Year of the Goat - Lucem Ferre

To the Chinese, this may be the Year of the Rabbit . . . for the rest of us, let’s make this the Year of the Goat!

When I received this promo, all I saw was something describing Year of the Goat as pagan metal. Not very descriptive, but enough to conjure images of blast beats, howling and screeching vocals, and walls of distorted guitars to purvey the darkened angst of a small band of face painted musicians. Well . . . paint me corrected. Year of the Goat may fall into that pagan metal category, and by falling into that category, they’re also tearing down the walls that confine the genre.

What we have with Lucem Ferre is an album, albeit four songs long, that is made up of complicated moods, dark and morose, at times delicate and somber, but complimented with huge movements of power and aggression. Imagine the goth-metal soundings of Katatonia played by Thin Lizzy. There’s this old school, 70’s rock vibe underlying the whole thing, but it’s so immensely dark and foreboding, overwhelming in emotional weight, and textured with elegance. One might even conceivably lump this Lucem Ferre in with the whole doom rock movement, but enough with the categorization! This is a brilliantly executed EP that begs, nay . . . demands to be embraced!

The record opens with “Of Darkness” and is layered with textures of infinite sadness, immediately hurling the listener into a darkened pit of melancholy. Lyrically, the song is all about Satan and his followers, sung with heightened emotion and passion. Now, I’ve never been one to buy into the whole rocking for Satan cause, it’s always felt campy and cheap. Year of the Goat make the subject much more compelling! This is the first time that I’ve heard music that captures the full on essence of the despair one should feel when paying homage to the Prince of Darkness. Listening to this song is damn near depressing if it wasn’t littered with so many magical moments of intrigue. The guitar work is something straight out of 1970’s England, one guitar soloing, then suddenly accompanied by a second, and then a third . . . all instruments harmonizing so fluidly that the comparisons to Thin Lizzy have to be on the forefront of everyone’s mind! The production is a little on the rough side, there’s a haziness over the whole recording, but the performances more than make up for any production deficiencies. In fact, this is one of those cases where a polished product would completely ruin to overall moodiness of the music. The vocals harmonies at the chorus are fantastic, the guitar work stunning, the composition intriguing, the emotion . . . otherworldly.

“Vermillion Clouds” starts off so quiet and serene, again with a dark hue cast over the song, but very somber. The guitar work at the intro of this one is so textured and brimming with an emotional burden that the sadness washes over the soul like so many ocean waves on a desolate and rocky shore. The music gets a tad heavier, pulsing with modern sensibility but still keeping one foot firmly planted in yesterdays rock classics. The vocal performance is beautiful. The singer does a remarkable job of building the emotion of his voice with the lyrical content and the rising tempo of the music, marrying all of these elements to convey a truly special movement. The vocals never go over the top and this singer never tried to do too much with his approach to the songs, and that’s welcome. The guitar work reminds me at times of early, very early Scorpions and by the time the song gets to the mid section and the band starts rocking out in earnest, the riff reminds of something from Steppenwolf. Clocking in at over eight minutes long, “Vermillion Clouds” probably constitutes as the albums “epic” track, and the band does a great job of changing up the dynamics enough to keep the song interesting, but never get up their own asses with this quasi-proggy moment. Well crafted and just one of four gems on this record!

“Dark Lord” is, well . . . about Satan. By the time I get to this portion of the EP, I realize that Year of the Goat, stylistically, is essentially any of the classic rock bands that I grew up listening to playing the absolute darkest music of all time. I’m not talking Sabbath in heaviness . . . I’m thinking more along the lines of Steppenwolf, Thin Lizzy, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple . . . all paying homage to the Dark One and rocking out in their fuzzed out guitar tones, composing rock songs that have movement to them, and blowing my mind the entire time! Again, the vocal performance on this track is adrenalized and filled with an emotional energy that brings Jim Morrison to mind.

