I listen to a shit ton of music every month. As a distraction from rowdy co-workers and all the noise at my workplace, or in the background when chilling in the evening with a good glass of beer or whiskey. And as variety is the spice of life, each month I’ll try to check out a new band recommended to me by Last.fm and see if I like them or not based on their first record. This months recommendation:
Green Carnation
Record: Journey To The End Of The Night
Year: 2000
Genre: Progressive, Doom Metal
Recommended because off: In The Woods…, The Gathering and Anathema
Their first album was an ideal starting point to get to know this in 1990 formed group. It was late at night when I fired up Spotify and pressed play on Journey To The End Of The Night. A soft intro fills the room as a couple of guitars slowly shred away accompanied by a steady drumbeat and a female voice chanting angelic in the background. The tempo picks up and the excitement grows before abruptly ending and ushering in the next song on the record. A slow dark doomy song emerges. Perhaps a bit to slow as I feel my attention wandering. Somewhere in the middle of this more than 13 minute long song a male voice joins the soundscape. Bringing a welcome addition to keep In The Realm Of The Midnight Sun interesting. His singing isn’t that amazing but it is just enough to keep me going.
The tone of the albums darkens even more. Long winding sounds take me further into the night as the third song on the album slowly builds up. Guitars and drum join the bleakness more and more until we are at a relaxing headbanging pace when our male singer returns. My Dark Reflections Of Life And Death keeps going back and forth between the dreamy start and the distorted bleakness making for an awesome ride. Midway into this 18 minute song it all comes to a stop for a few seconds. But after another buildup, although much shorter, the pace quickens even more bringing the song home. leaving me behind with wanting more.
My urge immediately gets fulfilled with the fourth track. Under Eternal Stars builds on the foundations from the previous songs and again adds more depth. Halfway into the song the combination of male and female singing and the high pace drumming and bass guitar tickle my Gothic nerve and it reminds me of some old school Gothic Metal I used to listen to when I was still in high school. As with the previous songs, halfway in the band slows down again to build up again towards the end. With to my joy, the faster Gothic Metal style. Definitely the highlight of the record so far.
The ride continues with the title track and apparently first part of a 4 song epic. The pace comes down a notch and again a slower doom track fills the room. The mood harks back to the second song on the record but this one does get my neck muscles moving along with the excellent distorted riffs. The ambient Echoes Of Despair, Pt. II with its spacy soundscape, bridges the way into the End Of Journey, Pt III. All the buildup finally pays off with this hellish fast doom track bringing me back in this world again. But not before a short treat in the form of the last track. With Shattered, Pt. IV the record comes crashing to an end. And crashing in the good sense of the word as the band leaves the Doom sound behind and enters the realm of Gothic once more. It’s a shame the band didn’t explore the style in this song a little bit more during this record. as it kicks some serious ass.
Verdict
Not always is a first encounter with a band this awesome. But Journey To The End Of The Night blew me away. From what I’ve read, Green Carnation gets “softer” with each record (correct me if I’m wrong). If they went through a style journey similar as The Gathering then I’m in for a treat. Slowly hearing a band evolving it’s form is a joy, because who wants to hear record after record with the same stuff. Yep, definitely going to continue this journey to the end of the night…
Tracklist
- Falling into Darkness
- In the Realm of the Midnight Sun
- My Dark Reflections of Life and Death
- Under Eternal Stars
- Journey to the End of the Night (Part I)
- Echoes of Despair (Part II)
- End of Journey? (Part III)
- Shattered (Part IV)
Last weekend it was finally time for another visit to lovely Amsterdam. It still remains one of my favorite places to visit, explore, chill, and for some good old fashion headbanging.
Instead of going by car, this time we opted to take the train to the Dutch capitol. Especially when booking early group tickets, it can get pretty cheap. And to be honest, it’s way more relaxing than having to navigate all the traffic, finding a parking spot… and finding your car back afterwards.
Anyhow, the trip went pretty smoothly and after checking into a hotel in the Bijlmer area of Amsterdam for the weekend. We still had some time to kill before the Epica concert, so we took a quick stroll through the shopping area. Not much to be said about that. The Bijlmer area is basically the same as every shopping district in the Netherlands, lots and lots of empty shops.
