Remember how I said early on that this blog was to encourage me to listen to my actual CD collection instead of buying more? Well, in that it has failed - for I have bought more CDs in the last two weeks than I did in the entirity of 2012. Admittedly, that is a total of two CDs, but still!* I used some of the money accruing in my Paypal thanks to tarot deck sales on the Game Crafter, for one of them, however, so that hardly counts. Right?
Now, onto Eluveitie, who are a Swiss folk/death metal fusion - with heart aching violins and other classically inspired instruments interwoven with heart wrenching female vocals and snarling, furious male vocals. The lyrics are generally in the language of Gaulish, which is an "extinct" language.
The cover is moody and evocative in monochromatic shades of green - a bare-chested man stands, hands raised. In one, he grips a necklace; in the other, a flame flickers and burns. His expression is one of intense concentration, or perhaps constipation.
The album begins with "Sacrapos", a whispered passage in English. Although the lyrics are printed, they are all but impossible to read due to the rather jagged font that seems to be fading. This gives it an excellent ancient look, but renders it almost illegible.
This first song, "Brictom" opens with rather upbeat violining. The female vocalist, Anna Murphy, has a sweet and delicate voice; the language must be Gaulish. It has a good rhythm and suits the music perfectly. The male vocalist, Chrigel, comes in occasionally, adding his guttural growls to the blend.
"A Girl's Oath" is taken in Gaulish - which has some quite harsh sounding syllables but flows like delicate water. We then whistle our way into "The Arcane Dominion". The folk sound is sublime and rolls over you, taking you away to those deep green forests, with ancient trees and trailing moss, where small creatures skitter in the undergrowth and great beasts prowl and growl in the shadows. The female vocals are divine, interspersed with masculine howls and the solemn voice of the violins/fiddles.
"Within the Grove" brings us a nymph, sitting on a moss-covered stump, her hair threaded with flowers and leaves as she plays her flute, pausing every now and then to take a quick breath.
"The Cauldron of Renascence" is an urgent, hurried song with growling vocals which, combined with odd scratching sounds, makes it sound as though some sort of beast is about to rage upon the scene. It is over in the flicker of a memory as forlorn bagpipes banish it and "Nata" begins. The male vocals are deep, forboding and forlorn; heavy with longing and loss. I suspect this is a song of mourning. Or perhaps a declaration of war. Maybe both.
Sampling and multilayered vocals add power to "Omnos". Not very folkesque, but it does make for a surging sound. The drum sounds oddly modern too. The song is, however, beautiful and catchy so I shall forgive them their anachronisms. Some parts of this remind me of Nightwish, except in a language I cannot understand. It certainly feels more contemporary than anything else so far.
"Carnutian Forest" starts with a swelling and a thrumming, with flute and whispered voices - something ominous is stirring. Perhaps some sort of Pagan ritual beneath the trees? The sound is one of emptiness and loss (is that the hurdy-gurdy?). Then the violins break through, lightening the oppression, like the clouds are breaking and showering us with summer rain. A crazed dance begins, beneath the trees.
Harsh, sibilant whispers herald that something sinister is afoot in "Dessumiis Luge". This fades into rather catchy, but slightly vicious female vocals. It sounds almost like a challenge, spitting words at one another, circling each other. It ends with a scream.
More gentle fluting and acoustic guitar marks "Gobanno". It is a song of sunlight, filtering through the rich green canopy, casting striations of light upon the forest floor, upon which strange ethereal beings dance.
"Vovesi in Mori" is a haunting number, whispers, mournful female vocals, weeping violin.
The forlorn wail of bagpipes brings us into "Memento". Is it coincidence that Memento and Mori are so close together? I believe this is a song of rememberance, and mourning.
"Ne Revg Na" is characterised by strong female vocals, although the language is quite a guttural one with many harsh syllables. This is counterpointed by the haunting voice of the flute.
Spectral string instruments mourn in "Sacrapos - the disparaging last gaze". Their sounds are eerie, otherworldly, ethereal. Like spirits dancing in the dying rays of the sun.
