Alternative Nation - Blogs

Album Review #2

Moonshield — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:30:06 GMT

So this time round it's going to be Katatonia's fellow swedes Opeth.

A lot of opinion is divided about their Ghost Reveries record. It was the last to feature Martin Lopez and Peter Lindgren although it was also Per Wilberg's first record with the band. Some people think it wasn't as good as Damnation/Deliverance or Blackwater Park. It does have a change from their older work, the album feels more compact. Less a collection of songs and more of a cohesive statement.

Opeth enlisted Swedish producer Jens Bogren for the album. Sonicly it's incredible , almost flawless. Personaly I think the only thing I could moan about is the lack of bass on the guitars, at times they sound like they could use some beefing up.

It stars out with the huge epic Ghost Of Perdition. What a way to say �we're back!� This song is nothing short of incredible, it twists and turns whilst taking you on a majestic journey through Opeth's own brand of prog metal.

Next up is The baying Of The Hounds, continuing in the same vein as Ghost Of Perdition this is another exercise in prog metal. This song has some excellent dynamics during the middle section. Mikael �kerfeldt sounds as perfect as ever with the addition of Per Wilberg backing up the melody with some emotive keys.

Next of the agenda is Beneath The Mire. Don't be fooled by the intro , this song picks up some serious brutality during the verses. The clean vocal section if what it's all about though. Bringing that epic feel that only a band like Opeth could do. It also contains a interesting ending with some interplay between the drums and keys. Very cool stuff.

Now we have Atonement. A refreshing change of pace, this song brings the tempo down quite nicely. The vocals have a shimmery effect at the beginning which leads into a bursting soar of melodies. This song sounds like a bit of an experiment for Opeth, it's not typically something they would try. It sounds a bit like a mishmash of 70's prog with a almost jazzy flare. It feels a bit more compact than their usual more is more efforts.

Now were back on track. Reverie/Harlequin Forest kicks things straight ahead. This is Opeth firing on all cylinders. The vocal melody is instantly hummable. It twists , turns and flows right through your ears. The guitars are ripping it up on this track with some of the best playing on the album. Lyrically this song shines brightly, �kerfeldt describes his words with such a passion and humility most vocalists only wish they could convey.

What a shame. Just when we thought Opeth had created the perfect album they did this. Hours Of Wealth isn't a song. It's a total borefest of incredible proportions. How the heck could they write all that amazing music then come up with this crap? It's basicly 2 piano/keys and guitar riffs repeated endlessly till you nearly fall asleep. Then out of nowhere �kerfeldt and co try to save things, with an attempt at a sort of acapella. Only thing is while the performance is great the lyrics are pure cheese! This was a 5 minute journey through boredom.

YES! This what im talking about! After a slight misfire, Opeth are back in the saddle . The Grand Conjuration kick straight in with one of Opeth's best riffs.EVER. Opeth's beautiful controlled dynamics are ever present here. They certainly aren't pulling any punches now. Lyrical there's some sort of satanic vibe going on, don't take it too seriously though. This track defines what Opeth are about for me , epic transformations from wonderfully melodic to dark powerful metal with all the bells and whistles of progressive rock.

OK, Isolation Years is what Hours Of Wealth tried to be. A beautiful reprise from the grand conjuration, this is such a good song. Plain and simple, no prog frills here, just incredibly well written melodies , lyrics and instrumentation. Flawless is the best way to describe this. Just let go , close your eyes and let Opeth take you away to somewhere much better than wherever you might be reading this.

Ghost Reveries is quite a journey, much like any Opeth record. I feel as a whole this is a better representation of them than most of their other records present. This is a record for anyone that's into the finer things in life, call it thinking man's metal is you will. Opeth have carved out their name in metal history and this record certainly helped them prove that they deserve it.

Album Review #1

Moonshield — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:31:04 GMT

Whilst having a chat with a good friend i remembered i used to really want to be a journalist, i can't quite remember if i was any good at writing or not but im going to give it bash once more.

As it says on the tin im going to review an album. Not just any album though. Katatonia's 2006 album The Great Cold Distance.

These guys are probably one of the most underrated bands in music right now. With a sound that is distinctly all their own they create huge soundscapes of swirling melodies with a side order of melancholy. These fellas aren't happy. At all.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand.

The record starts out on dark note. Leaders is such a good intro to an album, there really couldn't have been anything else that sets the tone quite like this. It's probably the heaviest song Katatonia have done but they doesn't mean they sacrifice any melody or dynamics. Leaders' verses remind me a little bit of tool circa Lateralus.

