The Dear Hunter - Act III - Life And Death

The Dear Hunter is a new find for me that I was immediately wow'd by their vocals. I've always had a thing for harmonies and these guys do it in amazing fashion. Major influences I find in this band would be Queen, My Chemical Romance, Mr. Bungle, and Brian Wilson (Beach Boys). All quite amazingly talented, vocalist driven bands that I'd proudly rank among favorites.

I always have a few listen to an entire CD before really thinking about the overall experience I get from an album. I was kind of shocked to discover that one of my favorite new albums hardly has ANY guitar driven songs. And by that I mean NONE what-soever. The guitar exists but always in a back-up role, using a lot of jazz chord progressions and various plucking techniques to match the dominant piano/keyboard. I always have been and will be a huge fan of piano/keyboard in a rock group, but very little actually use it exclusively to be the focus. Casey Crescenzo (Vocalist, Piano, Guitar, Arrangments Director and Founder) has a superb ability and knack for what he writes and how he wants it presented.

The bass is quite the opposite of the guitar, being right with and complimenting the keyboard/piano at almost every turn. The dominance of the bass guitar is so refreshing to hear in this day in age. Listening to a majority of progressive metal/rock, I usually get a good dose of bass with a lot of ability, but the focus on the bass guitar with The Dear Hunter really shows how intricate a song can be with the proper writer.

I wish I could put the first two songs into one, as "Writing on a Wall" is an amazing opener, featuring the vocal abilities I've been talking about. Instead, I'll include the most encompassing song of everything I've attempted to describe. "In Cauda Venenum" really shows what this group is about.




Feel free to check out the remaining songs that are on YouTube.com or why not just buy the MP3's. They're definitely worth it. Quick! Get yours today before Illinois passes the tax on digital downloads!


*Carpe Diem*

Jørn Lande - Progressive Metal Singer

I have stated in multiple posts that I generally do not concentrate on vocalists. There are a choice few that I really can get into, and Jorn Lande is one of them. Jorn is a Norwegian singer that has dabbled in the Progressive Metal scene throughout the 2000s. I first was introduced to his vocal ability when I found out that Russell Allen of Symphony X did an album with another singer. Jorn/Lande, as lame as that sounds was a record that Magnus Karlsson (A prog-metal guitar extraordinaire) put together.

Jorn's voice is extremely virsatile. He has an extremely powerful element to it that is controlled, in your face when he wants it to be, as well as a nice focused tone without strain and a very nice pitch to it. I definitely envy the way he can control his voice/range.

Allen/Lande - The Battle features both Russell Allen and Jorn Lande taking turns being the lead vocalist throughout the album, with the other supporting in haromony roles. Easy, catchy guitar riffs makes this album and easy listen, with 2 talented metal melodic singers doing their thing.
















Here's a list of bands Jorn has done work for (Linked Bands are ones I personally follow and highly reccommend):

Jorn Lande (Solo Albums)
Vagabond
Mundanus
The Snakes
Millenium
ARK
Beyond Twilight
Nikolo Kotzev
Brazen Abbot
Masterplan
Allen/Lande
Ken Hensley
Genius
Avantasia
Ayreon

Electric 6 - Down and McDonnelzzz

Electric 6 is an oops of a find for me. They're quite entertaining to say the least. They definitely have a POP sound but comedic in nature. It's got so much of a wow factor it was hard for me to pass up. I was listening to an amatuer online radio show one day at work and had this look on my face like "what the hell is this?" Not in a bad way either. Have a look. The quality of the video's not the greatest, but you have to at least hang on until 53 seconds into it when the Chorus comes up. It's just so entertaining...

Down at McDonnelzzz is on the album to the left. Buy it... it's only 99 cents....



*Carpe Diem*

There's a Lull among us...

Yes... I'm aware I've been slacking and will be posting something in the next day or two. Thank you for your patience :)

Into Eternity - Buried In Oblivion

I discovered Into Eternity in 2004 after Buried In Oblivion was released. I came across their album on a Century Media pamphlet that came in another CD I bought. Good thing too, because I bought this CD on an instinct that it'd be a good buy. They didn't disappoint.

