Orphaned Land, To-Mera & Pathosray
And Now For Some Things Different, Completely
One of the cool things about making a station on Pandora is how you can 'fine tune' your choice of 'station' in a few different ways. Looking at my station "EpicAfterHim" (see link on side) I have 3 main bands as 'band seeds' - which means they are the main influence on what other bands from which are selected. Certain bands are quite closely associated with each other so if you have Guns-n-Roses for example as a band seed, its sure that you will hear some Motley Crue. In my case my 3 main seeds are Epica, After Forever and HIM. Yes both Epica and After Forever are quite similarly referenced on Pandora but Epica tends to spawn more classical references and Power Metal bands (Kamelot for example, due to the 2 bands' direct linkage), whereas After Forever tends to spawn off more technical bands and Progressive Metal (I get Symphony X and some Dream Theatre) and having HIM listed gives me a good reference point for Finnish bands, some punk, some alternative. For my purposes, its a good fit. Song seeds work a bit differently.
Band seeds will define the overall general styling of your programming. Choose 1 artist from the 80's and that's all your probably going to hear, top 80s songs. But choose 2 or 3 relatively unknown 80's bands and you will get a much wider (and probably more interesting) soundscape. Song seeds work differently to help direct the variance you will hear. Put a big hit from an 80's artist, but from more current times (like a U2) song, and you will notice the difference on that same 80's station. My song seeds are taken right off of my list of songs I learned from the internet. Songs I have mostly already shared here in my blog. Songs I would say are a framework to the sort of song I want to hear more of.
Which brings me to this current update. These are 3 songs from bands I never heard of or didn't know. Its a good over-view on just how varied- when you get into tinkering your stations settings - your results can be. Just don't forget to click "thumbs-up" when you hear a good tune... It may be a little more difficult to track down then you think. There are 3 songs I cant include here in this list simply because I cant find them- anywhere! Once I do find them, I'll post a "Lost Track" update.
Sapari- Orphaned Land (Israel Folk/Progressive Metal, 2010)
I did run into this band on youtube, searching for Folk Metal in odd places. Unfortunately, I never bookmarked what I found, which lead me to wonder "What was that band from that foreign country?" which was all I can remember. Pandora, though helped me through this and this incredible gem came through my player. As a quick introduction to Orphaned Land, they are a folk metal band in the way they use melodies and instruments from their homeland, in this case Israel. The lyrical content though is a combination of dialects from the region. This helps their cause as they meld together a mindset of philosophies from which they draw their songwriting. And its gotten them into trouble. Basically they can't possibly play their music in certain regions. But as far as being underground, they are quite well known. I feel they have grown into being maybe the best known underground band from overseas. Not bad for being banned in your own homeland, one that which they sing about.
Honestly, I feel that only strengthens their positions, their viewpoints and message. Nonetheless the music is instantly memorable and moving. If you like for music to take you off to foreign landscapes, it's hard to compete with OL. The female vocals provided by Shlomit Levi are also key. Her clear delivery solidifies the strength of the melody and gives another dimension to their already vivid landscape.
To-Mera- The Lie (London Progressive Fusion Metal, 2008)
So you know those bands that sound like a hybrid of 2 bands? Ever hear this one? "They sound like if Metallica and Rush had a baby" Well this band sounds like about 8 of those combinations. It's the modern take on Progressive Metal, or Fusion Metal as Ive heard it referenced as, if it has any tip of the hat to Jazz. So we have a marriage between all of these various styles and the result is... Awesome! Its as if my Pandora player just mocked all my tinkering and said "O.K. you want to hear all this diversity? how about in one band, in one song?" (insert madman chuckle). This song has its moment, moment after moment. Taking what other Fusion/Progressive/Thrash/Death Metal bands have done (do you know any of those?) such as Cynic (if you dont know them its totally worth checking out) and placing a Female vocal (founding member Julie Kiss) and some Black Metal under-pinnings and you get To-Mera. This song in particular, takes this marriage to another level.
With a true jazz breakdown with cabaret style vocals and horns, it goes to full long-count metal and then into full blast beats. Following that section comes a very symphonic breakdown, almost soundtrack in nature. All this allows Julie Kiss to wail, beckon and show off her full range without sounding like a Tarja wanna-be or a screaming maniac. Overall a very fantastic combination, inspiring and leaves you full of awe. Thank you so very much Pandora.
Pathosray- Songs Of The Sunless Sky (Italy Progressive Metal, 2009)
Progressive Metal. If that statement or genre name sounds silly to you, well maybe silly no more once you've trekked through a seriously well written voyage as such as this one song is. With a great vocal delivery by Marco Sandron, there are hints to 70's prog-rock, some symphonics and great piano passages all the while the sweeping vocals float above. The guitar work fills nearly every crevice. There is something to listen closely to at every moment. I truly love the guitar sounds mixed with the long keys voicing the main melody at the intro. The song is in broken-verse style where the drums show off their progressive stylings and during the choruses, actual full vocal choruses. The beautiful breakdown before the solo at 4:10 is reminiscent of only the best moments from bands like Dream Theatre but this moreover brings me to one of my very favorite bands, Amorphis. Whom I posted 2 great songs (see previous posting: Return to Finland II: The Future of Metal)
Thanks to Pandora, my musical horizons now include Italy, Israel and even London. Its quite incredible to see how varied Progressive Metal can be. This truly is music and I revel within every moment. It ignites my passion, my sets into motion my creative fires. It drives me to continue on with my wish to share these powerful and wondrous landscapes with you here, in My Endless Search.
Next update: One of my Most Epic updates ever... My 4 favorite Songs from Pandora.
