365 Days of Metal: WTF Wednesdays, the Worst Day of the Week

Day 10

Abandon All Ships - Abandon All Ships

Band Origin: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre: Bad - is Bad a genre? It is now.
Label: Universal Music
Running Time: 17 painful minutes
Release Date: July 17, 2009

Best Worst Part: I've had to endure this, live.

Favorite Tracks: /facepalm

Grade: 0

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Abandon All Ships in 20 words or less:

Auto-tune core - if that's not enough, then you're SOL.

The Band:

Abandon All Ships is a five member group who seriously make me feel bad for being Canadian. Their bread and butter is a fusion of trance, electronica and hardcore which is just plain gaudy. To make things worse, they use auto-tune on their vocals and are the first band I have ever classified as being a Musical Abortion.

Abandon All Ships also actually released a full length entitled Geeving in 2010, which I can't fathom ever listening to - ever.

Jay's Take on Abandon All Ships:

To be honest I couldn't even get through the first track on this record when I decided to actually give it a chance. I was unfortunate enough to have to see these guys open for an actual good lineup of bands in Ottawa once, and felt like my ears got assaulted. I mean even the breakdown at the end of the sample below is god awful and about as generic as you can get.

This is by far the worst thing that will ever show up on 365 Days of Metal.

Sample of the Day:

I cannot be held accountable for the suckage before. I would advise you not to listen to this - ever.



- J

365 Days of Metal: Breakdowns for the Blind

Day 9

Blind Witness - Nightmare On Providence Street

Band Origin: Grandby, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Metalcore / Deathcore
Label: Mediaskare Records
Running Time: 40 minutes
Release Date: March 9, 2010

Best Part: TABARNAK!

Favorite Tracks: Baby One More Notch, Nightmare on Providence Street, and All Alone - (The New Year is also a great closing track)

Grade: 3.5

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Nightmare on Providence Street in 20 words or less:

An album dedicated to partying, getting wasted, and getting some, featuring catchy riffs, melodic solos and wall to wall breakdowns.

The Band:

Blind Witness is a five member outfit now hailing from Montreal who live their lives according to the creed of playing the heaviest music they can, and touring night after night to bring the pain down on anyone in their path. Having gone through a number of lineup changes throughout their history, Blind Witness still manages to perform on a solid and consistent basis - and their live performances are always energetic and straight in your face. The band is now working on their third full-length record, while continuing their seemingly non-stop touring.

Blind Witness' debut record was: Silences Are Words (2008)

Jay's Take on Nightmare On Providence Street:

Almost nothing was left off the list of improvements made by Blind Witness on this record. Jonathan Cabana's vocals are much improved over his performance on Silences Are Words, providing a wide range of growls and screams that fit the energy and pace of each individual track - and gone are the clean sections of their previous record (except at the very end of the final track). The guitar work features catchy riffs, but also has more melodic sections and timely solos. Drumming was always a solid point of Blind Witness' previous work, and continues to be with this record - and lends itself even better in a live performance. Lastly, it's funny to say that what would set one metalcore band apart from another would be the breakdowns, but for Blind Witness this is a resounding truth. They're present in every song, sometimes multiple times, but they're always there, kicking in the back of your skull - fucking brains out.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Living on the Edge

Day 8

Sylosis - Edge of the Earth

Band Origin: Reading, England
Genre: Thrash Metal / Melodic Death Metal
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Running Time: 72 minutes
Release Date: March 11, 2011

Best Part: Where the Sky Ends is an amazing instrumental interlude.

Favorite Tracks: Where the Sky Ends, Empyreal, A Serpents Tongue, and From the Edge of the Earth

Grade: 4

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Edge of the Earth in 20 words or less:

Bay Area Thrash gets heavier, more progressive and - British.

The Band:

Sylosis is a four member crew who through years of various lineup changes, exploded onto the scene with their debut album Conclusion of an Age in 2008. Sylosis' sounds bases itself off of old school thrash, particularly of the more technical nature and fuses it with death metal and more progressive elements. For a band that showed immense potential with the success of their debut album, the band can be described as nothing more than eager to break through even more with their sophomore release, Edge of the Earth, which moves the lever up a notch in the right direction.

