DrasTalk: Music

[Drasiana]

The pregnant thing only came out after she left though, didn't it? The reason she gave at the time though was that she was pissed off about her being replaced for a single show with Elize and Alissa (they were touring with Kamelot and couldn't just cancel the one show on short notice). I imagine her being pregnant had something to do with it but...why not just say you're leaving for health reasons, even if you still want the pregnancy to be a secret? I'm sure Elize and Alissa felt pretty lame thinking they were part of the reason why Nightwish lost their singer

 

Then she sicced her crazy fans on Tony Kakko (singer from Sonata Arctica aka most adorable man in the world) for something he said about "respecting the band's decisions" or whatever and yeah the Nightwish fandom is crazy

 

I guess I'll talk a bit about Nightwish because the topic steered to it...

 

So, Nightwish was the first symphonic metal band I ever heard, and are the reason I ever knew symphonic metal was a thing. It was because my brother was obsessed with that shitty horror movie, The Cave, which used Nemo in the credits for...some reason. Anyway I heard that and my first thought was "dang, this'd be a great Kingdom Hearts AMV".

 

I was a huge dork.

 

Regardless I started listening to them and that kind of opened the door to discovering Kamelot, then Avantasia, then everyone else attached to Avantasia. So Nightwish was pretty quintessential to me developing my musical tastes and that's a pretty special thing. However, once the drama with Tarja erupted the band unfortunately began to leave my mouth a little sour. Smearing their  personal drama all over the internet, Tuomas going on to writing THREE whiny songs Nice Guying over Tarja and her husband? Seriously, Master Passion Greed and Bye Bye Beautiful literally read as "ugh why'd you choose that DUMB JOCK when WE were here the ENTIRE TIME". Regardless of whether or not Tarja HAD become as big of a diva as they'd made her out to be, you'd think the idea wouldn't be to out-diva her. (Admittedly I like Bye Bye Beautiful as a song too but I can't shake the creepfactor from the lyrics)

 

Anette as a replacement just...didn't work for me. Her voice just sounded wrong with the otherwise unchanged type of music they were playing, especially when they covered older songs live. Not to mention the crazy fandom infighting with Tarja fans versus Anette fans. Christ, props to the Kamelot fandom for not devolving into a huge slapfight over Khan vs Karevik and learning to work together through the power of friendship. And of course Anette is gone too. Floor Jansen has been a nice replacement thus far and I hope that she stays on, because she has a good stage presence and her voice is the perfect medium between Tarja and Anette's. With that in mind though I don't know if we can bet on the lyrics becoming more original and less pretentious. After all, the Nightwish movie (yes), Imaginaerum, was literally about Tuomas' SUPER DEEP TORTURED self-insert named Tom. He's not quite as subtle as he thinks he is, is he?

 

With that said about Imaginaerum I hope its existence opens the doors for more movie adaptations of concept albums, in part because a Metal Opera movie has always been my dream project. I also can't help but suspect Kamelot is going in this direction too, with their book/SEVEN THOUSAND MUSIC VIDEOS based on Silverthorn, which is a concept album.

 

Oh, fun fact: originally, Tobias Sammet wanted to cast Tarja as Anna in the Metal Opera. She declined, "for some reason". All I can imagine is a confused Tobi standing alone on a street with a script and watery eyes and just d'awwwwwww

 

Other fun fact: Tarja did, however, randomly guest star with post-André Angra and she sang Wuthering Heights live with them. André's version was way better

 

edit: you know I love the Kamelot fandom like while the Nightwish fandom is freaking out and whiteknighting their singer of choice and attacking other random musicians, the Kamelot fandom is writing a concept album about beavers in anticipation of tour dates. I just...love...this fandom...

 

edit 2: CONFIRMATION OF A SEQUEL TO THE MYSTERY OF TIME AND A NEW EDGUY ALBUM AWWW YEEEEAH

[Harlow]

It is against the rules unless you started the post (and that only applies to specific posts)

 

Funny anecdote: I discovered metal by accident.

 

Back when iPods were coloured bricks and when I was 11-12ish and pretty innocent, I downloaded a song with no name or identification. Was hard-hitting at the time, but I loved it. I heard it non-stop, not even caring who they were or what it was (not even what they were saying. English as Second Language). Time passed before I discovered the song and band's name.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEIaE1hZnSk

 

And, after another song in those times (Metal is Forever), I'm in the process of rediscovery of the new material and I like it!

[Drasiana]

He's either a troll, or 3 years old.

 

Just sit back and watch the fireworks while they last.

 

I just read through the Brony topic and I'm inclined to believe this, perhaps a combination of both

 

This Valentine's Day, enjoy a surreal descent into madness. Introducing: SAM GREBE'S POSTING.

 

Content:

 

Look what just came in the mail c:

 

[Harlow]

Look what just came in the mail c:

 

 

Omg it's beautiful

 

...And the Kamelot memorabilia is cool too.

[Drasiana]

Omg it's beautiful

 

...And the Kamelot memorabilia is cool too.

 

Har har har

 

I'm gonna read the Silverthorn book tonight and let you guys know what's what. Books based on concept albums are great!

[Zzz]

Zzz

[Harlow]

Faisul will kill me C:

 

So, it's a book authorized by the band based on the album?

That's new

[Drasiana]

And he just went to bed too :B

 

Yep, it's written by them actually: second object on your left in my hand there. It's like a 40 page storybook of some kind. The story of Silverthorn is about a pair of brothers who are accidentally responsible for the death of their sister and grow up with this secret, but it evolves into a murder mystery from there on out. The songs follow the story but they generally work on their own as well; Kamelot did that fairly well with their other concept albums, Epica/The Black Halo, too.

 

I wish they'd release a Metal Opera book too, if only because allegedly the story wound up being OVER THREE HUNDRED PAGES and the plot synopses given in the album booklets were extremely brief summaries. So like, it basically already is a book, it just doesn't exist anywhere for mysterious reasons. Crossing my fingers for an eventual Metal Opera reissue that comes with one...

 

also THANK YOU R3D

[Harlow]

It's funny, I imagine it like:

 

"Chapter 1"

"Please listen Song #1 to #3"

[Drasiana]

I read it last night and actually it wasn't like that, unlike some concept albums. The songs and the book both work on their own. While the book was a linear first person narrative, the songs were more selective character beats. The book documented the physical progression of the story while the songs documented the emotional, and the latter doesn't necessarily go in a linear order. It's really interesting the way it worked out, I liked it a lot. It was a bit of a depressing story, but just creepy and profound enough to work, and I think it would make a great feature adaptation.

 

Have a cool picture of Tommy Karevik:

 

 

Apparently he's a firefighter for his day job. Yeah. He's awesome.

 

edit: addendum to Angra, I know I only talked about Angra with André but they're still pretty good after he left THE ONLY REASON I HAVEN'T COVERED THEM FULLY IS BECAUSE THEIR SECOND SINGER LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE MY WRITING PARTNER AND WHILE HE IS A REALLY GOOD SINGER THIS FACT ALONE CREEPS ME THE FUCK OUT TOO MUCH TO WATCH ANYTHING WITH HIM IN IT FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE I'M REALLY SORRY BUT PLEASE DON'T LET THAT DETER YOU FROM LISTENING TO THEM

[myu]

Also, just for the record, I like most, if not all, of the things BUTTFIGHTER DRAGONLORD* listens to.

 

 

 

*Dras

[Drasiana]

...Wario?

 

Well I'll take this post bump to give the low-down on some recent developments.

 

First and foremost, I accidentally discovered a band fanfiction archive in which 40-year-old women gather around and write gay porn about real people. Here is my reaction video.

 

Secondly, a trailer for something called THE NEW METAL OPERA was released. You can watch it here. From what I gather it's an Avantasia-esque supergroup and it has a pretty baller lineup but...it's headed by Timo Tolkki, who has a history of being completely fucking bonkers. The singers all sound so bored singing those POWER METAL BUTT FIGHTER DRAGONLORD lyrics. At least we got this interview snippet with Tobi about it:

 

Kiske Fanclub: There are some trailers from Frontiers Records about ‘A new Metal Opera’...What do you think about this project?

