A Return To Finland Part I

Return to Finland Part I
Apocalyptica & Silentium -From Violins to Cellos

  My previous post (Music from the Others III - Violins) I had picked 3 songs which focus on violins and its easy to say the majority of songs in my listings have violins, being a mainstay of Symphonic, Melodic Death, Gothic, Power and Folk Metal. This posting I am focusing on the much less used Cello. Being darker sounding, more brooding, and a very emotional instrument it lends itself to Metal fairly well. It certainly isn't used much, it just so happens that 2 bands from Finland do use them to great success.
  As a return to Finland, knowing quite well enough that Apocalyptica (that band that does Metallica on only Cellos) is 4 crazy guys on Cellos and add in that the Gothic Doom Metal Band Silentium (who had recently switched from Violins to Cellos), I decided it would be a great pairing to get my Return To Finland off to a great start. 
  I am constantly going back through my bookmarks in hopes to stumble onto something great. As I write this, I had just completed a search through links of Within Temptation, Sirenia and Tristania to get an idea of the pulse of symphonic metal back in 1998-2002. Though my search gave me no hidden gems to add to my collection, It did remind myself of one of my first favorited track from Apocalyptica. It's a nearly hidden track on a release that featured multiple guest vocalists. Though they are mostly known for all-cello acapella versions of classic Metallica tracks, its their instrumentals that truly stand out, focusing on very emotional, nearly lyrical melodies infused over throbbing and distorted rhythms.
  Another early bookmark for me is Silentium and they are one of my favorite discoveries through this Endless Search. Also from Finland, they have had members and singers change just like many bands from these sub-genres of metal. One of their changes was to keep backup vocalist Riina Rinkinen as their full-time vocalist and switching background violins to cello. Their earlier music at times was experimental, nearly soundtrack-like doom metal. The band evolved, made less use of Male vocal Matti Aikio to allow focus to fall on the exceptional talent of Riina. I have already put one of my favorite songs Dead Silent in previous post (See Posting: Pretty Voices FFM). Here I focus on 2 more songs from the same disc in which Riina is the main singer.


Apocalyptica - Grace (Finland symphonic folk metal 2007)
  This song is called Grace, though it could've had a better name considering the powerful sections and haunting melody which alternate between a heavily saturated thrashing riff and an interesting quiet building section. Apocalyptica could be the most famous band in my listings here, and I would expect most people to have this albulm and possibly the major hit Mandylion by The Gathering (See Previous Posting: Music from the Others II) but because it was on a disc where there were alot of guest singers, I feel there is a chance it was overlooked by perhaps the portion of fans who got the cd because their favorite singer made a guest appearance on 1 song.
  This song shows the exact reason why I think a band like Apocalyptica is so important. They had huge exposure doing just Metallica covers with no lyrics and no drummer, then they took a risk by doing the opposite, adding drums and getting guest vocalists to sing on original material. In doing so, they were able to reach farther in a creative direction and put together some outstanding gems, this being the earliest in their collection where this uniqueness and the obviously inherent talent in these Finnish Cello players shows through - but on an instrumental.
  My suggestion for re-naming this song is "Returning from Victory". Its that epic.


Silentium - Frostnight (Finland Gothic Metal 2005)
   Silentium is such a unique find for me. Its always the most unknown ones I latch onto. This band and 2 other Finnish imports (Stam1na and Velcra) seemingly are the 3 most unknown bands that I have on this list and they potentially are among the very most talented. I was listening to Silentium's earlier work before they added the vocalist Riina. I couldn't put my finger on it but I felt something was missing, the songs felt they had little direction and the vocals were either way too emphasized or lacking in the more melodic sections. They had a violinist before and though it had great moments, it would get lost in the muddy doom metal guitars. I had found this song from the disc Seducia, bookmarked it since it sounded pretty good, then came back to it a little later and realized its perfection.
    Frostnight is wholly an unique piece. Superbly written, multi-textural, multi-dimensional, and a pleasure for the ears. I hadn't discovered this until one day it popped up on my playlist and I had the volume up. I heard the Cello, the Piano, the Melody and the perfectly balanced tiny details. And Her voice... its really impressive.
I urge you to turn this up, and listen through as I break this one down...
    Intro before drums - you get at least 3 hooks, between the piano and guitar and cello. Then the drums add in as the section repeats with full instrumentation. It quietly breaks down for what is a preview of the actual breakdown later in the song, with her vocal soaring overhead. The beat is powerful and in contrast to the 3 hook section- which actually is the chorus. The first verse falls in and her voice seems nearly by itself, but there is so much going on in the background, its  a pleasure to actually listen closely for the nuances. The guitars come in and her vocal shows more control, there is piano and cello adding in. Then the chorus comes in full force. Later during the heavy breakdown, she sings yet another melody on top. Its quite amazing. You don't realize till much later how important that last hook is, until you hear it played alone as the ending to a great little-known song.


Silentium - Unbroken (Finland Gothic Metal 2005)
   I would highly recommend you to check the links below I've included also for other things of note from this band.
   This entry above is from an EP release of the first video "Dead Silent" and its a re-master of the original, piano-cello only ballad on the disc Seducia. Both versions are wonderful but I included this version just on the fact its even more unknown than the ballad. Plus the heavier sections add a contrast which I tend to like in these more softer songs. Her performance on this song is beautiful, haunting, and touching, it feels like if she's in the same room- the emotion is so palatable. Match in the cellos and the piano with the swelling instrumentation makes this quite a spectacular piece. I wrote in a previous posting that I cannot compare her vocal to anyone - just out of respect - but it's more that simply no one sounds like her. They did do an outstanding and haunting version of Alanise Morisettes' Uninvited and she very much matches Alanis's tone but Riina is quite alone in a world of copy-cat sounding artists. That alone, is worth something, but luckily there is so much more here. I hope you like them. This is not the last song I will feature in my listings... there is still more to come... they turn into a Symphonic Metal band with their 2009 release Amortean.

Unbroken (original version)
Uninvited (cover)
Painless (older song with violins and without Riina)
Silentium on Last.fm
Silentivm.com (website)


Next Post: A Return To Finland Part II ... The Future of MetalRi

Music From The Others III - Violins

Music From The Others III - Play the Violins
"Look at all these bands playing violins,... where do they come from?"

