#238 Azure Agony - India

Today, two years ago, I wrote my first review on this blog. I didn't really know how to write a full review, and I only managed a couple of vaguely coherent paragraphs. Frankly, I didn't know very much about metal at all at that point. It's fitting, I think, that exactly two years later, that I review the same band that I first ever reviewed. Conveniently, they released an album early this year that I've been meaning to listen to for a while. The band I'm talking about are Azure Agony, an Italian progressive-metal band, and their second full-length album, India.

Listening to the album, it's definitely visible that the band have developed over the years since their last release. Perhaps the most notable difference is that the band now have a vocalist in tow, a huge change from their previous album, Beyond Belief, which was entirely instrumental. I can only imagine that it's a huge and difficult step to incorporate such a change, but the band seem to have managed quite successfully. Granted, India sounds very different to Beyond Belief, but at the same time, it is undoubtedly still Azure Agony. The key features, that being instantly recognisable guitar tone and keyboard melodies which make the band noticible, are still present. Now, however, the songs are laced neatly with competent, powerful and distinct vocals, often presenting memorable vocal hooks and choruses with as much skill as the rest of the band draw the listener in with progressive musicianship. The band are certainly one which I would trust to come up with interesting new material, and they deliver it well - there's as much cleverness and intricacy within the pulsating riffs and melodies of the album as there was in the last one, and, like it's predecessor, the sound manages to blend complexity with a more honest beauty, and a straight-forward air, the latter managing not to clash with the album's intricate and subtle technicalities.

In some ways, the new album isn't, perhaps, as "heavy" as Beyond Belief, with a warmer, more relaxing atmosphere frequently shown throughout the record. There's less of a sprawling, manic feel, and as a whole, the album feels more laid-back and smooth-flowing. Like Beyond Belief, however, the band make a great show of the sheer range of experimentation, and various styles which they incorporate into their sound - everything from a rock n' roll edge in places, to continental accordion work, to an ambient feel in others. There are intense, fairly heavy songs, but also songs which soar with more delicate melodies and riffs which fly high and really give the music an elevating, elating atmosphere. The band have a great grasp of crafting both intense and calm sections, but also seem to have a talent for conjoining them - the album flows between the different styles very smoothly, and there's quite a feeling of continuity between the songs through the whole album - it certainly feels like a single, complete opus, as opposed to merely a collection of songs - it strongly has it's own character, through and through. I don't listen to much progressive-metal, I must confess, but Azure Agony's brand of the style is one which I can certainly enjoy, and India is the most complete sounding record they've recorded so far. If the band continue in this vein, I can see them becoming well known.

It can often be difficult to make a second-album which properly lives up to the quality of the début, but I think I can safely say that Azure Agony have managed to do so - it shows, perhaps, that taking a little more time than the average band can absolutely pay-off.

This is 7/10 material.

Links:
Azure Agony Official Site
Azure Agony on Facebook
Azure Agony on Myspace
Azure Agony on Metal Archives

Feature: Black Solstice: Ten black-metal classics

Today marks the Winter Solstice, and that put me in the mood for some black-metal. Fortunately, I've been thinking of making a list of some black-metal classics for some time, and there are more of those than the casual observer might be lead to believe. Today I've tried to go beyond the entry-level of the genre, and bring to you all a list of some of the lesser-celebrated, but equally deserving of recognition black-metal albums. Some are from the early nineties - even as old as the foundations of the genre, whilst others instead are more recent, but have turned heads.

Without further ado, lets venture into the cold, misty landscape which exists just beneath the dominant, and most accessible forces within the genre. That isn't to say that the bands listed herein will be obscure to a high extent - far from it, many will be known to all but the most inexperienced enthusiast for the genre. To put it another way, this list is for the fan who has listened to Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone, and isn't sure where to go next.

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#10: Thorns - Self Titled: Snorre Ruch, the man behind Thorns is, quite possibly one of the unsung heroes of the early Norwegian black-metal scene. Under the name Blackthorn, he contributed his guitar playing and even material to Mayhem's landmark De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas album, as well as being closely tied to the scene as a whole at that time. Thorns is now Snorre's main project, and is the first experience many will have of industrial black-metal. The album flawlessly combines the neat, angular pulse and rhythm of industrial music with the cold, caustic riffs which Snorre excels in creating, which are among the finest in black-metal.

