10 KILLER METAL CONCEPT ALBUMS, Pt 2

1. BLIND GUARDIAN – NIGHTFALL IN MIDDLE EARTH (1999)

J.J.R. Tolkien is one of the most influential writers for several heavy metal bands. Blind Guardian’s 6^th studio album is based exclusively on Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion” book, a book with a large collection of tales from the First Age of Middle-Earth. This album is probably the most mature of the band, with many fresh elements inserted into the band’s music, without at the same time, the band to lose its identity. All the band’s members are giving a recital, each one on their own position. The folk character of the songs helps at the maximum the listener to create pictures at his mind and functions for a poetic, romantic and medieval atmosphere.

2. NEVERMORE – DREAMING NEON BLACK (1999)

The story behind the concept of this album is based on a loss of a beloved person of Warrel Dane, who is the vocalist of the band. Dane's old girlfriend left him when she joined a religious cult and was never heard from her again, and he began having nightmares of her crying out to him as she drowned. This has been confirmed by Warrel himself in an older interview. Here we have to do with the tale of a man’s slow plunge into insanity, after his girlfriend’s death. The pain, the sorrow, the rage, the desperation and the fear are sung through the lyrics of the songs. The heavy, the thrash, the death, the power and the speed metal are all combined to a very successful way, with an amazing outcome.

3. PAIN OF SALVATION – BE (2004)

Daniel Gildenlow (vocals/guitar) is the mastermind of the band. Almost whatever that someone can find on Pain Of Salvation’s albums, all are his creations. He is a genius of our days and it’s dead sure that after some decades he will be praised for this reason. “Be” is the 5^th album of P.O.S. and also their most ambitious album, both musically and lyrically. The concept of the album is a story that is a collage of several theories around the creation of the humans by God. God created people feeling the need to understand better his own nature. Continuing, we, the people, are creating several small things trying to explore our nature, and a circle is going on. We have to do with a philosophical concept with many extensions. The main idea behind all this is a big WHY, and not HOW, we have been created by God. If someone wants to find out some more things about the concept, can visit this link. Musically the album is a church, were the folk, the avant-garde, the progressive, the soundtracks and the rock elements are married, with every single moment to make the listener to hold his breath.

4. EVERGREY – THE INNER CIRCLE (2004)

This is the band’s 5^th album and maybe their most mature one. The concept has to do with a man who decides to follow a heretic cult, with the hope to change some things to his life. Slowly, after entering the cult, some problems are appearing to his family, and as he is trying to explain his wife and his child about his decision, finally he falls out with them. He tries to understand if he has chosen the right way and sometime the people who are leading this cult, are trying to persuade our hero to bring also his child to this cult, in order to proselytize him from young age. Then he realizes the dark side of all these and tries to escape from the cult, but its leader don’t let him go away and encourages him to commit suicide. On the music section of the album, we have to do with very emotional songs, which are following the mood of each moment of the concept and enhance the cinematographic character of this dramatic story.

5. BRUCE DICKINSON – THE CHEMICAL WEDDING (1998)

The big return of Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith, to the metal music has been made a year ago, with the “Accident Of Birth” album. But on 1998 they created an amazing concept album. The lyrics of the album are all inspired from texts and poems of the famous English poet, visionary and painter, William Blake. The lyrics are containing stories of alchemy and mystery, that lead the listener to think about different subjects, all dressed by heavy and atmospheric music. The final result is monumental and the “Chemical Wedding” is more than a classic heavy metal album.

10 KILLER METAL CONCEPT ALBUMS, Pt 1

1. QUEENSRYCHE – OPERATION: MINDCRIME (1988)

This is the best concept album in the history of heavy metal. Through its concept the band makes a very strict critique to a system that fails. The television makes its propaganda, the money can buy almost everything, governments are simple puppets of thirds, people without will who watch what happens around and can’t react. It appears the decay of our society in its majesty. We have to do with a concept that, despite the fact that created almost 20 years ago, is to the point still today. It’s needless to speak about the music. Whoever who listen to it has only things to win.