For dinner, nothing fancy. We had a quick bite at the local Eazie. It was pretty ok to be honest. And more than enough as a foundation for the rest of the evening.
And what an evening that would be. But first, we had to make our way into the AFAS Live venue. And every time I’ve visited this place, getting in was always terrible. Slow moving lines. And a buildup of people because they still think having a merchandise stand within a few feet of the entrance is a good idea.
Anyway, we made our way into the concert hall in time and managed to grab a nice glass filled with Texels Skuumkoppe on the way. Sadly no draft, but pored out of a can. And after a few sips of this marvelous brew the lights dimmed. Musicians gathered, and after a very weird introduction by a masked figure that kind of reminded me of a steampunk version of Rorschach, Epica kicked down the doors.
And a boy did they kick in with a blast. I mean, nothing is more exhilarating than hearing your favorite metal band live, and also backed by a symphonic orchestra and choir. As singer Simone said halfway through the show: “wouldn’t it be awesome if we could always tour this way?” Oh yes, it certainly would!
For a bit longer than 2 hours Epica rocked the stage. They rocked it as you would expect from an Epica show. Bandmembers goofing around and just having fun, all the while playing their hit songs. And, with that orchestra and choir also on stage it really was something to behold. Something Epic ;p.
But it wouldn’t be a special show without some surprises. The first one was a new song called “The Ghost In Me”. A metal rendition of Danse Macabre from Leopold Stokowski. The song was written in cooperation with the Dutch theme park Efteling as promotion for their new haunted attraction called Danse Macabre. While playing, all kinds of close-up shots of the theming of the new ride where shown on the gigantic videowall that served as the shows background.
The second surprise was during “Sirens – Of Blood and Water”. Singer Simone was joined on stage by Charlotte Wessels (ex-Delain) and Amalie Bruun (Myrkur) for an excellent rendition of their song which all these lovely ladies co-wrote. A real banger.
And after that highlight, only a few more songs remained. Interrupted by a few fake show ends, it was time for one last hurrah! But not before the strange figure from the beginning of the show returned. According to his words of joy, somehow we all together, by being there, partying, making music, enjoying sounds, the melting of metal and classic, we had reached synergy! And we had to party one last time! Hell yeah! And it wouldn’t be an Epica show if that wasn’t with “Consign to Oblivion”. The last song for ages on their setlist. Still my favorite thing they wrote, can’t get enough of it. But also always a sad moment when hearing it live. You just know when the first notes of that song hit, it’s like a signal that within 10 minutes, it’s show over. So with that in mind, we made the most of it. With a wall of death and a massive circle pit, the night came to an epic conclusion.
To be continued…
Setlist
- Unleashed
- The Essence of Silence
- Menace of Vanity
- Sensorium
- The Fifth Guardian (Interlude)
- Crimson Bow and Arrow
- Arcana
- The Skeleton Key
- The Ghost In Me
- Storm the Sorrow
- Universal Death Squad / The Last Crusade / The Phantom Agony / Design Your Universe
- Tides of Time
- Sirens – Of Blood and Water
- Unchain Utopia
- Beyond the Matrix
- Code of Life
- Cry for the Moon
- Aspiral
- Consign to Oblivion
If there’s one thing I drink a lot of, it’s tea. The labels of a popular tea brand often freature fun little questions. By answering them, I learn more about myself.
Which actor should play the leading role in a movie about your life?
Even though Brian Posehn looks nothing like me, I can’t help but feel that he’s one of the few actors who is just as nerdy in real life as I am. His authentic nerdy vibe, combined with his love for heavy metal, makes him a perfect fit for the role I envision.
Brian is one of those rare personalities who fully embraces his inner geek without hesitation. Whether it’s his deep knowledge of comic books or his deadpan delivery of obscure pop culture references, he exudes that unapologetic love for all things nerdy. But what really sets him apart is his passion for metal. That relentless energy, that love for the raw, intense music—it’s not just a hobby, it’s a part of who he is.
