Album of the month: Darkwater - Where Stories End

This is exciting. Darkwater have just released their new album "Where Stories End", three years after they released the epic masterpiece "Calling the Earth to Witness". Many people still don't know and have never heard of this band, but after that first album, shame on you! Being the progeek I am, I had to check it out and I was amazed when I listened to that album. My love for Darkwater has grown since then and I become a serious fan. And now I'm celebrating the release of their new album, from this relatively young band who I'm sure will still grow immensely. I hope this album puts them on the map, at least for a lot more people and gives them a little bit more of visibility in the metal scene, which they deserve, a lot more than the attention some really crappy bands get for reasons that have nothing to do with music. I respect this band very much and I'm just happy they have a new baby. Album of the month to listen to starting now.

Cheers Darkwater, I salute you and your new album and I will be a fan regardless of it's quality (I seriously doubt it'll suck). And I'm spreading the word. Let me just tell you this, three years is a long time, let's make sure the next one will be faster, yes? No pressure, as long as it's good.

Dark Tranquillity Corroios

Dark Tranquillity is a band that's very near and dear to my heart. And now, in more or less a week, I will have the opportunity to watch them live for the first time in my life. Dark Tranquillity will play in Corroios on October 4th and I can only rejoice and I'm pretty sure I will cry when the emotion of being in the presence of these genius musicians overwhelms me. God, I cry in their DVDs! And I'm not ashamed or anything, I never hide my emotions when it comes to music. I do it too much when it music is not involved, but for some hidden reason, when music is involved I let it all out. Really Dark Tranquillity is one of the most important bands of my life and certainly one of the most influential bands in the metal scene. This is a fact, Dark Tranquillity helped to shape the sound of old and modern metal. The thing with this band is that they started in the 90s and were influential in the 90s in terms of the melodic death metal sound and today, 20 years later they continue to be influential, they never stopped evolving. I don't care what people say about them, they never repeated themselves, they are always looking into the future of metal, they are adventurous, progressive in their sound, risk-takers, trend-setters, leaders in the sense that others try to copy their originality. And another very important thing, which I say again and again, they are a band who makes beautiful music. It's so brutal at times and yet it is beautiful and emotional and sensitive. Also, Stanne is clearly one of the best lyricist ever to come out of Sweden, one of the best of all time, Dark Tranquillity's discography speaks for itself for anyone who is willing to hear it. They have the mark of legendary bands, their sound always changed while always remaining true to the core of their music. As far as I'm concerned, it's gonna be a historical moment when they land in Portugal and play in front of me. Because I never know what will happen tomorrow, I might never get the chance to see these musical legends, to hear these songs that mean so much to me and make so much sense. Dark Tranquillity always made sense for me, they always touched me, they were always brilliant even when they were a small band from Gothenburg who remained underground for years. How many bands have remained consistently good for over 20 years? Not many. And how many of those continued to innovate while doing so? Even less. Dark Tranquillity's sound is charismatic, it wraps you around it and makes you feel something, whatever it is that you feel, and the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and it also makes you think about yourself, others and everything that surrounds you, it makes you go there, even if is painful. This is why I stick my concert tickets on my bedroom wall, they are all a part of my history, to watch my favourite bands it's always an historical event for me, one that I will never forget and that will change me forever.

Dark Tranquillity - Corroios 4 de Outubro / Porto 3 de Outubro

Metal Archives [History] - Amon Amarth

So, once in a while, I go through my metal archives and decide to highlight a particular band or a particular album that I think stand out in the history of music, and why not say it, in the history of metal. Today I'm focusing on a very impressive band, Amon Amarth. They hail from Sweden, as so many great bands do, and despite being a hairy viking-looking bunch, their music is clearly made out of love. It took me years to get into this band, I even used to dislike them, as it happens so many times with bands I later come to love. I used to think their music wasn't for me because it didn't have that spark that sent shivers down my spine. Well, things change and so did my opinion when it came to Amon Amarth. I had a close friend who went to an Amon Amarth concert in Lisbon and that got me thinking. "Ok, he likes it, said he had the time of his life at their show, I should try them once again". And then I listened to "With Oden On Our Side", which is probably one of the most important death metal albums of all time, at least for me. But these guys don't play straightforward death metal, otherwise I probably wouldn't love them, they are the melodic kind, my kind. I love when bands go beyond the old formula and explore, which is exactly what Amon Amarth did. "With Oden On Our Side" blew me away and so I decided to listen to "Versus the World", which is a great album title by the way, and I thought that one was even better. To this day, its still my favourite Amon Amarth album, simply because every single song in it is perfect, from start to finish. Its one of the most perfect albums I've ever heard and its so smartly put together, besides the songwriting is absolutely stunning and innovative, no-one other bands sounds like Amon Amarth because they builded their own specific sound through the years and its a trademark sound by now, so no-one can touch it. The thing with Amon Amarth is that they were able to re-invent themselves and still stay true to their roots that made them so extraordinary in the first place. Sure, its the perfect soundtrack to epic movies, viking battles and wars, but its so much more than that. Their music exudes a passion I cannot find in a lot of bands, its brutal, aggressive to the bone, unstoppable, technical, intelligent and I also find progressive elements in it as well. It makes me headbang like crazy, so it means I'm having a lot of fun and want to jump around in excitement because their songs make me feel like I can be free and just enjoy the moment for once. Its extremely tasteful music, that you won't find in many more bands, certainly not in this genre. Very few can have the emotion I find in Amon Amarth, whether because they don't sound as sincere, or as commited, or simply because its not good enough. Then I listened to "Fate of Norns", the third album that stands out from me in their discography. Everyone knows "Pursuit of Vikins", their emblematic song, but this album is so much more than that, the quality is inequivocal and consistent. But what surprised me most with this album was Amon Amarth creative songwriting, they don't need to stray much to have stellar moments and they don't need a lot of musical embelishments to make their songs sound epic. So its in this simple complexity that I'm lost and found again and again. And it's so good to go back. It feels like home. I never have enough of it. And if I never have enough of it, its because it feeds something in me, something that makes me grow as an individual. Something that I feel in my skin. And its a great feeling too. I only feel it with certain bands, its some form of love I'm sure, and a connection with something on a deeper level that I can't quite put into words just yet but that I can feel. And there's also a different thing that comes into the equation, I love playing their songs on the guitar. They are so so fun to play I can't even begin to tell you why. That's part of my love for this band. And by analyzing their songs and playing them is the best way to realise their genius nature. Nothing more palpable than a song to understand the meaning of certain hidden messages the bands are sending. Just try it. Play a song you love, you'll immediately see it in a while new different way because you're touching it, as it were, you're actually touching "your" song, in that moments its yours for the taking. I love touching my songs. I do it all the time... :)

