Showing posts with label 2002. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2002. Show all posts

Saturday 29 April 2023

Frank Klepacki "Morphscape" (2002)

 
 
Frank Klepacki, creator of the timeless Command & Conquer soundtracks that have obsessed me since playing the classic Westwood Studios games in my youth. His debut solo release Morphscape is no unknown entity. Yet despite discovering it many moons ago, it seems this musical gem never really registered. Released after Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge, this is clearly a collection of leftovers from those sessions.
 
The unabashed aesthetics and niche stylistic framework remains intact. A jiving fusion of Industrial grit, futuristic Electronic, Funk bass grooves and on occasion, a slab of Metal through distortion guitars. These elements meet on bold ground, punching stiff melodies and rhythms into the fold. Controlled chaos emerges as layers of crowded sound compete for dominance, a familiar yet strange charm resonates again.

On its surface much of Frank's compositions seem tacky and unhinged. Despite its crude union of snappy instruments, immersion emerges through the various pivots that signal intention and direction. Best are the plastic sweeping synths, often arriving unexpected, manipulating a lively adventure with a soft passing emotional depth.

Quality is reasonably varied, as are the particular styles explored. Although I enjoyed all but one of these cuts, only a couple felt they could have offered the original soundtracks something extra. The other songs bore much resemblance to originals, with similar ideas, arrangements and aesthetics being spun with less magnetism.

That leaves us with one song, Gonna Rock Yo Body. Clearly his passion project, Frank pays tribute to legend Afrika Bambaataa and the Planet Rock musical blueprint. It illuminates some vague Hip Hop related influences lurking elsewhere on the record. On first listen, a comical, quirky take. With repeated listens its stark unapologetic nature becomes tiresome. An odd blemish among a fine collection of C&C songs.
 
Rating: 6/10

Thursday 17 November 2022

Mudvayne "The End Of All Things To Come" (2002)

 

Following up on L.D. 50, here is another "what could have been" record of my Nu Metal era youth. I vividly remember a close friend showing off the album art and raving about the music. Of course Not Falling is now somewhat of a downtrodden metallic anthem. One for Millennials needing to wallowing in ones woes. Its a powerful but moody song, flexing between aggression, torment and loathing indulgences. Like their classic Dig, it builds to a fiery release of tension, unleashed with half of a bouncy groove still holding on to its grievances, never quite going all the way in.

The End Of All Things To Come was a surprising maturing of ideals expressed last time. Thoughtfully channeling the syncopation to impactful riffs, toning down the overt Korn influences, this cloudy chromatic aesthetic edges out more from Gray. He finds a range of unique strains on his vocal chords to fire frictions and contrasts with the de-saturated texture his band forges. The rhythm section has power in force, chopping out grooves while melodic outbursts seem sullen and rainy in muted vibrancy.

Considering its sixty nine minutes long, the record lacks bloat. A real sense of care surrounds these songs, traversing a broader multitude of ideas with refined craft and expressive intent. It's a subtle shift away from the bouncy boom of Nu Metal, a further exploration of Jazz and Progressive musical ideas. Tribbet's guitar riffs often slam simple rhythms housed in different time signatures. Backed by the creative drive of drummer McDonough and dexterous musicality of bassist Martinie, it plays a delight.

Moments of expansive percussion, utilizing tom atmospheric drums, hazy looping guitar leads and progressive song structures, alluded that Tool were likely a keen influence on the band at this time. This retrospective has given much appreciation for a band I once considered just part of the fad. Mudvayne have much more to offer than typical Nu Metal bands, this record really defines their creativity and uniqueness. I know things take a turn from here, to stay on this path could of really been something!

Rating: 8.5/10

Monday 23 May 2022

Sum 41 "Does This Look Infected?" (2002)

 

I've had nothing but fun with this cheap and cheerful record! Following up on a massive breakout with All Killer, No Filler, the Canadian Pop Punk outfit keep things simple and straightforward with a fraction of polish around the edges. Fast and fiery, the forty minutes of Does This Look Infected? storms out the gate with all energy intact. Keeping one foot on the gas, the band blaze through the motions with moments of dazzle and creativity as crafty vocal cadences, harmonies and interchanging guitar arrangements seem to frequently add spice to the mold these songs are cast from.

Lyrically, a similar sense of unrealized maturity emerges. The youthful angst, anger, adrenaline and notions of identity expressed get caught in a web of casual language. All to often does a streak of self awareness seem to offer a subtle antidote to teenage woes. It perhaps something I could of done with myself in those painful years. The only cheese I smelt came through their fun Beastie Boy raps, taking shots at the conformists suits! An amusing topic but one that seems far more relevant in youth.

