De 10 verste coverversjonene

Det finnes mange typer vandalisme, og her er muligens de 10 verste innenfor musikken ifølge en velrenommert musikkblekke. Underholdende lesning er det utvilsomt.

(Å spille inn coverversjoner av sanger andre har hatt en hit med før er ofte en sikker suksessoppskrift. Enten det er en kopi med vokalharmoni (Hallelujah med Kurt Nilsen og kompani) eller en helt egen versjon (Hurt med Johnny Cash). Vi har tatt en titt på de 10 aller verste coverversjonene noensinne.

1. Celine Dion og Anastacia - You Shook Me All Night Long

Greit nok, denne ble bare framført live - men vi kårer det likevel til tidenes aller jævligste, forferdelige, motbydelige coverversjon. Se bare på klippet under. Vil du virkelig se Celine Dion spille luftgitar. AC/DC burde dra hjem til Celine Dion og øve ved siden av soverommet hennes hver kveld. Dette er litt som om bestemoren din kom hjem til deg og hadde på seg Marilyn Manson-topp og absolutt ville sette på den nyeste langspilleren til Satyricon. Det stemmer så forferdelig dårlig. Ryktene tilsier at i himmelen spiller artister som Celine Dion, men denne coverversjonen har sikret Dion en sikker plass i helvete.

2. Duran Duran - 911 is a Joke

Her har du en av de aller streiteste popgruppene som noensinne har vært på musikkhimmelen som takler en av de mest opprørske raplåtene noensinne. At ikke Public Enemy, som hadde originalen, fikk med seg et par amerikanske rapgjenger og banket opp Simon Le Bon og kompani etter denne coverversjonen er nesten ikke til å tro.

3. Bob Dylan - And it Stoned Me

Den artisten som har fått flest coverversjoner av sine sanger har også syndet stort. Han spilte inn Van Morrisons And It Stoned Me, men lærte seg bare en tredjedel av teksten - og gjorde en forferdelig versjon. Kanskje var det hans hevn på alle gatemusikantene som hadde ødelagt hans egne sanger. Spørsmålet er bare hvorfor hevnen gikk ut over Van Morrison.

4. Ronan Keating - Fairytale of New York

Originalen var en episk julesang fra den verste siden av livet, med Shane McGowan og Kirsty MacColl i toppform. Kopien er forferdelig. Keating forandret til og med linjen «Happy Christmas you cheap, lousy faggot» fordi han ikke ville fornærme noen. Det er lite sannsynlig at Keating skjønte noe som helst av originalen, sånn bortsett fra listeplasseringen.

5. Britney Spears - I Love Rock'n Roll

Nei, Britney - du gjør ikke det. Skal man tro det man leser er det helt andre ting du virkelig elsker.

6. Korn - Another Brick in the Wall

Dette er et klassisk eksempel på at man håper på at en sang som har vært en hit før skal gjøre det igjen for et band. Nå var aldri dette den kvalitetsmessige beste sangen til Pink Floyd, men det blir uendelig mye dårligere når Korn skal prøve å gjøre noe ut av det.

7. Motley Crüe - Anarchy in the UK

Motley Crüe hadde nok noen likheter med Sex Pistols, i hvert fall alkoholforbruket... men for et amerikansk band til å synge om opprør i England... og så dårlig? Nei, det står til stryk.

8. Far Corporation - Stairway to Heaven

Hvis du har sett Wayne's World så kommer de til en gitarbutikk hvor det står et skilt: No Stairway! Bakgrunnen var all radbrekkingen av klassikeren fra Led Zeppelin som middels gitarister til stadighet gjør. Fart Corporation gjorde en drømmende rockesang til klissete piss.

9. Madonna - American Pie

Madonna har til og med selv sagt unnskyld for denne forferdelige versjonen av Don McLeans original.

10. Michael Bolton - Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Otis Reding hadde soul. Det har aldri Bolton hatt, og i hvert fall ikke her. Dette var til og med en superhit i Norge.

Duran Duran

Navnet på dette 80 talls bandet fra Birmingham er tatt fra filmen Barbarella, og en av astronautene i denne filmklassikeren fra 1968. Selve filmen bygger på en sci-fi roman av Jean-Claude Forest (1930 – 1998), hvor Roger Vadim (1928 -2000) er regissør, og Jane Fonda (1937 -) har hovedrollen.

Skurken Durand Durand og ekteparet Vadim/Fonda

Rollefiguren i Barbarella som Duran Duran har hentet navnet sitt fra, heter Durand Durand, og er rimelig skurkaktig figur, som spilles av Milo O`Shea (1926 -). Duran Duran var favorittbandet til Diana, ekskona til Prins Charles av England.

Forest var forøvrig allerede anerkjent som en ypperlig science fiction cover artist da filmen Barbarella ble lansert i 68, http://www.coolfrenchcomics.com/shambleau.htm og http://www.hollywoodcomics.com/forest.html

Doractor

Doractor er et anagram for brettist og trommeslager Corrado Sarrello. Musikalsk er Doractor å betrakte som symfonisk prog med inspirasjon fra Genesis rundt ” Wind & Wuthering” perioden, Hecenia, Locando Delle Fate og Aton`s. Forneklet så kan vi også si at musikken har mye til felles med det Tony Banks kunne ha laget om han ikke var så inspirert av Phil Collins poptilnærmelser. Godeste Corrador Sarello har på alle syv albumene dominert Doractor kraftig, men på tross av (eller fordi?) så er det syv album som er rimelig forskjellige, og som musikalsk har mye å gi til de fleste av oss som liker musikk som er fjernt fra a4 formatet. Innen du får stiftet bekjentskap med disse Italienerne kan du kose deg med 7 rimelig spenstige cover.

Dynamic Lights

Shape

Two years ago I reviewed the self-produced debut of this young Italian band, called Resurrection. I concluded the review with stating that the band definitely had potential, but wasn't quite there yet. I must admit that since then I've not listened to Resurrection more than a handful occasions, and I had somewhat forgotten about them until this album got dropped through my mailbox. After hearing the new album, I doubt this will happen again.

