Apologies...

Hey guys,

sorry I haven't been posting, My timetable has been ridiculous, I have not forgotten about you however! I shall be working on a couple of reviews for you guys as well as a rant at some point. Also I will at some point get around to trying to find some decent metal venues to tell you guys about as well. 

I'll be back!! 

It's been too long.. Also Sonisphere!!

It's been to long guys. I've had problems with house building or something like that. Anyway today’s long overdue article is about the glory that was Sonisphere 2010.

So for the one day I could afford, I'm a dirty poor person, I ventured once more into the depraved metal microcosm that was Sonisphere. The air was excited yet still placid, for it was still 9:30! Exhausted from the previous days activities I saw many a weary face rise from the camp site.

But the ethereal beings we passed were still plenty friendly. Screaming `Butt scratcher!!` got me a beer so it was a good start. Beer before I even entered!

So for those who've never been to a metal festival it is a very surreal experience, especially when giant metal bands such as Iron Maiden are set to perform. This causes the usual ranks of manic young metalheads to be bolstered by an older more experienced metalhead. These metalheads often bring smaller metalheads which helps to keep the festival a little calmer. Whenever young (13-22 year olds) metalheads are thrust together, the energy they give off is manic, and can lead to some rather idiotic behaviour. This isn’t usually a problem, but having broken my wrist in a mosh pit because of an overzealous Chimaria fan I tend to be more wary, so the presence of the older metalhead was welcomed by me. This did not subtract from the atmosphere at however just helped to regulate it.

Anyway Sonisphere utilises a set up which I love, they shuttle the performances of the main bands between the two main stages, so you are not going to miss the main bands. Unfortunately this year’s line up was one which, whilst still good, could not top the splendour of the previous Sonisphere. It was up to the bands to earn my money.

The day started off with a brief tour around the site, finding the locations of various necessities, such as the location of toilets and beer! The fantastic thing a bout a metal festival is I’m always a normal person, I’m not being extreme just average, which is unusual.

Having wandered, eaten and Jagermeistered we proceeded to watch Karnivool, to be honest the band before them was Madina Lake and they’re not my thing. Anyway Karnivool, poor Karnivool. Having played difficult gigs I always feel sorry for bands that play first, because people often don’t know their material and the crowd aren’t warmed up. Despite a fairly active and involving set the crowd’s response was minimal, but it happens. Their blend of Dredg/Incubus-esque vocals and ambient metalcore brings out a sound akin to a more mature version of Disturbed. It’s good but not quite heavy enough to rouse a metal crowd from their usual lethargic to head banging in a short set.

So feeling slightly warmed up I urged my friends to see one of my slightly wildcard entries into the days line up; CKY. I am a fan of them, I find that their sound is very individual and when they are good they are very good. 96 Quite Bitter Beings, Disengage the Simulator, Attached At the Hip and Sink into The Underground being very good examples. They are not in the popular metal spotlight however, leading to them, in my view, being underappreciated. This band performed admirably but again whilst the crowd was warmer than with Karnivool, they could not be roused even by their anthem 96 quite bitter beings. Even the enthusiastic attempts made by Chad I Ginsburg (lead guitarist) to engage the somewhat lacklustre audience were met with confusion by the general audience. Despite the audience’s reaction I enjoyed their set immensely and would love to see them again sometime.

So to avoid The Fab Beatles we ended up wandering into the strongbow tent. Whilst I do love The Beatles, there presence at a metal festival (covered or otherwise) is for me unwelcome. Inside the strongbow tent we waited for several minutes for the next band to come along. On came The Bendal Interlude. From the first note that was struck I was shocked. This band was excellent. Their heady mix of death metal and stoner metal really got me going. For the first and only time that day I went apeshit. The groove based melodies of the guitar and bass really worked with the tight drumming and shrill screaming. Fantastically tight and energetic. Whilst my friends left the tent to see Skindred, I couldn’t leave; I was transfixed by this band. I stayed for their whole set and my god was it worth it. When they were finished, I was stumbling like a drunken old man and my neck was so painful I could barely turn.

So still on a high from the last band, I expected a complete let down from Skindred. I was surprised, the banter that Benji Webb (singer) had with the crowd was entertaining and certainly made the set more enjoyable. He was spinning a good yarn. Their silver tuxedos were also a very nice touch. Whilst for me their songs were a little weak, the energy that they made the crowd exhibit was extraordinary. They however could not top what T.B.I did for me. By far they were one of the most communicative bands of the day. They, like all good bands, were there to make you move, unlike the next band.

I have to admit I was expecting a lot from slayer. I like them but I wanted them to make me like them more. They failed in this aspect. I am aware that part of the Slayer performance is the technical aspect of their music. They were playing the songs brilliantly. I however did not feel that they were feeling it. I didn’t enjoy their performance at all. In fact I left half way through the set. I even saw Slayer T-shirt wearers muttering negatively. They were, flat, deadpan and lacklustre. They did not seem happy to be there.

So after wandering around from stall to mysterious stall, each one related to an aspect of metal culture, my friend urged me to see a band he had one song from. Now I’m a cynical guy a lot of the time and this was no exception. I felt suspicious of this band but as soon as they started playing we knew we were in safe hands. Turbowolf are very good. Their old school style (similar to Led Zep) also draws from a very male adolescent aggressiveness which makes for a very lively show. The lead singer had to work hard to get a really small and quite self conscious crowd going, but by the end of the first song a 5 man mosh pit opened up. Then the singer sees his chance and jumps in! So in we all jump this groovy fast band really gets people jumping. The singer jumps in again and suddenly another pit starts up and the security have to pull people off the singer. Having listened later to this band on youtube if you want to experience the same Turbowolf that I saw you will need to see them live, they are much better live.

So after getting a fairly good mosh pit experience I was raring for another, unfortunately the next band doesn’t really have songs that you can mosh to. Alice in Chains was up next on the main stage. Another fantastic performance for a rather seasoned band. Even the new vocalist seemed to fit in perfectly, recreating but not copying, Layne Staley harsh, droning vocals. He was an effective figurehead and performed like a professional vocalist of that style of music should do. Controlling the crowd with few words but merely with gestures and body language. In other words Alice in Chains were a lot better than I had expected and have encouraged me to start listening to them again.