The group have a streak of Heavy Metal adoration best pronounced with their Pain For Pleasure tribute. On this outing, Reign In Pain, the "Heavy Metal Jamboreee", follows this up and extends the style shift with World War 7 Part 2 to close the record out. These are significantly unpopular songs acording to Spotify but on the popular tunes, Still Waiting, No Brains, Mr.Amsterdam Billy Spleen, one can hear injections of classic Thrash Metal guitar riffs swiftly sliding into the solid Pop Punk structure.

Obviously, this is a delight to me. I do find it interesting how blunt of a Metallica riff they can just push into the albums biggest song... and it works! A lack of familiarity has aided greatly with this one, the lack of knowing and detachment of youthful memories was a breath of fresh air. I am sure this journey will get more exciting with the next installment, Chuck. I'm told it takes a much bigger shift towards Metal.

Rating: 7/10

Saturday 5 March 2022

Dimmu Borgir "World Misanthropy" (2002)

 

I just couldn't help myself. There is yet a couple more Dimmu Borgir records I desire to write about. World Misanthropy is a six track bonus disc, part of a DVD released the year after Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. I actually have the vinyl edition, a nice rarity! As far as additional music goes, Dimmu have stated they have pretty much released every song recorded and this EP only offers one additional song, as well as a re-recording of Devil's Path and four solid live performances from Wacken 2001.

Until writing now, I had never pondered where the song came from. Masses For The New Messiah sounds very much from the Spiritual Black Dimensions era. Its lack of an Astennu solo hints it may have been written after is swift departure. Its lead guitar melodies ring in Silenoz's ETD tone. If it was a left over, the weaker intro my explain why. The first minute or so pushes big cheesy synth hooks that get recycled a couple of times. Everything outside this chugging grind of bold aggression is wonderful though. A lavish exploration of darkly synth manifesting through a variety of passages. It leads to a gratifying conclusion of serine uplift and sparkling keys glistening over top of drawn out power chords. It does plunge back into the shadows of aggression right at the end, feeling as if a climax for the song happened to eluded the band.

The re-recording "Devil's Path 2000" has a welcome glossy acoustic guitar intro stitched in the front. As a song restoring the power of their old sound, its additional infusion of keys over its brimming distortion guitars gives the song a revitalized glory. The guitar solo is completely rewritten too, going for a scaling Power Metal vibe. I think I prefer the original solo more. The rest of the song could be "better" but honestly they feel like different interpretations. The original, a darker meaner beast and this newer one gives more weight to the respite and uplift from its evil dimension.

The following four live songs are fantastic. Unlike Godless Savage Garden, the audio quality is a lot better. Only the guitars seem a little quite and guarded. A few vocal switches, baseline changes and synth arrangements give a keen fan something to latch onto for the live performance too. The band execute the songs wonderfully. Between tracks Shagrath gives me a mighty laugh, declaring "Darkness has its attraction, which everyone can feel! Only hypocrites deny!". Hilarious, love this band.

Rating: 6/10

Sunday 9 May 2021

The Kovenant "In Times Before The Light" (2002)

 
Its interesting how a legal battle incurred not only a name change but also a shift in sound and identity for this Norwegian duo. Nexus Polaris would suggest this transformation was possible but it was Animatronic that solidified it, the first album released under The Kovenant name. A few years on from that record the pair decided to re-record their debut full length In Time Before The Light. Under their new moniker, the approach was to re-write the songs in their new Industrial infused aesthetic and the results are mixed.

Staying faithful to the original song structures, it is mainly the instrumentation that gets an update to match the fantastical dystopian sound. Without the measured pace of Industrial Metal guitars churning out choppy palm muted chords the original riffs rub up against its now lavish synth sounds. So to do the blast beats, when the atypical plunges into Black Metal darkness come, its a point the music is at its weakest.

Much of the original lone and linear synth lines feel stripped out, replaced with Industrial noises and re-worked textural tones for the new electronic enhanced aesthetic. Over top of them reigns a lavish dance of illustrious pianos, blazing through rapturous melodies, outpacing the music with its hasty notation. Along for the ride come the retro spooky and carnival keys too, they often sound a little suspect in presence.

 The better songs beforehand tend to hold up here but overall, its hard to enjoy this one being able to hear how these songs were converted. Sticking so rigidly to the original track design creates an odd contrast, where the musicality excels individually against outdated songs structures. In other words this wondrous sound the duo fell into moved with their songwriting too. Ultimately it leaves a stale taste but has me curious what I would think had I gotten to know these re-recordings first?

