Meshuggah / Baroness @ The Palladium

May 19, 2012.  I just returned from Worcester, wired from Meshuggah's intense and lengthy set.  I could have done without so much man sweat everywhere, but it was worth it to see all of the headbanging stop and start again every 3 to 10 seconds when the band would change time signatures.  They stuck with mostly newer material but dug as far back as Chaosphere and even Destroy Erase Improve.  To say their performance was tight is like saying the ocean is a bit wet...and although there wasn't much movement on stage apart from Jens Kidman's robot zombie gorilla gesturing, the stage art and lights kept onlookers well entertained.  Tomas Haake's percussive precision had my eyes fixed for much of their set.

Baroness played a well-varied set including a couple of new songs from the forthcoming Yellow & Green.   Despite the lackluster bass-trap sound of the Palladium they were great - vocal harmonies and twin guitar licks were beautifully executed.  It was very cool to see them on this bill between Poland's Decapitated and Sweden's Meshuggah: a break from the brutality to lay down some serious rock and roll.  The crowd responded by dissolving the pit and opting for copious amounts of crowd surfing.

I was hoping to pick up a vinyl copy of Koloss, but Meshuggah had very little music to offer at the merch table - only a couple of CD's and no vinyl at all.  I was happily consoled by 5th represses of both Red Album and Blue Record.  Sure, 5th repress doesn't sound special, but it is.  They're high-grade 45rpm double vinyl editions, limited to ~1000 (Red Album) and ~500 (Blue Record) copies in 2011.  These editions where the ones in my wish list; look at them...gorgeous!

Grave Words: ...And Justice For All

It can sometimes be easy to forget how Metallica became a household name in the music world.  In recent years they've been the punchline to many jokes and the whipping post for much public ridicule.  This can leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth (or ears).  I certainly have not been keen to spin a classic Metallica record in a long while.  Today I got the urge and have been reminded that while they have not released a great record in many years, their legacy really is undeniable.  The fact is that who Metallica are now has greatly affected how we remember and perceive who they once were.  We can easily forget their three album rise to making it big and just how much impact they had on other metal musicians who then went on to do amazing things of their own.  How crazy was the speed thrash anthem Metal Militia in 1982?  How heavy was the apocalyptic nuclear doom opener Fight Fire With Fire in 1984?  How epic and orchestrated was the fan favorite Master Of Puppets in 1986?  It's not difficult to take them for granted after years of exposure and eventually excessive radio play.

Clear away your preconceived notions of Metallica, what they were and what they are.  If you can, forget you've ever heard them and then sit down and listen - really listen - to ...And Justice For All like it's the first time you've heard it.  It's 1988 and your mind is about to be blown.  These guys pulled out all the stops and made a truly uncompromising record.  No one was telling them what to do, and even if they were it's clear that no external input was heeded.  All bassless jokes aside, the production of the record was very tight, clean, and dry; it was quite harsh and gnarly for the eighties and reset the notion for what heavy music production could and would be.  Some say it was too clinical, but what I hear is a reflection of anguish and a stand in what otherwise may have been defeat.  AJFA is seeping with bitter, cold loss - there is no doubt in my mind that the music and sonic mood reflect the grief over the loss of bassist Cliff Burton in 1987.  There is a hard stifling of tears here, and a strong resolve to move on with a record that was as unconventional as it was commercially successful.  This record saw Metallica at the height of their technical skill and performance ability...and though many metal musicians today far surpass this level of skill, it was quite an innovative and impressive display in 1988.  I remember seeing these guys on the cover of nearly every guitar, drum, and metal magazine in the months, and even years, following its release.  This record reminds me of why Metallica was (and is) huge.

My original European pressing.

From the brutal opening track, Blackened, to the beautiful masterpiece To Live Is To Die and lightening quick double-kick-laden closer Dyers Eve, ...And Justice For All provides an ample amount of angsty sociopolitical lyrics and vocals, metronome-tight guitar licks, furiously pummeling drum fills, and progressive song structures and changes.  I am reminded that there is still space in my heart for classic 80's Metallica, and I am glad to welcome it once again.

Recalcitrant Aesthetics

Liturgy have received much flack from the metal world - most specifically from black metal elitists. From a flat, surface-level perspective Liturgy are a disgrace to black metal; they don't adhere to the 25+ year old genre's sound or intent.  Or do they...

Things change. Black metal set out to be the antithesis of religion, culture, art, and what people considered good music. It was a rebellion that peaked in some very intense moments.  These types of movements are generally short-lived; they either fade out of the picture or are so successful in their method of defiance that they become part of the accepted greater picture of valid artistic expression. A parallel can be seen with the early punk scene, which today has a similar fan-base divide as black metal. Many look at punk as having become a mockery of itself: a mainstream, mass-culture genre that is exactly what it originally set out to defy. Black metal is the extreme and grim younger brother of punk. Black metal was a very powerful movement in music that has become a common-day commodity. It has become an accepted genre of music which pretty much negates its original point. Though some will claim it died, black metal is still around - but it doesn't mean the same thing.  It had risen from the ashes of burnt churches and bloody murders to find its home as the dark heart of the music world across the globe. Its raw, harsh, and abrasive sound has turned into label-name, big budget, professionally produced legitimacy. 

Liturgy embrace this truth, making black metal as spiritual art - defying the genre with which they are associated in a way that transcends many of its fundamental ideologies, yet embraces its rebellious nature. They're creating their own new wave of black metal; their sound is coarse, unconventional, and unforgiving...even and especially to the ears of the black metal elitist. In this sense they have revived the aspects of black metal that had fallen to time and success, but also have let go of its preconceptions and paradigmatic negative close-mindedness.  Liturgy have transcended its hatred and grim nature by affirmation.