  My section of "The Others" is only a referral to the fact as I was falling in love with Symphonic Metal, I was stumbling onto a great amount of Other Stuff which I kept bookmarking. Being a sub-genre, Symphonic Metal gets lumped together with Other Subs like Progressive Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Power Metal and Gothic Metal. So cross-references exist and some bands simply don't always lean so specifically towards one or the other making things a bit more difficult to describe. Often you hear "They are like Evanescence but in a Swedish Death Metal way- but with violins".
  One of my pet peeves of these genres is the overall lame conception of "just add a violin to make it cool", which also ranks up there for me with "get some hot girl to sing and dress her up like a vampire". In trying to understand where all this comes from, I decided to look into the past of Rock-n-Roll and Metal for the origins or evolution of the relationship between Heavy Metal and Violins.
  (This is by no means a definitive list), so lets start with The Beatles who definitely used violins in much of their early work, as they were such an experimental band for the times they were in. It is quite interesting to see how they progressed from using the violins as part of the melody (Eleanor Rigby) to later, used in a more symphonic means, in sections or passages that stand alone for effect (A Day in the Life).
 There were an enormous amount of bands in the early days of rock that used violins, but their inclusion was mostly for the more mellow ballads. Some bands like The Moody Blues, Emerson Lake and Palmer and a Frank Zappa song here and there (50/50) feature jams that include a violinist, mostly for solos but I feel its the influence of the Legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, who would use a bow across the strings of a Les Paul to get a violin-feel during his live solos- which directly led to the showmanship of ELO. Thus the image of a rock band with a violinist onstage had become well accepted. By this time you have bands like Kansas and Jethro Tull (early symphonic-folk rock!) who regularly included violins.
  Once metal took over though, in the 80s, a band with violinist would not be prominent again but that didn't stop some of the biggest bands of the times to make mega-hits with violins like Metallica (Nothing Else Matters), Guns-n-Roses (November Rain) and Smashing Pumpkins (Tonight). More recently, there has been a resurgence of violinist being included in bands of just about any genre from Yellowcard and Dave Matthews but I would like to point to Faith No More's biggest song (Epic). It might have been violin-via-keyboard but it is so reminiscent of Led Zep's Kashmir, and the mix of heavy metal with violins was indeed epic.
  This leads me to this decade, in which there are a plethora of Progressive, Symphonic, Gothic, Melodic Death, Power Metal and Folk Metal bands all using violins. Obviously, most of the songs in my listings here do include violins but I have chosen three of my favorite examples of what good song writing and the use of the violin can produce without it sounding like "let's add some violin to make it cool"

Stream Of Passion: Progressive Metal. Netherlands and others. This band is yet another project by the busiest guy in all Euro-Metal, Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon).  Stream of Passion features 2 super gifted women in the vocals and violins of Marcela Bovio, and guitarist Lori Lindstruth. They play a progressive style of Metal which shows influences of Jazz, Zeppelin and even Latin, and their musical skill is extraordinary.
Kamelot: Power Metal, Tampa FL USA. A band from the USA? Really? Yes, and they feature prominently the multi-textural vocals of Roy Kahn (NL). His range is top notch, singing with all the power and diversity of Bruce Dickerson (Iron Maiden) mixed in with a little darker tone. Their 8th release Ghost Opera shows the band can be diverse while still maintaining their PowerMetal core. Though they don't have an actual violinist, the orchestration on Ghost Opera helps them straddle the Symphonic / Power Metal fence.


Stream of Passion - Passion 2005
    Also Live Video Here
    If you wondered just what is progressive metal? This could be a very definitive answer. It doesn't hurt to have a phenom on vocals deliver a perfectly sensual and inspired performance like Marcela Bovio does on this song- which could be considered the band's self-titled anthem tour-DE-force. The intro places the violin on full display, as its' melody is a non-stop run, slipping through key changes. The heavy guitar riff underneath is matched with keys as the drum work pushes the energy through the roof. Right off you know this song is powerful and you wonder what is in store. This is what I love about bands with a progressive mentality, they hint to all their influences, they bounce between styles and mix it up while building upon each section. Passion is an understatement... when you get to the ferocious solo by Lori Lindstruth, the song is simply about to kick into high gear for the final round. I included a live video just to show the band's amazing talent and perfect vocals (harmonies by Marcia's sister, Diana). Also note the live version includes extended "Kashmir" like build ups not found in the video edit.


Stream of Passion - Embrace the Storm 2005
    The title song is a magical force of 2 different melodies in one song, the main lead with the violin is a mode-changing feast which you instantly can grab onto and go with for a ride. In contrast, the verses consist of 2 piano melodies, one descending and one ascending, along with a near impossible vocal as only can be performed by Marcela Bovio. The song is earmarked by an overall feeling that is all Arjen Lucassen's influence. The exit shows how beautiful the melody is even as it drops a key or two to the end round. Overall the song is quite amazing, the melody is brilliant and the song is quite a standout and a very memorable moment.


Kamelot - Ghost Opera 2007
  From their highly acclaimed Ghost Opera, here Kamelot takes on Operatic themes and still sound like a Power Metal unit throughout this visually outstanding video. Featuring background vocals of Amanda Somerville and a feverish attacking violin melody. The whole thing comes together in a massive way then the solo comes through and you feel the energy provided by the rising and falling orchestral sections, the high speed drums and choirs. The huge voice that Roy Kahn has is also on display. This gallant effort simply needs more recognition. Glad to see a band from the USA hit one out of the ballpark.

Next Update: From Violins to Cellos, a Return To Finland

Music From The Others II

Music From The Others - Doom Crossovers

One of the interesting facts Ive found out about Symphonic Metal is that a lot of the bands in the genre change from one genre to another. For instance one of the first metal bands to actually incorporate a full symphony with choirs and play classically inspired music is Therion, but they didn't start out that way. In fact they originated more as Death Metal band and slipped into an Experimental Doom style and then Gothic Metal form. I am sharing my first bookmarks I kept from them, it's from one of their highest acclaimed release "Lemuria" (2004)
   The Gathering is another band labeled as Gothic Metal and even SM despite the fact that they were simply an alt-rock styled atmospheric band with some mildly orchestrated parts, but because they began as an all-Doom early Thrash band (see Always 1992) they kept that cred. My opinion of The Gathering was 100% chick metal. Their stuff never grabbed me, I was simply into way more heavier sounds. But here, after all this time, I have a great appreciation for a few songs here and there. I love the songs so much that it's easy for me to see how they have a ginormous following world wide of absolutely hysterically fanatical fans who adore their prize possession - singer Anneke Van Giersbergen. Even as their styles changed, their fans continued to grow. Now Anneke has departed and in comes Silje Wergeland from Octavia Sperati (Doom Metal NL see previous posts: The First Batch, and Music from the Others P1) and yet another era for TG has begun. I figure I should start linking TG songs with my first (as it was with so many people) from 1995's landmark release "Mandylion", the song is called Strange Machines, and is about being in control of a time machine.
 Aesma Daeva is a project from Spain. Their music is very atmospheric and angelic at the same time. Some of it harkens The Gathering, with the vocals of  hanging overhead. Artmis is the first song I bookmarked from them, and it has some magical moments, it seems to fit here in this group as they are one of those bands that are in-between genres, in this case atmospheric and Gothic Metal.



The Gathering - Strange Machines (1995, Netherlands Alt/Metal)
From one of the most influential and highly acclaimed and loved releases from The Gathering, this song is quite possibly the one song which has introduced the most people to one band. A simple and infectious groove resembles much darker bands and days in fact. But the very obvious standout here is the angelic floating voice of superstar Anneke Van Giersbergen. Her seamless vocals feel as effortless as any and her impossible clarity and masterful range is on complete display here making Strange Machines a penultimate classic. For me to include this song, and this band in a blog about mostly Female-Fronted Metal is such an obvious choice I can only excuse its inclusion by simple fact I would have never gave this song a true chance if not for the fact that I found out the singer Silje (Octavia Sperati) was replacing Anneke. So I was an outsider and this song made me look deeper into their varied discography. I feel this song will continue to recruit others into fans, well into the future as this song sounds fresh today in 2010 as I could only imagine it did in 1995. 


Therion - Utharka Runa 2004 Sweden Symphonic Metal/Progressive/Gothic 
The intro is a sampling of epic Power Metal in a near to Classic True Metal style, and it gives way to the first full-choir round with the feel of a Gothic Symphony. Therion is a group of rotating members, each changing up the style of each release. But what makes them so special is the high level of musicianship and it rings true very quickly here. The slow heavy grinding rhythm is pounded out with harmonized dueling guitars. An operatic middle section paves the way for a real metal breakdown that simply must be heard. Symphony X, Nightwish, Judas Priest all are channeled in to build up the breakneck Speed Metal ending. Special indeed.



