Former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr dies at 56 (1957-2013)

Today is a sad day in the heavy metal world. Legendary heavy metal drummer Clive Burr died in his sleep yesterday at age 56. He has played and performed in a number of bands, but is most well known for his work in Iron Maiden. He recorded drums for Maiden's first three albums since he joined them in 1979. His style and work with the band has helped Iron Maiden become heavy metal icons and his drumming style is unmatched and timeless.

Clive has been battling with multiple sclerosis for a number of years and as a result his health has never been the same since. You can read more about this here: http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=187377

RIP Clive Burr (1957-2013)

Burr in 2008

Gig Review: Sabaton at The Venue in Vancouver, BC

Last night was a highly anticipated evening on my calendar.  Ever since seeing Sabaton kill it opening for Evergrey in October 2011, and being blown away by their performance, I knew I'd spend the money to see them again if they ever came to my part of the world.  And they did.  The gig was announced a few months ago and I put it on my calendar in big letters, hardly able to wait.  Last night's show in Vancouver was the only Canadian date on Sabaton's current North American headlining tour, and even though I was having a shitty day and nearly talked myself out of going, I'm so glad I pulled myself together and attended.  It was fucking brilliant.

Using local support acts throughout the tour, last night's bill included Vancouver indy band Unleash the Archers and Kelowna's Empyria, a prog band signed with Nightmare records.  Doors opened at 8:00 and there was a modest line-up.  Because I've been sick, I didn't get to Scrape Records to purchase my ticket for $15, and instead plunked down $20 at the door.  Lesson learned: go get the ticket from the local metal shop instead of winging it on show night - you'll save money and support the record store.  In the end, the cost didn't matter; I'd plunk down twice that to see Sabaton again.

That first Sabaton show in Vancouver was also held at The Venue, located on the theatre strip on Granville St.  I'm not the biggest fan of The Venue - the floors are sticky, the floor isn't raked, and there is minimal seating for when you want to get off your feet for a while.  But I like I a hell of a lot better than the Rickshaw, where most metal acts perform when they come to Vangroovy.  But one thing that is good about The Venue is that the merch stands are in a common sense place, unlike at the Rickshaw where they are too close to the pit and always a pain in the ass to get to.

Anyway, bitching about the venue aside, as soon as I got inside I visited the merch tables of Empyria and Unleash the Archers, happy to see that Brittney Slays, UtA's vocalist, was manning the table.  I knew I had to say hi; my colleague at Sonic Cathedral, Robin Stryker, would have admonished me for not doing so, since Robin is a huge UtA fan and has had the pleasure of interviewing Brittney.  Also, my colleague at Black Wind Metal, Kevin, interviewed UtA for that site, so I had to go and say hi and introduce myself just to say that I had.  Brittney was doing her vocal warm-ups at the station as she handled money, and when I had the chance to speak to her, she was very lovely to chat to and very gracious.  In the end, I'm glad I got over some of my social anxieties and approached her; she is totally approachable, as is the band's bassist, who came to assist her.

Incidentally, I didn't recognize any of the house music that was playing before the show started, but there was one familiar song: Nightwish's "Storytime."  That made me happy, and I don't care who heard me singing along!

Brittney Slayes of UtA

Taking the stage first was Uta, and they did so at about 8:45.  For about half an hour, I'd staked out a spot to the right of the stage just under the giant hanging speakers.  This is a typical strategy of mine at gigs since I like to take pix.  When UtA took the stage there was a huge whoop from the crowd.  This band definitely has a following of significance and the crowd was happy to see them.  When Brittney began to sing, I was blown away.  She is so powerful she almost outsings the band.  I have all of UtA's releases (their most recent is an EP that's now available on iTunes) and let me tell you, she sounds so much more amazing live.  She is so dynamic and charismatic when she's belting out their tunes right in front of you.  I'm not exaggerating when I say I was blown away - it was a fantastic performance, complete with tons of windmill headbanging and the whole lot.  If you ever get a chance to see UtA live, DO IT!  They certainly won me over and Brittney how has a new fangirl.

My only beef about this set is that I didn't get many good photos because some 7 foot tall schmuck decided to plant himself right in front of me, obscuring my view.  Fuck man, if you're that tall, go farther back and let the shorter people see properly!

Empyria

Next up was Kelowna's Empyria (pronounced empire-ee-ah).  Like I said, they're a prog metal band, and I thought they were OK.  Some of the members had very enthusiastic family members in the crowd, and that was fun to watch.  The music got better as they played further into their set, and I found myself getting into it more and more the farther the set went.  Overall, not exactly my cup of tea vocal-wise, but I respect this band for coming as far as it has in the time its been together, and it's definitely nothing to sneeze about to open for freaking Sabaton, so props to them.

