WKNC 88.1 FM Raleigh » Chainsaw

The attack of “Aealo”

Noobhammer — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:11:53 +0000

Aealo is a Greek word meaning thrashing, catastrophe, or destruction. That is exactly what Rotting Christ’s latest album does — it destroys. However, it does so in a beautiful way. It may crush you and pummel you, but it will find a way to lift you up with its guitar melodies.

I have always been a fan of Rotting Christ, and I enjoy all of their albums. Though the band may be as old as I am, this hasn’t stopped them from progressing and defining itself with each new album. “Aealo” is no exception to that rule.

Every song on the album is an entity of its own, bringing in so many elements from past albums as well as adding new elements at the same time. It’s hard to pick just one song on this album because each one is that good, able to stand on its own. You could randomly pick any song on the album and you would still leave it on repeat. What makes this album really standout is that it incorporates Mediterranean influences into the songs, such as Greek chants, and Greek melodies played on guitars. I want to pick out songs for someone interested to listen to, but I cannot, because they are all equally as impressive. If I had to rate this album, I couldn’t because it is that well done. Sakis has written some of his best riffs to date, and Themis performs some of his best drumming on this album.

To use a quote I saw from Sakis in an interview with blistering.com, “This album is Hellenic, it is Greek.” And maybe that is what makes this album so amazing. There is no question — I believe I have already found my album of the year, maybe even of the decade. I cannot tell you how much I recommend this album to anybody who enjoys metal, or who wishes to expand their music library and tastes. From the opening chants to the closing riffs, you will be blown away by this album. The members of Rotting Christ are true defenders of metal, and keep the banner of not only the left hand path raised high, but also the banner of metal, and this album shows that.

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Top 10 Chainsaw albums from the past week

bloggie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:46:19 +0000

The following are the top 10 albums played on WKNC’S Chainsaw format over the past week, compiled by Chainsaw Music Director Jonathan Newman:

High on Fire

1. High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine
2. Overkill – Ironbound
3. Ihsahn – After
4. Devin Townsend Project – Addicted
5. Droids Attack – Must Destroy
6. Wrath And Rapture – Wrath And Rapture
7. Anima – Enter the Killzone
8. Sovereign Strength – Reflections
9. Heathen – The Evolution of Chaos
10. Close Your Eyes – We Will Overcome

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WKNC Pick of the Week 2/25

bloggie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:10:14 +0000

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 2/25

Wrath and Rapture
Jonathan Newman

What happens when you combine power metal with black metal? You get Wrath and Rapture, a Carolina band from Winston-Salem. Though what may seem like an odd combination, actually works quite well. Though the vocals made it sound evil, I still couldn’t help but raise my fist during the bridges because they reminded me so much of power metal, that it brought a smile to my face. Never before have I smiled while listening to black metal. However, the style of music is not the only thing that makes me smile, but the talent that these Carolina boys have with their instruments.

When the CD first opens we have a keyboard intro which reminds me so much of Rhapsody its not even funny, yet it still has you bobbing your head along with it and then just as it slows down to the ubiquitous sound of thunder, a evil voice prepares you for what is to come, but nothing can prepare you for the kick in the teeth that is “The Dirge of Fallen Heroes”. With a powerful guitar and gutteral vocals it prepares you for a black metalness, but then suddenly throws in a power metal keyboard riff which confuses you yet mesmerizes you at the same time. Then the song takes a huge leg left into technical black metal and beats you down. “Disbodiment” mixes about 5 different genres together in one song, but while this may seem disorienting, it actually works quite well and makes one of the most memorable songs in the album due to its sheer chaos. The next three songs are all instrumental that all bleed into one song before beating you in ears with a sonic blast with “A Breathtaking Tragedy”, a straightforward black-core song. Nothing too fancy about it, but it shows that a band can take many different paths and not just have to stick to only one genre. However, besides “Dirge” one of my favorite songs on the whole album is “Cosmic Wasteland” because it sounds like Sonata Arctica and The Faceless wrote and performed the song. I could just picture a knight riding a robot dragon across the cosmos while the song was playing. Very epic.

The only problem with this album is all the instrumentals. There are ten songs on here, and yet half of them are instrumentals and one is a cover song. That doesn’t leave much original material, and this could have made a good EP, as the whole album is only 30 minutes long. It’s still a great release though, and I look forward to see what they put out next.

88.1 WKNC DJ Pick of the Week is published in every Tuesday print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.<
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How Rage Against the Machine stole Christmas

DJ Ones — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:52:24 +0000

Over the past couple of weeks a very interesting story has developed coming out of England. First let’s get started through giving you a little bit of back story.

For the past couple of years, the winner of the popular British music show “The X Factor,” has gone on to getting the number one selling single the week of Christmas which sets it to the top of the “Christmas Number One Singles Chart” in England. In 2005, X Factor winner Shayne Ward, had the number one Christmas single. In 2006, winner Leona Lewis, made it to the top. When 2007 rolled around, winner Leon Jackson had the number one single. This trend continued in 2008 when Alexandra Burke made it to “Christmas Number One” (which the number one Christmas single is referred to as).

Then the followers of Rage Against the Machine took notice, and they weren’t going to take this anymore.