Aesma Daeva - Artemis - Gothic Doom Metal, atmospheric
 From the start, a spooky melody overlays harmonized guitars in a slow doom-like mood. This is more what I could consider as Gothic Metal than the norm of hybrids HIM/Type-O Negative styled bands. The soft vocal is delicately delivered but still cuts through even the heavy passages. This is very powerful and the space provided is a nice departure from overtly aggressive songs. But dont let that keep you from listening to it loud. The song is much more impressive with the levels up where you get to feel full range of sound all the way to last unresolved hanging note.

Next update: More Violins

Music from The Others Part I - Gothic Metal

Music from The Others Part I
Dark Gothic Gems Hidden in the Dark

   The Symphonic Metal bug had bitten me. But not before my interests were growing in a darker form of metal, one that is more atmospheric and gloomy. Gothic Metal is a bit of a misnomer in most cases, but I was quickly building a list of songs that completely fit into the perspective in which I viewed the label as.
   The next few postings will feature bands from a wider array of genres not just Symphonic Metal, but I will include Gothic Metal, Progressive Metal and more. Here I focus on 3 dark entries which I feel have a bite quite their own.


Ava Inferi - Danca Das Ondas (Gothic Metal, Portugal 2007)  
   Ava Inferi is a dark atmospheric metal band which combines Doom and Gothic Metal with a touch of Operatic vocals. The band is the creative project put together by Rune Eriksen (Mayhem, Norwegian Black Metal) and includes the Portuguese vocalist Carmen Simões (Aenima, Moonspell and others) who create a unique world of beauty and crushing darkness. The song I selected is actually their first video and it grabs you on first viewing. I would call her vocals slightly Operatic, although there is not much happiness here, there is beautiful harmonization and long soaring sections that scoop you up as the doom metal crushes down.


Virgin Black- Lamenting Kiss (2001, Australia)
     Virgin Black is the most known Gothic Metal band in Australia (first disc released 1998), but seemingly no where else. The majority of their music is extremely bleak and even the heaviest metal sections creep along slowly beyond stark. The challenging part is that their songs are so long, it feels like the gloom will never end. But I found one song I like from them and its near perfect. A minimalistic approach is very evident here, as the verses hang in space,  the lyrics are sang in a near whisper, almost devoid of tone. The piano haunts you like the theme to The Exorcist. The heavy beat comes in and its powerful - its very impressive overall. The video I chose is actually a project video by an amateur who chose the song, its interesting enough but id rather you just listen along to a great dark Gothic Doom Metal song, just dont turn off the lights....


Octavia Sperati- And The World Froze (2007, Norway)
  Octavia Sperati is a mostly female Doom Metal / Gothic Metal band from Norway. The singer has since left to lead the massively popular Alt-Rock/Metal band The Gathering. There are some melodies in this one which show why she was the most perfect choice to sing in place of the Angelic Anneke. I have already featured my very favorite song from them called Moonlit (see previous posting: The First Batch), and as other songs began to grow on me I had As the World Froze on my playlist for quite some time. It features the beautiful and haunting voice of Silje and a great melody mixed with heaviness which is in perfect contrast. Like the other 2 songs here, it grabs your attention, it feels different and then it delivers.

Next Posting: More Doom and Gloom

Blown Away by After Forever... Forever

Blown Away by After Forever- Forever

sorry this such a long post - but it's the one that matters the most...

  This is a critical moment in time, I could take this post and the rest of my entire blog from this point on, in so many different directions. One would possibly be waving the flag for a few favorite bands which I feel are not quite as popular as I think they should be. Another direction could be the "Is it Symphonic Metal or is it Gothic Metal?" argument. Or who influenced who, who is better at what, who isn't this or isn't that. This point is so very pivotal for me because it was the definitive point I could say I fell in love with Symphonic Metal, and the band fully responsible was After Forever.
   To make this connect, when you examine After Forever's music you will see they are definately Metal but don't play with a symphony nor even a real violin player, so can they be qualified as Symphonic Metal? They don't sing about morbid subjects and most of thier music is rather upbeat, so can they be considered a true Gothic Metal band? The band had a long run (breaking up just last year, 2009) and they pre-date the majority of bands in these genres. One of the founding members left After Forever and formed Epica, who gained nearly immediate popularity. Also note that their singer, Floor Jansen, has essientially one of the best voices in all of Metal, a notion that has been gaining strength over the years as fans convert from Within Temptation and Evenescence into fans of Epica and After Forever. Another note is that After Forever has become regarded just as much a Progressive Metal band as much as a Symphonic and Gothic Metal band. So... Now What?

  I choose to take the rest of this blog in the direction I started... to share my experiences and my learnings and all my bookmarked songs in the order in which I found them up to the current date and the music I am currently listening to. This process is meant to show the moments of what I find to be truly inspiring, emotionally moving and fulfilling and how they all lead into each other. I just may not have enough words to describe what these next 3 songs represent to me.

   I had already known of After Forever (AF) as I was getting into Epica and other bands directly linked to AF but what I found was some inconsistency and I couldn't correlate why or what kept me from just spilling straight into their catalog. I began to confuse the first song here on this post "Beautiful Emptiness" with other songs until I found a video with the lyrics. Practically immediately something struck me around the 0:15 mark. A note that is hit by the powerful voice of Floor Jansen. It opened my eyes. It is in an upper echelon of notes that places Floor in a class among few. I knew I had listened the song through quite a few times and enjoyed it immensely but something had changed within me, I had accepted to a greater degree the Beauty and Beast aspect of AF, I heard technique and songwriting, and brilliant musicianship. It lead me to check out as much as I could and then I found some of the first links to their last release, a Self Titled disc and I simply could not believe what I was hearing. The band wasn't just capable musicians, they were Amazing musicians and thier influences from all the metal I had grown up listening to like Maiden, Sepultura, Testament were peeking through. Apparently the addition of Joost Van Broek on Keyboards has a lot to do with it. On this release the music was dynamic and bombastic, full throttle in attack and Floor Jansen was poising herself not just a great singer but one who is gallantly capable of blowing everyone completely to bits. They simply have shattered the ceiling of what is possible in the genre and made the new vantage point somewhere on Mt Everest.

  A recent search of reviews on the albulm showed to me I wasn't the only one blown away... I've found reviews on websites for Progressive Metal, Gothic Metal, Symphonic Metal, Female-Fronted Metal (FFM) and CD resources like Amazon and streaming sites like Last.fm to praise the release and give it very high ratings. The census was that AF will be missed as thier last release, thier swan song, could had possibly placed them at the forefront of the genre, ahead of bands like Epica and even the Grandfathers Nightwish, Within Temptation. This disc will only become more and more revered...