Shape follows the direction the band took with Resurrection: prog metal with more than a hint of Fates Warning and Pain Of Salvation. Singer Matteo Infante does a good job in imitating the vocal style of Daniel Gildenlöw, though without coming across as a copycat. It is drummer Simone Del Pivo who keeps the music from falling into the metal category, with his very original and technically mind-boggling percussion work. His playing style is often very reminiscent of Mike Portnoy.
However, the real star of the album is keyboardist Giovanni Bedetti, whose keyboard work dominates the music on the album. With piano being the preferred instrument he gives the heavy rock music a special twist with his virtuosi melodies. It is as if Jordan Rudess himself plays on the album, as Bedetti's fast playing style resembles that of Rudess. Sometimes classical, sometimes honky-tonk, and sometimes swapping the piano to play a roaring Kurzweil solo. Fans of the style of Jordan Rudess will certainly find lots of things they like on this album. Bedetti even gets a solo spot on the album: the track Density is a two-minute classical piano improvisation.

Guitar aficionados may be a little disappointed in this album, as Marco Poderi's role is limited to rhythm guitar in most songs, with only a few solos. However, like the rest of his band mates, he too has a very varied style of playing. At times doing the 'Petrucci 100 notes a second thing' and other times, like in The Big Show sounding more like a Steve Rothery.

The music on the album is very diverse. Opener In The Hands Of A Siren is a good example. Upon the first opening bars it suggests pretty straightforward metal at first, but quickly turns into a more proggy affair, plenty tempo changes (mellow during the vocal parts, fast and heavy during the instrumental sections). Yet the biggest draw on this song are the guest vocals of Swedish singer Jamina Jansson, who already impressed as guest vocalist on Wolverine's The Window Purpose.

Cliché as it may sound, the 12 minute epic One Thousand Nothing is hands down the best song on the album. Infante's vocal melodies at the start of the song are almost jazz (punctuated by Bedetti's piano), but give way to a terrific long instrumental section which sounds as if it came from the same recording sessions as Dream Theater's Metropolis pt 1. Bass solo, keyboard solo, heavy guitar riffs, a Rick Wakeman-esque piano solo, more vocals and then one of the few guitar solos on the album.

My feelings on this album are predominantly positive, with only a minor note regarding the vocals. Infante suffers from the same problem as most of his colleagues from Italian rock bands: an accent. While certainly not as bad as some other bands I've reviewed, it is something people can have a problem with. I for one would not have mind if the Infante had sung in Italian, to be honest.

But despite that one minor note: Highly recommended to all the fans of Pain Of Salvation, Wolverine, Fates Warning and Jordan Rudess

Tracklist: In The Hands Of A Siren (9:24), Between Two Parallels (7:44), Remembrances (8:11), Density (2:16), Going To Nowhere (6:08), One Thousand Nothing (11:30), Connecting (2:08), The Big Show (7:27)

Dead Air Radio

Signal To Noise Ratio

Every year at least one band will come from out of the progressive nowhere to claim the title of newcomer of the year. For me previous years have included the likes of Riverside. This year I already have three contenders: Austrian ProgPower metallers Serenity; the stunningly powerful Darkwater, and now American newcomers Dead Air Radio.

They're not so new in the sense that the band can trace its roots back to 1999 in Nashville and released a self-produced EP, Strange Frequencies five years ago. This however is their debut, which has been out independently a little while in the States, but has been given a European release by Germany's Just For Kicks. Quite how this wasn't snapped up immediately by one of the bigger labels suggests that a lot of people ain't looking in the right places.

Signal To Noise Ratio offers which together form a mesmerising blend of older progressive roots especially Rush with more contemporary bands such as Pearl Jam, Sieges Even and Dream Theater.

I won't bother with a track-by-track breakdown as every song drifts in and out of so many styles that I'd be here all day. Let's just say that together with soaring melodies that occupy more traditional song structures there is always a brief , complex guitar burst or some odd meter just around the corner. Neither element ever dominates the other and everything is brought together in a totally cohereant and convincing manner.

The band's foundation is lead vocalist and guitarist Bill Givens. He possesses a voice that should fill stadiums to bursting point, and plays the bass and synths too! He is ably joined by guitarist Dennis Thompson. The pair's differing styles and sounds adding an ever-changing groove to each song. Drummer Anthony Kratky, was the first person to answer an advert pinned up in their local music store, and add the perfect level of complexity to the music.

There is a freshness, energy, self-confidence and excitement that just pours out of every note here. Combine that with superb melodies contained within the likes of Imbalanced and Liberation, and you have an album that with the right promotion really could reach huge audiences. The crossover potential here is massive. Everyone from fans of classic rock (Deep Purple), mainstream rock (Nickelback), alt rock (Pearl Jam/Soundgarden), progressive metal (Rush/SymphonyX) and progressive rock (Riverside/Sieges Even) should be able to take hours of enjoyment from this album.

Be it music to drive to, or music to sit down at night with the headphones on, this really has the making of a classic album. Very highly recommended.

Tracklist: Unbalanced (8:36), Unified (6:00), Evidence (6:09), Prelude (1:04), Immaculate Rhapsody (4:15), Everchanging World (4:27), Humankind (5:19), Liberation (8:10)

La Desooorden

La Isla De Los Muertos

La Desooorden

Ciudad De Papel

This review covers the last two albums released by fascinating Chilean group La Desooorden, 2005’s La Isla De Los Muertos and this years Ciudad De Papel, but first a brief bit of history. The band originally formed in Valdivia, Chile, in 1994 performing widely through the rest of the decade with variations in membership before independently releasing an album of compositions from this period, El Mounstruo De 7 Cabazas, in 2001 with a second album, Ensayo, arriving in 2002. The first of the albums reviwed here is 2005’s La Isla De Los Muertos, which is based on an incident in early twentieth century Chilean history where 200 men, women and children died. A DVD to support the album was released later. The band have received awards in their native Chile and followed up a tour to Argentina by recording their latest album, Ciudad De Papel. Between these last two albums there has been one change in the line-up, the consistent members being Alfonso Banda (guitar), Rodrigo Gonzalez (drums & percussion), Francisco Martin (bass & piano), Peter Pfeifer (sax) and Karsten Contreras (vocals) with Fernando Tagore (vocals) on La Isla De Los Muertos while Fernando Altamirano (vocals) replaced him for Ciudad De Papel.

