ERP Princess: Music Review - Two Steps From Hell

We interrupt our usual MMO reviews to bring you the following special report: Everyone should know about these men. Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix are the men behind some of the best music of our generation - and you never even knew. No, I’m not talking about Miley Cyrus’s producers or Justin Bieber’s songwriters. Honestly? Please. I’m talking about the most overlooked music (except to all you other audiophiles out there) that everyone hears. Movie trailer and soundtrack music. Yes, this is a genre of music. One of the best, in my opinion, and these two absolutely own it. Think about the best action/adventure/thriller movie trailers you’ve seen in the past, say, three years. The Avengers, Skyfall, Prometheus, Brave, Lincoln (both the tribute and vampire version), Avatar, Star Trek, Narnia, Transformers… the list goes on. You can view the list of moves here. The duo got together in 2006 with the intent to create compelling, original music for movie trailers. Due to their success, and by popular demand, they released four albums in 2010 showcasing the work they’d done. I was introduced to them by my husband when he showed me this YouTube video EpicMusicVn created matching epic music to scenes from video games and movies. Not all of the music is from Two Steps From Hell, but they have a distinct sound that should be easy to pick out. The next day, like most obsessive music lovers, I went directly to Amazon and purchased the Skyworld CD (which came with an instant mp3 download, w00t!) and put the entire 22 track album on loop for the rest of my work day. Skyworld is a little bit different from the other three albums, but it was the one with the songs I enjoyed most from the YouTube video. I subsequently purchased Invincible (also with instant mp3 download; I love you, Amazon.com) and was not disappointed. Each song is like listening to a two- to four-minute story, enriched with emotion, suspense, romance, and action. Some of the tracks have hauntingly beautiful vocals, and the range of instruments (whether real or electronic) is fantastic. Seriously, go check them out. To me, Skyworld is 22 bits of musical heaven.

Metal Cereal: Darkwave Edition: As the Dark Against My Halo by The Cruxshadows.

"The world is forever changing,
Evolving, and growing.
Everything we know
Everything we love
Everything we believe in
Will change

Living is changing
Momentarily, everything will be re-imagined"

This is how the new album starts by The Cruxshadows. Let me give you a bit of personal history with this group. When I was in junior high, I always used to hang out with my brother and his friends and they would play a lot of games that would involve either one of two things. One game was the "What can Joey get away with because he's a kid?" game, and the other was video games... usually. Once in a while, though... we'd crank on The Matrix... and play Vampire: The Masquerade, which was like D&D but with vampires. It was so cool! However, the black cherry (because...everything has to be black.) on top of this was putting in the Succubus Club soundtrack, a 13 track CD that was the coolest, darkwaviest, undergroundiest synthpopiest music you'll ever hear. I love a lot of these bands on here that I want to cover at some point! However... there were two that really stood out to me and one of them was The Cruxshadows.

Don't judge... maybe their legs were cold but their stomachs were hot!

They're a truly unique band. Theyre the only band that I've seen in which dancers are full-time members of the band. They're the only band that has a dude with a headset mic climbing on the scenery and singing. Heck, their instrumentation consists of a guitar, a synth, two violins, a percussionist, and a lead singer. Not only that, but the other thing that stood out with them was the message that they were conveying. Many darkwave bands are known for depressing,haunting, even suicidal themes. The Cruxshadows has a different focus... one made of living, loving, being, and believing (...I took that straight from their symbol). So, obviously I'm going to like this album, but I have done my best to pull the rose-colored pieces of glass out of my ears and give this new album, As the Dark Against My Halo,  an honest review!

I want a big 3D version of this cover... so I can think this lady's lunging at me.

After the first track of," And I Believe" comes the synth heavy anthem of "Valkyrie". Right from the gate, they are holding nothing back. There's something to be noticed with the atmosphere of this song. The beat pounds into your heart, yet the lead singer Rogue's vocals feel whimsical, almost haunting. To me, this created a sense of having a pulse, but the bewilderment of wondering what you truly are. At this point, the pristine lyrical crafting comes out during the chorus and covers you like an aural blanket of relief, with the words...

"God knows
That Fate is armed with arrows
And she watches the battlefield"


I interpreted the lyrics as if Fate can attack at any moment, but someone knows of your dismay and will be there for you when Fate were to be so inclined to attack...UGHSOGOOD!  Let's move on before I get too deep in all this... Anyone think they get philosophical but realize they just sound stupid? Yeah I have that...

Anyways! As much as I would love to break down each track... I think I'm going to talk about the tracks that stood out to me the most. I'm not downtalking any of the songs on this album! Each of them have something to offer, from the mocking tone in Rogue's voice in "Sleepless" to the sacrifical tone of "Burning". However, there is one track that stood out the most on this: Quicksilver.