And then there’s the instrumental title track. Ambient, atmospheric, and filled with more textural brilliance . . . Year of the Goat has crafted an elegant passage of darkness laced with rays of hope. This EP is immaculate in composition. The musical execution by the various performers has raised the bar in my mind of what I’m looking for in any kind of dark metal, goth-metal, folk metal, pagan metal, ambient metal . . . whatever! Hands down an early contender for my Album of the Year! Lucem Ferre is the perfect album at the perfect time . . . though my only complaint is that it isn’t longer. But as an introduction to Year of the Goat, Lucem Ferre couldn’t be much better. Of further note, this record is being released through in early May through VÁN Records, and I’ll be honest, I’m surprised the guys at Prophecy didn’t have their claws dug deep into this one. So . . . VÁN Records . . . I’ll be keeping an eye on you!

-- Pope

http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_bio/artist_1447272

http://www.van-records.de/index.php

Bang Tango - Psycho Cafe

One of the funnest things about this mysterious world that we call Ripple is that we don't always agree with each other.  Often times, I'll look at Pope's musical discoveries with a look of utter dismay, and Pope will return the favor by addressing my choices with pure boredom.  It's what makes the world revolve.  We all like different things.  We all dig different sounds.  The job of the Ripple is merely to tell you, our waveriders, what each one of us hears in a piece of music and how it gets us off.

Never is this dichotomy between the Pope and I made more clear than with Bang Tango.

I remember years ago when we first discussed these guys, Pope dismissed them completely with a brief wave of his hand, a shrug of his shoulders, and a look that closely approximated an acute onset of food poisoning.  I, on the other hand, found them oddly compelling with their massive bass heavy groove, dark glam, and sizzling guitars.  In truth, I understand exactly where Pope was coming from, and in many ways it represents the very problems that this LA quintet faced in making it big.  Pope was a metalhead.  He came from the point of view of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, even Guns and Roses.  When he heard Bang Tango his knee jerk response was, "this ain't metal."  And it ain't.

I came from a post punk world where bands like The Cult, Sisters of Mercy, Mission UK, and Specimen ruled my orgasmic listening times.  Yet, I'd been a metalhead, trouncing heads to the early NWOBHM terrors of Iron Maiden (Dianno years), Angelwitch, Witchfynde, Saxon, and Motorhead.  In Bang Tango I found the perfect mathematical union of two sets.  The aggression, riffing and searing leads of metal fused to that pulsating, dark post-punk glam of the early Cult.

And listening to this newly MetalMind re-issued disc, I still do.

Bang Tango never really had a chance to get the respect they deserved.  Being part of the LA Sunset Strip scene of the late '80's, they were immediately lumped in with the hair metal bands that ruled the streets.  And with the dual guitars of Mark Knight and Kyle Stevens and some serious Slash-esque riffing, they immediately did nothing to dispel that association.  But they weren't metal.  In singer Joe LeSte they had a shrieker of undefined tone.  He could belt out metal, he could scream out a post-punk frenzy.  He could harmonize some glam.  And in bass player Kyle Kyle and kit pounder Tigg Kelter they had a backing section that really wanted nothing more than to lay down some serious funk.  And they all had the look.  I mean, The Look, with chiseled cheekbones, dyed hair, and an image taken from The Cult's Love album.

Funk.  Glam.  Goth.  Metal.   That's Bang Tango.

And I dig it.

And maybe it's because Bang Tango were so many disparate things that they still sound so fucking good to my ears today.  Disclaimer.  I've had Psycho Cafe in my collection for years and I'd pulled it off the shelves not infrequently, as I have with Dancin' on Coals, their follow-up.  Having said that, to me, Bang Tango have aged much better than most of the Sunset Strip crap that came out in the late eighties.  Kyle's bass thuds and pulses with more unbridled sex than I ever heard before.  Joe's vocals screech and dive and seduce with more passion.  And the dual guitars shred with more metal velocity than I ever gave them credit.  Basically, this shit is just plain ol' good glam metal and definitely worth a revisit in 2011.

Psycho Cafe let's it all out right there on the first number.  From the muted guitar, bass, and effect opening of "Attack of Life," right into that throbbing post-gothic metal riff.  Both guitars blaze and steam through this baby.  When LeSte comes in, shrieking in full higher octave, we're in a full on glam blitzkrieg.  Some may not dig his voice.  Some may call if forced.  I dig it.  Full on dig it.   The song quickly locks into a comfortable groove that I'm sure tore it up live.  Then as LeSte drops his voice to a lower register for the kick-ass chorus, I realize who these guys really were.  It may sound strange but they were the American Billy Idol, marrying that image, that post punk vitality, that snotty sneer to some beefy metal riffs and serving that whole thing on a steaming platter of funky pop.  Maybe a touch of the Cult also.  Either way, they were much more Red Hot Chili Peppers than they were Metallica. 