Into Eternity is a metal band that I would compare to Opeth if I had to say anything. They have a very hard sound; death growling singers, shredding guitar riffs, a drummer than can keep up with awesome beats, rhythms and is mixed really well, especially on this album. That's part of the problem though... I hear they're not very good live, which is a huge dissapointment. I guess they're more of the Def Leppard type where they work their magic in the studio in order to have a badass sound. There's plenty of groups like this, so it's not really a shock to me. The death growls listed above is a for sure thing, but they also blend in singing by an awesome singer that can hit the high notes, but still fit the sound into the metal. Very cool harmonies by these guys happen often.

The song below is one of the best songs I have in my catelog, and it's not Metal at all. Those of you that aren't into the hard stuff, please give this a listen regardless. The aucoustic guitars are so well balanced, beautiful and intricate, and the singer's voice is AWESOME in this one. No growls at all for all you haters out there. The lyrics are rather dark, but that just suits the band. They have an image to uphold.

Isn't it nice that you can buy a song for less than a buck these days? It's less than a McDonalds Dollar Menu item. Keep your yogurt parfait MceeDees... I'll stick with rockin' out.


*Carpe Diem*

Killer Queen

I was just having a conversation the other day with my Dad regarding Queen. He shared with me the story of how my mother and he, when they were still teenagers, bought the first Queen album from Hegewisch Records. They were listening to it on their 8 Track stereo and pulled up to park at my mother's house. They put the car in park, eyes and mouths wide open as they listened to the album in awe at what they were hearing.

Naturally, I would grow up listening to Queen as part of many Classic Rock artists in their collection. We all know Bohemian Rhapsody due to Wayne's World. There's no denying that the song is amazing; groundbreaking even. They have so many hits, and as my father put it, hits that weren't nearly as good as the first 2 albums. Those two stuck in his mind and need recognition as amazing and original.

One of my favorite Queen songs comes from the album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. Freddie Mercury; singer and pianist at his best. The song starts with the piano in sharp staccatto notes, demanding authority to listen to it. The distinguished harmony that makes a "Queen Song" is evident within the first few bars. You hear this kind of harmony in many songs nowadays and immediately say "The Queen Harmony.... Isn't it awesome?!"  I just had this happen to me listening to the Muse just the other day.

At only 3:01 long, this isn't your typical "Eric Pick." That's alright though. I'm entitled to a deviation here and there, aren't I? The back and forth between Mercury having a nice melody with the backup vocals doing their Queen Harmonies are just too much to not love for me. Queen knew what they were doing when blending notes and rhythms together. The song is theatrical and although I've never been a fan of musicals, I'd sure love to see a musical that Queen put on... if only Freddie Mercury were still alive.

In the Wikipedia Page for Queen, this is a list of artists openly giving respect to being influenced by Queen:

Some of the musicians that have cited the band as an influence include: Anthrax,^[63] Ben Folds Five, ^[64] Kurt Cobain,^[65] Def Leppard,^[66] Extreme,^[67] Foo Fighters,^[68] Green Day,^[69] Guns N' Roses,^[70] Helloween,^[71] Iron Maiden,^[72] Kansas,^[73] Keane,^[74] Lady GaGa, Manic Street Preachers,^[75] Metallica,^[76] George Michael,^{[citation needed]} Mika,^[77] Muse,^[78] Radiohead,^[79] Trent Reznor,^[80]The Killers,^[81] The Smashing Pumpkins,^[82][83] Michael Jackson,^[84] My Chemical Romance,^[85] and Styx.^[86]

 I know for a fact that Dream Theater and Ideamen should be on that list...






*Carpe Diem*

First Circle - Pat Metheny Group

Pat Metheny is a Jazz Guitarist that has been making music since 1974. "Metheny's body of work includes compositions for solo guitar, small ensembles, electric and acoustic instruments, large orchestras, and ballet pieces, with settings ranging from modern jazz to rock to classical." according to his official website.

First Circle is off the self titled album, released in 1984, written by Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays.