Now we are into the bonus tracks, including the very lively "Slana" which is a folk medley and a delightful reel to get your feet moving - or in my case, tripping over each other.
Finally, we conclude with a somewhat simpler version of the previous "Omnos". The vocals are a mix of the melodic and the snarled, with whispered passages. I love the rhythm of this song. Less of the extravagant additional instruments.
This is another band in which the vocals are more a supplement to the music, enhancing it, than that the music is merely there to support the vocals. The music is rich and vibrant, alive with the verdant nature of the forest, like sunlight and rain and the wild. This is a plus, in my opinion, as I am not overfond of the guttural, growling male vocals and actually enjoy the evocative nature of the music more. It probably helps that the language is not one that I (nor many people) will understand, allowing full scope for the imagination and your own interpretations of what the songs are about.
Beautiful and verdant - 8/10.
* I only bought one cd last year (Nightwish's "Imagineraeum") on account of having no decent cd stores left standing in Christchurch and an inability to find any in the USA when we toured there. I do not regularly buy CDs over the interweb anymore, since there is very little I know I want that I don't have already.
Showing posts with label beauty and the beast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty and the beast. Show all posts
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Alpine Fault - Iraena's Ashes (2011)
This is my newest CD*. So new, in fact, that I received it three days ago and only listened to it today for the first time - I was saving it until I worked my way through the alphabet for the first time.
You've probably not heard of Alpine Fault - unless you have a facebook page and similar interests to me, and clicked on the promotion link when it appeared in your adds feed. That's what I did - and I would like to report - that sometimes those adds are very useful!
Alpine Fault were formed in New Zealand, like the right-lateral, strike-slip fault that runs the length of both our islands. They now make their home in Brisbane. With any luck, they might be performing when I head that way later this year (*fingers crossed, pretty please*). They combine classical music and metal, with operatic female vocals, melodic male vocals, and the occasional snarl or scream. For a band that have only been around for seven years, their sound is very polished, very complex and very, very good. They have recently replaced their vocalist, so it shall be interesting to see how she differs from the singer on this album, Nadia Vanek.
"Iraena's Ashes" is something of a concept album, based on an incident that happened in Auckland, in 2004. A young schoolteacher/model named Iraena Asher called the police expressing fears for her safety. Instead of sending a police car, a taxi was sent instead. To the wrong address. Iraena was then found wandering by a couple, who took her into their home for several hours. At sometime after midnight, she left and was last seen, semi clad, walking towards the beach. When approached by others, she ran away. She was never seen again. It is suspected she drowned, although her body was not found. She suffered from bipolar disorder. This album is a tribute to her and follows the themes of loss and separation, love and death. It is a beautiful, moody album.
The cover is hauntingly melancholic in shades of blue and grey - a woman stands alone, looking down and into the ocean. She is off-cetred, to the left, further enhancing the atmosphere of sorrow and loss. It is beautifully rendered, flawlessly professional. The interior holds more of the spectral sea, rocks merging from its treacherous depths. Further through, and the band stand in the whispy fog, their small figures looking lost and alone against the vastness of their environment. Their poses look almost amusingly forced, their expressions alternate between moody and bored.
The opening track, "Into the Night" is infused with heavy guitars, intermingled with violins and with Nadia's sweet voice like a melancholic wail. Male vocalist, Anthony Royle, joins her on the chrous, his voice performing the "Beauty and the Beast" counterpoint. This is the song about walking into the sea, and the tumultuous nature of the music corresponds with the heaving, confused emotions of the lyrics. It fades on a heart-rendering, wailed, note of despair.
"Above the Storm" brings in the violin and gentler guitar, before falling into a steady, haunted rhythm.The tune is tinged with desperation and despair. The violin adds a fragile thread of loneliness.
Strumming and violin again lead us into the mesmorising "I'll See You Soon"
A heavier song, tempered with mourning violins, is "Mourning has Broken (sleep)" here the vocals are exclusively male and the mood flavoured with anger.
"Requiem" is bewitching. With its spectral murmurings of the ocean, over the gentle intro music; forlorn vocals and haunting lyrics.