And props to Sabaton for going the route of choosing local bands to open for them.  I think that's pretty classy. (Not to mention less expensive, which I totally realize.)

Finally, the set up and last minute sound checks for Sabaton were done, and the lights dimmed...and it was on.

As with the last Vancouver gig, the band chose fellow Swedes, Europe, to provide their intro music, and it was the same song, "The Final Countdown."  Loved it!  Then all went dark, and bursting onto the stage was Sabaton's new drummer, Robban Bäck, completely shirtless.  He took a bow then sat behind his kit, and then came the banging out of the intro to "Ghost Division."  Singer Joakim Broden jumped onto the stage and started belting out the lyrics and pounding around like he embodied the music.

Sabaton takes the stage!

If there is one thing I can say about Sabaton live, and I realize this isn't particularly creative, but it's all I can come up with because words are hard to come up with for this stuff, it's that they are larger than life.  All their movements are so full of energy that their stage presence is nothing like I have ever seen before.  They are all so into their music that they literally embody it.

For those of you who don't follow the band, they have three new members after a split a while back, and I wondered how they new members would be on stage.  And it turns out that they were just as awesome as the previous incarnation of Sabaton.  Guitars are split between Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund seemingly pretty evenly, which was nice to see because it gave each musician a chance to shine in front of the crowd with their shredding abilities.  The only band member Sabaton hasn't replaced is Daniel Myr, the keyboardist; instead, they must be using a backing tape, which was fine.  I would like to see the keys played live, though!

The set list included all the usual faves, "40-1", "Primo Victoria", and stuff from the current album, Carolus Rex.  A few times, Joakim invited the crowd to help choose the songs, giving us a choice between two and taking a vote by most noise made.  "White Death" from Coat of Arms was chosen that way, as was the "Carolean's Prayer", which was sung in Swedish, since Joakim told the crowd that they'd had lots of feedback from fans requesting a song sung in the band's native language.  Other songs were "Poltava", "The Art of War" and "Gott Mit Uns."  I can't remember everything on the set list.

As for the crowd, it was ridiculous!  I'm so glad I staked out my claim early because I kept getting pushed forward.  It was nuts, but nuts in a good way.  There were no assholes doing the stupid wall of death or running around in a circle attacking each other with inflatable swords, hammers, or axes - thank God.  Everyone was very well behaved and there just for the music and the band, and it was great.  The band was very gracious about the reception, Joakim holding his arm out to show us his goosebumps.

Another great thing about this show was the simple lighting.  Some shows over light, IMO.  Sabaton keeps it pretty simple with not too much strobe lighting and not too much oddly coloured lighting, and a the lighting is mostly from overhead, which is very important if you're trying to take photos.  The Rickshaw has the worst lighting ever and I get a lot of crappy shots just because of the lighting.  Last night I got some OK shots but it wasn't because of the lighting, it was because no one on stage stood still long enough to get a decent pic!

Sabaton wound things up with "Metal Crüe" from Attero Dominatus (they also did the title track earlier on in the show).  And that was it.  It was over after about 70 minutes.  Joakim was so sweaty during his performance that he kept ducking behind the big skull curtain to towel off and re-hydrate.

On a personal note, I was very uplifted by this show.  It was the best show by far that I've been to (not that I've been to tons but it outdoes those that I have been to) since I started going to shows in 2011 when I moved out of the boonies where no one comes to play. UtA knocked it out of the park, Empyria was entertaining, and Sabaton were just too killer for words in this language.  And oh, the hotness of Joakim Broden!  Oh, how I wanted to burnish his breastplate!  But alas - I couldn't stay to hob nob at the merch table (if they even did that); it was past midnight and I had a long commute home on transit ahead of me back to my suburban lair.

I'm so glad I went.  It totally bouyed my mood, and it was the best $20 I've ever spent.  I will go and see this band at every opportunity I get because there is no show like it at all!

Edit @ 10:10pm, Feb. 20, 2013:  OMFG!  I just found out that the drummer at this gig was not Robban Bäck, but none other than Snowy Shaw!  I can't believe I saw Snowy Shaw live and in the flesh and I didn't even realize it!  I am blown away!

Mike Oldfield ft Tarja - Never Too Far

A couple of days ago, English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield released new remix album  'Tubular Beats'. The album includes Oldfield's most popular songs with new arrangements and sounds. A brand new song 'Never Too Far' features Tarja's vocals.

Not really liking it. Tarja herself sounds good but the song is just too long and too boring for my taste. I heard this song twice and can't see myself giving it another go. Sorry Tarja.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all will have a great time and loads of presents!