I recommend you go through all of their discography because it's certainly worth it. They have many more CDs, so just go for it.

Celebration: Opeth's 20th Anniversary

This year is an important year for metal. Several bands are celebrating the years they've been around, releasing albums, delivering great sonic experiences, breaking through the norm, going against the grain, being original and idiosyncratic. One of these bands is Opeth. Outside of metal, chances are you never heard of them. The truth is they've become a household name in the metal world, quite deservedly so, and sometimes not for the purest of reasons. It's been 20 years now, 20 years, longevity is only a milestone if you manage to keep being relevant, and Opeth certainly are revelant, and are still growing stronger. The band was formed in 1990, hence the 20 years, and their first album was released in 1995, "Orchid" is the title of that album. Till this day, it still remains of one my favourite Opeth albums, 8 albums later. But actually my favourite Opeth albums are, a threesome, "My Arms, Your Hearse", "Blackwater Park" and "Still Life", in that order. All Opeth albums are good, but these 4 are flawless and influenced a whole new generation of bands. And now, 20 years later, we are beginning to see the signs of Opeth's influence in the new bands that are coming out, not afraid of being adventurous with their music, experimental, unconventional. Arguably, "Blackwater Park" revolucionized the way extreme metal music was being recorded, mixed, produced. It was sonic, sound, perfection like never seen before in such a brutal record. And it opened so many doors. Opeth have Steven Wilson to thank for that and also themselves for taking that chance. The thing Opeth are known for is their perfect blend of death metal and progressive music, adding a lot of other elements to their sound as well, including rock, black metal, and jazz. I love this band in a way I will never manage to explain, and I'm so glad I decided to rip "Orchid" that day, some years ago, and just fall into it. Needless to say, I ended up buying all Opeth original albums and cherish them dearly in my collection. And between me and you, Opeth and I, it is love, I tell you, I'm pretty sure. And who can say they've made it through 20 years of virtually no publicity, having to do it all by themselves, release 9 albums and finally achieving a peak, now being in total control of their careers, selling albums, doing DVDs, playing live to the world? And Opeth are successful, and really with metal bands, you can't measure success in terms of money like you do with pop or other types of music, it's about the music, the live experience, the feeling, the expression of one's self. Long Live Opeth. I love you. And this is my meek homage to you. Hope I get the chance to see you live again.

One of my favourite albums of all time: Lightbulb Sun

Those you know me relatively well, will know that Porcupine Tree is one of my favourite bands and probably the most original band in the rock realm of the last 25 years. Of course they experimented with metal sounds too and that made them even more avant-garde. The thing with Porcupine Tree is that they always release ALBUMS. Not singles, not a set of songs, not two good tracks and 4 fillers. Conceptual albums that make history. Most people will never see that in them, and most people will never understand Porcupine Tree's experience. But I'm not one of those people. I cherish all their albums as if they were a golden treasure and preserve them in my original CD collection with great delight. They released more than 20 albums by now, even more so if you count the live albums and other compilation. I'm still missing 3 original Porcupine Tree CDs, if I'm counting well, but those are my least favourite. But I'll buy them eventually. I was lucky enough to attend two very intimate Porcupine Tree concerts in Lisbon. They are an intimate band to begin with, so if you put them in a small cozy venue, sparks will fly. I have no doubt in my mind that these two shows were some of the best live experiences I've ever had and I will cherish those in my memory, it's a shame I can't relive them again. And hopefully, there will be more in the future.

But today I wana tell you about "Lightbulb Sun". This album was released in 2000 and most Porcupine Tree fans won't put it in PT's top list. Well, I do. I think this more acoustic-driven album is a masterpiece and paved the way for later albums like In Absentia, Deadwing and The Incident. You can't love guitars and not love this album. It's just not possible. The level of orchestration and melodic excellence just blows my mind everything I listen to it. And Porcupine Tree will always be a thought-provoking and non-conformist band. I love them for that. And I love them because they can translate that into beautiful, landscapery, music.

I recommend this to all open-minded rock and metal listeners, and everyone on the other side of the spectrum. There's no other band like Porcupine Tree. There are a lot of clones, they were obviously very influential to a new generation of bands. But none of them can ever accomplish what they've accomplished.