Eluveitie never cease to impress me with their special brand of folk metal. I love almost anything they put out. I even loved the acoustic album they put out. My opinion may be a little skewed just based on my love for this band but I honestly believe Helvetios is one of the best albums to come out this year so far. Even by Eluveitie's normally high standards this is a great album. I'm not say Everything Remains... was bad album but this album here is much, much better. The songs have much more of a "replay value" than that of their last album. Even the album's intro is a step out of the norm for the band. Normally their albums open with an instrumental folk piece, normally about 2 or 3 minutes long. This album, however opens with an epic spoken word, seamlessly flowing into the first track on the album. Almost like you're watching the opening credits and then the first battle scene of an epic medieval-themed movie. It sucks you into the album immediately.
Now, I call this the rise of Anna Murphey because she has a tremendous presence on the album. The first single from the album, "A Rose For Epona" was sung almost entirely by her. And allow me to say it's one of my favorite songs on the album. Her voice is definitely growing and it's just a super catchy rock song in the middle of the folk-metal madness that is the rest of the album. Now, that's not her only part, either. She has prominent parts in a few songs. Including my personal favorite song on the album (right now, subject to change) "Luxtos." As far as the straight metal songs go, that is easily the catchiest on the album. I don't know the language but I find myself struggling to sing along anyway while I'm blasting it going down the highway. Anna also shares the spotlight on the song "Alesia" in which her and Chirgal go back and forth on the vocals. Much the same way they did for "Slanias Song" from the album Slania.
If there was one thing I would change about the album, and really the band as a whole, it would be to ad a guitar solo once in a while. I mean, the flute solos are cool and all but I wanna see what the guitarists are capable of. As opposed to just adding riffage to the flute and bagpipe and various other folk instrument parts. Maybe even a compromise would be to have a duel solo. Where the flute or whathaveyou and the guitar go back and forth, battling almost. Or even have them mimic each other. These are just my ideas.
Anywho, I believe you have figured out my overall take on the album. It's a great album. You should buy it right now. Right now. Do it. Do it. Do it. You will thank me, I promise. And I will sit back and watch as Eluveitie continue to be one of the most interesting band in the metal landscape today.
It's no secret that The Human Abstract have been one of my favorites for a long time. Due in no small part to Nathan Ells' vocal talent. The man has an amazing range and brings such emotion and energy to the songs he sings. And when I got the news that he was fired from The Human Abstract I was pretty bummed. Not only did I love his voice, but I thought that Midheaven was some of their best work. Not only for him as a vocalist but creatively as a band. But my opinion was apparently not that of most metal fans. So they got A.J. Minette back in the band. Yeah, that's all cool and stuff. He's a very talented guitar player but to be perfectly honest his song writing is a little weak to me. And they hired whatsisface from From First To Last. Who has arguably one of the most generic voices around.
But that's my little rant. Obviously I'm still slightly bitter over the death of a once-great band. But Nathan has a new project now, Sunlit Ether. This band is in it's first stages of evolution but I personally foresee great things coming from this. The songs are catchy and of course you got his voice and song writing ability. So we clearly haven't heard the last of Nathan Ells. And now here's my exclusive interview with the man himself.
What was the full story behind your departure from The Human Abstract? I remember you wrote a blog on MySpace and Dean Herrara also wrote something but that was a few years ago and if I recall didn't really answer a whole lot of questions.
What was most difficult about getting kicked out of THA was that I didn't get the full story myself from them on that day. Times were hard on the road, mostly because members of the band couldn't seem to enjoy themselves, especially AJ, who was always quiet and nervous constantly, and seemed to have a lot of trouble with his girlfriend back home during the time we were both in the band. When AJ quit, Brett Powell (drummer) blamed me for his departure, because AJ and I were such polar opposites as people, he thought my very prescence ran him off. He became very obsessed with this idea. I remember the transitional time between Nocturne and Midheaven was a very difficult time for Brett, and he would always come to me with any negative comments he'd found on the internet from fans.. I've always disregarded any negativity from haters about my art, and have always felt very strongly about doing so. One of Brett Powell's favorite things to say while I was in the band was, "Give the people what they want and take their money." He'd say it over and over. With that in mind, it's very obvious why we didn't get along. Add Dean Herrera, a Mormon, and AJ Minette, a very fundamentalist Christian, all of these people from Los Angeles in their first band ever, and then me, born and raised in Nashville, TN, coming in with 10 years of experience (THA being my 6th band). It was a recipe for disaster. There are really endless reasons, too many to list why it didn't work.
