Symphonic Metal Saved My Life: Thanks to Pandora

Symphonic Metal Saved My Life: Thanks to Pandora
Even Pandora Player Knows These Bands

Welcome to Season 2
     Flashback more than 15 years ago when the viability and accessibility of the world of promises made by online services and the 'its free' movement - Internet radio was the buzz. Obscure, obscene, rare, genre-driven, mindset apparent, age-appropriate channels were among the diversity of internet radio. It never kept my interest. In all fairness, I am someone who despises all radio. It's done nothing but bring me down, narrow my perspective and remind me that if I was happy listening to a station, it only meant I fit into their targeted demographic. The truth is the content of programming must eventually reflect the stations need to raise profitability. How can this business model work on the internet which is based on listening for free? The answer is the same. Remember when radio was free? (it still is, in 2011 but paid-for satellite radio is gaining popularity) So somehow every internet radio station Ive listened to, even with all the narrow-marketing, still felt like regular radio. I mentioned in the beginning of this blog I was listening to an underground web radio station that totally played every goth-club/80s underground song I love- but even that got boring for me. Thankfully, there is something better. Its Pandora.com

   Ive heard that listening to Pandora.com is so 2009. Which is about the year my bookmarks for this entire blog begin at. It took me about a year into this that I started messing around with the settings for my own station on pandora.com (my pandora player)
   The stations' name is EpicAfterHim which refers to Epica, After Forever and HIM. What in turn I get as content is pretty much based off those 3 bands. I get Symphonic and Female Fronted Metal seeded from Epica, which includes some symphony only seeds, I get Powermetal, Progressive and instrumental jazz directly rooted from After Forever and I also get alt/dark/doom metal, mostly from Finland, based on the fact I have included HIM.
  Right off the bat I was hearing a nice selection of songs I didn't know, but from artists I was beginning to be familiar with. My first 3 thumbed up songs are below and yes they are from some of my favorite bands. So I began to become mad and irritated all over again. Mad @ Radio - Not Pandora, but radio because all I needed to do was plug in a few words to this thing and BOOM- my eyes opened up. This THING knows EPICA and every other band that has taken me up to this point about a year and a half to get into, by researching, by reading, by trying practically EVERYTHING, well except this THING. So needless to say I felt like I was in the dark all this time. I was just getting into Symphonic Metal, and whatever that can be lumped in there just getting to know that I LOVE After Forever, that I LOVE Epica and this website HAS them. It made me kinda sulk back into my chair in disbelief. The internet and all this tech is so unbelievably ONE-CLICK away. (hint-you can click my player and experience some of this right now)

  Ok I have the breathe again and get back on track here...

   Overall I feel Pandora is on the right track. Randomized free internet radio with program-ability and user-end social media integration and an exceptional database that certainly feels as eclectic as you seemingly wish it to be. So let's get to the first 3 songs I share here, which I discovered directly from my Pandora player, on My Endless Search.Of course there are pluses and minuses with using the Pandora Player, which I will get into as I share with you, in order, the songs I have thumbs-up'ed..

Epica - Feint (NL, Symphonic Metal 2004) 

   In a very weird parallel, the first song I Thumbs-up'ed is this hugely popular song from Epica, which is so similar to the very first song I found from Epica (see previous posting: Pretty Voices FFM). This song, a gentle flowing vehicle for Simone Simons' voice to float effortlessly over. In the video, she is as breathtaking beautiful as the song is as she shows off just portions of her range, and the long pads of violins flow and ebb underneath. As was the first song I found from Epica (Solitary Ground), this song is a bit understated in contrast to the other songs yet to come... Also, I do know it wasn't the very first song my programmed station first played which was Nightwish (not included here for certain reasons)- go figure!

