Before telling about the new release of band SICth, I will remember the first single from other newcomers - Velatria (I wrote a review of their first single before). No, this time review will be not neutral, but positive. I just want to leave this thought in intro. If guys from Velatria think that they will become famous, barely picking up the instruments, guys from SICth have something that these badass really lacked.
My Rating: 76/100
Source: diskunion.net
Previously, I did not hear band SICth - only previews. And now I listened and am ready to talk about their third release. At first glance, this band also has all the signs of a one-day project: monosyllabic naming, a strong emphasis on visual components, fuzzy genre boundaries and fuzzy wordings in lirycs. Fortunately, it all ends on external signs. If usually such releases are like a plastic toy, then here you can feel not just professional work.
Composer's work is good. But a separate point I would like to note that I did not understand the original idea of composer. On the one side, instrumental parts are not very complicated. On the other side, general constructions don't create very strong emotions. Well, professionals don't have to be understood. But nevertheless, many accompanying shades testify in favor of good work.
Vocalist is also good. Initially, I did not understand vocalist's ability. But composer correctly composed the vocal parts, revealing many of the charms of this vocalist. The only bad thing is the very predictable structure of vocals. However, not everyone likes surprises.
Instrumental parts are not very complicated. An overdriven guitar (which looks like a crunch) sounds rather weak. But guitar solos are cool. I also liked the idea of using the rotation effect. Also here are keyboards. Hammond organ at the beginning of first track is a nice touch. Solo on synthesizer in second track is also cool. You can also note the rather difficult bass lines in first track. In second track, bass lines are less complex, but that sounds cool too. But rhythm section continues on drums. Both tracks have a rather intense drum patterns. But if in first track it’s just a regular pattern, in second track drums sound more interesting.
What can be said at the end? It's a cool guys. They have good opportunities - and they use them. So far this is a little-known band and this release is rather rare. Yes, in two years of existence it was possible to come up with a more effective tactic. However, it's better this way than quickie. And if they take the path that I assume, then I can say that they have a good future.
Usually I don't pay attention to popular bands - degree of fame is not an quality indicator. But the classical bands from 80's are a special phenomenon. They have a special charm that can be explained quite simply. But I will not explain all features for a long time. I will talk about new album of band Loudness.
My Rating: 82/100
Source: metal-archives.com
80's ended, 90's began - the time of musical experiments. This also affected this band. In period from 2000 to 2010, band's work was something incomprehensible. First a strange album Pandemonium (2001). Then doom metal in album Terror (2004). Then there is progressive sound on dropped tuning in albums Breaking the Taboo (2006), Metal Mad (2008) and The Everlasting (2009). And only King Of Pain (2010) marked a return to classical sound on standard tuning.
Well, band has a very rich experience, so you expect a special sound from them. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find something very special here - classical hard-n-heavy has long been researched from beginning to end and it's hard to come up with anything new in this field in our time. But nevertheless it's worth noting that composer managed to make the compositions interesting and diverse. There are slow tracks (5, 10, 12 tracks), and fast (6, 9 tracks) and instrumental parts very well emphasize the ideas of each of the songs. Also really liked the idea of using "industrial" sounds to emphasize the idea (6 tracks).
Vocalist has long proved his high skill level. And now again it confirms. His interesting timbre of voice is difficult to describe - you can only enjoy it.
After name Akira Takasaki, comments are superfluous - such a great talent is indecent to discuss. But nevertheless it's necessary to say that guitar parts are performed at highest level. Also worth noting is very interesting construction of riffs. It would seem that there is nothing complicated, but it makes a great impression. Sometimes you can hear segments on clean - this perfectly complements the constructions. About guitar solos do not say - they are so beautiful. Rhythm section is also very diverse and interesting. Here, both calm (7, 10 track) and very intense (6, 8, 9 track) parts. Even at a moderate pace the drummer performs very interesting parts (2, 11 tracks). A real master, there's nothing more to say.
