Some of my favorite songs... fasten your seat belt.
I occasionally am in a musical mode and I do have plans for a big musical future project beyond my metal tree series. I haven't posted one for awhile though and I know some people are my followers as they share musical fascination and interest with me. This post is me releasing some mental pressure and hopefully giving them something at the same time. Others of you may not enjoy this. That is totally alright, I like to write about a lot of things. I also don't always cover metal... though that does tend to be my favorite genres of music.
Now I may have covered these songs before in other posts. I know some of them I have not, and for others they will be completely new.
Opeth - Harlequin Forest
This is a Swedish band and it is without a doubt one of my favorite bands. All I can say is do not make an assumption about their sound within the first few minutes. These songs go through dramatic changes during the midst of the song. In fact I like to refer to them as a "5 course meal". Each song is like having a meal with many different dishes due to how often the song changes.
They are not always the most technical though it is actually pretty technical as well. They are great at truly epic sounding songs. Reverie/Harlequin Forest is one my personal favorites. I've often gotten out of the car beat boxing the guitar chugging broken pattern at the end of the song. It has growly vocals as well as beautiful clean vocals. I am going to share a version of the song live from the Royal Albert Hall concert. I will also include a clean studio version for those of you that would prefer not to watch the live version. I absolutely love this song and believe it is brilliant. The lyrics are after the song for those of you that want to know them (From Metrolyrics.com):
Nevermore - The Tiananmen Man
I really had to scratch my head about a good Nevermore song to list as I love so many of them. This one I wouldn't call my favorite though it is very impactful, and it's lyrics and message are something I think resonate strongly with what is going on in the world. Other songs I would have considered putting here would be Dreaming Neon Black, The Heart Collector, Obsidian Conspiracy, Poison God Machine, and so many others.... truly a great band. Too bad they are no longer together.
Dream Theater - Fatal Tragedy
I am a huge Dream Theater fan. When it comes to sheer technical skill spread across all band members I consider them to be a virtually untouchable band. If I was to build an altar and temple to the gods of music based on pure mastery and skill these guys would be the deities of that religion. This is not to say I only appreciate technicality. I love many bands. Yet when it comes to pure insane technical ability it is these guys that I tend to go to. Now they have many great songs, and I'm not going to go to their ONE HIT the song "Pull Me Under" instead I am going to grab the song Fatal Tragedy from the concept album Scenes From A Memory. I consider this album so epic that for over a year this CD occupied my car stereo without being replaced by anything else. Yes, for a year I had this playing in my car anywhere I drove, even on family trips. There is so much going on in this album that even a year later I was still hearing new things and embelishments that I thought were amazing. This is not the most technical of the batch, but its lyrics, emotion, and technique are great. Thus, I chose it for this post.
The first version is actually Live and is Strange Deja Vu, Through My Words & Fatal Tragedy (Live Scenes From New York) I'll give you the lyrics for all of these songs to go along for those that like lyrics.
For those of you interested here is that entire concept album... it is one of my all time favorite musical compositions:
Thanks for your time guys/gals. I appreciate you. I have a bigger musical project planned for the future, but it likely won't be until after this coming weekend. I have to fly to Ohio on Saturday and I'll be flying back home that monday night. I likely won't dive into the Ayreon project until after that.
Hello my friend lyrics beautiful songs And also a wonderful song and quiet
Please my friend I would like to get your support here your vote great honor
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Truly great bands! Heironymous Bosch is also one of my favs.
A new band from Oregon called Of Fact and Fiction has some free toons. Check band camp and their Facebook.
Oh yeah, Paco de Lucia, for incomparable Flamenco. Tio Sabas, my fav.
Enjoy!
Excellent choices from a true classic bands! I would go something like Heart collector, Burden, Pull me under if I had to choose from them (although I never was the biggest Dream Theater fan).
Pull Me Under is their most RADIO WORTHY song. Yet there are so many I like more. It depends upon what I am trying to show. I usually share the Instrumedley from Live at Budokhan as that is mind melting.
Yup, when you're not that familiar with the band you usually know what's most popular. I remember listening to that live back in the day. Masterpiece!
For Opeth I included a live version of Face of Melinda in one of the comments here. I underrated that song. I caught them live a few years ago (Touring for Heritage) and they did that song and the part where it transitions from mellow to heavier... that was pretty epic live. It had chills running up and down my back at that point. That moshcam one I shared in the comments is the closest to that experience... it's pretty mellow, but man does it get a nice kick.
Their mellow to heavy transitions are epic. Blackwater park and Damnation, two of my favorite albums from them, yet so different. Have you listened to Agalloch?
No I've heard the name Agalloch before... didn't Warrel Dane do some guest vocals with them?
I don't think he did. It's an American band, they create such an amazing atmosphere, combining variety of influences. Check out albums like The Mantle or Ashes against the grain. Unfortunately, they ceased to exist a year or so ago.
Interesting techniques... at first I was going to say I think they need to increase the vocal mix a bit... then I changed my mind... it kind of grows on ya.
Exactly! They do it on purpose to create this quiet mellow but harsh winter atmosphere. It's mesmerizing once you get used it.
Yeah I checked and Warrel didn't guest vocal. He is an American Vocalist though he's guest been guest vocalists with other american and outside of american bands. Though you are right Agalloch doesn't seem to be one of them.
DUDE.... it is INSANE that you put Opeth into this post, today I literally JUST revisited my Opeth phase.... been listening to 2002's "Deliverance" all day today while driving around and doing errands! Definitely one of my favorite bands as well!
Their last couple albums haven't touched me as much as the Blackwater Park up through Watershed phase. I think their albums from Blackwater Park to Watershed were all master pieces.
