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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Written by: Prodigy
Of late, instead of indulging into what I usually so with hours of gaming, questionably unhealthy eating and the occasional vid, I have been attempting to broaden my musical horizons. In retrospect, these bands don't deviate that far from my normal music tastes if not at all, but I thought them so different and worthy of mention that I would put a little about them. This is in part thanks to Scott's recommendation of Pandora, especially with regards to White Zombie.
Coheed and Cambria: Yeah OK, so you've probably seen me mention them before, but they really do deserver a reiteration. Admittedly I wasn't keen with this type of music at first, my usual tastes deviating to the much heavier end of the rock spectrum. However, after hearing the music and understanding the creativity behind it, I became much more accustomed to it. Bringing metal (Tenspeed, Welcome Home), prog rock (The Hound) and concept based rather poetic lyrics into an intelligent and wonderfully unique mix. They even do power ballads now (The Road and The Damned, rather randomly described by one forum poster as the song he/she listens to after orgasm, I can kind of understand in a wierd, not really understanding kind of way), shouldn't be long until they break into the mainstream as the musically intelligent band they are, but then maybe its best they remain a bloody brilliant secret.
Rammstein: Yeah, I've DEFINITELY mentioned this band before, but recently I decided to dabble into their other works, not just the odd single. And I was rewarded with the most powerful, foot stomping music I've heard if not ever, in a long time. They may be German, they may dabble in a bizarre mix of pyrotechnics and bondage when on stage and you may also not be able to understand a word they say, but who cares when the guitar is crunching and the sonic boom of keyboard/drum fusion pummels at your own ear drums. Perfect for when you feel like head-stomping someone, Rammstein vents your rage sonically.
Rob Zombie: I've been a minor fan of Rob Zombie since about year nine (Me and Dee being fans of the Hot Rod Herman Mix of Dragula featured on the Matrix) but again only a few months ago did I really start to go for his albums, and I was pleasantly surprised. Meaty, heavy guitar riffs, darkly modified electronica and synthesised sound bonded to create head-banging tunes of the macabre that really owe a lot to their horror film inspiration. One of the best (and most consistent)artists I'm aware of that can adapt songs and instruments and create new and completely original tracks. Maybe just losing out to one other group, and not by much.
White Zombie: Rob's old stomping ground, brilliant timeless music influenced by deep Sabbath style guitar, Metallica style vivacity and of course with Rob, a fascination of B movie horror and grindhouse flicks. Groovy almost funk metal riffs at times mixed with extremely schlocky anti-semitic lyrics make this band a must and satisfying listen for metal fans.
Faith No More: By far my biggest musical surprise, ingenuity like I had never seen. A mix of hip hop's bounce, heavy/death metal's destructive guitar and the funky synthesisation of a keyboard, combined with Mike Patton's flexible voice create an amazing array of startlingly random, yet individually excellent songs. Each one is so strikingly different that you'd think fans of the metal genre, to which it was aimed, would only truly enjoy a few of the songs as typically heavy metal, but they (in particular the albums Angel Dust and The Real Thing) have such an overpowering fusion that you can't help but enjoy the songs immensely for the super-innovative slices of creative musical perfection they are. Especially with regards to Angel Dust ( the departure of guitarist Jim Martin seemed to herald the loss of FNM's strength), going from alternative metal in 'Midlife Crisis', to full on death metal in 'Jizzlobber', and bizarrely to quite enjoyable country/folk sort of metal in 'RV'. The album is literally perfection, and an outstanding achievement that shows how random, different and sexually pervasive ('Be Aggressive' is a song relating to gay fellatio xDD, thought none of them are homosexual) music can beat most of the general formulaic crap that people listen in their thousands. Be sure to at least sample some of 'Angel Dust' and 'The Real Thing' and you will understand why I speak with such praise for them. Truly a diamond in the rough that is awfffffullll generic metal.
Labels: Coheed and Cambria, Faith No More, music, Rammstein, rob zombie, White Zombie
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