A largely instrumental piece, "The Watcher Beneath" allows the violinist full scope, creating a mood of misty haze, hanging in sullen clouds over the dark and treacherous depths of the ocean. Beneath lurks the unknown.
Insanity and aggression seems to be the theme of "Severance" with the music becoming a frenzied, untamed beast.
"March of the Tides" is a beautiful violin instrumental. I do not think I have seem a symphonic band in which the violin is as integral as in Alpine Fault. It adds a special, haunting, mesmorizing tone and an element of mournful longing.
"Under a Dying Sky" is as haunting and forlorn as you might expect from the title.
I've only listened to this album maybe two or three times now, and I can already say - with assurance, that I am a big fan of Alpine Fault and that I am very, very keen to see them live. They are performing in Auckland later this year - as part of AetherCon 2012 (although I would not consider them particularly steampunk, but who cares?) but not sure if my budget extends to taking another overnighter up to the humid city for another concert this year. Still, as they now hail from Brisbane and we will be headed that way later this year, maybe I'll luck it. Anyhow, with sounds like this - they're going to go far and should be around for some time yet.
Let's give them a 10/10.
You can buy Iraena's Ashes from here: Alpine Fault's website
* Note for my sole reader: My second-newest I shall be reviewing when I reach "D"
You've probably not heard of Alpine Fault - unless you have a facebook page and similar interests to me, and clicked on the promotion link when it appeared in your adds feed. That's what I did - and I would like to report - that sometimes those adds are very useful!
Alpine Fault were formed in New Zealand, like the right-lateral, strike-slip fault that runs the length of both our islands. They now make their home in Brisbane. With any luck, they might be performing when I head that way later this year (*fingers crossed, pretty please*). They combine classical music and metal, with operatic female vocals, melodic male vocals, and the occasional snarl or scream. For a band that have only been around for seven years, their sound is very polished, very complex and very, very good. They have recently replaced their vocalist, so it shall be interesting to see how she differs from the singer on this album, Nadia Vanek.
"Iraena's Ashes" is something of a concept album, based on an incident that happened in Auckland, in 2004. A young schoolteacher/model named Iraena Asher called the police expressing fears for her safety. Instead of sending a police car, a taxi was sent instead. To the wrong address. Iraena was then found wandering by a couple, who took her into their home for several hours. At sometime after midnight, she left and was last seen, semi clad, walking towards the beach. When approached by others, she ran away. She was never seen again. It is suspected she drowned, although her body was not found. She suffered from bipolar disorder. This album is a tribute to her and follows the themes of loss and separation, love and death. It is a beautiful, moody album.
The cover is hauntingly melancholic in shades of blue and grey - a woman stands alone, looking down and into the ocean. She is off-cetred, to the left, further enhancing the atmosphere of sorrow and loss. It is beautifully rendered, flawlessly professional. The interior holds more of the spectral sea, rocks merging from its treacherous depths. Further through, and the band stand in the whispy fog, their small figures looking lost and alone against the vastness of their environment. Their poses look almost amusingly forced, their expressions alternate between moody and bored.
The opening track, "Into the Night" is infused with heavy guitars, intermingled with violins and with Nadia's sweet voice like a melancholic wail. Male vocalist, Anthony Royle, joins her on the chrous, his voice performing the "Beauty and the Beast" counterpoint. This is the song about walking into the sea, and the tumultuous nature of the music corresponds with the heaving, confused emotions of the lyrics. It fades on a heart-rendering, wailed, note of despair.
"Above the Storm" brings in the violin and gentler guitar, before falling into a steady, haunted rhythm.The tune is tinged with desperation and despair. The violin adds a fragile thread of loneliness.
Strumming and violin again lead us into the mesmorising "I'll See You Soon"
A heavier song, tempered with mourning violins, is "Mourning has Broken (sleep)" here the vocals are exclusively male and the mood flavoured with anger.
"Requiem" is bewitching. With its spectral murmurings of the ocean, over the gentle intro music; forlorn vocals and haunting lyrics.
A largely instrumental piece, "The Watcher Beneath" allows the violinist full scope, creating a mood of misty haze, hanging in sullen clouds over the dark and treacherous depths of the ocean. Beneath lurks the unknown.
