As you might have notice this blog plays around the progressive word, The main objective is to help on the promotion of metal and trying to change the perspective metal=noise.
However, Expect the unexpected. Mainly focussed on progressive metal or rock, but easily going to catch some good stuff to bands with only some progressive elements. And sometimes also going totally out of the progressive genre and of metal. Help you discovering what has been done of value around the world in my opinion.
Let's be plain and clear? for me the worst album of Therion so that I will only focus two songs, one because is indeed a good version and the second because of an important message in the video. Both songs are versions of other songs.
1st song I will share is Poupée de cire, poupée de son, here Lori Lewis is simply amazing is she the one who makes this song work.
the 2nd song I will share is Initials B.B. the video is really polemic as you may see in the comments on this youtube videos, most of people didn't get the message it wanted to pass. join the dots, BB(Briggite Bardot), Nazi behaving robots, Woman showing her boobs willingly, sadomasochism, it talks about a rotten society where hate sells better than good music and woman say themselves to be free when they are controlled by the fashion world and society on how to behave. Props to Johanna Najla the voice on this song
Well with this we close this mega episode about Therion, at least until the new album.
From Twilight Theater I will show you three songs, all really emotional, probably the album with more emotion they have
The first song of the album "Dreaming Wide Awake" deals with the Death of a loved one and how life is joking with us
The second song of the album is "War", another song from Alan Wake game, about how our partner in war sometimes is nearer then what we think
The Last song I'm showing you from this album is the 5th one, called "Given and Denied"
From Alchemy Vol. 1 I want to show you "No End no Beginning", the lyrics are strong, I really loved this song on this best of.
From Temple of Thought, I want to show you the official track "Cradled in love". I think the first time we hear the Falsetto of the vocals Marko Saaresto
Next week the last album before the Clearview I already posted about, there we will go to 2014, see you there.
Today, I know they are not so progressive as that, but they have some touches of it in their songs, they are Called Pentagram in Turkey but as there is already other Pentagram band, outside of Turkey they are known as Mezarkabul. Today I leave my favourite songs from them, which are both in Turkish
Sonsuz from Anatolia(1997), close your eyes and let yourself submerge in this sound
and gecmisin yuku from MMXII(2012) more elaborated but not much interesting
Greetings my friends from metal, from progressive metal or rock or just music fans in general, welcome
Today I bring you a mix of two wonderful worlds, more properly the genius of Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree and several other projects, and the voice and musical quality of Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. What arrives from here is what one could expect if we merged Porcupine Tree or some Steven Wilson's solo album sound and we mixed it with Opeth more in doom/progressive sound. What result is a really heavy atmosphere of immense sounds and pleasures.
I live you the song which they made an excellent animated movie to, you can sense what is sang along the music, Drag Ropes
This is my way to introduce the world of Opeth, which will be the next band I will talk about, what kind of progressive metal would I be without mention Opeth? for this I once again posted something on Wednesday. Saturday the first part of Opeth Post.
Today I bring you one of my recent pleasures, Antimatter
Antimatter has unique sound along all their albuns which came from 2000 till today, it is a one man project which invites as needed some other musicians to join him.
It's pure progressive rock, with some metal influences here and there.
The sound has several changes and paces, if you like progressive rock/metal you can't miss it by all means possible
I will start with Lights Out(2003) and Fear Of a Unique Identity
From Lights Out I leave you the selftitled song and the last music from the album Terminal, as we were a terminal patient waiting for something is simply marvelous.
From Fear Of a Unique Identity I leave you the first song, Paranova. But please listen everything of them it's worth it, mainly Leaving Eden from 2007.
This is The kind of Sound to hear with ears fully open.
Wednesday there will be no post for you to embrace Antimatter, and then Saturday, the second part of this Post
Once I shared with you Alcest, today I will give you another band from France which happens to have the same on Drums on of Alcest elements, Winterhalter. Ariettes Oubliées has the strength of electric guitars in contrast with acoustic guitars in a interesting dance of who wins the front at any point. I trully sugest you to listen the all album cause it's certain, I almost guarantee to you, that you might find something you will become attached to:
The first one I will share with you is the official video from this album with the same name, Ariettes Oubliées
The second music is my favourite the point where electric guitar gives space to acoustic guitar is just magical, just a beautiful cadence this Aprés l'Ombre
Today I will Post the last part of this 4 parts post about Threshold. March of Progress makes a major turning point for several reasons. I think this cover is something simply amazing. In my interpretation is like you're trying to catch something or someone beautiful and interesting that will give you joy, but your hands are tied/chained, so even if you try harder you will never catch what you wanted. In Threshold perspective the message is clear, when you have ideals, ideas and want to follow your decisions, you can't be chained to anything you need to open the chains and try to catch/achieve what you want.
One important thing changed from Dead Reckoning to March of Progress, has I have already said Andrew MacDermott quitted the band in 2007, because of a Kidney problem. Big Mac was readilly substituted for a previous vocalist of the band who entered the formation in 1992 but quitted in 1993, being Threshold vocalist in their first studio album, Wounded Land. As so Damian Wilson entered the band smoothly and fitting well the band.
The band formation form 2009 to now, and crossing March of Progress is:
Karl Groom - lead guitars (1988–present)
Damian Wilson - lead vocals (1992-1993, 1996-1998, 2007–present)
Richard West - keyboards (1992–present)
Johanne James - drums (2000–present)
Steve Anderson - bass (2003–present)
Pete Morten - rhythm guitars (2007–present)
However in 2011 the band received some really bad news, Andrew MacDermott, got worse of his health condition and died with a kidney failure in August 3rd of that year, 2011. It left a feeling of sadness not only in the band, but in all the listeners of Threshold. Mac will always be remembered for all they've done to Threshold, for you to see how amazing is voice was, listen one of my all time favourite from Threshold - Avalon, from Critical Mass album(2002). Is one of my favourite songs, it gives me shivers, The pace is slow, but speeding, and some lines make you think
Returning to March of Progress, Damian Wilson fitted perfectly the band, The next post will be about another project Damian Wilson was involved, that will show you how good he is to. His voice however is different from Mac's voice, is I think heavier, stronger, but can't reach so well the lower notes, so some of the songs that had some doom atmosphere become less powerful with Damian, but allowed them to follow other lines. The music had some evolutions, that accompanied the entrance of Damian. The band knew how to adapt their sound to the new singer without loosing their identity.
The Track list form March of Progress is this one:
"Ashes" – 6:51 (Groom/West)
"Return Of The Thought Police" – 6:09 (Groom/West)
My favorite one from the album is The Hours, made me think a lot, however, the whole album as all the ones before are all simply amazing, one can listen any album from the first to last track and can't feel tired.
Enjoy the videoclip taken from this album, the videoclip was made for a fan made competition asked by Threshold, with some adaptation it became the band official video clip, Staring at the Sun:
This Album ends this Threshold Post, when the new album appears surely I will talk more of them, or if I just want to share any of Threshold songs, even from album I didn't talk about.
As I said the next post will be about another band that counted with several good names, one you can call a super project, with Damian Wilson, Dan Swano, Russel Allen, Arjen Anthony Lucassen and Floor Jansen. This will allow you to figure out of which band am I talking about.