2. IRON MAIDEN – SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON (1988)

This album is the last of the great classic albums of this band. It's also Iron Maiden's seventh studio album, which makes a neat tie-in with the album's title and the subject. The album is based on the fantasy novel “Seventh Son” by Orson Scott Card, that tells the tale of a child that possesses occult abilities and from it’s moment of birth is subject to manipulation by the forces of good and evil, and must come to terms with his powers and how to use them. For many people, including the man who drops these lines, this masterpiece is the best album that the band ever created. Apart from its lyrical depth, the music is flawless with much experimentation in band’s sound and composing course.

3. W.A.S.P. – THE CRIMSON IDOL (1992)

The story of the album talks about a teenager named Jonathon. He is a complete failure to his parents eyes, and after his brother’s death, to a car accident, he runs away from home. In a music store he sees a guitar and he wants to become a rock star. After much work Jonathon manages to find a contract for a record and to become a rock star. He finds out that the life isn’t as glamorous as it seemed to be. Jonathon has fame and fortune, but not the one thing he always wanted, the love and acceptance of his parents. One night before a concert, Jonathon calls his parents in an attempt to reconcile their differences and heal the emotional wounds between them. Jonathon realizes that he will never be accepted by his parents and decides to commit suicide. During the aforementioned concert, Jonathon removes the strings from his guitar, shapes them into a noose and hangs himself. This album is the peak moment of W.A.S.P. and it is a well of emotions. The music is genial created as the mood matches perfect with lyrics’ each moment.

4. DREAM THEATER – METROPOLIS PT II: SCENES FROM A MEMORY (1999)

The biggest progressive metal band here presents a concept album that has as a main character Nicholas. Nicholas discovers, with the help of an hypnotist, that in his previous life he was a woman, Victoria Page who was part of an erotic triangle between two brothers. In the meantime, a dramatic story of love lust in the end of the decade of ‘20s, takes place. The music of the album is a travel to different kinds of music, such as metal, prog-rock, oriental, Charleston, and the catalogue has no ending. If “Operation: Mindcrime” was the best concept album of ‘80s, then for dead sure “Scenes From A Memory” is the same for the ‘90s.

5. AMORPHIS – TALES FROM THE THOUSAND LAKES (1994)

From their first release, Amorphis showed that they were able for big things. This is their second full-length album and they created a concept album, with the lyrics to be based on the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. In the lyrics, we can find tales from the Finnish mythology that illuminates the happiness, the grief, the conflicts and other folds of the every day lives of Finnish ancestors’. A new dimension reveals into band’s music, as it is more melodic than their debut, with a further use of keyboards and clean vocals on the songs. This album is often hailed as one of the better Amorphis records, and as a very influential and historically significant, in the development of the Melodic Death Metal and Doom Metal genres, album.

GREAT WORKS: AMORPHIS - TUONELA

Amorphis comes from Helsinki of Finland and formed in 1990. They have released 7 full albums and 3 EPs, and they are ready to release their 8^th album on August. In the beginning they performed death metal, with many traditional and melodic riffs on their songs, with keyboards to follow the guitars. Slowly, they inserted psychedelic influences from the ‘70s and bands such as Pink Floyd and Hawkwind.

Their 4^th full length album is 1999’s “Tuonela” and it is their best album up to date. On this album, Amorphis have diminished to the minimum the death metal elements, and the ‘70s influences are evident more than any other album. Despite this fact, that leaded the band to pass from a kind of audience to another, due to the change to music, Amorphis create an incredible album. In musical level the band combines guitar parts, which have a traditional Finnish touch, with space/psychedelic keyboard parts. The whole music matches perfectly with the very special voice of the band’s singer, Pasi Koskinen and the final result takes off the ground. All the songs have coherence and a travel mood which makes the listening of the album very pleasant, almost to every listener, independently his music background. The lyrics of the album are about personal moments of the writter and all the talking is done by traditional Finnish tales.