"Someone Like You," is of course the piece de resistance on the album and probably the song the band is best remembered for.  With it's "Sweet Child of Mine" harmonic-laden intro to it's staggering build up beat, this certainly seemed to be metal at home on the Strip.  Then comes that breakdown, Kyle's massively funky bass and the chugging guitar riff that revs and soars like a charging locomotive.  LeSte's voice is all over the place here, shrieking and wailing like a siren, then bottoming out in Billy Idol baritone.   Guitar solos whip in and out like hornets buzzing from a hive under attack.  This is truly one of my favorite goth/glam/funk/metal tunes of all time.  A hands-over-the-head screamer.

"Wrap My Wings," seems to settle into a monstrously funky mid-tempo groove that just oozes sex appeal.  Again, Stevens and Knight prove that they were vastly under-rated axemen, sizzling their strings with wailing electric solos.   Too goth/funk for metal?  Too metal for the goth crowd?  Probably.  That's probably why the album never broke big.  I'd have liked to see these cats play this shit at the infamous London Batcave goth club and see how it would've been received.  Would they have got it?  Would it have been too metal?  Did the boys need a club scene all their own?  Who knows. All I know is that to this post-punk metalhead, this is some seriously fun stuff.

"Breaking Up a Heart of Stone," lays it all back on the line, with it's bass-laden groove.  The bridge brings in a touch of pop as the song roars to it's big chorus hook.  I'm sure back in the day, the chicks dug this one cause it rocked and you could move your ass to it.  "Shotgun Man," roars back with a hyped up metal guitar attack, but as always the funk is still there.  Percolating under LeSte's shrieking.   Bookending that chunky guitar-burst chorus.  Kyle really goes out of his skull on this one, popping and thumping that bass as if he was auditioning for Parliment or the Bar-Kays.   Other songs like the chugging "Don't Stop Now," the intensely funky "Love Injection" the somber "Just for You," and the frenzy-neo-metallic-Chili-Peppers funk freak of "Do What Your Told" keep the energy raving and explore all the aspects of this band.  In fact, "Do What Your Told" is such an ecstasy burst of fiery alt-funk metal that it's shocking the song wasn't bigger.

So where does this leave us?  In my mind, Bang Tango were a band that was vastly misunderstood.  Lumped in with the hair metal scene, it's no wonder many metalheads dismissed them.  They were too different.  Way too different.   Perhaps like another lost Sunset Strip casualty, Bang Bang, these cats were simply too many things for people to identify with.  They had a unique sound when every band sounded the same.  They had a unique look when the others all looked the same.  

But it's this difference that captivates me.  Glam, funk, goth, metal.  They were a little bit of it all and brewed their swirling fury into an intoxicating beverage that still goes down extremely easy today.

--Racer

buy here: Psycho Cafe

Shadowgarden – Ashen

I usually find gothic rock a mixed bag of goodies. On the negative, the music can be sappy and overly glorifying in its depression. On the positive, it can be sappy and overly glorifying in its depression. Basically, what I’ve found is that when gothic rock is done good, it can be a thrilling ride into tragic romance and deep brooding desire for love, and that’s what I’m getting with Shadowgarden’s Napalm Records release, Ashen. For the most part, the music is upbeat, driving, and can flat out rock. There are some of the quieter, more moody moments mixed into the album, and they work to perfection as well. Let’s put it this way, when I listen to Ashen, I don’t feel the need to light candles, kill the lights, drink wine and stare out a picture window at the falling rain. I want to take said glass of wine, throw it fiercely at the wall, and destroy my furnishings!

Ashen is layered with great dynamics and haunting melodies, and the vocals of Johan Ericson are powerful, yet you can hear a certain amount of vulnerability to them. The guitars have a nice crunching tone to them, but they’re not overbearing and oppressive. There’s an almost accessible quality to the production of this album and the songs could very easily find their way on your more alt oriented rock stations. I hear a lot of Paradise Lost in this, but not the discordant elements of P.L., more like the heavy melodic moments . . . basically everything that I’ve ever loved about Paradise Lost. There’s another sound weaving its way through this music, but I can’t put my finger on it . . . but when I do, whoa-boy! Don’t think for a second that I won’t tell you who it is!