As mentioned above, Sylosis' previous release is: Conclusion of an Age (2008)

Jay's Take on Edge of the Earth:

The first thing to note about Edge of the Earth is the change in vocalists, with lead guitarist Josh Middleton taking the reins after their former vocalist left the band. While Middleton's vocals don't have the measure of the full range found on Conclusion of an Age, his efforts are very solid - combined with his already excellent shredding skills. Edge of the Earth is a much more melodic and progressive sounding album compared to their debut, but it still holds strong to the core thrash metal elements that make Sylosis the band that they are. Where their debut album showed great talent and potential, Edge of the Earth delivers on that potential with a second performance that is without a doubt ingenious, genuine and impressive from start to finish. Length of records can be a real finicky point with some people - Edge of the Earth tearing it up at over 70 minutes long is somewhat of a rarity these days, but a welcome one, considering there really is no fluff in this album whatsoever.

Sample of the Day:

This album is so long and so awesome, I felt bad only leaving one sample. And since Where the Sky Ends is too good of an instrumental to pass up, I had to put a bonus track for today. Enjoy.





- J

365 Days of Metal: Orcs and Goblins? No, Just Goblins

Day 7

Nekrogoblikon - Stench

Band Origin: Santa Barbara, California, USA
Genre: Folk Metal / Death Metal
Label: Creator Destructor
Running Time: 58 minutes
Release Date: July 19, 2011

Best Part: BEARS! - They're the number one threat.

Favorite Tracks: Goblin Box, Bears, Return to the Sky

Grade: 4.0

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Stench in 20 words or less:

The only thing that stinks about this goblin infested folk assault is that it reeks of awesomeness.

The Band:

Nekrogoblikon is a five member folk metal band from California who's infatuation with goblins extends beyond their own band name. The mischievous creatures were the recurring theme in almost every song of their debut album - yeah you guessed it, Goblin Island, and continue to stay at the heart of their most recent release, Stench. Blending keyboard inspired folksiness with superb guitar work and inspired riffs, Nekrogoblikon continues to prove themselves as a stand out in a genre which has been notably European.

Nekrogoblikon's debut record was: Goblin Island (2006)

Jay's Take on Stench:

I had the chance to listen through Nekrogoblikon's debut release, Goblin Island, just prior to listening to Stench, and while there is a five year gap in between both records, the band certainly kept everything that made Goblin Island what it was, and managed to improve on it tenfold. The guitar work on Stench is truly top notch, featuring some very graceful melodies, the drumming is fast paced and on point, and together with folksy keyboard musings sew together the album from beginning to end. Of course a folk metal album is nothing without interesting lyrics, and convincing vocals, of which Tim Lyakhovetskiy provides with a range encompassing both screams and deep groans and growls. One of the high points of this album is the fact that there really is no filler content to it, it's a great listen from the first second to the fifty-eighth minute.

Sample of the Day:

Stephen Colbert would be proud.



- J

365 Days of Metal: Not the Bird, Nor the Brief

Day 6

Pelican - What We All Come To Need

Band Origin: Chicago, IL, USA
Genre: Sludge Metal / Progressive / Insert Genre Here
Label: Southern Lord Records
Running Time: 51 minutes
Release Date: October 27, 2009

Best Part: Start to finish - there's nothing bad here.

Favorite Tracks: Ephemeral, Specks of Light, and The Creeper

Grade: 4

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What We All Come To Need in 20 words or less:

Dark yet energetic instrumental metal that sounds great whether you're hard at work, or just looking to unwind.

The Band:

Pelican is a four member instrumental band who pride themselves on being difficult to tag with a specific genre. Where some would call them progressive rock, others would call them post-metal or sludge metal. Because of the bands evolution from a more slow paced and building sound to a slightly quicker paced energetic band, they have made the genre distinction more difficult for their fans. The instrumental nature of the band also allows them the flexibility to write long and spectacular songs. As for being a strictly instrumental band, Trevor de Brauw is noted for saying that: "We're not instrumental by design - we just didn't know how to put vocals in our music and for it to sound right."

