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.