DarkUpside - A Taste of Unknown

DarkUpside is an Italian trio from Genova that considers; Diego Cazzaniga on Vocals and Guitar, Davide Di Marco on Bass Guitar, and Davide Incorvaia on Drums. The band has a Progressive Metal and Alternative Rock vibe in their music that combines the sound of; Foo Fighters, Mastodon, Porcupine Tree, and Karnivool to name a few. Now with the combining sounds of the four bands, and since their formation back in 2011 with a 4-track demo they did, the concept of their music is to do something different with the genres.

And with their debut album released last year, A Taste of Unknown, is a heavier, ominous, and doomier at the same time in which the band brings the mighty electrifying ideas they bring into the sound of DarkUpside’s music. Not to mention the band’s five centerpieces that deserves some attention. Opener, Waving Steps, begins with a pastoral classical echoed guitar reverb done in the style of the sessions of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells before turning into a electronic vibe as it segues into the mellowing yet nightmarish tension of someone going insane on Unbearable Noise.

There are some killer riffs that Cazzaniga is doing in the styles of John Petrucci and Adam Jones as if he is taking it to different levels playing both the riff and the rhythm on his guitar to capture the atmosphere of going inside the mind of a person by seeing where he or she would go next of his mental conditions while Peace of Mind, sees the band paying tribute to Tool as if they have given the torch to them to see where they would go next.

Then, the band go into an instrumental composition combining the forces of Alternative and Extreme Metal an explosive powder keg that is ready to go off on Come Back. Beginning with a Bass and Snare Drum militant introduction done by both Marco and Incorvaia as Diego kicks the door open with some wonderful chops on the guitar, it goes through the minds of Pantera flown in through the landscapes as Davide goes into this powerful drum work as he makes it sound like a gun reigning rapid fire.

DarkUpside also go through on dealing with searching for the answers on who the person really is on Memories. There’s a lot of intensity on this track as the band go into a driven beat with some spacey sounds on the keyboard, soaring vocals, heavy rhythms along with the power riffs, and calming drums, the flashbacks on asking the person who the real self is to search and finding out what happen to their lives.

DarkUpside have something up their sleeves. And while this is their debut album, in which I've listened to about three times already, it has a lot of energy and eruptive power that is an absorbing yet riveting beginning for them. So if you love as I’ve mentioned, both Progressive Metal and Alternative Rock, DarkUpside’s A Taste of Unknown is right up your alley to check out.

Tom Slatter - Through These Veins

Having been blown away from his previous album, Three Rows of Teeth, Tom Slatter shows no sign of stopping. And his latest E.P., is going beyond the Steampunk universe of rogue surgeons, suspended animation, and body horror. That is to say that once you have those ideas of a dystopian atmosphere, you know something dark and touching is about to happen.

Through These Veins seems to be almost straight out of the stories from the minds of; H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City. For a story of an insane woman named Dr. Margoyle, who turns her patient into the macabre of living sculptures, knowing that we are entering the mind of this person to see what she is doing and why she is completely insane and out of her head by tormenting them like no other.

Opener, I Am Not Your Heart, begins with the String quartet from the Mellotron before the drums and echoing sounds of the guitar with a reverb pitch comes kicking in to set the tempo into a Space Rock sound as if Slatter is paying tribute to Steve Hackett and Manuel Gottsching of Ash Ra Tempel. And then everything starts to relax as he goes into a moody and ominous atmosphere as the lyrics show how disturbing Margoyle really is.

The musique concrete and avant-garde between string section and doomy Rhodes on Segue – I Am an Artist, is done as narration of the character as she, herself, explains why she calls it art instead of butchering as she is talking to the detective on her obsession of her work that is almost straight out of The Silence of the Lambs. Without my Medicine, complete with electronic drums, rhythm guitar, chords from the keyboard, and soothing vocals from Tom himself makes it emotional, and very laid-back as the lyrics deal with without Dr. Margoyle’s ingredients, she is a complete mess.

The closing title track, begins as a Rhodes lullaby for the first 28 seconds before going into the style of Camille Saint-Saens heavy inspirations of the Danse Macabre in the sinister waltz time signature and not to mention the string section, keeps the tension going in this jazzy-classical-rock sound. And it is really terrifying and menacing, but the lyrics that Tom wrote are staggering and mind-boggling.