Zack de la Rocha (left) Tom Morello (right) of Rage Against the Machine

The campaign initially took place at a completely grassroots level as member Tom Morello explained, “We were followers in this campaign, we tried to lend some wind to its sails, but it began at a completely grassroots level without the band’s involvement.” In describing how he was first introduced to what the fans were attempting to do he said, “The campaign first came to my attention a couple of weeks ago when some friends of mine in the UK emailed me about it. I checked it out online and as it began to gain momentum I realized what a potentially historic moment it could be – and the band knew that we needed to throw our weight behind it.”

The premise seemed simple enough, get the popular 1992 track by Rage Against the Machine, “Killing in the Name” to Christmas Number One and defeat 2009 X-Factor winner, Joe McElderry.

The fans and the band started pushing all their weight behind this one goal. The Facebook page in support of the campaign gained thousands of followers, and the band used the force of other social networking sites like Twitter in their effort to make it to Christmas Number One. Tom Morello went on to post things like, “Attention Freedom Fighters! RAGE VS. X-FACTOR WILL BE DECIDED BY SATURDAY’S SALES. Spread the word! Knock on doors! Host downloading parties! Knock over ladies buying X-factor! The clock is ticking. And if ‘Killing In The Name’ is number one WE ARE COMING. And it will be the victory party to end all victory parties.”

Judge of The X-Factor Simon Cowell went on to say that the campaign was “stupid”, “cynical”, and “very Scrooge”.

The time for pushing and selling the single had finally ended on December 19th. The result came in. Joe McElderry’s cover of The Climb totaled 450,000 sales. “Killing in the Name” sold 50,000 more. Rage Against the Machine and their group of dedicated fans had won.

Morello would go on to say, “Make no mistake about it, this was a political act! This was an entire nation delivering a stinging slap of rejection to the whole notion of pre-fabricated pop ruling the charts. And Rage’s victory over The X Factor was an act of God. That the bad winter weather came in, keeping people away from stores and made it more of a fair fight, because we didn’t have hard copies in stories. When Paul McCartney (who endorsed the act by Rage Against the Machine earlier)and Mother Nature agree on something it’s going to be unstoppable!”

He would then proudly say, “Rage Against The Machine was built for moments like this,” Morello followed up, “That historic chart upset the other night is one we’re very proud to have been a part of, but more proud that it showed that people uniting in solidarity can do anything. That’s the lasting message from this. It went from being ‘let’s kick The X Factor off the top of the charts’ to a real people’s movement and, in the future, the energy behind it can be used for other social justice causes and not just chart-topping.”

The band is planning to take the stage early next year in a celebration of winning Christmas Number One in both the UK and the United States.

After a strong campaign by fans and by the band, Rage Against the Machine proved that this Christmas Number One was going to be one to remember.

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All Hail The New Flesh

Noobhammer — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:29:34 +0000

There are many great metal albums that were released in the decade known as the 1990s. However when you ask many metal heads to name some of their favorite albums, and what they think some of the best ones are, you generally hear the same albums listed. Generally the albums mentioned are Death’s Human, Sepultura’s Arise, Carcass’ Heartwork, Megadeth’s Rust In Peace, Cannibal Corpse’s Tomb of the Mutilated, Slayer’s South of Heaven, Blind Guardian’s Nightfall In Middle-Earth, Iced Earth’s Burnt Offerings and many many more. Now don’t get me wrong, these are all great albums and I enjoy them every time I listen to them. However everyone I talk to about this always seems to leave out one album, and not even mention it. Or if I do mention it, will say that they have not listened to it. This album is Strapping Young Lad’s City.

This is one hell of an album, and quite possibly one of the best albums of the 90s. Every song on this album flows perfectly, and Devin’s rage is controlled, but at the same time wild and untamed. From the opening bells of “Velvet Kevorkian”, we are set up to some of the most intense 40 minutes I have ever listened to. As soon as Devin kicks in screaming “HEY! I WANT TO BE WHERE THE ACTION IS!!”, we get a picture of the rage that Devin has pent up and he wants to release on us. With his tirade on how fucked up we are, and how much our society is pissing him off, we then get sucked into the vortex of “All Hail The New Flesh” with swirling guitars falling out as he wails into our ears with a piercing scream before telling us to go fuck ourselves. With blistering guitars and drums just pelting us sonically we are then thrown to the ground to be kicked in the stomach by “Oh My Fucking God”.

This song adds to the one-two punch that goes with the song before it. With the sound byte saying how they can’t fail, the drums suddenly kick in with a brutal solo, until Devin screams and his wall of sound comes in and blows us away with his guitars. A nonsensical tirade of words that are nigh untelligable until he gets to the chorus screaming “OH MY FUCKING GOD!!” Until it suddenly cuts off and leaves us with “Detox” and quite possibly the catchiest song on the album. This song showcases perfectly all of Devin’s abilities. From his brutality to his ability to express his pain while still being heavy as hell. A catchy riff, and catchy lyrics make this a catchily brutal song.

