Quarantine Days 2021 in Gatineau: April 13th 2021

Album of the year material? A review of Greta van Fleet's The Battle at Garden's Gate

Par kluseba le 17 Avril 2021 à 20:17

Timeless rock music of epic, progressive and symphonic proportions

American hard rock quartet Greta van Fleet from the little city of Frankenmouth in Michigan has been all the rage since the release of its first extended play Black Smoke Rising that has soon been followed by another extended play entitled From the Fires and later on the group's debut record Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Despite the band's large number of followers and the numerous awards it has already received for its works, some people claim that the band only rips of classic hard rock bands like Led Zeppelin and fails to have its own identity. While it's true that this band should appeal to fans of hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock of the seventies, the band's music sounds inspired rather than rehashed and the new output is a gigantic step forward for the band in terms of shaping its very own brand.

The Battle at Garden's Gate is inspired by calm, dreamy and introspective progressive rock music of the seventies as it recalls groups such as The Eagles, Procul Harum and Rush. A great example is strong opener ''Heat Above'' that kicks off with an extended organ solo before the drums smoothly fade in and transport this imaginative track into inspired progressive rock territory. ''Tears of Rain'' could be described as folk ballad of epic proportions with passionate vocals and almost jam-like instrumental passages. ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' has a strong vintage touch with its warm guitar sounds, vibrant bass lines, smooth drumming and dreamy keyboard sections that meet extremely variable lead vocals supported by mantra-like backing vocals that take the listener on a nearly religious voyage to the past that invites to dream yourself far away. The closing epic ''The Weight of Dreams'' goes even further in the band's progressive experimentation as it clocks in at nearly nine minutes that are filled with extended instrumental sections offering airy keyboard layers, bluesy guitar sounds and dynamic bass lines that transport the listener from the American wasteland to space and back again.

The band has consistently moved away from its catchier, shorter and simpler hard rock tunes of yore and taken quite some risks with this airy, dreamy and progressive sophomore output. Few songs remind of the band's recent past such as energetic, joyful and playful single ''My Way, Soon'' and swaggering, rhythmic and gripping ''Built by Nations''.

Some people might be surprised by the band's development and it could even lose a few fans over this progression but the young quartet has simply managed to define its own identity and offer one of the very best progressive rock albums in recent memory. The instrumental work is creative, the songwriting is inspired, the vocals sound unique and the warm vintage production transports listeners back in time and into space in times when this world has momentarily become a somewhat desolate place. Rock fans old and new around the world should be grateful for Greta van Fleet's sixty-four magical minutes of escapism. The Battle at Garden's Gate will not only be included on many lists for album of the year but stand the test of time and go down in history as one of the best rock albums of this decade. After listening to this record on multiple occasions on its first day of release, I certainly feel like spinning it again instead of revisiting the classics that inspired the band in the first place. Ignore the negative remarks and you will realize that Greta van Fleet's music isn't old-fashioned but timeless.

Final rating: 95%
Quarantine Days 2021 in Gatineau: April 13th 2021

Par kluseba le 14 Avril 2021 à 02:54
Quarantine Days 2021 in Gatineau: April 11th 2021

Par kluseba le 13 Avril 2021 à 18:36
Reviewing Japan's overlooked rock veterans Ningen Isu - Eleventh part: Shurabayashi / The Fighting Band (2003)

Par kluseba le 12 Avril 2021 à 18:56

Typical trademarks that rarely leave a lasting impression

Shurabayashi or The Fighting Band is Ningen-Isu's eleventh studio album and its last output with drummer Goto Masuhiro. Even though the album incorporates the band's traditional trademarks such as doom metal guitar riffs, heavy metal rhythm section and diversified dual vocal performances, the record is one of the weaker outputs in the band's vast discography. While the album doesn't include any stinkers, it's simply lacking its own identity as many tunes sound exchangeable and few songs manage to stand out.

Among the few highlights, epic closer ''Soukoku No Ie'' which translates to ''House of Rivalry'' needs to be pointed out right away. This song is a menacing doom metal stomper with gloomy backing chants and dramatic melodic lead vocals. The track varies from plodding and gloomy sections to fast and upbeat parts transported by vibrant bass guitar play and steady drum rhythms. The melodic and peaceful middle section offers an excellent break at the right moment and underlines the band's creative songwriting.

Other noteworthy songs are ''Ai No Kotoba Wo Kazouyou'' or ''Let's Count Words of Love'' with its distorted guitar sounds intertwined with agressively rhythmic drumming recalling punk rock music, slow, plodding and gloomy ''Tsuki Ni Samayou'' or '' Prowling for Moons'' that is dominated by raw vocals and vibrant bass guitar play and rhythmic ''Ou-Sama No Mimi Wa Robber No Mimi'' or ''The King's Ear is a Robber's Ear'' that flirts with blues rock territory in the playful guitar riff department.

At the end of the day, Shurabayashi or The Fighting Band will please Ningen-Isu fans and includes one obvious highlight with the excellent closer and a few hidden gems in the record's middle section. New or occasional fans should however start elsewhere such as with the dynamic, heavy and tight predecessor. This release is still a very good album meandering from folk rock, blues rock and hard rock to heavy and doom metal territories but it fails to stand out in Ningen-Isu's impressive high-quality discography.

Final rating: 78%
Spotify Playlist: Voivod in Twenty Songs

Par kluseba le 12 Avril 2021 à 18:51

Ladies and gentlemen!

Another week - another playlist! Today, I would like to honour Quebec's most influential metal band. I discovered progressive thrash metal legends Voivod all the way back in 2005 before I had ever been to Canada. The band's chaotic, dystopian and noisy style didn't appeal much to me back then. I learned more about the band because I went to the same high school as some of its members. My host mother also worked at the church where the band's guitarist has been buried. It turned out that I already knew much more about the band than most local metal fans. I properly started discovering the band when I permanently moved to Quebec in 2009. I also had the occasion to attend one of the group's live shows in 2010 which is the moment when I truly became a fan. One by one, I started collecting the band's albums and the group soon became one of my favourites. I even initiated one of my best friends in Quebec to the band and we saw them in concert in Ottawa back in 2015. Furthermore, I introduced several of my German friends to the band and I went to attend one of the band's shows in Frankfurt with three of them in 2019. Voivod has changed its style progressively through time, so it was important to me to create a playlist in perfect chronological order. If you like music that sounds like no other, give this band a chance and check out the laylist below: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52RlPrQzTD7R4aB8v7DULN

1. Voivod (1984)

2. Korgüll the Exterminator (1986)

3. Ravenous Medecine (1987)

4. Killing Technology (1987)

5. Macrosolutions to Megaproblems (1988)

6. Brain Scan (1988)

7. The Unknown Knows (1989)

8. Astronomy Domine (1989)

9. Panorama (1991)

10. The Prow (1991)

11. Fix My Heart (1993)

12. Jack Luminous (1993)

13. Nanoman (1995)

14. Forlorn (1997)

15. Twenty-First Century Schizoid Man (1997)

16. The X-Stream (2006)

17. Global Warning (2009)

18. Kluskap O'Kom (2013)

19. Post Society (2016)

20. Sonic Mycelium (2018)

 

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