The next band on the main stage was Pendulum. While last years electronic main act were the emotional Nine Inch Nails, whose metal infused teen electronic angst, were too much of a drastic change to some of the more die hard metal Nazis in the audience. This year’s electronic buzz was controlled by the Drum and Bass poster boys Pendulum. While I enjoy pendulum, regularly putting their music on my party playlists, I did not enjoy their set at all. They tried to make their songs more metallic by adding crunchier, distortion to almost everything and then extending the songs by a minute each. This led to quite a monotonous set, which I would have welcomed had I been in a club. Unfortunately, here at a music festival it just got on my nerves. Their on stage enthusiasm could not quell the irritation that they caused me. Yes their songs are good but I came to listen to metal not Drum and Bass. It, for me, was like getting a cup of coffee and finding out someone had switched it for tea. Both are very good, but if I’m expecting metal I don’t want to hear Drum and Bass. Some very small very tame mosh pits started up but these were quickly inhabited by La Coste polo shirt wearing chavs. So a good set; just the wrong place and time for me really.

The last band was what 75% of the people were there to see, that’s right, Iron Maiden. They were of course no less than exceptional. Even their lesser known songs garnered a refreshingly enthusiastic response from a tired crowd. On many faces one could see that the excesses of the past two days had begun to catch up with many a metalhead. The set was tight and the show was extravagant to the point of shaming Spinal Tap. With Iron Maiden you know you are safe, which for me taken away some of the edge to their performance, but I feel that with many live bands. I can’t really describe much about this band that hasn’t been said before, for me the acid test is this- would I see them again live for £40? Yes I would!

So all in all a fantastic festival, which unfortunately was blighted by a couple of mismatched acts. The Bendal Interlude are still my unsung heroes of the day whilst Slayer were defiantly my Anti climax.

The big question is who’s bigger than Iron Maiden and Metallica? Who can they get to play which is bigger than these guys? There is only one band they can get to top this really. It’s going to have to be Black Sabbath. But will they play? Who knows. Will I go again next year? You bet your ass I will!


Shai-Hu-Lud Scuttles away to the kitchen again.

Tooling Around....

Good morrow! Todays sordid article shall deal with a band which probably has that wonderful ability to create equal numbers of gasps and sighs, Tool.

To describe Tool as a band is quite tricky at points, some do not care for the avant-garde and progressive tinged band. Many, however adore the band. I myself am in an unfortunate group of people who like Tool, but do not worship them.

It is always hard for me because there are always certain bands whose fans/dispisers are pretty die hard, consistantly. I am willing to bet that many of you who read this article have come across the die hard Metallica hater, `I can't believe you like them` `Mustaine is far superior!` often come out there, the obsessive HIM fans (with their heart-o-grams and Bam Magera Skateboards) or even Those bloody radiohead fans!

Tool have many a fan, usually prolific drug users, in my experiance, who are very taken by them. They are very good but leave me often feeling luke warm. While a perfect circle (A band which the lead singer of Tool also fronts as well as one of the guitarists) are, for me, consistently listenable, I find Tool can get a little hard to swallow at points.

A perfect circle to many Tool fans, I believe, are considered to be the radio friendly version of Tool, while this may be correct where does that leave tool as a band?

Tool themselves can never truly be set into a genre and while this is makes describing and recommending them difficult it does mean that they are individual. So where to start? What is the most important part of Tool? Is it the obsessive fans? The complex rhythms? Personally it is the heady mix of heavy pounding guitars, the complex and syncopated drums and the superb structural intricacies.

This band's work is often quite progressive but often I find progressive metal bands tend to overdo it. Alas our genre that we love is a genre which is built upon extreme things, extreme sounds, bands and people. Many a prog band is often all-to-willing to sacrifice their common lay audience (I use lay in the sense of non-musicians) in order to try and obtain a hardcore musically talented audience. Often this is a bad idea because they are usually bastards to engage but mostly they can be very quick to make up their minds on things, rarely rewriting their view point.

So do Tool sacrifice normal songwriting in order to sound more `prog`? - er... not really, admittedly there are points where I find my attention waning away from the music and onto the paint drying on my wall, but mainly they manage pretty well to keep me interested. There are some complex almost (but not quite) wanking passages, but on the whole you can still hear the songs.

The staccato, syncopated feel of songs like `Part of Me` from their Opiate EP bear a striking similarity to song's like Dave Brubeck's Blue Rondo A La Turk. The fusion of Jazz like accuracy with a metal like heaviness suit the band well. Again to compare with Dave Brubeck's work several of Tools songs, including their irresistibly haunting `Schism`, have extremely unusual time signatures.

Schism, as a guitarist is fun to play and has some very interesting phrases but as a drummer it is bloody difficult! It has 47 different time changes! Now many bands would use this song as a gimmick, only using it to show off musicianship whilst leaving the song with a minimal of character. Tool have managed to create a very clear and ordered song even with all these time signatures. The song in general is one of those songs that slowly and surely builds to a climax. The hard and staccato (stop start) drumming helps to edge this song forward with slight breaks only afforded by the choruses which contain open chord like passages only to to be pulled back and the original pattern reset. It feels like the energy behind this song is barely contained and that any minute an extraordinary burst of energy will light up your ears. the climax suddenly comes in the form of a nu metal type guitar chord progression and a chanting of `I know the pieces fit`.  Before this is a perfectly sculpted lull of very light bends and slides.

Parabola is another track with which to hold the band aloft with. It achieves what creep by radiohead always wanted to achieve, harsh chords which overlay the song and serve as a means of mood change. The floating emotion of the lead singer (James-Keenan) and the thunderous and inventive drums are juxtaposed with each other and are only brought together with the help of he guitar and bass. Then a beautiful break occurs.  Here the drummer (Danny Carey) really shows of his talent, and my god what a talent he has got! The guitars soft reminders serve to anchor, again, the dream-like passages. This tells the listener where they are as much as the drummer and singer.