Would you rejoin The Human Abstract if given the chance?
But that said, I'd like it to be known that when Travis Richter quit the band (after less than one record cycle), I wrote both AJ and Brett to touch base and see how they felt about the idea of possibly doing a fourth album together. Neither of them responded. Not even a "fuck you".
I didn't wanna spend too much time on The Human Abstract, and I'm sure you feel the same way so I'm gonna shift focus now to your new band, Sunlit Ether. First off, do you feel that this is a new musical step for you?
Its definitely not a new musical step for me in the sense that most of the members of Sunlit are members of a band I was in before THA, Tricoma. We played lots of live shows in Southern California, but never got the chance to record together. I always got along with them and the writing I did with them was among my very favorite of all the bands I've been in, so it's been great to reconnect with them and start making new music with old friends. How do your influences on Sunlit Ether vary from that of The Human Abstract and your solo music?
Well, I don't want to speak too much for the other members as far as influences are concerned, but Hex (guitarist) and I both really like old Helmet and a lot of the riff-driven heavier bands of the early Alternative movement. Fugazi and Quicksand are another couple of bands of that era thatSunlit Ether could be compared to. We definitely love the bands, At The Drive In and Refused, also, and it shows in the overall sound of the band, I'd say.
I know you've been looking into some labels (or, at least the last time we talked you were) so are there any labels you feel would best represent Sunlit Ether?
I don't want to say too much, but we've been talking back and forth with the really great people at Razor and Tie (All That Remains, Saves The Day, etc.). Razor and Tie is one of the biggest independent labels in America, and is distributed by Sony and Red. We're definitely interested in each other. lol
Is a full length album expected anytime in the near future for that project?
Again, I don't want to say too much, but we're about to hook up with a great producer and get to work on that in the months to come.
Shifting back to your musical influences for a second, it's no mystery that you personally love hip-hop, and rave music and things of that nature. And that you were classically trained in vocals (I can't seem to remember a specific style), and that in fact you don't listen to much metal. So how did you get into writing metal music in the first place?
Well, I grew up listening to early Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, and later Deftones and Tool were huge influences on me. When I started doing live heavy shows, though, I was hooked forever.. Nothing beats a screaming crowd of people and an agressive pit. That said, I love the wordplay and groove of Hip Hop, and I was going to oldschool raves when most of these scenekids were in diapers. I can't change my past or what I love. That said, I'm really excited to see organized parties and electro making a comeback.
Can we expect any more solo music from you? And will that maybe incorporate more electro or hip-hop styles?
Yes sir.. I've been doing some production work for Nikki Williams, a vocalist making a debut on Island/Def Jam, and I just finished a mix of "I Wanna Kill You" for UK artist Nells which I think turned out especially well. I'm going to try and get out a new NRE album this year as well as a compilation of some of the artists I've been able to work with recently, including Nikki Williams, Smoke - a world-touring Hip Hop artist from Nashville, Nells, and Soul E - a vocalist from Nigeria I recently signed to my publishing/management company, Binary Trust. So look out for Dancehall Assassins this year as well as a new NRE release.
That's all the questions I have for you so I'd like to thank you once again for doing this for me. And would you like to say anything else to your fans?
Just this: reverbnation.com/sunlitether reverbnation.com/nrenrenre reverbnation.com/dancehallassassins And.. endless thanks to all those fans and friends out there that have stuck with me through the years. This year's going to be a great one.
The above quote was taken from an interview with prolific mastermind behind a few bands, the most notable of which of course being Opeth, Mikael Åkefeldt (pictured above). The interview was taken from Opeth's 20th anniversary DVD/CD set In Live Concert At The Royal Albert Hall. This quote really got me thinking about how good metal music is produced. How important is it to have diverse influences? Sure you listen to a lot of Slayer and that's obviously gonna influence your music but without the added influence of different styles of music you're just gonna end up with a band that sounds just like Slayer. That's great but so what? if I wanted to listen to a band that sounded like Slayer I would listen to Slayer.
The problem we have here is that in today's metal culture, you have the people that claim that if you're not listening to metal all the time then you're not a true metal head. There seems to be a mentality that if you listen to a little bit of pop music your love for metal is called into question. But it's when you are exposed to many types of music the music you produce tends to be more unique.
