would expect, five months after its official release, Cradle Of Filth’s sixth’s full length release Nymphetamine has once again be reissued (To coincide with the bands European tour), this time as an expanded double disc effort.
To recap, Cradle Of Filth’s Nymphetamine (Stemming from the two words nymphette and amphetamine, and playing on the conundrum of something that’s both beautiful and addictive at the same time) was a glorious return to form for the band.

Tracks such as the orchestrated ‘Satyriasis’ (Featuring ‘Hellraiser’ star Doug Bradley), the straight ahead black metal aggression of ‘Gilded Cunt’, ‘Absinthe With Faust’, ‘Coffin Fodder’ and ‘Medusa And Hemlock’, and the grandiose ‘Nymphetamine Overdose’ (Featuring Leaves Eyes/ex-Theatre Of Tragedy’s Liv Kristine on co-lead vocals) all stood out as the albums darkest and most depraved moments.
While special editions rarely add to their main counterparts, Cradle Of Filth (Or Roadrunner Records I should say) has always prided themselves in their expanded editions, and Nymphetamine is no different.
The first of the six new tracks is the long talked about cover of Sir Cliff Richard’s 1976 hit ‘Devil Woman’. Although originally recorded during sessions for 2003’s Damnation And A Day, the song has been given a reworking since, with legendary vocalist King Diamond collaborating with vocalist Dani Filth, with exceptional (Not to mention surprisingly melodic) results.

Originally a Japanese bonus track on Nymphetamine, Bathory’s ‘Bestial Lust (Bitch)’ (From 1995’s The Return) is given a worthy Cradle Of Filth overhaul, while Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Mr Crowley’ (From 1980’s Blizzard Of Ozz) seems to aim in the right direction, but is a little wide of it’s target with it’s slowed down pace.
The two new compositions ‘Prey’ and ‘Soft White Throat’ very much fit into the realm of their last album’s sound and design, while the original version of ‘Nymphetamine (Jezebel Deva Fix)’ finally shows the contrast between Sarah Jezebel Deva and Liv Kristine talents. Which one is better is really up to personal choice, but it’s great to hear Deva’s operatic vocals back within Cradle Of Filth’s music.
Apart from the bonus tracks, the expanded edition also has some extended artwork included (Which adds up to around three new pictures), as well as the stunning promotional video clip for ‘Nymphetamine’.

From a fans point of view, this re-release is somewhat of a disappointment (As they’ve most likely bought the album already), but from the marketing angle, the additional second disc only makes Nymphetamine all the more addictive.

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Merkabah - 2011 Lyonesse

Band : Merkabah

Album : Lyonesse

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Metal | Jazzcore | Freestyle | Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Narwhals
2. Deconstruction Mass
3. The Occultation

Polish avant band. Partitures of post-hardcore, free-jazz and noise-rock with abstract maths, broken by improvisation and free form, all in the court of the crimson king.

The second ep of the trio, this time live (in order of quality, do not worry). The first ep in 2010. The band therefore not idle, and even Rumour has it  that the  cut is already a full-length  material.
Long, complex, or even complicated and broken compositions  do not  give the listener  a break. What throws up immediately in your ears  is ... saxophone. Relatively classical instruments  the band decided to extend it just a wind instrument. The combination of  the sound  the crowd  (and the seeming chaos of madness) with a saxophone can invoke various associations.  It seems that the trio (or, and much more) created a fairly original and their sound. LP should confirm this.
This music is a pretty good idea but pretty and technology is something else. Emotions. And that's a rarity.

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Between The Buried And Me - 2011 The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (EP)

Band : Between the Buried and Me

Album : The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (EP)

Release Year : 2011

Genre : Progressive / Metal / Experimental

Tracklist :

1. Specular Reflection

2. Augment of Rebirth

3. Lunar Wilderness

Progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me is quite a polarizing force in the metal genre. Many claim that their music is top of the line progressive metal, while others identify them as infamous wankers with no real song structures. I previously identified myself with the latter; BtBaM normally tend to spiral off into frivolous “songs” that cram as many dissonant notes into 10 minutes as possible.
However, with their newest EP “The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues,” Between the Buried and Me craft a great EP. Here more of a focus is placed on legitimate song structures that evolve and truly immerse the listener. For the most part, the instrumentalists decide NOT to act on their virtuosic skills, instead building a strong rhythmic base not necessarily found on past albums.