The Thrill Jockey double-sleeved, double clear vinyl pressing.

Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's demos laid a foundation that Renihilation then built upon and refined. 2011's Aesthethica sees Liturgy approaching a mastery of their sound, writing and performing as a single breathing entity. Amidst the scraping trem-picked high-register minor and major chord structures - a swirling flurry of remorseless guitar power - thunders a rolling "burst beat" rhythm section. Utilizing Deutsch-like auditory illusions, Shepard Scale effect, and shifting polyrhythms that circle back onto themselves, Aesthethica is progressive and also psychedelic.  The patterns and rhythms elevate you; ever-augmenting droning phrases cycle and climb - eliciting a growing tension of energy until they break, pouring out in a tidal wave of majestic riffing played with sacred intent.  It's intense...and when the intensity of a song subsides there is an enriching silence - a stillness of being.

The screechy, animal screams are a perfect match for the music Liturgy creates.  These are not guttural death vocals - they are shrill and unsettling.  They are not supposed to sound good...this is black metal...black metal in 2011 at that. It ought sound grating even to fans of extreme music. Potentially as bothersome to metal fans are the various moments of Aesthethica when meditative and repetitive layered chanting enter the mix- a fitting contrast to the power and vehemence of Hunt-Hendrix's wails.

What makes Liturgy black metal is not something as simple as image, production quality, or musical key.  They defy all of these things by remaining in alignment with their art and still, even more rightly so, deserve their self-devised genre of Transcendental Black Metal.  Liturgy revive many of the original elements of black metal, but in a new fresh breath. They have brought black metal full circle, now not only defying the original movement and current interpretation, but also those who refuse to move forward...and in an accidental way. They aren't concerned with being "tr00" or "kvlt" - they are expressing a very unique vision with their music. Liturgy have spirit and are uncompromisingly defiant by being so dedicated to serving their creation.

Aesthethica is a profound record and I hope you will check them out if you have not already; it's one of the best metal records of 2011.

Grave Words: The Sound Of Perseverance

I've been wanting to start a retrospective category of posts.  Each would briefly comment on an album which would have to be at least 10 years old - a paragraph or two of the significance of the record.  I've decided to start this series today with a post in honor of Chuck Schuldiner, frontman of Death, who died ten years ago today.

The year is 1998; Death, the pioneers of death metal, released their last studio album.  The Sound Of Perseverance is one of the most impressive metal albums I have ever heard.  From the over-the-top drum intro of opener Scavenger Of Human Sorrow to the intense death screams in the finale - a cover of Judas Priest's Painkiller, each track is teeming with disgusting riffs, majestic leads, mind-bending changes, and percussive black magic.  The Sound Of Perseverance should be held as the epitome for progressive death metal, meeting the perfect integration of technical skill and songwriting.  At just the right moments things shift from elaborate and intricately composed layers into beautifully heavy, melodic refrains and breaks.  Each song is a journey complete in and of itself - the album an omnibus of musical adventure.

I remember hearing it for the first time - my jaw just dropped.  I was indeed familiar with Death's previous work, but something contained in this record went just that far beyond what they had done before, which was quite remarkable.  Some feel that it was too polished and showboating - lacking the rawness and harshness of what death metal should be, but I feel that this was the album Schuldiner was meant to make.  Though he continued creating music with Control Denied, The Sound Of Perseverance is his swan song and solidifies his legendary status in the metal world.  I honestly don't know how this record could be any better, or could better represent what Chuck was all about.  If you're into metal and have not heard this record, I highly recommend remedying that immediately.

Here's to an extremely talented and unique songwriter and musician.  You'll never be forgotten, Chuck.

A Near-Metal Experience

Boston's Junius have released a new record, to which I am listening at this very moment thanks to my friend Justin Hull who introduced the band to me a couple of years ago.  Reports From The Threshold Of Death is just lovely work: thoughtful and heartfelt, poppy yet heavy, abrasive yet smooth, and most predominantly - full.

The album maintains a wonderful motif of fullness, lightness, and understanding.  Even the heavy parts are somehow ethereal and soothing in a way that I find unique to this record.  Full spectrum sound sweeps through your speakers as a singularity - one comprised from a swirling chorus of voice, airy synth pads, distorted guitar grit, and tidy well-placed percussion.  At times it feels like the epic soundtrack to a surreal and fantastical film, full of astounding otherworldly images.  Vocals are simple and straightforward - void of the gimmicks and trends that seem to infect today's rock genres like plagues.  There is certainly both confidence and maturity at work here; nowhere is there overcompensation or even a single note or beat that does not fit.  Junius are doing what they do, not answering to any particular expectation.

Reports From The Threshold Of Death rejuvenates the listener with a calm clarity.  The deafening silence met at the end of the album is a testament to the richness of its sound...it leaves the listener in content reflection.  There is no urge to respin this record after a complete observation...not because it isn't a great record, but because it is a different kind of great record: one that is whole and complete just as it is - not in need and not in surplus...and that is quite special.

The vinyl pressing is excellent.  I opted for the band's website-only edition which is an exquisitely gorgeous piece of vinyl, which you can see below - a very nice complement to the album's artwork.

Junius have clearly reached new ground, and their footing is sure and solid.  Where their next climb will take them should be very interesting indeed.