Tobias: Wow, someone is extraordinarily creative here.

 

So I guess we'll see!

 

In the meantime I went to a concert the other night, which was great. Minifeatures for each band:

 

Stolen Babies

 

I was not expecting this but hot diggity damn they were fantastic. I don't even know what to describe them as...they were like, cabaret metal. I guess that's a thing now. And if you know me, there's nothing I love more than metal and cabarets. Plus their singer is a woman who plays the accordion and she has a real unique voice, fluctuating between clean and harsh vocals and throwing some unique stylistic interpretations in there. Sometimes she sounds like a goat, but in a good way. I love their use of bass, the dude can really play.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVLLQEM9-Ew

 

Firewind

 

Um not actually a lot to say about them other than they're Greek and just more of the same POWER METAL BUTT FIGHTER DRAGONLORD stuff. They were fun though and their singer is pretty good, and brings good energy to the live shows. I don't really know much about them and kind of forgot they existed until this show. Here's the first song of theirs that popped up on Youtube.

 

Turisas

 

The main event of the show and god damn. God damn. I already posted one of their songs in the What Are You Listening To thread but I feel the need to reiterate here.

 

First and foremost they are basically Skyrim Metal.

 

 

Warpaint, violins, accordions and a whole lot of moxy.

 

They are just ridiculously fun. They're campy but they know it and play it up for what ultimately ends up being some of the most fun you'll have at a concert. There were line dancers in the moshpit, for fuck's sake. I have never been happier to experience lasting upper back pain. While I was right at the front during the show, I didn't get too many great photos, but just the experience was incredible.

 

Currently, they only have three albums, but a fourth is coming in May and all are worth a listen if you love goofy but incredibly well-done folk metal.

 

Here's their cover of Rasputin. Yes, that Rasputin:

 

[Steve]

I'll clean it up, don't worry.

 

EDIT: Topic Cleaned. Carry on.

[Drasiana]

Guys okay Virgo

 

Virgo

 

Virgo

 

Virgo is a perfect thing that I literally just discovered. What is it? It's a single-album side project orchestrated by André Matos and Sascha Paeth, who is "that one quiet German dude who is somehow responsible for the existence of nearly every good power/prog metal band in the past two decades". He's a producer/musician that has his fingers all over everything and that is a good thing. Kamelot, Edguy, Avantasia, Shaman, Angra, Rhapsody, etc., his name is on it all, and he often acts as one of the guitarists for live DVDs, like Avantasia's The Flying Opera and Shaman's RituaLive, where he spends 95% of the time dodging hugs in the middle of guitar solos, because metal is adorable.

 

So anyway he and André come together, two metal superstars, and they produce...

 

...an 80's-esque pop-rock album.

 

 

Wait, what? It's true! While there are still some metal elements in certain songs...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XES1lyahd34

 

...the bulk of it is far more radio-friendly material that highly evokes the likes of Queen, Poison, and...Elvis?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cy1ZKwQSOQ

 

I got Elvis vibes off it, anyway. It's ridiculous, in all the best ways.

 

There's also a bit of a country-rock vibe in there, which is bizarre, but I'll go with it, and sweet choruses that are comprised of a few familiar voices, like Amanda Somerville:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaNFoUdO2Q4

 

I don't know why this is their cover art though it looks so hilariously creepy and I just laugh every time I see it.

 

It was only 11 tracks long, and 9 of those tracks are on Youtube. I suggest you buy the album though, because it's highly worth it if you dig classy classic rock by a pair of cooldudes whose coolness is well-documented in this topic. André's voice is crisp as always, but the vocal styles he uses are not what I'm used to hearing from him, but damn, I want to hear more. And Sascha...whatever he does is pretty solid. The two of them together are a dream team, if this album is any indication, and I really hope they team up again in the future. To my knowledge, André does perform some of the songs live with his solo group, who I have no chance in hell of seeing, but whatever. I want more of this. So...much...more...

