I think it's time for another theme week, don't you? It hasn't been that long since the last one -- the second cover week was just before Christmas -- but they're a fun challenge for me to write and I hope a fun change of pace for you to read. But, I hear you ask, you're not just going to yet another week of covers, are you? Well, no, not exactly. But sorta?
What I'm going to do amounts to a week of bands covering themselves, so to speak. Yes, dear reader, today is the first day of a week of Loud Noises Unplugged, a week of bands I dig offering up acoustic versions of some of their stuff. Note, however, that these aren't going to be the occasional acoustic songs that lots of otherwise heavy bands have sprinkled in over the years. No, these are going to be songs that were originally recorded as full on "plugged in" songs that have since been stripped back to more acoustic proportions.
So who's first on the chopping block? Think back, way back, to the end of last week, when I posted my Ten Best of 2014 list. Remember Destrage, that band of Italian stallions I was raving about? They've recently put out a video for an acoustic performance of "Where the Things Have No Colour" from Are You Kidding Me? No., a song that has moments so big you might begin to wonder how it could possibly be successfully reined in. Trust me when I say that yes, Destrage can rein it in.
Check out the acoustic version of "Where the Things Have No Colour", and I'll see you back here tomorrow for more of Lound Noises Unplugged.
Showing posts with label Destrage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Destrage. Show all posts
Monday, 9 February 2015
Friday, 6 February 2015
2014 Round-up: Loud Noises Ten Best of 2014
Well wouldn't you know it, 2015 is quickly slipping away from us, which means it's time I'd better get my shit together and get on with the Loud Noises 2014 Round-Up. And only a month or so late! As usual, we're going to start things off with a few of my favourite albums from the year that was 2014 (let's say around ten or so...), presented in no particular order.
- Job for a Cowboy - Sun Eater
This one not only warrants a spot on this list of ten great albums from 2014, it's also a front-runner for Biggest Surprise of the Year. You see, I never used to think much of Job for a Cowboy. I don't know what it was about their first couple of albums, but I wasn't really a fan and more or less wrote the band off in my head. I really only checked out Sun Eater on the strength of the first couple of tracks Job for a Cowboy released from it, but I've been pleasantly and thoroughly surprised to discover that Job for a Cowboy has become a pretty badass death metal band with just the right amount of technicality and even some proggy highlights applied here and there. Sun Eater slays, and it should be enough to convince anyone sitting on the Job for a Cowboy fence which side they should come down on.
- Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
Given metal's traditional, even stereotypical, popularity in places like Scandinavia and northern Europe, I guess I shouldn't be surprised in 2015 that there are so many kickass bands doing their thing in so many different places around the world. Maybe someday the novelty of learning metal isn't a strictly North American phenomenon will wear off, but for the time being I still find myself perhaps unduly excited every time I learn about a band somewhere else doing something just as awesome as what's going on right here at home. Case in point: Italy's Destrage, an incredibly talented band that doesn't let its high energy, frenetic riffing get in the way of its songwriting. Think a somewhat more metal Protest the Hero with the vein of spastic madness turned up to levels closer to Dillinger Escape Plan and you'll be approaching the right track. Are You Kidding Me? No. is a masterpiece, and I can't wait to hear whatever's next from Destrage.
- Killitorous - Party, Grind
If you've been following along for any length of time now, you've likely picked up on the fact that my tastes, while pretty diverse, tend towards the proggier end of the spectrum. But I do so loves me some death metal, especially when it's fast and techy, which is why Killitorous' Party, Grind hit such a sweet spot for me. I crowdfunded this one on a whim and the strength of one single, and boy was I gratified when my copy came in the mail and fucking killed. Party, Grind is fast and ferocious from start to finish, with enough trem picking, arpeggio sweeping, and blast beating to satisfy any tech-death aficionado. That Killitorous are Canadian is just gravy. A sophomore disc from these guys will be something to watch out for.
- Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
Going into 2014, it was a pretty safe bet that big things were in store for San Francisco's Fallujah. They weren't exactly newcomers to the scene, but they were getting a newcomer kind of buzz for their 2013 EP Nomadic. Then when The Flesh Prevails dropped, the johnny-come-latelies like me all learned that the buzz was well deserved. In The Flesh Prevails Fallujah served up a major slab of dense and atmospheric progressive post-death metal. They managed to take what is clearly some incredible musicianship and make a record that translates all of it into intensity and none of it into showy excess. There's a lot here to digest, but the dedicated listener is most definitely rewarded with a modern classic.
