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Posts tagged Prog.
I think I’ve fallen in love with this man. Well, at least I’m in love with his music and his voice. The prospect of a possible Mastodon and Opeth tour gives me a huge glimmer of hope for the months to come. Considering that I am taking six classes right now and this is my last semester of college before I graduate in May, a Mastodon/Opeth show would be a great graduation present. Add in a full work schedule and rehearsals with the new band I’m in (I’m the front woman!), there is little time for play. Still, late at night, I think about Mikael’s voice and just feel warm and fuzzy all over. He is beyond amazing. If I see Brann at that show, I will literally beg him to let me back stage so I can meet Opeth, Mikael especially. Seeing Brann and Mikael together might make me faint. So much talent concentrated in one space. …Heh, but enough of my babbling. Also, Melvins are playing a show with Unsane in Nashville the night before my graduation ceremony on May 5th. Maybe if I’m a good girl, I’ll get two Graduation presents :3

I think I’ve fallen in love with this man. Well, at least I’m in love with his music and his voice. The prospect of a possible Mastodon and Opeth tour gives me a huge glimmer of hope for the months to come. Considering that I am taking six classes right now and this is my last semester of college before I graduate in May, a Mastodon/Opeth show would be a great graduation present.

Add in a full work schedule and rehearsals with the new band I’m in (I’m the front woman!), there is little time for play. Still, late at night, I think about Mikael’s voice and just feel warm and fuzzy all over. He is beyond amazing. If I see Brann at that show, I will literally beg him to let me back stage so I can meet Opeth, Mikael especially. Seeing Brann and Mikael together might make me faint. So much talent concentrated in one space.

…Heh, but enough of my babbling. Also, Melvins are playing a show with Unsane in Nashville the night before my graduation ceremony on May 5th. Maybe if I’m a good girl, I’ll get two Graduation presents :3

Posted 4 months ago. Tagged with Show all posts tagged with "Mikael Akerfeldt".Mikael Akerfeldt, Show all posts tagged with "Opeth".Opeth, Show all posts tagged with "Obsessions".Obsessions, Show all posts tagged with "Mastodon".Mastodon, Show all posts tagged with "Brann Dailor".Brann Dailor, Show all posts tagged with "Prog".Prog, Show all posts tagged with "Metal".Metal, .
20 Notes   Comment
audioplayerblack
audio
Artist:
No information specified.
Opeth
Song:
No information specified.
Benighted
Album:
No information specified.
Still Life
Plays: 87

crippling-body:

Opeth - “Benighted”

Everything about this is beautiful.

Posted 5 months ago. Tagged with Show all posts tagged with "Opeth".Opeth, Show all posts tagged with "Still Live".Still Live, Show all posts tagged with "Benighted".Benighted, Show all posts tagged with "Prog".Prog, Show all posts tagged with "Metal".Metal, .
83 Notes   crippling-bodySource   crippling-body-deactivated20120Reblogged   Comment

Oh God…if Brann Dailor and Mikael Åkerfeldt formed a band together…

A prog band…where they both sing…and do vocal harmonies…

Oh my sweet Odin, that would be amazing.

THINK ABOUT THEIR VOICES HARMONIZING.

