My problem with the metal community...

Now, i'm not someone who does these type of stuff; But, this is a topic that...bugs me to an extent -- I know, I know, my first review had some relations to the so called Metal Community, however, I do not consider myself to be a part of it (my music tastes are a mess, from one moment to another, I can be listening Flotsam and Jetsam and then, shift to Duran Duran to conclude with Nitzer Ebb.) Although, if you'll see me physically, the first thing coming into mind would be; "This guy is playing around." Believe me, I'm not...

First of all; I've been on this business too long (mind you, I'm almost 20) my father introduced me to it back when I was really young (at that point, I was around 3 or 4 years.) My knowledge might not be that of a genius, but I have enough. Also, I'm not a guy who goes out there ranting about everything, I'm someone really calm and down to earth, however, we all have the right of expression; If you are one of those people who can't afford to see, someone else shares a different point of view, get out, you will surely, not enjoy it -- If not, it can be the case, you also agree.

GENRES:

It's always so fucking hard to get a conclusion of some bands; there's always a question; "Which genre do they play?" While, the music itself is defined by appearance sometimes (or most of the times) I have to add, every sub-genre possess an unique composition and resonance. I'm always arguing about...well, I'll put two examples; Evanescence and Cradle of Filth -- One, being one of my all time favorite bands (pissed off much, Trve Kvlt Metalheads?) while...I'm not that immersed into the first. 

People always argue Amy Lee and co are Gothic Metal, uh...what? No, they might have that appearance, however, their sound strictly differs from a real Gothic Metal band; give it yourself a listen.

My Immortal by Evanescence. 

The Raven and The Rose by My Dying Bride.

Anyone with ears, can instantly differ the sound of both bands; And to this point, I can't just get how people still label them as Gothic Metal, I believe, their real sound is somewhere between Alternative Metal and Melodic Rock, but definitely, not Goth Metal...ah! And for those who will say "They are Gothic Rock." Nope:

Spiritual Cramp by Christian Death. 

This is Goth Rock or better said; Deathrock.

 Now, Dani Filth and Co; People always say they're not Black Metal--I agree but differ at the same time; At a point, CoF used to play Black Metal, not your Br00tal-fromjel kvlt & trve one, but a slightly modified version of the genre (such as Graveworm and others do.) While I also agree they are not Gothic (because, even Dani states this in interviews.) I believe a proper term could be Dark Metal; an umbrella term, mostly used for Extreme Metal bands that, do not belong into any category of the aforementioned ones.

Mayhem - Pagan Fears; The Fathers of Black Metal.

Cradle of Filth - Nocturnal Supremacy, one of my favorites. 

Bethlehem - Funeral Owlblood; Considered to be, the creators of Dark metal.

While all of them are heavy, they do not sound the same; Mayhem is pure Black Metal, while Cradle melds that and some Gothic elements, Bethlehem does the same, but with some Death/Doom ones, hard to define, eh?

"True" Metal.

True; Def: in accordance with fact or reality. 2: accurate or exact.
3. truly, that you can touch, hear or feel it. 

LOL - You don't know how I laugh, really...It's amusing to see a "brother"   telling another one to fuck off because his tastes differ from his and he isn't a true metalhead; Uhm...how do we define that? Metal is itself, heavy, dark and atmospheric (while, I consider the last one...just an extra.) but, it has to be heavy and dark, right? It of course, has more than that, but I assume that you as a fellow metalhead, already know that. 

Whenever I ask someone to give me a reason why bands like; Metallica, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Slipknot or KoRn not being metal, their stupid argument is always the same; They sound like Pop. Uh, forgive me, do you know how Pop music sounds? 

Duran Duran - Come Undone, one of my all time favorite Pop acts.

Culture Club - Miss Me Blind; Yet, another of my beloved bands.

Does he need an introduction? I believe no.

Now, my so true and well musically educated (hahahahaha!) fellow metalhead, this is how Pop sounds.

Before I forget by Slipknot - I love this band! Sorry, did I pissed you off again? 

Metallica - The End of the Line; OK - Death Magnetic isn't my favorite album, but I really enjoy it.

Sean Olsen by Korn, an underrated song from the group.

While, I agree, both Korn and Slipknot do differ from bands like Black Sabbath and Megadeth, they sill maintain that heavy sound. But, do they sound like Duran Duran? I'm sorry...you might need to check yourself with a doctor then. These bands experimented with different sounds, evidently and, I can't argue against that...but, didn't Cannibal Corpse and Burzum did the same? 

They Don't even Know the origin's/band's background.

This was probably...a better fit in the first point, but it's far more complex I believe; A prime example of it is, Amon Amarth, guys...you do realize they do not play Viking Metal, do you? 

Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God; Not a band of my tastes, being honest.

Bathory - A Fine Day to Die; Who doesn't love Quorthon? (RIP) Now, this is how Viking Metal does indeed, sound.

Explaining the origin's background? No, I assume that you as a fellow and trve tough guy knows it already; Otherwise, those who don't know it, will immediately be like; "They are heavy, but they do not sound the same way." It's because, AA plays Melodic Death Metal; and Bathory are defined as, the Fathers of Viking Metal. 