Insanity and aggression seems to be the theme of "Severance" with the music becoming a frenzied, untamed beast.
"March of the Tides" is a beautiful violin instrumental. I do not think I have seem a symphonic band in which the violin is as integral as in Alpine Fault. It adds a special, haunting, mesmorizing tone and an element of mournful longing.
"Under a Dying Sky" is as haunting and forlorn as you might expect from the title.
I've only listened to this album maybe two or three times now, and I can already say - with assurance, that I am a big fan of Alpine Fault and that I am very, very keen to see them live. They are performing in Auckland later this year - as part of AetherCon 2012 (although I would not consider them particularly steampunk, but who cares?) but not sure if my budget extends to taking another overnighter up to the humid city for another concert this year. Still, as they now hail from Brisbane and we will be headed that way later this year, maybe I'll luck it. Anyhow, with sounds like this - they're going to go far and should be around for some time yet.
Let's give them a 10/10.
You can buy Iraena's Ashes from here: Alpine Fault's website
* Note for my sole reader: My second-newest I shall be reviewing when I reach "D"
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Nightwish - Century Child (2002)
Nightwish are a magnificent band - formed in 1996, by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and vocalist Tarja Turunen. By the time this album was released, Marco Hietala had joined the band and took over the male vocals. Tarja's voice is elegant and other-worldly, a beautiful counterpoint to the heavy music and Marco's occasional growls.
This packaging is beautiful - a woman crouches before a waterfall, cradling a black rose. The colours - black and purple, seem to evoke the general feel of the music, which is rich and multi-layered. However, the font is pretty difficult to read with the white seeming to be shadowed against the purple. This may just be my version - which I obtained from Russia via Ebay.
It opens with a short spoken piece and then breaks into the epic "Bless the Child". This contains the line:
"End of all Hope" is epic and powerful.
"Dead to the World" is an interesting one, with the male vocals seeming to dominate at least in the start - but Marco isn't growling here, he's actually singing - and not half bad at it either. Tarja's voice soars against his raw notes, in the Beauty and the Beast styling that I described earlier.
With its beautiful opening piano, "Ever Dream" is an ethereal lullaby - breaking into true Nightwish symphonic style, before the sweet-natured, silver-throated vocals return.
"Slaying the Dreamer" is a little more hardcore, at least musically, the vocals still sweet but with a harsh edge of threat. Marco's vocals are very aggressive. This is a song of betrayal and anger.
As though to alleviate the negative emotion of the preceding song, "Forever Yours" is very sweet and gentle, a whispered caress of gentle percussion and wind instruments.
Similarly gentle is "Ocean Soul". It also includes one of the most memorable choruses.
This is followed by the beautiful and romantic "Feel for You". Or to be precise, it sounds romantic - until Marco comes in and it takes a startlingly dark turn:
"Phantom of the Opera" is an EPIC rendition of this classic tune. Tarja's voice handles it so well and the music just sends energy and power surging through me. No matter the version, the opening chords of this song always stir something deep in my viscera.
"Beauty and the Beast" brings this CD to a powerful conclusion. Despite the epic nature of the song, it does not quite haunt me the way some of the earlier pieces do, but it is still a masterfully written and performed piece.
Overall, an amazing album from an amazing band. There's not much more to say about Nightwish - except that they certainly deserve the rep they have earned and are also awesome live - even without the magnificent vocals of Tarja.
9/10
This packaging is beautiful - a woman crouches before a waterfall, cradling a black rose. The colours - black and purple, seem to evoke the general feel of the music, which is rich and multi-layered. However, the font is pretty difficult to read with the white seeming to be shadowed against the purple. This may just be my version - which I obtained from Russia via Ebay.
It opens with a short spoken piece and then breaks into the epic "Bless the Child". This contains the line:
"Think of me long enough to make a memory."A line which I have always found somewhat heart-breaking.
"End of all Hope" is epic and powerful.