As soon as the song quietly goes away, “Home Nucleonics” blows you away with a wail and blistering guitar wall. Belting to us about how we have failed as a society. With stop and go riffs, the song feels like it is picking you up and slamming you on the ground with its sonic assault. Constantly beating you until it dissolves into all the members of the bands screaming madly, fading into to “AAA” which is a catchy song about Devin’s various addictions, slowly building up intensity until it hits you square in the face with its chorus screaming “NO ONE! NO ONE FUCKS WITH ME!!”. “Underneath The Waves” then blasts us in the face with double bass pedals and Devin taunting us with his voice repeating “on and on”. Until kicking in with the signature wall of sound and Devin singing about how he’s tired of the shit of world, making this not only intense sonically, but also vocally. After this song, the album begins to slow down it’s sonic intensity for a more brooding intensity.

“Room 429″ is a cover of a Cop Shoot Cop song. It’s very dark and very mid tempo, but it still has all the intensity of the earlier tracks. How dark and empty the city is, how we go through the motions of life. “Spirituality” is the final track of the album, with layers and layers of guitars stacked upon each other. This sheer heaviness of the stacked guitar tracks just seem to pile up on you, putting all the wait of city on you, making you feel overwhelmed. Which is the purpose of this album, to make you feel insignificant and tiny. That you are really nothing in this world, an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things.

All these songs are catchy and instantly memorable. As soon as you hear one of these songs, you will be humming along with it, singing along with it, or just going buck wild. It is a classic album, and it should be remembered as one of the best albums of the 90s, if not one of the best metal albums ever made.

-Noobhammer

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Noobhammer’s top 10 metal albums of 2009

Noobhammer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:54:17 +0000

Greetings metal community, the Noobhammer here again with my top 10 albums which smashed open the gates of Hell with a hammer full of steel. This was no easy choice mind you. In a year where I almost went broke trying to buy all the good albums this year, it was not easy to pick my favorites. It was like trying to pick which video games you would save in a burning fire. That being said, here are my picks for a year during which some of the best albums came out.

God Forbid - Earth's Blood

10. God Forbid - Earthsblood

It’s hard to describe God Forbid. They are one of those really unique metalcore bands. I thought it would be almost impossible to top the juggernaut that is Constitution of Treason, but these guys did it, and with gusto. A truly remarkable band, who can only go anywhere but higher as they show the metalcore scene how to write an album.

Swallow the Sun - New Moon

9. Swallow The Sun – New Moon

Words can’t even begin to describe the feeling I got when i first heard that riff and that melancholic voice whisper those words in my ear, just before everything kicks in and blows you away. Another brilliant album from these Finns who have perfectly blended melodic death metal and doom metal, and even now on this latest album, incorporated some black metal. With guitars that seem to wail in the night, it seems that these guys could swallow the sun with their music.

Epica - Design Your Universe

8. Epica – Design Your Universe

Epica didn’t really impress me too much with their last album. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but just not great. Their latest album however is a totally different story . This album, and god I hate to have to use this, is epic. It is truly a work to behold. With powerful and blazing guitars and drums, mixed with the death vocals and Simone’s gorgeous voice, makes this one hell of an album.

Insomnium - Across the Dark

7. Insomnium – Across The Dark

I had never heard of these guys before this album, and they won me over instantly with their brand of doom metal. The guitars and keyboard just meld together perfectly and just wash over you in a wave of sound. When you add the singer’s voice his mix of clean vox and growls, just makes this album catchy but also heavy as hell. The riffs are easy to comprehend, but the layers to them speak volumes about the music.

HORSE the band - Desperate Living

6. HORSE The Band - Desperate Living

Once again, another album that thoroughly surprised me. I was disappointed after their last album, but this one totally makes up for it. All the emotion that was lacking on the last one, is back on here in full force. All these songs seep with the struggle of touring and keeping a band together. A great evolution that keeps them true to their roots while evolving at the same time. A gem, and perfect album that describes emotions we all go through.

Pelican - What We All Come to Need

5. Pelican – What We All Come To Need

This album is a true piece of musical art. From the crunchy guitar riffs to the melodic bridges, even to the vocalist on the last track. This album is musical bliss where we can sit back and just relax enjoy what is running through our ears. The biggest surprise though was the vocalist on the last track, showing that this band can do more than just write crunchy guitar riffs.

Between the Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect

4. Between The Buried And Me – The Great Misdirect

Maybe I’m biased because these boys are from North Carolina. No matter what you think about the band, you cannot deny that these boys can play their instruments. Returning again with another technical masterpiece, the boys in BTBAM raise the bar for musicianship and song composition. Once again this album is essentially one long song, pushing the band even farther into prog, Rush-esque realms.

Isis - Wavering Radiant

3. Isis – Wavering Radiant

Goddamn. That is all that I can say about this album. It is a brilliant piece of work, sublimely beautiful yet at the same time crushingly heavy. These boys can write some damn fine music which border on the serene then immediately shift to crushing steel hammers. Aaron Turner has outdone himself again with his latest album, and I cannot wait to hear what they do next.

Mastodon - Crack the Skye

2. Mastodon – Crack The Skye

This was a very close contender for album of the year. The work that the band put in this album is staggering. All the songs held within the album are masterpieces in their own right. They are beautiful and moving and just downright amazing. Every song being dedicated to Dailor’s late sister. It is a truly fantastic album that is worthy of all it’s recognition.