Kamelot - Wander (USA, Powermetal 2003)

  I have a lot of Kamelot songs in favorites. Only "Ghost Opera" so far I have included here (see previous posting The Others III, Violins) This song I have managed to keep listening to, thanks to Pandora. It's from the 2003 release, "Epica" (Where the band Epica got their name from) I thumbs-up this one I believe somewhere 1:54 when the drums first kick in and there is a great moment before the solo where the outstanding vocals of Roy Khan break the silence. The whole song, again is quite understated from what I will be featuring here but the seed has been planted. More songs with outstanding vocals, more wandering piano and violins underneath. Songs like this though you need to break up some of the ultra-furious pace of Power Metal or the over-dramatics from walls of symphonic choirs, or dizzying arrays of vocal acrobatics. So I recommend this song, just a nice breather before you delve deep into something by a band like say, After Forever....

After Forever - Beneath (NL, Symphonic Metal, Progressive 2003)

   Pretty impressive start, now that I look back that my first 3 thumbs-up were from Epica, After Forever and Kamelot. Now if I am introducing to you these songs, I can only assume you are freaked out by Simone's beauty and talent, by Roy's (Kamelot) strength and range and delivery. But I can only prepare you for this one by saying I consider her (Floor Jansen) to have the greatest voice in all of metal (see previous posting After Forever Blows My Mind). This song is a huge collection of hugeness with Floor's huge voice filling it up all over the place. The sheer volume with the instruments, the pounding drums, the chugging guitars and she just slays it. It begins out innocently enough though this song is about a quite violent event that occurred in Holland and the song eventually begins to express all that rage and aggression, there are beautiful passages before a talk-over from news reports, cluing you into the gravity the song has and then Floor just blows the walls out through the last passage.

   If I was to just stop at this point, it all would be good enough for me. Thank you Pandora. I do recognize though "Terrestrial Radio" is good for 1 thing... getting traffic on my way to work but besides that... I hate it.

Next Update: More from some now-familiar names

Unknown, Underrated and Awesome

Unknown, Underrated and Awesome
Songs 58-60... Octavia Sperati and Silentium return

The last of my first group of songs I have my play-lists stop here at songs 58, 59 & 60. Don't think I simply stumbled across 60 only-awesome songs. I've eliminated a portion of songs in my lists from the aspect that they simply weren't as special as the others. So therefore songs 58-60 are actually quite special to me. This was during a time-frame I was convinced that Symphonic Metal was my New Thing, but I was running into less and less of it that I liked and more and more of the darker, gloomier, more death-metal or Gothic Metal influenced sounds. Its just that I was becoming quite picky and there seemed to be more quality from the other genres excluding symphonic metal, and these are 3 more of those that stand out for me.
   I had just begun tinkering around with my Pandora Player during this timeframe and most of my links from songs 60 to somewhere around 90 are directly related from my pandora player. But not these last 3. Both bands have made their appearances very early in my listings and its the the 3rd separate update for each of these 2 bands, who I consider to be criminally unknown. I feel they are both very exceptional bands with worlds of talent, and the world should know about them.
  So lets get to these last 3 for my first season of My Endless Search. Next update I begin my links from Pandora, which will mark season 2. Once I get past the majority of those, I will begin into the releases of 2010-2011 and hopefully catch up to current time. That's when I start Season 3.
Hope you will stick through it all with me... as I continue My Endless Search.

Octavia Sperati - Lifelines and Depths  original version


Revised w male drummer

Octavia Sperati- Lifelines and Depths (Norway Gothic/Doom Metal, 2005)
    Simplicity at times, in actuality, can be rather complex. Perhaps simple on the surface, but when you pull back further away, you see (in this case hear) interwoven layers, bits and pieces which stand on their own, segmentation and transition, all which I consider as dynamics.  And in this song all the dynamics of Silje's melodic vocals show through it all, almost outshines in fact. But the music is as beautiful, the variance in the drum parts and how the guitars go quickly over the slower, longer counted drums are a great contrast to the smooth long notes held by the vocals. The quiet breakdown allows to focus on her voice before the return of the pounding rhythm. In the original video this section is in its entirety. If you listen closely, you may even hear some influence that Anneke (The Gathering see previous posting: Falling In Love with An Angelic Voice) had on Silje, who was picked as the new singer for The Gathering, in case you didnt know by now...
   And as of recent, The band has become a little more known since the fanbase for The Gathering is so huge, and their fans are beginning to discover them, but its after the fact, since it appears there wont be anymore Octavia Sperati. Which is depressing because they have provided some truly awesome moments like the next song...