#9: Sigh - Scorn Defeat: Quite possibly one of Japan's very first black-metal bands, Sigh's "Scorn Defeat" album of 1993, released on Euronymous' Deathlike Silence record label, can equal or surpass anything that Norway was managing to conjure at the time. It's darkness and sheer oozing ferocity really being a point to notice throughout the record.  At the same time, the album manages to incorporate various extraneous styles, particularly elegant synth use in places,  a sign of the avant-garde leanings which would shape the band in years to come, and would lead the band to continue to release fresh and novel releases since.

#8: Summoning - Minas Morgul: Black metal has always had a penchant for fantasy themes, particularly the universe of Tolkein. Few bands can rival Austrian outfit Summoning on the matter; with lyrics almost entirely devoted to Lord of the Rings, the bands second album, 1995's Minas Morgul is a classic, and thoroughly indicative of the bands overall style; soaring keyboards and tremolo riffs weave hypnotically around thundering sequenced drums, generating a sound which is hugely evocative and beautiful, favouring a majestic and epic style, compared to the typical darkness of black-metal.

#7: Windir - Likferd: Windir disbanded after the tragic death of Valfar, the bands mainstay. Their final album, Likferd, manages to be scathing, cold and windswept, with all of the accompaniments one might expect on an album with such an atmosphere. At the same time, however, Likferd is extremely dynamic, with a great deal of variety, and memorable melodies, from synth, guitar, and occasionally haunting clean vocals. This creates a fantastic balance of the acidic, fierce side of black metal, and it's more majestic side, evoking images of mountains, and the sound of the north wind, both harsh and beautiful.

#6: Gehenna - Seen Through the Veils of Darkness (Our Second Spell): On this album, Gehenna certainly manage to adequately encapsulate a variety of black-metal's most enjoyable styles of atmosphere, combining beauty with a dark and evil chill. Gehenna excell in creating the twisted, occult sound which can often transform black-metal from being good to being absolutely great. Seen Through the Veils of Darkness is definitely an unsung classic of the Norwegian black-metal scene, and there is no doubt that it can hold its own against any other albums released that same year, Norwegian or otherwise.

#5: Leviathan - The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide: The US doesn't have the best reputation for black-metal, but once in a while a genuinely great band emerges. Leviathan, like many bands in the US scene, are deeply rooted thematically in depression, and a human, emotional darkness, instead of in the hellish demonic clutches which many European bands lyrics are in. To put it bluntly, Leviathan's sound is truly venomous - filled with loathing and vitriol, as articulated by dynamic and heavily distorted riffs, and inventive song-writing; the album is full of surprised, but even more filled with misanthropy.

#4: Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulee: Blut Aus Nord are particularly known for their incredibly atmospheric and experimental albums, but sticking with the relatively pure-black-metal nature of this list, I'm focusing on the debut album Ultima Thulee, which is a fantastic album in its own right. Even in 1995, when the album was released, it was no doubt apparent that the band were going to do something unique, and the Norse spiritual exploration that is Ultima Thulee is certainly a testament to that fact, with primitive but expertly played synthesizers meeting atmospheric guitar work and an ingeniously creative ethos. The result sounds like no other.

#3: Drudkh - Autumn Aurora: Drudkh have been around for about a decade now, and have a work-ethic which is nothing short of impressive, having released nine albums in that time. Autumn Aurora is one of their early works, and is very much a landmark album within atmospheric black-metal, with a chaotic but extremely beautiful sound - distorted but at the same time carrying great tranquillity and the spirit of the forest with it. The album takes the listener on a winding and contemplative musical journey, which passes through both intense but at the same time thoughtful black-metal, punctuated by beautiful acoustic passages.

#2: Primordial - A Journey's End: Primordial are one of those bands the listening to of which is never a question of "if" but always one of "when". Combining Celtic folk music with black metal in a ratio which guarantees an epic atmosphere, with melancholy and epic songs, as opposed to merry or over-the-top ones, Primordial certainly represent the combination of folk and metal done precisely the right way. There isn't any beer or dancing in sight, merely atmosphere. Clean vocals soar hauntingly over the mix, creating a sound which, while not very caustic by black-metal standards, is extremely powerful and strong.

