Heaven In Her Arms | Paraselene

Note: I'm drunk.

Over a year ago I made a blog post about Heaven In Her Arms' last release, a very solid four song ep which was a follow up to an even more solid debut full length.

Come June 2010. The new record, Paraselene is now available for listening. For my ears. Will this be another solid screamo record with proper dramatic Envy b-sides from A Dead Sinking Story?

You would think.

Wrong.

In 54 minutes Paraselene showcases one of the darkest cds to come out this year. Don't question. This record is DARK. The atmosphere is unlike 95% of anything the genre of screamo has reached. In fact...this record is essentially only 5% screamo.

Through the 8 tracks on this record, which all run into one another, making it sound literally like it could be one huge ass track, the CD delves into several different genres and sounds that aren't normally apparent in screamo.

Sludge. Doom. Funeral doom. Drone. Atmospheric black metal. Post-rock.

It's a true sit-down-and-LISTEN type record. It deserves the full attention of your brain and the work of your ears. They will not be disappointed.

Heaven In Her Arms attempted at setting themselves apart with this record. They've succeeded. I only hope they receive the recognition and appreciation they deserve with Paraselene. I'm thinkin' top 10 material here. Listen to this record. I mean REALLY listen to it.

If you do that, this will as well appear in your top 10 albums of the year.

I can't...

When I cannot, or I say I can't or cannot, it can mean a lot of different things. I'll break it down for you.
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I can't...

believe what I'm hearing.

Comprehend.

I cannot ever amount to the greatness of...

I cannot can.

I can't not feel an unbelievable amount of emotions because of...

I can't wrap my mind around the quality of unbelievable-ness...

So on and so forth.

With Insomniac Doze, one of my favorite records of all time...

I FUCKING CAN'T. I JUST.......CAN'T.

"The Years, They Passed, And So Did We"

Wednesday night, a bit buzzed, I sit down to relax on the computer before heading back onto the xbox 360 to eventually belligerently play video games with my friends. Searching various forums I contribute to, I see a thread titled "Oh my fucking god.........". Highlighting it, I see it has to do with Isis. A show review, of course! Hardly.

I had to read it a few times, not realizing it was copy/pasted from somewhere, and especially not realizing it was at one point typed up by a member of Isis. The consumption of alcohol did not help my understanding of two large paragraphs and a 'Goodnight' from the band. After it struck me, I gazed into the monitor for 5 minutes without moving. Isis have broken up.

Should I be in disbelief? I knew it was inevitably coming. I just hoped for one more full length. The band has had an amazing career over the 13 years they were together, and although I've only been a huge fan since 2007, I've listened to each release so many times that I was able to fully appreciate such a catalog of music and truly understand how they've influenced and literally changed the lives of music lovers. But never before has a band this quickly influenced me in nearly the same ways.

It's almost hard to describe exactly what Isis do to me when I sit down and listen to their music. How can something indescribable be such a consistent and apparent factor on all five full length albums? Never before have I been so drawn into the sound of a record where I have to stop whatever I am doing and just LISTEN to and feel the music, at least this hasn't happened since a Tool record. In general, Isis are a band that should require attention, but as I sit on the computer, Isis do not just settle for background music.

For every listen, a roller coaster of emotions. I'm engulfed with the feelings of power, sadness, anger, triumph, all at different moments, and at some points, I feel all of these things at once, as if some uninvented emotion has been contrived only through listening to this band. No song since Tool's "Lateralus" has made me nearly break down into tears until almost every time I hear "So Did We". Even at the end of their career, the finale of Wavering Radiant, "Threshold of Transformation" picks me up to the highest of my aggression and then catapults me down into a spiraling hole of despairing beauty, leaving me speechless, with every single listen.

Witnesses Isis live three times was something special, and I feel the need to make it happen one last time, even if I go alone (I wouldn't want to cry in front of my friends at a metal concert). We still have Isis to look forward to as the band plans on releasing a final EP, and more live material in the future.

With that said, I will always love this band with all my heart, and although I was with them for only the end, they will continue to influence and inspire me musically, and throughout every day life for as long as I have my ability to hear. Thank you, Isis.

"Don't look back, Press on."

- 'Hall of the Dead', Isis

A Nice Surprise: Dead Letter Circus

1	Here We Divide
2	One Step
3	Big
4	The Space on the Wall
5	The Long Hour
6	Cage
7	Reaction
8	The Drum
9	The Design
10	Next in Line
11	Walk
12	This Is the Warning

I love it when people on the internet are aware of my musical tastes and recommend bands and CDs to me. Yesterday somebody told me to check out Dead Letter Circus's debut LP, This Is the Warning. The first thing I thought was "What a horrible band name", but of course just like you shouldn't judge a book by its' cover, you especially shouldn't judge a band by their name (See: Tool, dredg).