La Isla De Los Muertos starts with the pastoral sounds of water and birdsong with piano and violin before Spanish voices set the scene. I shan’t comment on the lyrics, which are all in Spanish, as I don’t have a translation, but don’t let the Spanish vocals put you off as the music that this group produce is captivating and has an intensity rare within the prog/folk field. The second track opens with choral vocals before the band kicks in with a jazzy vibe. Overall the feel is reminiscent of early ‘70’s King Crimson in their more restrained moments, the sax conjuring up the In The Wake Of Poseidon/Lizard period. The use of two lead vocalists, either singing together or trading lines and complementing each other perfectly, is interesting throughout and the performances all first rate. I expect that this band would excel in a live setting. Nice bass work towards the end of the track adds to the intensity and raises the tension. Excellent stuff. The next track also moves into Crimson territory with a loping bass line and sax with some busy drumming and following this a plaintive violin adds emotion to the melancholy Pero Dios Los Visita. Much heavier is the brief Me Pregunto Entre Todas Las Preguntas with a darker vibe than seen previously and this track shows the depth and variety of material produced by the band. Metallic guitar, growling bass and heavier drums typify En Los Ojos De La Muerte but breaks are allowed for more tranquil sections. Truly progressive in the way the music sweeps through different variations without losing sight of the structure of the piece as a whole. Tabla is added for a new direction on Caleta Tortel (Puente), the violin again used to convey emotion over a forceful bass that gets progressively more metallic as the track continues before moving back to the natural beauty of birdsong and a more optimistic feel. The use of tabla and violin often brings Shakti to mind, but that doesn’t occur here, the use of ethnic instruments only adding to the variety on offer. Next up is a track more in keeping with jazz-fusion in feel if not in instrumental bravado. The group perform as a solid unit throughout without having to rely on individual histrionics. We get another jazz interlude on Las Palabras Viajan En El Viento with almost drunken rhythms from the guitar, the sax almost adding an Eastern feel and a great small jazz group feel to the end of the track. Bajo Pisagua (Puente) is a very pleasant low-key number, sedate and tranquil, again featuring tabla rhythms with sax and violin. Closing track Lo Que Ha Quedado Es Sólo Esto again starts with wildfowl and water giving a sense of the island of the title before adding a military drumbeat and some excellent vocals.

The second of these albums, Ciudad De Papel, focuses on the problems faced by the environment after the opening of a new factory in the bands hometown and is, if anything, better than the first. Amazonian rhythms and a sense of foreboding fill opening track Fumarolas Del Alma and after a short while it becomes apparent that this album has an added brooding heaviness that was only hinted at on its predecessor. The second track adds more metal to give an almost Tool feel while retaining the subtlety that the music requires, the bass being particularly good. Choral vocals are again used to good effect and there is more space for the guitar on this album than seen previously. The ease with which the band moves between styles is breathtaking and fascinating here. The sax appears and sweeps in and out of the music and is reminiscent of Mel Collins, particularly his work with Camel. Didgeridoo and ethic rhythms are used to open El Llamado Del Totoral, while El Gran Acuerdo is twisted acoustic jazz with brass, violin and peculiar vocals. There’s some lovely percussion work here and a nice guitar solo. Migraciones Eternas starts with a throbbing bass with trumpet before settling into an almost samba snare rhythm and then turning left into a screeching guitar section. Melody is kept as priority and the style changes all work within the context of the material. On La Voz De Los Niños tribal noises lead into a piano motif with children’s choir. Brass led jazz over a heavy rhythm is the order of the day for Acción Por Los Cisnes moving into tabla with distorted guitar. This really is good stuff. Tralcao (Lugar De Truenos) features Mouth Harp, tabla and distorted trumpet – now that’s a combination you don’t hear too often and it all works! The variety and breadth of the instrumentation, styles and sounds used is magnificent and all pulled off with aplomb. This is undoubtedly a band that needs to be heard in a wider context. Next up is a great driving track with sax and fiddly guitar. Los Trabajadores starts with sounds of a noisy crowd, chainsaw, scat vocal before the bass comes in to drive it along and the sax adds lots of melody. I stress again – it all works! E•N•E•U•J (Esto No Es Un Juego) is a metallic tour de force with the requisite excellent vocal and drums while concluding track Boletos Para Ir is calm and atmospheric before building to a fitting climax to an exemplary piece of work. These guys have to be applauded for the breadth of the music they produce and the performances that make it possible.

None of the artists used above as references to the music of La Desooorden go anywhere near describing the whole so put away any pre-conceived ideas of what this band are or might be and give them a listen. Even if you don’t love what you hear I’m sure you won’t regret giving it a go. Both of these CDs are beautifully packaged in gatefold digipak sleeves with booklets and striking images that belie the fact that they are self-released. There is an almost unbelievable variety in the music throughout these albums. Elements of prog, folk, jazz, atmospherics and local culture come together to provide a kaleidoscopic and multifaceted whole. The music does not stray into the use of South American arrangements or musical standards as seen in the work of some and even when using moments from local history as a backdrop the music doesn’t move towards the stereotypical. Highly recommended for the use of atmosphere and drama within the music. Please don’t be put off if you don’t understand Spanish as it is very rewarding stuff worthy of a wider audience and I will certainly be trying to find out more about this fascinating band. They don’t fit cleanly into any pigeonhole and let their music do the talking. Powerful and engaging without losing the organic qualities of acoustic instruments these albums are a very sophisticated and enjoyable listen. Check out YouTube for some video samples – they mainly seem to be dressed as birds, which just sort of seems right!

