Concert Review: Dark Tranquillity At Launchpad

This show was a perfect storm of musical variety, consistent heaviness, and high-energy excitement. Launchpad is one of my favorite venues, and it outdid itself for this concert. Each band was unique, yet the chemistry was cohesive, and the result was like the so-called “goldilocks effect” that created life on our planet: A seemingly random formula of a certain matter, in certain places, et cetera, that culminates into a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Starkill managed to impress, even though I only caught the very last of their set. Their music had hints of metalcore, with melancholy clean vocals juxtaposed against growls and melodic guitar hooks. I was inspired to check out their bandcamp, and to my delight, they have a fine collection of power chords and haunting female vocals, plus some wicked guitar solos.  Do yourself a favor and check them out.

Enforcer are an epic power metal hailing from Sweden. Everything about this band screams “80's METAL!!!” Enforcer hark back to the days when the line between hard rock and glam metal was blurred. From catchy guitar riffs and harmonized choruses, to shredding guitar solos and high pitched vocals, this band exemplifies everything that made early heavy metal so badass.

Swallow The Sun, from Finland, are defined by progressive, almost trance-like soundscapes. Their atmospheric music is experimental, ambient, and mesmerizing. The lead singer boasts skills in both clean and gutteral vocals. It was easy to get lost in the mix of the music, and go to another world entirely. Its seldom that we consider music that could be simultaneously brutal and beautiful, but Swallow The Sun offer the best of both worlds.

Dark Tranquillity are one of the most prolific Swedish melodic death metal bands, hailing from the city of Gothenburg, from which the genre earned its nickname. Playing classics like White Noise Black Silence, the band also performed tracks from their new album, Atoma, which is yet another masterpiece among their impressive discography.

Within a matter of seconds, soaring melodies plummeted to the gutteral depths of hell, displaying a complete mastery of both heaviness and melodic virtuosity. Not only are they expert musicians and eloquent lyricists, they are also genuinely passionate. Their excitement and energy are infectious. These are badass shredders who happen to be very humble and down to earth. Like their fellow Swedes Enforcer, they are cool enough to socialize with fans, sign autographs, and generally kick ass at life.

Oh, and rumor has it a vest of one of the band members went missing that night. If anyone knows where it is, or can help return it, please do so. That vest was going to be auctioned for charity at the end of the tour. If you have any information regarding it, please contact the band!

All things considered, it was almost a perfect night. This concert is a shining example of exceptional live music, played with heart and soul. A genuine connection between bands and fans, plus professional musicianship and talent, made for an amazing show. Five stars out of five! 

Carnun Rising: Vercingetorix

Carnun Rising is a melodic death metal band hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Although they are a solid band as a whole, the guitar work outshines everything else.  The vocals are decent but nothing original, just some generic gutterals. However, the vocals offer an interesting contrast when they syncopate with the guitar riffs, with the upbeat of one being the downbeat of the other.The drums get lost in the background, other than a few cool rolls every now and then.

Temple Of Flesh is the best track from this EP. Those energetic guitar licks will get stuck in your head. I've been raping the replay button for 3 days in a row, and I'm still addicted. The title track, Vercingetorix, offers some amazing solos, whereas Flames Of Gergovia falls flat and doesn't stand out one way or the other. The final song, Caesar's Bane, shows some folk influence with a Celtic melody.

The lyrics are not published, but the words I could understand were anti-religion, and often referred to chaos and death. The album art shows the Druidic deity Cernunnos (from whom the band derived their name) sitting cross legged in a circle, making a symbol that resembles an inverted pentagram.

Among other albums, Vercingetorix is available for download on Bandcamp. The production quality is surprisingly good and the guitar techniques are exceptional, but otherwise, Carnun Rising sound similar to many other melodic death metal bands.   Four stars out of five.

Tales From The Thousand Lakes

I don't know why I'm suddenly obsessed with Amorphis. Maybe it's because they are mind-blowingly magnificent? Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, here's a review that's a couple decades late, seeing as the album was released almost 20 years ago. In my defense, I was only 3 years old in 1994. Anyway, here are my thoughts on Tales From The Thousand Lakes.

The lyrics  were lifted directly from the Finnish epic, the Kalevala. And when I say it's an epic, I mean EPIC. This is like the European version of the freakin' Bhagavad Gita. There's the creation myth, the story of the first man, and dozens of other stories intertwined together. So basically, the lyrics are all ancient poetry about the glorious trials, victories, and failures of yore.  FUCK YES.

On top of the lyrical badassery, Amorphis are masters of melody and composition. They are very much like  Wolves in the throne room, or even a Classical composer like Holst. they overwhelm you with subtlety. Their compositions are so painstakingly nuanced that you can't possibly catch all the details on your first listen. Everything from the album artwork to the music itself is intricately detailed, dark, and deep. Here's a track-by-track walk-through of this groundbreaking album.


Thousand Lakes is the opening track, characterized by a haunting instrumental melody. Next is Into Hiding, a stunning blend of beautiful Arabic melodies and Death Metal vocals. The vocals seem to utilize some kind of echo/reverb, which adds even more depth to an already amazing track.

The Castaway also incorporates the Middle-Eastern modes juxtaposed with dark, smoky vocals. The shredding guitar solos are a nice cherry on top. First Doom is a catchy, but still insidious, lament about mortality. This track is satisfyingly rhythmic; it almost has a dance-able groove to it. It shifts sporadically from these catchy guitar hooks to a more jagged sound, resulting in a striking contrast.

