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1 | I have a [[http://www.last.fm/user/unknown_lamer/][last.fm]] account. |
2 | |
3 | * The Bands I Like the Most |
4 | ** Skyclad |
5 | |
6 | Skyclad is incredible folk metal. The first two albums (*Wayward Sons |
7 | of Mother Earth* and *Burnt Offerings for the Bone Idol*) are Testament |
8 | style thrash with a bit of fiddle and keys. The third album, *Jonah's |
9 | Ark*, blunts the edge of the guitars and adds a lot more fiddle and is |
10 | really where the band goes from making good to incredible |
11 | music. |
12 | |
13 | *Prince of the Poverty Line* is about as 'heavy' as the first two |
14 | albums, but the the song structures are far more worked out and there |
15 | is an interesting infusion of folk and power metal into the sound. The |
16 | songs are mostly scathing social critiques of the state of society at |
17 | the time. The follow up, *Silent Whales of Lunar Sea*, is a decent album |
18 | but is scarred by terrible recording quality and mixing. It has |
19 | listenable songs (with "The Present Imperfect" and "Another Fine Mess" |
20 | standing out), and the only really noteable aspect is the slight |
21 | change toward a much less thrashy riff structure. |
22 | |
23 | *Irrational Anthems* more than made up for *Silent Whales of Lunar |
24 | Sea*. The less thrashy and slightly more punkish riffing structure |
25 | takes over here and the songs are all fast paced with guitar and |
26 | fiddle duels taking place often |
27 | |
28 | The next two albums see the electric guitar deemphasized and the band |
29 | making something more like heavy rock than heavy metal. The EP *Oui |
30 | Avante Garde a Chance* starts out with a fast paced fiddle oriented |
31 | song, moves into a nearly entirely fiddle and acoustic guitar song, |
32 | and then goes into a few slow songs dominated by keys and fiddle. The |
33 | albums picks up in intensity with *Bombjour*, and then has an acoustic |
34 | version of a song from the previous album. The new material ends with |
35 | the slow and intense *Badtime Story*. A couple of covers and an |
36 | instrumental version of a song follow to pad the EP to album length. |
37 | |
38 | *The Answer Machine?* is my favorite album in my entire collection. Most |
39 | of the songs have a fuzzy electric guitar and an acoustic guitar going |
40 | at the same time, and the album is music that I have found is |
41 | listenable to people who don't like metal. The fiddle, violin, and |
42 | piano dominate and are backed by interesting bass and just the right |
43 | amount of guitar. The album is a pseudo-concept album; each song is |
44 | about a different quest for the answer to life. |
45 | |
46 | The last two Skyclad album with Martin Walkyier (the original singer) |
47 | see a two step return to a more metal style, but this time something |
48 | resembling *Powerslave* era Maiden with heavy folk overtones rather than |
49 | Testament. Both albums lack any weak songs, and have a few that are |
50 | among the best Skyclad has ever done: "Cancer of the Heart," "A Well |
51 | Beside the River," and "Vintage Whine" on *Vintage Whine*, and "The |
52 | Antibody Politic," "The Disenchanted Forest," and "Think Back and Lie |
53 | of England" on *Folkemon*. |
54 | |
55 | Alas, after *Folkemon* Martin left, and the band seems to have lost its |
56 | magic. It is much like At the Gates; the core members meshed quite |
57 | well together and lost some magical chemistry upon a major component |
58 | leaving. Skyclad's first album with the new singer was ok, and perhaps |
59 | the next one will be better. Sadly Martin Walkyier decided to abandon |
60 | music forever. |
61 | |
62 | ** Kevin Moore |
63 | Kevin Moore is the first keyboardist of Dream Theater who left after |
64 | *Awake*. His work since then has surpassed the quality of everything |
65 | Dream Theater has produced since then for he posesses a unique |
66 | songwriting style and wonderful artistic ability. |
67 | |
68 | *** Chroma Key |
69 | |
70 | Chroma Key is Kevin Moore's primary project. It is mostly electronic |
71 | and fairly mellow. |
72 | |
73 | *** OSI |
74 | |
75 | OSI was originally a collaboration between Kevin Moore, Jim Matheos |
76 | (guitarist of Fates Warning), Mike Portnoy (drummer of Dream Theater), |
77 | and a few other prog rock/metal people. The first album, *Office of |
78 | Strategic Influence* was a moderately heavy and good album that sounded |
79 | quite similar to *Disconnected* Fates Warning with Kevin Moore on vocals |
80 | and complicated drumming. |
81 | |
82 | *Free* followed three years later and is completely different from the |
83 | first. This time the album was done with Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos |
84 | alone, and it finds a much nicer balance between keyboard and |
85 | guitar. The first OSI sounded too much like Fates Warning with more |
86 | ambient keyboarding; this one has a sound of its own. My ears have |
87 | heard this album many times, and will listen again many more. |