Tracklist, La Isla De Los Muertos: Transformación Del Mito (3:18), Pardos Fueron Frente Al Mar (7:31), Algo Tenía Que Ver La Luna (3:14), Pero Dios Los Visita (3:22), Me Pregunto Entre Todas Las Preguntas (2:02), En Los Ojos De La Muerte (3:49), Caleta Tortel (Puente) (3:27), Seguramente Encontraremos (5:25), Las Palabras Viajan En El Viento (5:25), Bajo Pisagua (Puente) (4:20), Lo Que Ha Quedado Es Sólo Esto (5:49)

Tracklist, Ciudad De Papel: Fumarolas Del Alma (7:32), Ciudad De Papel (6:56), El Llamado Del Totoral (2:28), El Gran Acuerdo (3:50), Migraciones Eternas (7:23), La Voz De Los Niños (2:50), Acción Por Los Cisnes (6:51), Tralcao (Lugar De Truenos) (3:08), Homínidos [Historia De Seres Nerviosos] (3:51), Los Trabajadores (6:12), E•N•E•U•J [Esto No Es Un Juego] (4:10), Boletos Para Ir (6:40)

Dreamtone & Iris Mavraki's Neverland

Reversing Time

As this is not the first encounter that I have with the people of Neverland I know for a fact that they took a big leap by creating this album, and they decided early on that this project was only worth doing if it were done exactly right from the start. So they used a real orchestra, asked some big names to cooperate and just started recording the album without backing from a record company. Luckily the quality of the album got noticed and AFM offered them a deal.

Officially this band is called: Dreamtone And Iris Mavraki's Neverland. Dreamtone is a Turkish Metal band that we have reviewed three releases of: Unforeseen Reflections, Sojourn and Snowfall and who have been support act to Blind Guardian and Dream Theater in the past year. Iris Mavraki is a Greek singer who has had an impressive career so far. Among others she has been touring Turkey with an symphonic orchestra and participated in numerous antiwar concerts, but because this is her first venture into progressive metal it is the first time we hear of her. I don't know what made her decide to take this step but it was a very good decision. And the same applies the other way around, it was wise of the Dreamtone boys to ask her.

To just put the label progressive metal on this album would do it great injustice. Sure, Dreamtone has it's roots in prog metal but this album is so diverse that progressive rock, rock and power metal would suit it just as well, progressive being the operative word here. The one description that would define all the tracks is: melodic. I have been listening to this album for some time now and it still amazes me how well thought out and original these tracks are. The melodies on this album are very very powerful but yet seem so simple (the way it is supposed to be in my opinion). And although there are amazing solos on the album all of the music is very open and clear. With a symphonic orchestra cooperating one would expect a wall of sound but nothing of that, quite the contrary. Although comparisons are hard to make, names that do spring to mind are: Blind Guardian, Orphaned Land, Dream Theater and Antonin Dvorak, But even all these influences do not really describe this album.

Next to the Philarmonia Istanbul Orchestra a number of well known names are credited on this album: Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Mike Baker (Shadow Gallery) and Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery). Again it is necessary to note that although these are all well known names in the metal genre, metal is not the best description for this album.

Although the first track Shooting Star does have the ingredients of a more traditional metal track it also has the first signs of what makes this album so special, so hard to define. Bands have incorporated symphonic orchestration into rock music before (e.g. Metallica's S&M) but in those cases the orchestra always seemed an addition to the "normal" music. While on this album it is also an integrated part of the melody, part of the band. To Lose The Sun starts of acoustically and then becomes power metal but again with violins. Half way the song slows down and the lyrics that follow after that are really emotional, the compassionate outcry of a father that is losing his son ("No father is to lose a son, no sun should leave the sky") perfectly done by Hansi Kürsch (what a great voice!). Mankind Is A Lie has the first leading role for Iris, it is wonderful how her voice goes together with the voice Oganalp. And although the music is not complicated at all, it changes melody and rhythm a couple of times towards the end Onur Ozkoc proves what so many people know but so little take to heart: a good guitar solo is not one of fast notes, it is one of the correct notes.

If it had not already been clear after the previous track there should be no doubt after Everlasting Tranquility: Iris Mavraki is a great "find" and one of the pillars of this project. Her Greek background never disguised in her voice: it is what makes her contribution so special and surprising. The guitar again is brilliant in this quiet melodic track leaving a feel of melancholy, one of the best ballads I have heard in years. Reversing Time is bombastic with a lot of violins and guitars, a leading role for the voice of Mike Baker. And then halfway one of those weeping guitars that I like so much. Throughout the whole album the keyboards play an important role but on Black Water it is really a leading role. At the same time the best guitar playing on the album can also be found in this track. It shows that this track, like the rest of the album, is really a team effort.

Mountain Of Judgement again has atmospheric piano, splendid Iris Mavraki vocals one of the mellow tracks on the album. But then: Mountain Of Joy, the best track on the album. Up tempo, energetic and fantastic guitar playing that climaxes in a wonderful solo just after a splendid break. Again with great lead vocals of Oganalp and backing vocals of Iris. World Beyond These Walls is sung by one of the best, and most recognizable voices to be found in prog metal: Tom Englund. His voice fits the lyrics and music perfectly. Transcending Miracle is the last track of the album but it was the first track I heard. It is an instrumental track with a number of surprising tempo and melody changes that somehow make sense, it is a patch work of ideas that fit together even though they are very different. It is the best example of what Neverland is capable of.

On the limited edition there is a bonus track: Once Again In This Life again bombastic, violins and excellent vocals of both Iris and Oganalp. I do not understand why this track is not part of the album it is way too good to leave out. And to make matters worse on the Japanese edition there will be another bonus track: Who Asked You To Fight, a track with a medieval feel to it and the second best track of the whole album. They should not have left that track out either.

As the music and the lyrics on this album are inspired by fantasy it is only natural that the cover artwork takes from the same source. The artwork created by J.P. Fournier complements the album. Like the album it is intriguing and hard to label, yes it is a fantasy picture but there is much more to that.