Ashen opens subtly with “Shadowplay” and a beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, and then the up tempo, dense wall of distorted guitars explode in a shimmering display of melodic excitement. The song ebbs and flows between soft, ambient passages to huge choruses filled with the kind of melodies that would have an arena full of happy-we’re-sad fans singing their asses off. I particularly like the dynamics that these guys show n the song writing and production of this song. They’ve created an excellent mood with the music and they keep the song moving forward, rocking heavy when they need to and creating elements of serenity to break up the bombast. The more I listen to this, the more I marvel at the intricate elements mixed into the various sounds. Shadowgarden do an excellent job at song-craft and I’m compelled to give this song yet another spin due to the interesting bits of ear candy mixed throughout.

You can’t have good goth-rock without the inclusion of a female voice and Shadowgarden do just that on “With Love and a Bullet.” Though it may seem cliché to have the female voice worked into music of this particular genre, it also seems naked without it, and in truth, “With Love and a Bullet” is enhanced by this element. Lisa Johansson voice is amazing! So elegant and sensual, so sorrowful and hurt, so vibrant and filled with emotion, Johansson works her voice to perfection as the music shifts from explosively distorted bursts of guitar, drum, and bass to synth-driven, quieter passages. And once the song hits the chorus, feel the heart strings get pulled as she separates her voice from the harmonies and essentially carries the song to the stratosphere and beyond. Again, this track is exquisitely crafted . . . listen to all of the fascinating pieces of aural sweetener dancing around the mix on this one . . . little vocal add-on’s, textural guitar pieces hidden behind the distorted bass rumblings, volume swells of keyboards making the song sound even bigger than it is. You can’t listen to this one just once, there’s just way too much going on that requires your attention!

“Murky Waters” is another haunting gem, incorporating big key strikes on the synths over the droning walls of guitars. The chaotic elements of sound suddenly dissolve to reveal Ericson’s beautiful and sultry voice crooning about personal isolation and inner torment. Accented with those huge bursts of sound that we’ve come to expect, the vocal performance on this song is no less than magnificent. Whether he’s singing over barren soundscapes powered by keyboards and rhythm or over heavy and imposing guitar riffs, the voice retains a level of elegance and composure. Kind of like the musical equivalent of falling in a pile of shit and coming out smelling like a rose, Ericson’s voice has a shine to it no matter how dark its surroundings.

“Slowmotion Apocalypse” shows Shadowgarden wrinkling the fabric of the sonic tapestry. With the last track on the album, the band suddenly throws the mid-tempo or upbeat romantic drama to the side of the road and slow the tempo way down, akin to being so worn and tired by the weight of their guilty burdens, the music crawls through the gloom, never out of it. This song shows a heavier side to the band, even when the song breaks down to its ambient core and acoustic arpeggios, the song is a slug . . . and I mean that in the most positive way. They even utilize a little death growl in the vocal performance that, for me, enhances the dreadful mood and texture of the song. Searing guitar leads blaze from the din, acting a brief glimmer of hope in the darkened mire of depression. Brilliant song . . . fucking brilliant song!

Alright . . . never heard of these guys before and it turns out that this is their debut album, though Ericson is no stranger to the genre. Apparently this guy fronts or is an important cog to a band called Draconian, who share the mindset of bands like Sentenced (Racer just got a boner). For me, that matters not. What matters to me is that Ashen is a top to bottom emotional mover and ear pleaser.  Think what liked the most about it was just as I was beginning to think I knew where they were going they changed things up by tossing in a curveball at the very end to make me question everything that I’d previously heard and made me want to go back to try and rediscover something that I must have missed. Also, the songwriting and production aspects are out of this world, making me want to continue spinning this one because it feels so fucking good! Hat’s off, gents . . . can’t wait to see where you go with the next one!  -  Pope

buy here: Ashen
mp3: Ashen

www.myspace.com/shadowgardenmusic

www.napalmrecords.com

 