Posted 6 months ago. Tagged with Show all posts tagged with "Brann Dailor".Brann Dailor, Show all posts tagged with "Mastodon".Mastodon, Show all posts tagged with "Mikael Åkerfeldt".Mikael Åkerfeldt, Show all posts tagged with "Opeth".Opeth, Show all posts tagged with "Prog".Prog, Show all posts tagged with "MY OVARIES EXPLODED".MY OVARIES EXPLODED, .
45 Notes   Comment
+ DORO’S REVIEW OF MASTODON’S THE HUNTER Normally I don’t do straight-up album reviews here, but for Mastodon I make obvious exceptions. Considering that they’re pretty much my favorite band, making such a review unbiased would probably be a concern to some readers. Don’t worry; no matter how much I adore a band, I can still take the rosy-colored woolen blinkers off of my eyes and see an album for what it’s worth. Everyone, including myself, knew that The Hunter would be a huge Game-Changer for the band, but was it a change for the better or for the worse? Here’s my take of each song, track-by-track: BLACK TONGUE: Didn’t really like this song at all on first listen, but I’ve warmed up to it slightly. While it’s cool that this is completely a Bill and Troy song, unfortunately Troy doesn’t do it for me here. I know this was his attempt to “prove” to fans that he can still sing with the same majesty that he did on early Mastodon recordings, but ask yourself this question: “Will he be able to hit those high notes live?”. The answer is likely “no”. CURL OF THE BURL: Catchy three-minute sludge-pop tune is catchy, sludgy, poppy, and three minutes long. Brann on lead vocals is cool and the randomness of the lyrics reminds me of something Melvins would do, but other than that…heh. Not that big of a deal. BLASTEROID: Now THIS tune is just straight up Rock N Roll fun. When I first heard this song back in June, it reminded me a bit of something Torche would write. Brent’s “NNNYYYAAAHHH!” alley cat screams are back, and that’s a good thing. This is definitely one of my favorites. Just a short and sweet tune that’s going to sound amazing live. STARGASM: Mastodon writing a song about sex? Well they’ve covered nearly every other topic, so interstellar intercourse seemed like the next logical step (although, as I’ve noted before, sexual topics in songs is usually a sludge metal no-no). Musically it was a bit of a disappointment - I like the eerie synth lines and Brent’s vocals on the chorus are orgasmic. My two complaints are that the intro doesn’t match the rest of the song, and the lyrics during Troy’s portions are completely indecipherable. OCTOPUS HAS NO FRIENDS: Ugh, robot vocals? Really? That’s the only thing about “Crack the Skye” that I didn’t like, and it’s the only thing Troy runs with here. Not saying dude’s voice is “failing” him, but he’s relying way too much on studio tricks and effects. Other than that, the song is very good. I really like the personal angle of the lyrics; it seems like something that all the bands members were probably feeling after the two intense years they spent on the road supporting CTS. ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING: Mixed feelings about this song. I honestly don’t know what to make of it. This is another one of Troy’s “LOOK! I CAN STILL SING!” demonstrations, but the lyrics and music are so good that I try to overlook that elephant in the room. This is another song I got an early preview of, and when Brann’s wife asked if I was “disappointed”, I told her no. This isn’t a disappointment, but it still feels a little off. THE HUNTER: Entirely a Brent song, this one has a mournful feeling due to the subject matter. Brent lost his brother Brad last year, and this is Brad’s tribute song. While definitely pretty in parts, copping lyrics from The Beatles didn’t work for me one bit. DRY BONE VALLEY: Another one of my favorites! Brann sings lead on this one too; he has a voice that reaches back to a lost prog epic from the 1970s. His and Troy’s voices harmonize together exceptionally well. This one feels more natural and less forced, and the whole tune just has a good groove to it. THICKENING: First of all, the intro is absolutely great. It’s in an odd time signature, especially for Mastodon, and it gives everything a dream-like feel. Brent is such an exceptionally good guitarist that even when he tries to be subtle, the giant refuses to sleep. I have a hunch that this song might have been written about Troy’s baby son from the lyrics…another song that sounds very natural and not forced. Really like this one. CREATURE LIVES: No other song in Mastodon’s history has gotten this much hype before it was even released, and that’s because it sounds like nothing