- Closure in Moscow - Pink Lemonade
As much as I got into Pink Lemonade in 2014 (which was a lot), it's definitely a grower and not a shower, if you take my meaning. Fans of Closure in Moscow expecting the band's next disc to sound more or less like First Temple kicked up a notch or two are likely to have been a little turned off by the spaced-out prog rock that is Pink Lemonade, at least initially. The open-minded listener, however, was rewarded with a Mars Voltian jazz funk adventure that spans a whole fistful of genres. Post-hardcore, post-rock -- Pink Lemonade is post-whatever you can think of. Metal purists should think twice before they look down their nose at this one.
- Raiju - Haunt
I've posted about songs from this album a couple of times in the last little bit, so you should already have an idea why these guys have a spot on this list. Just in case you don't: take the punk-metal-influenced shreddy riffing of Protest the Hero, mix in the proggy, groovy low end of Periphery, add a dash of slick pop-prog from somebody like Coheed and Cambria, and you've got yourself a rough sketch of Raiju. Comparisons between Raiju and bands like those I just mentioned are especially appropriate given vocalist Scott Wagner's impressive vocal range. Raiju is another one of those bands whose sophomore should be absolutely epic if their freshman effort is any indication.
- Wake - Hail the Sun
When I was younger, we might well have called Wake and their debut LP Hail the Sun emo or screamo or something like that, earnestly at first and then perhaps derogatorily a little later on once we'd grown into our more metal listening habits. These days the catch-all term "post-hardcore" might be employed in polite company (although screamo is probably still the denigrating term of choice among genre naysayers). Whatever way you want to slice things, label-wise, Hail the Sun is an energetic, varied, vaguely poppy, vaguely techy record in the vein of bands like Dance Gavin Dance. More than that, though, I'd call it one of the best examples of "screamo" to come out in years (Dance Gavin Dance included).
- Opeth - Pale Communion
The last couple of Opeth records have been pretty polarizing for longtime fans of the band. Some have embraced the band's shift away from its death metal roots, while others have wholeheartedly rejected it. Luckily for me, I've been in the former camp since the electric/acoustic yin-yang of the Deliverance/Damnation double album, and I've listened to each new Opeth record fully expecting and accepting that we're not getting another Blackwater Park -- and that that's perfectly OK. If you're willing to concede that point and go into Pale Communion with that in mind, you'll discover a straight-up rock-solid prog record. Watershed is still my favourite of Opeth's less-metal offerings, but Pale Communion is definitely the strongest of their last couple.
- Archspire - The Lucid Collective
Technical death metal is in a good place at the opening of 2015, and there were a number of really solid albums in this genre last year that could arguably warrant a spot on my list of favourite albums from 2014. I've already mentioned one of them in Killitorous' killer debut LP Party, Grind and awesomely enough my next selection is also an act from the Great White North. Vancouver's Archspire adorn their merch with the slogan "Stay Tech", and a listen or two to their 2014 disc The Lucid Collective should demonstrate that they've got the chops to back it up. Machine gun-quick vocals, fretboard acrobatics, and light-speed drumming all line up just right on this one. Fans of the genre would be greatly remiss if they didn't check this one out.
- Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
Last bust most certainly not least, I'm rounding out my list of 2014 favourites with another phenomenal album of technically proficient, compositionally progressive death metal from yet another badass Canadian band. I might, of course, be just a little bit biased, but I don't think you need to be to recognize the towering mountain of proggy death metal that Montreal's Beyond Creation have crafted for us in Earthborn Evolution. Dominic Lapointe's absolutely ridiculous bass work is worth the price of admission all by itself, to say nothing of the laser-precise performances of all involved. There's maybe a shade less sheer speed here than, say, Archspire or Killitorous, but the musicianship is so top-notch that it's hard to be anything but bewildered by this one.
And there you have it: another year, another ten kickass albums. As usual, narrowing the crowded field of good records from last year down to ten of my favourites wasn't easy, but I hope my making the tough calls means that, when deciding what to put on next, you won't have to.
I've got another couple of 2014 Round-Up posts planned, which hopefully won't take until spring to finish up, so stay tuned.
- Job for a Cowboy - Sun Eater
This one not only warrants a spot on this list of ten great albums from 2014, it's also a front-runner for Biggest Surprise of the Year. You see, I never used to think much of Job for a Cowboy. I don't know what it was about their first couple of albums, but I wasn't really a fan and more or less wrote the band off in my head. I really only checked out Sun Eater on the strength of the first couple of tracks Job for a Cowboy released from it, but I've been pleasantly and thoroughly surprised to discover that Job for a Cowboy has become a pretty badass death metal band with just the right amount of technicality and even some proggy highlights applied here and there. Sun Eater slays, and it should be enough to convince anyone sitting on the Job for a Cowboy fence which side they should come down on.
- Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
Given metal's traditional, even stereotypical, popularity in places like Scandinavia and northern Europe, I guess I shouldn't be surprised in 2015 that there are so many kickass bands doing their thing in so many different places around the world. Maybe someday the novelty of learning metal isn't a strictly North American phenomenon will wear off, but for the time being I still find myself perhaps unduly excited every time I learn about a band somewhere else doing something just as awesome as what's going on right here at home. Case in point: Italy's Destrage, an incredibly talented band that doesn't let its high energy, frenetic riffing get in the way of its songwriting. Think a somewhat more metal Protest the Hero with the vein of spastic madness turned up to levels closer to Dillinger Escape Plan and you'll be approaching the right track. Are You Kidding Me? No. is a masterpiece, and I can't wait to hear whatever's next from Destrage.
- Killitorous - Party, Grind
If you've been following along for any length of time now, you've likely picked up on the fact that my tastes, while pretty diverse, tend towards the proggier end of the spectrum. But I do so loves me some death metal, especially when it's fast and techy, which is why Killitorous' Party, Grind hit such a sweet spot for me. I crowdfunded this one on a whim and the strength of one single, and boy was I gratified when my copy came in the mail and fucking killed. Party, Grind is fast and ferocious from start to finish, with enough trem picking, arpeggio sweeping, and blast beating to satisfy any tech-death aficionado. That Killitorous are Canadian is just gravy. A sophomore disc from these guys will be something to watch out for.
- Fallujah - The Flesh Prevails
Going into 2014, it was a pretty safe bet that big things were in store for San Francisco's Fallujah. They weren't exactly newcomers to the scene, but they were getting a newcomer kind of buzz for their 2013 EP Nomadic. Then when The Flesh Prevails dropped, the johnny-come-latelies like me all learned that the buzz was well deserved. In The Flesh Prevails Fallujah served up a major slab of dense and atmospheric progressive post-death metal. They managed to take what is clearly some incredible musicianship and make a record that translates all of it into intensity and none of it into showy excess. There's a lot here to digest, but the dedicated listener is most definitely rewarded with a modern classic.
- Closure in Moscow - Pink Lemonade
As much as I got into Pink Lemonade in 2014 (which was a lot), it's definitely a grower and not a shower, if you take my meaning. Fans of Closure in Moscow expecting the band's next disc to sound more or less like First Temple kicked up a notch or two are likely to have been a little turned off by the spaced-out prog rock that is Pink Lemonade, at least initially. The open-minded listener, however, was rewarded with a Mars Voltian jazz funk adventure that spans a whole fistful of genres. Post-hardcore, post-rock -- Pink Lemonade is post-whatever you can think of. Metal purists should think twice before they look down their nose at this one.
- Raiju - Haunt
I've posted about songs from this album a couple of times in the last little bit, so you should already have an idea why these guys have a spot on this list. Just in case you don't: take the punk-metal-influenced shreddy riffing of Protest the Hero, mix in the proggy, groovy low end of Periphery, add a dash of slick pop-prog from somebody like Coheed and Cambria, and you've got yourself a rough sketch of Raiju. Comparisons between Raiju and bands like those I just mentioned are especially appropriate given vocalist Scott Wagner's impressive vocal range. Raiju is another one of those bands whose sophomore should be absolutely epic if their freshman effort is any indication.
- Wake - Hail the Sun
When I was younger, we might well have called Wake and their debut LP Hail the Sun emo or screamo or something like that, earnestly at first and then perhaps derogatorily a little later on once we'd grown into our more metal listening habits. These days the catch-all term "post-hardcore" might be employed in polite company (although screamo is probably still the denigrating term of choice among genre naysayers). Whatever way you want to slice things, label-wise, Hail the Sun is an energetic, varied, vaguely poppy, vaguely techy record in the vein of bands like Dance Gavin Dance. More than that, though, I'd call it one of the best examples of "screamo" to come out in years (Dance Gavin Dance included).
- Opeth - Pale Communion
The last couple of Opeth records have been pretty polarizing for longtime fans of the band. Some have embraced the band's shift away from its death metal roots, while others have wholeheartedly rejected it. Luckily for me, I've been in the former camp since the electric/acoustic yin-yang of the Deliverance/Damnation double album, and I've listened to each new Opeth record fully expecting and accepting that we're not getting another Blackwater Park -- and that that's perfectly OK. If you're willing to concede that point and go into Pale Communion with that in mind, you'll discover a straight-up rock-solid prog record. Watershed is still my favourite of Opeth's less-metal offerings, but Pale Communion is definitely the strongest of their last couple.