Lacrimas Profundere - The Grandiose Nowhere

There was some time back that I was vastly opposed to anything that wasn’t traditional metal, wasn’t full on heavy for the sake of pummeling the listener into submission, music that wasn’t packed so tightly into a box of walls that I created to the point that the music couldn’t breathe or grow. How totally tragic is it to keep something from growing? Spend a season planting seeds and nurturing them into tiny green sprouts emerging from the damp soil, reaching for the warming rays of the sun. Thankfully, those days of inhibiting the natural order of things are well behind me and I can now accept, appreciate, and most importantly, love all forms of music. With all of that being said, the mid-80’s Pope would have been less than pleased with a band like Lacrimas Profundere and the sounds that they’ve delivered on The Grandiose Nowhere. The music would have been too ambient, too melodic, too goth-y, too artsy. In truth, it would have been too good for me to like. Eh, we all get older and hopefully a little wiser.

While Lacrimas Profundere has all of those wonderfully melodic textures dancing around their sound, they utilize the heavy elements to add strength and body to the music. The ambient portions feel more menacing, the melodies more dramatic, the gothic tones darker, and the artistic air more vibrant and lush. In listening to this album, I can’t help but hear flavors of so many past artists, but not one in particular. I hear a bit of the darkened tones of a band like Paradise Lost, especially with the heavily distorted guitars, but then I hear someone like Peter Murphy making spastic love to the mic. I hear elements of bands like the Cure . . . or Type O-Negative . . . or Moonspell . . . or Lacuna Coil . . . ach! Trying to pinpoint this band’s sound is like catching a dream upon a sudden and violent awakening. Suffice it to say, these guys sound good and, with their addictive melodies, have that sound that makes me want to listen over and over again despite those fleeting moments of melodrama.

Where the album opener, “Be Mine In Tears,” initially got my attention with its heavy tones and upbeat drive, it was the second track that drew me deeper into the thralls of this albums power. “The Letter” is a brilliantly composed tune filled with an emotive vocal performance and the excellent execution of heavy metal power and melodic sentimentality. I love the way these guys have the various layers of keyboards and synths dancing around each other, kind of like some manic and chaotic waltz. Then, they fade away and are replaced for a brief time by a dense wall of distorted guitars and those sexy smoldering vocals. The contrast between the verses and choruses are dramatic, with the chorus melody as opiate addictive as they get. Go ahead . . . succumb to the addictive, narcotic qualities of the Lacrimas Profundere melodies. Sure, you’ll be humming them through the course of your day, but look at the positives . . . no liver disease, no lung disease, no kidney disease, in fact, this stuff will put a pep in your step and probably make you a healthier individual!

The underlying theme throughout The Grandiose Nowhere is the dark sexiness the percolates from the sultry sounds of the music. I’ve never heard the word ‘kiss’ used so frequently and still sound so sexy, so romantic, so dark and shocking. Check out the songs “Lips” and “Her Occasion of Sin,” and fall in love all over again. Not the kind of puppy dog and bright flowers love, but the love that’s laced with pain, longing for a lovers touch, the indescribable torture of being apart from the one you want more than any other. The words probably wouldn’t mean as much or be as powerful if it weren’t for the conveyance of emotion from the vocalist. That darkened, whiskey soaked drawl adds so much nuance to the subject matter, so much emotion that we, as listeners, buy into the tales of tormented souls.

“Not For Love” follows the darkened pattern of the songs before it. Heavy verses sung from an understated position, yet still filled with nuance, and then as the song opens at the chorus and explodes with melody, we become hooked. This particular song has that something special . . . maybe it’s the bounce of the chorus, maybe it’s the dense riffage of the guitars, maybe it’s the haunting melodies, maybe it’s all of these things wrapped up into one composition. “The Fear of Being Alone” immediately follows with a new wrinkle added to the mix of instruments. Piano keys chillingly plink away at the opening melody and what sounds like a female voice joins the dominant male lead to harmonize to near perfection . . . maybe not in pitch or whatever, but purely in emotion. The combination of pianos and female vocals give the song the much needed element to separate it from the rest of the songs on the album. Beautiful and haunting, this is the song that I’ve found myself looking forward to as I spin The Grandiose Nowhere.