Not to forget to mention that, “Tuonela” is the name of underworld in “Kalevala”, and the name of the plant on album’s cover, is Pihlaja and grows only in Finland.

AMORPHIS discography:

(1992) Karelian Isthmus
(1994) Tales From The Thousand Lakes
(1996) Elegy
(1999) Tuonela
(2001) Am Universum
(2003) Far From The Sun
(2006) Eclipse
(2007) Silent Waters

GREAT WORKS: LED ZEPPELIN - IV

1970. Led Zeppelin has already released their 3^rd album “III”, which, except the hard rock anthem “Immigrant Song”, is a mix of folk, hippie and west coast rock staff. Irrelevant, that the album had very good sales and all the Led Zeppelin shows were sold out, the music press generally, and the British especially, condemned that album. This fact pissed off Jimmy Page, band’s guitarist, who decided to write the best music that he could and to release the new album without the band’s name, without a headline and any further information. Jimmy Page, with that action aimed, all those who would buy the album, will have to concentrate to music and nowhere else. It was his revenge.

Their music label, Atlantic Recordings, didn’t accept to release the album under these circumstances, but Page refused to give them the bobbins with the recordings, so Atlantic Recordings buckled and the album released on 1971. The band took a huge risk releasing the album in that way and refusing to release “Stairway to heaven” as a single, after continuous requests from the label. Finally the album reached No. 1 in British and No. 2 in US music charts. Endless tours followed shortly after album’s release and the band was building its myth. As of July 31, 2006, IV has sold 23 million copies in the US, making it one of the top four best selling albums in the history of the US music industry. Worldwide, it ranks at number eleven in album sales.

Musically the album is the probably best that Led Zeppelin ever released. It contains hard rock songs (Black Dog, Rock ‘n’ Roll), dance (Misty Mountain Hop), hippie (Going to California), folk (The Battle of Evermore, Four Sticks) and blues (When the Levee Breaks) staff. Last but not least, the album contains the monumental song Stairway to Heaven. Any interpretation relevant with this song is simple blasphemy.

The album has several names. “IV” is one, following the naming of their earlier albums (I, II & III). Another naming is “Four Symbols”, because of the 4 mystical symbols () used at the artwork, which represented each member of the band. One more name is “The Untitled Album”, for obvious reasons.

This is an album that reached immortality for all the above reasons. Led Zeppelin created a true monument of music, with which a couple of generations grew, by listening to it, and numberless musicians have influenced by its content. This is an album that his absence from any music suggests lack of knowledge and loss of many unique moments.

GREAT WORKS: Deep Purple - Machine Head

Machine Head is by many considered the best album of Deep Purple. This album of 1972 that Richie Blackmore , Ian Gillan, Jon Lord,Ian Paice and Roger Glover created and performed is a magnificent sample of what music is capable of.
The story of this album is quite noticeable as it was recorded in Switzerland. There in Geneva happened a story that almost everyone has listened but doesn't know. They had booked the casino for two weeks for the recording. Frank Zappa was giving a show there and someone fired a flare gun into the roof. The casino was burnt and Deep Purple had nowhere to record their album. They found Grand Hotel that was closed for the winter and they rented part of it. The album was recorded in a corridor (basically because Paice considered that the Drums was sounding better there). This story, the story of this superb album is narrated in the most famous song of the album and one of the most known songs of Rock music, Smoke on the water.
Smoke on the Water is a song that has everything it takes to be a masterpiece. It is quite simple and to it belongs the riff that everyone knows. The lyrics are simple and yet effective. The mixing is superb ( the album was originally recorded in quadraphonic sound. The original mixes are available on the SACD).
The lyrics of the album surprise us with their simplicity that works in favor of the poetic result and not against it. The music with outbursts that seem to come from a metal album but also with clear and nice melodies combine practically everything. The allegro is mated with andante and the voice is clear and captures your attention. This album cannot be described by words since its diversities leave us incapable of describing without analyzing every second. One last thing is that this album contains some of the nicest keyboard parts that I have listened to (Jon Lord did an exceptional job and is my favorite of course).
Concluding the SACD presents the original sound as it was meant to be presented so for those that possess the appropriate sound system I strongly suggest they acquire it. In the SACD there can be found the "when a blind man cries" a terrific song that was not originally included on the album. If you have not listened to this album it's time you do!

