As much as it may seem that I have completely vanished into the mist, this is not the case. An update reviewing a large number of movies in theaters is coming, have no fear.
Sorry for the wait.
Edit as of 1/20/2012: I'm obviously a damned liar. Oops.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Schmitty Raids the Bargain Bin: Episode 1
One of my favorite pastimes is scouring the used bookshelves, the cheap DVD bins, the clearance section of webstores - hunting for the hidden gems in amongst the legitimately undesirable dreck. Sometimes the searches simply lead to finding known commodities on the cheap, other times the low financial risk allows the more adventurous side to take over and an excessive number of blind buys soon follow. The latter certainly results in quite a few "duds," but the occasional diamond in the rough has always been enough to lure me back in time after time. I figured I'd go ahead and share the results with you all - so without further ado, welcome to the first edition of "Schmitty Raids the Bargain Bin."
There was a period of time where I absolutely abused The End Records' webstore - Age of Silence, Deceased, Subterranean Masquerade, Green Carnation, etc. Did I mention these all came at less than $2.50 each with free shipping? Yeah, those were the good old days (sadly, shipping is no longer included). Granted, deals this good can't be had there anymore, but I figured I'd show the distro some loyalty and give them one more go 'round. I ended up picking up three albums before checking out. I'll get into the details a bit later.
Outside of a couple trips in the days leading up to Halloween, I had not set foot inside a Goodwill to shop in several years - I recently decided to change that. I first went to check out the movies and music (naturally) and, well... Let's just say that I would have donated that stuff too, just to get it out of the house. Thoroughly disappointed in the digital media and not in the market for new-to-me clothes, I fully expected to leave empty-handed. That is until I laid eyes on the bookshelves - I ended up purchasing three books. Symmetry is great isn't it?
So yeah, details. Being stalled in the middle of about three other books right now, I don't have much to say about the books I picked up other than their titles considering I've not read any of them so far. But based on my own taste and the word-of-mouth I've noted, I'm sure that I'll be enjoying myself when I eventually get around to The Andromeda Strain (Crichton), Hyperion (Simmons), and The Time Machine / War of the Worlds (Wells). Yay, incoming sci-fi binge!
Moving on, I actually can make some comments on the albums I purchased. First up:
Giant Squid - Metridium Fields
Those in the know might recall that The Ichthyologist broke into my top ten for 2009 albums. Let me say that I obviously put off listening to their earlier material for far too long - this is more metallic and, dare I say, possibly even better than The Ichthyologist. Sludgy, sea-faring, atmospheric, experimental goodness. I mean, there's Hammond organs, crazy vocals and a trumpet on a nautical-themed album - if it isn't a complete trainwreck then, by process of elimination, it must be awesome.
Rating: 9/10
Laethora - March of the Parasite
I found myself lazily clicking around the cheapest CDs, doing something vaguely resembling lazy research when I came across an interesting band name or album title. When I found out that this was the side project of Dark Tranquillity's guitarist, I immediately mustered all of my available enthusiasm and added it to my cart with an excited "Eh, why not?" (If your sarcasm detectors went off, please reset them and return to your seat. This was only a drill.) Anyway, what I got when listening to this album turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Rather than the anticipated slab of derivative Gothenburg melodeth, I was presented with something more akin to Suffocation. The fact that it is viewed through a Gothenburg filter only serves to make this more interesting. Brutal, dynamic, catchy death metal - definitely a diamond in the rough.
Rating: 8/10
Leash Law - Dogface
For every diamond in the rough, there is - well, rough. What we have here is a fairly average US Power Metal album with a singer who is obviously reaching to imitate a power level that far exceeds his own. The problem isn't that the songs are bad - but they never break past the point of "pretty good." The problem isn't that Wade Black is a poor singer - but in order to carry this material on his own would require abilities on par with Dio, Halford or Dickinson (Amen). If you can't get enough USPM, this might just float your boat - for the rest of us, it is just kinda there.
Rating: 5/10
Overall, I'm quite happy with my bargain bin raids for the past month. With all of the above acquired for a total of less than $20 - I'm going to count this as a success!
There was a period of time where I absolutely abused The End Records' webstore - Age of Silence, Deceased, Subterranean Masquerade, Green Carnation, etc. Did I mention these all came at less than $2.50 each with free shipping? Yeah, those were the good old days (sadly, shipping is no longer included). Granted, deals this good can't be had there anymore, but I figured I'd show the distro some loyalty and give them one more go 'round. I ended up picking up three albums before checking out. I'll get into the details a bit later.
Outside of a couple trips in the days leading up to Halloween, I had not set foot inside a Goodwill to shop in several years - I recently decided to change that. I first went to check out the movies and music (naturally) and, well... Let's just say that I would have donated that stuff too, just to get it out of the house. Thoroughly disappointed in the digital media and not in the market for new-to-me clothes, I fully expected to leave empty-handed. That is until I laid eyes on the bookshelves - I ended up purchasing three books. Symmetry is great isn't it?
So yeah, details. Being stalled in the middle of about three other books right now, I don't have much to say about the books I picked up other than their titles considering I've not read any of them so far. But based on my own taste and the word-of-mouth I've noted, I'm sure that I'll be enjoying myself when I eventually get around to The Andromeda Strain (Crichton), Hyperion (Simmons), and The Time Machine / War of the Worlds (Wells). Yay, incoming sci-fi binge!