After Forever 2007
After Forever on Last.fm
After Forever on myspace.com 
See all of their releases @ After Forever on Amazon.com



Beautiful Emptiness - Invisible Circles 2004  Right off a quick start with a full chorus and Floor Jansen is flexing her strength in the Operatic range. This song goes through a multiple of paces as it goes from the operatic to a heavy grinding section where she shows off her very strong lower more metal range. That's only the first 60 seconds so hold on tight, this roller coaster of a ride then breaks down into almost silence as the vocals float quietly above showing all the passion and feeling of only the most accomplished singers. The light touches on the piano wander loosely, allowing the slowly swelling strings to fill in as the intensity rises back to the heavy grind section.
  The song, which is about full-on rage and hatred and is exemplified by the following metal grunting section. The contrasts are everything that the Beauty and Beast style is meant to be and they do it better than just about everyone. There is a building bridge in which has the feel of much resolve and builds into yet another staccato metal beat, which shows thier Progressive Metal side. My only beef with this song is that the final deathmetal grunting section, doesn't feel needed but does end the song nicely.
 Once the intial shock of the rollercoaster feel wears off, what you begin to experience on re-listens is a song full of range, from the dynamics, the intense energy and passion and superb flawless vocals which move about and take you with them. Musically the band is top-notch and is not lost in production. Everything can be heard from the basslines, the quick stops, the string accents, all which emphasis the hugeness which the song conveys. Its all ear candy for me and it gave me the desire for more... I just had no idea I was only prepped for a bigger and heavier ride...



Transitory - After Forever 2007
This song is Heavy! Finally I find a song that takes all my favorite Metal influences and merges them together into a single onslaught. Beauty & Beast lyrics combined with breakneck speed, high quality production and devastating vocal delivery. All this qualifies AF as a contender to be perched at the top of all Goth-Symphonic-Melodic-Prog Metal. It may be a huge title to live up to but listening to the first break at 1:18, it has all the feel of Death, Carcass and Sepultura and it totally blew my mind. I was already convinced that AF was becoming my favorite band but at this moment I was having an out of body experience here. This passage quickly leads into a high speed keyboard solo, followed by a bouncy breakdown which is very common to AF. The last verse speeds up into a massive climax. My only beef here is this song is untypically short. Of all songs I never want to end, it clocks in at beatles time, 3:30. It ends as quick as it began. Now I want MORE....



Who I am - After Forever 2007
 I wouldnt say I am easy to satisfy. I am one very jaded music fan. I listen to a broad scope of music and rarely am I ever this excited about anything. This song, also from the landmark self-titled release features a duet, a rather perfect one in fact, with former Metal Queen Doro Pesch. It took me a little while to realize it was a duet but nonetheless it is a highly exceptional song. The bait here, or hook as one might call it, is a harmonized vocal at the end of the chorus, which hangs over head while the band slams out a heavy pounding. The verses are flip-flopped question and answer style, between Doro and Floor respectively. Doro does the main solo, complete with an epic choir and with Floors' harmonized ending. The result is a feeling that your head is about to explode as you try to take in everything that is going on. The second verse is flip-flopped again with Floor first then Doro, the beat is hypnotic and sexy. I call the song the sexiest in the genre, but a fellow listener pointed out Eyes of Eden's "Dancing Fire" is another contender...(see previous post: Addictive songs from Germany). As Who I Am pounds along, all of a sudden - THAT moment, THE OMG happens. At 2:28 The dual harmonized voice of Floor leads in a breakdown and your mind is melted. I Freaked out when I heard it and was about to backtrack the song to hear it again but the song just kept on supplying the wow factor. The breakdown is followed by an amazing harmonic minor Arabian-styled melody on keys matched with Floor's melodic voice on top. Then a heavy pounding section with a wild synth effect provides a headbanging inspired section. The major climax shifts a keychange and then the final dramatic haromized ending leads to a simply a perfect ending. Ok now you can go back to 2:28 and experience it all over...

  Shortly after I fell in love with this band I had learned of their breakup, the word from the band was "they no longer felt the passion" It sounds like an impossible concept, considering how truly awesome and inspired most of the music on their last albulm sounds. It also seemed to have a major impact on the genre as other bands have since stepped up their game. Floor Jansen has now began a new project called ReVamp and I will focus on a few songs here in the future as well as what I refer to as "The Greatest Moment in Symphonic Metal History". I could also feature song after song from AF but I feel I need to focus on a few other key findings I was listening to at this time, a group I call "The Others"

Next update: "Music from The Others"

3 Addictive Songs from Germany

3 Addictive Songs From Germany

Xandria and Eyes of Eden 

   I was only beginning my search into finding inspiring and awesome music from genres I never really paid attention to when I quickly got to know Epica from The Netherlands (see previous Post: Epic Songs from Epica). I knew I was onto something as I had even gone back to my original links and tried to look even deeper, finding even more incredible music from Velcra (see previous post: Attack of Velcra). 

   So I decided to look further back to one of my original links, Xandria, "Save My Life" (see previous post: Pretty Voices) This band I wrote off simply because they sounded less than metal to me and not as classical influenced as what I was beginning to discover. Gimmick based song titles like "Ravenheart, Snow-White, The Lioness, Sisters of the Light, Vampire, Mermaids ..etc"  didn't help the matter. Also on the downside I lumped them into the category off add a female, add strings and sing of vampires- so I was about to give up on Xandria when I discovered what could be their best release, "India". As the name refers there are Middle-Eastern themes and melodies interwoven into the mix and it works well.

  Lucky for me I found another song from Xandria I had bookmarked and I found the melody impossible to shake off. I was already humming the melody to India when I found "She's Nirvana" a slower grinding song which grabs you quickly.

  Linking through their origins in Germany, where there is a heavier presence of Gothic Metal, I stumbled onto a band and their debut release and it too got stuck in my head. Eyes of Eden is a brand new symphonic metal band showing there is a growing interest in this genre and newer bands are popping up all over.  

Xandria - India  2007 Symphonic Metal Taking you on an epic journey requires for you to actually go somewhere... Here Xandria takes on a concept of traveling the unknown open seas towards India - only to find the new world. The middle eastern inspired melody runs through the strings giving an unusual mixture of metal and symphonics. The melody is superbly delivered, climbing in anticipation in which the journey takes. A heavy guitar based breakdown adds to the unique dynamics of this song. The racing rising climax eclipses perfectly. A very addictive song and definately among their best.



Xandria - Shes Nirvana Kill The Sun 2003 Here is a gothic song from Xandria which hints to Wiccan themes and other mystic ideals. The slow grinding tempo is very unusual for the genre and works very well. The melody is quickly addictive and a small effect breakdown shows some dynamics. Lisa Middelhauve delivers a great vocal here it is unfortunate that she has since left Xandria as they search for her replacement. 2 years after finding this song I still like to keep it in my mix and occasionally I can't get it out of my head.



Eyes of Eden - Dancing Fire Gothic Metal Germany 2007 This very addictive song is not quite symphonic nor gothic as others but its a good impression of what most metal bands in this genre sound like to me. The band is a new project by Waldemar Sorychta, the guitarist, songwriter and producer "who shaped the sound and feel of many bands such as Grip Inc., Lacuna Coil, Sentenced, Moonspell, Tiamat, Despair and others"(last.fm) Looking forward to see this band progress it has some potential. The very beautiful maiden on vocals Franziska Huth may remind some of Theatre of Tradgey's Liv Kristine and other more recent bands like Sirenia and Tristania.
   As I pursue back to my original links, I will never forget the night I heard the next set of songs in my bookmarks. Discovering these songs made me start my first playlist on Youtube. It was the night I was blown away by symphonic metal and fell in love with one of the greatest voices Ive ever heard in all of Metal, in all of my years of being an avid music lover....

Next: Blown Away by After Forever, Forever.