Octavia Sperati- Going North (Norway Gothic/Doom Metal, 2007)
  I think this song and my favorite from OS, which is Moonlit (See previous posting: The First Batch) both won me over very early, like before the song even made it halfway through. Here the bassline grabs the attention as the band simply plows in afterwards. Have I forgot to mention the band is all female? (male drummer did replace the original Female drummer) well I don't care but it really has a great heavy feel to it and even with the band putting out so much power, Silje still finds room to have her moments. At times the song feels like its falling down and raising back over hills which just give it more and more energy, like a roller-coaster, all the while Silje sings just above like in the clouds overhead. The best part though hits at 2:11. The lone bass intros the middle doom-heavy section which is very inspired and should make your eyebrows raise up, then a haunting melody is sung over this slow punching chromatic passage and your hairs on your neck should raise. Then you have no choice but to follow along with the pummeling until the last chord. Makes you want to do it all over again, doesn't it?


Silentium- Hangman's Lullabye (Finland, Gothic Metal 2005)
  Silentium is one of those bands which seemed to take a few releases to fully find themselves, and after a few changes at vocals, find themselves a true songstress within Riina Rinkenen. As Ive mentioned, I have posted songs from Silentium earlier in my blog (see previous postings: Pretty Voices, and Return To Finland I). I cannot emphasis enough what I love about her tone and delivery, and it's a perfect match for the music that the band writes. The overall mood is Eerie and atmospheric, with droning guitars and lightly flighting keyboard parts intertwining with violin and more recently, cello. The drum style stands out a bit more than the a-typical from this genre, allowing for more room, more pacing without overpowering or leaning too heavy.
  After the first few directions in this song change, it is clear that the band is carving out its own niche. Without sounding too happy or too depressive, Riina delivers a sweet melody which lingers just long enough after the pauses to give the song its edge. The best parts are the loudest, at times it feels like Silientium is making a statement whereas their songs feel of huge scope and depth, such as how this song, one that feels of a dark slow ballad, actually picks up steam for a nice solo section at 4:20, then a quick break which Riina gets to shine before the band goes back in at full force.
  One thing that marks this song is a common theme Ive come to realize is my favoritism of songs that have a lot and I mean a lot going on. The last passage feels like a puzzle coming together, all the pieces of the layers, simple in thier own way, form into a multi-textural, complex thing of beauty.

  Now as I move into Season 2, songs 60-90 the next question is, will these 2 bands make another return? Considering how much Ive come to love what Ive shared so far, would'nt you say the chances are pretty good?
 
Next Blog Update: More unknown, underrated, and awesome music - no surprise there... The beginning of Season 2: Thanks to Pandora!