Although I have only recently received the promo, I have been listening to this album for some time now as the band fed the music to me track by track. Every new track was a pleasant surprise and every time I was eagerly waiting for more, and now after listing to the complete album for weeks, I am still deeply impressed. In a time of decreasing sales, because of downloading and stealing music, these people have taken a stand and created an album of ultimate effort and quality. Taking no shortcuts or concessions using well known names, a real orchestra, tracks with great melodies, superb lyrics. All that has paid off, this is a surprisingly good album! It is an album that might appeal to a lot of people, prog metal fans as well as prog rock fans. So my advice: buy this album! It's the best way to show our appreciation for this effort. But, more important, it is a great album, one should own it.

Tracklist: Shooting Star (4:19), To Lose The Sun (5:53), Mankind Is A Lie (4.17), Everlasting Tranquillity (4:04), Reversing Time (4:11), Black Water (6:33), Mountain Of Judgement (1:45), Mountain Of Joy (4:26), World Beyond These Walls (3:53), Transcending Miracle (6:16)

De 10 verste coverversjonene

Det finnes mange typer vandalisme, og her er muligens de 10 verste innenfor musikken ifølge en velrenommert musikkblekke. Underholdende lesning er det utvilsomt.

1. Celine Dion og Anastacia - You Shook Me All Night Long

2. Duran Duran - 911 is a Joke

3. Bob Dylan - And it Stoned Me

4. Ronan Keating - Fairytale of New York

5. Britney Spears - I Love Rock'n Roll

Nei, Britney - du gjør ikke det. Skal man tro det man leser er det helt andre ting du virkelig elsker.

6. Korn - Another Brick in the Wall

7. Motley Crüe - Anarchy in the UK

Motley Crüe hadde nok noen likheter med Sex Pistols, i hvert fall alkoholforbruket... men for et amerikansk band til å synge om opprør i England... og så dårlig? Nei, det står til stryk.

8. Fairport Convention - Stairway to Heaven

Hvis du har sett Wayne's World så kommer de til en gitarbutikk hvor det står et skilt: No Stairway! Bakgrunnen var all radbrekkingen av klassikeren fra Led Zeppelin som middels gitarister til stadighet gjør. Fairport Convention gjorde en drømmende rockesang til klissete piss.

9. Madonna - American Pie

Madonna har til og med selv sagt unnskyld for denne forferdelige versjonen av Don McLeans original.

10. Michael Bolton - Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay

Otis Reding hadde soul. Det har aldri Bolton hatt, og i hvert fall ikke her. Dette var til og med en superhit i Norge.

Darkwater

Calling The Earth To Witness

Darkwater are the latest in what seems a long line of fine prog metal bands to emerge from the metal hotbed that is Sweden. Having formed back in 2003, the time spent working on Calling The Earth To Witness appears to have been well worth it, as this is a highly impressive debut album.

Following the short introductory sound montage 2534167, opener proper All Eyes On Me is as good an introduction to the band’s sound – and strengths – as you could wish for. Kicking in with a thick, crisp riff backed with dark, tingling keys, one is immediately reminded of In Search Of Truth-era Evergrey, a comparison which crops up throughout the album. Some of the more florid keyboard work is reminiscent of early Dream Theater (Kevin Moore period), whilst some of the quieter sections have echoes of Pain Of Salvation. Yet it’s the quality of the song writing itself, rather than the influences upon it, which make the most impression – this song is replete with a memorable chorus, great riffs, some quality chops (with the guitar solo’s of Markus Sigfridsson being particularly memorable – alternating between aggressive technicality and languid melody in equal measure) and well executed changes of pace and style, meaning that the nine or so minutes just fly by. The icing on the cake is the fine vocal performance of Henrik Båth – with a style somewhere in between that of Ray Alder and James LaBrie, with a dash of Tom Englund on the slower sections, his confident delivery rarely falters.

This is just the first of many high quality tracks. Again boasts a slightly harder main riff, and features some blazing guitar work which could have come from Symphony X supremo Michael Romeo. Habit is a lengthy but absorbing epic, showing the band’s more proggy, symphonic side as well as featuring several storming heavier passages. The two-part The Play morphs from a well-executed ballad to a stately mid-paced symphonic metal track, with a vaguely Middle Eastern feel to some of the playing. The album ends well with the catchy In My Dreams – at ‘only’ six minutes, its practically a breezy pop song in comparison to some of the lengthier, more weightier counterparts.

The quality meter only really dips once, for Shattered, a song in the vein of Dream Theater’s The Glass Prison which sounds a little laboured in parts, but its’ still a reasonable track. There are also occasions where a little editing would perhaps have benefited the songs, but again this feels rather like nit-picking – many band’s would kill to have written an album as confident and assured as this one on their fifth or sixth outing, let alone as a debut. The razor-sharp, modern edge given to the sound can’t hurt either, as it enhances the band’s chances of getting their music across to as wide a spectrum of metal fans as possible. This is certainly up there in my top five prog metal albums released so far this year – and given that we’ve seen albums by such scene big-hitters such as Symphony X, Redemption, Threshold, not to mention a little known cult band called Dream Theater, that’s illustrious company they’re keeping. Particularly recommended to fans of Evergrey and Redemption’s The Origins Of Ruin, this is well worth hunting down if you like your prog metal dark and full of twists and turns, yet bursting with hooks. A high quality release.

Tracklist: 2534167 (0:32), All Eyes On Me (8:48), Again (9:01), Habit (12:45), The Play – 1 (2:34), The Play – II (8:38), Shattered (9:38), Tallest Tree (10:13), In My Dreams (6:09)

David Bowie

David Robert Jones, best kjent som David Bowie, (født 8. januar 1947 i London, England) er en av rockkulturens fremste artister. Han er først og fremst kjent som komponist, sanger, musiker og musikkprodusent, men han har også gjort seg bemerket som skuespiller i flere filmer og på scenen, samt som billedkunstner, videokunstner, skribent og internett-pioner.