Moving on, I actually can make some comments on the albums I purchased. First up:
Those in the know might recall that The Ichthyologist broke into my top ten for 2009 albums. Let me say that I obviously put off listening to their earlier material for far too long - this is more metallic and, dare I say, possibly even better than The Ichthyologist. Sludgy, sea-faring, atmospheric, experimental goodness. I mean, there's Hammond organs, crazy vocals and a trumpet on a nautical-themed album - if it isn't a complete trainwreck then, by process of elimination, it must be awesome.
Rating: 9/10
I found myself lazily clicking around the cheapest CDs, doing something vaguely resembling lazy research when I came across an interesting band name or album title. When I found out that this was the side project of Dark Tranquillity's guitarist, I immediately mustered all of my available enthusiasm and added it to my cart with an excited "Eh, why not?" (If your sarcasm detectors went off, please reset them and return to your seat. This was only a drill.) Anyway, what I got when listening to this album turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Rather than the anticipated slab of derivative Gothenburg melodeth, I was presented with something more akin to Suffocation. The fact that it is viewed through a Gothenburg filter only serves to make this more interesting. Brutal, dynamic, catchy death metal - definitely a diamond in the rough.
Rating: 8/10
For every diamond in the rough, there is - well, rough. What we have here is a fairly average US Power Metal album with a singer who is obviously reaching to imitate a power level that far exceeds his own. The problem isn't that the songs are bad - but they never break past the point of "pretty good." The problem isn't that Wade Black is a poor singer - but in order to carry this material on his own would require abilities on par with Dio, Halford or Dickinson (Amen). If you can't get enough USPM, this might just float your boat - for the rest of us, it is just kinda there.
Rating: 5/10
Overall, I'm quite happy with my bargain bin raids for the past month. With all of the above acquired for a total of less than $20 - I'm going to count this as a success!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Album of the Year: 2010 - #1
And the winner is...
Ihsahn - After
Imagine yourself as a little kid watching a magician for the first time - sitting there in absolute awe, mouth probably hanging agape - not understanding what is actually happening but still loving every second of the performance. That essentially sums up my reaction to this album - I don't fully understand the wizardry that holds this show together and I don't much care, I'm just happy to soak it all in. Taking pages from Opeth, Sigh and his own past work in Emperor and other bands, Ihsahn has written an impressively consistent album considering the diversity in mood and texture throughout. This turns out to be one of those wonderful outings that actually earns its title as progressive metal - by no means is this simply technical noodling masquerading as "progressive." How one manages to tie together black metal, free form jazz, and more groove-based doom and make it work is far beyond my ability to comprehend but I'll chalk it up to wizardry. Well, wizardry, impressive songwriting and excellent production.
To say that Ihsahn is an incredible songwriter is to state the exceedingly obvious, but even considering his incredible back catalogue, After seems like quite a stride forward. Both lyrically and musically, After is a much more complex and mature work than anything he has done before. Take, for instance, the riff work on "A Grave Inversed" - the main verse riff gives the feeling of falling through some sort of vortex and that sensation is only heightened when a masterfully incorporated saxophone comes into play. Really, this is the pinnacle of that wizardry I've referred to on multiple occasions - Sigh is the only other band I can recall adding sax to metal with any success and this well surpasses what they have been able to achieve in that realm. Honestly, I'm not quite willing to name this as the best album that Ihsahn has had a hand in during his career, but the mere fact that I'm willing to mention it in the same breath as all-time masterpieces like In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is pretty impressive for a solo work this deep into a career. Given the strong conclusion to his solo trilogy, I'm very interested to see what comes "after" for Ihsahn. (Oh please, you didn't think you were going to get out of this without the obligatory pun, did you?)
Best Tracks: A Grave Inversed, Frozen Lakes on Mars
Rating: 10/10
Imagine yourself as a little kid watching a magician for the first time - sitting there in absolute awe, mouth probably hanging agape - not understanding what is actually happening but still loving every second of the performance. That essentially sums up my reaction to this album - I don't fully understand the wizardry that holds this show together and I don't much care, I'm just happy to soak it all in. Taking pages from Opeth, Sigh and his own past work in Emperor and other bands, Ihsahn has written an impressively consistent album considering the diversity in mood and texture throughout. This turns out to be one of those wonderful outings that actually earns its title as progressive metal - by no means is this simply technical noodling masquerading as "progressive." How one manages to tie together black metal, free form jazz, and more groove-based doom and make it work is far beyond my ability to comprehend but I'll chalk it up to wizardry. Well, wizardry, impressive songwriting and excellent production.
To say that Ihsahn is an incredible songwriter is to state the exceedingly obvious, but even considering his incredible back catalogue, After seems like quite a stride forward. Both lyrically and musically, After is a much more complex and mature work than anything he has done before. Take, for instance, the riff work on "A Grave Inversed" - the main verse riff gives the feeling of falling through some sort of vortex and that sensation is only heightened when a masterfully incorporated saxophone comes into play. Really, this is the pinnacle of that wizardry I've referred to on multiple occasions - Sigh is the only other band I can recall adding sax to metal with any success and this well surpasses what they have been able to achieve in that realm. Honestly, I'm not quite willing to name this as the best album that Ihsahn has had a hand in during his career, but the mere fact that I'm willing to mention it in the same breath as all-time masterpieces like In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk is pretty impressive for a solo work this deep into a career. Given the strong conclusion to his solo trilogy, I'm very interested to see what comes "after" for Ihsahn. (Oh please, you didn't think you were going to get out of this without the obligatory pun, did you?)
Best Tracks: A Grave Inversed, Frozen Lakes on Mars
Rating: 10/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)