NO UPDATES

There shall be no updates till June 2nd. I'm on vacation.

Mastodon - Crack The Skye (2009)

What do paraplegics, space travel, Rasputin and the Devil have in common? Nothing really, till Mastodon released their 4th studio album. Hot on the heels of their successful album 'Blood Mountain' (2006) Mastodon had a lot to deliver, however they have not only delivered the goods but Crack The Skye may well be their best work to date. Sonically, the album is a bit of a departure from their previous work. Gone are the growling screamy vocals, instead the band opts to use clean vocals on a large portion of the songs. Also the frenetic pace on previous albums have been cut down in favour of more melodic passages. Synthesizers have been used for the first time. However the album still retains the heaviness Mastodon have come to be known for, along with the twin guitar attack of Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher, odd time-signatures and out of this world drumming by Brann Dailor.

The new style the band has opted for is prominent on the two longest songs of the album. Clocking in at 10 minutes, 'The Czar' is the album's central masterpiece. Comprising of 4 parts, the band throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Keyboards? Check. Shifting tempos? Check. Bluesy guitar solo? Check. The song comprises of so many intracate melodies that it may be overwhelming for a first time listener. The 13-minute album closer 'The Last Baron', every bit as epic as 'The Czar', truly pushes the boundaries of metal, almost bordering on muscular art-rock.'Divinations' is probably the most 'catchy' song on the album, but maybe it's because it has a banjo (?!) strummed intro. Overall, 'Crack The Skye' comes as close to being a modern-day prog-metal classic as it gets. The vocals may be a bit weak and the subject matter may seem excessive, but it no way detracts from the excellent musicianship Mastodon have come to be known and loved for.

Song Picks :

• Oblivion
• Divinations
• The Czar
• The Last Baron
  

Slow Updates

To all those who read my blog, im sorry for the slow updates. It's highly lazy of me to post once in 5 days since im actually not doing anything else! Will update more regularly now!

Thanks,

Kbarat

Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002)

Imagine a long, lonely drive through the desert. There's nothing except your car's radio to keep you company, only the various Radio Jockey's and the songs they play. That is what QOTSA's ambitious 2002 effort aims to do, to put you quite literally in the driver's seat and how it succeeds! Frontman Josh Homme proves himself to be a master collaborator, bringing in a slew of guest musicians all of whom make their presence felt on this wonderful album. Some of these guests include ex-Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan, who provides his signature deep vocals on a few tracks. Then there is Dave Grohl, who practically begged to be on the album after they toured with the Foo Fighters.His powerful and muscular drumming adds a whole new dimension to the album. The Queens show off their various musical influences such as hard rock,pop,punk rock and psychedelica. Uniquely, the album has three lead vocalists, frontman Josh Homme himself, bassist Nick Oliveri and of course, Mark Lanegan. The album opener is quite deceiving, for a first time listener may think of QOTSA as a screamo band. Nick Oliveri screams his lungs out over a barrage of guitars and drums. The next song is the Grammy-nominated 'No One Knows'. Josh Homme delivers his soothing vocals over a pounding distorted guitar riff; a sort of an anomaly in today's rock scene. Other tracks include 'Go With The Flow', with its chugging keyboards, swirling guitars and even a lap steel guitar, the song pays tribute to 70's pop rock. Each track Mark Lanegan contributes to is as haunting as it is heavy such as 'A Song for the Dead','A Song for the Deaf' and 'Hangin' Tree'. QOTSA's 'Songs For The Deaf' may seem like a straight forward hard rock album, but the various musical styles,the triple singers and even Dave Grohl's drumming all contribute to a wholly unique and fanatasic album. Just don't let the radio chatter get to you!

Song Picks:

• No One Knows
• First It Giveth
  
• A Song For The Dead
• Hangin' Tree
• Go With The Flow
• A Song For The Deaf
  

KoЯn - KoЯn (1994)

Korn's (or should I say KoЯn?) seminal self-titled debut album is a dark and disturbing listen. Jonathan Davis' vocals range from aggressive to downright harrowing and lyrically, the album deals with topics such as abuse, parental issues, neglect and even nursery rhymes (yes, you read that correctly). Musically, the album is a hybrid of many styles such as metal, grunge, funk and even hip hop. This kind of music came to be known as Nu Metal. Guitarists Head and Munky use downtuned seven stringed guitars which sound very heavy yet crunchy enough at the same time. Bassist Fieldy's bass guitar sounds like the crack of a whip but that further adds to the unique sound. The drumming is simple and effective. Album opener 'Blind' is a classic of the Nu-Metal genre and so is 'Shoots And Ladders', a song comprised completely of childrens nursery rhymes. This song could have gone wrong on so many levels but Jon Davis gives his own creepy twist to the song adding a innovative bagpipe intro,an instrument uncommon to rock music. Also of note is the disturbing and harrowing album closer 'Daddy'. Davis pours his heart out to the listener and breaks down into tears by the end. The disturbing part is that it's all caught on tape,so raw and emotional. While the album may appeal more to teenagers due to the subject matter, theres nothing here that would prevent an adult from enjoying it any less. The issues dealt with here have been experienced by all at some point.

Song Picks :

• Blind
• Faget
• Clown
• Shoots And Ladders
• Daddy
  

The Verve - Urban Hymns (1997)

The Verve's 'Urban Hymns' was probably the last great album of the Britpop era. Originally intended to be a Richard Ashcroft solo album after The Verve's first break up in 1996, he and guitarist Nick McCabe soon patched things up and recorded 'Urban Hymns'. There are two very evident musical styles on the album. First there are the Ashcroft-influenced pop rock ballads and rockers. Of these, there is the world famous 'Bittersweet Symphony'. A hit in both the UK and US, this string-laden song is both majestic and empowering. 'The Drugs Don't Work' is a heartbreaking acoustic ballad dealing with Richard Ashcroft's father's battle with cancer. It is depressing yet beautiful. 'Sonnet' is also another upbeat song and so is 'Lucky Man', a gem of a song consisting of simple chords,keyboards and a beautiful guitar solo. Then there are the McCabe-influenced space-rock/psychedelic rockers such as the dreamy 'Catching the Butterfly' and the groovy rocker 'The Rolling People'.The band often launches into lengthy freeform jams during these songs but they never get tiring due to bass guitarist Simon Jones, who maintains a solid rhythm section by providing simple and effective basslines. The band also finds middle ground on songs such as 'Velvet Morning', 'Space and Time' and 'One Day'. The album closer 'Come On' is an epic way to finish off a brilliant album. It starts off slow enough before building into a pounding hard rock finish.'Urban Hymns' is one of those albums that stand the test of times. A must-listen for all.

Song Picks :

• Bittersweet Symphony
• The Drugs Don't Work
• Lucky Man
• Catching The Butterfly
• The Rolling People
• Come On