Ticks and Leeches starts with a very bass and drum heavy inception, with some nice gold filigree from the guitars for embellishment. The drums completely drive this introduction, as well as the rest of the song. This song would almost be very new metal, if it wasn't for the very strict rhythms which the band conform to, for they are far to complex to be classed as nu metal. This song only truly works if the band are together, any mistakes would ruin the sound. Again Tool show their mastery of song as the song naturally waxes and wanes like a demented full moon, and it is this use of dynamics which make this song seem almost like a fanfare at points and a lullaby at others.

The song Sober starts with thick smooth bassline which then groans beneath the weight of a squealing guitar solo. Maynard's voice softly glides over the guitars lending a tired and almost mournful quality. This song's bassline controls most of the song, which is frankly refreshing as many bands merely use the bass a supporting instrument. 

There are however, in my opinion, some flaws with some of Tool's songs. No band is perfect. Tool suffer from what I claim to be nonsense songs. While most of their songs are very strong and stable creations, some of their songs are simply minimalistic spoken word/sonic landscape pieces. (-) ions, Intermission, Cesaro Summability, Useful Idiot and Message to Harry to Name but a few. This is one of the problems I have with progressive music, while progressive music is a way of finding new ways of creating a song, sometimes what comes out of the really experimental moments is, to be honest, just filler. Filler which has impressive and challenging ideas behind it sounds the same as filler which is just there. While nine times out of ten, Tool will create a sonic experience which few bands can claim to fashion, it is in these moments that I fell they cross the line.

 

`pretentious [prɪˈtɛnʃəs]
adj
1. making claim to distinction or importance, esp undeservedly
2. having or creating a deceptive outer appearance of great worth; ostentatious` (Collins English Dictionary- Complete and Unabridged)

I choose not the first definition to describe these so-called nonsense songs but the second. whilst I enjoy music that challenges me I enjoy it to be in the form, of what I consider, music. I feel these sonic pieces are not musical, most being devoid of time signature which can be considered the most basic prerequisite of music. This is of course my opinion and I would like you to tell me if you disagree. 

If these musical oddities are such an annoyance why listen to Tool? Well to be honest these sonic moments (I'd call them creative wanking) and the long carefully made introductions to some of their songs have put me off listening to them in the past. Sometimes music should be able to just grab you and hold your attention. However this music can sometimes be forgotten and it is the music, like Tool's, which plants itself quietly and covertly in your mind and tweaks your mind until you need your fix of it which can make more of a lasting impact. It is for this reason that Tool are a good band. The best players in the world may be placed in a band but without the songs to go with it, the band is useless. Tool have fantastic musicians with gorgeous songs to boot, even if a few are poor! 

If you have not heard any of their work before, possibly the best/easiest place to start is with the song Schism. Let it plant it's roots in you, then maybe you'll become more than just a Tool.

   

See you later,

Shai-Hu-Lud Frantically searches for his spanner.

Seemless or Flawless?

Today's brief foray into the crazy ever expanding world of metal is an unusual one. It is very rare these days to find metal bands with positive lyrics and even rarer (for me) for them to actually attain *the groove*.


For me one of my favourite things about music is the groove. In jazz it's called swing, in other genres it can be called the feel but in metal and funk its the groove. The groove is what allowed black sabbath to sound so bloody evil and dark without using amazingly fast guitars and screamed vocals. they were a blues band to begin with though, so they should know their music!

So imagine my shock when I finally heard a band that wasn't pantera, down or black sabbath that had that groove but didn't sacrifice speed or lyrical content for it! The best way to describe this band is soul/groove metal- smooth metal!

Killswitch engage did a lot for metal, especially in their early days, they may be a little stilted at the moment but there's no denying they did a J K Rowling- they got kids into metal, which is what counts! No killswitch is not the band I'm talking about it's their old lead singer's old side project.

When Jesse Leach left Killswitch it was indeed a shame but this vocalist had, for me, something special about him, his positivity and energy spoke to me, and being a drummer it is hard for me to fixate on vocals!

This band is Seemless. Most of the members were at the time from metalcore bands when they first played together. Leach from Killswitch, Kerswill from Shadows Fall and Overcast/Killswitch guitarist Cortese. Most of these guys are no longer with those bands, just thought I'd say. Anyway one would think the general way things would turn out is that we'd have another metalcore band on our hands. Screamed verses and sung chorus right? I was very wrong!

Seemless managed to set the scene with their first album, Seemless. While for me it was amazing it did get a little repetitive, although it was mainly because I listened to it way too much. Little screaming was present on this album, but the screaming that did emerge was heightened as a result of this. Thick homemade guitar sounds and tight, emotion filled playing that wasn't afraid to drop the bullshit and just make a damn good song.

Leach's vocals soar and dive like a hawk, gently and vicious. War and Peace being a perfect example of this. The drums and guitar and bass on this album are unstoppable, but sometimes the mood gets a little worn. The band have bundles of talent but it almost burst and it almost seems as if they find it harder to control on this album. The contrast between Endless, All is Not Lost and the rest of the album keeps you listening however.

Even on this first foray this album is beautiful, few bands can write heartfelt lyrics without sounding a bit wet.

`The flame in your eyes will make pale the radiant sun

Our truth will be revealed when our dreams become the breath of life` (Endless)

Need I say more?

But the band really comes into its own on their second and sadly last album- What Have We Become. The band have put some time into rehearsing and have perfected their sound to create a more mature and heartfelt album, when compared to their last. Instead of turning to vinegar they have transformed into a nice merlot!

Songs that are worth an instant mention here are Parody and Seven. Parody opens with a groovy drum part worthy of John Bonham, it is this drum line that actually steals the show on this song. The old school groovey bends on the guitar keep the songs unusual pace but the drums push it forward still. Then the verse kicks in. Leach's vocals fly, Cortese's guitar lifts the song giving it effervescence, and Fultz's bass and Kerswill's drums just thunder through keeping the steady pace.

The choruses then just groove on until your neck gets sore. The well placed scream ups the ante, creating tension . A soft and delicate guitar solo bends the rhythm and distorts the pace which only works if the Bass and drums can actually keep the beat, oh and they do!