Getting Into Mega-Therion

Getting Into Mega-Therion
Stumbling Through The History of Symphonic Metal

   If I was making a chronicle of the history of Symphonic Metal, I wouldnt start with the popular choice of Nightwish - but I would start with Therion. They were really the first to become a wholly symphonic metal band as they had begun to experiment early in thier long career with sounds of doom metal and orchestral sections, choral vocal patches, and a female operatic vocalist. And Therion did it in an impressive manner, by incorporating and playing live with, a full symphonic orchestra. The band's history, lineup changes, style changes and overall catalog is way too extensive for me to go into here, as I am only writing this blog to share stuff I have fallen in love with, not (as I have seen in too many music blogs) just make a huge list and recommend, in a generic way 'hey listen to this because you're supposed to know these guys, if you know anything about music"
  As I was discovering symphonic metal, I did run into Therion early in my notes and bookmarks (see previous posting: Music From The Others II - Doom Crossovers). I had found lots of live videos mostly from their Live Gothic DVD which I found odd in the mixture of Gothic imagery and very classical song structures. I wasn't thoroughly convinced in fact. As I began to scour deeper into the history of symphonic metal, it became evident that Therion did pave the way for the majority of what I was listening to. I was impressed by the fact this band has been around for so long, so I assumed I would eventually come across some stuff that I would enjoy, and in that process I began to notice a few things of interest.
  Therion takes their name from the classic Doom/Black metal originators, Celtic Frost and their release, To Mega-Therion. I grew up on metal such as Celtic Frost so it was interesting to me to be able to hear where their gothic/doom influences came from. Another thing I notice, they are from Sweden and take on Greek and Nordic themes, some satanic imagery and overtones. Their brand of metal is a very straight doom-based form of metal with some flourishes of Thrash, Progressive and Speed included, and the classical portion includes Italian classical lines, feeling at times like borrowed melodies from the archetype of massive over-the-top operas, like Wagner. There has been lots of experimentation in the realm of metal to fuse neo-classical elements into the phrasing for example, of the guitar solo or short vocal, chant-like intros for atmosphere. But that in no way compares to the direction that a band like Therion takes. Its really like a night at the opera, but a cool one with vikings and warlords and magical enchantresses, but along with the sweeping vocals of the gifted opera star, you have essentially a talented metal band showing all the underscoring of Doom Metal.
   The examples I share in this update are simply a group of songs that have lasted well on my ears from the time I heard them, and are decent examples of the ambiance, the atmosphere and talented songwriting, which must be quite a difficult thing to pull off, in studio and even more so live. Perhaps these next 4 songs will be the key in you getting "In To Mega-Therion" as they have for me.

Therion Sweden (1989 - current)


Therion - To Mega Therion  (1996) Theli
  You catch the feeling of this one really quick as it starts right off with the main melody, sang in choir, with the percussive accents supplied by the band. Then the rhythm kicks in and the melody is mimicked by strings. It's a form of phrasing like question and recall. This sudden aggressive attack is in your face and so different to the casual metal listener, but might feel less unusual to the classical listener. Which poses the question, are Therion fans essentially classical fans who don't normally listen to metal, or are they metal fans who wouldn't listen to classical music otherwise, maybe closet classical metal fans? Anyhow whatever the case may be it is obvious there aren't that many Symphonic Metal bands even today who do this that well, mix the 2 worlds together so well. Another thing to note is the male vocals that trade off, and the different tones they have. You start to get the feeling, as quick as the song hits you, that this is definitely a talented band.
  The middle section does not tail off neither. What I don't care for in some of the Symphonic Metal (specially the more X-treme type), that some sections that aren't classical-based really have a feeling of cut-and-paste, one metal section, one symphonic-styled section, and back and forth. At times the 2 don't have much in common. Here you get the complete opposite. You have the continuation of the question and recall phrasing but it goes between the symphonics and distorted guitars. The progression is straight metal, albeit a loose low key metal song, then graduates to a choir of triumphant vocals. Which is a little cheerful in a song that certainly has Satanic overtones. Another rephrasing section is followed by a few progressive refrains before jumping back into the galloping main rhythm and vocals. The exit has an anthem theme to it as guitars and keys trade off between each other to the finale. Cool and fun song but if you are a little uptight regarding its lyrical content, oh well, it's your loss.