Finally, “No Matter Where You Shoot Me Down” wraps up the album and, in a lot of ways, shows the band writing and performing at their very finest. The guitars have an odd distortion to them, sounding a bit little some bastardized country western piece, all played over a throbbing rhythm. Again, the vocals steal the spotlight, painting a sepia toned picture of personal torment with the conveyance of the lyrics. They build and build with tension, and then just as one might expect the song to burst into a frenzied barrage of musical notes and complex tones, the song just seems to slip away . . . maybe it’s a little anti-climactic, but in actuality, it’s a pretty damned accurate reflection of life. When we up and die, odds are, it won’t be in a ball of flame as we rush head long into conflict. Most of us will probably die alone, in our sleep, of a broken heart . . . very few of us will actually die as the heroes that we see in movies or in our heads.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I put this album on, but I certainly wasn’t expecting that I would immediately set finger to keyboard to begin composing my thoughts on this twelve songs collection of darkened rock tunes. Lacrimas Profundere will interest most of those music folk who have a serious dislike for the sun, but should also be a compelling listen for the more mainstream music fan. These guys work the melodies to perfection . . . they make them memorable, but retain a bit of a dangerous edge to them. There’s a lot of looking out over rain swept plains from the confines of a candlelit room in this music, but oddly enough, it’s not terribly depressing. On the contrary, the music is more upbeat and danceable than one might think based on the lyrical content. The Grandiose Nowhere has some of those crossover qualities in that it’s accessibly melodic while remaining dark and metallic, something that we’re starting to see more and more of as time goes on. And, for me, that’s a good thing. I like it when I can listen to a piece of music that will satisfy my listening needs no matter what kind of mood I’m in.  -  Pope JTE

www.myspace.com/lacrimasprofundere

www.lacrimas.com

Dark Age - Acedia

Now, I don’t want to come out and say that the melodic death metal of bands such as Dark Tranquility, Soil Work, or In Flames has been done the death, but there really have been few compelling moments over the past five years or so from this sub-genre to make my pulse rise above my resting heart rate. So, when a melodic death metal band’s album finds its way to the top of my desk, I generally give it a sideways glance, sigh a little bit, and begrudgingly insert the shiny little disc into the player expecting some tolerable, though unexciting music to drone away in the background for about an hour. The music is typically detuned and heavy, distorted, filled with abrasive vocals, but plodding and comprised with less than desirable dynamics to make me all that excited to be listening to it. However, this feeling suddenly changed as I gave Germany’s Dark Age a listen.

Acedia is a melodic death metal album that I found not only intriguing, but something that tickled my imagination to the point that I couldn’t stop listening to it, consistently immersing myself in the sounds as they swirled in a chaotic cloud through my head. Fusing those sounds that one might find from the whole Gothenburg movement, but adding heavier doses of goth-metal, and a few compelling chunks of dark wave, Dark Age have achieved the sound that I so desperately wanted to hear from the aforementioned masters of the genre. Acedia has become my own personal getaway vehicle, a means for me to slip into a semi-comatose state and vanish from my own reality and into a darkened fantastic world of pain, mental torture, and self sacrifice for the betterment of my own existence. Actually, that’s not really that far off from reality, but I think you get the point.

The album starts off well enough with a discordant musical intro that explodes into a shimmering display of incendiary debris. “Kingdom Nevercome” was the exact song that I needed at the absolute perfect time. Heavy in all that is metal, but laced with a delicate fiber that gives the song, and pretty much the entire album, the diversity and dynamics necessary to make it a gripping thrill ride. The vocals start off with a gruff and guttural quality, very reminiscent of the extreme metal of the day. However, once the song works its way to the chorus, that voice dramatically shifts to a beautifully clean texture, packed with melody . . . and the phrasing! Shit . . . it’s breath taking, addictive, and so damn endearing that I’ve woken every morning this week humming the song. On top of this song touching me in a musical sense, I’ve found the lyrics to be well conveyed, brimming with emotion, on the subject of working for naught . . . slaving away for someone else’s benefit at the sacrifice of one’s own ideals. Quite simply put, it’s a subject that I know all too well about and it feels pretty damn good to know that these guys have been there and walk the path so many of us do.