Then we move onto the Second single off the album. Deliberation is very solid track , quite laid back. It's arrangement is where it really shines, Compared to the borderline crap early efforts from Katatonia this is worlds apart.

Next up is Soil's Song. This track amazes me. It's so simple but so compelling. almost hypnotic, this is what Katatonia are all about to me. If you don't like this song quite simply you'll probably never like Katatonia!

Now we have My Twin, This song bores me to be honest. It was the first single for the record and you can clearly see why. It's mellow verses and big chorus's sound as if they were created JUST to be a single.

Things are heating up a bit now. Consternation picks up the tempo a bit and injects some much needed darkness. This song holds stock some of the best riffing on the album. If that main riff doesn't move you.....There must be something wrong with you!

Follower is next on the menu and it picks up just where it needs to , Still milking the dark vibe Katatonia bring their pain in the huge chorus. This song really is about dynamics, they totally play off the loud and quiet thing you've heard a million times but somehow make it interesting.

Rusted is up next.What.A.Song! This song is probably one of my all time favorite songs. It's a perfect mix of melody,heaviness and mood. Katatonia nailed it here this track is flawless. What more can I say? Go listen to it.

Its now time for Increase. This song is interesting, its not a standout track per say but it has some really killer riffing going on and very interesting use of dynamics. Jonas Renkse's lyrics are really quite good here

Now its time for the daddy. The big boy. The reason you listened to this album. The fat lady has sung and it isn't Jonas Renkse. July is perfection incarnate. Katatonia have somehow managed to package everything their good at into one 4 minute 31 second masterpiece. I don't even have the words to write how good I think this song is. Just do yourself a favor and listen to it while your not busy with something else.

Well then with that out the way surely the rest of the album will crap eh?

OK you're half right there. The rest of the album isn't as good but thats not to say its not still worthy of a listen.

In The White takes a little while to get going and doesn't really do much for me, who's to say someone else might really enjoy it but I personally find it a bit of a dip after a song like July. With that said I really like the lyrics and vocal performance in this one , Jonas really has come a long way since Discouraged Ones.

The Itch is up next. This is the song which references the album title, It certainly lives up to it. This song sounds so cold and empty. This is definitely some hangover music if I ever heard any.

We're now at the end of the album. Journey Through Pressure is a bit of sleepy tune. Theres not much happening here guitar wise but some very interesting drum work and brilliantly done vocals really save this song. Jonas Renkse sounds on fine form here delivering some of this most compelling lyrics to date.

So how do you feel after you've gone the great cold distance?

Katatonia is;

Jonas Renkse-Vocals
Anders Nystr�m-Guitars
Fred Norrman-Guitars
Mattias Norrman-Bass
Daniel Liljekvist -Drums

blogging is like journaling, right?

deadcat_livecat — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:19:47 GMT

for the last week, i have ditched my friends, my boys, because they told one of my black friends that she was a n****r and they were going to lynch her. she has never started anything with them. they were persecuting her based on the fact that she was black and they were fucking skinheads who don't know their fucking asshole from a hole in the ground. i was sad to ditch them though.

last year, on my birthday, they all came up to my front yard and sang to me, then lined up single file and each gave me a hug and a kiss. one of them has cancer. one of them takes care of his girlfriend when her druggie mom beats on her. one of them has to take care of his dad. one of them got raped and abused until he was sixteen.

they are all people with their own problems and their own lives. i have talked to them about this racist shit before, and to be perfectly honest, i tried to kill their "leader" last year.

she reported it, and the right people took action. i thought once he was gone this would go away but they're angry at her for reporting it, angry at me for being on her side, angry at the people they were with for getting them called in just by association.

i thought that was as far as it went.
ever heard of murphy's law?

yesterday i was on my porch with the guys who were in that group, but not involved in the whole scandal. guillermo, joeseph, brandon, flores, joey, and william. one black guy is across the street, yelling nigga this and nigga that at us, and he drops his bike and crosses the street.

he comes up and starts screaming at joey, telling him he was a pussy and couldn't fight and all this stuff, and then two more guys come up.

at this point, guillermo was on my lap (don't ask) so i threw him off, stood up and told them to get the fuck off my property. i dialed 911 but didn't press call. one of the two that joined the first one pulled out a shank and started yelling.