So after acquiring the album I started it up rather quickly as I had nothing to do all day but listen to music. Thirty seconds into the opening song "Here We Divide" I knew the recommendation would be somewhat worth it. As the final seconds faded out, the recommendation was ever so appreciated. What was I hearing?! This is amazing! I had to do more research, and upon looking around a bit, I found they were UNSIGNED, which then brought me to realize that this may be one of the best unsigned bands you'll ever hear.

So what does it sound like? It sounds like a mix between dredg, Incubus, Karnivool, Strata and more name drops that I can't put my finger on. It's the most refreshing alternative rock album I've heard in a very, very long time. There are electronics going on, vivid reverb guitar leads, energetic bass and drum rhythms, unbelievably dramatic and catchy choruses all at the same time, and one hell of a vocalist.

The album isn't very diverse but that is actually one of the more fun qualities about it, and I'm sure that like with most bands, any future releases will have a bit more depth and diversity. What is almost shocking about this record is that although it is very samey throughout, each song is great, one after another.

I now pass this recommendation on to you. Listen to this and enjoy it. I don't think many people can dislike this. It's just not possible.

Favorite songs: "Here We Divide", "One Step", "Walk"

1. Ayil
2. Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin
3. Blue Day for Croatoa
4. Release
5. Revolve
6. Renew
7. A Determinism of Morality

If you've been keeping up with my blog (that's sarcasm; you haven't), you would see that I have a deep and everlasting adoration for Rosetta's Wake/Lift. At the time I heard it I thought The Galilean Satellites was a tad too harsh and repetetive, and Wake/Lift was proving to be perfection to my ears with its perfect mix of ambiance, post-rock, and down tuned low end doom. To this day Wake/Lift still is that near perfect CD for me, so you could imagine my anticipation when I heard Rosetta was recording an album to be released this year.

The band was quick to answer questions about their new sound on their tumblr. The album will be a lot shorter than the others. The songs will be a lot shorter than previous songs. The tempo is going to be faster, etc etc. Upon hearing these things I was initially bummed. It's a hard thing to write consistently amazing long songs and Rosetta have always been one of the few bands anymore that seem to pull it off with ease. How would a short Rosetta song sound like? On their new album A Determinism of Morality, six of the seven tracks are under the seven minute mark, while the finale just barely falls short of eleven minutes. I can easily assure you, Rosetta could write 3 minute songs and I think they'd still manage to blow us away. Enough babbling...let's get to ADoM.

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The album starts off with a punch in the face with the muscular opener "Ayil" (pats self on back for choice of adjectives here). Immediately you recognize the pace is blatantly quicker than anything on Wake/Lift, and the crystal clear production is also something refreshingly new. Mike Armine's vocals sound angrier than all hell and more passionate than ever. Other things that are immediately noticeable is that the bass sounds much more prominent than previously, BJ's drums are way higher in the mix (a very good thing on this CD), and Matt's wall of noise guitars sound perfectly placed among the rest of the instruments.

The song's massive build up section midway through showcases the first of manytimes you may encounter goosebumps on this record. While BJ goes off on one, you lose count of the amount of guitar tracks that are added even on top of the ambient samples and soundscapes seeping through the bass. After building and building, it finally blasts into an aggressive assault from all 4 members of Rosetta. "RELEASE! REVOLVE! RENEW!" bellows from Armine's throat, even after screaming all three of those words 400 times each on Wake/Lift's closing track, "Monument". Not only is this tying in the concepts of the band, but also foreshadows three tracks coming later in the cd.

After "Ayil" leaves you barely standing after its disturbingly heavy ending, "Je N'en Connais Pas la Fin" begins and may arguably be the best song on the record, and maybe even in the bands career. Words are failing to describe the beauty of this track. An effortlessly flowing build up, a constant crescendo that just doesn't seem to stop getting more and more exciting and gorgeous with each transition. Approaching the end, the song teases, and absolutely delivers. I can't say much else other than this song is perfect. Literally perfect.

If you were wondering if there was any ambiance on A Determinism of Morality, you'll get your fix with "Blue Day for Croatoa". The song sounds like it could be the little brother of the enormous and other-worldly "Temet Nosce" from Wake/Lift. The track is very building but in a trance inducing manner, not getting too loud and saving up any massive exploding endings for remaining numbers to come. The tones continue pushing the bands reputation for being spacey and at times on this song are reminiscent to something Slowdive would do. The band is after all huge fans of The Cure. You'll hear that name drop again later on.

After you're done floating in space for seven minutes, the first of the three Rs begins with "Release". The opening melodies and bass grooves pull you back from space and suck you in to the cohesiveness of the bands song writing. After the first minute or so you'll hear something the Rosetta hasn't done before in their career; clean singing, and it's one of the most airy and beautiful parts on ADoM. Don't get too comfortable though as one of the most crushing things they've ever written lies at the conclusion of the track accompanied by most hair raising vocal performances by Mike Armine. Simply put, prepare to be doomed.

