Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence Review

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence [Pretentious]

☆☆☆☆☆

Feel free to read about some actual music we reviewed. Links are to your right.

Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun Review

Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun [Sludge]

Was tempted to add one extra star for the album art alone

After the disappointing The Hunter, Mastodon immediately redeem themselves with their latest. Well, nearly.



Good things first; the music is direct and immediate. Some punchy production (but not as great as Blood Mountain) here. The band only saves their progressive passages for the bridge in every song, which is kinda bland, but hey, being accessible isn't a bad thing. There are a lot more guitar solos on this album than I remember in any of Mastodon's albums. The emphasis on this album is catchiness, and most of the songs deliver in that aspect. The band manages to maintain its progressive flair in its instrumentation despite the made-for-pop-radio song structures, and I think that is quite a remarkable feat.

Now the bad, goddamn are those vocals atrocious. Their disability to keep a tune on their own choruses is somewhat embarrassing. The album would have been infinitely better if it were instrumental. There could at least have been screaming instead of heavily autotuned vocals that still fail to deliver. Also, when viewed in the band's context, this is still very far from their best work. I am not against the direction of the band; Blood Mountain and Crack The Skye sound so different from one another but are both considered some of the best metal albums of this century. This album tries to combine the elements of speed and aggression from the former and the spacey atmosphere of the latter, which makes for a rather inconsistent listen rather than a mind-bending one (especially with the heavy sludgy guitar tone). There are instances where the elements go hand in hand ('The Motherload', 'Chimes At Midnight', 'Feast Your Eyes') but also many times when the songs completely halt the pace of the album. One example is the curiously slow 'Asleep In The Deep', a very uncharacteristic song by Mastodon. Some may love it but I wasn't completely sold on this track.

Still, this ain't a terrible album by any means. There are some really good songs here, and this might have been the album they were trying to create with The Hunter. 'The Motherload' is one hell of a tune. 'Aunt Lisa' seriously throws back to the older days of the band, with some really unexpected curveballs. The closer 'Diamond In The Witch House' ends the album in a relatively strong note.

★★★☆☆

Linkin Park - The Hunting Party Review

Linkin Park - The Hunting Party [Rock]

That's an awesome cover, btw

I was a huge LP fan in my younger days so I will try my best to be impartial. Being too defensive of this band is one thing, but on the flip side, we have too many people (possibly guilty of liking a band like this) giving the band far too much hate, and that isn't impartial either.

Opinions on a song-by-song basis:

1. Keys To The Kingdom - The first song had me convinced I was listening to a fake copy of the album at first, kicks off with a heavily distorted scream. Thought at first that this was an attempt to mask the obvious decline in Chester's voice, but he goes off without effects when the chorus kicks in again. Rob Bourdon's drums and Dave Farrell's bass are surprisingly well produced for a commercial record. Overall, one of Linkin Park's best songs in their discography. Chester sounds absolutely vicious here.
2. All For Nothing - Second song features Page Hamilton from Helmet on vocals. Not the greatest collaboration, seeing that his voice has a ton of autotune, but I guess the song would sound a lot worse with Mike Shinoda or Chester on the chorus. Mid-paced hard rock song, not too bad, not too interesting anyway.
3. Guilty All The Same - this one features Rakim on rap verses. A strange song, with an unnecessarily long introduction without much variation that leads to a very uninspired main riff. Again, Rob Bourdon seems to be the only band member taking this direction seriously. Piano led verse seems weirdly juxtaposed against a guitar-driven chorus, and Rakim's part seems forced onto the song.
4. The Summoning - A curious interlude that strangely channels the atmospheric vibes of their album A Thousand Suns.
5. War - A surprisingly great punk song; fast, catchy and aggressive. Lots of screaming, and Chester actually sounds good here again. Nice drums all around. So far the second good song. I will admit that this song caught me off guard, and give me hope for a punk direction with Linkin Park.
6. Wastelands - Great groove-oriented introduction, Mike's rapped verse sounds decent, before going off to one of the worst choruses on the album. What were they thinking when they did this song?
7. Until It's Gone - That one pop song on the album that serves no purpose other than to be the lead single and get airplay on the radio. Really cheap, but it actually sounds not too bad this deep in the album. It's also quite clever that they released their softest song to mislead public expectations.
8. Rebellion - I talked about this on my Facebook page, where the audio given by the band's youtube page sounded terribly mixed. This happens to be a Youtube issue, the production's not too bad here. Song starts off with Daron Malakian on guitars (hell, why is System Of A Down not back yet?!). He easily pulls up the collective musical talent of the group here. The verses are not too bad, but Chester's voice sounds terribly nasal on the chorus, which destroys what could have been one of the better songs on the album. His scream also sounds terribly recorded, it lacks the power that the earlier songs  here had. My guess is that this was one of the first songs to bi mixed and then they forgot to come back and remix this. Again, this song sounds better when heard in context of the album.
9. Mark The Graves - Another curious song, that has an interesting introduction, that builds momentum before completely disintegrating to an atmospheric ballad, and I actually thought it was a pretty fluid transition. There is however, one riff that is completely out of place here, you will know when you hear it. Song ends with another set of really well executed screams, and it becomes a good song for that alone. Count: three.
10. Drawbar - An interlude that features Tom Morello. At least that's one the liner notes say but neither the interlude nor Morello exist. They could have done some Rage Against The Machine shit (again, another great guitarist from another disbanded alternative rock band). I believe this is my third time saying this, but Rob Bourdon sounds like the only one dedicated here. A chessy introduction for the next ballad.
11. Final Masquerade - Actually not too bad a ballad, sounds better than Until It's Gone anyway. Chester sounds great here. So that's four good songs.
12. A Line In The Sand: An absolute killer of an album closer, because it actually kills the album. Guitars and drums shamelessly rip off their older song 'Victimized' (WHY?!). Song has completely no flow fickle mindedly jumping the fence between rock and pop, and a terrible choice of an album closer. Chorus is basically the same as 'Guilty All The Same' (WHY?!). Mike Shinoda is completely out of place, lyrically and musically.