Seven is just pure groove, awesome drum breaks are the soup of the day, but it's chicken noodle with sweet chilli and not bloody tomato soup that Seemless vend. This song sums up, to me, why Seemless are individual, it sounds like a jam that is so tight you feel lucky just to hear it. I'm listening to it now and it's just what I want to hear from metal. I'm a bit stuffy sometimes, I like stuff I can understand. Je suis comprende!

I mentioned the lyrics being expertly crafted, poems in their own right, to many bands this would become overwhelming. Many bands have a dynamic pull between the melody and the rhythm sections. If this balance is tipped to much the other musicians can get side lined. I love My Dying Bride but the rhythm section is flooded by the melody and has to take a back seat. They are a great band all the same however. It is very rare, though, that I can come across a band that keeps the balance well. Seemless have managed to just that, each mammber adds their essence to the mix equally resulting in a sound that hints of the days of Led and Purple.

Basically strong song writing combined with an infective groove and gently grown songs have, in my view, created one of the most under rated bands ever. I can't really analyse each song, I advise listening to both albums and making a judgement, if you don't like it, that's cool but I think your missing a lot with these guys. Here's a brief hit list of songs, just 2, but a brief introduction for those of you who would rather try on youtube before you buy. These guys are a diamond in the rough and I think that they have been overlooked but please, make up your own mind, If anyone has any suggestions for bands that are similar please let me know, I'd love to hear them!










Sorry about the quality but it is live footage which I think gives you a better picture of what they are like live.

Thanks for reading,

Shai-Hu-Lud enjoys his Mountain Dew in the sun

The Eyes of a Traitor- *Interview*

Contained within today's senescent article are the words of Eyes of a Traitor guitarist- Matthew Pugh. Huzzahs all around!

Eyes of a Traitor are a Deathcore band from good Ol' Hertfordshire UK. They have released 3 records as of writing (one studio album, one EP and one single) and are set to release their new 2nd album, Breathless, soon. Well without further ado here it is.



Jyujinkai- Have you always wanted to become a musician? Or is it just something that happened?

Matthew- No, not at all. I didn't start playing guitar until I was 16 and all through school I found the music lessons to be the most boring thing ever. A few of my friends were really into their instruments though and they had a show at school called "golden oldies" one year, which involved them playing Guns 'N Roses and Black Sabbath covers. They practised their arses off for it and I went along and saw the show, and it totally changed my perspective on the whole thing. Just seeing them up on the stage having a good time made me instantly want to go home and start saving for a guitar and then I pretty much got addicted to the thing!

Jyujinkai- So what is your current guitar amp set up? Why do you use them?

Matthew- In terms of guitars, I use two Ibanez RG1527 Prestiges which I love to bits. I swapped to playing 7 string guitars a while ago and have no intention of going back! We tuned down to drop B and for me, I found the stings to be a little too floppy and the range quite limited. So the 7 string gives me much better string tension and I tune in a way that gives me an extra top string (B F# B E G# C# F#), so I have huge range of notes. For some reason the bigger neck feels more natural to me than a 6 string ever did.

In terms of amps, I use an ENGL Powerball. It was 3rd hand by the time I got hold of it, and everyone owner including me has toured it... and until recently it had never had a flight-case either, just bumping around in the back of the van, and the thing still sounds incredible. It allows me to get a really clear high gain sound without sounding crackly or fizzy and it has a really tight bottom end on it, which is perfect for the low grooves we use.We toured with After The Burial last year, me and their guitarist, Justin, used a combination of my head and his pedals and managed got the best tone I had heard from it... so I recently managed to get the money together and sling a couple of other gates and a tube-screamer in there too and have my set-up sounding pretty good now.

Jyujinkai- Just an aside, do you think there are many false stereotypes about metal fans?

Matthew- Yeah, definitely! A lot of people who aren't into metal don't really understand the music or the culture that surrounds it at all and a lot of them have very negative views on the whole thing, despite not really having a clue what it's about! The main things that I hear people say is that the music we listen to is just noise and is talentless, which is obviously not the case, but then I guess it's all down to opinion at the end of the day, as I sure don't understand a lot of the music they listen to either haha!

Jyujinkai- Yeah I know what you mean! So what are your favourite genres of music?

Matthew- I appreciate quite a few different genres but my favourite is metal and its various sub-genres haha. I'm a huge fan of instrumental guitar music and would definitely recommend people check out Jeff Loomis' solo album "Zero order phase" and Animals as Leaders self-titled album if you are a fan of instrumental music in the metal category! Outside of metal I'm quite into blues/rock playing, a new favourite of mine being Joe Bonamassa... I think he is great, check out this Led Zep cover of his.

Jyujinkai- So within that, who would you say is your favourite guitarist and why? Are there any songs that showcase his/her style and technique in particular?

Matthew- I'd say that my favourite guitarist is Vinnie Moore, when not on tour I work for an agency and my boss took me to see UFO, which is the first time I had seen or heard Vinnie's playing and his technique and phrasing blew me away. His latest solo album; "To the Core" is one of those albums that I can listen to over and over again without getting bored, so I'd recommend the whole thing, but if I had to pick one track it would be "Soul Caravan" here is a link to it.

Jyujinkai- A man with varied taste! So moving back to your band, how do you write your songs? Is there a process that you use?

Matthew- The process has varied a fair bit over the last couple of years, at first I used to rely on Guitar Pro (tabbing software) for my writing. I would usually start with a riff and put it into that and then flesh it out a bit with chords and drums and then go from there, and send it to the other guys in the band for them to tinker with. I have gone off that idea a lot though recently as you really don't get much of a feel for the music from that, it is midi based so the whole thing sounds like an end of level boss battle on the old gameboys, haha. I recently got Cubase and a Pod X3, so now I record my ideas and send them to the others instead as this gives a much clearer representation of what I am going for. We still use Guitar Pro to document our music though, for practising to later.

Jyujinkai- So after writing *nerdy question alert* when you record, are you a fan of the click track?

Matthew- 100%, I view it as being an essential tool for any musician and practice at home to a click track too. When I was first starting out I wanted to play fast and then later realised that I was sloppy as hell and being able to play slower but tightly was much more important... and of course you can then build your speed gradually from there. It's not only important from a personal stand-point; it helps you to keep in time with other people better too, which is an essential part of being in a band.