 

Here's playing you off with the behind-the-scenes-esque music video thing, which is all kinds of cute, and I love how sassy the song is. This is also the first time I've ever seen Sascha talk, which kinda weirded me out since I've been following his stuff for years...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWR5XxYqpFY

 

edit: also for anyone interested I wrote a brief article earlier about how Angra's cover of Wuthering Heights was, like, stealth feminism or something, if you were interested in reading crazy shit by me.

[mjakob42]

Lustmord

 

While the brutal name might sound like something along the lines of death or thrash metal, Lustmord is nowhere close to metal. A little about myself, I love A) Ambient music, B) Dark music, and C) Non-lyrical music. Combine all of the three, you have Lustmord, and you'll find me sitting alone in my room at 12 AM with all the lights out and the volume at full blast. For anybody looking for some eerily dark ambience, check Lustmord out.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRzonMlB5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3jPprVL7jE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-GbqgDWkak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxuZ93tlEKQ

 

 

Also...

 

'DAT. LIVE. SHOW.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX2rOEqHzzk

[Drasiana]

Man that stuff is really weird but...strangely captivating?

 

Anyway, this is what's up in the Drasland of music lately:

 

Kamelot's promoter fucked them out of playing here, so bawww, but I might migrate down to Seattle when they stop by there, and also I might still be able to get free tickets because I won a contest of theirs two years ago and never got my prizes for it so um hahahahaha????

 

Then, along with the radio edits of Invoke the Machine and Sleepwalking, the small samples of the rest of Avantasia's Mystery of Time have also made their way to the internet and

 

What's Left of Me

 

I don't think I am emotionally prepared for the story of this album because this song sounds depressing as fuck and it's Eric Martin and aaaaah

 

The rest of the samples sound fucking amazing though and I'm really excited to have the full versions in my hands, though...the NA release date is slated for at least a month after everywhere else. I don't know why they do this, at least with digital samples. It's digital. It's there instantly. Why, motherfuckers, WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME WAIT. I really want the special edition package that includes 2 CDS, a 50-page book, and a 40x40 canvas print of the album cover, but it's like $92CDN and that's not counting the shipping fees and sndsdajksdkfdfsfsdknd

 

ONE DAY...

[Drasiana]

OKAY SO GUESS WHAT I'VE GOT

 

LISTEN UP MOTHERFUCKERS AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT

 

THE MYSTERY OF TIME

 

 

DO YOU LIKE MUSIC? (PROBABLY OR ELSE WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE)

 

DO YOU LIKE STEAMPUNK? (THE GOOD KIND NOT THE "I'M SO STEAMPUNK I SHIT COGS" KIND)

 

DO YOU LIKE GHOSTS AND FULL ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS AND AWESOME CLASSIC VOCAL LINEUPS AND TIMEY-WIMEY STUFF?

 

WELL SIT DOWN BITCHES 'CAUSE THIS SHIT'S GOT 'EM ALL

 

I knew I was expecting awesomeness with this album, because hey, it's Avantasia. But the sheer cinematic scale that this juggernaut achieves blew me out of the water. It has everything. It exceeded high expectations. I laughed. I cried. I drew and am drawing copious amounts of fanart. I longed for a stage musical adaptation, because it sounds like one already.

 

Don't think "oh, it's one of them metal things". Technically, yeah, but as usual it's transcendent of genre and best suited under any amorphous label of a TRUE rock opera. It has heavy metal, rock, pop, power ballads, and orchestrations woven from the fabric of your dreams.

 

So the story is, a scientist named Aaron Blackwell saves an old dude from ghosts and a bunch of weird shit starts happening as he begins to unravel...

 

Wait for it...

 

The Mystery... OF TIME

 

 

What happens next is a grandiose ten-track story album featuring the likes of vocalists Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Biff Byford (Saxon), Eric Martin (Mr. Big), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids), Bob Catley (Magnum), Michael Kiske (Helloween, Unisonic), Cloudy Yang, and of course Tobias Sammet because this is kinda his dealio.