I have listen to Through These Veins, about three times already and the story line may not be for the faint of the heart, but Tom Slatter has got something up his sleeve for The Steam Engine Murder storyline that he wrote. And I can’t wait to hear what he will do next with it to combine the symphonic, mysterious, and the darkness on the E.P. itself. All in all, it is a striking E.P. So say goodbye to Hannibal Lecter, and hello to Dr. Margoyle.

Accolade - Legends

Combining the genres of; Gothic, Medieval and Progressive music, it is really a wonderful mixture of the three combined into one from an upcoming band from San Francisco that just completely took me by surprise. Accolade is a trio that launched seven years ago and their music is mysterious, haunting, and hypnotic. Their new album, Legends, released last year, was inspired by their visit to the Chalice Well, also known as Avalon, which is at the foot of the Glastonbury Tor in the countryside of Somerset, England.

And this album is a dedication to the legends of not just King Arthur, but dedicated to the painting of the Lady of Shallot and the poetry by Alfred Lord Tennyson. The history of the place in which they have gathered for tourists to find peace, healing, and inspiration in which the album has a lot of the storytelling in their music based on the medieval tales that is straight out of the 12^th century as they go back in time to tell it as short stories that two of the tracks clock in at 11 and 20-minutes almost as if it’s a medieval prog-folk opera that is well structured. 

And from start to finish, it’s a gentle and spiritual journey that is a warm touch to the Acid Folk/Progressive Rock sound of the 1970s and the future that is captured through the essence of; Trees, Comus, Renaissance, and White Willow. The trio considers; Stefanie Renee on Lead Vocals, Tambourine, Recorder, Zills, Aaron Goldstein on Guitar, Mandolin, and Keyboards, and Cade Burkhammer on Drums and Percussion.

Opener, Gelfing Song, starts off with dripping water, Stefanie’s vocalization in the mind of Annie Haslam, the Rain stick, and the thumping percussion along with the instruments setting the tone of what’s about to come.  Then Stefanie’s operatic vocals come along with Goldstein’s arrangement come in on Elf King, has some beautiful church organ-like sound, acoustic guitar lukewarm crisp, fanfare horns and a touch of the Celtic beauty as well that is almost straight out of the sessions of Ignis Fatuus.

Hymn to the Moon Goddess, in which it was written in the ancient Hurrian language around 1400 B.C., has this darker and atmospheric beauty as Renee sings the language as Goldstein and of course Burkhammer’s percussion in which it has a raga-rock surrounding, the two of them creates some mystic magic on their instruments that has a moody and cavernous surroundings before ending on a deafening boom. It’s really surreal and stunning. Then, we come to the two epics to close off the album.

The Journey, is an 11-minute epic that goes through variations. From the gentle classical guitars with a folky feel for the first few minutes into a heavy hard rocking adventure with some powerful riffs and chords, to set the fast-driven tempo including some incredible background vocals done by Nathan Wetter to help the band out as Stefanie Renee sings her heart out before going back into the folky landscape as Goldstein goes to the organ to give it a relaxation. And then it’s back into the heavy rock touches to close the piece off including a thunderous percussion and drum solo for a couple of seconds done by Burkhammer, is a fitting finale.

The closer, the 20-minute epic, The Lady of Shallott, again in which it was inspired by both the painting and Tennyson’s poetry, is a tribute and homage to Renaissance. There are elements of Prologue and Scheherzade flown in there and at times it’s as I’ve mentioned in the introduction; Gothic and Medieval, and throw in some of the Symphonic Rock and marching fanfares with the militant structures in there, it is really an experience of a tribute to that time period. The band also funded the project to raise enough money on Kickstarter back in 2012 so that they can record the album and complete it. And it was successfully funded last year on January 17^th.

I have listened to Legends about three times already and it is a wonderful and beautiful experience that Accolade has done an excellent job of capturing the genres and staying true to its roots and it makes you wonder what kind of tricks they will have up their sleeves in the near future. Their second album is a stirring yet evocative album from beginning, middle and end.