This release is for people who are stuck somewhere between the late 70s and early 80s. I don't want to say that it's bad - quality is determined by intellectual value, not the release date. I want to say that here you will not find something new. Well, in this genre has long been nothing new. But real talent does not know the word "genre".
Well, first days of year are not presented with any new releases. Therefore, we will consider something released earlier. Recently on Twitter, I came across the account of an interesting musician Kevin Lytle. Also, I recently found out that he has an album about which I will tell today.
Source:
kevinlytle.bandcamp.com
My Rating: 75/100
I will not be write with pathos like "I am very rarely surprised, but ...". I'll just say that album is pretty good. When I finished listening to this album, I couldn't say anything about it. Really. I am currently writing this review, but I don't know what to write. I was very surprised by methods of artistic task solving: minimum quantity, but used to maximum. Guy just plays guitar and sings. Thats all. There are no borders, no labels, no prejudices. Here I remembered phrase of Mikhail Kalashnikov "Creating a simple is harder than creating a complex".
Do I need to say the album turned out to be interesting? I think this is superfluous. An even, monotonous narrative with rather deep texts permeates this album from beginning to the end. Because of this, album has its own special, oppressive atmosphere. At first it seems that this is quickie. Until we hear a voice. First of all, it should be noted that vocalist does't use all his abilities. Here we hear a monotonous narrative - this is by no means the pinnacle of mastery. But here vocal parts amazingly accurately emphasize the lyrics. An exception is 4 track - vocal technique can't be appropriate for this lyric.
Instrumental parties don't shine with any particular originality and complexity. Fans of a technical playing here will not find something interesting. But they are composed very accurately, supplementing the voice and lyrics. The only inconvenient moment is traced in tracks 7 and 9 - instrumental parts are poorly compatible with voice. Nevertheless, I very rarely hear such an accurate solution to an artistic task. Therefore, a detailed description of instrumental parts is quite difficult.
For the reasons stated above, I can't accurately describe this album. What can I talk about, if I couldn't even genre name? But it made a great impression on me. Formulated the task and performed it - this is simple. Someone might say that it's boring. But this is real skill.
After a several reviews, I decided to write how I do it. That is, what and how I value. But first I want to clarify one important point. Criticism - is not just stretching the phrase "I did't like" for three or four thousand symbols. Criticism is a very valuable tool for musicians and listeners. Criticism creates understanding. What the musician(-s) did, how he did it, how it looks from the outside, what the overall structure looks like - this is also a large amount of work.
So, let's begin. First we have an introduction. There may be some prequel here. There can be a story about what led me to listening this release. Here there can be reflections on various genre shades (especially if it does't enter into my personal preferences). There can be reflections on thinking / behavior of project members. Or maybe some stuff that first came to mind.
You already noticed, I use rating system. Rating is measured in parrots. For those who don't understand - this meme from this cartoon. It matters "an intuitive assessment that is not attached to strict standards."
And I also mark my assessment with different colors. You could notice the green and yellow. But I will use more.
From 0 to 24 - Red. Absolutely unlistenable shit.
From 25 to 49 - Orange. Project is trying to do something, but there is not enough of something significant.
From 50 to 84 - Yellow. Quite a diverse category. There are wonderful talents here, which were not enough for something. It can be completely devoid of talent persons, who put their best to the limit of their abilities. Or another doll with serious support from the outside.
From 85 to 100 - Green. Excellent masters work, in which everything was fine.
Yes, your eyes have not deceived you. "Green" segment is just 15 points. There is nothing surprising. Average ("yellow") rating is a very wide variety, and "green" rating is not a frequent occurrence. I have so far evaluated only four releases. And I also try not to listen to releases that I can estimate lower than 30. My favorite music is that it's rather complicated and interesting, and turning it into something completely unintelligible - you have to try to do this. I can also refuse evaluation. For example, if result of work is priceless, or there may be great difficulties in evaluating an extremely specific work .