Rating: 5/10

Sunday 10 January 2021

Papa Roach "Lovehatetragedy" (2002)

 
My recent dive into the past with Infest had me thinking on their followup record Lovehatetragedy, a very Emo oriented title perhaps signifying a coming departure from Nu Metal that would follow this record. It occurred to me that upon release I devoured this album but had left it in the dust, never listening to it again once that period in life had passed. So today I thought I'd give it another spin, see what I remember, possibly enjoy and how its aged over the last two decades.

Kicking off with M-80, high adrenaline guitars rip through some exciting riffs, the theme of musical love amps up the energy, setting quite the upbeat tone for this record. Sadly it is short lived, Life Is A Bullet spins next and it starts flooding back. Lovehatetragedy is a slug of self indulged misery. Song after song has Shaddix spewing his particular craft of self defeating sorrow that glorifies all suffering in a moment without resolve. To find him some merit, its catchy writing, his choruses have a knack to them, cheesy ear worms I'm glad I had once forgotten. This is painful.

The band behind him bring back a very similar aesthetic. The approach to songwriting is as before, the rhythm guitars tend to pivot away from syncopation and metallic groove, with more hazy, melodic tinged chord arrangements creeping in. It plays into their emotional angle, which has become simply unbearable for me to endure. Its more cast iron Nu Metal with an emphasis on the lonely, moody wallowing tone that often accompanies the worst of the genres tropes.

 The record starts reasonably well, a few pre-Infest songs re-recorded bolster its aggression but as it drones on the songs get drearier in tone or quite possibly my tolerance is being challenged, ending with a string of awful tracks. Its been amusing to hear how many lyrics and choruses come back to mind from memory, pretty much all of it. The depressing nature is just to much to bare. I found myself skipping a few tracks halfway, wishing the torture to end! I am a big believer in finding reasons to love music but record is too wrapped up in awful memories and its clear that Shaddix's words don't offer much in the way of help to someone in this dark space.

Rating: 2/10

Saturday 19 December 2020

Bathory "Nordland I" (2002)

Another epic journey concludes as we embark on Quorthon's final works, essentially a double album that rekindles the flames of old, having lost his footing through the nineties. Sadly we may never know where he would venture on from this high point, his untimely demise coming just over a year on from the release of Nordland II. Supposedly linked to heart conditions it is often speculated that Bathory never toured for this reason. At this stage of his career though, he was truly a one man band, not only writing but performing all the music that makes up these records. Both are of the same studio session with little distinction between its two halves. It made sense to write about them together in one single post, so that will come next and for now we will focus the journey this infamous artist has taken us on to get here.

Starting out in the mid 80s, the early records are gritty, edgy and ambitious, pushing boundaries which seem tame and cheesy by today's standards. That is precisely the legacy though! With The Return, many ideas emerge that would become staples of the Norwegian scene in the 90s. Its not until Under The Sign Of The Black Mark that something special sparks. Still hammering out the extremes, his songwriting elevates, outlasting the gimmicks and giving us a glimpse of whats to come in the next few years. The introduction of synth on Enter The Eternal Fire also a remarkable idea, a clear traceable linage to the many Symphonic Black Metal bands yet to come.

Blood Fire Death marks a true stride of genius. Clearly growing as an artist, the Nordic inspiration of his heritage and Viking roots brings fresh, original ideas to Metal. It all flourishes with a pivot to focus on this spirit alone with the mighty Hammerheat, putting Quorthon at the heart of two big musical movements set to evolve over the next decades with him practically checking out and pivoting to Thrash Metal during its decline. It is this era that highlights something forgivable in the early days, sound production. Whatever the reasons, the harsh abominable aesthetics hinder much of the output moving through the 90s. Its been a stain on much of the music, with Blood On Ice providing just a little relief along the way.

 Fortunately the Nordland saga is finely produced. Still a little harshness lingers but the two have a fair aesthetic for music we will talk about in the next post. One thing is for sure, early Bathory is essential listening for fans of Black Metal and Viking Metal, those first five records plant the seeds of so much music to come. On a personal level, it was really fun to get back to these records, rediscovering some fascinations from my youth and getting a much fuller picture of a patchy career with ups and downs, ultimately ending on a high note!