Pelican's other releases include: Pelican - EP (2001), Australasia (2003), March into the Sea - EP (2005), The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005), City of Echoes (2007), Pink Mammoth - EP (2007), and Ephemeral - EP (2009)

Jay's Take on The What We All Come To Need:

Pelican has long been one of my favorite instrumental bands. What We All Come To Need is an album that Pelican recorded on a relatively tight schedule after switching record labels. Because of this there are some distinct differences in the sound from their previous - and in my opinion, best record, City of Echoes. Not as dark and grimy as City of Echoes was in some areas, What We All Come To Need still manages to grasp onto that gloomy sound that Pelican has always had at their core. This record has more energy which lends itself well with the overall mood of the record. And keeping in mind Trevor de Brauw's quote, it's also interesting to note that this record also features the first song in their history to incorporate vocals, on the song Final Breath. Allen Epley's vocals are not at all unwelcome, fitting well with the atmosphere of the track to close out this record.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Rebecca Black Metal Friday vol.1

The Metal covers that spawned from Rebecca Black's god awful youtube video were also absolutely awesome, especially Death Metal Friday, so since I was in a punny mood, I bring you the first recurring theme that 365 Days of Metal will see: Rebecca Black Metal Friday.

Day 5

Chthonic - Takasago Army

Band Origin: Taiwan
Genre: Melodic Black Metal
Label: Spinefarm Records
Running Time: 41 minutes
Release Date: July 6, 2011

Best Part: Anytime Freddy Lim busts out the erhu, which is alot.

Favorite Tracks: Legacy of the Seediq, Oceanquake, and Kaoru

Grade: 4

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Takasago Army in 20 words or less:

Traditional Taiwanese music and instruments meet Norwegian Black Metal and decided to go to hell together.

The Band:

Chthonic is a five member black metal band hailing from Taiwan. They are best known for incorporating traditional Taiwanese music into their productions, including vocalist Freddy Lim's use of the erhu - a two-string bowed instrument. The erhu adds a very distinctive sound element to their music, along with the fusion of traditional music, making Chthonic a stand out in the genre. Chthonic are also widely know as political activists in the East, particularly as advocates for tibetan independence, which has even lead to the band being banned from performing in certain areas of China. 

Chthonic's other releases include: Where the Ancestors' Souls Gathered (1999), 9th Empyrean (2000), Relentless Recurrence (2002), Seediq Bale (2005), and Mirror of Retribution (2009)

Jay's Take on Takasago Army:

Takasago Army was the first album I had heard by Chthonic, and it left a lasting impression. A very well written record in a stable of high quality productions that I have also discovered, Takasago Army serves as a great introduction for unfamiliars to the band. Freddy Lim's use the of erhu and the bands overall incorporation of traditional taiwanese music paired with the shrieked vocals, blast beats and fast tempo guitars gives these black metal practitioners a sound that is all their own. Tracks like Oceanquake, and Legacy of the Seediq show off the full range of tricks that Chthonic has up their sleeves.

Sample of the Day:

Couldn't find any uploads of the English version, however the original Taiwanese version is just as epic. Enjoy.



- J

365 Days of Metal: The Sound of Science

Day 4

The Algorithm - The Doppler Effect

Artist Origin: Toulouse, France
Genre: Experimental / Electronic / Progressive
Label: Unsigned
Running Time: 29 minutes
Release Date: December 12, 2009

Best Part: Ashes... ashes... we all... Go fucking crazy.

Favorite Tracks: Geometric Progression, Lost Frequencies, and Two Plane-Polarized Waves

Grade: 3

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The Doppler Effect in 20 words or less:

It's like Mathcore and Electronica just had sex, and this is the bastard byproduct.

The Artist:

Fusing elements of progressive metal and math metal, with electronica and dubstep, The Algorithm is the brainchild of Rémi Gallego. Originally wanting to record mathcore oriented songs for fun Gallego decided to add synth to the mix because he was in an electronic type of mood. Add a catchy fitting name and thus, The Algorithm was born. Gallego also spends time playing guitar in the post-hardcore band Floating Wood.