Epic Songs from Epica

Symphonic Metal Saved My Life -
Epic Songs from Epica

   Digging through my bookmarks and songlist histories, my Endless Search began without much documentation. My timeline is still a bit fuzzy so I try here at this point to concede a slight defeat by the "youtube gremlins". Once I rediscovered the songs from the previous post (The Attack of Velcra), I yearned to learn more,  knowing I had already a decent list, I went back to my earliest links to search deeper. I Found Deeper. The first song in my playlist at the time was Epica's Cry for the Moon (see review in the post The First Batch) and it convinced me to dive further into their catalog. What I discovered was simply amazing to me. It was simply a wondrous moment to hear these full-on orchestras with full classical choirs matched up with superb singing and songwriting all while being quite heavy and the furthest from the dirge of today's mainstream music. Each song painted a movie's worth of drama and excitement. I was beginning to come around to the realization that this thing called symphonic metal was the genre I've been waiting for.
  Come along with me on this Journey, my Epic Voyage, my Endless Search for music that lifts my spirit, that inspires my creative fire and simply moves me from deep within. Epica is one of those few bands which can do this and do it with meaning. There is a message here, it is intelligent and builds upon what used to be the norm - concept albums or even a consistent thread among an artists catalog as a whole. This is not for me to put into words it is for you to discover along on your own journey.
  I searched for deep. I Found Deep


Epica - Beyond Belief 2007 One of the most epic songs I know - without being overdrawn, or too ambitious, or so self indulgent which inevitably cuts down on re-listens, here the opposite occurs. It leads you in as a standard song but stops and shocks you consistently throughout as found in the first open, with the ultra high reach of Simone. As always the quiet moments are meant to be heard.
  This song about our time and uncertainty and the oncoming advances of technology takes us all too quickly away from that which is spiritual. Simple concept placed together in an epic package. The heavy breakdowns with the violin accent points and talk-overs cue you to know there is more going on than just the operatics. The heavy breakdown reminds me of a megadeth meets sabbath moment - but with a heavy groaning choir in the background - quite powerful. And its a perfect lead-in to the frantic unleashing of the powerful and meaningful - Final End.


Dance of Fate 2005 Before The Divine Conspiracy there was the 2005 release of Consign to Oblivion, which this incredibly dynamic and well written symphonic metal epic song hails from along with the eye-opening ballad "Solitary Ground" (see post The First Batch). In this song the marriage of a classical choir and double bass is a perfect match. Add the vocal acrobatics from Simone and it all works very well. The full choir sections are married to staccato stop beats and alternate with full-on speed metal drums. Adding more dynamics are the softer sections which give a lot more weight to the lyrics and urge you to listen in to the message.
   The brief break down is followed by an inspired section- complete with harpsicords and choir accents. Then the most convincing part for me comes in, a quiet and meaningful lyric then a powerful reprise of the chorus and the grand finale from the choir. The whole thing is quiet marvelous and an inspiring combination that completely convinced me I have been listening to the wrong music for years. I am finally home.



Sancta Terra
2007 One of the best aspects of a band like Epica is they aren't simply just putting pieces of this and that together and hope it all works. Epica is a complete package, from the meaning behind their name, to their conceptual releases, and topical content. This is the first song which opened my eyes to this concept. All of which means Epica is deep. There is more to explore lyrically. But being hi-brow or being artsy does not quantify great music so its not what attracted me to them- its just an added bonus. Here is simply another extraordinary example of what put Epica on the map in the genre. Symphonic passages of violins and choirs entwine within the dynamic performance of Simone. The quiet breakdown followed by a full on ripping metal passage with choir and double bass and the whole symphony flowing on top of the guitars creates a musical experience which far surpasses the status-quo of most bands. The exit with only the male choir echoing the lyrics add a distinct touch.
 
These 3 songs each are an epic journey. Stories within stories. They also symbolize my quest to find more epic moments, hidden perhaps from view for years or perhaps just on the horizon. I was seemingly uncovering treasures from a wide array of years, mostly from 2002 to 2007. I began to think I should go further back to understand this explosion of creativity. Who spawned it all? Was it just that after years of influence by Nightwish that their disciples were finally making great music? What time frame or more important, Where should I turn to next?

Next Blog: Setting Sails for Germany

Attack of Velcra

Attack of Velcra

 Industrial Metal / Rap Metal / Electronica

  Half Electronic, Half Heavy Metal, and Part Rap, with a female singer, from Finland. Not a combination that I would expect to greet with much success or passion. But I discovered differently. I had not known at the time I just discovering this band that I would eventually lean more towards symphonic metal but I also knew I hadn't heard anything like them - or at least if I had, it wasn't with good results. After bookmarking one of their breakthrough hits "Our will against their will" (previous post Finland P2) I clicked through just about anything I could find from them at the time and I did have mixed results. Once I figured I had narrowed it down to 2 or 3 songs I was happy - Very Happy actually.
   Looking closer at these 3 songs my leave you scratching your head a little. Wondering why you never heard of them but you may know Guano Apes (the band they are most compared to, unfortunately) or perhaps why they sound so polished on one song and so aggressive on another. I stopped all the question marks except this one, if any of these songs just randomly came on your player, wouldn't you turn it up and then say "I need some more of that!"

Links for Velcra for more info:
 Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/velcra
 Last.fm http://www.last.fm/music/Velcra
 Facebook Velcra Profile


Velcra - My Law 2005-Finland.  Still my favorite song from Velcra, My Law is from their second release "Consequences of Disobedience"  is as bombastic and full-on as any metal song and Jessi Fray really delivers her strong range in this song. I thought the song was pretty awesome then I saw the lyrics and it vaulted into my permanent top listing. The lyrics are very self-empowered. Take the good with the bad. Some of the lines I borrow for my own quotes they are so good such as "...all we need is already here, what it needs is for own eyes to see" and "..my criteria does not originate from the materia.." There is a live performance video here, it gets a little strange but the link above sounds best and a bonus of the frantic "War is Peace", a song I can easily say shows very early influence to today's hyper-kinetic electronica full of flash and speed - but from their debut "Between Force and Fate"


Velcra - Can't Stop Fighting  Finland 2005 Also from "Consequences of Disobedience". Once I began to understand this band, this one showed up on youtube and more of the same emotions came out - why haven't I heard them before!! Come to find out this song was a few compilation CDs and fans everywhere were going crazy to get a hold of it. This song, while still heavy does not focus so much on the rap-chants of My Law or Our Will - but relies heavily on the melodic vocals of Jessi Fry. The rhythms in the verses remind me of Infectious Grooves or perhaps Static-X matched with the heavy breakdown in the chorus creates a great rift between the 2 sections. Dynamics are good.


Velcra - Memory Loss 2005 Finland: A great example of what this band is really capable of- powerful Crossover Metal with a sound unlinke anything you listen to now. Here her vocal is so strong and relentless you forget shes a pretty petite Finnish girl. The breakdown towards the end shows there is alot of promise to what they can produce. Overlapping keyboards add a hint to what Velcra would eventually morph into - a mostly electronic band. We will get to that later in this search - trust me.

Next: Very Epic songs from Epica

The First Batch

The First Batch

Epica, After Forever and Octavia Sperati- Open My Eyes 

    This is the first group of 3 from artists I would come to absolutely love. I was finding a lot of interesting bands to my liking but these were among the best of what I remember bookmarking and taking note of. Among the many subdivisions of metal the smaller genres of Symphonic Metal and Gothic Metal live side-by-side. I had not found much Gothic Metal as of yet which I fell in love with except Silentium, so I was plenty surprised to find Octavia Sperati, a mostly Female band from Norway that is part Doom Metal and Gothic Metal. They are really talented songwriters and their music is moody as much as it is melodic. More of them to follow...
   I was also surprised to find as part of the Symphonic Metal side there is a trend called Beauty and Beast which refers to bands which combine the singing style of Death Metal (or more appropriately Melodic Death Metal) growls and the sometimes Operatic voice of a female singer. The growl style is very much part of the Metal scene overseas and some of us in the US aren't quite used to it but it is effective in certain songs to give the heavier sections more meaning and a break from all the vocal gymnastics in the female vocals.