Top 10 Reissues of 2013

Since I've done the Top 30 Albums of 2013, I've decided to name the top 10 Reissues of 2013 on what were some of the best for me that came out of the Reissues last year and here it is (And criticism is welcome):

1. Hawkwind - Warrior on the Edge of Time [Atomhenge]
2. Yes - Close to the Edge [Panegyric]
3. Quatermass - Quatermass [Esoteric]
4. XTC - Nonsuch [Ape House Records]
5. Barclay James Harvest - Eyes of the Universe [Esoteric]
6. Spriguns - Reissues [Esoteric]
7. Burnin' Red Ivanhoe - Canal Trip: An Anthology 1969-1974 [Esoteric]
8. Nektar - A Tab in the Ocean [Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra Records]
9. Finch - Mythology [Pseudonym Records]
10. The Who - Tommy (Super Deluxe Edition) [Universal]

Agony Face - CLX Stormy Quibblings

Inside the dark and cavernous cave, lies an unexpected quintet from Milan that play extreme sounds of Progressive and Death Metal that will soon knock your socks off with some crazy philosophic ideas that is surreal. Agony Face (Salt Merchants in which is their nickname) have been around for about nine years now and their music is a touch of growling vocals, rapid fire drumming that sounds like a machine gun going off with bullets ricocheting, heavy guitar riffs, and a lot of aggression that is brutal, forceful, and strong to get the heads banging. The band considers; Davide Guarinoni on Lead Vocals, Mirko Montrasio on Bass, Alessandro Bassi on Drums, and guitarists Riccardo Ricotti and Alessandro Uberti.

Their third album, CLX Stormy Quibblings, is one of those albums that have the touch of three genres. And it has the views with these extreme and disturbing concepts and it’s almost like walking into the mind of an insane person and seeing what kind of suffering he or she has been done into them and making themselves their own worst enemy. Vocalist Davide Guarinoni shows a lot of energy in his monster-like vocals that as I’ve mention before with a growling and snarling sound as if the beast has been unleashed out of its cage to reign chaos and terror in the town by creating pandemonium.

Duo guitarists Riccardo Ricotti and Alessandro Uberti have a touch of the classical/flamenco and heavy sounds by surpassing Kirk Hammett, Dave Murray, Dimebag Darrell, and Ottmar Liebert rolled up into one, but they carry the Prog-Death-Metal flavor to the core like no other and a little help from the powder keg explosion of drummer, Alessandro Bassi who is like a jet engine going for take-off to keep the fast-tempos and rapid changes from his drum kit to get the juice electrified with a lot of high voltage.

At times it goes through the sounds of Nocturnus, Cynic, Morbid Angel, and the Dillinger Escape Plan, but then goes into some layered and calming lines on some of the compositions to give the band a chance to relax before going back into the pummeling driven mode, and going into some of the futuristic voyages as well and it shows that Agony Face can do different variations on their sound to capture and grab it and making sure it doesn’t fall off the cliff. I have listened to CLX Stormy Quibblings about three times now and while I’m not crazy about the Death Metal sound, I think this is an amazing band that really can take it to a whole new level.

For me, this is an explosive, challenging, and vigorous album I’ve listened to from beginning, middle, and right into the very end. So if you are ready to be challenged for the sound and brutal force of Agony Face, be prepared and expect the unexpected for a roller-coaster ride you’ll never forget.

Dragonhammer - The X Experiment

Dragonhammer have been around since their formation in 1999 originally as a trio and they have released along with a demo, two albums and their new album released this year is a concept album called, The X Experiment. The setting of the story takes place during after the post-apocalyptic nuclear world where all hell has broken loose.  And the music itself is a touch of the Prog-Rock sound, but the sound of Power Metal comes kicking the door down. And the sounds of Metallica, Blind Guardian, Hammerfall, and Iron Maiden are evidential in their music that shows that they have done their homework very well.

At times, I get the feeling that it is almost a Sci-Fi Metal Opera of a dystopian futuristic world gone wrong and the music is epic, mind-blowing, appealing, and energetic.  The band considers; Max Aguzzi on Lead Vocals and Guitar, Gar Amodio on Bass Guitar, Giulio Cattivera on Keyboards, and Giuseppe De Paolo on Guitars. And featuring special guests: Roberto Tiranti and Titta Tani doing vocals on two of the tracks on the album, Francesco Fareri on Guitar, David Folchitto on the Drums, and the Female Vocals done by Marinella Pichierri and Lara Bertoli.  

And the result of the concept is theatrical, vivid, and gripping as the band go for a ride you’ll never forget on five centerpieces. For example, The End of the World has a sing-along kick to it with a lot of heavy guitar rhythms and riffs, and moog-like solo done by Cattivera as he challenges the sounds of Keith Emerson and Jens Johansson as the drums have a militant rapid patterns to keep the tempo going and it shows how the group can take these ideas into unbelievable results.