The Algorithm's other releases to date include: CRTICIAL.ERROR (2010) and Identity (2011)

Jay's Take on The Doppler Effect:

I originally came across The Algorithm when I was looking for some new dubstep tracks to listen to one day and got reeled in instantly while listening to the Doppler Effect. This demo was Gallego's first release under The Algorithm and it manages to weave together the traditional elements of math metal, progressive riffs and blast beats, with well placed samples, flourishes of electronic arpeggio's and plenty of synth to go around. It has that slightly under-produced quality that any demo should have, which is always welcome in my book. Each of his releases opens with a clean electronic track, opening up the way for a body full of nothing short of trippy brutality. I can dig it.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: The Tide Has Come In

Day 3

Beneath the Massacre - Marée Noire (EP)

Band Origin: Montreal, QC, Canada
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Label: Prosthetic Records
Running Time: 13 minutes
Release Date: September 14, 2010

Best Part: Black Tide 1:43-2:00. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeps.

Favorite Tracks: Designed to Strangle, and Anomic

Grade: 3.5

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Marée Noire in 20 words or less:

Take two cups of brutality, two teaspoons of technical wizardry, add a pinch of frenetic pace and let simmer for 13 minutes.

The Band:

Beneath the Massacre is a four member group hailing from the North American Mecca of Technical Death Metal, Montreal. Known for their equal measure of brutality, speed and technicality, BTM frontman Elliot Desgagnés has indicated in a number of interviews that the band has been working since the release of their debut EP to find that perfect sound. All the while the band has managed to add their name to a long list of French Canadian talent.

Beneath the Massacre's previous releases include: Evidence of Inequity (2005), Mechanics of Dysfunction (2007) and Dystopia (2008)

Jay's Take on Marée Noire:

Desgagnés described Marée Noire as being a selection of five of the best songs Beneath the Massacre has ever written. Clocking in at only 13 minutes long, and featuring five tracks, Marée Noire is a short but intense listening experience. People familiar with BTM's previous releases will recognize that their sound has not gone through a massive amount of change. Their songs are still fast, technical and brutal. Desgagnés vocals are particularly more brutal on this release however, which alters the tone of the EP, but not in a bad way at all.  

Marée Noire was meant to be a short release while the band kept writing for their third full-length record slated for 2012. If the new record continues in the footsteps set out by this EP, it's bound to be BTM's best release to date.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Staying On the Level

Day 2

August Burns Red - Leveler 

Band Origin: Pennsylvania, USA
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Solid State Records 
Running Time: 48 minutes + Bonus tracks on Deluxe edition 
Release Date: June 21, 2011  

Best Part: Acoustic version of Internal Cannon. 

Favorite Tracks: Boys of Fall, Carpe Diem & Empire

Grade: 3.0

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Leveler in 20 words or less:

For fans, it's Constellations with a cherry on top. For the unfamiliar, it's evocative, has tight melodies and breakdowns galore.

The Band:

Jake Luhrs, JB Brubaker, Brent Rambler, Dustin Davidson, and Matt Greiner have done nothing but push their own limits since the release of Thrill Seeker in 2005. ABR has released an LP every two years, have toured nearly non-stop between recording, continue to evolve their sound with each release, and pick up fans at every turn as they press along.

ABR's previous releases include: Thrill Seeker (2005), Messengers (2007) & Constellations (2009) 

Jay's Take on Leveler:

A great follow-up to their previous album, Constellations, this album starts off where Constellations took off, and takes it to a slightly higher level - no pun intended. Their third album showcases a clear evolution in the sound that ABR has built, and the overall technicality of the group. Leveler takes the core concept from Constellations and injects it with some new stylistic approaches, all the while staying true to their tried, tested, and emphatic sound. While perhaps not the great next step forward some fans were expecting, it's still ABR - and that's what counts.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: Ihn-Sahne

Day 1

Ihsahn - After

Band Origin: Norway
Genre: Extreme Progressive Metal
Label: Candlelight Records
Running Time: 53 minutes
Release Date: January 26, 2010

Best Part: Saxophone solos!

Favorite Tracks: Undercurrent, The Barren Lands and Frozen Lakes On Mars 

Grade: 4.5

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After in 20 words or less:

Black metal vocals, jazz fusion and progressive riffage. Easily one of the best progressive albums of 2010.

The Artist:

Vegard Sverre Tveitan a.k.a. Ihsahn is best known as the vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of the renowned black metal band Emperor. In between his work with Emperor, Ihsahn has contributed and performed session work for a number of groups and artists throughout his career. In 2006, he began recording for his self-titled solo project, slated to release a trio of records, After being the third and final album in the trio.