Talk to most bads, not just metal, and ask them what their influences are they normally give you the same answer. Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin, The Beatles, etc... It's naive of anyone to think that these are the only bands that are influencing a bands music. I'm sure the classic bands do influence these artists but I think it's more that bands don't want to admit that they're influenced by modern bands or modern styles of music. But that's why we have new styles of music, it's the natural evolution of things.
The problem I have with the current metal scene these days is that bands seem to have run out of creative influences. Bands are afraid of being labeled as non-metal if the branch out a tiny little bit. So they keep writing the same old thrash metal riff and keep playing the same blast-beat drum pattern without venturing outside the proven formula. Now, of course in the case of straight death metal bands, you're probably not gonna find pop elements in the music. Unless, of course you're in Sweden. But it's not really that that bothers me. Of course death metal is always gonna be death metal. But there is still room for growth. Listen to the original death metal of 90's and compare that to the latest Black Dahlia Murder album. There is a world of difference.
Do not get me wrong, I have no problem with a band staying true to their sound. But you also have to be sure that the music your band is producing doesn't get boring. Find more diverse influences. You might not consciously change the sound of the band but listening to more styles of music will eventually change the way you perceive the music you are writing and hopefully you will grow as an artist.
Everybody in the metal community loves to argue about pop metal. Do pop metal bands have a place? Should they even be called metal? The argument is usually made that the pop metal bands act as gateway bands. The kid that is listening to Avenged Sevenfold today will be listening to Cannibal Corpse tomorrow. This may very well be true. That's how I was when I was 13 and 14 listening to Korn, Slipknot, and Linkin Park. By the time I was 16 and 17 I was into Cannibal Corpse, Kataklysm, and Bloodbath. But does this happen in every case? Absolutely not. Most of the time, especially these days, the bands like like Five Finger Death Punch, Bullet For My Valentine, and Disturbed attract a UFC style fanbase of douche bags. But of course you have that risk with every movement. While the kids that were into nu metal when they were younger, like me grew up to like true metal. The adults that got into nu metal went a very different direction, Getting tribal tattoos and corn rows.
But there is a difference between good and bad pop metal. There are the bands that have serious talent like Avenged Sevenfold and Killswitch Engage that just happen to write catchy songs with an edge. And then you have Black Veil Brides and Five Finger Death Punch who are just so annoying you can't imagine this music doing anything good for anybody. But those bands will eventually die out and we'll be left with the talented ones that will do nostalgia tours 10 years from now.
But what about deathcore? Beyond the radio side of pop metal you have deathcore which is basically the Hot Topic side of pop metal. It attracts a very similar fanbase and has very similar effects as far as getting kids to listen to real metal. The good thing about deathcore is that it gives the bands the opportunity to evolve into a real death metal bands. The Black Dahlia Murder, Job For A Cowboy, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, these are all bands that have distanced themselves from the deathcore movement while managing to keep their original fans and through going on tour with real death metal bands, have turned their fans onto the world outside the brightly colored shirts, the hardcore dancing and the basketball shorts. This is where I see the merit of deathcore.
But then, of course you have the bands who have no merit whatsoever. Sadly these are the bands most associated with the movement. When talking about deathcore Bring Me The Horizon is the first band to come to mind. And that band is absolutely terrible. Luckily for us this movement seems to be on it's way out. I mean, when was the last time you heard a new BMTH song? Or saw someone wearing an Attack Attack! shirt? Unlike the pop metal bands, when the bad deathcore bands die out we aren't really left with "good" deathcore bands. We'll just be left with bands their were deathcore but have evolved their sound to traditional death metal. And isn't that we are really hoping for?
I'm not doing the decade-end list so many other people are doing because, quite frankly, that requires a lot of though. It was tough enough for me to compile of list of the best albums of this year, let alone the entire decade. There were a LOT of great albums that came out this year. Most of which I didn't even listen to. But, out of the ones I did make time to listen to, here's the 13 best.
#13 - Scar Symmetry - Dark Matter Dimensions Even with the loss of their dynamic singer, Scar Symmetry dusted themselves off, got 2 great singers to replace him and did a great job at it. Dark Matter Dimensions is every bit as good, if not better than their previous albums. It's everything you expect from one of their albums. Great hooks, epic solos, and heavy growls. Kudos to them for making such a great album with new singers. We can all be so lucky.