From an album perspective, there are some serious flaws with the album. The first being Brad Delson having completely zero skill or interest in being a guitarist. It's "guitar-driven" but the pilot is meandering without confidence. The second is an uneven mix, which may be a lot more forgiveable since this is the band's first indie production. The third problem is Chester's vocals, which sometimes sounds like it was recorded after a live gig (they might have recorded on the road). As mentioned earlier, he sounded great in some songs, so am not completely sure if it's production or tiredness. My final point may be very biased, but the band does not seem to understand that it's rise to success was due to their great balance of rock and electronics. The latter is sorely lacking here, and this the dullest album ever released by the band. The only breaks in monotony here are the segues between each song, a technique that might have been inspired by Eminem's earlier recordings, and they sorta give a weird sense of urgency between the songs (hence why certain songs sounded better here than they did as stand alone singles). It's a bold but shabby album, but one that shows that the band is far from dead. Just that they haven't quite hit the nail on the last four albums. A by-product of experimentation? We will see.

★★☆☆☆

On supporting local artistes: thoughts from the Buona Vista Musician

Before delving into the post proper, let me provide a bit of context. I have a few friends who are firmly in the "SUPPORT LOCAL MUSICIANS ALL THE WAY!" camp, and these friends, knowing full well my generally negative perception of the local (mainstream) music scene, have constantly encouraged me to give the work of Singaporean artistes a chance. 

It should then be obvious by now that this post has its roots in several solid hours spent listening to the work of those very artistes my friends have stood firmly by.

Now I must add that what, over and above anything else, influences my choice of music is quality - whether the shit I'm listening to is, well, actually any good. Yet, if I were presented with two (good) bands that were for all intents and purposes identical except that one was Singaporean and one was from overseas, I would, without hesitation, treat the local band preferentially. If some band called Aeroplanesmith burst onto the local scene with loud guitars, strong arena presence and a charismatic, screaming demon named Stevie Tai for a frontman, I would most certainly feel proud that we have an answer to the American band so blatantly being referenced here. There is no denying that I do definitely have some 'patriotism', if you will.

Having said all of that, no one should let 'patriotism' cloud objectivity and discernment - no one should lend their support to artistes simply for geographical reasons. To do so would be to encourage mediocrity and complacency from artistes who feel comfortable putting out substandard work, safe in the knowledge that they have compatriots out there sticking with them under all circumstances.

I shall use two local artistes who have gained relatively recent popularity as examples (of course, these two artistes were the two most 'championed' by my 'patriotic' friends).

The first is Gentle Bones. Recently, Gentle Bones released two singles - "Until We Die" and "Elusive" - on YouTube. These two videos garnered a sizable number of views and provided more ammunition for supporters - such as, of course, my friends - to attack 'haters' like me with. After all, if a video gets tens of thousands of views and an overwhelming like-to-dislike ratio on YouTube, it must therefore be amazing, right?