David Bowie er ansett som en av popmusikkens viktigste innovatør. Han har vært innom nesten alle sjangre innenfor popmusikken og har vært en pioner når det gjelder bygging av image og utnyttelse/manipulasjon av media. Bowie har flere ganger endret utseende og fremtoning i takt med musikken og har vært en banebryter når det gjelder å redefinere hva en rocke-konsert kan være med sterk innflytelse fra teater (spesielt Brecht), kabaret og musikaler.

David Bowie startet sin platekarriere allerede som 17-åring i 1964. Hans produksjon de første årene er ujevn, men til dels interessant. Bowie hadde tydeligvis ikke helt bestemt seg for om han ville satse på rock eller på mer musikalinspirert materiale, noe som i stor grad preger hans første album som bare heter David Bowie og kom i 1967.

I 1969 fikk han sin første hit med Space Oddity som både var inspirert av månelandingen og Stanley Kubricks film 2001 - A Space Odyssey. Låten er tatt fra albumet "Man Of Words/Man Of Music", utgitt på nytt som Space Oddity i 1972. Det er en underlig blanding av ulike stilarter og er av varierende kvalitet. Men en låt som Cygnet Commitee med sin kompliserte melodiske struktur, Nietzche-inspirerte tekst, og nesten 10-minutters lengde, viser i alle fall at en her har å gjøre med en 22-åring med et vedlig høyt ambisjonsnivå. Et lite utdrag fra teksten gir et inntrykk av en uvanlig assosiasjonskraft:

"I gave Them life

I gave Them all

They drained my very soul...dry

I crushed my heart to ease Their pains

No thought for me remains there

Nothing can They spare

What of me?

Who praised Their efforts to be free?

Words of strength and care and sympathy

I opened doors that would have blocked Their way

I braved Their cause to guide, for little pay

I ravaged at my finance just for Those

Those whose claims were steeped in peace, tranquility

Those who said a new world, new ways ever free

Those whose promises stretched in hope and grace for me"

Bowies tredje album The Man Who Sold the World kom i 1971 og er det første som føles som et gjennomtenkt album med en helhetlig følelse. Musikken er en slags heavy metal og tekstene viderefører tematikken fra Cygnet Commitee. Produsent Tony Visconti innledet med dette et langt samarbeid med Bowie, men albumet er dessverre preget av at hans produsenterfaring på dette tidspunktet var mangelfull. Lyden er altfor spinkel til musikken. Albumet regnes som det første betydelige i Bowies produksjon, men det solgte likevel dårlig. Senere har særlig tittelmelodien fått klassikerstatus, spesielt etter at Nirvana gjorde en cover-versjon av den. Første vers er ganske representativt for albumet:

"We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when

Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend

Which came as some surprise I spoke into his eyes

I thought you died alone, a long long time ago"

På slutten av samme år kom Bowie med enda et album, nemlig Hunky Dory. Det fikk god mottagelse, og dets status har bare økt i årene som har gått siden. På lister over rockens 100 beste album er det sjelden at det ikke er med. I forhold til forgjengeren er det et mye mer pop-preget album, og pianoet, spilt av Bowie ("The less complicated parts") og Rick Wakeman har en fremtrende rolle i lydbildet. I den første låten på albumet Changes kommer det som nesten kan betraktes som en programeklæring fra Bowie:

"Every time I thought I'd got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse

Of how the others must see the faker

I'm much too fast to take that test"

Albumet er preget av avansert melodikk, med Bowies karakteristiske uventede harmoniskifter og av tekster med så mye symbolikk at de knapt har sine like innenfor popmusikken. Et eksempel fra Quicksand:

"I'm closer to the Golden Dawn

Immersed in Crowley's uniform

Of imagery

I'm living in a silent film

Portraying Himmler's sacred realm

Of dream reality

I'm frightened by the total goal

Drawing to the ragged hole

And I ain't got the power anymore

No I ain't got the power anymore"

Albumet inneholder i tillegg en av Bowies aller mest kjente sanger Life On Mars. En pop-ballade av det helt store format med et storslagent orkesterarrangement av Mick Ronson, Bowies faste gitarist på denne tiden. Låten ble skrevet som en reaksjon til at Bowie ikke nådde opp i konkurransen om å skrive teksten til My Way. My Way er opprinnelig en fransk sang (Comme du Habitude), og Bowies tekst (Even A Fool Learns To Love) ble nedstemt til fordel for Paul Ankas My Way. Den har nøyaktig samme akkordprogresjon som My Way mest kjent med Frank Sinatra.

Mer eller mindre parallelt med innspillingen av Hunky Dory arbeidet Bowie med sitt neste album som skulle komme til å bli hans store kommersielle gjennombrudd, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars og som ble gitt ut sommeren 1972, bare et halvt år etter Hunky Dory. Det er et såkalt konseptalbum som dreier seg om den fiktive personen Ziggy Stardust og hans karrieres vekst og fall. Flere av tekstene har også et islett av science fiction som for eksempel åpningslåten, den apokalyptiske Five Years:

Pushing thru the market square, so many mothers sighing

News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in

News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying

Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying

Senere i samme låt anvender Bowie et meta-perspektiv som må sies å være svært uvanlig i poplyrikk:

I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour, drinking milk shakes cold and long

Smiling and waving and looking so fine, don't think you knew you were in this song

Albumet fikk en meget god mottagelse av både publikum og kritikere og var i mange år regnet av mange som Bowies beste album. I tiden som har gått siden den gang har enkelte andre album fått hevet sin status, så denne posisjonen er ikke lenger så ubestridt.

Utover 1970-tallet skiftet han stadig musikalsk stil og utviklet også andre scenepersonligheter.

I 1973 kom Aladdin Sane (et ordspill: A lad insane, det vil en gal gutt) som er den første platen hvor jazz-pianisten Mike Garson bidrar noe som i høy grad preger flere av låtene på platen, ikke minst tittelkuttet.