But let's return to our musicians. Introduction somehow smoothly flows into evaluation of the whole work. I try not to make harsh statements and categorically evaluate this or that element. I understand that people can't be the same, everyone thinks differently. Nevertheless, first composer work is evaluated: general sructure, subject of the narrative (if any), setting of artistic task, methods of its implementation, variety of these methods.
Then voice is evaluated. Statement of breathing, pronunciation (if the language is not native), a variety of vocal techniques. If there is good hearing and good headphones, then this can all be heard.
And also instrumentalists are evaluated. Instrumental parties are of varying complexity. Depending on complexity and interest of instrumental parts, you can evaluate separately each instrumentalist, individually each subgroup (lead and rhythm section) or just write a few words about everyone. There is a lot of space here, so I don't stick to any narrow patterns.
Conclusion is also a separate story. There necessarily will be an opinion on general intellectual value, assessment of the perspective and some advice (if required).
Love of art is not the only thing that moves me: art can be loved in silence. I also want to convey to musicians and listeners what they lack. I hope I succeed.
I really love playing guitar, but I don't have other instruments. Therefore, writing rhythm section for a long time was a big problem. The solution was the use of VST plug-ins in sequencer. Tried several pieces and decided to compare the most interesting. Today we considering two virtual instruments. First is Fodera Yinyang from Ample Sound. Second is Scarbee pre-bass from Native Instruments.
Fodera Yinyang
Let's imagine this situation: we will give two different people headphones with an ideally accurate frequency response and ask for opinion. The first is usual average people, which does't see any reason to pay for headphones more than 2 bucks. The second is a person who has good hearing and extensive knowledge about sound (musician, sound engineer, etc.). I think you can imagine what they will say.
Approximately the same thing here. It would seem, four strings, standard tuning, two pickups, well, what can you think of yet? However, from very beginning, you understand that this is something unusual. Then we googled the title of this instrument and see that the same device uses Victor Wooten. A specialist of this level can't take bullshit.
Advantages:
Suitable for soloing and non-standard ideas. Perfect sounding of hammer-on/pull-off, natural harmonics, slap, tapping and scales. Very soft glissando.
There are many different instruments for forming a timbre. There is a distortion here - you can feel like Cliff Burton.
You can choose between active and passive electronics.
Sound is completely processed - there are no unnecessary resonances, noises.
Significantly shortens running time without losing sound quality - many elements are automated. Just write or import midi file into track, select elements of timbre and enjoy result.
Also here is the function Riffer, which makes it easy to compose parts or generate random.
Interface is well thought out - very convenient arrangement of elements.
Disadvantages:
Apply this instrument to a usual rhythm section - it's like digging a garden in a tuxedo. Yes, this plugin has a very interesting sound, but to pull the fourth string under the bass drum is better to choose something else.
It requires a lot of CPU resources.
Automation erases some shades. For example, here is a strange (for real instrument) algorithm for switching strings, but it can't be done manually.
Scarbee pre-bass
Sound of legendary Fender Precision Bass '72 is now available in VST format. Further description is pointless: this instrument has been showing excellent sound for decades. Users are given a clean sound. Absolutely clean - sound was recorded in a line.
Advantages:
A raw sound that can be finely tuned in accordance with your artistic task.
Extensive possibilities: suitable for soloing and rhythm section. Everything depends only on your artistic task, your knowledge, your imagination and the resources of your cpu.
Strings can be switched manually. This is very important: one note can be played in different ways, but usually only one sound is recorded.
Composer not only hears, but also sees the process. Below the neck there is a text footnote that displays the last note and the last used articulation.
Minimum interface elements is only what is needed.
Disadvantages:
Bad suitable for non-standard ideas.
The need for fine-tuning sound is a lot of time spent. Add an cabinet emulator, remove resonances and noise. Not everyone likes this. And also the whole process of processing can take much more CPU resources than previous plug-in.
Do you think that simplicity is a small amount of CPU resources? This is not always true. This plugin is just part of one large Kontakt platform, which is very demanding on CPU.
I think you saw a lot in terms of guitar body design. But designers don't cease to amaze. On Internet, I noticed an interesting guitar - Villanizer.