GREAT WORKS: Beethoven's 9th

First I want to thank all authors for their passionate support and participation. This blog is alive and this is clearly visible. Keep on good work.
Today I will talk about what I consider maybe the most important monument of classical music. I am referring to the 9th symphony from Ludwig van Beethoven. It is a long work (about 1 and a half our) that is also called the symphony of joy. Even though so long a work it never becomes boring and possesses the rare ability to make the repeat of the main themes, that is a standard characteristic of symphonic works, as interesting as a continuous change of melodies.
Listening to this masterpiece under suitable conditions of sound system's quality and power the auditor perceives a constant dialog between the instruments. A dialog that becomes chat, agreement or disagreement and possesses the natural pattern of a human conversation. The instruments play with each other, try to cheat or hide and comment on what is happening. It is like listening to a gathering of diverse group of people. Every crescendo is breath-taking and the sound is full and with power but also sometimes gentle like a breeze. Its themes stay and haunt your mind. This work is as simple and as complicated as life.
It would be impossible not to make a special mention to a specific part of this symphony that is its trademark. And of course is the Ode to Joy. Five notes played in ascending and descending order create one of the most recognizable music patterns of history. It is worth noting that this part that includes human singers is the first to have such an element since all symphonies before used no human voices. Beethoven genius uses maybe the most advanced and capable instrument that exist and this is voice to give a more sentimental approach and to loudly declare the triumph of joy and life.
All in all the 9th symphony of Beethoven ( his last one) is a work that everyone should listen even these people that are not attracted to classical music since it is a work beyond genre and beyond eras.

GREAT WORKS: Dark side of Life: The music narration of Pink Floyd

If I could choose an album among the albums of Pink Floyd it would be Dark Side of the Moon. It can easily be characterized as a monument of the qualities that a great album has. Lyrics talk about the journey of life. They talk about lost opportunities , great expectations , human emotional deficiency. The expression is surrealistic and the completeness of phrases and meanings is clearly of a poetic level.
But Lyrics are only one element that makes this album incomparable. The music is a balanced combination of melodic lines and psychedelic effects. Who can forget the bass of "Money"? Who doesn't tremble at the heartbeat in the intro? The instruments talk to each other and the effects are used as an instrument too merging into the melody and the rhythm. The bells and clocks in "Time " for example are part of the music as much as the guitar or the vocals. And this is something that Pink Floyd where capable of doing: making music from effects.
On a technical level the sound engineering knowledge of the members of the band combined with the mastering and mixing capabilities of a number of the best professional sound engineers of the last 30 years (including Alan Parsons) gives an album that is a hard test for every Hi-Fi system. This is especially true for the 30th anniversary edition SACD that elevates the experience of listening to a surrounding world of emotions and impressions. The sound is like never before unleashed from 5.1 speakers. Only the few lucky ones that posessed the original quadraphonic LP of 1973 and the appropriate sound system had the chance until before 3-4 years to experience something like this.
But albums like Dark side of the Moon do not need comments just someone to listen and experience them. Because they are exactly that: an experience that someone cannot forget.

LIVECRIME AT OUR MINDS

Queensryche is that band, which created the best heavy metal album of all times, as many people believe, both in musical and lyrical level. That album isn’t other than the 1988’s “Operation: Mindcrime”. In the lyrics of that album, the band launches a harsh and also genius critique to the political, social and economic system of USA. Concerning to the musical part of the album, the whole planet Earth bows to it, because its origin is simply beyond this solar system.