I 1974 kom Diamond Dogs løst basert på George Orwells framtidsroman 1984. På dette albumet gjorde Bowie det meste selv inkludert mye av gitarspillingen. Nå skiftet Bowie plutselig stil fullstendig ved å gi ut albumet Young Americans (1975) som er Bowies forsøk på svart soul.

Denne stilen ble viderført på Station to Station (1976) som er en mye mørkere og mer funkpreget og eksperimentell plate. Påvirkning fra tysk eksperimentell popmusikk som for eksempel Kraftwerk kan merkes tydelig. Enda mer eksperimentell er Low og Heroes som begge kom i 1977.

Mye av musikken er elektorniske instrumentale eksperimenter som ligger langt fra det en vanligvis forbiner med rock. På Lodger fra 1979 lånte Bowie musikalske grep fra flere andre kulturer (tyrkisk, reggae, kinesisk) og skapte dermed world music før begrepet var kjent.

Samarbeid med Brian Eno

På alle de tre sistnevnte platene samarbeidet han med den engelske anti-musikeren og produsenten Brian Eno. I 1980 kom albumet Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) som på en måte er en syntese av alle stilene Bowie hadde utprøvd i årene før og som Bowie, ifølge medprodusent Tony Visconti, anså som «sin 'Sgt Pepper'».

De påfølgende to og et halvt år holdt Bowie en lav profil. Singelen Under Pressure med det britiske bandet Queen ble en hit i desember 1981, det samme ble Cat People, tittellåten til filmen av samme navn regissert av Paul Schrader sommeren 1982.

Disse indikerte at Bowie beveget seg i mer kommersiell retning. Våren 1983 gjorde han et massivt come-back med sitt mestselgende album noensinne, Let's Dance og påfølgende verdensturne, som forøvrig var den første stadionturneen i historien. Musikken var en sofistikert blanding av funk/disco med sterke blues-islett. Mange kritikere og fans ble skuffet over denne platen fordi de mente Bowie hadde blitt mainstream og sviktet sin oppgave som innovator. Chick-gitaristen Nile Rodgers produserte platen, og Stevie Ray Vaughan spilte gitar, og det var dette "trekantsamarbeidet" som utgjorde den nye sounden, som på mange måter definerte 1980 tallet.

Bowie selv har fortalt i intervjuer at han ble tatt på sengen av den voldsomme suksessen og at han i flere år etterpå følte seg fanget av de forventningene hans nye publikum hadde til ham. Oppfølgeren til Let's Dance, Tonight fra 1984 er preget av ide-tørke og resirkulering i form flere cover-låter, blant annet tre nyinnspillinger av Iggy Pop-låter. Enda verre var Never Let Me Down fra 1987. Platen er preget av en klisjefylt produksjon og svake låter med et par hederlige unntak.

Bowie følte seg ikke hjemme i rollen som «vanlig» pop-stjerne og i 1989 startet han bandet Tin Machine sammen med Reeves Gabrels på gitar og brødrene Hunt og Tony Sales på bass og trommer.

Dette var et forsøk på å slippe publikums forventninger og starte på nytt som et vanlig band-medlem. Albumet Tin Machine fra samme år er en underlig blanding av pre-grunge, 60-tallsinspirert bluesbasert rock, soniske eksperimenter og tekster preget av sterkt politisk engasjement, ifølge Bowie «protestsanger».

Albumet fikk tildels god mottagelse selv om mange syntes at Bowie som hadde basert mye av sin karriere på ironi og Brecht-aktig distanse ikke helt passet som politisk profet. Bandet ga ut nok en plate i 1991, men interne problemer førte til at samarbeidet opphørte selv om bandet aldri ble offisielt oppløst.

Bowies første soloalbum på seks år Black Tie White Noise kom i april 1993. Her ble han gjenforent med produsent Nile Rodgers som også hadde vært med på Let's Dance. Denne gangen var musikken mye mer eklektisk. Med sterk påvirkning fra jazz og moderne klubbmusikk og elektronisk bearbeiding av instrumenter, spesielt Bowies saksofon, var Bowie igjen i fronten av utviklingen.

Albumet fikk meget god mottagelse og solgte også bra. Samme år kom The Buddah of Suburbia, opprinnelig filmmusikk til en BBC-serie med samme tittel, men som Bowie viderutviklet til en fullverdig solo-plate. Dette albumet ble overhodet ikke markedsført og er svært lite kjent, men er blant Bowies egne favoritter i sin egen produksjon. Musikken er som på Low og Heroes en blanding av instrumentaler og sanger.

I 1995 kom albumet Outside hvor igjen Brian Eno deltok, denne gang også som medprodusent. Musikken er igjen preget av eksperimentvilje og ble i stor grad til gjennom improvisasjoner i studio, på flere låter er flere av musikerne kreditert som medkomponister.

Albumet fikk meget blandet mottagelse. Endel mente at albumet var pretensiøst og kaotisk. Mens andre mente det var et av Bowies beste album. Mye mer materiale ble spilt inn enn det som ble brukt på albumet, og det var meningen at det skulle være det første av fem album sammen med Eno frem mot årtusenskiftet.

Dette ble det ikke noe av, men Bowies neste album, Earthling fra 1997, fortsatte den eksperimentelle linjen fra Outside. Denne gangen omfavnet Bowie musikkretningen drum and bass (også kalt jungle). Han kombinerte denne sjangerens frenetiske rytmer med mer tradisjonell rock og var på den måten igjen en pioner.

Albumet hadde et veldig moderne sound og fikk god mottagelse selv om noen mente det var krampaktig Bowie på den måten ‘snyltet’ på en moderne musikkform han ikke hadde vært med å utvikle. Gitt at det alltid har vært Bowies metode å ta kjente elementer og sette dem sammen på uventede måter, virket denne kritikken litt malplassert.

I 1999 kom albumet Hours som var basert på videreutvikling av musikk Bowie laget i samarbeid med sin gitarist siden Tin Machine Reeves Gabrels til dataspillet Omikron.