Though all of their other albums have really cool stuff on them too. I haven't really gotten into the last two albums that much. Getting to where it sounds a little too much like Early 70s to me. This isn't bad, but that means it is starting to sound like something. Opeth one of the things I liked is they didn't sound like anyone else.
On that we definitely agree my friend. "Deliverance" and "Ghost Reveries" are my favorite albums from them, but "Blackwater Park" is a VERY close third for me. But as far as the album span goes, we both agree. "Blackwater Park" to "Watershed" was my favorite era of them as well. I still bought "Heritage" but it just didn't really do it for me when I listened to it, as compared to all their work before that.
In case you missed these... while I was making the #metaltree series I found some pretty bad ass bands when it comes to SOUND and skill. Here are a few I really liked in case you missed them...
Those were all from my Djent post and I hadn't heard them before but they are pretty bad ass IMO.
I'm a little disappointed that not a single one of our rap tracks is on this list. I thought you loved our group. :(
LOL... The dog ate the tapes and we never made a video.
Thanks for the recommendations - something to listen to tonight.. Not my usual style - so nice to hear from someone who knows it well.. I might have to play my electric guitar with lots of distortion later ;)
If you play guitar this stuff should get your blood flowing. Just imagine yourself playing the various parts. I play guitar as well and that is a large part of how I appreciate music.
You might enjoy this one some more... though I don't know what your usual STYLE is. :)
Quite different from their other song above. I've seen them do this one live and it was pretty awesome live. Sent chills up and down my spine at the transition point from mellow to heavier as it was so well executed. Not growls in these vocals though this is the same guy that was growling above. :)
Hes got a fab voice.. These guys are really talented.. I suppose this would be categorized as fusion? I liked it - I enjoy the contrast between the "clean" and "distorted" parts - definitely in the "epic" category..
Actually this is mostly categorized as Progressive Metal. :)
It's like Progressive Rock but it's foundation is more on the Metal side of the fence. :)
Dream Theater is considered one of the kings of Progressive Metal.
Opeth started out as Death Metal and were so experimental in mixing all kinds of sounds that eventually they pretty much were considered Progressive Metal now too.
Nevermore is usually considered either Thrash Metal or Progressive Metal. I'd say they are experimental and technical enough that they drift to the Progressive side.
Ya - I enjoy some metal - I cant get past the guitar in some of the bands.. reminds of hanging out at a guitar store ;) I still however totally get the vibe of even the heaviest thrash metal - its as expressive as any other art form (and pretty technical).
Speaking of guitar store.... Jeff Loomis of Nevermore doing Obsidian Conspiracy IN A guitar store without the vocals. Definitely pretty technical. I don't care about the style of guitar I think it is fun to watch anyone that is exceptional at the instrument. I am not a bad player myself when I practice doing everything from Classical, Jazz, Folk, Flamenco, and Metal... though I haven't played in some time... my family wishes I would.
You need attitude to play metal - that guy has it for sure.. I'm pretty confident I could play that - but writing it would be a whole other story :) You should pick up the guitar again man! I've taken breaks because of family/life but I always come back to it. I like it because its something you never master- I started learning piano a few years ago when I needed a change. Music really brings joy to your house - makes it feel like home!
Yeah I started playing in either 1987 or 1988. I even went for a dual music/physics major when I went to college first. They wouldn't let me use classical guitar as my instrument of choice so I took Cello for awhile. Though I never got to be really good at the Cello as when I went home I was always playing guitar. :)
I didn't mention BLUES because while I know technically how to play it, the chords, the scales, modes, etc. when I play it it sounds more like Rock. EVERY style of music has a unique feel that if you can't find that feel then it doesn't matter how technically skilled you are at it. Blues is in that vein for me. I can hit all the notes, but I don't sound like blues. It also has nothing to do with whether I have the blues/emotionally or not. :)
I played good blues once and it was accidental and I wasn't depressed or anything, though unfortunately I don't remember how I got to that point.
This is pretty common though. I've never really seen a guitarist that I think is good at ALL styles. I've seen people that are good at most of them, but there always seem to be some that they can hit the notes but something FEELING wise is missing. I sometimes call it finding the groove.
I am good at flamenco, classical, rock, and metal grooves. I could throw punk in there, but I don't usually bother because I could do that stuff within a week of picking up the guitar so for me it doesn't count. :)
Oh and yes I played in the college Jazz band for awhile. I was relegated to just chords and back ground rhythm mostly so I was pretty bored. The prof in charge of that band was way into brass and he didn't really let the guitar shine that much. I learned and used a lot of weird chords... that's about it. :)
But that particular SOUND in that song... Fusion would work too. That's the hallmark of a good Progressive band. They can sound like a lot of different styles depending upon which particular song you listen to.
Opeth's newer albums are actually pretty bizarre. They actually sound like they should have been performing in the early 1970s but they have better equipment and mixing. They have gone very almost psychedelic rock type feel in some of their newer albums. Like I said Progressive bands tend to be all over the place. Whether called Progressive Rock or Metal tends to depend upon where they tend to build the foundation of their songs... they started as Death Metal, transitioned to Progressive Metal, and some of their newer stuff sounds like 70s Progressive Rock. :P
I was thinking that.. even the production seemed like something Led Zep or Queen - maybe even Pink Floyd would have done.. Its not a commercial tune - but these guys could definitely sell themselves out for an "Enter Sandman" type hit..
Yeah and that wasn't even one of their pieces I'd consider the 70's style stuff.
I am no expert on their newer stuff it hasn't really grabbed me as much in the last two albums.
That's one of the new songs... even the visuals in the video would have fit in the 70s... and yeah it sounds more fusion. :P