Therion - Summernight City (2001) Secret of Runes Bonus Track
   I would love to just NOT tell you the secret behind this song, but the truth is far too good to just meh it, so I'll drop a few hints as you should be letting it play...
   First off, it is a cover song, and its not from a Metal band. Its a slow groove but a nice arabesque melody floats overhead. The first lyrics come through as a full choir. The style, definitely Swedish. The vocals shift from choir to male to female to full chorus. The catchy melody, is almost... danceable??  There are a few lyrics here I really catch onto and at some point gave me an AHHA moment. Therion plays a lot of festivals and as noted in the awesome documentary of the metal festival Wacken "A Headbangers Journey", the fans aren't just paying patrons, they are a unit, there is unity, there is Brother and Sisterhood. The line in the song "I love the feeling in the air.. My kind of People everywhere..." Somehow that connected to me and is probably the main reason why they chose to cover this song, besides from both being from Sweden. Its kinda weird jamming out to an ABBA song, isn't it? Great covers are usually ones that fit the band so well, it feels as if they themselves wrote it. As this one does you closet "I wish Abba were metal" fan. :-)

Therion - Birth of Venus Illegitima  (1998) Vovin

  Since I have found this song, and began to listen to it repetitively, it has become the top link for Therion searches, I think perhaps since its quite non-threatening. Its actually beautiful, doesn't hurt to have the beautiful and gifted singer Martina at the helm. Shes is enchanting. This is the period of time where Therion dropped off the majority of the male-only vocals and left in only choral and female vocals.
  I have no idea what the song is about though. Maybe its about some gruesome tale, the title bearing Venus's name again points to how Therion mixes just about whatever imagery, even Greek into their own Pantheon of storytelling. For me its the huge layers of vocals riding perfectly over a heavy groove that I like. Most bands today mimic this sound, but with multi-tracks and vocal settings on keyboards. So its nice to hear Actual gifted singers do the soaring.



Therion - Rise of Sodom and Gomorrah -  (1998) Vovin
 This one is from the majestic DVD set Miskolic Experience: Therion Goes Classical. In the song set they play amped up metal versions of what could be considered the who's who of who that influenced Therion. But that is not the truth. Band founder Christofer Johnsson didnt really like classical music so there goes that. But here they are, with a full symphony and full choir and them in full metal form, playing live. Its so majestic I dont have many words to describe. Just note that Lori Lewis is one of the vocalists. At times you hear the symphony lagging but it must be near to impossible to hear everything completely and be perfect with so many playing at once. The song is from the 1998 Vovin and the Live DVD is from a concert in 2007 and was released in 2009. Too bad it wasn't one of the concerts that was accompanied by a belly dancer, which they did later after the first 2 Therion Goes Classical shows had spawned off a tour.
 The band has since released their (as far as I can count) 13th release, Sitra Ahra, in 2010. That's 20+ years of basically flying under the radar, but doing so brilliantly, and in grandiose manner. Whenever I do mention Therion to a fellow metal fan they usually say they Love Old Therion. But the Old Therion didn't last long enough and their progression towards the band they would still be today was set well in motion back in the days of Old Therion.
  I hope you can find something to enjoy amongst this posting and maybe add it to your playlist. When one of their songs come up, you can't help to notice how much these guys stand out. From what I've read, they tend to totally outplay most bands at those huge festivals they play (even if they dont bring the whole symphony) it seams an unfair advantage they have, experience, songwriting and talent. Yeah- you tend to notice that.
 
Next posting: The Final Set of MyEndlessSearch, VOL I. I don't know how yet, but the next posting will bring about some changes to my blog as I amp it up for my Second Season, VOL.II if you will, and that will be titled "Thanks to Pandora"
 I hope you enjoy the second season of my blog as much I enjoyed writing the first season. Looking back I have a few favorite postings which are:

Attack of Velcra
The Others III - Play Violins
Return to Finland II - The Future of Metal
Return to Finland III - The Chameleons
After Forever Blows my Mind II

  And from writing my blog I re-discovered a few songs, as I researched or wrote about,  which I began to constantly listen to repetitively as if I had fallen in love a second time, which are below and linked to their postings:

HB - It is Time 
Octavia Sperati - And the World Froze
The Gathering - The Shortest Day
After Forever - Follow in the Cry
Velcra - We Must Start Again

Give them a re-listen if you haven't yet.  Very worthy songs.