Yes, steampunk style is very attractive because it allows creating very illogical designs. And sometimes you can even stick a few gears and proudly hang a label "steampunk." Nevertheless, an interesting approach is evident here. Protrusions, imitating rivets, create impression of an iron construction. Image of rust and abrasions is always a good solution. Bronze hardware are also an interesting solution. Also in the gap, you can see something that gives feeling of an iron frame. Another interesting solution is placement of a pressure meter on one of edges. Designer thought out the concept of steam machine well.
In Russia, people are always looking for opportunities to do something themselves. For example, a guitar pedal: in Russia it's very expensive. Yes, there is a company Yerasov, but this company has a very small production and can't fully satisfy the great demand.
On YouTube, I found two videos that describe process of self-manufacturing guitar overdrive pedal.
Diagram shows that technically this is fuzz, but sound will be overdrive. Author of video claims that this device is costs 200 rub (3.37 USD). Price includes only components of chip and knobs - the rest is free. Case is made of a candy box. But instead of a printed circuit board, cardboard is used. Also, instead of a button, a simple switcher was installed. Therefore it's impossible to call it a pedal - switching is done by hand (not by foot). Also, author did not attach power socket (beginners usually don't have a power supply), instead there is a place for connecting a "PP3" type battery.
First video shows the scheme and build process. Author did not comment on installation of each element, but only highlighted it in red. Also an important detail: negative must be connected to case.
On second video you can hear sound that this device creates. It's impossible to play serious concerts with this, but for an beginner's level it's a great option.
This month began with a trip to post office. There I received a parcel from Tokyo.What could it be? For me, the answer was obvious. This is 60th issue of Metallion magazine.
Rino's face on the cover is a masterpiece. This is not a review, so I will be brief. I will write only what I noticed at a cursory examination. Next page meets the reader's photo with band Fate Gear and also information about the events and releases.
I could't pass Aldious. I mean the cutest member.
Next band is Lovebites. I can't completely retell content of interview because it's exclusive content. The only thing I can write from this is that the song Liar was originally created for band A Drop Of Joker (this is previous Mi-ya band). Before she wrote on Twitter that song Scream For Me was also created for this band. Now it becomes clear why these songs violate overall picture of album.
But back to the magazine. Next, my attention was drawn to pages with band Mary's Blood. Metal bands like various industrial construction as background. The text I decided to cover up, as it was very clearly visible in photo.
And poster.
This is not all content, here are a few more fragments that attracted my attention.
I can't tell you everything that is written, but I will use this information in new reviews.
Technological progress does't stand still and it gives composers more opportunities. First, recording studio became virtual. Now instruments have become virtual. No, not only synthesizers, but also high-grade guitar / bass samplers, sound of which almost does't differ from real instruments.
Today I want to compare two virtual guitars. First is Ample Metal Eclipse from Ample Sound. Sound of real ESP Eclipse guitar is now in a small application. Guitar has a Drop C tuning and it's very suitable for modern sound. Second is RealEight from Musiclab. It's hard to say what kind of guitar is this - fashion for lowered tuning gave a start to production of a large numbers extended range guitars.
So, let's begin.
Ample Metal Eclipse
Black body, black fretboard, black pickups and only strings, inlay, frets and machine heads glint with evil glint. It looks very cool.
Advantages:
And it sounds very cool. Very high quality, deep, rich sound.
Drop C Tuning. The usual six-string, but it fits well with modern sound, where an extended range is required. Also, this is a rarity for this company - usually this is standard E or Drop D.
Ease. You don't need much knowledge. A few clicks - and guitar part is ready.
Humanization. You can make a guitar sound very close to what you get when playing a real guitarist on a real guitar. But unlike the next example, this happens automatically.
Several options for writing guitar parts. In addition to standard "Strummer" you can import guitar tabs in GP format. Also there is an excellent function called Riffer. This feature makes it easy to create riffs. It's also possible to generate a random riff: you only need to select measure size, key and chord.
