Time for Some Stuff

As the title indicates, this is a blog for music and stuff. Therefore, I feel it is time to have some stuff. Which is why there shall be a review of the new Dalek episode in the long running British science fiction show, Doctor Who. The episode, "Victory of the Daleks" brings back the true essence of the Doctor's number one enemy.

Instead of having the Daleks be emotional as the previous seasons in the new series, these go back to the old days. They are completely void of emotion, and their main goal is to destroy all in their path. This is a relief, and actually makes an otherwise boring episode enjoyable. After all, seeing the same enemy every year gets old, especially when they somehow magically gain emotions; that just is not cool.

Matt Smith continues to prove himself as a worthy Doctor. He does not seem to force any of his lines or movements, which is always nice. Karen Gillan may portray one of the best assistants ever in the show as Amy Pond. Though, this role does not truely come out until the next episode in the season.

Thankfully I watched the next episode. For, every episode always shows the story arc of a crack in time. While it was interesting the first time, it just gets annoying constantly seeing it. However, the trailer for the 5th episode (the one reviewed here is the 3rd) shows a promising reasoning for this crack in time.

All in all I give this episode an 8/10. It did what has been lacking for quite some time in a Doctor Who episode; that is, it is a fun episode without distracting emotional parts. This is a good thing considering the next episode incorporates a sort of emotional bond between characters. Though, this episode definitely proves that the season is not over before it started.

Escapexstacy

Following the end of the band Sentenced, singer Ville Laihiala went on to form the gothic metal band Poisonblack. Though, on their debut he opted to only play guitar rather than sing. This may have been the best decision he could have made. For, the guest singer on the entire album is by far one of the greatest gothic metal singers of all time; Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto. JP, as he is often referred to as, is the singer for the Finnish gothic metal band, Charon. His voice set Poisonblack on the right track, which makes it a shame that Laihiala's voice on the following three albums just is not up to par with JP's.

Regardless, their debut album, Escapexstacy is really quite good. The music has a solid feel to it, with remarkable guitar tone that manages to be gone for their next three releases. One of the main attractions is the lack of flashy guitar parts. True, this is a common theme throughout gothic metal, but on their other albums the guitar work is more rock and less goth. Though, the solos and leads on this album are done tastefully, which makes them enjoyable. Essentially, with the addition of keyboards, the album is almost like a heavier version of HIM, but with less aim towards high school girls. Speaking of keyboards, there are songs such as "The State" that use piano and keyboards to add a wonderfully dark tone to the music.

Not enough can be said about JP's vocals. Every album from his band or song he guest appears on the listenere is guaranteed near excellent vocal delivery from him. The problem, well not really problem, but rather drawback is that every song essentially has the same lyrical theme concerning either sex or desire. Luckily it is not done nearly as tasteless as in the 80s, but it's still there. That's not to say none of the songs have good lyrics, and luckily they are serious enough to allow the listener to actually enjoy them, but it seems for a writer who has worked with Sentenced for quite some time that the lyrical realm would be a tad broader.

Basically, if you enjoy listening to a wonderful singer, well done music, and not great but still enjoyable lyrics then this is definitely an album to check out.

Back to the 90s, in a recording studio somewhere...

During 1991 the band Portishead was born. Three years later their debut album, "Dummy" was released. This is the topic of discussion today. An album that is difficult to categorize, but for the sake of categorization we shall call it experimental trip-hop. At the same time there will most likely be those who consider it to be drug music, which is understandable considering the spacy, atmospheric feel to the work as a whole. Alas, it can also be appreciated as a wonderfully creative work of art.

Upon pressing the play button on your cd player (or those new fangled mp3 player iPods) the listener is greeted by the first track, "Mysterons" with a calming wave of echoed keyboard notes. Then, within ten seconds a turntable comes in. Needless to say, this album is very interesting. The music throughout the disc is all very calm and soothing, which makes it a strong recommendation for night time listening. Even though there is this calmness, there are also quite a few catchy songs such as "Sour Times" and what may be their most popular song, "Roads."