Jyujinkai- What would you say is the hardest part about playing your style of metal music as a musician?

Matthew- You just have to keep on top of your game really, there are some pretty fast runs and fast rhythm patterns so you can't really afford to not practice for a while and get sloppy otherwise it would just sound terrible live haha! We like throwing in a lot of dead stops in songs in our live set too so you have to be mindful of your muting.

Jyujinkai- Which one of your songs would you consider you’re favourite? Is there a particular part of a song that you play that you like especially?

Matthew -My favourite Traitor song is "Talk of the town" from our new album; we just uploaded it to the MySpace actually. It's just a very heavy track with a lot of groove which makes it great fun to play live... I had a bit of an ordeal with tracking the solo section for that song in studio as I get mega bad anxiety when it comes to recording... I get the shakes and my mind goes blank so I had to kick the other guys out for a bit while I tracked it. We have a part in an older song called "escape these walls" which I really enjoy playing too, it’s the riff right before and under the solo of that song... again, it's heavy and has a lot of groove which I guess something that really appeals to me with song parts haha!

Jyujinkai- You seem to like using a lot of legato type techniques in your breakdowns. I find this refreshing, is it something you have done deliberately or is it a part of your natural style?

Matthew- I joined the band a couple of years ago but we had a pretty similar style of playing anyway so I fitted in well. Legato is something that me and our other guitarist, Steve, picked up on pretty soon. I never used to be that great at alternate picking so I found the technique essential in helping me get a cross the fretboard fluidly without having to pick everything… so I guess it is just a natural thing to us.

Jyujinkai- How have you found touring?

Matthew- Touring is my favourite thing to do in the world, I love it! My approach to touring has changed a fair bit since I started, definitely in terms of preparation! My first tour, was one February so it was freezing cold and the first date was up in Leeds... and I forgot my sleeping bag, and we were staying on the floor of someones basement essentially, and I froze my arse off... so I learnt that lesson very quickly and make sure it is top of my list these days! As time goes on you learn more about what to take, what spare parts you need to fix your equipment based on what problems commonly arise after a few weeks on the road. The last tour we had, my equipment died on me several times right at sound-check, and being the opening band we had little time to fix it, so I had to learn very quickly how to take apart my rig and do rapid problem solving and fixing... You learn all the time.

Overall though, touring is great, you get to see and do a lot of things you'd never get to otherwise and I quite often find myself sitting there thinking "the only reason I am here to see this is because I picked up a guitar one day", I'm very lucky and hope that it continues! You learn a lot about co-operation too... a month or so in van with the same people, all being tired... sometimes you can get tired and irritable and have petty arguments for the sake of it, which just brings everyone down. So you learn what presses people's buttons and how not to tread of people's toes haha.

Jyujinkai- How have other bands generally treated you?

Matthew- Other bands we have toured with? We have been very fortunate in that we have played with some great bands and learnt a lot from them. We toured with Gojira in February 2009 and they had a massive impact on us as a band, both in terms of mentality and professionalism as musicians. For starters the band and their crew are the nicest group of people ever, very humble and even helped us carry all our gear up 5 flights of stairs to a venue one night. On top of that, they were slick with loading in and out each night and on stage they are clinically tight as standard and that really inspired me to practice my arse off haha! We recently toured with The Chariot too who's focus is more on the energy at the show and we really learnt to let loose and really get into the vibe of a live show from them. For those of you unfamiliar with their shows, give this a watch

Jyujinkai- Any news of things to come?

Matthew- Well the new album comes out on July 12th, and although it is still 'us' there is a big change in feel... the songs are generally heavier and a lot more groove orientated in places. We have worked a lot more on song structure in terms of verse and chorus sections too, and believe it to be our best material to date. In terms of other things to come, we have recently shot a music video for the new song "Come To My Senses" which should be up soon, I believe they are just working on the final edits (at the time of writing). Other than that, we have interviews coming in for the new album and will be back on the road touring it from around September onwards!

Jyujinkai- Well thank you very much Matthew for your time, I hope the new album does well for you guys. Keep on rocking! I'm sure we haven't heard the last from him!

Cheers for reading.

Shai-Hu-Lud Wriggles through the desert.

A product of the system

Well it seems as if I have been lazy recently. I do apologise, exams have been very strenuous and time consuming, but I have not forgotten about all things music. So apologies for my absence.

Anyway back to the task at hand- finishing System of a Down's classic album- er System of a Down!

So after having blasted through the first half of the album, let us continue on with the second half.

So here we are thrust into war?'s paranoid guitar introduction. In typical SOAD style it's as paranoid as it is quirky. Heavy use of palm muting here emphasises rhythm over melody. The very quiet end of the introduction allows for an explosive dive into the main song. Some sweet synchronisation of the drums and guitar make this song very typical of the `nu-metal` genre. The verse it characterised by simple call and answer sequences by guitar and drums. This song makes heavy use of palm muting to allow the transition from verse to chorus and such. The chorus is very full and meaty whilst still managing to jerk around the room spasmodically. This song really gives the lead singer, Tankian, a chance to show of his talent and range of voicing, from almost death growls to softly whispered preaching. For me the highlight of this track is at 1:18. This very stylist break in the madness builds and builds into a climax of confusion and almost fear. This is broken by the harsh return of the main phrase of the song. This song's lyrics are worth mentioning, politically motivated, such lines as;

`Who victored over, the Seljuks/When the Holy Land was taken/We will fight the heathens`


Are particularly relevant, to one of the band's central political issue (not their only one mind you) of the Armenian Genocide. If you are interested in learning more about this event then click the link, but I am not going through it here as I'm interested in the music not the politics of System of a Down, rant over.