"Dead to the World" is an interesting one, with the male vocals seeming to dominate at least in the start - but Marco isn't growling here, he's actually singing - and not half bad at it either. Tarja's voice soars against his raw notes, in the Beauty and the Beast styling that I described earlier.
With its beautiful opening piano, "Ever Dream" is an ethereal lullaby - breaking into true Nightwish symphonic style, before the sweet-natured, silver-throated vocals return.
"Slaying the Dreamer" is a little more hardcore, at least musically, the vocals still sweet but with a harsh edge of threat. Marco's vocals are very aggressive. This is a song of betrayal and anger.
As though to alleviate the negative emotion of the preceding song, "Forever Yours" is very sweet and gentle, a whispered caress of gentle percussion and wind instruments.
Similarly gentle is "Ocean Soul". It also includes one of the most memorable choruses.
This is followed by the beautiful and romantic "Feel for You". Or to be precise, it sounds romantic - until Marco comes in and it takes a startlingly dark turn:
"...Barely cold in her grave, barely warm in my bed..."I hope it's more about someone else usurping another's widowed husband rather than necrophilia!
"Phantom of the Opera" is an EPIC rendition of this classic tune. Tarja's voice handles it so well and the music just sends energy and power surging through me. No matter the version, the opening chords of this song always stir something deep in my viscera.
"Beauty and the Beast" brings this CD to a powerful conclusion. Despite the epic nature of the song, it does not quite haunt me the way some of the earlier pieces do, but it is still a masterfully written and performed piece.
Overall, an amazing album from an amazing band. There's not much more to say about Nightwish - except that they certainly deserve the rep they have earned and are also awesome live - even without the magnificent vocals of Tarja.
9/10
Leaves' Eyes - Meredead (2011)
Following on in the wake of the Nightwish and Evanescence tide, a lot of female lead symphonic metal bands hit the scene - many were very good - and some, like German-Norwegian group Leaves' Eyes are excellent. Blending the heavy sounds of doom-death metal band, Atrocity, with the melodic warblings of vocalist, Liv Kristine (ex- Theatre of Tragedy). Their lyrics are based on nature (like early Within Temptation) and mythology. There is a heavy folk vibe as well and the band make use of traditional instruments.
I have the digi-pack version, which is a nice hard-covered digipack (I am not so fond of those flimsy cardboard affairs) and additional live DVD. With the booklet being attached to the case, it's almost like a little, odd-shaped book. Very nice, even if it doesn't slot into my CD rack. The cover is beautiful and seems to show a dark-haired, elfin woman water bending.
The CD begins with choral singing and chanting as we delve into the haunting "Spirits' Masquerade". The combination of instruments and the beat, with the flowing, water-droplet sweet voice of Kristine weaves a deeply spiritual feeling.
"Etain" is melodic and beautiful. She is from Irish mythology. It is easy to imagine a dancing blue butterfly, flitting along to this tune.
Violins and guitar herald us into "Velvet Heart", along with something that could be wind chimes. It has a stronger beat.
We then have the folk song "Krakevisa" which is the story of the Crow and the Farmer and a traditional Scandinavian folk song. I've also heard it performed by Tempest under a different name. It's very strongly folk, but also rather heavy, with much use of violins (or do you call them fiddles?). This version is a lot slower and more melancholic than Tempest's rendition. In case you are curious, it's the story of a crow that attacks a farmer, and then gets killed and butchered, its parts put to various use. Kinda macabre.
Mike Oldfield's "To France" is next on the agenda and turned from a old-school pop-rock song into an epic anthem. Blind Guardian have given this song their own treatment too. It has a lot of power - I really should listen to the original. This one is quite melancholic and filled with longing.
"Meredead" is ghostly and sung in Olde English. I do not understand a word of it (I thought it was Norwegian) but it speaks of death in the sea. "Meredead" is a word that Liv Kristine coined herself.
"Sigrlinn" starts very folk, but is the first song on the album to have very clear "Beauty and the Beast" vocalising, with Krull growling in Norwegian - NOT his native tongue (he's German) and something he had to do phonetically. Also offering vocals in this song is Liv's sister, Carmen. This is a tale of an epic journey, and the changeable mood of the music reflects that.