the third kid was yelling now, still the n word, and i'm telling you, this kid was beige at best. i'm mexican and irish by ethnicity, but the irish is what shows, and i was darker than this kid.

i figured out from the yelling that they had been pushing joey around, calling him the n word, and he said it back to them. joey is mexican.

i find that word extremely offensive, i do, however, when an individual refers to oneself and their friends as such, one can only assume that (besides a lack of integrity) the word has lost the meaning. you cannot, logically, say you're a bitch, call your friends bitches as a term of endearment, and then get offended when someone calls you a bitch.

anyway, i yelled, i screamed, i threatened, they threatened, they left.

when i could breathe right, i grabbed the knife out of my room and waited for the guys to get back from escorting joey home. i wanted to know if they started anything else. everyone was fine, so i went to go do they interviews at the plaza for a documentary on (here's the irony) gang and racial violence.

today i was going to the store, and guess who's walking around when i get into the parking lot?
(murphy's law again)

for the second time in my life, i actually checked over my shoulder all day. they didn't follow me into the grocery store, they just pointed and kept walking. i know what that means.

hey hey

kittymeow2010 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:03:22 GMT

sooooo. im still trying to figure out this whole thing. its kind of confusing and im not too sure how to function all of this. anybody wanna help me out?
<3

Ahoy!

ElevenEleven — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:57:16 GMT

We are very exited to announce that we have a very busy year ahead of us: we have finished our ep entiltled 'The Grandfather Paradox' and will be ready to sell very soon, also on the end of that we are also going into the studio to lay some more tracks down.

On top of that we are shooting a video for 'Falling' which is in production as we speak. Also we have some pretty cool support slots coming up with 'Attack! Attack!' and 'In Case Of Fire' and we will be adding so many more shows to come, so we will be coming to your Town/City very soon. And, we have been approached by Rocky Costanzo, for our single 'Everlast' to appear as a soundtrack feature on a new film, due for release 2010, entitled '11:11'. For more info on this their myspace page is in our top friends.
Feel free to check it out or ask us for more info.

If you'd like to take a look at some of our tracks or drop us some love you can find us on the following link:

www.myspace.com/eleveneleven

:)

Mix-n-Mash

videomash — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:30:28 GMT

Mix-n-Mash
Mix-n-Mash 2008, a two-day, multi-venue convergence of mid-valley arts and culture October 10 and 11 in downtown Salem.

Oregon Media Arts Fellowship recipient Chel White will headline Mix-n-Mash 2008, a two-day, multi-venue convergence of mid-valley arts and culture October 10 and 11 in downtown Salem. White, a Portland filmmaker, whose work has been featured on MTV and Saturday Night Live, recently won Best Music Video at the 2007 SXSW Festival in Austin for his video of Thomas Yorke, front man for the band Radiohead. He will present a retrospective of his music videos and short films 8:30 p.m, Friday, October 10 at the Grand Theater, 191 High St NE.

Other Mix-n-Mash programs will include live music, panels, performance art, a gallery tour and a fashion show. On Friday, record label owners from K Records, Mastan Music, Boy Gorilla and Hush Records will open the festival at the OPB music stage with a discussion about 21st-century marketing models for bands 5:30 p.m. at Mission Mill Museum Spinning Room. More than 60 bands will play the Cherry City Music Festival throughout downtown Salem during the event.

Fashion will take the main stage at the Valleylicious Style Show 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Grand Theater. Independent designers will showcase their latest lines to mid-valley buyers and fashionistas to music spun by Gustav, a Portland radio personality. Salem visual artist Natalie, recently starring in the CBS reality series Big Brother 9, will host the fashion show.

Visual artists' work will be exhibited in downtown galleries during October and receptions are planned during the Visual Art Mixer gallery tour, on Saturday. The fifth program, performance Slammajamma occurs Saturday evening and includes comedians, live theater and poetry on Saturday evening.

Mix-n-Mash 2008 is a special project of the Mid-Valley Video Festival, a 501(c)(3) corporation organized to promote, educate and network filmmakers. Prices for individual events vary and $15 all-access wristbands are available now at www.mix-n-mash.com.

Not really in birthday mode..

