What Are You Listening To Now? 6.0

[Blind_Justice]

Magoria : Jack The Ripper 1888

A concept piece. Not too bad, a bit overwrought in places, and the weak voice-overs are thankfully rare.

Quite a good listen, that I'd place loosely in the progressive metal or hard-edged prog genres.

It's pretty obvious someone behind the scenes liked the Ayreon classics and they did end up with a nice "inspired by..." album.

As for Floor Jansen - I like her everywhere BUT Nightwish. Totally wasted on that band. I'm pretty sure she's physically incapable of singing poorly, but she's given so little to work with. It doesn't help that Holopainen has become a horribly pretentious windbag. In between all the orchestration and grand concepts, mundane things like arresting vocal lines and especially interesting guitar parts have all but vanished from Nightwish's sound. "Dark Passion Play" was the last album I really liked, everything after is well-made, sure, but a slog to listen through. Bah.

 

[litfan10]

It's pretty obvious someone behind the scenes liked the Ayreon classics and they did end up with a nice "inspired by..." album.

As for Floor Jansen - I like her everywhere BUT Nightwish. Totally wasted on that band. I'm pretty sure she's physically incapable of singing poorly, but she's given so little to work with. It doesn't help that Holopainen has become a horribly pretentious windbag. In between all the orchestration and grand concepts, mundane things like arresting vocal lines and especially interesting guitar parts have all but vanished from Nightwish's sound. "Dark Passion Play" was the last album I really liked, everything after is well-made, sure, but a slog to listen through. Bah.

I totally agree. I think between Tarja, Annette and Floor, Floor is the best of the bunch but yeah, the music is holding her back. I think Annette sounds much better now in Dark Element and Tarja sounds much better as a solo artist, at least that is my honest opinion.

"Amaranth"was the last real good Nightwish song again IMHO.

 

[litfan10]

I would love to hear Emppu release a solo album. Marko's was amazing. Again, in recent years I find the keyboards have taken over everything, and I just don't hear any guitar work on more the recent Nightwish.

 

[Blind_Justice]

I would love to hear Emppu release a solo album. Marko's was amazing. Again, in recent years I find the keyboards have taken over everything, and I just don't hear any guitar work on more the recent Nightwish.

To be fair, even on "Dark Passion Play" the guitars were mostly basic power chords, barely any solos or finesse. I had "Amaranth" and "Bye Bye Beautiful" for Rock Band and they were both piss-easy and boring to play, even on max difficulty. A far cry from some of their earlier work like "Wishmaster" or even "Century Child".

Glad to see that Dani and I are not completely alone in thinking that Nightwish have lost a lot of their magic. To us, it's basically self-indulgent soundtrack music

 

[Blind_Justice]

Gorefest - Soul Survivor

Dutch death metal. Okay, not really. They went into a groovier, "rock"ier direction. Less brutality, more finesse. Jan-Chris roars like a wounded bear still.

 

[litfan10]

Layers of Stratosphere

Raven Sad

 

[Blind_Justice]

White Void - Anti

Again. This thing came out of nowhere and has me hooked.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

.....

 

[Handley_Page]

A lesson in how to chat up a bird:
This is seduction to music.

Che gileda manina
Anna Netrebko, Roberto Villazon.

The version which has a translation of the words is by Pavarotti & Fiamma Izzo d' Amico.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

'Valhalleluja', by Nanowar of Steel.

Nobody parodies Christian rock like these guys and turns it into something wonderful.

 

[Lori_the_Hoosier]

Oh Lori - Alessi

Because...

 

[Handley_Page]

Jean Rondeau: 'Vertigo'
for harpsichord

 

[Haulover]

Marko Hietala : Pyre Of The Black Heart


I don't remember when or why O bought this, but it's pretty damned good

 

[Haulover]

Ihsahn : angL

DAMN, this guy is good - different than his alma mater band Emperor, which was also excellent, though still in the same black metal vein.

(Sorry, Litfan, there's a metric-tonne of death metal style growling )

 

[litfan10]

Marko Hietala : Pyre Of The Black Heart


I don't remember when or why O bought this, but it's pretty damned good

I actually like the version in his native language better, the words feel better with the music.

 

[litfan10]

Ihsahn : angL

DAMN, this guy is good - different than his alma mater band Emperor, which was also excellent, though still in the same black metal vein.

(Sorry, Litfan, there's a metric-tonne of death metal style growling )

Yeah I've briefly, very briefly listened to Ihshan
Before. Nope not for me.

 

[Blind_Justice]

A whole lot of TesseracT.

I'm generally not a fan of what the cool kids call "djent", that particular, Meshuggah-spawned sub-genre of prog metal dominated by polymeters and way too much screaming. Not enough my brain can latch onto in terms of melodies. And then there's Tesseract. Melodies galore. Also, I love how they opened up their sound more and more with each album. Their songs now are wide-open dreamscapes more than hyperactive sledgehammer fests.

 

[Handley_Page]

The Artie Shaw Band

 

[Bramblethorn]

Hass - Menschenfresser (Rio Reiser cover)

Enjoying this. Punk, but somehow it's making me think of Kurt Weill.

 

[Haulover]

Il Balletto Di Bronzo : Ys

 

[Blind_Justice]

Erasure - Oh L'amour

Vince Clark is among the biggest synth nerds on this green Earth.

 

[Handley_Page]

"Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì" - Anna Netrebko

 

[Blind_Justice]

They Dream of Starfish - The Beach

Our newest track, a marriage of analogue and digital synths, slathered in layers of delay and reverb. No whales were abused when making this tune.

 

[litfan10]

No Air

Perfect Storm

New prog out of the Netherlands

 

[litfan10]

Singularity

Rain