Rating: 8/10

Sunday 15 November 2020

Fragment "Unknown" (2002)

 

In the frenzy of a musical high, scouring my archives for a sample I needed, I stumbled upon a lone MP3 obtained probably over a decade ago, the song Negative Patterns. Standing as a ten minute epic of early Djent tone insanity, I scrambled to find the full record online. Turns out this band once opened for Meshuggah and this, their only record, was produced by none other than Fredrik Thordendal, who lends his distinct lead style for a solo on that same track. In that moment It felt like I had stumbled onto a gem but having had time to sit with it the take away isn't so good.

My excitement was mainly triggered by the Chaosphere / Nothing era tone. There may be a plethora of imitation and influenced bands around today but in 2002, not so much! It's also Meshuggah's later guitar work that became their legacy so finding a project in this vein is less common. In terms of originality, Fragment offers little new to the formula. Their singer emulates the flat monotone shouts of Jens and the guitar is a slug fest of all the same low end chugging arrangements. Anything higher up the fret board comes with the expectant "alien" melodic feel. Even the drums deploy the same tricks, switching from open hi-hat to splash cymbal to give a riff renewed groove.

With three mediocre interludes of reflective, astral ambience the four songs of erratic Extreme Metal barrage with little relation to its synth counterparts. They toil endlessly in a low end choppy slog of oddly timed grooves looping up under a 4/4 percussive pattern. Its remarkable how little creativity is brewed here. This monotone pummeling literally spans the runtime with differentiating one or two note grooves over and over again, endlessly. Discordant lead guitar refrains give the relentlessness relief but never lead to anything other than another churning of complex picking rhythms.

In all my supposed criticism, one can enjoy this record if your into this style, which I am. It has it's moments, occasions where some pivot into a new riff has renewed aggression and sway. What is disappointing is lack of originality. The group are somehow unable to put forth any new idea's Meshuggah had not already. Because of all this, my initial excitement faded quickly. Unknown is essentially a one trick pony and that trick isn't theirs. Competent production by Mr Thordendal, invigorates the musics aggression and tone, salvaging the best of what would of otherwise suffered. Worth a listen if you want more of the Chaosphere era sound!

Rating: 5/10

Sunday 28 June 2020

Xzibit "Man VS Machine" (2002)


Following up on the mixed bag that was Restless, Xzibit brings a surprising amount of coherence to his forth album. Man VS Machine has a similar tone and entourage with Dr. Dre, Snoop and Eminem returning among others, as well as new collaborates DJ Premier and M.O.P. Kicking off with a typical self affirming braggadocio track, the substance then starts with Release Date, a tale of being released from jail and building a mentality for the transition. Its a moment where his rhymes grab your attention and handle a narrative. It happens rather frequently on the albums journey.

Man VS Machine is not without its tarnish, some features feel routine, a few stale overproduced beats and a couple of trashy raunchy songs in the mix but this streak of substance in X's rhymes stand out. He is still firmly rough and tough on the mic, his delivery hard and concise with a firm flow, typical X but between his hard hitting lines, socially conscious leaning verses pack some weight, food for thought in the mix. Its far from profound but as the tracks play these moments frequently pop up.

Heart Of Man remixes Toto's Africa, which might sound like a recipe for disaster and although X is a little harsh for the mood, it somehow serves as a highlight on the record, a rather uplifting track with a solid message of taking life seriously and putting in hard work to who you are and your ambitions. He reflects on his journey and how others and fallen behind, the way of expressing his work ethic is refreshing. It stands out against the overall tone, a lot of spiffing clean virtual instrument beats with enough variety and experimentation to provide something for everyone.

My Name is a fantastic tune, Eminem lends his voice and production for another track that could slip into his own discography. Nate Dogg's voice in the chorus hook really pulls together the vibe of the era. The inclusion of Eddie Griffin on a skit, akin to one on 2001, once again really expands this sounds universe. I was so fond of in my youth, much fun to discover more of it. Going into this I wasn't expecting much giving the historical response but their is plenty here to dig. With a little trim removing some of the fluff tracks it would be one solid record!

Favorite Tracks: Release Date, Symphony In X Major, Heart Of Man, My Name, Missin U
Rating: 6/10

Wednesday 30 October 2019

Korn "Untouchables" (2002)


Recently Ive had to revisit a particularly turbulent time in my youth and now I find myself having the perfect opportunity to talk about a record I've always wanted to get around too. Its my favorite Korn record and there was a period many years back where I couldn't listen to a song from it without being brought to tears. Fortunately I got past that and learned to embrace what had once been, allowing me to enjoy the record again. Obtaining Untouchables a while after its release, I only briefly knew of Freak On A Leash yet immediately bonded with every word Jonathan Davis was singing from his soul. I felt as if each word was everything I was going through. This was right around some of the most difficult lows Id go through and as a troubled kid trying to find themselves it offered a bitter escape and meaning.

