 Other Reviews: Opeth
Chimaira
- [self-titled] (2005)
Don't bother listening to this CD if you're not
already angry and/or depressed. The songs are long, and angry. Very,
very angry. There's nothing poppy about it, nothing melodic about the
vocals. Most songs are rather slow but with enough changes and guitar
leads and solos to keep your attention. The drumming is one of the
highpoints of the album, seeing as this dude used to be in Dying Fetus
and almost joined Slayer. Upon hearing that I was expecting all
of his stuff to be blast beats and other fast craziness, but again,
that's not what the music is about. There are fast crazy parts but only
when needed.
"Nothing Remains" starts the album out with equal parts: screaming,
groove, pretty instrumentals and grinding beats. I've been in love with
suicide songs as of late, so I enjoyed lines such as "Don't
tell me, that I am taking the easy way out / No underlying message to
figure out/
What you got from me is what I put out". It's amazing to think that our
metal forefathers were brought to court over subliminal messages that
suggested suicide. Oh, how times have changed. Many of the songs
are surprisingly catchy, since they really weren't aiming for that. You
can spot the Testament influence in "Save Ourselves", it's got a long
solo in it as well as memorable stops that make me go "woah!" every time
I hear them. "Lazarus" is a seven and a half minute song dedicated
to a friend who committed suicide, it's not a ballad or very
sympathetic, instead attacks the feelings going along with the death.
It's very blunt, and as usual.. very angry. You have to appreciate a
song like this, it's honest, emotional and still brutal, without blaming
anyone.
If one were to sum this album up in a sentence it would be "Dude,
life sucks, let's fuck shit up". Be in that mindset when you
listen to this and you'll love it. It may take a couple listens to drill
the stuff into your skull, but it should be worth it.
I was sent the special edition with a bonus disc with bonus tracks
and a whole lot of live songs. That second disc rocked a lot, I'd
recommend picking up that version if possible.
~~~~
4 out of 5 Bolts
Official Site : www.chimaira.com
Myspace:
www.myspace.com/chimaira
Record Label :
www.roadrunnerrecords.com
|
 Opeth
- Ghost Reveries (2005)
I could see a lot of Opeth's early fans feeling alienated
after this. Though there's some death metal growling early on in the
first track, it quickly switches to sounding rather uplifting. They seem
to be more sunshine and flowers than before. I can't really say this is
bad, though after many listens I haven't really gotten into it.
With four tracks clocking in at over ten minutes long, this isn't an
album for the casual listener. You almost have to go into it with the
intent on getting into this band. The songs are always changing
into different directions. I enjoy the keyboards and organ throughout the
album. Especially in "Beneath The Mire", the opening makes me want
to play Castlevania. After that it goes in a million directions, and
ends with something that could be out of a Romero movie. I prefer the
"shorter" songs on the album, like "Atonement" which is only six
and a half minutes, the songs over ten minutes long "Ghosts of
Perdition", "Baying of the Hounds" etc are good, but they just seem
excessive after the 8 minute mark.
This is an excellent album for fans of progressive rock or metal fans who
enjoy drugs. It's also great for background music, or zoning out.
Not something to wake up to, but definitely something to relax to. Opeth's the kind of band that can change
someone's idea of what metal is, take that any way you want. If
you're into this kinda thing you're into it. I'm only sort of into
it, though this will make a lovely video game soundtrack. They're
worth checking out, just make sure you're listening to OPETH and not
that lame OTEP band.
~~~
3 out of 5 skulls
Official Site : www.opeth.com
Label :
www.roadrunnerrecords.com |
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