#1: Rotting Christ - Thy Mighty Contract: Rotting Christ are among the stalwarts of black-metal, having consistently and regularly released albums since 1993. While not as abrasive as many black-metal bands, and not exactly producing anything remotely akin to a wall of noise, Rotting Christ's epic atmosphere, memorable guitar riffs, and powerful, rhythmic beat makes them replete in majesty, atmosphere and energy. While I've not listened to the band for as long as I've known some of the bands on the list, I can safely say that with each of theirs album I listen to, the band prove themselves as a consistently reliable cornerstone of the genre.

Merry Solstice

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Metal Archives Links:

Thorns | Sigh | Summoning | Windir | Gehenna | Leviathan | Blut Aus Nord | Drudkh | Primordial | Rotting Christ  

#237 Dark Forest - Dawn of Infinity

I've certainly been on something of a traditional-metal kick in the last few months, although it hasn't shown hugely in my reviews. In fact, I'm a little frustrated about how little reviewing I've been doing over all. To continue to remedy both of the above facts, I'm taking a look at British traditional metal outfit Dark Forest, who released their second album, and the one I'm examining in particular, on Cruz Del Sur music in 2011. Cruz Del Sur are a label I tend to be interested in, and have, over the years, demonstrated a tendency to back really good bands.

Traditional metal bands who have formed more recently, Dark Forest included, generally have two options; they can play traditional metal very overtly, or they can just happen to be a band who play traditional metal. Where many bands post millennium are very much the former, it's safe to say that Dark Forest are more the latter. The band sound more down-to-earth, modest and earthy than some, and certainly have more of a timeless quality to their music than one which is overtly retro - you really get the idea that the band are playing traditional metal because that's what came out of their instruments when they had their first jam, as opposed to anyone in the pub going "So... let's start a traditional metal band". Reflecting this, the lyrical themes manage to avoid the overused "metal is so fucking great" template, and actually have some narrative, telling of everything from fantasy to science fiction to something altogether more spiritual. The albums title "Dawn of Infinity" really rounds up the songs into a coherent work, in the way that bands like Iron Maiden manage to do - there aren't many Maiden albums which aren't "about something" - and this is also true of Dawn of Infinity - the album seems, for the most part, to have direction. I don't tend to pay much attention to lyrical themes - I am, in fact, quite a poor reviewer in that sense, but I was immediately taken by Dawn of Infinity's diverse themes - it really gives the album some depth and leads to an altogether more dynamic and well-rounded record than many I've listened to - it certainly feels like the band spend some time on their lyrics and themes.

Talking of dynamic, it's safe to say that this is also true of the rest of the album; the album manages to go through so many of the places explored by traditional metal, and very seldom gets tiresome or repetitive - crisp riffs are brought out from every angle, and embellished with all kinda of lead guitar. As with the lyrics, you get the impression that a lot of genuine care is poured into making the songs, and the memorably hooks, fantastic choruses and vocal lines, and rumbling riffs are really a testament to this. Every song has something good about it, some section which makes you go "yeah, that's what it's all about", and I have to emphasise my admiration for this - it really says something about the solidity of the record. The vocals also really give the album some more of the character which it really hands out to the listener. Absent is any of the pomposity or theatrical trinkets of excessively operatic power metal, and in their place a very talented but at the same time very manly frontman - delivering the sort of vocals you might expect from Blaze Bayley on a particularly good day. Consequently, what you get is a traditional metal record which really doesn't arse around - it gets straight to the point, and stays on course for it's whole running time. It's talented, solid, and thoroughly old-school, but at the same time succeeds in being fresh, and non-derivative.

Ultimately, between the riffs which soar, reverberate, trundle and otherwise propel themselves through the soundscape, and the dips, swirls and crescendos of atmosphere, and the memorable vocal lines,  there is really no time to get bored of the album - I for one found myself far too busy enjoying it, and I'd recommend it to any traditional-metal enthusiast.

Nothing short of 8/10.

Links:
Dark Forest on Facebook
Dark Forest on Myspace
Dark Forest on Metal Archives