“Devote Yourself To Nothing” briskly follows the lead track with a bristling and heavy tune. As this song opens, I get a sense that I’ve heard a similar sound before, but not from the places one might think. Though the track is heavy as all get out, there’s a certain quality to it, a darkened melody that reminds me more bands like Depeche Mode or The Cure . . . but really fucking heavy! Again, the band finds themselves questioning all that they’ve believed in and ultimately deciding that the devotion to emptiness will save them from further pain and suffering. The music perfectly reflects the desolate view, though leaving the ever so slight crack in the door for the rays of light to shine through. Dark Age does a great job of combining an infectious melody with a brutally heavy groove, and with the addition of the poignant lyrical content, creates a moving song that plays wonders with the imagination.

For a different kind of wrinkle in the musical tapestry laid before us, Dark Age drops the hammer with “Neon Gardens.” Bursting out of the speakers with calculated metal power, this song adds a little bit of a twist the sonic delights that have assailed us for the first eight and a half minutes or so. The vocals, in particular, have a creepy nuance as they vibrate over the pulsing death riff of muted guitars, palpitating bass lines, and textural synths. Somewhat distorted in the mix, the vocals work to perfect through their mechanical delivery. Then, as the song opens up, the vocals explode with a violent characteristic quite similar to the delivery of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. Say what you will about Linkin Park (I happen to love what they do), when they want to peel your face off, they do a fantastic job, and the same can be said with Dark Age. Mellow and melodic for just the right amount of time before showing the listener that these guys chew on rivets for breakfast.

Incorporating techno/electronica elements with huge metal movements on songs such as “Zeitgeist – Ghost in a Machine” and “10 Steps to Nausea” show that Dark Age are far from your typical melodic death metal outfit. What’s more impressive about these attempts is that these guys do it so damn well that the amalgamation of the various genres feels very natural. But don’t thinking that Acedia is suddenly about some morbidly accessible dance mix. Dark Age wraps up the album with what is possibly the heaviest song on the album while still fusing in huge doses of catchy choruses. And even while you’ll more than likely be singing along with these choruses, note that the lyrics, though not self deprecating, are somewhat defeatist and show that despite our best efforts, we’re doomed to spend our eternities buried in so much dirt.

As much as I love the escapism of this album, I love that the album rings with a chime of truth. Acedia is emotions worn on the shirtsleeves of Dark Age and, for once, the darkness and despair feel like emotions and states of mind being conveyed with honesty. Today is bleak, but tomorrow is going to be worse. Sure, it’s all a matter of perspective and how we approach our day to day lives. But doesn’t it feel good to revel in your own depression for a little while? Doesn’t it feel good to be a miserable cantankerous despot just for the hell of it? I think so. Though, I also know when enough is enough and realize that I won’t get anything done, no matter how futile such an endeavor might be, if I don’t buck up and be a happy camper. So, with that being said, Acedia is an escapist album for me, and one that I find enjoyable to no end. 

--  Pope JTE

buy here: Acedia

Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious

The steps leading up to the dark and decrepit mansion are damp from evening moisture and the fog sends goose pimples across the flesh. One tentative footstep in front of the next, you and your company approach the heavy wooden door, and you hear the wooden wheels of your horse drawn coach rattling eerily against the cobblestone drive as it hurriedly races away from this ghoulish structure. As your hand grasps the bronze door knocker, you feel its cool texture against your palm, yet there’s something else. A deeper vibration rumbling through the cold metal courses through your nerves, further embellishing the goose pimples brought on by the exterior chill. Before you’re able to swing the knocker to announce your arrival, the door slowly creaks inward to a foyer coated with two decades worth of dust, cobwebs hang from every surface, half burnt candles softly flicker within the wall sconces; chasing sinister shadows deeper into the gloom of the darkened mansion, and a massive blast of sound erupts with a defined rhythm.

Deeper within the gloom, figures can be seen writhing in time with the sounds of some distant band. The light in the great hall is cast in hues of crimson as you make your way deeper into the throng of gyrating souls, and you quickly glance around to see chandeliers swaying precariously from the ceiling, shadowy figures skirting along the open balconies, masked revelers passing drinks and whispered words between each other, and the smell of brimstone and death assails the senses. At the far end of the hall, as if belched from the bowels of hell itself, you finally see it . . . but you can’t believe your eyes. A colorfully garbed group of musicians assail chaos upon their instruments, a cacophony of sound set to an oppressive tone, conjuring up some dark magic that leaves the gatherings patrons in a state of frenzied mindlessness!