Anyway, after all this guitar and vocal heavy thrashing the next song mind comes as a bit of a shock. The song is written around a repetitive bassline which conjures images of business men scuttling around London in the rain. The drummer, Dolmayan, shows his versatility by conjuring a samba/bossa nova beat which fits tightly to the bass line provided by Odajian. The guitar breaks the introduction hinting at the coming passage. A lovely bass rich riff proceeds into a bizarre string bending section which makes use of some fabulous dissonant notes. This is ended with Tankian's quiet musing

`Free thinkers are dangerous`

which then causes a serious explosion of energy which leads to a more structured loop which masterfully controls the slowing down of the song and the reversion to the main passage. This loops again, but does not (and this is hard to do) sound like the band is playing the same bit again. This then slows down to a bizarre break which is quickly broken again with sharp guitar playing which then recedes into a quiet let down passage, allowing everyone to calm down for the next track.

A short electronic carnival introduction (you'll know what I mean when you hear it) and we're into Peephole. Hints of lyrics that are to come are faintly hidden in this introduction section. When I say this is one of the strangest songs that SOAD have done, I really mean it. Nu/alt/thrash/prog metal band system incorporates an Ompah band!? I can't really describe this song without over using the words `madness` and `bizarre`. The guitar rules the main sections of this song which aren't being dominated by the Ompah. Something which always catches my ear is Legato style triplets in guitar riffs. Legato is the stringing together of notes making them sound fluid and very natural. This is often accomplished by `hammer-ons` and `pull-offs` on the guitar. Barked vocals as well as flowing (legato our new word) vocals help pick out this song. This song contains an interesting guitar solo which is full of sonic textures, harsh and soft it's all there yet it is still simplistic. Unlike some guitar solos this one is devoid of wank. This song ends on a more conventional held note.

Enter CUBErt. If this album is a family gathering, this unfortunate fellow is the heroine addicted uncle. A very drum heavy introduction leads into a staccato verse. This is quickly trampled by the drum fill which evolves into a strange backbeat giving the chorus a very strong primal bounce. Again the drums signal transitions in this song, providing a good musical distraction for the listener not to notice the otherwise sudden change in flow. This song has many interesting rhythmic feels. By rhythmic feel, I refer to how the song feels, where the strong and weak beats are placed. The traditional feel of a 4/4 time signature (which is used in the majority of rock/metal songs) has a feeling of strong(1) weak(2) medium(3) weak(4). This is often emphasised by the drums via the bass drum playing the strong and medium strength beats. When one changes this feel the song takes on a more distinctive rhythm. This song is full of these changes in feel. This also allows us to know instinctively where we are in a song, for example the end of this song is built to crescendo by making almost all the beats in a bar strongly accented. Musical lecture over.

A simple powerchord riff instigates the, in my view, the weakest song on the album. It is not a bad song just much of the song is unremarkable when compared to the rest of the album. The song comes across as a 2:42 stream of consciousness type poem. Although of note is the interesting clock type break passages which bring an odd silence to the song and allow, again, Tankian to present his variety of vocal styles. The end of this song is very tightly controlled and the band play very smoothly. But for me this song is still weak.

P.L.U.C.K (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers) is the last song on this album. Effectively I can some this song up in a couple of words, Angry and Sorrow. This song is again about the Armenian Genocide. The anger is beautifully tangible in the voicing of each syllable and guitar chord. The song is a forced death march in feel this is only broken by violent flashbacks that make up the choruses. The choruses have a brilliant drum part which creates a very middle eastern feel. This is all punctuated by quiet swaying sections which are similar to those in B.Y.O.B (from the later SOAD album Mesmerize). This song dies softly, leaving the listener in silence, wandering what they have just heard.

This albums beautiful and pleading madness is a testament to the work that the band put into it. The surrealist vocals on some of the tracks are juxtaposed by the realistic and haunting political suggestions of others. All in all this album is a prime example of two important musical aspects, how not to over complicate an album and how to create tension and flow through changing the feel and the very essence of a bar. This is an album to get one's head around.

Thanks for reading, really sorry about the delay

Shai-Hu-Lud is awake once more

A Genre Defying Classic... But What Bloody Genre Is It?

What should a typical metal album consist of? Evil vocals? Fast, primal guitars? A aspect of metal that seems to be forgotten in today's, modern, instant gratification society is the staying power of music and the ability for it to grow and become better with age.

An album which for me has defined a period of my life was System of a Down's first self titled album. A few people overlook this album and instead head straight for SOADS second outing Toxicity. Toxicity was the album that brought them commerical attention, with catchy, well crafted pieces such as Chop Suey and Toxicity, it is indeed a fine album.



But SOAD's SOAD is, for me, a more honest portrayal of a very individual band whose political views are woven carefully into their songs. This has the effect of creating, at times , an exquisite quagmire of confusion and furious energy that threatens to actually make you think. Other times however the schizophrenic caterwauling of Tankian can take some by surprise. With this in mind I will attempt to lead you through a very frantic and energetic album created by a passionate band that needed to be heard.

SOAD's SOAD was released in 1998, topping the charts at this time (at least in the US) was usual range of factory assembled songs by such artists as; Mariah Carey and Will Smith- nothing against them, it's just not my sort of music, I find it too formulaic. Any who about this album.

As I sit and listen to the opening track Suite-Pee I'm hit with a perplexing short guitar phrase. This has a fantastic effect of drawing me in, almost like a bugle for hunting dogs. Then suddenly- POW- Suddenly that small, quiet, frantic trickle has transformed into a full blown tidal wave. Everything is full blown and loud, leading into another frantic passage, which is slightly quieter, which is beautifully mirrored by Tankian's vocals. It is this use of dynamic shift that is possibly the only common feature through out many of SOADs songs. This expert manipulation is then taken to a higher level at the beginning of the breakdown. The breakdown, that's another review altogether, if you don't know what it is then just listen to Lamb of God's Omerta (the whole song is practically one giant breakdown). A simple repeating guitar riff from Malakian is the solid foundation for Tankian's whirlwind vocals culminating in a change of mood leading to a softly sung passage whose softness is broken by its perplexing content;

`lie naked on the floor and let the messiah go through our souls`

From this builds an exquisite climax which leaves the listener in a daze, to then be thrust back into the main riff and have it speed up only adds to the sense of desperation, you only remain of sanity is Tankian's chanting;

`the following of a Christ,
the following of a Christ,
the falling of Christ,
the falling of Christ` Then silence...