"The time signature here is 22/8 or… 11/4. The notation used here (one bar of 12/8 followed by one bar of 10/8) should help with the reading. The top staff is the melody while the bottom staff is the clapping pattern used in the intro of the song" courtesy of halfstepup.com

For those of you that have no idea what that means, think of this in perspective. The 80s rock/pop music primarily had 4/4 time signatures. 4 beats to a measure, with the 4 equaling a quarter note. Very standard sound. The 8 in 22/8 stands for an eighth note (half of a quarter). Seems like a lot of thinking, but it comes naturally after a couple listens/playing times.

The song begins with the group clapping in a rhythm that's extremely difficult to grasp the first time around. The repetition of it grows on you and becomes that natural feeling I was talking about. I'm an extremely rhythmic person. Most of you that know me can relate to seeing me drum my stomach, leg, table etc. and probably have asked me to stop at least once. Sorry about that!

As the song progresses, it's got severely intricate guitar and piano work that meld into a beautiful feeling rather than a sound. I think of this song as elevator music on steroids. It's definitely got the sound of it, as there's no real lyrics. The music is accompanied by singing, but it's more of a feeling groove. Very light and mellow, becoming just another instrument and texture to the song. I really respect a song that doesn't need lyrics to make a piece of art in the form of a song. It's 9:11 time makes this yet another long and fun listen for me.



Mr. Kirk Garrison directed us when I was at T.F. South in the Jazz Band '99 through '01. We played 2 numbers by Pat Metheny: Minuano 6/8 and First Circle. Both were arrangements by Robert Curnow. These two pieces were easily the 2 funnest pieces we played as a group. They were challenging, intricate and extremely gratifying to pull off. I was given one of the trumpet solos in the middle of First Circle, and of course choked on almost every performance/contest. As fun as it was, the pressure was always there too. I really can't complain about it though, as it was my own fault for not preparing as well as I should have.


*Carpe Diem*

Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings

To all that know me, this first real post will not come as a shock. I have been a Dream Theater fan since '95 when my friend (Tim of Ideamen (May You Live In Interesting Times)) introduced me to them. At that time I only had 3 albums (I didn't discover When Dream and Day Unite until later). Since then I've been wow'd by them time and time again. Granted, James Labrie isn't exactly a high caliber singer, but just the solid musical writing has kept them as my #1 band to follow, listen to and enjoy. That said, here's my first critique. Hope you find this informative.

Black Clouds & Silver Linings is Dream Theater's 11th full length album. Coming out in 2009, it was produced by Mike Portnoy & John Petrucci as usual. It's the 2nd album on the Roadrunner Records contract.

Disc One
1. A Nightmare To Remember 16:10

"A Nightmare To Remember" starts the album with a solid song in my opinion. Written about John Petrucci's car accident as a kid, he lyrically writes about how frightening the experience was for him. Frightened kid = heavy riffs and attempted growlly vocals.

The opening is pretty rad with various "stormy" chords and Mike Portnoy's insane double bass is always welcome. Things cruise nicely until the 3:17 mark when you get an abrupt change in tempo/time signature and great use of vocal chordages. 4:56 changes things yet again with an eerie guitar sound and moves eventually into a really wonderful chorus. Dream Theater isn't really known for their vocal prowess, but this is by far my favorite use of it on the album. After getting into a standard, but solid solo section, 12:03 gets into the real Dream Theater solo riffs, blending the keyboards and guitar into an awesome combo between the two. Got to love Dream Theater combos...

5 out of 5 stars

2. A Rite Of Passage 8:35

"A Rite Of Passage" was Dream Theater's chosen song to make a music video and get out in the advertisements to promote the album. Not a terrible choice, it's a pretty "radio friendly" song in my opinion, but of course never got picked up by anyone as usual. The plot of the song refers someone who's being initiated into a secret society similar to (or maybe even reffering to) the Freemasons.

Yet again, a solid song that is pretty standard until the solo section which begins at 4:52 into the song. Almost 3 minutes of back and forth solos between John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess is a-ok by me.

4 out of 5 stars

3. Wither 5:25

"Wither" is the shortest song on the album, although it's almost double what a normal radio song would clock in at. The song, to me, reflects the struggle with writing lyrics to a song. After 11 albums, I'm sure creativity gets blocked at times.