Well, the sad truth is that every single purchased off iTunes or BandCamp goes towards funding what is essentially a feat of sound editing. The lyrics are bland and unimaginative, the music likewise and, most glaringly of all, the singing has been auto-tuned to death (I will, though, give props to the cool music videos). Supporting artistes like Gentle Bones allows them to essentially cheat their way out of the reality that is their mediocre-at-best musical and creative ability and cheat eager listeners of quality, honest-to-goodness material.

The situation is similar when considering another local act: the Sam Willows. As with Gentle Bones, this quartet more than satisfies the basic thresholds that it seems the vast majority of Singaporean listeners want satisfied: a clean, digestible image and impressive video production. Yet, these swathes of listeners either are oblivious to, or choose to ignore, the fact that they are enabling these people to, again, slap together work that is bland ("Glasshouse") or flat-out nonsensical ("Nightlight" - is goodbye the end or not!?) and ride the wave of support from a 'patriotism'-driven audience to fame and consequently drag the local music scene into further mediocrity by 'inspiring' more of the same from other aspiring acts.

Look: I definitely want the best for the local music scene; selfish as it sounds, I would certainly benefit from having local artistes' profiles increased in that I could potentially attend good gigs and purchase good music more frequently and conveniently. However, the exact opposite is happening, no thanks to people who allow 'patriotism' and the novelty of being compatriots with a bunch of people on camera blind them into enabling these people to churn out substandard material.

Also, I'm definitely not ruling out the possibility of these and other similar artistes improving in future; if that happens, I would be more than ready to publicly admit that I was wrong for not sticking with these artistes through their teething pains. However, as is particularly the case with these two dearly-beloved acts, no signs of improvement or change are anywhere to be seen several years from their respective breakouts.

The message I am trying to get across, therefore, is that while one should certainly lend support to local artistes in the hopes of having a thriving local scene, one should also exercise discretion and only support artistes who believe in quality, honesty and originality. 'Patriotism' alone is never a good enough reason to champion a player in an industry as dear to people's hearts as the music scene. 

Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise Review

Thantifaxath - Sacred White Noise [Black Metal]

The album actually sounds like its title.

From the introduction of dissonant organs that make way to the guitars before the bass and the drums break out, you know you listening to something inspired. The album boasts a surprisingly immediate and ferocious production (even at a dynamic range of DR5!), and it sounds almost alien to hear the angular basslines in a black metal track.




A lot of things to take note from the album; there is a tinge of progressive and dissonant classical (okay, a lot more of the latter). I instantly recognized a stolen passage from Mahavishnu Orchestra's 'Birds Of Fire' on the second track of this album (embedded here). The production is ace, balancing psychedelic and full-speed moments well. The third thing that caught my attention was the amazing songwriting on the album; every one of the six songs here are fully fleshed out to their maximum potential. Blastbeats lead to progressive passages, guitar riffs fade out to ominous acapella (and eventually to the track 'Gasping In Darkness'). The band plays with numerous speeds, making it a very bumpy but satisfying listen (as opposed to most bands chugging along at midpace or going full throttle). The riffs are heavily influenced by classical compositions, something akin to how Christian Muenzner would play. Most importantly, the songs sound coherent even with all the different trajectories, a triumph I would associate with pre-Watershed Opeth.

I have almost nothing bad to say about this album. It may not have the gimmicks most modern black metal bands are inclined to have (then again, the genre was born from gimmickry). I have almost no favourite track here, since all six songs are masterfully written (yes, even the interlude track). The vocals aren't extraordinary but they are sincere, which is possibly the band's secret weapon; its honesty. The album has been continuously replayed on iPod since I got it in March, and they sound just as exciting as on my first listen. A truly riveting  metal album in a year that has seen so many new game-changers.

★★★★★

Misery Index - The Killing Gods Review

Misery Index - The Killing Gods [Death Metal / Deathgrind]

The album comes out four years after their last record, Heirs To Thievery before drummer Adam Jarvis went on to fill for Pig Destroyer.



If you like your death metal, this is the album to go to. It doesn't really deviate from the path Misery Index has been on, has a nice balance between grindcore and death metal (enough to help stand out from the wave of death metal albums anyway). If anything, there is a heavier emphasis on melody then before, but the band also seems to have lost it's hardcore/punk vibe. Does that pay off? Well not so much, but the results aren't disappointing either. The first five songs are intended to be a suite (entitled 'Faust'). The songs flow pretty seamlessly into one another but doesn't accomplish much else. In fact the opposite seems to happen here, the album seems pretty one-dimensional and repetitive. There are few standout tracks (Conjuring The Cull and Colony Collapse), but everything else doesn't seem memorable. The two instrumental tracks 'Urfaust' and 'The Oath' sees the band meandering in atmospherics, but it doesn't seem convincing (especially when you compare with an album like Immolation, who seemed to have mastered the art of cold atmosphere in death metal). As opposed to their openers in the past ('We Never Come In Peace'), the instrumental tracks seem pretty useless.