So when I imagine someone stepping into my shoes, Brian seems like the ideal choice. He wouldn’t just play the part; he’d live it. His natural geekiness and heavy-metal edge are such an effortless combination that embody the spirit I want to see on screen. Translating that into a performance? For Brian Posehn, that would be a walk in the park.
If there’s one thing I drink a lot of, it’s tea. The labels of a popular tea brand often freature fun little questions. By answering them, I learn more about myself.
If you were immortal for one day, what would you do?
“That’s quite the question! If I were immortal for a day, I’d likely head to the most dangerous place on Earth. After all, if you’re invincible for a day, you might as well make the most of it. So, I’d visit ‘The Elephant’s Foot’ in Chernobyl and explore the surrounding area.”
If there’s one thing I drink a lot of, it’s tea. The labels of a popular tea brand often feature fun little questions. By answering them, I learn more about myself:
Do you think there are aliens out there?
There’s only one way to answer that question, and that’s with two quotes:
Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist, but that’s just peanuts to space.
And
If it’s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space.
For those in the unknow, these are quotes from the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the movie Contact. And yes, I do expect to see them show up here someday, though I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. If it were, we probably would have heard something by now—after all, visitors usually call ahead before they arrive. Especially when coming from afar, no one wants to arrive after a long journey only to find the door closed…
I listen to a shit ton of music every month. As a distraction from rowdy co-workers and all the noise at my workplace, or in the background when chilling in the evening with a good glass of beer or whiskey. And as variety is the spice of life, each month I’ll try to check out a new band recommended to me by Last.fm and see if I like them or not based on their first record. This months recommendation:
Butcher Babies
Record: Goliath
Year: 2013
Genre: Metalcore, Thrash Metal
Recommended because off: Jinjer, Izegrim, The Charm The Fury
When I saw the promotion material for this band I immediately had formed an opinion for myself. Two hot looking ladies prominently placed in almost every photo looking pissed of into the camera. I expected some mediocre metal with two vocalists screaming their lungs to pieces on some basic lyrics about all that is wrong in the world. When the last chord reverberated through my living room, I felt that they delivered exactly that. But Butcher Babies did surprise me a little bit.
Mainly the raw angryness that they where able to put into this record. When the first few notes from the opener “I Smell A Massacre” hit, you’ll get blasted way back into your seat. The heavy riffs and growls from singers Heidi and Carla let you know that they mean business. And that they are really pissed off. Yes, these ladies can scream.
But to be honest, that’s the only decent thing about Butcher Babies. And, looking at why Last.fm recommended them to me I’m a little bit puzzled. Even vocal wise they don’t come anywhere near the vocal finesse of Jinjers’ Tatiana Shmaylyuk.
The other members from Butcher Babies do their stuff, They know how to play their instruments, but nothing really shines or raises my eyebrow. It’s just ok-ish. So I won’t go through every song from Goliath. The whole record kinda follows the same vibe, and only slightly mixes it up when they go into a more thrashy sound in a few songs. Here and there a few kewl riffs come along, but that is basically it.
Verdict
I really struggled when I sat down to write this first impression. I wasn’t really impressed by this bands first outing and just wanted to write one sentence about it and be done with it. Butcher Babies just isn’t for me. So, better luck next month.
This summer was something else. Instead of going to a faraway paradise island, this year, the holiday trip was somewhat more… how shall I put it… it was a rollercoaster of experiences…
Because, for a week I joined a group of people from all over the world, and traveled through the UK visiting 9 theme parks. I won’t bore you with a long trip report this time, but expect one when I take my next adventure. For now, enjoy a short after movie I shot during this week.
If you think: “that kind of holiday sounds amazing!” Check out jointheride.eu or aceonline.org for more info!
“So, the broom has been swept through here again. Nothing left except a blinking black cursor on a screen-filling white page. And what should come in its place, well, that’s a concern for later. So, let’s just say a touch of ‘go with the flow’ and ‘carpe diem.’ Or something like that. Not too much thinking, just doing. Well, unless a healthy dose of blogger’s block bubbles up again. Then it could very well be that this will be the only post for the coming year. There, now I’ve managed to set the expectations of my one reader (hello, by the way) right away.”
“But first, time to put my feet up, because wow. Just like spring cleaning, this was quite the effort. Toodles!”