#12 - X-Mas - Let The Dead Bury Their Dead Ok, so what if this is technically a 5-song demo from a local band in my area? What, you think the list has to only be label debuts? Well you are wrong. Because, I listened to this album more than the new Killswitch album, and the new Mastodon album put together this year. The hooks are great and they do an amazing job of staying away from a predictable formula from song to song. Not to mention Justin Johnson's elastic scream that just makes your spine shiver. I have the pleasure of actually being able to call these guys friends. And, if we can organize it properly and find a club at a reasonable price, they will be playing at my 18th birthday party next month so, I'm excited for that. And, for these guys to get signed in the future. If they keep putting out killer music like this it's bound to happen.
#11 - Insidious Decrepancy - Extirpating Omniscient Certitude Who says big words aren't metal? This one-man tech death juggernaut is back with his first album in 4 years. Not only is this probably one of the most brutal things that came out this year, it's among the most brutal things I have in my iPod. The riffs are amazing, the lyrics, if you read them, are genius, and, it's just so, so heavy. I don't think I need say any more.
#10 - Lamb Of God - Wrath I must say I'm a little surprised to not see this album on more year-end lists. Is it because it came out so early in the year and you forgot that it came out in 09? Well, I didn't. Everything about this album just screams Lamb Of God. The riffs are as heavy as ever and Randy's vocals are just crushing. Just listen to 20 seconds of "Broken Hands" and tell me it doesn't deserve to be on this list. I think the fact that, they only released one single from the album and it debuted at #2 on the charts speaks for itself how amazing this album is. If you haven't listened to it, I don't know what you're waiting for.
#9 - Giant Squid - The Ichthyologist I don't even know what to say about this album. It totally took me by surprise how good it was from the first song. And, even though it's not really heavy, more like trippy stoner "dungeon metal" it has just as much right to be on this list at the all might LoG does. I found out about this band through a conversation with one of the guys from Cormorant and he told me to check them out and I'm so glad I did. Every song seems to blend seamlessly into the next. And, I'm told that it's supposed to be a concept album and I'm not even gonna pretend to know what the story's about or, for that matter what the title means but, I love it.
#8 - Mudvayne - Mudvayne I waited so much longer after everyone else to do my list just because, based off the two songs I'd already heard from this album, I had a feeling it was gonna chart. And, boy was I right. I listened to this album 3 times all the way through today and I'm convinced that this marks the return of The End Of All Things To Come-era Mudvayne. And I couldn't be happier for that. The songs no longer have that angsty formula that the last two albums seemed to have. And, the songs are HEAVY. With the exception of "Scream With Me" which is the radio song of the album. And, the albums closer "Dead Inside." This album absolutely slays compared to The New Game. And, I'm so glad to have the Mudvayne I know and love back.
#7 - Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague Another album I'm shocked to not see on too many year-end lists. I mean, it's Cannibal Corpse! I think it's the same thing as with the Lamb Of God album; because it came out in February, everyone forgot it came out this year. But, it did. And I'm so glad it did. Even after more than 20 years Cannibal Corpse are still out there playing brutal death metal, and still doing it better than everybody else. The songs are great Corpse songs and classic tunes. This should truly go down in history as one of the great death metal albums. Long live Cannibal Corpse!!
#6 - Chimaira - The Infection Chimaira released another great album this year. Not to mention another shift in the sound of Chimaira. Every Chimaira albums is exciting because their all different. In this one, they kinda slowed down the songs. And, no that doesn't mean they went softer and made a Nickleback album *shiver*. It means the tempo is slower and therefor more crushing. Some people complain that the songs aren't heavy enough. These people don't deserve the ears their listening to the album with. If you can't see yourself moshing "Frozen In Time" or "On Broken Glass" then, you obviously don't mosh often.
#5 - Cormorant - Metazoa I can't even talk about how much I love this album. The album hangs together so nicely and, every time I listen to it I love it even more. I can't find a single fault with this album. The guitar work is absolutely serene. I get lost in this album from start to finish and I find it hard to listen to anything else for a few hours after because it's just so beautiful you have to reflect upon it. Every element of this band's music is blended so perfectly. Hopefully I'll have an interview with a member of this band posted soon, as soon as they get back to me with their answers to the questions.