In terms of performance, the band is pretty much what you would expect from the genre. Adam Jarvis is a phenomenally fast drummer, but seems to be pretty under-utilized here. Not sure if it's a conscious effort to separate themselves from his mathematical drumming on Book Burner, but Jarvis is usually jut blast beating or double peddling here. Guitars are pretty much the same despite a line-up change, though I guess the punk influence left with John Voyles' departure. If anything, you wouldn't know there was a change in the line-up. John Gallagher from Dying Fetus lends a wild guitar solo on 'Colony Collapse' which is surprisingly memorable. Band leader Jason Netherton is on absolute top form here. His vocals sound more ferocious and he even brings in some sharp barks on this album. His bassline can be heard quite well too, and his tone definitely brings a lot of character to the songs, adding a dimension of fury. I have no idea what he's saying so far and there hasn't been an official release of the lyrics, and his lyrics have been one of the best in the genre. I may revisit this review and add some lines once I got a hold of the lyrics.

In terms of production, the mix is about right. The drums are audibly loud and carry a lot of depth, though that's the same mix they have been tinkering with for years anyway. The mastering, however, is pretty subpar and doesn't lend to the music in anyway. The dynamic range is a dismal value of DR5. This isn't going to deter casual fans anyway.

All in all, I would say the album is a bit of a letdown. Yes it's still heaps above the average death metal album, and despite the lack of memorable hooks, the album still has a lot of flow and works very well as background music or when working out (this is definitely going to be on my gym playlist). I sorely miss the punk vibes that made Traitors such a great album, and I still think that that is their crowning achievement.

★★★☆☆ Average

Conquering Dystopia - Conquering Dystopia Review

Conquering Dystopia - Conquering Dystopia [Instrumental Metal]

Adding to the veritable list of musical super-groups to release material within the last year or so is Conquering Dystopia, featuring Alex Webster (bass), Jeff Loomis (guitar), Alex Rudinger (drums) and Keith Merrow (guitar). 

Being an unabashed fan of the instrumental work of Loomis and Webster, like so many others in the metal world are, I was gleefully anticipating heavy riffing, blistering leads, interesting bass work and ...

... more heavy riffing. 

Keith Merrow has been one of the few YouTube musicians that I've followed for a good few years. Of course, that means that I've heard his previous collaborations with Loomis. Still, the prospect of getting to listen to a full album featuring two of modern metal's most tasteful and creative riffers was enough for me to put my work aside and plug in.

Singling out a particular track or two to feature here (and then verifying its availability on YouTube) was no easy task. This album is as tightly-written as they come, chock full of interesting riff lines and adorned nicely by Alex Rudinger's solid drumming. Each track has its own 'feature': check out, for example, Rudinger's subdivisions of the main motif in the first 30 or so seconds of "Inexhaustible Savagery" (clip above). This is undoubtedly straight-up metal drumming, blast beats, double-pedaling and all, but it is presented in a way that appeals as much to the music geek as to the headbanger. 

A similar concept can be heard in the opening riff of "Autarch", only that here, the band is working around a triplet feel (as compared to the straight 4/4 in "Inexhaustible Savagery"). Often, guitarists working with more than six strings fall too deeply in love with the extended range and end up producing muddy, unimaginative chugs as excuses for riffing ideas. This is, thankfully, never the case here - Loomis and Merrow, perhaps unsurprisingly, make good use of the full range of their instruments in creating highly listenable hooks and riffs.

The lead work, as has come to be expected from Loomis, is edgy and blazing quick. What is surprising about it, however, is that it takes up a significantly smaller proportion of the total airtime than Loomis has always had with his solo work. I was still iffy about this state of affairs after the first couple of listens, but have slowly come to appreciate how this affords space for Merrow's own melodic passages and Rudinger's frenetic drumbeats without taking away from the fact that Loomis is the de facto lead player.

My only definite gripe with this album is that Webster's insane bass-playing isn't featured as much as I would have liked it to be. Perhaps that was not what the band had set out to do, but ... it's Alex Webster! Imagine buying a Ferrari and only ever using it to perform the mundane task of driving to work! Having said that, though, this is ultimately only a minor issue in light of all the other excellent things the band does in this work. Production is good, songs are captivating, the band sounds like an actual unit instead of a hastily-assembled bunch of musos and Keith Merrow finally gets his due time playing for a wider audience. 

Here's hoping Conquering Dystopia produce more stuff.

★★★★☆