THIS IS IT!!! MY ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!! IT IS……

The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted

1. Devin Townsend Project – Addicted

My god. Seriously. This album is essentially crack in music form. I have barely stopped listening ever since I got it. Devin Townsend is a god. He is once of the greatest musicians to ever live. His sheer musicianship as well as his ability as a lyricist allows him to write some of the best albums ever. Be they in Strapping Young Lad, or even his solo band, The Devin Townsend Project. His greatness cannot be denied, and this album fully showcases all his abilities, from his rage to his serenity. It is the work of a world class musician, and one who is not afraid to embrace his emotions, nor to experiment with sounds and different ways of making music. That is why this is my metal album of the year.

Honorable Mention

Jesu - Opiate Sun

Jesu – Opiate Sun

This is the only time I have done a honorable mention. I couldn’t include it on the list because it is only an EP, so it’s not technically an album. However this is one stunning piece of work. The guitars drone out Justin Broadrick’s voice so it barely audible, but it makes clear all the pain that he sings about, making this a very emotional album that seeps with pain, and makes me excited to hear his next full release.

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88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week 12/3

bloggie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:13:25 +0000

The Devin Townsend Project
Album – Addicted
5/5 stars
By Johnathan Newman

Devin Townsend is a god in the world of music.

He has had a music career spanning 24 albums, first beginning with his vocal work for Steve Vai on his “Sex and Religion” album in 1993. He has released albums under his own name, as well as with his band Strapping Young Lad. Having disbanded both bands, he took some time off to discover his roots and sober up. During this period of soul-searching, he wrote 60 or so songs, each with four distinct styles of music. He decided to create a four album series, under the moniker of the Devin Townsend Project, and came back with the very deep and very heavy “Ki” album, which was the first album, and also set the stage for what was to come. Six moths later, he released “Addicted,” which is a return to form of sorts, with more accessible songs.

“Addicted” starts out with a simple but heavy riff and the lines “Hey! You’re awake,” possibly an allusion that his last album put some people to sleep, which keeps in with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics you normally find in his songs. But under these normally silly lyrics, there is a deeper message of the pain and power drugs and alcohol had on him. The songs on this album may be heavier, but they also have a poppy feel to them as well, a very pop-metal album if you will, which is probably why these heavier lyrics could not be taken as seriously. But it’s hard to miss the point when you hear a slow riff, with Devin wailing “I don’t want to save my soul now. I don’t want to lose control. And even if it takes a lifetime to learn … I’ll learn.” It’s very melancholic, showing us he’ll try to write sober music, but it still is catchy. But really, the crown jewels of the album are the last three songs, “The Way Home!” “Numbered!” and “Awake!”

My favorite track, and quite possibly one of the catchiest and most beautiful songs ever written, “The Way Home!” starts off soft with a whisper, slowly building power and rescinding into a powerful and moving track about wasting time being high. “Numbered!” opens with vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen singing slowly and beautifully about how we are numbered over a heavy guitar riff, with the song building then suddenly dropping off to a cappella of herself. This leaves us with the track “Awake!” which opens with the same opening line as the first song. The song sends us on a trip of all of his musical styles, until finally climaxing the whole album into a slow descent into tranquility after a heavy section very reminiscent of “Strapping Young Lad,” making this seriously one of the best albums of 2009 and one of the best Devin Townsend albums to be put alongside “Ocean Machine: Biomech” and “Accelerated Evolution.” This album will have you addicted.

88.1 WKNC Pick of the Week is published in every Thursday print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.

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Cannibalosophy

Cannibal Cory — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:02:42 +0000

Rammstein's latest album prompted discussion about lyrics

If you were one of the fortunate people that happened to tune in during my last show, you got to listen to myself and three others discussing some of the deeper points surrounding music. While we were limiting our debate to metal, I believe that the points made by myself and guests Bartek, M.L. Dark Spawn, and WD40 can be applied to any genre. For those people that were not able to listen to the show, here I present to you the discussion we had.

Before I present the discussion itself, it’s important that you understand each guest’s music background. This can help shed light as to why they have different opinions. For instance, Bartek does not necessarily listen to Chainsaw Rock but does enjoy “anything that sounds good.” Talking to him beforehand, I got the impression that he listens to quite an eclectic range of music, from artists such as All That Remains to 3OH!3. M.L. Dark Spawn enjoys music that have raw voices, in addition to Mudvayne and a couple power metal artists such as Dream Evil and Kamelot. WD40’s base is epic power metal, like Nightwish from the Tarja era, and pagan metal like Amon Amarth.

The first question that I posed was to Bartek: are music or lyrics more important to a song? He responded that the music was the foundation to any song. And since we were discussing metal specifically, he continued by stating that many songs involving unintelligible lyrics are to be appreciated through their music anyway.

M.L. Dark Spawn responded that a person needs to have listened to metal for a while in order to fully understand the lyrics. Furthermore, he says that lyrics are important for the message of the song itself. Bartek countered that one shouldn’t have to sit and decipher the message and instead just enjoy the music. “Just listen to the song more than once,” M.L. Dark Spawn finished.

My next question was prompted by having Rammstein’s new album next in the set. Since most all their songs are in German, I asked WD40 whether he felt that song lyrics needed to be in English in order to be appreciated. He disclosed that he had quite a large foreign song collection and that while songs in English help convey the message, they were not necessary to enjoy the song itself.

Playing “B********” from Rammstein after this discussion added another layer of musical philosophy. According to Richard Z. Kruspe, the lead singer and backing vocals for Rammstein, the title is not a censored English profanity but instead stands for “Bückstabü”, a made-up German word. The reason for this is to allow the listener to imagine the title to mean whatever they want it to, even nothing.

So, this song listeners of both the “melody” camp and “lyrics” camp enjoy the song. Those with beliefs similar to Bartek can imagine the words mean nothing, and listen to the song as if the vocals were another instrument. On the other hand, those in company with M.L. Dark Spawn can imagine “Bückstabü” to present a message they want to hear.

Later in the night, we had new Megadeth playing. I asked WD40 if he thought bands famous for their “classic” material can produce new albums that live up to the “classic” expectations. He acknowledged that it is a question really up to personal opinion, and answered with a firm no. “I think their new albums can be fresh and they can still be good,” he said, “but if you’re going to compare it to the old albums then the bands change, the music changes, thus I don’t think they hold up to the old standards.”

Bartek disagreed. “You can’t put a date on good music,” he started, “I’ve heard the new Megadeth album and some of the songs that we are going to be playing and it’s great. It’s fantastic! It even compares to the stuff they used to make.” M.L. Dark Spawn agreed, but noted that it really comes down to which band is making a style change, and each person’s opinion.

This concluded our quasi-philosophical discussion about music for the night. Whether you are a firm lover of older metal, melodies, newer metal, lyrics, or a mix of the above, this discussion can provide a foundation for a journey of self-discovery about our attitudes about music.

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Top 10 Chainsaw albums from the past week

bloggie — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:49:38 +0000

Baroness - Blue Record

1. Baroness – Blue Record
2. Megadeth – Endgame
3. Immortal – All Shall Fall
4. The Red Chord – Fed Through the Teeth Machine
5. Saviours – Accelerated Living
6. Belphegor – Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwhan
7. Converge – Axe to Fall
8. Epica – Design Your Universe
9. Ahab – The Divinity of Oceans
10. Rammstein – Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da

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Top 10 loud rock albums on WKNC last week

bloggie — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:45:52 +0000

The top 10 albums played in our Chainsaw format in the past week:

Gwar

1. Gwar – Lust In Space
2. Metalocalypse: Dethklok – Dethklok: The Dethalbum II
3. Behemoth – Evangelion
4. Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
5. 3 Inches of Blood – Here Waits Thy Doom
6. Between the Buried and Me – “Obfuscheion” [Single]
7. November’s Doom – Into Night’s Requiem Infernal
8. Revocation – Existence Is Futile
9 . 69 Eyes – Back In Blood
10. Five Finger Death Punch – War Is The Answer

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Expand your metal mind

Noobhammer — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:27:11 +0000

Sunn O)))

For the past few weeks, I have been playing a set that is quite different from normal metal. Don’t be fooled, it is indeed metal, but it is a thinking man’s metal.

There are so many bands out there in the metal scene all playing the same music that it sometimes makes me lose hope in the metal scene. Yet there are always those few bands who are bold enough and crazy enough to push not only the metal genre itself forward, but question what it truly means to make music.

I am, of course, talking about the subset of metal including Drone, Doom, Shoegaze, Avant-Garde, and Noise. While these genre names may seem crazy, boring, or downright depressing, they also help push us and question the music. These bands that play these styles are actually one of the few innovators in the metal scene. Where everyone else is trying to sound more brutal with breakdowns and blast beats, these guys achieve true brutality and even evilness with their music. With intricate harmonies layered over feedback, and deep moving lyrics superimposed upon a mournful guitar and lone drum, one can lose themselves in the music. All it takes is some patience and expanding of one’s mind.

And that is what I do during that segment. I force you to open your mind, and to truly question what you know about not just metal, but music in general. For I believe, that to truly be a metal-head, you need not only listen to metal and enjoy the music, but to really embrace it and appreciate all forms of it. For there is so much more out in the metal scene than breakdowns, blast beats, cookie monster growls, and dragons. There is actually true art to be found, and you only need to expand your mind to find it.

Notable Bands:

Sunn O)))
Boris
Rosetta
Jesu
Ahab
My Dying Bride
Swallow The Sun
Anathema
Isis
Pelican
The Angelic Process
Nadja

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Top 10 loud rock albums for this week

bloggie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:40:31 +0000

The top 10 albums from our Chainsaw format, compiled by Noobhammer.

Ruination - Job For A Cowboy

The Onslaught - Lazarus AD

Agoraphobic Nosebleed

1.Ruination – Job For A Cowboy
2. The Onslaught – Lazarus AD
3. Agorapocalypse -Agoraphobic Nosebleed
4. Executioner - Manic Ritual
5. End Game – Megadeath
6. Earthsblood – God Forbid
7. Monoliths/Dimensions – Sunn O)))
8. Planet Crusher – Cage
9. Heart of Darkness – Burnt By The Sun
10. Lust in Space – GWAR

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Let’s get Brütal

Noobhammer — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:03:02 +0000

Created by Tim Schafer

In this world there are two things that I absolutely love. They are as follows: metal music and video games. Tim Schafer has used his genius as a game designer to combine the two in a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

In the game, players acts as Eddie Riggs, a roadie who is sucked into a world of metal. There are remnants of the old metal titans everywhere in the world. From hotrod exhausts sticking out of the ground, engine blocks making trees, to giant mountains of skulls. Essentially, if it was on a heavy metal cover you will find it in the game. Not only, will we have a metal environment and character, there is a great amount of cameos including the likes of Lita Ford, Lemmy Kilmeister, Rob Halford, and Ozzy Osbourne. Your character is voiced by the comedian Jack Black. But those are all icing on the cake of metal. The true star of this game is the soundtrack that is in the game.

Featuring bands such as Rotting Christ, 3 Inches of Blood, Accept, Carcass, Dark Tranquillity, Iced Earth, Manowar, and King Diamond, as well as many others, it truly is a metal-head’s dream game. Comedy and metal make this a game that only comes around once in a while. It makes me proud to see metal getting rightful treatment and seeing true underground metal bands that not everyone has heard of, but will show more people a different kind of metal other than Metallica or Dragonforce. I can’t wait for this game to come out, and will be the first in line for the release date on Rocktober 13th.

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88.1 Pick of the Week 6/25

bloggie — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:33:08 +0000

God Dethroned’s Passiondale
Rich Gurnsey

The Dutch death-metal band God Dethroned has been producing dark, heavy music since their formation in the early 1990s. Traditionally, most of their lyrical content revolved around anti-Christian sentiment, but recently they have found new inspiration for their music: a war-torn Belgian village called Passendale.

God Dethroned’s eighth studio album, Passiondale, is a ferocious concept album that plunges the listener deep into the mud-filled trenches of one of World War I’s bloodiest battles. The album begins with the foreboding intro track, “The Cross of Sacrifice,” complete with ominous guitars and the muted sounds of marching soldiers and distant artillery fire. The relative calm is soon broken by the explosive, blackened death metal blockbuster “Under a Darkening Sky,” which definitely gets the adrenaline pumping. This is one of the best songs on Passiondale, and the perfect track to set the tone for rest of this intense and emotional album.

“No Man’s Land” keeps up the furious pace with help from returning drummer Roel Sanders, who played on the band’s Grand Grimoire and Bloody Blasphemy albums. Sanders’ mad machine-gun-blast beats are the perfect complement to guitarist and singer Henri Sattler’s enunciated growls, which detail the atrocities of combat via ghastly lyrics such as “Only the rats grew fat on attrition, glutted with the flesh of dead soldiers.”

The highlight of the album is “Poison Fog,” a harrowing account of comrades being exposed to deadly mustard gas, told from the perspective of a surviving soldier. The bombastic music and vocals create an atmosphere of deep fear and panic. Likewise, the addition of clean singing and melodic breaks with swelling keyboards and melancholy guitar solos add to the music an element of sympathy that is rarely seen in the death-metal genre. These thoughtful moments contribute to the overall sophistication of the album.

By contrast, “Drowning in Mud” is a fast, brutal auditory depiction of trench warfare that has singer Sattler cautioning, “Don’t stick your head out. The sniper never sleeps.” Things slow down a bit for the mid-tempo title track, which is haunting and melodic, but the speed is immediately regained with “No Survivors,” which features more blast beats and blistering guitar solos.

The album nears its end with two fine examples of melodic death metal: “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Fallen Empires,” both of which showcase God Dethroned’s expert musicianship. Ultimately, the 38-minute album comes to a close with a mournful instrumental, “Artifacts of the Great War.” This moment of sensitivity nicely bookends this hard, bullet-riddled album.

Although Passiondale doesn’t serve as a history lesson, God Dethroned seems to have come awfully close to capturing the raw emotions of combat. The band has also come awfully close to recapturing the level of quality songwriting that was attained with its Bloody Blasphemy album. Fans of God Dethroned should be pleased because,with Passiondale, the band has reached yet another peak.

88.1 WKNC DJ Pick of the Week is published in every Tuesday print edition of the Technician, as well as online at technicianonline.com and wknc.org.< /blockquote>

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NIN|JA, A tour which left a hole

Noobhammer — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:33:16 +0000

Trent Reznor has decided to hang up the Nails. After 20 years of touring and making music, on the twentieth anniversary of Pretty Hate Machine, Trent has decided that it is time for Nine Inch Nails to stop making music and touring. Before embarking on the aptly named, Wave Goodbye Tour, he said, “It’s time to make NIN disappear for a while. What this tour meant to me, was one last hurrah.”

The emotion and energy shown by Trent was astronomical. He, and the rest of the members of the band made it a show I will never forget. From me screaming at the top of my lungs, and dancing in my seat to songs like “Wish,” “Survialism,” and the epic closure “Head Like A Hole.” I will never forget the goosebumps I got upon hearing “The Fragile,” “Le Mer,” and the haunting but beautiful “Hurt.” It’s a sad day to see them go, but hopefully they will grace us with their presence sometime down the road with an album that will blow us away, and show us why Trent Reznor is one of the greatest musicians of all time. Until that time comes, I will always remember the show, and the pain in his voice as he sang “You can have it all, my empire of dirt. I will let you down, I will make you hurt.” As NIN left the stage, I was still in awe of their show and all I could do was wave goodbye.

Setlist:

Home
Somewhat Damaged
Wish
March of the Pigs
Piggy
Metal (Gary Numan cover)
I’m Afraid Of Americans (David Bowie cover)
Head Down
Burn
Gave Up
La Mer
The Fragile
Non-Entity
The Downward Spiral
Survivalism
Suck
Hurt
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole (with Eric Avery)

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Local Metal Act Colossus Needs Your Help!

Murdoc — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:23:05 +0000

Check It. WKNC has nominated local metal awesomeness, Colossus, for Song Joust Records’ Battle of the Bands. If Colossus wins, then they will receive a sweet record deal.

Voting is easy, just click here, and then play Colossus’s The Operative. Colossus’s nomination should appear on page 9 or 10 depending on your browser.

Now do your duty and help Colossus represent the Triangle!

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Damn It Feels Good To Be A Metalhead

Noobhammer — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:50:56 +0000

Picture: heavy-power metal holocaust by ~redalakchiri on deviant ART

It is a GREAT time to be a metal head. There are so many new albums coming out this year, as well as concerts touring the US.

Out of all the years I have been a metal head, the 08-09 year has been one of the best. I have seen Symphony X playing with Into Eternity and Epica. I have watched Iced Earth play with Into Eternity. I have seen Suffocation. I have seen the almighty Carcass play with Suffocation, Aborted, and 1349. I have seen the black metallers Watain. I will be seeing Soilwork with Darkane and Swallow The Sun. Soon I will see Kreator with Exodus, as well as Dragonforce with Cynic. I have never seen so many great concerts coming through. I didn’t get a chance to go see At The Gates with Darkest Hour, but they toured as well.

The only thing better than concerts this year was albums. There were so many great albums released in 08-09.

Alestorm-Captain Morgan’s Revenge
Avantasia-The Scarecrow
Ayreon-01011001
Ghenghis Tron-Board Up The House
Death Angel-Killing Season
Boris-Smile
Meshuggah-oBzen
Zimmer’s Hole-When You Were Shouting At The Devil…
Korpiklaani-Korven Kuningas
The Sword-Gods of the Earth
Arsis-We Are The Nightmare
Belphegor-Bondage Goat Zombie
Dominici-O3:A Trilogy, Part 3
Kalmah-For The Revolution
Warrel Dane-Praises To The War Machine
Deicide-Til Death Do Us Part
Testament-The Damnation of Formation
Moonspell-Night Eternal
Cryptopsy-The Unspoken King
Kataklysm-Prevail
Ihsahn-angL
Opeth-Watershed
Pyramaze-Immortal
Sabaton-The Art of War
Norma Jean-The Anti Mother
The Human Abstract-Midheaven
Dragonforce-Ultrabeatdown
Into Eternity-The Incurable Tragedy
Iced Earth-The Crucible of Man
Amon Amarth-Twilight of the Thunder God
Swallow The Sun-Plague of Butterflies
Evergrey-Torn
Battlelore-The Last Alliance
Psycroptic-Ob(Servant)
Jeff Loomis-Zero Order Phase
Bloodbath-The Fathomless Mastery
Unearth-The March
Darkthrone-Dark Thrones and Black Flags
Darkane-Demonic Art
Cradle of Filth-Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder
The Faceless-Planetary Duality
Cynic-Traced in Air

And that is all 2008. 2009 looks to be as good, if not even better.

Grave Digger-Ballads of a Hangman
Iron Fire-To The Grave
Kreator-Hordes of Chaos
Saxon-Into The Labyrinth
Cattle Decapitation-The Harvest Floor
Rumpelstiltskin Grinder-Living for Death, Destroying the Rest
Sepultura-A-lex
Napalm Death-Time Waits For No Slave
Vision Divine-9 Degrees West of the Moon
Cannibal Corpse-Evisceration Plague
Luna Mortis-The Absence
God Forbid-Earthsblood
Obscura-Cosmogenesis
Hammerfall-No Sacrifice, No Victory
Suidakra-Crógacht
Absu-Absu
Buried Inside-Spoils of Failure
My Dying Bride-For Lies I Sire
Mastodon-Crack The Skye
Wolves In The Throneroom-Black Cascade

It’s a good time to love metal my friends.

Keep The Horns Rising Brothers and Sisters
-Noobhammer

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Zombies + Cannibal Warriors = Metal Awesomeness

Murdoc — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:44:18 +0000

Local metal act Colossus is at it again with another very solid CD release. Colossus’s thrash metal music mixed with power metal lyrics combines to produce a 5 track record about killing zombies, cannibalizing one’s fallen enemies, and kicking ass. The album is full of awesome guitar solos, and hardcore headbanging. The album is yet to be named, but it is well worth putting on your list of CD’s to keep an eye out for in the coming months.

Colossus singer Sean Buchanan and guitarist Bill Fisher dropped into the WKNC studio last week for a quick interview and to debut 2 new singles from the upcoming album. Click here for a taste of metal awesomeness.

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Why Hate On The Power?

Noobhammer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:26:27 +0000

Ok, this has been bothering me for a while. I get crap from the prisoners, from strangers, hell even from our own Caid. WHY THE HATE ON POWER METAL?!?!?!? Seriously, I don’t understand it. Is it because they sing about dragons? Is it cause they sing about fighting in medieval Europe alongside King Arthur? What, what is it? People say power metal is not “brutal” enough, or is “pansy” metal. Why? Is it because they can actually sing and play their instruments with good skill? I enjoy listening to death and black metal as much as the next guy, but sometimes I actually want to be able to understand what my vocalist is singing about, not Cookie Monster vocals with maximum distortion on them. I want to be able to hear a guitar solo that actually uses all six strings on the guitar, not just the one. Is that too much to ask? And I can guarantee you that power metal has been around longer than these other genres and will continue to exist even after those have gone.

Let me give you a brief history of the great genre of dragons. Power metal is a style of heavy metal music combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed or thrash metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a later more widespread and popular style based in Europe and Japan with a lighter, more melodic sound and frequent use of keyboards.

Power metal is today associated with an epic sound tempered by characteristics of speed metal, power metal’s musical forerunner. Power metal’s lyrical themes, though as varied as metal itself, typically focus on fantasy, mythology, camaraderie, hope, personal struggles, emotions, war, and death.

Power metal is highly focused on the vocalist, with “clean” vocals being much more prevalent than the growling vocals. The majority of the genre’s vocalists sing in the tenor range, capable of hitting very high notes. There are however many exceptions such as Pyramaze / Iced Earth frontman Matt Barlow, Falconer frontman Mathais Blad, and Sabaton frontman Joakim Broden; they sing in either baritone or bass range, though in certain songs like Creator Failure, Barlow hits very high notes reminiscent of Rob Halford. Power metal vocalists Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray, andHansi Kurch of Blind Guardian record multi-layered vocals reminiscent of Queen, creating a choral effect.

Power metal guitarists and bassists generally play rapid streams of notes, but change chords comparatively slowly, with a harmonic tempo of once per measure or slower. Fast and demanding guitar solos, however, are almost guaranteed.

A number of power metal drummers generally play with two bass drums for added speed, utilizing them to play a constant stream of sixteenth notes with snare drum accents on the beat. This style is fairly common in power metal as in other heavy metal subgenres, though it is by no means universal. Power metal though has become the most prevalent in the use of this technique.

Power metal bands often incorporate keyboards into their musical arrangements, something popularized by Jens Johansson of Stratovarius, though their usage varies from subtle accents to a full-blown melody line. Some symphonic power metal bands such as Rhapsody of Fire, Fairyland and Nightwish have also been known to record with more symphonic elements, and as such, they utilize a full orchestra to fill the role a keyboard plays in other power metal bands.

Notable Power Metal Bands:

For More See Here

Aid for History Came From Wikipedia

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The Sign of Evil Existence

Noobhammer — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:05:57 +0000

Rotting Christ is one of my all time favorite bands in the metal world. I have been to all of their Lucifer Over America tours, which have been their only American tours as well as own all of their cds. I have guitar picks from both shows as well as autographs and photos from all of the band members. I got to both shows about 3-4 hours early. Needless to say, I am a fanboy of Rotting Christ. However these guys are one of the purest and truest metal bands in the scene. They put so much emotion into both their studio work as well as their live shows. The band members treat all their fans like they were truly brothers and sisters. I have been honored to sit down and talk with Sakis, the lead vocalist, rythmn guitarist, and founder of the band. He is one of the nicest guys I have had the chance to meet in the metal world. The show, at Volume 11, was top notch. I didn’t much care for the opening bands, even though I was excited to see thr opening band Epicurean, they disappointed vocal wise. Their singer couldn’t seem to hit the notes that he sang on the album, he was very badly off key. Mantic Ritual I had never heard going into the show, but they played some good old fashioned thrash metal. However none of these guys mattered because I was front and center for the band I had been waiting since they announced they would be touring here again, Rotting Christ. If you are a true metal head, you need to experience this band live. They are truly masters of their craft writing such beautiful music and heavy lyrics. They played with so much energy that the crowd was acting just as crazy as they were. They played a multitude of tracks from many albums, though most of their tracks came off the recently released Theogonia. They played, what I considered their single and probably best track, “King of a Stellar War”. They also touched on my favorite all time album of theirs, Thy Mighty Contract, and played “Turn All Sufferings Into Plauges” and “Sign of Evil Existence”. Truly this show was a sign of evil existence as we were shown metal in it’s purest form. Anyone should go see Rotting Christ just because they are one of the greatest metal bands out there.

Setlist

The Sign of Prime Creation
Kervanos Kivernitos
Athanatoi Este
Enuma Elish
King of a Stellar War
The Sign of Evil Existence
Transform A Suffering Into Plagues
The Fifth Illusion
Satani
In Domine Sathani
Phobos Synagogue
Nemecic
Threnody

Encore:
Non Serviam

-Noobhammer

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