EyeballSix — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:11:12 GMT

Yeah so my birthdays on national pirate day which is this friday, both are supposedly fun things but i just cant be arsed.
My mum ended up in the golden jubilee hospital three weeks ago in intensive care after being at hairmyres hospital(i use the word loosely) for around two weeks. During those two weeks she got worse and when she arrived at the jubilee some doctor told me for three days running that there was a fifty fifty chance my mum would be dead in the morning. I appreciated he ddnt beat around the bush but really, no one needs to hear that. they werent going to give her her heart valve transplant as she has got such a bad infection but they changed their mind after giving her dialysis( the irony) and she got her third heart valve transplant on the sunday. She then had to spend two weeks on a ventilator and even though she has woken up she still isnt quite there, she had no memory of her weeding rings or my dad when she woke up, which was horrifying. Having to sit combing the blood out of someones hair while they are on a ventilator is now top on the list of images i need to forget.
She has now been transferred back to the hospital that nearly killed her in the first place, and i cant sit at peace. I have been going to my work through this as i cant afford not to and i dont really sleep any more but i could really do with just sitting beside my mum 24/7 watching that everyone that comes near her is actually clean.
This may be becuase the owner of my work told me that his wifes father just died in hairmyres as they have so much infection.
So yeah, that and the fact that some bastard ruined my mums hair while i was away to the extent that shel probably have to cut it off ( its longer than mine)if i cant fix it today. So if i have very short hair on friday youl know why. If i actually make it out to the note, but i think claire may drag me.
got to go to hospital now, see you guys later.

Well, this hasn't been used for a while...

`Annihilator — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:31:08 GMT

This seems to be the "Great Blog Of Unemployed Random Nonsense" or something. I only post in it around these times.

Don't really have much to say right now, mind you. Just re-opening this for potential 4:30am ramblings, pretty much the same as before.

:D

What's the cheapest form of train travel in Glasgow?

wild_scottie — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:14:10 GMT

Hay there!
I've just moved to Glasgow and i was wondering what the cheapest form of travel is on the train. I have to travel to and from dumbarton to glasgow city every day. Maybe a month pass is the the best idea? Any info would be much appreciated.

Fuck Subjects Fuck Off

CHUCK LIDELOL — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:12:42 GMT

Nothing feels wrong. I dunno that anything emotes any response. I feel so naturally cold and outside.

I want to write more. I write a lot but delete and burn most of it. It's mostly garbage I think. I like Smckey Robinson. I need to finish something. I keep working on nothing and nothing ever becomes something. I lack, cohesion and conclusion.

Today I woke up and untied my pink handcuffs. I was told that I was bold and legit unforgivable. I wouldn't forgive me. Shouty and forgotten. No. Cannot. A life change.

Today I woke up and visited town. I had dinner with my mother. It was actually good, not just mundane or moribund as it has been for a while. She was chirpier tonight. I was too. I spoke out loud. I existed which she liked. We talked a bit about my wall of personality. My father, politics, Christianity and terrorism, of all things. I had a good night. I was really glad to see her not through obligation.

I came home, and got / getting / am drunk.

I drink tonight. I can't explain why or to whom. I just, not want or need, but I dunno, I just had some beer. There is no 'Friday' excuse, nor any excuse nor reason lieu. Nor do I feel like I should verbalise one. Why mention it? I don't know.

I don't know. This week I've felt very much stuck. This encompassing feeling of imminent demise and ... collapse, is nothing new nor will it go away. I deal.

This ain't no holiday.

Wounded by Donna Brizendine

Mia Destruction — Sat, 31 May 2008 05:54:19 GMT

Wounded

In the battles of war
Amidst
The warring fire

Souls live on to tell
The story
Of pungent hell

Faceless eyes
Bombard
Their mind of horrors

Senseless chaos shudder
Rippling
Through haunted clutter

Wounded warriors
Unseen
Scars of hidden hurts

When does it end?
Painful
Fighting is not pretend

In the battles of war
Face off
With endless thoughts abhor

�Copyright
27 May 2008
MahTame

Patriotism And War!

Mia Destruction — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:45:11 GMT

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. "-John Stuart Mill

I Like Big Cars

Mia Destruction — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:44:01 GMT

I like big cars, big boats, big motorcycles, big houses and big campfires.

I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some governmental stooge with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts for squirting out babies.

Guns do not make you a killer. I think killing makes you a killer. You can kill someone with a baseball bat or a car, but no one is trying to ban you from driving to the ball game.

I believe they are called the Boy Scouts for a reason, that is why there are no girls allowed. Girls belong in the Girl Scouts!

I think that if you feel homosexuality is wrong, it is not a phobia, it is an opinion.