Black Winter Day is characterized by synthesiser/keyboard sounds. Frankly, I feel as though the experimental electronic style overlaps their stronger aspects. It's not the heaviest track, but still a decent song regardless.  Drowning Maid is my favorite track from TFTTL. The lyrics are the mythical Aino's soliloquy when she died along the seashore. The melody is tragic and the tempo portrays Aino's panic as she perishes beneath the waves. It's a very emotionally powerful, expertly executed, and empathetic song.

 Next is In The Beginning, a fast paced, high pitched number with a wailing lamentation  quality to it. Again, I'm not a fan of the keyboards.They sound like an 8-bit nintendo game, but otherwise it's a great song. Forgotten Sunrise is an aggressive return to Amorphis' Death Metal roots. The keyboards are more classy in this piece, at times sounding like Type-O Negative's spooky halloween themes, but mostly sounding ethereal and dreamy.

To Father's Cabin is a bittersweet ballad about... Well, I'm not sure really. The Finnish people are using their Poetic License to the full extent of it's power. The result is a multilayered, psychedelic soundscape accompanying the metaphor-rich narrative.The album is concluded with Magic And Mayhem, a synthesiser-saturated piece that sounds like it came right out of a Tolkien book or  some cloak and dagger, Doom n' Gloom RPG.  It's basically a demand for beer, and be quick about it or else Tomi Koivuusari will kill you.

I'm pretty awestruck that something as innovative as this was made in '94. I'm at a loss to describe this album objectively, since I empathize with the emotional overdrive tinted by a bleak outlook. The simplest way I can describe TFTTL is it's like the Socrates to my Meno. Check out the album in it's entirety here.

Five stars, muddafucka.

Amorphis: Circle

Circle is a major rebound after Beginning Of Times. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed BOT, but enjoyable isn't the same as phenomenal. It's not necessarily a bad record, it just pales in comparison to its predecessors. Whereas BOT was uber-melodic and keyboard heavy, Circle is just plain heavy. Amorphis ditched the saccharine undertones in favor of a more guitar-oriented approach. This shift is doubtless due to the involvement of Peter Tagtgren, renowned for his previous production work with acts such as Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth, Immortal, and Celtic Frost (to name a few. )

That's not Amorphis' only deviation from the norm (if you can say such an unpredictable band has a norm, but I digress). Since Tomi Jousten joined the band in '05, I have been astounded by his vocals. His range is fantastic, and I was impressed with his ability to sing cleans with virtuosity as well as intense, throaty Death Metal growls. Circle pushes his limits even further with some high pitched Black Metal voice-work.I usually don't care for demonic shrieking, but Jousten pulls it off.

Amorphis is a band who pride themselves on their ability to adapt to different genres. Their newest album lives up to this reputation by surprising the listener with refreshingly different dynamics in composition. The melodies alone are a force to be reckoned with. Forgive my cliche, but I truly expect the unexpected as far as Amorphis is concerned. Just when you're lulled into a false sense of security with a beautiful instrumental arpeggio, you get slammed with Tomi's powerful voice or some heavy-as-fuck guitar riffs. Likewise, don't assume that this another Melodeath album. It's not. There are dashes of Folk, Prog, Doom, and a whole plethora of genres that Amorphis has a knack for intertwining.  It seems that the only constant with this band is the melancholy aura that emanates from their jaw-droppingly gorgeous music.

The lyrics are tragic and mystical, painting vivid scenes of the surreal and macabre storyline. Unlike their previous three albums, Circle is not based on the Kalevala, but on an original story penned by Pekka Kainulainen. The protagonist is a lonely iconoclast, initially burdened with a desperate, sorrowful fate. By the end of the album, he gains some autonomy and recognizes his potential to control his own destiny. As Kainulainen himself succinctly summarized: "This is a story of survival."

Overall, this is a stellar gem of an album, and I am tantalized with the possibilities it opens for the next.

Five stars!

Band Review: Dissonance In Design

Dissonance In Design is a very appropriate name for a band of this caliber. As the name implies, they deliver  intricate and yet caustic melodies. Their musical style is simultaneously technical and melodic... Put simply, they have sublime virtuosity. The compositions are so complex that they border on unholy. The drummer is probably on crack, or just mind-blowingly good at what he does. I don't know what the guitarist looks like, but I can't help but picture a long-haired demon playing a Flying V on a bleak mountain top. And the vocals? They totally instill fear in the hearts of non-believers. The bassist was apparently stolen from Sunday Massacre, which explains why he excels where so many other Metal bassists fall short.

The lyrics, though saturated with morbid imagery, are ultimately hopeful. The words juxtapose unbearable anguish with a glimmer of optimism, reminiscent of Pandora's fabled box. Except maybe Dionysiac, which I arbitrarily insist is about remedying a hangover with more booze. No wait, that's just the Sailor Jerry's talking.  Sober me thinks that Dionysiac is totally deep too. Dissonance In Design not only employs excellent musicianship and skill, but also a solid band dynamic. Many would-be-famous bands fall apart due to their lack of cohesion, despite their technical and musical proficiency. But if these fuckers can hold their shit together for a while, they'll probably conquer the world (or at least Colorado.) 

There's only one more aspect for me to mention. I can't tell if their artwork is a T-shirt, an album cover, or both. Either way, it looks like something Bob Masse would paint if he lived in the generation of of Skinless and Sepultura instead of Hendrix and King Crimson. Check it:

I have horrible writers block so I didn't really do the band justice by this sub-par write up. I'm too bitchy to care. Four stars outta five.