Lyrically it isn't bad, but at the same time it's difficult to say how good they are. The vocal style of singer Beth Gibbons is guaranteed to enchant anybody listening to her. Because of this it is sometimes difficult to focus only on the lyrics rather than her soothing voice. This only adds to the wonderful, calm atmosphere of the album. This is truely a debut worthy of praise, and should be acknowledged by anyone interested in well written, relaxing music.

New Brides...

A relatively new, up and coming band is taking the stage in venues around the country. This band is no other than Black Veil Brides. After several years, this west coast band will soon be releasing their debut album this summer. One may wonder what this review is going to be about since the album is not out yet, but there are still a few songs that are out and and can be covered.

The band's single, "Knives and Pens" may be the best song to listen to for the direction of their sound. At least that's what may be thought until listening to their other songs. Each one has it's own sound, and it will be curious to see which direction the album ultimately takes. Regardless of the direction there is no doubt it will be an impressive debut. This is because each song, though somewhat different, is good. "Knives and Pens" takes a more traditional sound amongst other bands out at the moment, but songs such as "The Gunsling," "We Stitch These Wounds," and "Hello My Hate" all are unique. Ultiamately this will be good because it allows the band to be distinct from others that may have very similar sounds. There is no reason it should not be a highly anticipated album of 2010.

Well, since they have a unique sound in the studio, the question is whether or not it translates well to a live performance. The answer is most definitely yes. This past weeked I had the pleasure of experiencing them live first hand. Everything they did was spot on. They also played a few songs from their upcoming album which are not online yet, and they were quite impressive. Their singer knows how to be a proper frontman, but it was a tad hard to tell considering nearly the whole crowd in the front consisted of 15 year old girls. Still, this is a band that should not be ignored, especially because they have a sound that will most likely attract a large audience if and likely when given the chance.

The Trocadero (now home of one of the greatest concerts)

April 2, 2010, a night which will not soon be forgotten. The night set the stage for Glass Midnight, Powerglove, Mutiny Within, and Sonata Arctica. Every time a new band took stage the expectations grew. Though, that is not to say any one band was bad. Actually, the first two bands exceeded expectations.

Glass Midnight is a New Jersey based metal band. Their singer is a far above many bands signed to major labels. While listening to him it came to mind how poorly so many people sing. Asides from having good clean vocals, he also has an exceptional growl that surpasses many other singers who perform such vocal styles. Adding to this is the music, which did not fail to impress. Overall, this is a band that should not be missed, and their keyboardist dressed as a pirate, which was pretty great.

After them came on Powerglove. Now, I did not expect anything exceptional from them, but I was completely wrong. Upon coming onto the stage in incredible stage outfits reminiscent of classic videogames it was clear they came to please. The first song performed was the Tetris theme song, and from there it just got better. At one point the frontman/bassist took a gigantic bag of starburst and threw them into the audience. The set finished with the Power Rangers theme song. Never did I imagine that song could be quite so fun. From beginning to end the song was pure energy, which was essentially the running theme of their whole set. After seeing them live I am now a fan of this band.

Now to the two bands I initially went to see. Starting off is Mutiny Within. There are few words to describe how incredible their performance was. Chris Clancy proved that in the studio and live his voice is nothing short of amazing. While listening to their album it is easy to see how fantastic their guitar work is, but seeing them live allows one to appreciate their keyboardist. He may be considered an overlooked member of the band because he is often overshadowed by the other instruments, but by seeing him live it is easy to say that he is just as talented as the rest of the band, and together the band is the best metal band to come out in quite some time.


Alas, the headline band, Sonata Arctica. There are absolutely no words to explain how amazing this band is. Even before they came on stage they were amazing. This is becaue they started the show with a recording of their instrumental "Everything Fades to Gray." From there they set the new standard for what a show should be. Every song they performed was perfectly performed. Tony Kakko still shows that he is a great frontman, whether it is with talking between songs or what he does on stage during a song, he is always entertaining. Every member of the band demonstrated their skill as musicians, which is no surprise considering their extensive experience playing across the world. This band should never be missed by anybody, and when they come around again there is no doubt that I will see them again.