Escape is a dramatic keyboard-organ-piano driven beat that starts off for the first few minutes that at times is a tribute to Jon Lord and then goes back into the classical mode from the keyboard as the guitar and drums go rapidly to get that vibe before it mellows down as the vocals come in to set the vibes going as the increase level goes up thanks to the solo and drums come kicking in full gear near the last two minutes of the song that is raw and eruptive.

Elsewhere, Seek in the Ice and the title track, in which its almost straight out of a short story from Philip K. Dick, has a lot of ominous overtones because of the structures of the storyline in which the atmosphere is a nightmarish view on what has happened after the nuclear disaster and the sound is almost like an epic film score on those two tracks, have a riveting and mesmeric value on the instruments.  And then, there’s Follow Your Star.

It begins with a lullaby gone wrong on the keyboards before the percussion and bass comes in while the rhythm set on the acoustic guitar opens up with a folky crisp. However it has a classical and symphonic beauty to it and not to mention the vocals done by Pichierri and Bertoli that really sends shivers down my spine when I listen to this piece and at times along with the second track, it is soon going to be a sing-along song that will soon get the headbangers using their lighters and singing to the words. 

I have listened to The X Experiment about eight times already and I have to say it is a captivating and fascinating album from start to finish. And while this is my introduction to Dragonhammer’s music, I might explore some of their work in the future and if you love the idea of storytelling, concept albums, and Power Metal, this is right in your alley to get your seat buckled to a journey you’ll never ever forget. The most important thing, after a nine-year hiatus, they are back and its an impressive album they have released this year.

Ilvcia - In The Nature of Reason

Coming from a Post-Progressive and Post-Rock sound, this quintet launched back three years ago in their hometown in Barcelona. Ilvcia have released their debut album this year called In the Nature of Reason. The band recorded the entire album themselves and it’s very much a story-telling album throughout their compositions along with a suite and from beginning to end, it seems they have something up their sleeves.

The band considers; Santiago Arderiu on Drums/Percussion, Ricard Rius on Bass/Backing Vocals, Victor Gil on Guitar, Gerard Marrugat on Guitar/Vocals, and Guillem Laborda on Keyboards. The moment I’ve put my headphones on, I knew I was about to experience something that Ilvcia were about to walk into the light. And throughout the arranging and compositions, I could tell they want to stay true to their roots of the two genres by making sure they carry the sound and the concept they bring to the table.

The title of the album comes through their origins and the inspirations. There are only six tracks on the album and it shows it is almost like going on a spiritual journey to find out who the real person is behind themselves. Opener, The Safe, featuring a soaring flying sound along with an atmospheric chord progression on the keyboards, the band go into a relax yet layered melodic lines between guitar and bass. It has a touch of early Floyd meets Yes with a vitalizing feel. There are some excellent riffs, calming vocals, balladry finale, classical guitar lines, and mellotron’s soaring with a psychedelic twist.

One of the most touching pieces that has a haunting and lament structured value on the debut is, Universe of Fields. It is deep, militant, moving, and passionate as Laborda creates these darker elements on his instrument while Gil goes into some heavier passages on his Guitar to give it that strength and poignant beauties. Then, we come to the 3-part suite, Baghdad, with a lot of various backgrounds that just takes it to a different level.

From the Middle-Eastern, Flamenco styles of Ottmar Liebert, and Classical backgrounds (The Gates) to the symphonic flourishing adventure that Guillem Laborda and Victor Gil do together that has some spacey technique in their rhythm and the vocalizations as well setting the uplifting thrust  (The Market) and into Laborda’s moment to shine as he goes through a touch of Major and Minor progressions on the Piano as if it’s going through a Leslie Speaker before the Synths come in to set through the starry skies as the band come in with a Post-Rock Psych finale. (The Suburbs)

The closer, Sir T. Waever, is back into the glorious days of the ‘70s Prog sounds of Genesis Lamb Lies Down on Broadway-era featuring some wonderful synthesizer exercise and excellent rhythm / lead guitar work out and Arderiu’s drumming to keep the tempo flowing and calm. And it shows that while In the Nature of Reason may be their debut album, it’ll show that while they have a long way to go, it is an enjoyable album that Ilvcia have released this year.