Suddenly a fully charged Dolmayan (how does he get his energy?!) thunders in with a stampeding Tom section, urging you to forget who you are and just thrash on the floor. Welcome to Know. The drums take the full focus for the first part of this track, this is soon accented by the sly work of Malakian and Odajian then here comes the SOAD dynamic change again, sudden silence followed by Tankian screaming. The whole song is full of frantic energy, and races across your ear drum like a child with too much sherbet. Then song's feel changes moving into a Latin/Arabic-esque double semi quaver trot. With Tankian's syrupy vocals revealing their true dexterity, the song slips into a stop start spasm of a chorus. The middle eight is of particular note, an almost dream like feel is created by Tankian's calm, listing vocals, the simple chords from Malakian backed up by Odajian and some extraordinary drum work which keeps this section from becoming to disjointed from the rest of the song by continuing with the introductions theme. This, then sleekly slips into the chorus eventually ending with a death rattle (not the Pantera song) like finish.

Ah! Sugar! An eponymous song if ever I heard one. If are not familiar with this track then please listen to it, it is classical system of a down. Simple repeating passages of sinister guitar/bass intertwine with the bizarre ranting like lyrics create a thick miasma. For me this has always been a party starter, just like the song Shimmy on Toxicity, it is a song which demands the attention of the listener. Again the patented SOAD dynamic changes are abound in this song but they never seem to decrease it's emotional intensity and ferocity. The song's lyrical content is also of note, while being almost completely non-sensical it has a brutal and almost pleading like quality in their delivery. It is this emotional puppetry by which Tankian can control the song's lyrics, which really makes him stand out as a singer. Sugars' breaking point for me comes with the almost soliloquy like section where Tankian's vocal range again shines over sporadic, accented twitches provided by the rest of the band.

The void that is left by sugar's cocaine induced death is quickly taken up by Suggestions. A quick finger plucking section and we're straight into it. No slowing down here! Here a demented fairground ride ensues leading us around a hall of mirrors with Tankian demonstrating to us our governmental system of censorship from the point of view of a lighthouse, I'm serious check out the lyrics! The solid guitar/bass parts help the song chug nicely along ending with a triumphant tail off.

Spiders finally heralds the change in overall dynamic of the album. This is almost a mid way breather for the band and the listener. This is one of systems slower more thoughtful songs. It's beautifully simple guitar parts slide graciously over the soft musings of Tankian. This song is a prime example of another of this band's strengths: their ability to play as a unit. This represents to me the other side of SOAD, the quiet and contemplative side, this track helps to introduce the duality that exists within SOAD's work. The melancholy of this song comes through with all the instruments, enhanced by the chime of a funeral bell this song gently floats on a gust of wind, this wind becomes slightly blustery later on in the song whilst still retaining its soft nature.

After this initial breather, the song Ddevil is let out of its cage, it then proceeds to drool all over my leg. This demented foxtrot bounces around like a kid off his meds. A sharp snare drum march drives the song forward along with a jangly bass line all throws this song rolling onto the conveyor belt. So far in this review I have talked a lot about Tankian's vocals, I do not want to draw attention away from the rest of the band but one of the most interesting factors is the lead singer and how he uses his voice to complement the rest of the band. The strong bass and drum lines help to regiment this song to a tight time signature while the vocals and guitar are free to provide sporadic support and accentuation to the rest of the song. The light doubles that Dolmayan throws on his snare drum keep this song feeling tight. Odadjian's bassline continuously surges forwards. The choruses break up the song lending a stop start effect to the song. In contrast to this harsh bassline the guitars are often more towards the high end giving the song a nice full ranged sound.

The song Soil sounds like a demented litany thrust over an pounding bassline and some very careful guitar work. My main point of interest in this song is the instrumental parts of this song the first one starts at about 2:13, this is simply a break for a very soft guitar solo which is laid gently upon some very solid drum rhythms. This slowly gathers momentum leading to a second more energetic guitar part. This effectively breaks up and introduces the most violent and aggressive part of the song.

I will conclude the rest of this review next time, I'm sorry about the length, but hey it's detailed! What's the problem with that?

Cheers for reading,

Shai-Hu-Lud still moves on

Tuning Ears pt.2

My last review/song breakdown presented a song whose aggression, ferocity and caustic lyrics were the basis of its appeal. So now for something completely different!

Today’s band of interest is pretty much the jam to slayers marmite. However like marmite and jam they both have some common features; they both have the same basic features of a metal band, an iconic singer, a devoted fan base and provocative lyrics but there are some differences. Slayer has utilised a typical four man set up, two guitars, one bass/singer and one drummer. This set up allows for the guitarists to create a thick wall of complex sound which is emphasised by the bassists quick simple bass lines (not a criticism).

My Dying Bride use the same basic two guitar, singer, bass drum set up but throw in a violin and keyboard player. This allows them to create a different palette of sounds and by using the same basic components but in a different way, they can create a very different sound to slayer. The guitars lay down simple chords over which the violin/keyboards and the vocals paint an elegant picture.

For me a good introductory song to My Dying Bride has always been The Cry of Mankind. The first track on the album The Angel and The Dark River (1995) a boy does it give a good impression of what this band are about.




As soon as you start this 12 minute hulk up you hear it right there, the underlying bastion of this song, the 6 note violin part. This violin part’s simplicity allows for the guitarist and drummer to pick out some nice developmental phrases, increasing the intensity and letting the listener know how the songs progressing. This then leads into a pounding drum part almost reminiscent of a steel foundry accompanied by the angle grinder like feedback from both guitars. Finally culminating in the main crux of the song. It is this build up which lends My Dying Bride an almost electronica type quality, similarities between Orbital’s Technologicque Park and The Cry of Mankind can be effectively drawn. Suddenly the feedback stops, cut short only to be replaced by the keyboard’s fast noodling which gracefully acts as Virgil and lead’s the listeners Dante through this piece of despair and melancholy.