After the show I had the pleasure of meeting several band members. First was the drummer, keyboardist, and bassist of Mutiny Within, who all signed a cd and poster for me. Then were various members of Glass Midnight, who were all pretty cool. While waiting outside for Sonata Arctica I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Clancy. Also while waiting outside members from Powerglove were packing up their equipment and also giving out starburst. Then, after an hour and a half wait and standing outside in Philly at 1:30 AM Sonata Arctica came out. This will be one of the greatest momemts of my life, becuase they are rank highly amongst my musical idols. Pictures were taken with Tommy, the drummer, and Tony Kakko. April 2, 2010 is a night that will never be forgotten, and a show that will be hard to top.

Going from good to bad is one thing, but starting at bad is another

The internet is home to numerous things, good and bad. Recently, bands and artists have been getting popular over myspace. This in itself is not a bad thing, and a lot of good bands have been found this way. Still, the lack of quality in the bad artists is horrible. Though bad music is made all the time, it often goes un-noticed. However, this is not the case for The Millionaires.

After putting up a few tracks, the Millionaires became an overnight sensation. Upon listening to their "music" one may wonder why. Sure, it is a little catchy and is slowly getting better musically, but the lyrics are just unforgivable. Every song from "Alcohol" to "Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid" screams senseless immaturity. This is a shame, because, as previously stated, the background music is progressively getting better.

Though, to take a glimpse into the world of the Millionaires, one song shall be chosen out of random, because each song is essetially the same. For fun we shall look at "Rated X-Mas." At first glance it seems like another song with some sexual references, specifically Christmas references. This is not a horrible concept, and can be a fun sort of song if done right. The problem is it is way to explicit, and not done right. It is possible to go on for quite some time about these lyrics, but this one verse may suffice:

I'm staring at the clock
Waiting for my santa cock
In an out my chimney
Cause he's been around the block

Just where to begin? Apparently Santa is, for lack of a better word, a player who sleeps around a lot. So, now you are probably thinking it cannot get worse, and if it is just this it is acceptable, well guess again:

As I'm licking on his peppermint
I'm gentle with his ornaments
Icing on my lips
Now it's time to open my present

Yes, this is real, and they are signed to a legit record label. Somehow it is possible to get signed when writing songs about, well Christmas porn. Though, these lyrics are to be expected with the pre-chorus that goes something like this:

I'll make you skeet like snow
As i take off my clothes

As any sane, thinking person can tell, these lyrics are just atrocious. Needless to say, there is no point in listening to this group. Though I have never tried it I cannot imagine the songs being any better while being under the influence, especially since their voices are ear piercingly screechy. When all is said and done I will not tell you I told you so, but if you listen to them remember you read this blog as your warning.

The Phantom of the... nah, we prefer the Ghost Opera

The latest album by Kamelot, a symphonic metal band from Florida, "Ghost Opera," may be taken as a fresh start for the band. It is the first album in quite some time to not follow a story, but still maintains its own feel. Overall, each song is dark, which is surprising for a genre that usually has somethin uplifting. Still, the choruses are relatively catchy, which keeps the record from being stale.



"Love You to Death" is definitely the stand out track, and is amongst their best songs. It revolves around two lovers, and the title is pretty self explanatory. Still, the song is rather sad. After all, the girl dies, and she knows she is going to as stated in this particular section of the song:

She got weaker every day
As the autumn leaves flew by
Until one day, she told him,
"This is when I die"

Adding to the atmosphere of the song is the video for it, which is all in black and white.

The album contains more interesting guitar parts than their prior release. This may be due to not having to follow the same story throughout an album, hence allowing for more musical freedom. Though, the album maintains a constant feel that has become the signiature sound of the band. Credit must be given to their singer, Roy Khan. Again, as with Mutiny Within, Khan is not from America. Rather, he hails from the land of Norway. As an aside, why are there no American singers who seem to be competent enough to sing well? Regardless, he has three years of classical vocal training, which he uses to add an impressive range to his voice and displays an emotional impact when needed. If nothing else, his voice may be reason enough for some people to listen to the band, and this album, and through that the rest of the band's talent will shine through.