Another huge problem is; Hardcore Punk - Yep, you're right, it isn't a part of metal, but denying its influence...it seems ignorant to me. 

Your precious Thrash Metal wouldn't be half of what it is (yes half.) if it wasn't for it, most of those bands cover Hardcore Punk songs and, they cite them as influences, need proof? How about the many covers and that album Slayer has? Metallica's Garage Inc. and etc - Again, I can really go on and on, but you know it already.

Slayer - I Hate You; A cover of Verbal Abuse.

Now, the whole band thing; I'm just going to put an example about this (the only one I've seen thus far); Mayhem; Great Per Ohlin, while I do not disagree that, without him, the BM scene wouldn't be what it is; He NEVER, read it, NEVER recorded anything in studio with the band and, it makes me laugh when everyone seems to forget Maniac and Manheim recorded everything previous Dead. Don't believe me?

Pure Fucking Armageddon

Deathcrush

Studio Tracks - It's until here that, our beloved Dead gets involved. 

Emo Black Metal; I assume you as a well educated and intellectual metalhead know that, Emo is more romantic than anything, it has no depression or self-harm, they are in fact, really poetic when it comes to their music; On the other hand, Depressive Black Metal is not - While some of the later bands do write about romance (*coughs* Happy Days *coughs* I love these guys by the way.) their main focus revolves around personal problems and experiences with self-harm and depression, even suicide (yes, I know, you can commit suicide for love, but...the feeling of a woman would never replace the love you have for a brother or sister.) Also, I do not believe they sound the same, but whatever...

How I love this one; Forgotten Tomb - Bad Dreams Come True; It doesn't seem Emo for me sir.

Good ol' Niklas and Co; For the God Below by Shining.

Test Subjects (Screams that go Unheard.) by Happy Days; My personal favorite from these guys.

A personal favorite; Rites of Spring, give it a listen, they are a good band.

Sunny Day Real Estate - Seven.

Now, the later are Emo bands, I just don't know how Shining is related...but, whatever.

I can go on and on, but it's totally worthless, there's enough evidence already. Of course, there's more than I can rant of; Nazi stuff that...doesn't even relate to the real Nazi standards (I don't want the whole racist card around here.) How buying a CD makes you a better fan and if you buy it from ITunes you should commit suicide (and they hate DBM.) because that's not helping them (when, you still support the band.), how only Death/Black are trve-kvlt-fromjel metal when they can't even mention one group that, doesn't sound shitty and generic. How bands that make money and are commercial (duh, all of them are commercial, fucktard.) suck, because apparently, they achieve immortality upon making a band (if you're dying, you know what to do according to Metalheads.) 

Look, I might be harsh from here, I know not all of you dudes are this way and in fact, I've encountered some of them that share similar points of view, but some of you out there...some of you make me wanna grab a gun and shoot down everyone (hope you got the reference ;] )

Review: Thy Majesty - German Black Metal Art

Origin: Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Status: Active

 Formed: 1993

Genre(s): Black Metal

First of all, be welcome to this blog - This is not the first time I've reviewed material, specially into the metal scene - being honest, it has been a while, so sorry if this first post seems a bit off, however I will be updating things as I decide to do many more reviews; Tonight, I bring you Thy Majesty, a prominent Black Metal act from the country of Germany, established in 1993 - Sadly, the information surrounding this band is pretty dull and vague, they seem to be really underground and their discography is composed of two demos, one studio album and a split with another German band, called; Dark Armageddon. However, this doesn't stop me for actually, saying how impressed I am.

Now, let's get to the point - I am here to review their only studio work, entitled; German Black Metal Art - kind of a goofy name, but some bands (for a reason, I've never get to understand.) baptize their albums with similar names. As for how I got to know them? That's kind of a funny tale, it all came from a random search in Google, into which, I stumbled upon their page at Metal Archives - Therefore, why I decided to start.

The album opens with the song; His Instant is There which, the opening is mainly Sven the band's singer screaming and yelling, in a really, really impressive way - It's not your generic "waaah!" or depressive scream most bands out there would give, but rather something a bit raw, which, it's really good - Then, the music comes into play; It has a slightly familiar tone to those bands like Venom or Hellhammer really trashy, yet retaining the atmosphere and basics of a common black metal act, at moments, it becomes really fast and almost hard to keep on track, however, their melodies are still down there - By just listening this first track, I knew the album was going to be great.

We are followed by Beyond This Life and The Scourge of Mankind, two tracks that are not so different from the first one, really fast and harsh, yet enjoyable to the ear - Sven's vocals, however, do change a little bit through them, making different tones and even whispering/using spoken word technique during the end of The Scourge of Mankind. Here is were things start to get really interesting.

