Listen To This - Memorial Day 2011

It's Memorial Day Weekend. It's a time to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and to remember all those who have served this country past, present, and future in pursuit of those freedoms. Thank you!

Memorial Day is also the start of summer. Finally, after months of snow and rain we can look forward to sunny skies, food on the grill, and plenty of music. For me, summer also brings traveling to see friends and family. So, this week I searched for some driving music and good tunes to kick off the summer. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been playing this week. What are you listening to?

Widespread Panic - Ball and Dirty Side Down (Remixes)

Traveling home to visit family usually involves driving through the National Forest along the Delaware River (on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey border). I always put in Widespread Panic's Ball and open the windows to let in the smell of the forest. Nothing goes with summer better than some bluesy southern rock. Ball is the first Panic album that I owned and I always go back to it. From the flowing opener, “Fishing,” to the funky “Thin Air (Smells Like Mississippi),” to the 16-minute jam of “Travlein' Man,” this album is the definition of summer music.

If that's not enough to get your summer party going, go to WSP's website (http://www.widespreadpanic.com/) and download some remixes of tracks from their latest CD, Dirty Sound Down (they're fee!). And yes, I said remixes, but the funky takes on Panic's signature breezy sound is refreshing and I'll admit that the dance beats are infectious. It's a diversion from the norm and a fun way to party with Widespread Panic.

Since about 2005, Widespread Panic has been recording all of their live shows. You can find collections of songs carefully assembled into Driving Songs. Each volume takes the best tracks from a summer’s worth of shows. There’s no better way to explore the roads on a hot summer day.

Green Day - Dookie and Insomniac

Green Day makes for great driving music. It keeps you moving and singing along, especially on those long, monotonous, late-night drives. As the road winds on and the pavement stretches out indefinitely into the darkness, I find that Green Day’s hyperactive sound and sarcastic commentary keep me moving toward my destination. I’m a product of the 90’s and Green Day’s emergence into the mainstream helped shape the musical landscape of my generation. And while I’m still a big fan of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, I always find myself reaching back to 1994.

Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos

No road trip or summer drive could be complete without some Swedish metal. Soilwork has been bringing their mix of hardcore and metal for years now. 2002’s Natural Born Chaos is one of their best efforts. Catchy chorus blended with ferocious vocals and pummeling guitars make this a go-to album for me. “As We Speak,” “No More Angels,” and “Mercury Shadow” are some of the standout tracks, heavy with guitars, keyboards, and soaring choruses. I even use “Black Star Deceiver” as a ringtone (and subsequently find it always playing in my head). Natural Born Chaos, like much of Soilwork’s material, packs the punches in all the right places

Listen To This - May 22, 2011

The weather here in the Northeast has been horrible. I haven’t seen the sun in weeks. With the fog rolling in off the ocean each night, I feel like I’m in a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie; just without the excitement… or the rum. So, this week I needed some music that could keep me going through the dark and dreary days of this endless monsoon.

Black Label Society – Order Of The Black

You may know Black Label Society from the radio single Stillborn, which featured Ozzy and is also found on Guitar Hero. In fact, you can battle against BLS leader, Zakk Wylde in the game as well. I saw Zakk Wylde on Ozzfest years back when he was playing two sets each night – one set fronting BLS and the other playing with Ozzy. His relentless attitude comes through in Black Label Society’s 2010 release, Order Of The Black. The album is chockfull of the head-banging, fist pumping, whiskey-fueled metal mayhem that we’ve come to expect from BLS. Songs like the opener, “Crazy Horse” and “Parade Of The Dead,” feature heavy drums, tight guitar, and Zakk Wylde’s signature wail. Just as with albums like Mafia, the rampage slows down every couple of tracks with a sweeping ballad, such as “Darkest Days” and “Time Waits For No One.” My favorite track is “Godspeed Hellbound,” which hooks you in and drives with ferocity reminiscent of “Stillborn” or “Suicide Messiah.” The album closes with a third ballad, lulling you into submission before the brutality starts all over again.

Opeth – Lamentations (DVD)

Thanks to Netflix, I never need to leave the house, even for music. I sat down this week to watch Opeth’s live concert DVD, Lamentation (2003). In the concert, Opeth plays two sets. The first set draws on their softer songs, taken mostly from the Damnation album. If you want to experience a badass death metal band opening itself up to elegant vocals, sweeping dynamics, and intricate passages, you must watch this show. You also get a sense of the band’s humble personality. Front man, Mikael Akerfeldt interacts with the crowd, remarking that there are a lot more people watching than he’d expected. You almost get a sense that he, and the rest of the band, are just average guys, playing music, and hoping that others enjoy it. Keep in mind that by this time, Opeth had been around for 13 years! The second set picks up with their heavier, prog-laden death metal (mostly from Deliverance). Both Akerfeldt's growls and clean vocals meld perfectly with blast beats, synth keyboards, and frantic riffing. I seriously recommend watching, especially on a rainy day. Start from the beginning and see where the journey leads

Listen To This - May 15, 2011

What are you listening to? Here’s what keep me going this week:

Serj Tankian – Imperfect Harmonies/Imperfect Remixes

Serj’s second solo album and 4-song remix showcase his brilliantly quirky musical side. While not as metal (or even as rock) as his first album, Elect The Dead , this one is full of electronic sounds, catchy choruses, and poignant lyrics. I find myself listening to “Gate 21” on repeat. The ablum version uses mostly piano to accompany Serj’s emotional lyrics. The remixed rock version steps up the tempo and Tom Morello (Audioslave, Rage Against The Machine) adds his signature punchy guitar work. Other highlights include the dance-beat laden “Borders Are…” and the ballad “Wings Of Summer.” Serj sings “Yes, It’s Genocide” entirely in Armenia, refers specifically to the Armenia genocide of 1915 for which Turkey has not yet formally recognized. This is album is a musical journey and Serj is a brilliant guide.