Gig reviews: Katatonia live at O2 Islington Academy, 10 December 2012

Katatonia has always been on my ‘must see list'. Swedish alternative metal band performed on 10 December at O2 Islington Academy in London. I’ve been Katatonia’s fan since 2006, when I accidentally discovered them on MySpace.The first song I heard was ‘Dissolving Bonds’ and still remains one of my favourite Katatonia’s songs.

I have never heard of Katatonia’s support bands before. American rockers Junius were first to go on the stage and played 6 songs. I was positively surprised by this band and already ordered their latest album 'Reports From the Threshold of Death'. The only little disappointment was the inability to hear Joseph properly. Guitars and drums were too loud. So thanks to Junius and my own idiocy it's still ringing in my left ear. And I'm writing this after 10 days.  Here's my favourite song 'Betray the Grave'.

About 15 minutes later French Alcest were ready to play. Again, I had no idea what to expect from them and when 2 girls standing next to me asked if I don't mind to swop my place with them because they want to see Neige better, I didn't object. As Junius also Alcest played 6 songs and after 30 minutes they packed their stuff and left the stage. I must admit their songs didn't really make a big impression on me and the only song I checked later on is 'Percées De Lumière’.

As girls promised after Alcest finished, we swopped our places again. About 21:20 Katatonia came on the stage. They started with the song 'The Parting' from their latest album 'Dead End Kings'. I didn't check their setlist on setlist.fm so I had no idea, which songs will be performed that night. To my pleasure, boys didn't forget that they released some albums 8 years ago, as some bands play songs from their last 3 or 4 albums only, sometimes not even that, and included songs from almost every album they have released so far. Jonas sounded great the entire gig. Also I could hear him much better than Joseph and Neige. I was really surprised that although being on tour since November and playing almost 2 month in row, Jonas sounded exactly like on the CDs. A huge thumbs up from me, for sure. Anders, Per and Niklas were running around like mad. So good to see everyone had a blast. The highlights of the evening were my all-time favourite songs 'Omerta', 'Ghost Of the Sun' and 'Strained'.

All in all, it was a bloody brilliant night. Before I left my house I read on FB that the gig was officially sold out. Although, sold out means only 220 'people in the house, in this case it felt like there were thousands of us. Thank You Katatonia for great evening and see you as soon as possible!

Setlist:

 1. The Parting

 2. Buildings

 3. Deliberation

 4. My Twin

 5. Burn the Remembrance

 6. The Racing Heart

 7. Lethean

 8. Teargas

 9. Strained

10. The Longest Year

11. Soil's Song

12. Omerta

13. Sweet Nurse

14. Dead House

15. Ghost Of the Sun

16. July

17. Day and Then the Shade

Encore:

18. Dead Letters

19. Forsaken

20. Leaders

Gig review: Nightwish live at O2 Academy Brixton 5/11/2012

Nightwish played their only gig in London on 5 November 2012 at O2 Academy Brixton and I was there. The last time saw Nightwish was back in 2005. I was very happy to see them again beacuase I decided to skip the Dark Passion Tour. And of course I was looking forward to see Anette live. But as we all know by now Anette is no longer member of the band and Floor Jansen (ReVamp, After Forever) joined Nightwish to help them to finish the on-going Imaginaerum tour. 

So there I was queuing since 4:30pm waiting for the doors to open at 7pm. There was already a bigger crowd there. I actually felt a bit strange, because I decided to go on my own but I don’t regret it. The first surprise of the evening came before the concert itself. One guy started to shout that O2 network costumers will have a priority line so therefore will get inside sooner. Lucky me I am O2 costumer so basically I got inside the venue before the poor people who were freezing there in the cold longer than I did. Might be not fair but some witty people went to Poundland to buy O2 SIM cards. Easy solution.

The doors opened at 6:55pm and when I got inside the venue I could decide whether to go to 4^th row or lean against a “bar’’ and be safe or go and sit at the balcony. I decided to play it safe and lean against the bar. It was also a practical solution in case I will need to take off my coat I could safely put my coat on it. And here comes the second surprise of the evening. It was rather cold in the venue.  Air-condition was on almost all the time so I wore my coat all evening. But I’m happy for that. I hate when venues are hot.

I managed to get a good spot. I was in the middle so I could see the stage without big problem. Even people in front of me were shorter so everything seemed perfect. But not for long.

Pain was the support act and the only one. They got on the stage at 7:45pm and played for 45mins. I am not very familiar with Pain songs. But I recognised two of them. “Dirty Woman” and my favourite “Shut Your Mouth”. The last named was also the last song of their set. I think Pain was a good support act. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but their performance heated up the crowd bit. Peter is very funny guy and he did interact with the crowd well. I might go and see them in February when they play in London again.