Also in a foreign lingo, "Mine Jaror er ei Geimme" is a very soft, gentle song without the Atrocity acccompaniment. It is a medieaval ballad - a poem of a woman mourning her husband who has fallen in battle. Beautiful, ephemeral.
Followed up by the rather heavier "Empty Horizons" which reminds me of Atrocity's finer moments - the low - but not growling, vocals of Krull intermingled with Kristine's finer range. A haunting duet.
"Veritas" provides an intro to the traditional Norwegian stave of "Nystev".
Flutes and some form of string instrument (mandolin) lead us into the lovely "Tell Tale Eyes", in which the Beauty and the Beast singing style is exchanged for a melodic ballad, displaying the true vocal talents of Alexander Krull. The only accompaniment, the mandolin. The lyrics are slightly menacing, despite the beauty of the song.
The final, bonus track, "Sorhleod" is really lovely, even if I do not understand a word of it.
Overall, a beautiful amalgamation of folk, metal and power, establishing this group firmly amongst the best of the genre.
Rated: 9/10
I have the digi-pack version, which is a nice hard-covered digipack (I am not so fond of those flimsy cardboard affairs) and additional live DVD. With the booklet being attached to the case, it's almost like a little, odd-shaped book. Very nice, even if it doesn't slot into my CD rack. The cover is beautiful and seems to show a dark-haired, elfin woman water bending.
The CD begins with choral singing and chanting as we delve into the haunting "Spirits' Masquerade". The combination of instruments and the beat, with the flowing, water-droplet sweet voice of Kristine weaves a deeply spiritual feeling.
"Etain" is melodic and beautiful. She is from Irish mythology. It is easy to imagine a dancing blue butterfly, flitting along to this tune.
Violins and guitar herald us into "Velvet Heart", along with something that could be wind chimes. It has a stronger beat.
We then have the folk song "Krakevisa" which is the story of the Crow and the Farmer and a traditional Scandinavian folk song. I've also heard it performed by Tempest under a different name. It's very strongly folk, but also rather heavy, with much use of violins (or do you call them fiddles?). This version is a lot slower and more melancholic than Tempest's rendition. In case you are curious, it's the story of a crow that attacks a farmer, and then gets killed and butchered, its parts put to various use. Kinda macabre.
Mike Oldfield's "To France" is next on the agenda and turned from a old-school pop-rock song into an epic anthem. Blind Guardian have given this song their own treatment too. It has a lot of power - I really should listen to the original. This one is quite melancholic and filled with longing.
"Meredead" is ghostly and sung in Olde English. I do not understand a word of it (I thought it was Norwegian) but it speaks of death in the sea. "Meredead" is a word that Liv Kristine coined herself.
"Sigrlinn" starts very folk, but is the first song on the album to have very clear "Beauty and the Beast" vocalising, with Krull growling in Norwegian - NOT his native tongue (he's German) and something he had to do phonetically. Also offering vocals in this song is Liv's sister, Carmen. This is a tale of an epic journey, and the changeable mood of the music reflects that.
Also in a foreign lingo, "Mine Jaror er ei Geimme" is a very soft, gentle song without the Atrocity acccompaniment. It is a medieaval ballad - a poem of a woman mourning her husband who has fallen in battle. Beautiful, ephemeral.
Followed up by the rather heavier "Empty Horizons" which reminds me of Atrocity's finer moments - the low - but not growling, vocals of Krull intermingled with Kristine's finer range. A haunting duet.
"Veritas" provides an intro to the traditional Norwegian stave of "Nystev".
Flutes and some form of string instrument (mandolin) lead us into the lovely "Tell Tale Eyes", in which the Beauty and the Beast singing style is exchanged for a melodic ballad, displaying the true vocal talents of Alexander Krull. The only accompaniment, the mandolin. The lyrics are slightly menacing, despite the beauty of the song.
The final, bonus track, "Sorhleod" is really lovely, even if I do not understand a word of it.
Overall, a beautiful amalgamation of folk, metal and power, establishing this group firmly amongst the best of the genre.
Rated: 9/10
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