Epica - Cry for the Moon  Symphonic Metal: Beauty and The Beast: Netherlands 2003 - After finding the song and video for Solitary Ground, I found this absolute gem of a recording and performance. Its from their debut CD in 2003 after guitarist Mark Jensen leaves After Forever to form Epica. This version is a live performance from "We Will Take You With Us" in which they perform songs with full orchestration and choirs, in studio and filmed live. It is quite remarkable in this format and an awesome introduction to this genre. A near perfect vocal from the beautiful Simone Simons and the ebbing, flowing tide the song takes into the more Metal sequences, with full violins on top almost exemplifies what this genre should sound like.
    Do not allow the growl sections through you off since this song is truly epic and could fit into any epic adventure/action flick. It truly takes you there. I also love seeing the choir singers and the symphony members performing this song - it is obvious they take it seriously and an epic performance is the results.


After Forever - Energize me
Symphonic Metal - Progressive Metal - Netherlands- 2007 - Welcome to my world - that's all I can say with my first link to the landmark band, After Forever. Energize Me is perhaps their most commercial offering from their self-titled mind-blowing swan song release from 2007. After touring for the CD they disbanded after a break in 2009 and side projects had began but this band has an amazing catalog and an incredible 15 year run as major pioneers in the world of Symphonic Metal, potentially dethroning the classical inspired reigning metal band, Nightwish (Finland)
  At first impression, the catchy melody hides the vocal dynamics of the highly impressive talent of singer Floor Jansen, but as the song continues to gain strength, her vocal strength becomes more apparent. The key changes and building crescendos raise along with the difficulty. The mostly heavy based riffs are overlapped with strings and vocal padding. To compare this, at this current point, here in the beginning with the most unlikely song from their last release to one of the most a-typical songs from Epica's debut - is unintentional but noteworthy since I will be sharing more from both bands here since they are both so important to me.



Octavia Sperati - Moonlit  Doom Metal- Gothic Metal; Norway 2007. One of my favorite finds is this little known band from Norway. They are for the most part an all-female Doom Metal band with a touch of Gothic Metal for a darker influence. The singer, Silje Wergeland has since moved on, though to front the legendary alt-gothic-ambient metal (the metal term here is used loosely) band The Gathering. With all that aside, the music of Octavia Sperati has 3 main elements, haunting and enchanting melodies sung by Silje, bass lines that rival most Black Sabbath influenced bands, and plenty of atmosphere. After discovering this song, it found a permanent spot in my playlists and on my personal pages. The entry below is my own personal comment I left on the video...
  "...by the chord that hits at :27 I figured out I really liked this song. somewhere around the first verse, :56 the song become one of my favorites, at 1:24 I fell in love with it and by 3:07 I was blown away to pieces, forever...."

Somewhere at this point I began to feel I was onto something. Made me look back at my first few links to go deeper and found I have struck Gold...

Next Blog - Velcra Kicks my Ass.

Pretty Voices - FFM

Pretty Voices- Female Fronted Metal

In my search for new and interesting music I voyaged into the realms of Finland and somehow onto a course that lead me to fall in love with Symphonic Metal. Being a sub-genre of metal, there is some dissent amongst its fans, mostly regarding who is and what defines the difference between Symphonic Metal and Gothic Metal. The main gripe is the a-typical formula of piano intro, some strings section to fill in the verses, some heavy guitar chords during the choruses, vague references to vampires and the most important, have a female singer.
  I had no idea there was all this going on - I was just clicking and searching for interesting music So it seems adding a Female singer to a metal band has become quite a trend overseas, and we are starting to see it here in the US also (Evanescence, Paramore, Flyleaf, Phoenix, and now In The Moment) I began to see a soft side of metal with these pretty voices in contrast to all the scream-core that was out there. But there is a stark difference from what I discovered early and what I found later.... First up, Xandria....



Xandria - Save My Life FFM - Symphonic Metal / Gothic Metal.Germany 2005: Xandria has since changed singers, here in this one, perhaps her best performance Lisa Middlehuave beckons beautifully, although straight to the aforementioned stereotype. Not headbanging material but worth a listen. I was beginning to think this music was mostly just weak sounding metal with pretty voices. I would find a band with promise, perhaps with a beautiful girl at the vocals and the songs were just lamer than the next one. I kept this one noted because it stood out from that pack and it was linked to many others... Such as Epica  




Epica - Solitary Ground
 Symphonic Metal - Holland - 2005. If you've never seen or heard of Epica or their singer, Simone Simons, I expect you to go into a shock - like I did and just about anyone with a pulse - when you see and hear Simone for the first time. Which is why I pick this one as the intro to them (it was the first one for me and here is a clue- its not the last I will share here). Ok so you have piano-check, violins-check, hot singer-check! heavy guitars - uhm no this is a ballad. What's so special then? You should know by now- Simone is ultra talented. There is more than 1 reason she's the singer...Her voice is as beautiful as her looks and this song, is superbly written. On display here is restraint, emotion and a message. I hope you enjoy this one and everything I post here regarding this band, for this is a gem for even those who know the heavier material from them.
 


Silentium - Dead Silent Gothic Metal: Finland 2005 And now I stumbled back to Finland and clicking through a band I heard some promise from but hadnt fully impressed me yet - until I found this amazing song. The reason again- the singer. Silientium was classified in thier early beginnings as Doom Metal or even an experimental soundtrack band who mixed long doom-styled metal -just short of thrash- paired with a male and female vocalist. Their original singer had shown promise but it was the addition of Riina Rinkinen, who put this band completly on the map. Her voice is so unique to this style I will not compare her to anyone just out of respect - her clean and soft tones are as disarming as they are chilling. Her ability to dip in and out of her outer range is not common, you dont just write that for the vocalist and expect it to go well. This is the song that got me hooked and turned onto them 100% and I can only expect you to get the chills within the first few notes.
  The band adds cello and keys into the mix (previous releases were with violin instead). Once Riina begins you know this is different. It quickly became one of my very favorites and caused me to tell everyone I know about this song. The songwriting is top notch along with the inspired vocal performance. The guy doesn't even get in the way like their much earlier work. Now I am impressed. Finland strikes again.

Next Blog: The First Batch of my favorites....