Then a fluid and simple guitar riff is thrown onto the spike of the song and is left there to slowly try and undo the damage that the song has wrought. The final component is then strewn upon the funeral pyre; the vocals. Being a drummer and a (bad) guitarist I don’t like to give too much credit to the vocalist. Vocals are, at the moment, the main focus of many bands and I just like to keep them on a level pegging with the rest of the band. But these vocals are so descriptive and atmospheric even I can’t help but be stunned by their beauty:

`You'll swallow his tongue of thorns,
His mouth, dripping with flies,
In his glorious kingdom of fire`

The Stainthorpe, the vocalists, lyrics leak through this quagmire of machinery and rust, flooding it with a gel that you can almost feel choking you. The guitars, while simple, are effective at what they do which is give an anchor for the lyrics to be steadied upon. Then an almost solo type guitar passage ensues. Building to a triumphant swirl with the vocals, who have leaked on to the floor and been collected in a cup only to be poured through the mix again. This song makes use through out of a natural flow and pulse which often accompanies compound time signatures (in this case 6/8).

Once more the angle grinding guitar feedback occurs, leading us into the final death throes of this song as all the components have been speared and are now weakly trying to try and right themselves in vain. This quiet passage while long almost serves as a chance for the listener to start pondering about what they have taken in over the past 6 mins. The same almost monotonous violin passage fastens cleanly onto the listener’s brain to allow the more chaotic sounds to present themselves. A dark, foghorn like sound (which I presume is made by a distorted cello) mournfully weeps over the death of the song as it slowly fades away.

Through these two breakdowns of songs I have, hopefully, given an insight into what metal can sound like and how diverse and far reaching it has become. I may do some more genre specific song breakdowns in the future as well as more conventional reviews. But, as with most things to do with music, it’s probably best just to see what happens.

Cheers for reading,

Shai-hu-lud slithers on

Tuning Ears

The Headbanger

Doom. Thrash. Words which in seclusion can mean little but when applied to music can conjure images of hairy men headbanging to strange people wearing gas mask and making strange, strangled, guttural, noises. Music for me has always been connected closely to my emotional state. If I'm I want a catharsis. If I'm happy I want someone to agree with me and bolster my mood.

To enjoy music a basic understanding is often useful. Few people listen to music, many just hear it. For the majority of this article I will try to describe What I hear when I listen to song. Utilising the concurrent theme of  duality it seems reasonable to compare a couple of songs which can be considered to be from opposite ends of the spectrum of metal.  

The two songs that I have chosen are; Disciple by Slayer (from the album God Hates Us All 2001) and The Cry of Mankind by My Dying Bride (from The Angel and the Dark River 1995). Both of these songs, for me, gives a concise slice into two deep genres. I won't always give this much detail but if you start to properly listen to music you can get a lot more out of it.

Slayer, a band which has been around since 1981, they have been classed as one of the fabled BIG FOUR thrash metal bands (Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer). These metal bands have been responsible for converting many a teenage ear onto the path of metal. The Album God Hates Us All was released in 2001 and has garnered much media attention for it's explicit album art (the picture on the left is merely the `nice` cover slip which was used to censor the original artwork in shops) as well as it's, sometimes, controversial lyrics. I advise you listen to the song as you read this to get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Disciple is the second track on the album, the first being an atmospheric build up which climaxes with an almost shocking abrupt stop-start phrase which heralds the beginning of the aforementioned song. This harsh short passage is then followed by some nice establishing guitar and double bass drum work from Hanneman, King and Bostaph (respectively) which sets up the main feel of the song and a sense of horseback movement, to be only emphasised by Araya's bass guitar doubles. This is broken down, flowing nicely into the verse via a quick guitar/drum passage, very typical of this genre. With a fast fire delivery Araya delivers harsh and fast lyrics like a leaking artery and Bostaph's drums, which are heavy on the tom work to begin with, give a distinct sense of urgency. Lyrics purveying an independent and aggressive attitude are a hallmark of Slayer and part of their appeal and very prominent in this song. The chorus consists of an almost breakdown like bass/guitar double with a discordant, high pitched guitar passage. This stark contrast between thick stark bass/guitar coordination and this high pitched guitar part helps to slow down the chorus whilst also keeping it's momentum. On top of this is placed the drawn out mantra which Araya screams like a demented Hari Krishna-  `God Hates Us All`. This caustic message is pounded into the listeners mind like a stun bolt at an abattoir. 

This breaks down into the familiar, fast and relentless guitar of the verse. Which after another chorus breaks into a surging guitar solo which sounds like an out of control centrifuge attached to a rotary organ. This ends before it has the opportunity to become guitar wank (thank god), allowing the band (and more importantly the listener) to gain a stable footing after the furious headbanging of the past 1m 30s slipping into a restful back-to-basics single guitar hi-hat combo with some glorious feedback overlayed for good measure progressing to a sharp wakeup double  from guitar and choked hi-hat. Back we are again, breakneck speed, we're thrust deep into the confines of thrash, loud, proud and fucking pissed off. This leads into a very progressive (not progressive metal but progressive in terms of movement in the song) with a very prominent snare drum on all the whole beats, leading to a climax only exemplified by Araya's long drawn out screams. Ending in a death throw like diminuendo. The song presents its true anger, slow and calculated, the song moves like a snake from here on, with deadly precision the guitars close off the artery and the song dies.

The next song I have chosen is, as previously mentioned, The Cry of Mankind by My Dying Bride. My Dying Bride are considered to be pretty staple in their position as funeral/doom metal tyrants. While thrash metals aggression is the prime emotion, the fueling emotion of doom metal is simply that, doom. This review/song breakdown will be in Part Two of Tuning Ears.

Thanks for reading guys.

Shai-hu-lud slithers on.

Music, Metal, Music... Where to begin?

Metal, a small word which encompasses so many facets of a fascinating and, sometimes, uncertain genre. Majority of people reading this are probably already inducted into metal's whirlpool of emotion, technique and long hair. I am not here to discuss the psychological aspects of metal, nor the contraversy which surrounds it. I am here to share what I love about metal, inform you on things you may not have heard, and also so you can tell me a bit about what makes your metal mind tick. Don't be shocked if I mention other genres of music, from classical to jazz, from Handel's Messiah to Dave Brubeck's unsquare dance, as a music lover you should not confine yourself just to one genre. Metal is where I and this blog will be rooted but other genres may creep in so enjoy.

 Shai-hu-lud slides on.