Let’s take the whole thing from the very beginning. Queensryche formed in 1982 at Seattle of USA. They have released 9 studio and 3 live albums till today. Their third live album officially hasn’t released yet, since someone will find it in stores at the coming June. This one release is the reason that I drop these lines, this moment. “Queensryche – Mindcrime at the Moore”, its name. In this release is captured the best performance of their last tour, in which the band was playing the 1988’s “Operation: Mindcrime” and also its sequel’s 2006’s “Operation: Mindcrime II” albums to their entity. Both albums have a common concept that is starting from 1988’s album and ends to 2006’s release. In the shows of that tour, the concept of both albums was reproduced on stage with special lighting show, sceneries, costumes, actors. In other words the fan could attend a theatrical play with very special interpretations from band’s members and not only. It sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Yes of course it does, but let’s finds out what could someone see on stage…

The story’s main character Nikki, comes in touch with Dr.X. Dr.X is the mastermind of a secret organization, which has as a purpose the subversion of the current political and social scenery. Nikki decides to get into the organization, since he is very enthusiastic with Dr.’s X ideas about “revolution”. Dr.X takes advantage of Nikki’s enthusiasm and drug addiction and forces him to assassinate politic and religion leaders of their city. In this trip, Nikki meets Sister Mary, an ex-prostitute. She is now a nun, thanks to Father William, who saved her from the streets at her 17 and she pays her dept to him once a week with lovemaking. When she was 18, Father William introduced her to Dr. X and now she’s working for him. She offers “forgiveness” to Nikki after each assassination for his “sins”, in order to continue undistracted to his “mission”. Dr. X realizes that Father William and Sister Mary are a risk for the organization and commands Nikki to kill both of them. Nikki has fallen in love with Mary and decides to quit from the organization, but his drug addiction doesn’t allow him to do such a movement. When he returns at his place, Nikki finds Mary lying dead at the floor. Unable to accept her death, he runs on the streets in amok condition, calling aloud her name. The police arrests Nikki for disorderly conduct, carrying a concealed weapon without a license, and resisting arrest. The weapon matches the one used in the recent assassins. In due, he realizes that Mary is dead and also that his all alone from now and then. Awaiting trial, he is nursed to hospital to overcome his addiction. In his room, he tries to find the reasons for his actions. Staring into the mirror, he sees a “stranger”…

After his conviction and serving his sentence, he comes out of prison, after 18 years and faces the “outer” reality. He realizes that he is hungry for vengeance from Dr. X, for Mary’s death and all those wasted years in prison. Day after day his thoughts are getting into cohesion, and memories floods back to his mind. So many years into the prison he got over all the difficulties. He wonders if life paid her debt back to him for all these hard moments. No… Everyone is responsible for his choices and actions. The questions are increasing continuously into his mind. Now he tries hard to detect Dr. X and realizes to be closer to one more crime. Is he a criminal mind, or not? What the signs are saying? After months, he manages to find Dr. X and he chases him. After catching him and an intense quarrel, he executes him. Did he finally the right movement? Was his motivation right? He feels that his life is a ruin anymore. Suicidal thoughts appear to his mind. He isn’t certain for anything but only that he loved her…They had everything, but they couldn’t see it…

After all the action in ‘‘Operation: Mindcrime’’’s and Nikki’s inner quest in ‘‘Operation: Mindcrime II’’, the concept of these two albums, comes to an end. Two albums which haunt everyone who decides to enter into deep. Two albums, of which the first one has already acquired a place at metal’s pantheon forever and the other sets candidacy for being classic after some years. Two albums, which led producers to ask band’s permission for transferring the story into film. Two albums, which are closing a circle with the forthcoming live release “Mindcrime at the Moore’’.