I rather like this song. It's shorter and has a nice use of the 12 stringed guitar. Dark, simple and more your typical song structure, it's cool to have a normal song at times... Dream Theater style.

5 out of 5 stars

4. The Shattered Fortress 12:49

"The Shattered Fortress" is the closing to Mike Portnoy's song(s) about his struggle with alcoholism and the 12 steps program. Dream Theater plans to have a live show with all the songs played back to back to have it completed. I expect this to be on a live album in the near future.

It's a rather interesting song, but kind of makes you think it was "redo" in my opinion. It actually blends all the previous songs riffs/lyrics into 1. Kind of like a medley in its own rite. I thought it more of a cop out the first listen, but it grew on me and I find myself not skipping over it anymore. I guess I liked the previous songs enough to have bits and pieces of them to peruse through without having to mix it myself.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

5. The Best Of Times 13:07

"The Best Of Times" is by far the most disappointing song on the album. Written to honor his father, Mike Portnoy didn't deliver lyrically or musically. It's quite a boring song, that's far too long. If he felt it necessary to include a song on a Dream Theater album, he should have kept it short, to the point and interesting. Trying to be deep and happy at times, it sounds rather lame. Very lame actually. I suppose it doesn't help that you have Labrie not adding anything in his voice to help the matter. Not really worth critiquing further, you can check it out yourself, but you wouldn't be missing anything if you decided not to.

1 out of 5 stars

6. The Count Of Tuscany 19:16

"The Count Of Tuscany" is something that I've read to be the "A Change of Seasons" of the album. Hardly true, in my opinion. Granted, it's the longest song on the album, but that doesn't make it similar. I actually like the song as a whole. It has quite a few "sections" as a lot of Dream Theater songs have, but it is lacking in the lyrical aspect. It's not a terrible concept; Visiting the Count of Tuscany, visiting the countryside and winery and such. But when he gets freaked out when getting a practical joke played on him by the hosts, talking about how he expects to die? Just a little over the top dude... come on now.

A pretty rad opening. Lots of guitar, lots of keyboard; both riffing and intertwining each other as we all know compliments each others' style and writing ability so well. The best part of the opening? No vocals until 4:21. I keep harping on them, but it is so nice to listen to music and letting that be sole melodies. I just really enjoy music, first and foremost.

So 9:04 it takes a turn to the whole solo section. 9:37 becomes my goosebump moment of the album. Upon hearing it in the confines of my office with my headphones on, I said out loud "This is why I bought this album." Sounds weird to say, but it happened. It only lasts until 10:16, but I'd buy this track if it was just those 59 seconds long. Intricate rhythms are played by Portnoy, Petrucci, and Rudess; all playing their own parts, almost in a round type setup. Can't describe it as well on here, so you might as well go check it out.

The ending of the song goes from 10:50 to the end. Rudess and Petrucci are doodling in soft artsy fashion. You can tell it was mostly adlibbed to begin with that just made it into the song as they thought it up. Kind of reminiscent of the Liquid Tension type of stuff. Definitely a change from most music, so yet again, I like it.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars


There is a 2nd disc, but these are all cover songs to influences over the years. I don't think any critique is necessary on those. 







So that's my critique in a nutshell. Who knows if anyone will even care that I'm doing it, but I hope that's the case. I'm very open to all sorts of criticism. I would like to make this enjoyable, so if you have any suggestions feel free to comment or send me a message with your thoughts. Thanks a lot for the read if you even got this far. I do seem to be long winded when describing my thoughts.




*Carpe Diem*

The Beginning...

Hello all who are music lovers!

I decided I wanted to blog in order to share my passion regarding my musical interests as well as other topics that may come to mind. I have a huge passion for Progressive Rock and Metal and wanted to share that with others in some way.

This may be sporadic in posting, but I assure you, I will be looking for music that appeals to me, critiquing and sharing as much as time allows. I hope at least someone finds this the least bit interesting and may possibly find a new musical venture because of it.

That's all for now


*Carpe Diem*