"Revolve" is next and begins with one of the prettiest post-rock-esque parts you could hear in a band like this. It's tough to say how the opening melodies make you feel. At times it seems like the most hopeless and melancholic of notes yet as it builds it seems like the most uplifting and powerful sound you've ever heard. When the melody cuts back in midway through the song, the tone blatantly reminds you of The Cure again, until bursting into the final few minutes of the song. As it flows in and out of triumphant crescendos and hinting at nearly black metal chord progressions, the song finally gives in, barraging you at the end with a bendy, low end assault.

If there was anything that was missing from Rosetta's signature sound, "Renew" is sure to bring everything great about this band into the mix. In fact, "Renew" is the perfect sum up of this bands sound in 6 minutes. From the opening ambiance, to the chill inducing build up, to the layers upon layers of guitars added each measure until finally exploding into what sounds like all the guitars remained in the mix with distortion kicked on, and notched up to 11. Gigantic ending. And speaking of huge endings, this brings us to the title track finale...

Now you may have heard the demo song of "A Determinism of Morality". I was initially bummed after finding out the band showcased a demo of the LAST SONG ON THE CD, but after not listening to it again, the album version was still fresh to me. One thing is for certain, the ending is much, much better than the demo's.

The song begins with lurking atmosphere and a groovy bass line which is soon met up with some oddly timed drums. Matt's guitars build upon the beats and everything starts coming together with effortless flow. Once the melody breaks out, you are floored for the first time in the song, but certainly not the last. The waves of ambiance midway through start one of the best closing build up/climaxes in Rosetta's catalog. Once forgetting where you are, the drums start pummeling there way back into your brainwaves, followed by more layers of guitars. It doesn't take long for the song to kick back in full force, but its only reached about half of its volume as the final two minutes are sure to melt you and crush you somehow simultaneously. Unbelievably POWERFUL ending.

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So if there were any doubts that Rosetta could write another amazing record, those doubts will be shattered upon hearing A Determinism of Morality. Sure, it's a bit shorter, but the final half of the closing song literally leaves you more satisfied that you can imagine. They've proven that they do not need to write 12 minute tracks to express their epic sound. Although I don't think the band could write a better record than Wake/Lift, ADoM is undeniably incredible, and will most definitely be sitting in my top three records of 2010.

Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

In a previous blog post, I broke down Circa Survive's Juturna and On Letting Go, explaining how I loved Juturna for its haunting atmosphere and nostalgic affect on me, and On Letting Go for its dreaminess and the fact that it has two of my favorite Circa Survive songs on it, until now at least.

Although I do love On Letting Go now, I didn't at first. The two songs I liked immediately ended up being my two favorites in the bands' catalog for quite awhile, and the rest took lots of forced listens for a couple weeks to really appeal to me. With that being said, the moment I heard Blue Sky Noise I was hooked. Hopefully it doesn't have a reverse effect that On Letting Go had.

Circa Survive dropped their slow, prodding, overly drenched reverb style a tad on Blue Sky Noise, allowing it to be instantly accessible to most older fans, and most especially newer fans. There are moments on the record that are obviously signature style for the band such as the instant classic "Frozen Creek" which is probably in their top 3 most popular songs already due to them performing it live for the passed two years.

What's refreshing about Blue Sky Noise are the pop oriented songs such as "I Felt Free", which may be my new favorite song from the band, "Imaginary Enemy", and "Dyed in the Wool". This is where the bands song writing shines more-so than it ever has on all three releases. Maybe this is the type of music they should have been playing the whole time.

A lot of long time Circa Survive fans may complain the band lost their atmosphere and their experimentation, but I will have to disagree while also saying that they are full of bullSHIT. Just because a band isn't overflowing their songs with guitar leads on delay does not mean they lost atmosphere. Just because the band is playing actual chords, and upped their aggression a bit doesn't mean they're not experimental. The song writing on Blue Sky Noise is their best yet, and even though it might be more of an alternative touch, it seems this is where the band shines the most. Either way, Circa Survive are now three for three.

Favorite tracks: "I Felt Free", "Fever Dreams", "Dyed in the Wool".

What I've Been Listening To...

Circa Survive | Blue Sky Noise

This is technically the best Circa Survive album. I normally would be upset with a band dropping most of their atmosphere and 'spaceyness' but Circa Survive to a good job substituting more interesting song writing with the twinkly delay stuff. It helps the album be their most diverse. Anthony Green sounds incredible throughout, as well. Juturna will probably still be my overall favorite due to sentimental reasons. A full review coming...

Alcest | Écailles de lune

Possibly album of the year. A full review is coming for this as well...

Immanu El | Moen

Immanu El are becoming one of my favorite post-rock bands. I cannot seem to stop listening to this record. It's very short, but because of that I feel I return to it more than I would if it were another 10-15 minutes long. More people need to hear this band and this CD. Its' simplicity goes a long, long way.

Periphery | Periphery

The long awaited progressive metalcore band Periphery have finally finished their debut and it's quite impressive. Although I can't seem to listen to any metalcore album for more than three spins, despite the blatant Meshuggah worship, I will say that this is a band I'd recommend to metal heads over just about 90% of other bands in the genre.

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What haven't I been listening to?

Pearl Jam.