Then, we meet the album's fourth track; Dämonenblut  (which can be roughly translated as; Blood of the Demon or Demon's Blood.) - Is at this point, where the band starts altering the sound, even incorporating other elements an standard black metal band wouldn't have, not even after smoking 19 pots of weed - Guitars are pretty melodic even while being fast, the drums have a different technique from previous songs and, Gozer the band's founder also adds some creepy but intriguing choruses to it - Making it feel like if you were really spilling the blood of a demon - Sven's growl's are varied through the entire recording, being harsh at moments, almost inaudible and incomprehensible, but there are moments where, even if you do not understand German, his voice is really clean, not losing that brutality of extreme metal acts.

Following this, we get into what's probably, the most outstanding part in the whole recording; A Tribute to Thy Majesty - The album's fifth track and the longest of them all, here we meet with the sound of keyboards and even clean guitar sounds during it's intro - Not really eerie or creepy, but then, they are interrupted by then again, the band's incredible fierce sound - The entire track is actually not so different from it's predecessor during its first minute, but reaching the second, some clean singing and melodic components are added, which then again, it's really weird; For a small and underground black metal band, this is something to admire; Esque-Gregorian chants, long high pitched shrieks that top and level it, and then once more, the singer's voice is fucking comprehensible, even with its speed! Drums and guitars do change a lot on the song's course, altering the composition after reaching the aforementioned minute. For example; upon reaching min 4, they become incredibly fast and fierce, but way before that, the instruments are really melodic & engaging to the ear. Then, we have a small breakdown, just to engage into that harsh and symphonic sound once more, which to be honest- made my skin bristle, an effect most underground bands never reach on me.

The remaining four tracks are not so different from each other...I am kidding, they actually are!
Ein Mitternachtsschrei (the 6th song.) adds a somehow, ambient and atmospheric sound to it, with the use of keyboards and a nice sound of clean chords, it remained me a lot of bands like Shining (SWE) and even Sigh (JAP), the intro also has Sven's clean vocals as an speech, obviously in the band's mother language, and since there are no lyrics to them on the web, I can understand what he's trying to say, but one thing is certain, it fucking rules! For being one of the smallest tracks on here, it possess a lot of strength, the whole thing is more than simply captivating - And now that I compared it to Shining, I have to add, it does possess somehow, a melancholic tone to it.

The Surge of Hate - starts off as really fast and heavy, it seems as if the band lost the whole symphonic element for a moment...but then, the key's harmonically sound comes into play, opening Sven and CO a place to continue with their fierce music, it actually accompanies his voice for a small trajectory of it, but holy damn! Both fit at perfection. Then again, once the song gets really melodic, we even meet with those awesome whispers the singer is able to create, not sounding like a total mental creep like most bands, but not being so silent about it either. It ends with something heavy, yet not departing from its beginnings, still accompanied by the dynamic sound of keyboards.

And so, we made it to the two remaining tracks; Our Revenge has Come which opens with another speech, this time in a guttural and raw voice, just to be silenced by the incoming sound of a really technical guitar sound, and a somehow, really medieval sound in the melody - The opening riff has that Death Metal air all over it, something by far, more than astonishing. Gozer comes into play again, supporting Sven with those awesome choruses of pure darkness and hatred - This song is possibly, the most melodic of them all. It has your typical breakdowns, down-tempos, drum blasts and accelerated beats, medieval keyboards and raw sound any other Symphonic Black band would possess - And to be honest, this is possibly, my favourite track.


My Kingdom is Your Dream - The album's last track, lasting around 7 & half minutes; This is to progressive like Our Revenge has Come is to symphonic - This is the band's most progressive song in the album - It has a similar structure to the already cited song, for a moment of course, then, it changes into something a bit calmer, just to irrupt violently once more, but what I really enjoyed was the end, it's nothing more but the sound of instruments, slowly fading away - The drums in particular are majestic. The intro is basically a fucking guitar solo! Very few songs have that, and remember, we're talking about a damn black metal band! At moments, drum became so fast it leads you to believe they are programmed, but no, they are played by one individual, I just wonder...how that poor guy could stand this? I mean, getting into such an experimental album...it has to hurt man, but surely, it's worth the risk.

Now, I could keep going on and on and on about the whole thing, but let's get to a conclusion; EPIC! This work is EPIC! To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, the band has a small profile, the logo looks really amateurish for my taste, the entire cover is pretty much the same, but then again, you should never judge a book by its cover, right? And, I'm so glad this wasn't the case. For a starting point, I would think it was going to be a raw but enjoyable work, not too many variations during its course, but how wrong was I! It's like, you're going through the entire Second Wave of Black Metal; From Mayhem to Emperor and then to Ancient, just to jump into some Burzum and Marduk, I know...weird, but it fucking works! And, the production, for an Underground band, the production isn't your typical; "recorded in an ancient WWII fortress located in Germany" or "recorded in an abandoned cave in Norway." No, nothing like that! Sure, don't expect it to be something like a song from the radio or a band like Slayer, but it's superior to most crappy acts down there.


Would I recommend it? If you are into metal...WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GIVE THIS SHIT A LISTEN! Otherwise, I think you won't really like it, the entire thing it's really heavy.

RATE: