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Brian Ivory
Jazz-Metal and everything in between and back again. There are only two Genres good & bad 😆
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Brian Ivory's Album Reviews
A Canadian friend of mine knowing my music taste loaned me two albums by an artist called Ryan Adams in the mid 00''S, I kept hearing the name from various magazines like Q, Mojo NME etc but actually hadn't heard much of the music.
The mentioned albums
Love Is Hell (told it sounded like The Smiths, it does but more on that later) Heartbreaker (it sounds like Dylan/Neil Young he said, again it does)
It sounded a bit too much like Mr Dylan and Young to these ears actually at first and made me concentrate on Love Is Hell for a few weeks.
Until slowly I came back to this album and the songs began to reveal themselves, what I thought was the wearing an influence a bit too openly at first turned out to be a man actually cut from the same cloth as those writers and actually a prodigiously talented writer and story teller.
Songs that sounded almost bare bones at first and could do with some extra Elec guitar accompaniment little extra piano or percussion all turned out to actually have just the right amount as if anymore would just distract from what was going on and been told to us in what sound like at times as late night confessionals, ones strummed and picked quietly by a friend at the back of a bar before taking to the stage to play the actual main gig with the band (Gold the follow up perhaps was this?)
Listen to My Sweet Carolina,In My Time Of Need for mind blowing examples.
Elsewhere Come Pick Me Up, To Be Young and My Winding Wheel show more full on arrangements but are no less brilliant for it.
Turns out that Canadian friend was right.............
This was the start of a brilliant Singer/Songwriters solo career that twenty odd years later many say is equal to the talents of Dylan and Mr.Young myself included.
Dr.BMR
The mentioned albums
Love Is Hell (told it sounded like The Smiths, it does but more on that later) Heartbreaker (it sounds like Dylan/Neil Young he said, again it does)
It sounded a bit too much like Mr Dylan and Young to these ears actually at first and made me concentrate on Love Is Hell for a few weeks.
Until slowly I came back to this album and the songs began to reveal themselves, what I thought was the wearing an influence a bit too openly at first turned out to be a man actually cut from the same cloth as those writers and actually a prodigiously talented writer and story teller.
Songs that sounded almost bare bones at first and could do with some extra Elec guitar accompaniment little extra piano or percussion all turned out to actually have just the right amount as if anymore would just distract from what was going on and been told to us in what sound like at times as late night confessionals, ones strummed and picked quietly by a friend at the back of a bar before taking to the stage to play the actual main gig with the band (Gold the follow up perhaps was this?)
Listen to My Sweet Carolina,In My Time Of Need for mind blowing examples.
Elsewhere Come Pick Me Up, To Be Young and My Winding Wheel show more full on arrangements but are no less brilliant for it.
Turns out that Canadian friend was right.............
This was the start of a brilliant Singer/Songwriters solo career that twenty odd years later many say is equal to the talents of Dylan and Mr.Young myself included.
Dr.BMR
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Holy moly, not often does something you've never heard of come out of the blue and knock you out like this. I was totally unaware of this band until somehow today.
A stunning beautiful emotional complex work of Shoegaze post Metal brilliance.
This will be getting many a spin.
Simply put it's brilliant.
A definite 5/5 album and one to own on vinyl for sure.
Dr.BMR
A stunning beautiful emotional complex work of Shoegaze post Metal brilliance.
This will be getting many a spin.
Simply put it's brilliant.
A definite 5/5 album and one to own on vinyl for sure.
Dr.BMR
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"I'm madly in anger with you" spits James Hetfield on track 2 and first single from this decisive LP. Surely one of the most discussed/Knocked albums from a big band in a long time in the internet age.
Metallica were in a very curious position at this stage of they're career apart from in fighting/rehab a band member leaving another problem presents itself here as it often does for many bands with a big following and long recording career.......
How to push ahead keeping things interesting for band and fans changing enough to do so while not changing too much to alienate all involved.
It seems outside influence of current bands were fair game too as System Of A Down,Korn,Slipknot can be heard in these grooves too and what killer grooves they are.
Something some fans said we're missing from the Load/Reload albums but are in abundance here only for some fans to complain something else was missing .............guitar solos oh yes those and that drum sound............
Honestly I think both add to this album and it's not like the band used that drum sound or no guitars for following albums so maybe people were too quick and harsh to judge and jump on bandwaggons to judge this album as there is certainly a much better album here to explore than most realise.
And explore I really do mean, while no classic album there are some great tracks throughout "Dirty Window" a great thasher that follows an album front loaded with the singles (as underrated as these are prob not a good idea to front load an album in this way esp when trying something new as Metallica clearly were here)
"Invisible Kid" does show something that has been added and has carried over to subsequent albums, an added eye on and use of vocal melody something that may have been slightly over looked in past albums to concentrate on the "all mighty riff"
So something lost something gained as they say. All of this adds up to an album I feel the band had to make at this stage in their career and one that while not anybody's favourite surely helped usher in a few of those in latter years.
So give it another go and and enjoy the best moments (esp for a band that's years between albums why not give yourself as much Metallica as you possible I ask?) And remember the guitar solos and drum sounds arnt a puppy they are just for Christmas not for life.
It be back to business as usual next time round.
3.8/5
Dr BMR
Metallica were in a very curious position at this stage of they're career apart from in fighting/rehab a band member leaving another problem presents itself here as it often does for many bands with a big following and long recording career.......
How to push ahead keeping things interesting for band and fans changing enough to do so while not changing too much to alienate all involved.
It seems outside influence of current bands were fair game too as System Of A Down,Korn,Slipknot can be heard in these grooves too and what killer grooves they are.
Something some fans said we're missing from the Load/Reload albums but are in abundance here only for some fans to complain something else was missing .............guitar solos oh yes those and that drum sound............
Honestly I think both add to this album and it's not like the band used that drum sound or no guitars for following albums so maybe people were too quick and harsh to judge and jump on bandwaggons to judge this album as there is certainly a much better album here to explore than most realise.
And explore I really do mean, while no classic album there are some great tracks throughout "Dirty Window" a great thasher that follows an album front loaded with the singles (as underrated as these are prob not a good idea to front load an album in this way esp when trying something new as Metallica clearly were here)
"Invisible Kid" does show something that has been added and has carried over to subsequent albums, an added eye on and use of vocal melody something that may have been slightly over looked in past albums to concentrate on the "all mighty riff"
So something lost something gained as they say. All of this adds up to an album I feel the band had to make at this stage in their career and one that while not anybody's favourite surely helped usher in a few of those in latter years.
So give it another go and and enjoy the best moments (esp for a band that's years between albums why not give yourself as much Metallica as you possible I ask?) And remember the guitar solos and drum sounds arnt a puppy they are just for Christmas not for life.
It be back to business as usual next time round.
3.8/5
Dr BMR
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The album that started my 20 odd year love affair with this group,
It came recommended from a workmate who knew I was a big Neil Young fan and said I would love the guitar work on this album, which I immediately got and gravitated to on album opener "At Least That's What You Said" been that of Neil's jagged who cares if there's a few stray notes as long as it's got a feeling It stays kinda soloing that I love.(This been all handled by Jeff Tweedy after Jay Bennetts departure during the previous album)
While the guitar work was certainly reminiscent of Neil's playing the songs and arrangements here certainly arnt.
A strange under the influence hazy but organic and earthly feel present themselves on these tracks with some brilliant almost live in the studio band ensemble playing throughout.
Lyrically a dark but beautiful written collection of songs with some great standout lines "I'm a cherry ghost" been a personal favourite.
While a dark haunting album in the long and winding Wilco catalogue its also home to some of the bands most uplifting and playful numbers like "Theologians" and "Hummingbird" that balance out the mood and texture perfect.
A beautiful heartfelt autumnal work.
4.5/5
Dr.BMR
It came recommended from a workmate who knew I was a big Neil Young fan and said I would love the guitar work on this album, which I immediately got and gravitated to on album opener "At Least That's What You Said" been that of Neil's jagged who cares if there's a few stray notes as long as it's got a feeling It stays kinda soloing that I love.(This been all handled by Jeff Tweedy after Jay Bennetts departure during the previous album)
While the guitar work was certainly reminiscent of Neil's playing the songs and arrangements here certainly arnt.
A strange under the influence hazy but organic and earthly feel present themselves on these tracks with some brilliant almost live in the studio band ensemble playing throughout.
Lyrically a dark but beautiful written collection of songs with some great standout lines "I'm a cherry ghost" been a personal favourite.
While a dark haunting album in the long and winding Wilco catalogue its also home to some of the bands most uplifting and playful numbers like "Theologians" and "Hummingbird" that balance out the mood and texture perfect.
A beautiful heartfelt autumnal work.
4.5/5
Dr.BMR
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With a wait longer than Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy and song lenghts longer than your latest Dream Theater numbers you could be forgiving for being cautious going into this one. Payoff and patience is a big thing in TOOL world, a band known to take their time to let things simmer and unfold and boy do they certainly do here, 6 of the 7 tracks clock in over ten minutes with the final track breaking the 15 min barrier (the shortest song while under 5 mins is in effect a drum solo to show case Danny Carey's limitless talents, though like any similar recording doesn't hold up to repeat plays like the numerous interludes here)
But Holy Moly those 6 actual proper tracks, running times seem to fly by as we're sucked into what can only be described as a dreamlike trance with vocal melody's playing more apart of another instrument drifting in and out of this timeless dreamlike music occasionally and not as often as you would expect for such long songs. The lack of constant vocals may seem off putting at first but repeat plays reveal there's just so much going on in these complex beautiful arrangemens that vocal are used as of and when they are needed with not a single wasted word or phrase and surely some of Maynard's best lyrics to date with Pneuma being a definite Highwater mark in an album full of them.
One of the few band to endure a career so long with a stable line up (Justin Chancellor joined after the first EP and album) and to keep making constantly evolving and changing/challenging music and to never stumble to any trends what tool have giving us here is definitely the most challenging (a long wait for the next one might not be as bad this time for it all to sink it actually, just maybe not so long) and beautiful of their long and varied career.
The interplay of musicians drummer Danny Carey Guitarist Adams Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor will have blown your mind on just about every track on this sprawling album but on the final cut "7Empest" feels like something they've been building up to for their whole career and is stunning euphoric way to end this musical trip and Odyssey
It has been questioned are TOOL even a metal band anymore? Where they ever a metal band?
For they certainly make "Heavy music" heavy and beautiful music, beautiful and heavy seldom go together well, in this bands world they certainly do.
4.5/5 (docked half a mark because of the interludes otherwise a 5*album)
Dr.BMR
But Holy Moly those 6 actual proper tracks, running times seem to fly by as we're sucked into what can only be described as a dreamlike trance with vocal melody's playing more apart of another instrument drifting in and out of this timeless dreamlike music occasionally and not as often as you would expect for such long songs. The lack of constant vocals may seem off putting at first but repeat plays reveal there's just so much going on in these complex beautiful arrangemens that vocal are used as of and when they are needed with not a single wasted word or phrase and surely some of Maynard's best lyrics to date with Pneuma being a definite Highwater mark in an album full of them.
One of the few band to endure a career so long with a stable line up (Justin Chancellor joined after the first EP and album) and to keep making constantly evolving and changing/challenging music and to never stumble to any trends what tool have giving us here is definitely the most challenging (a long wait for the next one might not be as bad this time for it all to sink it actually, just maybe not so long) and beautiful of their long and varied career.
The interplay of musicians drummer Danny Carey Guitarist Adams Jones and bassist Justin Chancellor will have blown your mind on just about every track on this sprawling album but on the final cut "7Empest" feels like something they've been building up to for their whole career and is stunning euphoric way to end this musical trip and Odyssey
It has been questioned are TOOL even a metal band anymore? Where they ever a metal band?
For they certainly make "Heavy music" heavy and beautiful music, beautiful and heavy seldom go together well, in this bands world they certainly do.
4.5/5 (docked half a mark because of the interludes otherwise a 5*album)
Dr.BMR
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Doomy melodic brilliance, an album heavy sound wise and thematically wise which deals very much on the big questions of the why and what were here for, heady stuff indeed.
While an album this heavy lyrically would fall flat on its face in lessers hands this band has the talent and know how to have the backdrops and arrangements to hold these concepts up. This album can be listened to in two ways actually you can focus in on the lyrical content or alternatively just let yourself get swept up and float away in these beautiful sweeping songs either way an hour of your time very well spent and an hour you will want to relive many times over.
Not many bands put this much time and effort into putting an album together that takes you on a journey, and one definitely best experienced as a piece front to back as opposed to individual tracks.
Doom has never sounded so alluring.
5/5
Dr.BMR
While an album this heavy lyrically would fall flat on its face in lessers hands this band has the talent and know how to have the backdrops and arrangements to hold these concepts up. This album can be listened to in two ways actually you can focus in on the lyrical content or alternatively just let yourself get swept up and float away in these beautiful sweeping songs either way an hour of your time very well spent and an hour you will want to relive many times over.
Not many bands put this much time and effort into putting an album together that takes you on a journey, and one definitely best experienced as a piece front to back as opposed to individual tracks.
Doom has never sounded so alluring.
5/5
Dr.BMR
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Under 20 minutes of pure sonic aggression with a side of beauty thrown in for good measure!
While an E.P. generally doesn't do much for your average run of the mill band, Lorna Shore certainly arnt that. And the EP format works a treat here and it's short running time actually helps as it doesn't dilute the power of these songs and showcases their new Frontman too both in equal measure.
"Deathcore" & "Metalcore" arnt a musical Genre and the bands that play them arnt real bands (we've all heard these statements) both from the mouth of the ignorant or those afraid of anything outside their comfort zone in metal.
While I don't really care for genres (there's only good or bad what I like or don't in my book)
We gotta call things something right?
So forget about Genre and what people say and give this a listen you will find much to love here and who knows you might discover you favourite new "Genre"
And if you still don't believe it's a genre after a listen that's cool but we will all be in agreement Lorna Shore are the best at whatever it is that they do, and that's what counts at the end of the day, great music right?
4.7/5
Dr.BMR
While an E.P. generally doesn't do much for your average run of the mill band, Lorna Shore certainly arnt that. And the EP format works a treat here and it's short running time actually helps as it doesn't dilute the power of these songs and showcases their new Frontman too both in equal measure.
"Deathcore" & "Metalcore" arnt a musical Genre and the bands that play them arnt real bands (we've all heard these statements) both from the mouth of the ignorant or those afraid of anything outside their comfort zone in metal.
While I don't really care for genres (there's only good or bad what I like or don't in my book)
We gotta call things something right?
So forget about Genre and what people say and give this a listen you will find much to love here and who knows you might discover you favourite new "Genre"
And if you still don't believe it's a genre after a listen that's cool but we will all be in agreement Lorna Shore are the best at whatever it is that they do, and that's what counts at the end of the day, great music right?
4.7/5
Dr.BMR
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On first listen I was taken back by how soft this album was vocal wise it's not until track 9 "Burn" that we get harsh screamed vocals and a great song it is too.
Music wise this is I wouldn't say soft but maybe more laidback and reminded me of a band say like Trivium in places (I mean this in a good way as the production also is flawless)
It definitely plays like an album with two sides having all the clean vocals songs at the start and the harsh vocal songs at the end, it would be great in vinyl I hear you say? Well this is where we run into the problem with this album........
While its not a bad album (in fact at times its brilliant) it's that there isn't an even split between clean vocals/harsh vocal songs for it to work in vinyl the way the album is sequenced. In fact the sequencing is the problem with the album maybe the harsh vial songs should of been mixed thought the album, say every 3rd or 4th song is one of the harsh vocals as these are the songs that are highlights "Burn" "Deep Inside" & and album closer "Stay With Me all being album highlights. Again these are all on the latter half of the album although the album could only end with "Stay With Me" as it has that's classic album that's just taken you on a journey kinda feeling.
Which leads me to a thought, what if all this is one of those brilliant slow burn albums that the songs that didn't mean all that much to you after plenty of spins end up being your favourite tunes .................
Now that I think of it I was humming a few of them early clean vocals songs making breakfast this morning, the two that I thought I didn't like 🤔............ To Be Continued ................
4/5
Dr.BMR
Music wise this is I wouldn't say soft but maybe more laidback and reminded me of a band say like Trivium in places (I mean this in a good way as the production also is flawless)
It definitely plays like an album with two sides having all the clean vocals songs at the start and the harsh vocal songs at the end, it would be great in vinyl I hear you say? Well this is where we run into the problem with this album........
While its not a bad album (in fact at times its brilliant) it's that there isn't an even split between clean vocals/harsh vocal songs for it to work in vinyl the way the album is sequenced. In fact the sequencing is the problem with the album maybe the harsh vial songs should of been mixed thought the album, say every 3rd or 4th song is one of the harsh vocals as these are the songs that are highlights "Burn" "Deep Inside" & and album closer "Stay With Me all being album highlights. Again these are all on the latter half of the album although the album could only end with "Stay With Me" as it has that's classic album that's just taken you on a journey kinda feeling.
Which leads me to a thought, what if all this is one of those brilliant slow burn albums that the songs that didn't mean all that much to you after plenty of spins end up being your favourite tunes .................
Now that I think of it I was humming a few of them early clean vocals songs making breakfast this morning, the two that I thought I didn't like 🤔............ To Be Continued ................
4/5
Dr.BMR
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Issued at a time when many had possibly had written Slipknot off as past it they make a glorious come back with possibly the album of their career.
Taking elements of each of their previous outings while moving forward with some brilliant new sounds and ideas the experimental "Spiders" been a highlight along with the strange "My Pain" this time out the experiments seem to work whereas on past albums The Grey Chapter they seemed to miss the mark.
That's not to say the brutality of old is missing "Nero Forte" & "Solway Firth" are prime slabs of that old Knot aggression sure to keep fans happy with the single "Unsainted" surely been one of the most exciting opening tracks on a metal album in a long time.
A Highwater mark of an album and will be seen as a modern classic in metal in years to come.
Not a wasted minute throughout brilliant vital, exciting.
5/5
Dr.BMR
Taking elements of each of their previous outings while moving forward with some brilliant new sounds and ideas the experimental "Spiders" been a highlight along with the strange "My Pain" this time out the experiments seem to work whereas on past albums The Grey Chapter they seemed to miss the mark.
That's not to say the brutality of old is missing "Nero Forte" & "Solway Firth" are prime slabs of that old Knot aggression sure to keep fans happy with the single "Unsainted" surely been one of the most exciting opening tracks on a metal album in a long time.
A Highwater mark of an album and will be seen as a modern classic in metal in years to come.
Not a wasted minute throughout brilliant vital, exciting.
5/5
Dr.BMR
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Fusing together many genres can sometimes lead to an unfocused mess stylisticly not the case here, Folk, Classical,Goth,Metal all blend beautifully sometimes within the same song with clean and effected death growls used to great effect throughout often at times for story telling and character changes within a song in this sprawling concept album.
While certain aspects of the concept may not be clear at first (the bands website actually has a section on mythology/backstory for each album, a great touch well done guys) this story is certainly interesting enough and well thought out and it's clear this aspect is taken very seriously by the band.
Vocal wise this brought to mind watching a play in a theatre with how the vocals were produced and arranged and gave me the feeling of watching an epic fantasy adventure come to life (think Warhammer the board game maybe 🤔)
All in all a very enjoyable album maybe a tad long but you don't make albums like this by the half do you?
3.5/5
Dr.BMR
While certain aspects of the concept may not be clear at first (the bands website actually has a section on mythology/backstory for each album, a great touch well done guys) this story is certainly interesting enough and well thought out and it's clear this aspect is taken very seriously by the band.
Vocal wise this brought to mind watching a play in a theatre with how the vocals were produced and arranged and gave me the feeling of watching an epic fantasy adventure come to life (think Warhammer the board game maybe 🤔)
All in all a very enjoyable album maybe a tad long but you don't make albums like this by the half do you?
3.5/5
Dr.BMR
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