Ihsahn's previous releases include: The Adversary (2006) and angL (2008)

Jay's Take on After: 

After is Ihsahn's best effort in a trio of equally distinctive and well written records. His final recording of the trio is cleaner, but also more sporadic than his previous releases, featuring jumps between intricate progressive riffs, funky overtones, some jazzy as fuck saxophone solos, and well placed vocal shifts. After appeared on many shortlists for the best progressive album of the year, last year, and I can't say I disagree - it's a must listen in a long list of progressive masterpieces.

Sample of the Day:



- J

365 Days of Metal: This is it, This is the Countdown to...

EXTINCTIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Ahem... Sorry. I couldn't help it.

Last Friday I wrote this behemoth post about the fact that I wanted to start a 365 project based specifically off of Metal albums, and with them the bands behind them - obviously. Wanting to get a little bit of an advance, so that I can keep moving along fluidly, I started working on some prototypes over the weekend, until I found a style that fit the bill.

To reiterate what I wrote in my last post, 365 Days of Metal will showcase one album and one band per day, for the next year (or as long as I managed to keep this alive). And each post will feature the following:

1. Album details up front (genre, label, release date, length, favorite tracks, etc.)  + Album cover
2. A description of the album in 20 words or less - in typical Jay style.
3. A small paragraph about the artist or band in question.
4. My personal take on the album - which doesn't always mean it will be favorable.
5. A sample, as I frequently give, usually through a youtube video. 

The gist of this post is just to remind you of the general layout of what to expect, and to let you all know that:

365 Days of Metal begins next Monday - August 22nd, 2011.

Get stoked - all six of you. Oh, and as Europe will attest, Glam Metal definitely counts:



- J

Something Wicked This Way Creeps: A Wild Jay Appears!

A few months ago I had been working on some new write-ups to breathe some fresh air into the Blaarg. Unfortunately, with my finishing University and other unrelated ridiculousness, those ten original pieces of content are now pretty much worthless.

I think it's reasonable to say it would be weird to publish a bunch of posts about what I'm most looking forward to - when over half of the stuff came out in the past couple months.

So when I came to that realization I noticed that it had been two months since my last official post on this monstrosity. And that's way too long of an interval. Problem is, I've had a few of those long, dead silent periods in the past six months. So, that's when I got to thinking - I need something to bring to the Blaarg that's semi-consistent and that I would enjoy continuously working on.

After a few short moments of contemplation I came up with an idea: a 365 project.

Most 365 projects involve photography as the primary driving element. Taking self-portraits, photos of locations, recurring or weekly themes, etc. - the basic concept being a photo a day, for 365 days. That being said: I'm not a photographer, and while doing something like that would be interesting, my plan is a bit different.

Within the next two weeks, I plan on kicking off this project, which will bring a new post every day for the next year. Whether I can live up to that, we'll have to wait and see, but I plan on getting a little bit of an advance on content, so I can keep generating some as I go along.

So as to do a bit of foreshadowing, I figured I'd give all five of my readers a heads up on what's to come. So, I present to you the details on Jay's 365 Days of Metal.

Each day I'll be featuring a specific album from any and all possible genres of the metal spectrum. I'll be featuring new releases, as well as old releases, by some of my favorite groups or most recent discoveries.

That being said, I want to make every day fresh, so bands I profile will only come up once throughout the year - unless of course I mention them in posts unrelated to the project.

I've also decided that I want to make the project be as random as possible. A specific genre or style per week would be interesting, but I would only consider them in moderation.

That doesn't mean I haven't thought of a few recurring themes that will come up every once in a while. My current favorite being - wait for it: Rebecca Black Metal Fridays. So much Win.

Posts will be pretty concise, and will feature the following:

1. Album details (Label, release date, length, favorite tracks, etc.) up front + Album cover
2. A description of the album in 20 words or less. 
3. A small paragraph about the artist or band in question.
4. My take on the album.
5. A sample, as I frequently give, usually through a youtube video.

And that's about all there is to say about that. To my 5 readers, comments and suggestions are always welcome, after all I'll have a whole year to try and tackle.

Keep an ear to the ground, Jay's 365 Days of Metal is coming soon.

- J