- Archspire - The Lucid Collective
Technical death metal is in a good place at the opening of 2015, and there were a number of really solid albums in this genre last year that could arguably warrant a spot on my list of favourite albums from 2014. I've already mentioned one of them in Killitorous' killer debut LP Party, Grind and awesomely enough my next selection is also an act from the Great White North. Vancouver's Archspire adorn their merch with the slogan "Stay Tech", and a listen or two to their 2014 disc The Lucid Collective should demonstrate that they've got the chops to back it up. Machine gun-quick vocals, fretboard acrobatics, and light-speed drumming all line up just right on this one. Fans of the genre would be greatly remiss if they didn't check this one out.
- Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution
Last bust most certainly not least, I'm rounding out my list of 2014 favourites with another phenomenal album of technically proficient, compositionally progressive death metal from yet another badass Canadian band. I might, of course, be just a little bit biased, but I don't think you need to be to recognize the towering mountain of proggy death metal that Montreal's Beyond Creation have crafted for us in Earthborn Evolution. Dominic Lapointe's absolutely ridiculous bass work is worth the price of admission all by itself, to say nothing of the laser-precise performances of all involved. There's maybe a shade less sheer speed here than, say, Archspire or Killitorous, but the musicianship is so top-notch that it's hard to be anything but bewildered by this one.
And there you have it: another year, another ten kickass albums. As usual, narrowing the crowded field of good records from last year down to ten of my favourites wasn't easy, but I hope my making the tough calls means that, when deciding what to put on next, you won't have to.
I've got another couple of 2014 Round-Up posts planned, which hopefully won't take until spring to finish up, so stay tuned.
Friday, 2 January 2015
Wednesday: Destrage - Purania
Despite the fact that it's still Wednesday, the last day of 2014, in the land of Loud Noises Songs of the Day, out here in the real world it's actually the 2nd of January as I write this. In other words, 2015 is well and truly upon us, meaning it's also well and truly year-in-review season.
Much of the internets has been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but I haven't quite got all my ducks in a row yet, and I like waiting until 2014 is actually officially over anyways. So while you'll have to wait a little bit yet for my Ten Best of the Year list and that kind of thing, in the meantime I implore you to enjoy a song from a band that may or may not appear on such a list whenever I get around to producing it.
Are You Kidding Me? No. from Italy's Destrage spent a lot of time shredding its way into my brain this year. It's not hard to understand why -- vocal diversity, intricate drumwork, and furious riffing are all things I like individually, so put them together and the result is pure magic. Put on "Purania" from Are You Kidding Me? No. and prepare to be hooked.
Much of the internets has been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but I haven't quite got all my ducks in a row yet, and I like waiting until 2014 is actually officially over anyways. So while you'll have to wait a little bit yet for my Ten Best of the Year list and that kind of thing, in the meantime I implore you to enjoy a song from a band that may or may not appear on such a list whenever I get around to producing it.
Are You Kidding Me? No. from Italy's Destrage spent a lot of time shredding its way into my brain this year. It's not hard to understand why -- vocal diversity, intricate drumwork, and furious riffing are all things I like individually, so put them together and the result is pure magic. Put on "Purania" from Are You Kidding Me? No. and prepare to be hooked.
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Album of the Week: Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
You know I'm always on the lookout for things that are a little off the beaten path, and one of my favourite albums this year is, in my opinion, just that. It's not especially inaccessible (think Protest the Hero, a bit more metal and a bit more musically varied and you're in the neighbourhood) or even especially hard to get (these guys are on Metal Blade, after all). But it is Italian, so I figure there's at least some of you who don't know Destrage already and need to be corrected.
"Are You Kidding Me? No." isn't a debut album (it's the band's third) but to me it's got all the energy of a debut, all the fire of a band with something to prove. It also doesn't hurt matters that all these Italian stallions are firmly in command of their instruments and turn in top-notch performances that avoid going over the top.
But like I said, I get the feeling neither this band nor this album are getting the kind of love they deserve here in the North American metal market. And it's a shame, because I would love to see a tour that brings these guys across the Atlantic. Jam this album and make it happen.