This song is actually an older tune from them. It topped a lot of charts and further established what they are about. I'll put it to you like this: If you don't like this song, you will NOT like the rest of this album. In my opinion, this is the closest thing we are going to get to an aural sentience of this band. Heavy beat? Check. Haunting lead vocals that fill you with hope? You got it. This has everything involving darkwave!

 I mean... can YOU pull off a suit and goggles? Maybe Rogue was riding sidecar to a wedding...

Another track that I feel stands out is the tune "Matchstick Girl". I say this because it stands out so much in contrast to the rest of the tracks. It starts off with a simple piano... then over time the intensity builds into a spellbinding tale of a girl trying desperately to stay alive. I'm going to be honest... I was so emotional listening to this track. It seems like they stripped what they were known for and put all of their resources into creating an atmosphere that leaves you cold and paralyzed. 

Get your kleenex ready... not like that, sicko.

 

The second half of the album carries the momentum from the first half into catchy, meaningful tunes such as Indivisible and Angelus Everlasting. What caught my attention throughout this album are the subtle differences in each track. From the superficial standpoint, it seems like a bunch of mid-tempo songs with violins, synthesizers, and lost of Hard Gs dropped. However, listening to it more... each song has a different feel. After Quicksilver plays and gets you riled up, the track Infinite Tear comes in and makes you think about yourself. Just when you are vulnerable, Matchstick Girl plays and brings to your knees... Throughout this album, there are broad themes of war and religion, but in the end of it all, this album is about believing in yourself and making yourself into what YOU want to be.

So, what's my conclusion to this? The Darkwave genre may not be for everyone, but I can say this one thing: If any band can warm you up to the genre, it's the Cruxshadows. They pour everything into their music and have created an adamant yet visibly hidden following around the world. Listen to Quicksilver and Matchstick Girl. If you don't like either one of those pieces of work, then well... no hard feelings. If you do like, I strongly recommend checking this band out!!

I hope you enjoyed this read! please check out my friends! geeksotroundtable.blogspot.com and please comment, follow, like, subscribe, do whatever!

Thank you,

Joey

Metal Cereal #2: Amaranthe: The Nexus

In the first edition of Metal Cereal, I discussed a new band that I was getting into named Amaranthe. Yesterday, the new album “The Nexus” dropped and it has been going around like wildfire. There have been mad raves about this album. But! Does it live up to my standards?

Lady! Why are you ALWAYS turned around like that!?

The album starts off with Afterlife, which exemplifies what they do best: a triple voice onslaught with booming drums and great solos! From the start, I’m hooked. The following tracks, Invincible and The Nexus, have a more single feel in addition to the sophomore tracks on the beginning album (Hunger, 1,000,000 Lightyears). Although tracks like Burn With Me may provide a more mid-tempo feel, it doesn’t stop the heavy barrage of strained vocals and thunderous drumming throughout the rest of the album. Each track has a similar structure of expected verse-chorus format, but like the first album, the different vocals add a different feel for each part of the song. Simply put, this album is constructed the same as the first album and I didn’t want to reiterate the things I said in my review of the first album.

At points, I felt like I was at the eye doctor. You know, when they give you the lenses and they say,” which one looks better? This one? Or this one?” and it’s really the same thing? Yeah… but then I listened harder to the music instead of just hearing it…

This is where some people have complained about this album; that it's just the same. Now, I know many people always want something new with each album. However, even though the structure of the tunes and overall feel  resemble that of the first album, there are changes in the sound. The biggest thing is that the tracks sound more digital, which was something I read in an interview with the guitarist to the group. Throughout each track, you will notice keyboard leads, digital effects and mastering tricks that really play up the more “digital nightmare” feel of the album. The track that sticks out the most with this is Electroheart, which has some kind of darkwave/metal feel, like a disturbed variation of Nightwish’s Wish I Had An Angel. Thankfully, they didn’t play up their effects so much that they wouldn’t be able to perform it live unlike SOME bands.

You can totally play like that for 2 hours, right?

Something that I have always admired about Amaranthe is the ability to find the fulcrum between catchy and heavy. With this album, I didn’t catch myself singing one vocalist’s part; I became THAT person… you know, the person that sings every part of a song? Yeah, that’s how I was throughout this whole thing. Every chorus sticks in your head, the riffs are addictive, and even the harsh vocals are vital for the overall feel of the track. Not only that, but I love it when there isn't a weak player in the group and if one person were to be switched out the overall feel wouldn't be the same. Thankfully, they just clicked together to make a unique sound!

So, really what I’m saying about this album is this: If you liked the first one, you’ll like the second one. Yes, there are things that are different, but it’s not a complete step out of their comfort zone. After all, this is just their second album, and their first one was just released two years ago. To be honest, they can pump out songs like this for the next 20 years and I’ll be happy!

Here is the link to listen to the whole album!!!

http://www.smnnews.com/2013/03/15/swedens-amaranthes-streaming-the-nexus-in-full/