Scar Symmetry – Holographic Universe

Scar Symmetry is a new band to me. I just got one of their more recent albums, Holographic Universe. It’s what I expect and love from Swedish melodic death metal. There’s plenty of heaviness mixed with soaring choruses, and high-energy vocals. I’d say that Scar Symmetry has a bit of prog to their sound as well. There’s just enough Dream Theatre influence to differentiate them from other bands without going over the top. I’ve heard that Scar Symmetry is getting a new singer, so I’m interested to see how their sound evolves. For now, Holographic Universe delivers the metal you need.

News and Tours:

There are rumors about a new music from A Perfect Circle. In the fall, APC played several shows, back-to-back, in a handful of cities. Each night they played one of their three albums start to finish. This summer’s tour is more extensive and highly anticipated. When A Perfect Circle emerged in the late 90’s they were one of the original ‘Super Groups,’ comprising members from several already famous bands (Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and Josh Freese, who plays drums for everyone). The term super group seems ridiculous since bands constantly trade members or form other groups. Whatever you call them, I hope A Perfect Circle continues on.

Acrassicauda has embarked on their first us tour. Acrassicauda is an Iraqi thrash metal band. After leaving Iraq (where metal can get you killed) they're spreading their punishing sound across the US. Aggressive, technical, and lyrically intense (not surprisingly), their 4 song EP Only The Dead See The End Of War is dark and awesome. You must check out this band!

DevilDriver is out on tour with Danzig in support of their 5^th studio album, Beast. I’ve been following lead singer Dez Farfara on Twitter and the shows have been met with awesome fan feedback. I’m looking forward to seeing them in July! Check out my review of Beast: http://greenchamberstudio.blogspot.com/2011/02/evolution-of-beast.html

System Of A Down have started their reunion tour. I’m glad to see them back. I don’t know if there will be any new music coming soon, but at the very least I’d like them to come to the East Coast!

Valet Parn is a metal band from Greece. Check out their album. They’re on tour with long-time Greek death metalers, Septic Flesh (who also just released a new album, their seventh).

Opeth - Morningrise

“When we both walk the shadows/ It will set ablaze and vanish/ Black rose immortal” Opeth, Black Rose Immortal.

With engaging hooks, a myriad of textures, and plenty of brutal passages, Morningrise, the second album by Sweden metal gods, Opeth stands as monument to progressive metal. Released around 1996-97, this is the middle album of the so-called Candlelight Years. While you will find heavier songs on Blackwater Park and more accessible songs on Damnation and Watershed, Morningrise stands out as a complete work; one which dives deep into the catalogs of progressive metal. None of the songs are under 10 minutes, taking the listener on a 66-minute odyssey. With a foundation in death metal forged on their debut, Orchid, Opeth expands into prog territory as they mix acoustic guitar passages and elements of jazz with heavy guitars and singer Mikael Akerfeldt’s signature growl.

The album begins with “Advent”, which is also performed on 2010’s In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The track gets off to a galloping start before settling into a heavy groove, highlighted by guitar harmonics and punchy bass lines. Weaving back and forth from driving guitars to ethereal acoustic passages, “Advent” eventually returns to earlier death metal themes.  

“The Night And The Silent Water” begins with doom-style distortion guitars, laced with acoustic flourishes. Akerfeldt’s pained voice strains against scratchy guitars before collapsing against delicate acoustic harmonics. The band explores the subtly soft textures and sounds and then disappears completely. From the ashes of this momentary pause, Opeth awakens; tension builds and explodes into a wall of sound, stabbing time changes, and deathly vocals before transitioning into the hypnotic “Nectar.”

Just as on “The Night…” the guitars sound dirty and rough on the 10-minute “Nectar.” Their abrasiveness gives way to polished acoustic guitars, much in the same way as Akerfeldt’s throaty bellow contrasts with his cleaner side. As these competing styles wrestle, they take pieces of each other until the lines between sections blur into obscurity. Opeth successfully manages to build layers sound and texture without overburdening the listener.

The preceding 30 minutes leads up to one of my favorite of all Opeth songs. Spanning 20 minutes and every genre metal has dared touch, “Black Rose Immortal,” (which is also an awesome title on its own) is the pinnacle of Opeth’s perfection on Morningrise. True metal hooks, clear bass riffs (seriously, you can actually hear the bass, instead of it be relegated to messy depths of the mix), and intense vocals make this a standout metal song. The starts and stops at first feel like a new song until you recognize a theme from three sections ago. And while some long, twisting songs (a theme itself in prog rock) can struggle to hold your attention, Black Rose Immortal, not only keeps you listening but rewards your commitment with the final track, “To Bid You Farewell.”

Credited as the first Opeth song devoid of death metal growls, “To Bid You Farewell” is a beautiful ending to Morningrise; acting as the bookend and antithesis to the opening “Advent,” you’re greeted with acoustic melodies reminiscent of Spanish ballads. Akerfeldt’s voice is hollow and distant, contrasting with the silky (and clean) electric guitars. Snare drum clicks and delicate ride cymbals keep time, acting as your tour guide on this eclectic trip.

It’s one of those albums that you don’t want to end. And when it’s all over, if you still have the strength, you’ll turn back to track 1 and start the journey all over again. So, what are you listening to?

Where will the journey take us? Tune in next week!