One part opera, one part jazz, another part metal, another part Hell’s very own marching band, all of it avant garde, this is Diablo Swing Orchestra . . . and they’re performing tracks from their latest album, Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious.

Opening the set with “A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma,” Diablo Swing Orchestra quickly shows the revelers why they are one of the more interesting musical units banging around the countryside. It’s a song filled with so many huge musical movements that I’m sure I’ll pass over more than a handful in describing the epic piece of sonic art. The opening drum salvo and subsequent groove of bass with accompanying horn section capture the swing in the band’s name. Add the huge walls of distorted guitars and the harmonizing female vocals, and this song captures the imagination by transporting the listener to some deep dark corner, the seediest of the seedy jazz clubs of the 1940’s. The composition of this track is absolutely, hands down, one of the most impressive and compelling pieces that I’ve ever listened to. I mean, listen to how the band seamlessly shifts from over dramatic male vocal performances, to harmonized female vocals, dropping all of the instrumentation out of the mix and leaving the guitar, acoustic nonetheless, hanging for a brief, yet brilliant moment, then dropping the instrumentation again to leave the bass guitars to deftly reach out and grab all of the instruments back into the fold. Listen for the fantastic guitar solo being played over the more subtle jazz rhythms, and then how the guitar fades out, leaving nothing but bass rumbling its groove. The incorporation of the various instruments leaves me breathless. How in God’s name did they patch this bad boy together and make the whole thing work?

And, it’s not just the first track on the album. Diablo Swing Orchestra creates and re-creates this same musical effect on all ten tracks gracing Sing Along Songs. “A Rancid Romance” starts off with a classically distorted wall of guitars powering out the rhythms in time with the fabulously produced drums. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the triumphant strains of a trumpet screams through the din, providing a bit of a Latin flair to the music. And then another trumpet harmonizes with the first . . . and then the operatic vocals of Annlouice Wolgers (?) in duet with guitarist/vocalist, Daniel Hakansson . . . and then the emergence of the cello providing an air of macabre . . . and then the dual vocal harmonies at the chorus creating an overwhelming sense of panic . . . and then horns again . . . It’s a psychotic journey of paranoia and superb musicianship. Owing as much to classical music as modern metal, Diablo Swing Orchestra have created a sound that is clearly their own. It’s refreshing to hear a new and unique, and utterly compelling voice in the world of music!

“Lucy Fears the Morning Star” moves the tale of Diablo Swing Orchestra along at a clip nearing light speed. One of the more chilling and haunting tracks off of the album, “Lucy,” features a heavy dose of Annlouice’s operatic pipes, some intricate and outstanding drum work from Andreas Halvardsson. The cello work, performed by Johannes Bergion, comes from some dastardly place, deep within a seeping crevice of ooze and gore. It’s absolutely brilliant! The tones Bergion brings out of the instrument conjure up images of torment souls as they dance an eternal dance of despair. The low end, provided by bassist Andy Johansson, creeps along the songs like low lying fog. It’s always there, camouflaging the ground making each step we take along this musical journey an uncertain one. By the end of the song, we’ve gone from chilling pseudo-opera to full on Latin swing . . . the band brings in a barrage of polyrhythm’s that work perfectly with the full fledged assault of horns. Man! What an amazing journey!

Folks . . . buy this album. Don’t wait until the end of this review. There’s no need. All I’m gonna’ do is summarize a few things.

Diablo Swing Orchestra are beyond anything that words can describe. At one point, while listening to Sing Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious, I openly questioned to no one in particular if these guys were for real. Thankfully, I didn’t get a response, but after repeated listeners, and let me tell you . . . this album has been non-stop for the past week and a half, it apparent that Diablo Swing Orchestra are the real deal, they have no peers, and they will have your full attention with every note struck. If you like your music complex, filled with dynamic tempo shifts, or dramatic breaks in sound, then this album will be your Holy Grail, your Ark of the Covenant, your Spear of Destiny. The music moves and never seems to let up. Even when the musical passages begin to soften, you just know that something terrifying is gonna’ pop out of the darkness to strip you of your sanity. You’ll have to excuse me now . . . there’s a party at some creepy mansion that I need to get back to . . . - Pope JTE

Buy here: Sing-Along Songs for the Damned & Delirious


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