Starting Point: Finland Part 2

Starting Point: Finland Part 2

Christian Symphonic Metal, Industrial and

The most unknown band that could be Metallica in disguise

   Looking back at all my links I have so much to share but I want it to go in a progression that all makes sense but I hadnt yet focused in on symphonic metal but this first one is truly one of the first I bookmarked and thus was a gateway to find more. Most of my early links were all bands from Finland and its interesting to note that the culture of Heavy Metal is so strong there that metalheads are the majority. So much so that even a church has "heavy metal ceremonies" and the church is actually built of stone and rock and is the inspiration for the Lordi breakout hit "Hard Rock Hallelujah". But I have found a large array of bands from Finland that aren't necessarily Metal. There is a very distinct Alt-Rock scene, Industrial, Punk and even 80s glam. What really blew me away was a Christian Metal Symphonic Metal band - not my thing at all but so impressive I have to include it here, where I found it - in the beginning,

HB - It Is Time Christian Symphonic Metal: 2008 - Unwaveringly Christian is HB (short for "Hard Black" or as I've read "Heaven Bound") and they are an immediate force once you start to watch and listen. This is no weak attempt to be metal or cheesy "we rock for Jesus" gimmick. The music is genuine as is the message and there is no getting around it. Uncompromising isn't a word usually associated in this genre and I commend it. There is the full on heavy metal attack and attitude, the beautiful melodies sung superbly, and the video which draws you in with their good looks and sleek production. You begin to look for a twist thinking it cant be - but its all as it appears. 

  This is the song that really led me into finding other symphonic bands that I will share later. My next question was, was there such thing as Finnish Industrial ? I am very excited to introduce to you one of my very favorites - Velcra!

Velcra - Our Will against Thier Will   Finland: Industrial/Metal 2005. This is my introduction to Velcra in their early years of Metal merged with industrial and rap elements. They remind me of a band very close to me, Phoenix/Nebulin. The singer is Jessi Fray and her voice is unbelievable - At top volume rapidfire lyrics are delivered raspy and with rage and then in the melodic moments its clear, distinct and strong in tone. She also has a soft, whisper range in later works which she completely showcases her range. Here, in one of their songs off the debut disc Between Force and Fate- you can get influences of early chant-based industrial like Nitzer-Ebb, I also hear some Rage Against the Machine. Some fans instantly compare them to Guano Apes, who I find to be more commercial, slipping into a Limp-Biscuit style. Velcra, on the other hand have grown and expanded their style since. I will be featuring more here from this amazing band.

Diablo - Icaros    Finland: Metal 2008: I kept coming across this band and because they were so metal - and I never heard of them - I kept dismissing them. I was simply looking for something, well that didn't sound like mainstream metal. Then I stumbled onto this one- the title caught me. I know the story of Icaros so this should have at least something to it and to say its impressive would be understating it. The band has discs going back to 1999 and each one draws comparisons to Metallica. In some cases the comparisons suggest Diablo is the better. That's no small statement. All I can say is this song is simply awesome. From the heavy pounding open to the melodic verses you know this is different and a bit ahead of the curve of the bridge between Thrash and new fashioned MetalCore. Then you get to the solo - and click add to favorites. 

Next Update: Pretty voices - Female Fronted Metal

Starting Point: Finland

Starting Point: Finland

  The list of bands from Finland is equally long as it is legendary and it does span many genres. I am not here to list in encyclopedia style the longest band list ever but the intent of this blog is to explore, discuss, and share music I discover and love - mostly Symphonic Metal and its sister genres - Gothic Metal, Power Metal and Progressive Metal. So let's get to the obvious...

  H.I.M., Apocolyptica and Nightwish. All from Finland. Those 3 alone could fill up these pages here. But I am going on the concept you already know and love these artists. But for me, each has pluses and minuses that leave me desiring more and thus leading me to other bands. I started my search online with lists from wiki regarding bands from Finland and stumbled in the genre Gothic Metal.
   It actually got me irritated since I could consider myself a Metalhead who has gothic tendancies. But to me Gothic was a label to be reserved for only bands of the dance genre which pertain to the goth subculture like Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death etc. So I had to explore this Metal label to get a better understanding.
  Its generally a label towards certain dark metal bands hailing from Gothenburg, Germany. So hence the label is appro. The sound alas, is a bit closer to hair metal gone dark, or a repose of Type-O Negative. Once I linked H.I.M. to gothic metal and Finland I found some interesting stuff, and among the very first added to my list was a band called Charon...





Charon - Colder Gothic Metal. A pretty cool song for anyone who likes the styles of Type-O Negative or H.I.M. The girl's vocals add a nice touch matching up with the very deep and course male vocals. Charon is from Finland 2001 and this is from their 2005 release Songs for Sinners. They have recently put out a new disc with newer versions of older songs called A-Sides, B-Sides & Suicides(2010) I found this one over 2 years ago and is a nice starting point for this whole blog. 


Poisonblack -Rush  Gothic Metal. Along with Charon comes Poisonblack. Put together by former Sentenced member, Ville Laihiala and is now the singer. Very heavy guitars on this one- a nice combination of breath-spoken words and movement. You might get surprised by just how much this actually grows on you... like he says at the end, more and more and more...



Bloodpit- Bad Ass Blues Finland 2005: Metal. This super dosed rocker is by Bloodpit who has since changed singers after finally breaking into the scene with some hits. Bad Ass Blues is not a blues song but a straight forward heavy rocker that hits as hard as current bands like Disturbed or Godsmack, but with a nod to 80s sleaze metal. Its not quite a gothic metal or very progressive but it certainly rocks and stays with you.


Next Post: Everything is Metal in Finland - Even Church.

Intro: Music Saved My Life: Part 3

Intro - Music Saved My Life - Part 3

Blown Away by Symphonic Metal

  One day I joined the website last.fm looking for streaming radio, mostly out of the fact I never really get into new music. What happened was internet streaming radio stations only satisfied me for 10 min. maximum. I did find an underground channel that played basically every goth/industrial song I hear at the clubs I go, which was great except I only like to hear those songs at the clubs. I get burned out enough at the clubs and dont want to kill off the love I have for even the newer stuff. So I HAD do something...
  Being half Finnish, I wondered what was going on musically in Finland. The metal blood line runs deep in Finland, and everyone knows there is plenty of history in Finland, and with bands like Amorphis being among my favorite, I figured I was bound to find Something...
   I used amazon.com and youtube.com mostly as my research tools. I would type metal finland in the search on youtube, click whatever came up I didnt recognize, listen for a few seconds and if sounded good, Id leave it on to listen thru while searching Amazon.com or Wiki for more info. I would go back to Last.fm to see what the fans would say, find what songs they rated highest and try them out also. If it impressed me Id keep it in my playlists on youtube. At times though some of the bands didnt even exist in youtube land.  I did find a few key bands at this time but I had no idea what was lurking around the corner - Symphonic Metal, and how deep I would fall in love with it.

  I do listen to wide array of music. I think its a sign of the times though. Everyone essentially has an eclectic taste. To say you listen to world music, Weezer and The Eagles of Death Metal isnt really a stretch anymore. But I find I prefer the very heavy, very aggressive, and the very loud. So at first, Symphonic Metal seems like Chick Metal to someone who would carve Slayer into their arms or name their pets Ozzy. But what I found is music that moves into my soul, communicates with the artist within, stirs my creativity and fires up my imagination all while moving me emotionally. Combining full orchestras, or full choirs with the sweeping arrangements - the best Symphonic Metal sounds like an Epic score to the most epic adventure movies. Add a dynamic vocalist, singing a mixture of Metal and Opera, with mixtures of melodies and power - the mixture is unlike anything Ive ever heard before. Well - Almost Never Before.
  The mixture of  Metal and Classical or Opera has been done and there are multitudes of examples. Its just taken time, technology, and Heavy Metal sub-genres to really take off. I remember having the 45inch record of "Live and Let Die" by Wings - original soundtrack opener for the 007 movie. That song, and most of Wings' (Paul and Linda McCartney) music was a combination of orchestra and rock-n-roll. I also remember my favorite Cheap Trick song "Dream Police" which is this whole climbing and falling arrangement of strings and horns and bombastic Rock. Who doesn't love "Kashmir" from Led Zep? And there is that song called "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen from their landmark disc "A Night At the Opera". The examples all start to make sense. This is a marriage that when done right - makes for some very memorable moments.
   I dont know where at what point my searching fared from only checking out bands of every genre from Finland to my early finds in Symphonic Metal. So I am going to try my best to share from my recollection what order I stumbled onto what first. Call them baby steps - each step you will progress deeper into the rabbit hole with me..