"Are You Kidding Me? No." isn't a debut album (it's the band's third) but to me it's got all the energy of a debut, all the fire of a band with something to prove. It also doesn't hurt matters that all these Italian stallions are firmly in command of their instruments and turn in top-notch performances that avoid going over the top.
But like I said, I get the feeling neither this band nor this album are getting the kind of love they deserve here in the North American metal market. And it's a shame, because I would love to see a tour that brings these guys across the Atlantic. Jam this album and make it happen.
Monday, 14 July 2014
Destrage - Are You Kidding Me? No.
In yesterday's song post, I talked briefly about how "catchy" doesn't have to be a bad thing to call a metal band. It can, in the right circumstances, be a perfectly fine thing, and if you mix "catchy" and some "weird" together, it can be a perfectly great thing.
I've written about Italy's Destrage before, but since then I've spent a lot more time with their latest disc Are You Kidding Me? No. and have come to the conclusion that it'll be criminal if this record doesn't end up on some Best of 2014 lists at the end of the year. There's a decent chance it'll land on mine, but for now I'm just going to urge you to check these guys out, and facilitate your doing so by featuring another track from this killer album.
I'm honestly hard-pressed to pick the right song to feature from Are You Kidding Me? No. "My Green Neighbour" feels perhaps the most singley (and I mean it is the album's single), but I've already done that one. Album opener "Destroy, Create, Transform, Sublimate" does a great job of kicking things off with a bang and setting the tone for the rest of the record, but I think I have to go with the album closing title track as your Song for this evening.
"Are You Kidding Me? No." opens punky and techy and even a little mathy, like some hypothetical super jam featuring members of Protest the Hero and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Things go a bit further down the math-prog rabbit hole before taking a turn for mariachi oom-pah town before ultimately resolving into some very neo-classical sounding shred. All in all, it's a good encapsulation of the confident wackyness to be had on Are You Kidding Me? No. and a good encapsulation of why you should give Destrage a listen.
I've written about Italy's Destrage before, but since then I've spent a lot more time with their latest disc Are You Kidding Me? No. and have come to the conclusion that it'll be criminal if this record doesn't end up on some Best of 2014 lists at the end of the year. There's a decent chance it'll land on mine, but for now I'm just going to urge you to check these guys out, and facilitate your doing so by featuring another track from this killer album.
I'm honestly hard-pressed to pick the right song to feature from Are You Kidding Me? No. "My Green Neighbour" feels perhaps the most singley (and I mean it is the album's single), but I've already done that one. Album opener "Destroy, Create, Transform, Sublimate" does a great job of kicking things off with a bang and setting the tone for the rest of the record, but I think I have to go with the album closing title track as your Song for this evening.
"Are You Kidding Me? No." opens punky and techy and even a little mathy, like some hypothetical super jam featuring members of Protest the Hero and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Things go a bit further down the math-prog rabbit hole before taking a turn for mariachi oom-pah town before ultimately resolving into some very neo-classical sounding shred. All in all, it's a good encapsulation of the confident wackyness to be had on Are You Kidding Me? No. and a good encapsulation of why you should give Destrage a listen.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Destrage - My Green Neighbour
So much heavy music -- especially any of the myriad subgenres we might for the sake of simplicity encapsulate with the word "metal" -- takes itself quite seriously. This is understandable, given the high levels of musicianship often present in many of these styles, and the often somewhat dark subject matter. War, death, depression, drug abuse, and good ol' Satan himself aren't exactly cheery topics. (I know I've cherry-picked some of the stereotypical metal topics that have been objected to by ignorant parents and politicians for decades, but bear with me, I'm going somewhere with this.)
I've got no problem with such subject matter, and certainly no problem with musical virtuosity, but I do think that metalheads and metal bands should lighten up every once in a while. Variety is the spice of life, right? So I was pleasantly surprised to discover this deceptively light-hearted romp from Italian outfit Destrage about how it's OK to shoot zombies in the face.
So have a listen to your song for tonight, "My Green Neighbour", from Destrage's latest, Are You Kidding Me? No. It's got all the spastic heavyness you could want, plus the fun zombie them. Win-win, really.
I've got no problem with such subject matter, and certainly no problem with musical virtuosity, but I do think that metalheads and metal bands should lighten up every once in a while. Variety is the spice of life, right? So I was pleasantly surprised to discover this deceptively light-hearted romp from Italian outfit Destrage about how it's OK to shoot zombies in the face.
So have a listen to your song for tonight, "My Green Neighbour", from Destrage's latest, Are You Kidding Me? No. It's got all the spastic heavyness you could want, plus the fun zombie them. Win-win, really.
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