 

Here's a picture of him looking endearingly smarmy, because it's obligatory at this point:

 

 

So, want a rundown on how this goes? STRAP YOURSELF IN, BITCHES. Here's a sample video with snippets of almost all the songs to give you an idea:

 

 

But here's what I've got too:

 

1. Spectres: What do you mean it isn't from a stage musical? GHOSTS. HARPSICHORDS. CATCHY CHORUSES. ORCHESTRAS. SHIT.

2. The Watchmaker's Dream: Ayreon-sounding because Arjen shows up and does a guitar solo. More catchy high-soaring chorus business wow

3. Black Orchid: HEAVY ORCHESTRA PUNCHING YOU IN THE EARS

4. Where Clock Hands Freeze: Michael Kiske power metal THERE'S NO TIME TO LOSE, NO CHANCE TO REFUSE....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

5. Sleepwalking: Obligatory pop ballad but it's really good and HEY CHECK OUT THE MUSIC VIDEO THERE ARE CASTLES AND SHIT IN IT:

6. Savior in the Clockwork: Epic-ass 10-minute song with cool lyrics and stuff

7. Invoke the Machine: Heavy-duty rip-roaring metal with Ronnie Atkins making sweet love to your ears. There's an official lyric video for it:

8. What's Left of Me: YOU DON'T NEED A HEART AND ERIC MARTIN DOESN'T THINK YOU DO EITHER

9. Dweller in a Dream: High-strung and passionate, soaring choruses mixed with foot-tapping rock n' roll

10. The Great Mystery: BALLAD OF THE BALLADS (no really it's also 10 minutes long) and if you still have emotions left PREPARE TO CRY THEM OUT

 

JUST

 

NORTH AMERICANS GO PRE-ORDER THIS SHIT

 

EVERYONE ELSE GO BUY IT OR I'LL JUDGE YOU

 

now I'm gonna go dissolve in a pile of emotions goodbye

[Harlow]

Device (New David Draiman project) has recently came out. I have neglected it due to studies, but I love everything I heard so far! So friggin' star studded too!

Thanks David!

 

(With M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold and currently my fave)

 

(Debut song)

 

(With Serj Tankian and Glenn Hughes)

 

(With Haelstorm's Lzzy Hale. The feels)

 

Been neglecting this release so far and I feel like I've mortally sinned. Listening to it ASAP.

 

P.S randomsong: This is auditive Red Bull. This will give you Tachycardia.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q2PTG7ZeM8

[Drasiana]

Wow I actually really like this Harlow. I'll have to pick that up when I have some cash again, it's groovy as hell and I love his voice.

 

Also

 

 

 

Battle Beast

 

I ONLY JUST GOT AROUND TO LISTENING TO THEM AND HOLY HELL I'M IN LOVE. Though I do like their original singer more than the new girl they're still really solid. Fuck yeah!

 

I'm gonna make a Mr. Big appreciation post but I'm gonna put 0 effort into it because I'm tired and looking for an excuse to fangirl over Eric Martin and his stupid sexy  face

 

 

yep that's a dude

 

So you might be wondering who the hell Mr. Big is and you're gonna feel pretty dumb because you know who Mr. Big is because they're the ones who did this song:

 

 

And their song Shine was also used as the end credits song for the original (?) Hellsing anime for some fucking reason but you probably know it too:

 

 

Anyway if you hadn't guessed they've been around for a pretty long time makin' sweet tunes and stuff. There was a spell where they broke up because of a bunch of drama and whatever but they're back together now and still gr8

 

But!! Despite those two songs they're actually a hard rock/metal band. You probably saw that coming because it's me we're talking about (also I think I've mentioned Eric being with Avantasia currently a couple times) but yeah take a look at this:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck3MuHqYRLM

 

Wow! 80sriffic and deliciously so

 

And so yeah Eric's currently on-tour with Avantasia (and it's upsettingly adorable) but it's also worth noting some of his solo work. First is his album Mr. Vocalist, which revolved around him doing English covers of J-Pop songs originally sung by women. Yeah, I don't know either. Mr. Vocalist 2 was the sequel that was the same concept, only the original artists were international. It's this album that made that song from Titanic a little more bearable, and he did a couple other recognizable covers too:

 

 

Also, this happened

 

 

He released a couple other distinctly less-wtf solo albums but yeah

 

I'm conflicted about his face because men in their 50s aren't supposed to look like attractive young women but who cares yolo etc

 

 

Yeah he's in his 50s btw I think I'm just going with the explanation that he's been stealing bassist Billy Sheehan's youth since they started playing together because that dude's been like perpetually 70-looking for a good few decades

 

oh shit a song

 

 

bam

 

and that was my post, enjoy

[Harlow]

Well, happy birthday to me!

Seems that not only there will be a new Five Finger Death Punch release this year, but we will get 2 releases this year.

Yes, the new album will be a two parter because Moody and the band didn't quite stop after the original album limit.

It's an estimated of about 24 songs this year.

 

24 freaking singles. Two albums. One year. WOW.

 

 

 

 

omgyes.

 

Also, Disturbed/Device's David Draiman will be a featured singer in two singles of the new Megadeth's album.

 

Favorite vocalists, don't staaaahhhp.

[Drasiana]

Hi topic! Long time no hear, so I thought I'd come back with some more bandings considering I've already oversaturated Tumblr.

 

This feature is actually a band I've already mentioned here, but because I am significantly more obsessed than I was at the time, I feel like I should give them the honour of a full-blown post.

 

 

From Finland, as they usually are, Turisas is a folk/power/whatevermetal band, kind of going in whatever direction they feel like so I can't accurately label them as one subgenre and I like that. They fluctuate from extremely harsh vocals to pure beautiful operatic vocals, and, other than their red/black war paint, are distinguished in that the bulk of their lead guitar parts and solos are actually played on a violin, which is pretty respectful for an instrument that's treated like a goofy gimmick by a lot of folk metal. Not goofy here. This violin will end you, and you will love it. They mostly sing about history and vikings but it's mixed in with a really healthy dose of amazing pick-me-up, empowering music that is legitimately so, rather than the usual power metal fluff.

 

So Turisas has been around since 1997, with four albums and a heavy emphasis on their amazing live shows. They've also had a million members and I'd never be able to talk about all of them, so here's a chart:

 

 

Now I'm going to talk about the current and consistent members!

 

 

This is Mathias "Warlord" Nygård, vocalist, co-founder, and primary songwriter. He looks terrifying on-stage, but the second he wipes off the makeup he instantly transforms into a Disney prince.

 

 

Disney Princes are metal as shit. I'm not even kidding though, because he sounds

[mjakob42]

So, saw a band called Fear Factory live last night.

 

Y'know, just looking to thrash out n' have a good time, nothing too special apart from the fact that this particular band happens to be responsible for MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE METAL ALBUM EVER.

 

 

So, yeah, in other words, I f'king love this band. Some of you may know this, some may not, but my number one favored genre apart from anything else is anything industrial (NIN, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, etc.), and when it comes to industrial metal, I find myself thrashing out to FF time and time again. Of course, it has the brutally epic guitar riffs from Dino Cazares, the machine gun-like drumming of Raymond Herrera (who is no longer with FF), but what truly makes the band amazing are two things. No. 1: sample use. Not only are the samples they use awesome, but the way they use them just make everything 10x more awesome. Just...f'king listen to this:

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bm_VB2niqM 

 

And the other thing to mention that cannot be passed up is the vocals of Mr. Burton C. Bell. It's incredible rare to see metal vocals and vocal versatility/range go hand in hand, but, damn, does Bell just nail it. Honestly some of the best vocal range in metal music I've ever heard in my life. Yet another track from Demanufacture that proves my point:

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCTies9khqo 

 

'DAT CHORUS!!!

 

But in conclusion, an incredible industrial metal band from the golden age of the genre -the '90s, when we found ourselves headbanging frequently to albums like Ministry's Psalm 69, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, and of course Fear Factory's masterpiece Demanufacture, but lets not forget Obsolete or Archetype, more industrial goodness from FF.

 

And as for the show last night, well...I got to take home the bass player's pick AND one of the setlists. Need I say more?