else out of Mastodon’s catalog. I was fighting tears when hearing this for the first time, and it still evokes a strong emotional response in me for reasons hard to explain. This song is almost 100% Brann Dailor; he wrote all the music, all the lyrics, and performs nearly all the vocals. Beautiful tune, beautiful vocal harmonies from ALL FOUR members, ominous lyrics, and the creepiest synth intro I’ve ever heard. This is undoubtedly the best song on the whole album, and it will surely be the tune that makes Mastodon a household name. SPECTRELIGHT: This is the second best track on the album and could easily be an extra from Leviathan or Blood Mountain (although it’s more Crack the Skye in subject matter). Scott Kelly and Troy Sanders feed off of each other exceptionally well, giving the song a dark, otherworldly feel. Absolutely love this song. BEDAZZLED FINGERNAILS: For a song with such a silly title, it certainly makes up for it with an eloquent structure. Those deep vocals in the verses are kind of puzzling me a bit - who is singing there? Does anyone know (would be kind of cool if it were Bill)? This another song with a beautiful vocal harmonies, especially between Troy and Brann in the chorus. The best thing, however, is that bad-ass theremin. I love theremins…sorry. THE SPARROW: Very pretty and unusually mellow for a Mastodon track. This is another “funeral” song, dedicated to the wife of their manager, who died from cancer last year. A nice, relaxing ending to an album with many strange twists and turns. THE RUINER and DEATHBOUND are unreleased songs from previous album sessions and consequently sound heavier. These are Bill songs through and through, which is probably why they’re completely in-your-face and more Hardcore-tinged. I like ‘em. OVERALL SUMMARY THE HUNTER’S PROS: It would have to be Brann Dailor’s vocals/lyrics and Brent’s guitars. Brann is the Phil Collins of this generation; some have gotten annoyed with me making such a statement, but their musical paths are very similar. The drummer usurping his band mates is definitely a theme in The Hunter that’s impossible to escape. Brent is still an impressive guitarist who finds a way to take the same riffs and make them sound entirely new, and his playing is based just as much on emotion as it is on skill. Additionally, I think that it’s also great that Mastodon stepped outside of their comfort zone (concept albums, frenzied song structures) to try something different, and for the most part, it works. THE HUNTER’S CONS: Sadly, Troy’s vocals are the weakest link throughout most of this album. Some people reading this might think I’m being a ninny or overly harsh, but there was a lotof studio processing that went into making his voice sound that good. Some fans have cried “auto-tune!”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that were somewhat true. Anyone who has seen a recent Mastodon gig (or saw their disastrous appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman) knows that Troy has lost a lot of his vocal might in recent years. What used to be growls have been replaced with James Hetfield-style “yeah-heh”s and broken melisma. As much as I like Troy in different ways, I have to be honest here: he’s lost it. BEST SONGS: “Blasteroid”, “Dry Bone Valley”, “Creature Lives”, Spectrelight”, “Bedazzled Fingernails” OVERALL SCORE: About a 7 or an 8 out of 10. Not as high as I’d rate Crack the Skye, but still good.

DORO’S REVIEW OF MASTODON’S THE HUNTER

Normally I don’t do straight-up album reviews here, but for Mastodon I make obvious exceptions. Considering that they’re pretty much my favorite band, making such a review unbiased would probably be a concern to some readers. Don’t worry; no matter how much I adore a band, I can still take the rosy-colored woolen blinkers off of my eyes and see an album for what it’s worth.

Everyone, including myself, knew that The Hunter would be a huge Game-Changer for the band, but was it a change for the better or for the worse? Here’s my take of each song, track-by-track:

Posted 8 months ago. Tagged with Show all posts tagged with "Mastodon".Mastodon, Show all posts tagged with "The Hunter".The Hunter, Show all posts tagged with "Brann Dailor".Brann Dailor, Show all posts tagged with "Troy Sanders".Troy Sanders, Show all posts tagged with "Bill Kelliher".Bill Kelliher, Show all posts tagged with "Brent Hinds".Brent Hinds, Show all posts tagged with "Metal".Metal, Show all posts tagged with "Sludge".Sludge, Show all posts tagged with "Prog".Prog, Show all posts tagged with "Review".Review, Show all posts tagged with "Album".Album, .
11 Notes   Comment