And now we had this, what seemed to be never-ending waiting, for Nightwish. And now follows a little rant. Why the hell you 6 feet tall guy push your ass through everybody just to get better spot ending up in 8^th row standing in front of 3 girls who are pretty short, who had stood there well before you came and when they dare to tell you to move a bit because they can’t see anything at all you start to swear at them?? And then standing there like a bloody statue taking a couple of photos and making faces like what am I doing here??? Thank God he didn't stand in front of me. But I was a bit unlucky as well. There was a tiny little gap in front of me and guess what happened? Another idiot came and squeezed there. This time it was girl who wasn't as tall as that guy but she definitely ruined my perfect view. But there was no point in saying anything. I just didn't want to end up with a black eye. 

At about 9:10pm the lights went off and the intro ‘Roll Tide’ started to play. From then on I experienced something called ‘the shortest 90minutes of my life’.

After the intro ‘Storytime’ was on. Floor came on the stage and a big roar echoed around the venue. I believe she just owned the whole evening. The setlist was the same one as they played in Manchester night before. Mostly, it was a mix of ‘Once’ and ‘Imaginaerum’ songs with a classic ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’. To be honest I was a little bit glad that Anette wasn’t there that night. Don’t get me wrong. I have always supported Anette and am curious to hear her solo album, but most of her ‘oldies’ versions were simply bad. She just lacks power. And power is a key point in most of the oldies. Floor did an amazing job on oldies. She might struggle a little bit with ‘Ever Dream’ but she didn’t use her operatic voice. Actually, she used her operatic voice only on ‘Dark Chest of Wonders’ and ‘Ghost Love Score’ but you could barely hear that. She also pulled ‘Imaginaerum’ songs off very well, too. One song I couldn’t stand live was ‘Amaranth’.  Anette struggled with it a lot but Floor managed to make this song listenable. She even added a little twist to the song. The way she sings ‘the Never-Fading Rain in your heart’ sounds really great. ‘Scaretale’ was the song I was really looking forward to hear live. Anette sings this one incredibly. After watching YT’s videos of Floor singing this song I was skeptical  I didn’t expect Floor to be able to pull it off the ‘’theatrical’’ way as Anette did. But she did it. She even growled! The acoustic set was very nice also. Many people complain about ‘Slow, Love, Slow’ and ‘Nemo’. I don’t really mind that. Another surprise of the evening was ‘Last of the Wilds’. When I listen to ‘Dark Passion Play’ I always skip this song. I find the studio version very boring but man it is a great live song. Almost everyone was jumping up and down. It’s really good song to add a bit of speed or even wake up some people after the acoustic set. Definitely, the highlight of the night was ‘Ghost Love Score’. Floor sounds really superb. Although, she doesn’t sing this song operatically throughout, she does add some operatic vocals here and there. 

‘Last Ride of the Day’ was indeed the last song played by band. I find this song to be a good one to close a successful night with. And Monday night was successful without any doubt. The band was all smiles throughout the night. Marco and also Floor were very talkative. Generally, they all seemed to be very relaxed and happy. I believe they enjoyed the night as much as most of us did.

Truth to be said, I didn’t miss Anette much or better said at all. As I said I have supported her right from the beginning but her live performance was just bad. Although, people say she improved her   live performance a lot since 2007, most of her ‘oldies’ versions were bad. I think I need only one hand to name the old songs I like with her vocals. With Floor on the board now, the justice was done to them, finally. And she doesn’t even sing them the ‘original’ way. I enjoyed Floor’s performance a lot. She is an incredible singer and knows how to put the show on.  The crowd loved her yesterday. And when I said that I don’t want her in Nightwish that was probably the biggest nonsense I have ever said. Being a witness to what happened yesterday I have to say I want her to stay with Nightwish. I will be disappointed if she doesn’t but whoever will be Nightwish’s new singer I feel sorry for her already. She won’t be compared to Tarja and Anette only but even to Floor. And given the circumstances Floor has had to face and how well she is handling it, whoever comes next will have it very tough. 

Setlist: 

Intro: Crimson Tide

1. Storytime

2. Dark Chest of Wonders

3. Wish I Had an Angel

4. Amaranth

5. Scaretale

6. Slow, Love, Slow

7. I Want My Tears Back

8. The Islander

9. Nemo (acoustic)

10. Last of the Wilds

11. Planet Hell

12. Ghost River

13. Ever Dream

14. Over the Hills and Far Away

15. Ghost Love Score

16. Last Ride of the Day

Outro: Imaginaerum

FYI: These photos are mine and since I took them with my BlackBerry mobile phone, they are very bad quality. 

Imaginaerum film trailer

Today, we got the Imaginaerum film trailer! The trailer was supposed to be out on Oct 12th but we got it today. Better later than never. Isn't it? 

So enjoy!

Bye Bye Anette!

Another chapter of the Nightwish story has ended today. Nightwish and Anette Olzon have decided to part company, in mutual understanding, for the good of all parties involved.

In recent times it has become increasingly obvious that the direction and the needs of the band were in conflict, and this has led to a division from which we cannot recover.

Nightwish has no intention of cancelling any upcoming shows, and as a result we have decided to bring in a substitute vocalist starting in Seattle 1.10.2012. Her name is Floor Jansen from The Netherlands (ex-After Forever, ReVamp), and she has graciously stepped in to help us complete the Imaginaerum world tour.

We are all strongly committed to this journey, this vehicle of spirit, and we are sure that this will lead to a brighter future for everyone.
We forever remain excited about the adventures to come, and we are extremely proud of the two beautiful albums and the wonderful shows we shared together.

- NIGHTWISH & Anette Olzon

DVD Review: Act I by Tarja

Act I the first live rock DVD of Tarja's solo career was released on 24th August. Tarja chose Teatro El Circulo in Rosario, Argentina as place where 2 concerts were filmed.

When Tarja announced that she is going to release live DVD and CD I had mixed feelings. On the one hand I was looking forward to it, since Tarja's concerts are always full of energy and her band members are great performers, on the other hand I was afraid  a bit how it will turn out. Lately I realised I'm no more a big fan of Tarja's live vocals. I really enjoy her vocals on CD but when it comes to her live performance I struggle to be able to enjoy it. And it's not only her weird pronunciation that bugs me. So when I received my copy of DVD I didn't have very high expectations.

My first thought when I looked at the cover art work was: "What the hell are these strings doing there? They're just ruining it!" Also shall I mention Tarja's boring facial expressions and never ending pouting? Come on Tarja, you are so beautiful and yet you manage to look so bad sometimes. Like on most of your promo photos. But apart from that the booklet is nice and simple.

But back on topic now. I paid £11 for my DVD and I think it is a really good bargain. Basically we get 2 concerts, photo gallery from fans and band members, some interviews with Tarja and band member and also the video "Into the Sun".

The choice of songs on DVD 1 is quite obvious. Songs, such as "Anteroom of Death", "I Walk Alone", "Nemo" and "Die Alive" just to name few, are the most popular ones and can't be missing on the setlist.
Also the iconic "The Phantom of the Opera" is present here with Diego Valdez's vocals. I must admit I didn't like him as Phantom. But to be really honest, I am tired of this song. Another song I was a little bit disappointed with is "Nemo". This song sounds bad live. It doesn't matter, whether she sang it in 2004 or 2012. I wish Tarja would choose other song from her Nightwish's days. Be it "Stargazer" or "Bless the Child" since she performed both during her final tour shows. But I understand that "Nemo" is a must. You will see how the audience goes wild when they hear the first tones of this song.
The rest of the songs sound good. Tarja sang her standard and 2 new songs from the forthcoming album "Never Enough" and "Into the Sun" are received by the audience very well. Especially "Never Enough" is very good, energic live song.

DVD 2 includes Whitesnake's cover "Still of the Night", 80's medley, Tarja's heaviest live song "Cirana's Well"  and my favourite songs "Crimson Deep" and "Tired of being Alone".

All in all this DVD was worth my £11.(Although while watching the DVD on my TV I got headache because of the horrible audio. I still don't think that mess was caused by my TV or DVD player and I know I said I want my money back, but hey, I changed my mind.). Teatro El Circulo is very beautiful. The light and laser show helps to underline the emotions of each song and together with amazing audience create a great experience that makes you to want to go to one of Tarja's concerts.
Also I can't forget to mention Tarja's band. Their performance was great. Energic running from side to side, interacting with the audience. It was a real joy watching these guys - Alex Schlopp, Kevin Chown, Christian Kretschmar, Mike Terrana, Max Lilja, Doug Wimbish and Julian Barrett - play.

Come Cover Me: Paradise by Within Temptation

Recently, Within Temptation did a cover of British rock band Coldplay's hit single "Paradise" to promote  their special 15 year anniversary show - Elements. The show will take place in Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Belgium on 13 november.

Coldplay's version

Within Temptation's version

A Bit of Fun

I came across this one a couple of days ago. I really like it! 

Imaginaerum film premiere November 10, 2012

Finally, we have some new info about the long awaited Nightwish's film Imaginaerum. According to nightwish.com, the world premiere  will be at Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland, on November 10, 2012. Screening of the film will be preceded by a show by Nightwish themselves. Finnish theatrical release is set to be on November 23, 2012. As of now, we have to wait for further announcement if the film will have theatrical release in other countries than Finland.

Also you can already pre-order  the official soundtrack of the film 'Imaginaerum by Nightwish - The Score'.

Check solarfilms.com for more Imaginaerum film screen shots.  

Here are some soundtrack samples:  

Come Cover Me: Evenoire does Within Temptation's "Somewhere"

Evenoire is one of the many fantastic Italian bands I've been talking about recently here, and today they posted a YT video of a live version of their cover of Within Temptation's "Somewhere."  It's a lovely duet (not sure who the other singer is, but Lisy, Evenoire's vocalist, is the first singer you hear) accompanied only by the acoustic guitar.

Here is the original, by WT.

And here is Evenoire's version.  Enjoy!

Agalloch, with Eight Bells and Taurus, July 13, 2012

Yes, I went to see Agalloch a month ago.  Why have I not written about this sooner?  Well, it's been a trying summer for me and I'm behind with everything.  Obviously, it would be ideal for me to have written this closer to the time it happened rather than a month later, with things fresh in my mind, but alas, sometimes that doesn't always happen.

I went to this gig, at the Rickshaw, which is located in BC's most infamous neighbourhood, the DTES, quite spontaneously.  I didn't find out they were even playing until the Monday evening before, and I knew I had plans for early Saturday morning.  I was not keen on getting home by transit at 2am and then having to get up for another event only a matter of hours later.  But I was really wanting to see Agalloch, since I know they don't tour much.  I'm not even a huge Agalloch fan, but I have a friend who is and I know she adores them, and has even followed them around on mini tours in the EU.  This was a show that might be a one and only occurrence for me, and she encouraged me to go.  So, as my roommate packed up to go for a date, I prepared myself to go to the gig, alone, in the DTES.  It was a bit of a ride on the wild side, considering the transit trip home and the event next day.  But what the hell?  I had nothing better to do, the cover was $20, and I thought it would be a good experience.

Haley Weiner of Eight Bells 

And it was...an experience.  I walked through the DTES alone, something that isn't generally recommended, and got to the gig at 8:45.  I wasn't familiar with either opening act, the first being a band called Eight Bells, and the second being called Taurus.  Both were bands from from Portland, Oregon, where Agalloch is from.

In fact, these two bands turned out to be one of the most interesting parts of the evening.  Both are female fronted; in fact, Taurus is a female duo.  While neither plays my cup of tea musically, I was impressed with them both live.  Granted I came to the gig late and missed most of Eight Bells' set, but as soon as I sat myself down and started listening, I regretted not coming earlier.

But Taurus stole the evening for me.  They play a type of metal I am not into at all, sludgy, drony stuff that didn't seem to me to have much rhyme or reason, and very little in terms of vocals.  Basically, we have a guitarist and a drummer, and some electronic thingy making the vocals all echoey.  But the thing about it was that their set, which consisted of the two tracks from their EP Life (which I wound up buying eventually), included not only a visual component comprised of a silent video show on a screen to the side of the stage, but the music was bookended with a voice over narration featuring a guy named John Cage, apparently a composer of some distinction I'd never heard of before.  Well, I know who he is now.  The speaking parts in Taurus's set can be heard in this YouTube video, and when combined with the music of Taurus, I had quite the transforming experience.  The narrative by Cage provided a lot of context for me, and it really made the music make sense to me, whereas, had it been just on its own, I think I would  have been lost.  But I found the set quite mesmerizing.  I was really impressed by the sophistication and power of this band, and I appreciate that I was introduced to another metal subgenre in such an enjoyable way.

Agalloch

Agalloch came on stage at about 10:20.  This is where things get a bit weird.  The Rickshaw, I found out later on FB, was trying out there new fog machine that night (along with some new lighting, which was cool), but also, Agalloch is apparently into incense - big time.  When they were set up, a guy (who turned out to be lead singer & guitarist John Haughm) came onto stage with a bunch of stuff I couldn't recongnize, but I thought it at first to be candles.  I thought maybe he was setting up an altar or something.  But no, it was, it turned out, two very large pyres of incense.  Now, for reasons I don't know, the Rickshaw had curtained off about 2/3 of the seating in the theatre and there was only a narrow curtained hallway to enter and exit the gig space from.  The gig was very well-attended with a good 200+ people there, but we were all crammed into a very small space.  When I was there last for the Arkona/Korpiklaani gig in December, all of the seating was available and there were two entrances/exits.  It was as hot night, but if they were hoping to save on A/C I don't know how effective just curtaining off extra seating was.  But what I can say is that the air quality in the room was absolutely awful.  The new fog machine combined with the incense, plus all the humanity, plus the stench of booze and pot...the air was like a heavy stew you could slurp up and chew.  It was terrible.  And it really affected my enjoyment of the gig.

Agalloch's music was great to listen to live.  I'd heard some of their studio work, but their live performance was much more engaging and emotional.  Lead guitarist Don Anderson was very animated, and the bass player, Jason Walton, was also interesting to watch.

As I said the gig was well-attended, and it seemed to me to have an older, more mature crowd than I'm used to seeing at these things.  Previous gigs I've attended have included a lot of 19 year olds in odd make-up and dressed in scene kid type clothing.  This crowd was there for Agalloch and they obviously knew the band well and appreciated the show.  There was one woman there dressed in a skimpy dress, 5" stilettos, and a mink stole (of all things!) and one over the top metal chick who texted on her cell all night in a chair not far from mine, but other than that, the people watching wasn't that interesting.

I couldn't stay until the bitter end because I had to make sure I caught a certain bus home.  It turned out to be a very interesting transit ride home, but that is a story for another time.

I am very glad I went to the gig.  I had a good time even though I was by myself.  I had the delightful surprise of discovering two new female fronted bands, and I enjoyed Agalloch a lot.

Next up at the Rickshaw is Korpiklaani - again! this will be their 2nd headlining show in Vancouver in less than a year - WTF? - supported by Tyr.  I am going to go and see Tyr (Korpiklaani doesn't do much for me but I really like Tyr) on Sept. 9, and then on Sept. 21 Swallow the Sun is supporting Kreator.  I just hope the Rickshaw sorts out its air quality issues.  That was very unpleasant, but then again, I don't think Korpiklaani or Tyr or these other bands are known for their incense use.

The full Flickr set - such as it is; I don't have a fancy camera that takes good pics in these dim environments - is here.

Move Over Finland

It's been approximately one year or so since I started reviewing for two metal web zines, Sonic Cathedral and Black Wind Metal.  The promo materials are ridiculous.  I haven't had to buy or download as much as I used to, which is great.  One of the big surprises for  me in the past year is the shear amount of metal coming out of that country mainly known for Lacuna Coil, Italy.  Italy is, I think, the new powerhouse of metal.  Here is a list of bands I've discovered in the past year that  have come from there.

1. Crysalys

2. Dama

3. Setanera

4. Evenoire

5. Ancient Bards

6. SinHeresY

7. Pursuing the End

8. Sound Storm

9. Armonight (not exactly total metal, but still good hard rock)

10. Regardless of Me

11. Synful Ira

12. MasterCastle

13. Silent Opera (there is a French band with the same name)

14. Maledia

That's 14 freaking bands I alone have come across - and there will be more, I guarantee you!  This is by no means a complete list of Italian bands.  I'm only trying to demonstrate how many I have discovered myself in one year alone.

If you have any recommendations for me, leave them in the comments!

Tarja's New 2DVD & 2CD "Act 1"

So we finally have new Tarja's live rock DVD and CD, which was recorded back in March 2012, Argentina. The release date is August 24th.

Since it's Tarja we are talking about, we are going to get 2 CD, 2 DVD and Blu-ray and every single release has it's own cover.

2CD track list & cover:

CD1

01. Anteroom Of Death
02. My Little Phoenix
03. Dark Star
04. Naiad
05. Falling Awake
06. I Walk Alone
07. Little Lies
08. Into The Sun
09. Nemo
10. Never Enough
11. Still Of The Night
12. In For A Kill

CD2

01. Boy And The Ghost
02. Lost Northern Star
03. Ciaran‘s Well
04. Tired Of Being Alone
05. Where Were You Last Night / Heaven Is A Place On Earth / Livin’ On A Prayer
06. Underneath
07. Oasis / The Archive Of Lost Dreams
08. Crimson Deep
09. The Phantom Of The Opera
10. Die Alive
11. Until My Last Breath
12. Over The Hills And Far Away

Blu-ray cover

2DVD & Blu-ray track list:

DVD1

01. If You Believe

02. Anteroom Of Death

03. My Little Phoenix

04. Dark Star

05. Naiad

06. Falling Awake

07. I Walk Alone

08. Orpheus Hallucination / Orpheus In The Underworld

09. Little Lies (band jam)

10. Little Lies

11. Into The Sun

12. Nemo

13. Acoustic Set:

• Rivers Of Lust

• 

  DVD cover
  
  

  Minor Heaven
• Montañas De Silencio
• Sing For Me
• I Feel Immortal

14. Never Enough

15. In For A Kill

16. Toccata And Fugue D-minor (BWV 565) / The Phantom Of The Opera

17. Die Alive

18. Until My Last Breath

19. Over The Hills And Far Away

DVD 2

01. Boy And The Ghost

02. Lost Northern Star

03. Ciaran‘s Well

04. Tired Of Being Alone

05. Where Were You Last Night / Heaven Is A Place On Earth / Livin’ On A Prayer

06. Underneath

07. The Reign

08. Oasis / The Archive Of Lost Dreams

09. Still Of The Night

10. Crimson Deep

+ Bonus: Photogallery, video clip, EPK

The Blu-ray track list remains the same.