#4 - Dethklok - Dethalbum II Ya know, I tried to stay away from including Brendon Small's virtual ode to death metal, Dethklok and his second full length album because of the whole "Cartoon band" thing but, honestly, I just can't. The album is so damn great and fun to listen to I have to include it on the list. Everything from Hoglan's drumming to Small's effortless guitar work is so superior to the first Dethalbum. Not only are the song heavy as Hell, but their catchy. In the classic Dethklok manner. I can't wait to see what Dethalbum III eventually has for us.
#3 - Daath - The Concealers I know, I'm surprised too. This album came out of nowhere and just decimated the competition. "Sharpen The Blades" along with "Wilting On The Vine" are sure to go down as not only death metal classics but, metal classics in general. This album is sure to stand the test of time and surely marks the start of a very long career for Daath and their new singer in Sean Z. This album really makes me want to see this band live. I can just imagine how epic these songs are live. But, for now, we have a great album.
#2 - Iwresltedabearonce - It's All Happening This band is so polarizing in the metal community. It's unreal how many people hate this band. I don't really understand it because I love this band so much. The songs, though may seem chaotic flow so perfectly. And, even though the band seems hell-bent on not taking the band or the music too seriously that doesn't show through in Krysta's lyrics. Though the song names and approach may seem a bit cartoony at times, the lyrics, as far as I can tell, are dead serious. And, if they're trying to be funny it's going completely over my head. Great music anyway. Sure to go down as an innovative band.
#1 - Revocation - Existence Is Futile We've reached the end of my little list. And, what a ride it's been. Ending in what was, without a DOUBT the best album of the year. I knew this was the most amazing album to come out in a long time since the first time I popped the CD in. The intricacy of the guitars, bass, and drums are perfect. And the vocals are so sharp and crisp while still being brutal. The songs are memorable and catchy as anything that's been put out and better. This album will go down in history as one of those albums that unified the metal community and will stand the test of time as being one of the greatest metal albums ever written. And, to close out the list, I give you the first video from our winner. Here's Revocation's "Dismantle The Dictator".
So I know I'm late on writing... Anything. I don't have a good excuse. Oh well. Anyway, according to my Last.FM account, my top album of this week is Nine Inch Nails' 2-disk masterpiece The Fragile. Nine Inch Nails completely dominated the list this week, taking not only the #1 spot, but the top 4 spots. And, this one is not just the #1 album, but it has broken the record for most plays in a single week with an impressive 80 plays. Which is 40 more plays than the #2 album which was Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero.
How do I even begin to describe why this album is so great? There's no way I have enough time to sit here and go into all 23 songs like this album deserves. And yet, there's no real way to give a cursory over-view of this amazing album. I think it's the catchiness of songs like "We're In This Together" and "Where Is Everybody" that first draws you in. Then songs like "I'm Looking Forward To Joining You, Finally" that are so haunting and makes the album stick with you.
Or maybe it's the constant build that each song seems to go through. All you have to do is listen to the open track on the first disk to be instantly captured. It starts off with a very simply acoustic guitar riff and just keeps building and building until it's just an assault of hard alt-rock. Then you just have the pure heaviness of songs like "Starfuckers, Inc." and "No, You Don't" that sets this album apart from the other albums. This album is Nine Inch Nails in their most raw, and pure form. The fact that this album isn't more famous just baffles me.
I don't usually put videos in these blogs but I feel I must for this one. Here's them playing "No, You Don't" live.
Nathan Ells, who I have often regarded as being one of the best, most talented vocalists in metal today, is no longer in The Human Abstract. As said in a statement on the band's MySpace page;
It is time we update you on some very important news. First and foremost, The Human Abstract will no longer be working with Nathan Ells. We want to wish Nathan the very best in his future endeavors. With that being said, we are now looking for our new lead singer. To clue everyone in, our new singer must be into Chuck Norris, Van Damme and most importantly Steven Seagal movies. We will be holding public auditions, so if you have what it takes please reach us at THAvocalistsearch@gmail.com and we will respond to you with more information.
I literally just read this and figured I must write an article. Nathan Ells has one of the most impressive vocal ranges in this type of music. Also, the man was a genious song writer and an AMAZING performer. I know this because I've seen them live twice. And, I can't imagine a the band without him. Being a metal vocalist myself, I respect the things that Nathan does with his voice. I often try to sing his songs and wish I had that type of range. Just go buy a copy of Midheaven and see how awesome his voice is. That album really draws it out to it's finest. Whereas Nocturne focused more on the technical aspect of the band's music. Just watch them perform "A Violent Strike" and tell me the band can ever be the same without him.