You can create a timbre. In "FX" tab there are most popular pedals: compressor, overdrive, equalizer, chorus, phaser, delay, reverb and wah-wah.
Disadvantages:
Despite the long development, plugin is still unstable. Can refuse to work at any time.
Plugin requires a lot of CPU resources. That is, you need a very powerful computer.
He sees only Cubase / Nuendo and only 8 and higher versions.
RealEight
At first it's difficult to focus on one thing: there are not only many strings, but also many elements on control panel. In a few minutes, poking at random begins to understand more.
Advantages:
Installing the plugin, you can immediately two instruments: guitar and bass.
Wide range. There are additional strings - seventh (B1) and eighth (F#1). Bass is an octave lower.
Thin settings. You can form almost any sound. Probably, for this reason, this was called "Real."
Requires little CPU. Suitable for weak computers.
Any sequencer sees it.
Disadvantages:
Sound can't be called qualitative. Usual Chinese eight-string for 150-200 USD.
Sound has a very turbid attack.
Requires a lot of knowledge. At first it may seem that it's intended for beginners who have a weak computer. But this impression is deceptive. This is very difficult to understand.
Difficulties don't end there. This plugin sees only standard patterns. Non-standard patterns with this - it's a real misery. Importing custom MIDI files to working directory does't give anything.
If you are exploring modern Japanese music for a long time, then you can notice this beautiful girl. Such talent is hard to miss. For the first time I noticed in this project.
Of course, the word "girl" doesn't quite fit, but in we in Russia has a phrase "girls are always 18 years old, the rest is experience". So, recently was issued preview of first single.
Strong, domineering personality
is noticeable at first sight.
First thing to notice is that now this is not a copy of Around The Nation, which was band Disqualia. At the time of their second single, I asked myself: "Dis-" means "Asunder", "-qualia" means ... "Quality"? Yes, during the activity of this band, strange artistic decisions were made.
But back to video. Now this is something completely new. In first track there is a very intense rhythm section. Also noticeably an abundance of scales on guitar. Melodious is the main thing. That's right decision.
Vocal techniques are now completely different. I can't say that I expected such a voice. Perhaps this is done for better readability of lyrics. And lyrics are pretty affected and expressive.
Fragment of second track is too short, it's difficult to analyze. But I can say that this work is supposed to be quite interesting. And if work is as I suppose, then the rating can be 85-90 out of 100.
When I pick up a shovel, sometimes I imagine that it's a guitar. But then I stop doing it - prosaic reality puts everything in its place. But later I learned that a guitar really can be made from a shovel. The first in the world to full-scale production came up with leader of band "Krasnaya Plesen" Pavel Yatsyna.
Video shows manufacturing process. Comedy style of narration is typical for this band. And even now he adheres to this style. At 2:50 author of video tries to play on this instrument. And sound is better than for cheap sticks for 250-300 USD. This fact makes you think. Also on the video there is a second guitar made of a shovel. Also on the video there is a bass guitar made from a shovel. As you can see, human ingenuity is unlimited.
I really like to play video games and always look for free time for game. But today I remembered about game, which combines my two favorite passions - playing games and rock music.
This is Rock'N'Roll Racing. There are many different versions, but I prefer the version for Sega Mega Drive / Sega Genesis. As you can guess from title, it's a race. But here there are several principal differences. If in other games cars fall apart from one touch with something, then for the leadership it's necessary to destroy opponents. Of course, with weapons. Yes, you were not mistaken. It's not just a race, it's real survival.
You thought it would be easy?
And only soundtrack made me write a separate post about this game. The playlist is impressive.
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Henry Mancini - The Peter Gunn Theme
Deep Purple - Highway Star
Golden Earring - Radar Love
Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild
George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone
Oh yes, destroy all - this is very consistent with the spirit of rock'n'roll.