This strong rhythm base is much needed after the mind-numbing metal sections of Colors and The Great Misdirect. Here the guitar riffs actually sound inspired, for the most part. Some riffs even have a bit of groove, straying from their usual adoration of inhuman time signatures.
What strikes me most about this album is the diversity of it. No, not the ridiculous Colors “diversity,” here the music presents an amalgamation of soft and heavy sections that actually serve real purposes. The excellent clean breaks in “Specular Reflection” soothe the listener's ears after the full-on assault that the first few minutes provide. Through the 1st and 3rd track we are treated to excellent clean sections that can even be atmospheric at times. An example of this is Lunar Wilderness, a truly stellar track that treads grounds I would have never expected from BtBaM.

However, the album is far from perfect. The frustratingly dull centerpiece track “Augment of Rebirth” brings absolutely nothing new to the adorned prog-metal table. It merely retreads the rough grounds that Colors already misstepped on. However, that might be a bit unfair; the second half of the song is pleasing to some extent. Another issue lies with the awkward track placement; the longest song is placed at the beginning of the EP while the shortest song at the end. This breaks up the album somewhat. Lastly, some moments seem to blatantly thieve past albums; listen to the Swim to the Moon-esque section in “Specular Reflection” and the Ants of the Sky clone opening for “Augment of Rebirth.”

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Fleshwrought - 2010 Dementia/Dyslexia

Band : Fleshwrought

Album : Dementia/Dyslexia

Release Year : 2010

Genre : Metal / Progressive / Experimental

Tracklist :

01. Mental Illness
02. Inner Thoughts
03. Programming the Herds
04. Weeping Hallucinations
05. Conceptual Flesh
06. State of Desolation
07. Dyslexic Interlude
08. Self-Destructive Loathing
09. Relevant Intoxication
10. Final Nausea
 

FLESHWROUGHT was born in 2003 when death/grind drummer Navene Kopperweis, who is best known for playing in the now defunct San Francisco Bay area grind band Animosity, and currently drumming in the instrumental group, Animals As Leaders, paired up with Nic Gauthier and made a demo at their friend’s house.

The album starts with a droning, mechanical, time-shifted guitar growl. Akin to the growls and grunts heard by the machines in Terminator: Salvation and the Transformer movies, it aptly bleeds into the snappy, march-like snare drum beats and matching staccato guitar chugs of the lead-off track, “Mental Illness.” Davy’s barked-growls and “only he can do that” guttural vocalizations come in and complete the ensemble. From there on, it’s a chaotic, mechanical journey into the mind of someone slowly going insane. Or at least, that’s what it feels like.

The composition here is top notch. The riffs blend well, despite the plethora of tons of meshed influences fueling the fire beneath the sound. Jonny’s vocals are always on time and on note, something he carries over from the superb vocal work he’s performed with Job for a Cowboy. Of course, with a voice as unique as his, it may be difficult for JFAC fans to stomach the environmental change.

Production on the album is top-notch, which is wonderful considering its origins: Kopperweis’ personal studio. Most “side projects” don’t get this much love in the mixing and mastering. The guitar tone is very grinding and almost hollow in its robotic “ehhh” drone. It fits the style of music perfectly. The drums are snappy (as they almost always are in the genre) and don’t overpower the true, key element to the puzzle: Davy’s vocal work. I’ve always been a fan of Davy’s unique voice and was glad that those same tell-tale aspects of his voice are at work here. The vocals are loud, clear, and biting.

Production and comparisons aside, Fleshwrought’s album is a must listen for tech-death fans. It has a unique place in the genre because it meshes influences but doesn’t rely on them exclusively. It’s technical, hard hitting, and grinding, just what I expected it to be. At the end of the day, one could say it’s a mix of Job for a Cowboy and technical death metal and be correct. Davy’s iconic voice and Kopperweis’ pedigree as a musician warrants that label. It’s just such a hollow label considering what the two have brought to the fold here: a great album.

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