Also Tarja is about to release her new single "In to the Sun", July 13th. This is will be only digital release, though.

If you have any questions regarding "Act 1" you can post your question here. Tarja will choose the most interesting ones and will blog her answer later on.

Here is "Act 1" trailer: 

Review Roundup

Having been quite unwell lately, I haven't been producing as many reviews as I used to, and also, as you can see, this blog has been a tad bit neglected by me, too.  But I do have some reviews to share that I haven't yet posted here, so let's get to those.

1.  Perhaps the most highly anticipated album of the year for me this year was the new Dawn of Destiny release, Praying to the World.  I am happy to say that it is fantastic!  I even like their new vocalist, Jeanette! I reviewed it for Sonic Cathedral here.

2. SinHeresY's EP, The Spiders and the Butterfly.  Great metal from Italy, where a lot of fantastic metal is coming from these days.  Italy seems to me to be the newest metal powerhouse, which is great if you think Lacuna Coil is sliding down the tubes.  SinHeresY is a dual male & female fronted band and their EP is very promising.  I find myself going back to it again and again.  Again, I reviewed it for Sonic Cathedral, here.

3. If you haven't heard Akoma, Denmark's awesome symphonic metal band with a killer vocalist, you should definitely check them out!  I've been a fan for a while now, and they released a new EP this spring called The Other Side.  Check my review of that on Sonic Cathadral here.

4. I co-wrote a review of LA-based symphonic metal band Ashentide's EP here on Sonic Cathedral.  A very promising start from a young band with a lot of talent!  The EP is available for a free download from the band's site.

The next reviews are all from Black Wind Metal.

1. As Winter Falls' EP, available for free download from the band's site, was a nice surprise.  Hailing from Slovenia, this is as talented quartet, and my review of the EP, Road to Nowhere, is here.

2. Maltese metalers Rising Sunset were kind enough to send me a copy of their new CD, Equinox.  It was a little bit not my cup of tea lyrics-wise, and this caused some conversation in the comments.  Musically, it wasn't bad, though.  That review is here.

3. Switzerland's 69 Chambers released Torque this spring and I reviewed it here.  Again, not exactly my cup of tea.

4. Opera Diabolicus - awesomesauce!  I loved this CD, entitled +1614.  I couldn't say enough good things about it.  You can read my gushing about that one here.

5. Pythia's The Serpent's Curse was a great surprise for me since I found their previous CD milquetoast.  I really enjoyed this new CD, though, and that review is here.

6. From Nancy, France, Fenrir is a female fronted folk metal band, and I reviewed Echoes of the Wolf here.

7. I even did a review of a male fronted power metal band from Cyrpus, Winter's Verge.  Pretty good stuff, too.  That one is here.

8. Huntress is a band making a lot of waves on the scene these days and one that is gaining a lot of popularity through it's seemingly endless touring.  I almost got to see them at Paganfest in Seattle, but was sick so I couldn't attend the gig.  But I was particularly interested in seeing them.  Their CD is fun, though not exactly my cup of tea vocally or stylistically.  But I loved their song "Eight of Swords".  That review is here.

That's it for now!  Enjoy!

New Find: Downcast Art

Thanks to my colleagues at Sonic Cathedral, I came upon this very special, talented band from Croatia recently, and I've been constantly playing their CD, Forbidden Memories for days and days now.  I have a review of the CD upcoming on Black Wind Metal.

Listen, this is awesome, phenomenal, outstanding music.  Jelena's vocals are haunting, and quite frankly, some of the most unique you'll come across in the genre.  The music is complex, mature, and extremely engaging.  All of the elements of older symphonic power metal are there - "older" meaning that it harkens back to a time when there were way less genre crossovers as there are now.

Their web site has several songs from the CD available for streaming, and if you go here and scroll to the bottom of the page, you can see the entire CD booklet, which has the lyrics.

I really encourage fans of symphonic power metal and female fronted metal to check out this band!  Spread the word so they can get a freakin' record deal!

Here is their Facebook page.

This song is the title track from the album, one of my favourites.  Enjoy!

Delain's New Video

As a follow-up to this post, the new Delain album, We Are the Others, will be released - finally! - at the beginning of June.  And here is the first single and video from that album, "Get the Devil Out of Me".  Enjoy!

Epica's "Storm The Sorrow" video

"Storm The Sorrow" is new song from Epica's album "Requiem For The Indifferent" which was released in March.