  I hope any of these songs I share here will take you on your own journey. Feel free to comment on anything. This wont turn into the encyclopedia of unknown bands either. No Listings. Each post will contain 1 to 3 songs, descriptions and info Ive collected and hopefully working links. I will also post the bands that didn't make the cut and discuss why.

 So Follow me now, the first stop - The Metal scene in Finland.

Intro: Music Saved My Life Part 2

Music Saved My Life - Part 2

Gothic and Industrial Teach me a Few Steps

   Remembering back to a wedding I attended when I was maybe 13, I was awkwardly introduced to a cute girl at the edge of the dance floor. Then the words were said "go dance with her". Apparently this was a bad idea. I was a guitar player - thrashing around with my hair in my face was my specialty. As I walked out with her, with perhaps some inane disco song playing, I couldnt help to think about what I was about to do or how I looked in that ridiculous rental suit. I then proceeded to move about in a disjointed fashion, lifting my feet off beat as if avoiding snakes and overall just wishing it all would end quickly. I figured those 3 minutes were the last I would ever spend on a dance floor.
  Skip ahead another 13 years and I am there- at the edge of a dance floor, this time with my fiance. And I am hard at work studying. Studying the movements of a few darkly clad figures dancing to the alternative mix of 90s electronic, gothic and industrial.

   Somehow, the mutli-layered and syncopated beats of Front 242 and Front Line Assembly spoke to me. Also curious was how the dark ambiance and haunting sounds of Bauhaus felt right at home. It awakened my senses,  I felt alive again. It was sort of like air guitar but in my feet. I Felt the music. It was much like Metal, in the way it made me react. And I wanted to express it so I watched and learned. Because I was pissed off.

   As I discovered, more and more, the 80s underground music was the best in every genre I could imagine. I discovered so much that I blame radio for not introducing me. I knew Depeche Mode in 1986- but as an
imported pop band. I blamed MTV. 120 minutes? There was Front 242. Didnt see it. Didnt hear it. Didnt FEEL it. I didnt know in 1992 that I would still get goose bumps from the intro to "Personal Jesus" 18 years later. Didnt know that the beat to Headhunter would inevitably teach me to dance.
  None of it I knew or heard before. Each time I heard Sisters of Mercy, it was an awakening. Bauhaus? Dark Entries sounded to me taken straight from my early punk days but turned into Edgar Allen Poe. I was becoming a Goth. Still a Metalhead yes but so were many of the Goths that I would end up befriending.

  Some of my favorites like Bigod20 "The Bog" and MCL "New York New York" and so many more - Alice from Sisters of Mercy, Sideshow by The Wake, Adrenaline by Rosetta Stone, and one of my very favorites, Tragedy For You -Front 242. All kept me dancing for years, up to Wolfshiem, Covenant, and SWR,  And One. I danced a lot. My style evolved and I felt alive again. The divorce was messy and difficult but it would've been worse - without the music.
   Slowly though, now 18 years later the quality of the genres both have waned as the years bring about industrial that is more closer to what I call noise industrial or re-categorized as EBM and the newer gothic music seems less and less well, gothic.
 As I felt less and less connected with the rehash of modern rock - the hyrbids of new metal - the loss of true punk rock - the watering down of goth - I decided to look into the internet for new music and new  discoveries, just to vary my collection. What I discovered I can only describe as my Third Love....

Next: Part 3: I got bit by a Symphonic bug

Intro: Music Saved My Life - Part I

Music Saved My Life - Part 1

  I grew up loving music. I played the piano at 8, played guitar at 13, had a band at 16, saw concerts since I was 10. At that time I was into Kiss, Hendrix, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Led Zep, and Rush. Then I heard Eddie Van Halen.
   It meant the world to me. Saw VH play live in 1982 when I was learning still to play guitar and Eddie sounded to me like nothing I had ever heard before. It was like as if he was playing simply more than my ear could hear. At this time music completely enriched my life, my creativity, my imagination. Gave me the ability to see I am a creative soul.
  Throughout highschool anything with a guitar mattered though mostly. I ran the gammut from every classic rock band to 80s heavy metal, then the thrash and death metal. Anything with a blazing guitar, fast heavy and violent sounded was appealing to me. I was going to every concert that came in to town, everyone I knew loved Van Halen and the Scorpions, Guns and Roses and Metallica had not quite hit yet, but were on their way. My first revelation I had sometime after high school when I met a girl a few years younger than I and was listening to a vast array of things I didnt know. But it was always like that. It took years for a band to get heard. You would find out about a band and say "Who are they?" and then discover they had 3 albums. But what this girl showed to me, that Metal-nor my love for Metal in particular will never die. There will always be someone to say "Hey check this out" and I became one of those people.
  I would share with anyone who seemed to love Heavy music bands like Sepultura, Trouble, and Amorphis.
And my friends showed me Soundgarden, Testament, and even Metallica (you only heard about Metallica from a friend- they werent on the radio or Mtv)
  Somewhere around the year 1992 though, things were getting bland and as the MTV generation took over and new wave had became old wave and 120 minutes edged out Head Bangers' Ball, I couldnt get into what seemingly was being forced at me. I was in my early 20s, and going to clubs, mostly alternative and dance music, which I never ever liked to begin with. I was falling out of love with death metal, as it degraded more and more into black metal and whatever bastardized cross-over flavor of the month. I would just say that's all been done already. Its not re-inventing if during the explosion of death metal they had already did it, Like Death or Carcass. There wasn't any undiscovered bands anymore. Just missing ones. (Whatever happened to Celtic Frost?)

Then it happened - I got bit by the music bug again. I fell in love with it all over.

But this time I was Pissed off

Next: Gothic and Industrial teach me a few steps.

Intro: Prestory: Part 1

Welcome to My Music Blog "My Endless Search"
(Symphonic Metal and the Internet Saved My Life)

  I am writing this blog because I found that the main thing I was using social media for was posting videos of music I began discovering. But that format - has begun to wane on me and I feel a blog would best serve as a chronicle that could integrate into whatever social media is being used.

  I will regularly post links to INCREDIBLE songs and AWESOME bands along with descriptions and learned info. I currently have a count of 71 very Outstanding songs. So there is a lot to go through and I am still discovering more and more.

 The Basic idea here is that the Internet and a music style called Symphonic Metal - Saved my life. What I mean is that after years of being a music lover, I was becoming quite jaded with the music business in general, the lackluster and lame music scene, the monopolization of corporate ticket sellers, the overall lack of musical integrity and violation of my own intelligence from Radio, MTV, and the general public at large.

But luckily thanks to the internet (what I had begun to blame this entire melt down on) I had discovered genres and sounds that were awe-inspiring to me. From being blase' and biased towards anything new, to being once again open minded, my soul freed, my creativity enlightened once more. Thanks to music, a Third time.

 So Welcome aboard and I hope you discover along with me some amazing music and artists you may never have listened to or even heard of. Your comments are welcome. I hope our search together, is Endless.