Whatever you say, but the 30-year frontier always changes a person. But everyone has this change in different ways. Aya Kamiki for the first 12 years of her career was another pop chick who produced one-time-listen albums. In 2015, it changed scope - now the main pattern has significantly complicated, and the lyrics have become more interesting. At first it was a band Uroboros, in which Takayoshi Omura participated. But this project did not last long. Now we see a similar project.
My rating: 81/100
Source - amazon.co.jp
Uroboros was initially doomed to a short existence - a person who yesterday came from pop music was difficult to write typical metal lirycs, and also to keep a high-ranged voice for a long time. Therefore, next project has more pop elements. At first glance, it looks boring - there standard way to hook a listeners. And if I listened once, then rating would be 50-55 out of 100. But if you listen carefully, you can notice that these girls are pretty good. A very large work of composer is noticeable. On the basis of a simple pattern, amazing compositions were created. I will say more: 99% of this result is work of composer. The remaining 1% is the clothes.
As for voice - the feelings are ambiguous. A certain musical genre is not only an hairstyle and clothes, but also a set of certain abilities. It's noticeable that vocalist is trying to apply previously obtained abilities. 12 years of career in pop music, where the requirements for vocalists are lower - and suddenly metal, where very high requirements. Applying pop singing for metal is a strange decision. Yes, compositions contain a lot of pop elements. Yes, we saw many successful examples of use pop singing in metal, for example, Fruitpochette, Land Helios or Babymetal. But it's strange decision.
Instrumental is wonderful. About such a wonderful guitarist, it's hard to say something bad - an amazing technique and exceptionally accurate performance. And where there is Miya - there is always a keyboards. Keyboards parts are inserted very successfully, complementing the beautiful imagines. This is all I can say about the instrumentalist - so beautiful performance.
I suppose that this project will not last long either - two or three years. Lovebites, where Miya is a guitarist, has a greater significance than this project. Something similar we saw with A Drop Of Joker, which was crushed by 21Grams. As for vocalist, her previous project also did not last long. However, there are reasons to assume that Uroboros was a small experiment and this project will be long-playing.
Band name is Malachite. They exist only a few months. But from the beginning they show an excellent performing.
Good job. Lyrics is poorly audible, but voice is good. Instrumental is wonderful. Of course, blast-beat and overhand tapping is not something new. But composition sounds good. It's too early to say anything, but I see good perspective for this project.
I really enjoy playing guitar and looking forward to free time to practice. But carrying all your staff is very difficult - pedalboard and amplifier are very heavy. Heavy, like my favorite music.
Nevertheless, I often want to play guitar. I tried to look for such software for phones. Found only for iOS, but due to low incomes I can't afford to buy an iPhone. So I tried to find something similar for android. I have not found. And today I came across this video.
I don't know this language, but it's easy to guess the purpose of these actions. First, andrig is installed on android device. Next, through the usb adapter to the device android connects an external sound card. This sound card can be bought for 1-2 bucks on Alibaba. A guitar is connected to the input. On the output there is a loudspeaker. Any loudspeaker is suitable.
This is a very good idea, because it allows you to carry your entire staff in a small bag.
Recently I came across this video. Dude tried to use fidget spinner as a guitar pick. Delight on face can be understood, since it allows you to play fast scales and tremolo. After watching, I remembered about this video.
Rip E-string. But guy find out simple trick to playing the guitar like a Pro. Musicians hate him.
Have you seen other unusual Guitar Picks? Write about it in comments.
Well, I have long wanted to create a blog where me could write down his own thoughts. And let's start with something funny. A live performance of the band is always a demonstration of skills. But here something went wrong.
Band name is “Kolizei” (“Colosseum”). They perform a beautiful song “Zvezda Polyn'” (“Artemisia Star”). But only lyric is beautiful here.
Hot start. But in the middle of the first verse guitarist have some problems. He begins to stray from the rhythm. Several slides - this is obviously a show-off and a way to save the situation. But unsuccessfully - because of this, he began to stray even more.
Instead of a solo some random set of sounds. A reward for this is a blow to the head and laughter of the audience. Teach your parts and don't be like this guy.