My appreciation of this record is obviously testament to those moments, however till this day I still think this is JD's apex moment as a vocalist. His lyrics, as angst riddled and raw with pain they are, are delivered in the most soaring and soul wrenching performance. That pain and its meaning embellishes itself in the scaling heights of melody he inflects on his words, turning song after song into a truly moody and moving internal odyssey. The highs and lows, cleans and growls seem to twist and turn in an endless stream of deeply emotive singing. He frequently layers his voice to add an extra instrumental depth and the hooks, inflections and catchy-ness of it all is sublime, getting me to sing and feel it every time.

Behind him the band bottle up their most heavy and ambitious sound to date, taking their stomping sense of groove to a smothering wall of sound that has a thick tonal assault. The classic rumbling slap base of Fiedly quakes from bellow and Silveria batters his kit in tandem. Many of the songs have thudding stomps of syncopated guitar assault and the Monkey Head dynamic is disrupted as the oddball noises and creepy melodies that usually defined them get channeled into atmospheric avenue instead of the back and forth. Brilliant song writing lets the heavy gives way to rich passing of melody deployed with the help of electronic sounds too, sometimes at the same time but with less of their iconic duality. Its the perfect stage for JD to illuminate.

The album plays sweetly with no weak links, the heavy tracks are periodically broken up by the likes of Hollow Life, Hating and Alone I Breaking, deploying drum machines and hitting heavy from another angle with JD delivering more utterly sincere and heart breaking lyrics. This record barely lets up on the depressing mood but its truly therapeutic, voiced by a man battling with his inner demons head on. Untouchables finds one moment of absolute fun with the crude and enthralling Beat It Upright, a favorite. Thoughtless plays like an anthem for the trodden down and it all ends on gut wrenching high with No One's There. I could rattle on about each of the tracks distinctions for time but that is for you to discover!

Its quite sad to think critics hailed it Korn's worst album upon release. I can't comment without a heavy dose of bias but seventeen years later its still utterly engulfing and sometimes all to vivid as these songs take me back to that moment. I haven't forgotten a line of JD's words and I think for a record to be this potent after so long its got to have something more to offer. The bands first five albums are all gems, so hard to pick apart but artistically I think Jon's performance is what tips it for me. Never did he before or probably ever again give quite the scintillating performance like here.

Rating: 10/10

Friday 19 August 2016

Forest Silence "The Eternal Winter" (2002)


This short, twenty minute, three track demo is Hungarian Black Metal duo Forest Silence's third before landing a full length record in 2006. Its part of a patchy discography where the tone, aesthetics and style shifts from each release. The previous demo is a collection of dark, weary ambient soundscapes and their one album is very clean and riff driven. This demo however carves itself a niche of sleepy, hellish, atmospheric Black Metal that I could only compare to a few bands, I Shalt Become's "The Pendle Witch Trials" comes to mind, however this release has a lot more aggression, fire and menace about it than the witch trials.

The first two tracks follow a similar structure where the same riffs and patterns play over and over, back and forth while the noisier, less coherent instruments grow the atmosphere that surrounds them. Deep nefarious, windy synths lead the tone as they resonate from behind the other instruments that stand in front. They play singular notes at a distance from one another, letting the attack of the instrument slowly expand out. The drums are rather thin and pasty, lost in the mix however a deep thudding tribal drum makes a distinctive mark on the songs like the heart of darkness pounding away. The guitars alternate between strung out chords and snaky tremolo riffs, they too are thin and buried in the muddy mix. To much effect they compliment and add a density to the synths despite being smoothed by them at times.

Its a low fidelity affair where the messy mix lets the gloomy, unsettling synths create an engrossing atmosphere. The vocals initially feel laughable, cliched weak raspy screams groan out over the instrumental with echoing reverbs. Their balance however works amazing for the music, another snarling malicious voice to strengthen the harrowing atmosphere. The two songs are equally brilliant in their longer run times and to wrap it up a somber and lonesome ambient track leads the demo out.

Its an instrumental track with sweeping synths like winds, a soft murmuring bass and lonely melody calling out over the desolate, baron landscape. It evolves with some acoustic guitar accents and bongo drums playing a soft rhythm. It doesn't aim for a climax but fades away and serves as a calm and solemn unwinding. Another memorable song and merit for a fantastic demo from this obscure Hungarian duo.

Rating: 6/10