I don't think being a minority makes you a victim of anything except numbers. The only things I can think of that are truly discriminatory are things like the United Negro College Fund, Jet Magazine, Black Entertainment Television, and Miss Black America.

Try to have things like the United Caucasian College Fund, Cloud Magazine, White entertainment Television, or Miss White America and see what happens. Jesse Jackson will be knocking down your door.

I have the right NOT to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off. When 70% of the people who get arrested are black, in cities where 70% of the population is black, that is not racial profiling, it is the law of statistics.

I know what sex is, and there are not varying degrees of it. If I received sex from one of the subordinates in my office, it wouldn't be a private matter or my personal business. I would be "FIRED" immediately!

I believe that if you are selling me a milk shake, a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper or a hotel room, you must do it in English! As a matter of fact, if you want to be an American citizen you should have to speak English!

My father and grandfather shouldn't have to die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours. I think the police should have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you threaten them after they tell you to stop. If you can't understand the word "freeze" or "stop" in English, see the above lines.

I feel much safer letting a machine with no political affiliation recount votes when needed. I know what the definition of lying is.

I don't think just because you were not born in this country, you are qualified for any special loan programs, government sponsored bank loans or tax breaks, etc., so you can open a hotel, coffee shop, trinket store, or any other business. We did not go to the aid of certain foreign countries and risk our lives in wars to defend their freedoms so that decades later they could come over here and tell us our constitution is a living document and open to their interpretations.

I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.

I know wrestling is fake, but so are movies and television, and that doesn't stop you from watching them.

I believe a self-righteous liberal or conservative with a cause is more dangerous than a Hell's Angel with an attitude.

I think Bill Gates has every right to keep every penny he made and continue to make more. If it ticks you off, go and invent the next operating system that's better and put your name on the building. Ask your buddy that invented the Internet to help you.

It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child right, but it does take a parent to stand up to the kid and smack their little ass when necessary and say "NO."

I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement. And . . . Please stay home until that new lip ring heals, I don't want to look at your ugly infected mouth as you serve me french fries!

I am sick of "Political Correctness" and of all the suck ups that go along with it. I know a lot of black people, and not a single one of them was born in Africa, so how can they be "African-Americans"? Besides, Africa is a continent. I don't go around saying I am a European-American because my great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather was from Europe. I am proud to be from America and nowhere else.

And if you don't like my point of view, tough!

How Nostradamus stopped the Randi - Dawkins Corp.

davidmabus2020 — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:48:52 GMT

FINAL DRAFT FOR WORLD-WIDE CIRCULATION:

now with EMBEDDED VIDEOS!

please FWD all your appreciations to randi@randi.org and
richard.dawkins@oum.ox.ac.uk and myersp@morris.umn.edu

SEE HOW WE CAUSED THE PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN ATHEISTS, ELLEN JOHNSON,
TO QUIT HER JOB AND STOPPED RANDI'S MILLION DOLLAR PARANORMAL
CHALLENGE:

for randi & dawkins and all the so-called "critical thinkers"

the ORIGINAL *KING OF TERROR* VIDEO.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGsOqPDkIZY

the *MODEL* of mental health:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zBEbfiaZTfc

"Look at the ANGLE OF THE KEY....see that, see that...."

what an idiot this Randi is.....a REAL CRITICAL THINKER....

Visit:

http://nostradamus-usa.netfirms.com

to see how we stopped the MILLION DOLLAR PARANORMAL challenge.....
watch carefully the consequences of Randi's *idea*.....

For over 40 years James Randi Zwigert (is this even a REAL NAME?) has
had total control over who and how the testing was conducted, yet
despite all this he has terminated the challenge.

The ONLY REASON why the challenge was stopped is because he lost and
refused to pay.
Apparently, Randi likes to break the rules when it serves him:

"14. This prize will continue to be offered until it is awarded. Upon
the death of James Randi, the administration of the prize will pass
into other hands, and it is intended that it continue in force. "

Great force.....it's over......

where is my MILLION DOLLARS, you LITTLE *NO-NAME* FRAUD
PS: Almost Forgot: Love the IRONY of the *BULLSHIT* sign over Randi's
ugly head....

Weekend of the usual...

Veil Of Tears — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:46:18 GMT

It seems every month I get a little more into the things. I wonder how long before its a proper obsession?

Anyway, Divs report on the weekend (with an amusing photo or three) is here.

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum...43398&start=20
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ooh, is that a tumbleweed?