På dette albumet fremstod Bowie som en desillusjonert mann i midtlivskrise. Men sin vante tro insisterte han på at også dette bare var en rolle og at den ikke representerte ham selv. I tråd med tematikken var for første gang musikken i stor grad tilbakeskuende med flere låter som melodisk og arrangementsmessig ikke var ulikt ting en kunne finne på Hunky Dory 28 år tidligere.

Til tross for en del gode låter virket albumet litt uferdig og mange ble skuffet over at Bowie tilsynelatende hadde sluttet å eksperimentere, mens endel eldre fans som hadde falt fra på 1980- og 1990-tallet syntes albumet var det beste på mange år.

I 2002 kom Heathen hvor Tony Visconti igjen var medprodusent for første gang siden Scary Monsters i 1980. Heathen er et album som både peker bakover og fremover. En låt som Slip Away har mye av den samme stemning og melodiøsiteten som Life on Mars 31 år tidligere. Slow Burn på den andre siden kan minne om både "Heroes" og Teenage Wildlife, den siste fra nevnte Scary Monsters. På den andre siden har låter som åpningssporet Sunday og den fine balladen I Would Be Your Slave en veldig moderne produksjon og sound. Albumet ble godt mottatt av både kritikere og publikum og var betydelig mindre kontroversielt enn Bowie's eksperimenter på 90-tallet. Platen var ferdiginnspilt bare få dager før terrorangrepene på New York 11. september 2001. På den bakgrunnen fikk teksten til tittellåten en nesten ubehagelig profetisk betydning: "Steel on the skyline/Sky made of glass/Made for the real world/All things must pass".

Høsten 2003 ble albumet Reality sluppet, også dette produsert av Tony Visconti. Platen fikk jevnt over gode kritikker, om enn ikke like overveldende som [[Heathen]]. 6. september samme år holdt Bowie en spesiell konsert i London hvor han blant annet fremførte det nye albumet i sin helhet. Det spesielle lå i at konserten ble satellittoverført til kinoer rundt omkring i verden, og Bowie viste med dette at han fortsatt er nyskapende med tanke på å ta i bruk ny teknologi. I forbindelse med albumutgivelsen annonserte Bowie sin første verdensturne på nesten ti år.

Han gjestet Oslo Spektrum 12. oktober 2003, Koengen i Bergen 17. juni og Norwegian Wood-festivalen i Oslo 18. juni 2004. Sistnevnte vil bli husket som konserten hvor en publikummer var så uheldig å miste en kjærlighet på pinne slik at den traff Bowie i øyet. Noen dager etter Norwegian Wood-konserten måtte Bowie avbryte en konsert i Praha omtrent halvveis, på grunn av smerter i overarmen. Det som først ble antatt å være en nerve i klem, viste seg å være en blokkert arterie, og Bowie gjenomgikk en operasjon for å forhindre hjerteinfarkt. Resten av turneen ble avlyst.

I mai 2006 annonserte Bowie at han var lei av musikkbransjen, og at han ville ta en pause fra å være David Bowie - i minst et år. Han har fått en stjerne på Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dette er David Bowies soloalbum - med høyeste engelske, amerikanske og norske listeplasseringer.

David Bowie (1967)

Space Oddity (1969, 1972-nyutgivelsen nådde UK #17, US #16)

The Man Who Sold the World (1970, 1972-nyutgivelsen nådde UK #26)

Hunky Dory (1971, US #93, 1972-nyutgivelsen nådde UK #3)

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972, UK #5, US #75)

Aladdin Sane (1973, UK #1, US #17, N #11)

Pin Ups (1973, UK #1, US #23, N #8)

Diamond Dogs (1974, UK #1, US #5, N #8)

Young Americans (1975, UK #2, US #9, N #13)

Station to Station (1976, UK #5, US #3, N #8)

Low (1977, UK #2, US #11, N #10)

"Heroes" (1977, UK #3, US #35, N #13)

Lodger (1979, UK #4, US #20, N #11)

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980, UK #1 US #12, N #3)

Let's Dance (1983, UK #1, US #1, N #1)

Tonight (1984, UK #1, US #11, N #3)

Never Let Me Down (1987, UK #6, US #34, N #3)

Black Tie White Noise (1993, UK #1, US #39, N #8)

The Buddha of Suburbia (1993, UK #87)

Outside (1995, UK #8, US #21, N #15)

Earthling (1997, UK #6, US #39, N #13)

'hours...' (1999, UK #5, US #47, N #4)

Heathen (2002, UK #5, US #14, N #2)

Reality (2003, UK #3, US #29, N #2)

Konserter i Norge

Oslo - Ekeberghallen - 5. juni 1978

Oslo - Jordal Stadion - 22. august 1990

Oslo - Oslo Konserthus - 22. oktober 1991

Oslo - Oslo Spektrum - 22. januar 1996

Kristiansand - Quart-festivalen - 3. juli 2002

Oslo - Oslo Spektrum - 12. oktober 2003

Bergen - Koengen - 17. juni 2004

Oslo - Norwegian Wood - 18. juni 2004

DOL AMMAD

En gresk gruppe som kombinerer ulike musikalske retninger på en meget spennende måte. Her gjelder det å ikke være foruinntatt, og gjerne foreta en avlæring før Dol Ammad sin musikk legges i spilleren. Progressiv musikk handler jo egentlig om det å drive med dobbeltkretslæring, som jo går på å søke nytt terreng, utvikle seg, og………………..nettopp dyrke det progressive. Vi som er opptatt av prog, har jo en tendens til å ”stivne” i smaken og holde oss til det kjente å kjære.

Tiden er for de fleste inne for å tenke nytt, og ha en mer progressiv tilnærming til musikken. Da er jo i høy grad musikken til Dol Ammad er ypperlig plass å starte. Hjemmesidener forøvrig her: http://www.dolammad.com/portal/

Dol Ammad is the music spaceship that combines 3 initially very different music worlds and ultimately proves that good music should be free of rules, unprejudiced and universal. Mixing elements from the electronic, the operatic and the heavy metal music worlds, Dol Ammad have created a new universe of sounds and feelings. Their music is characterized by the plethora of sounds, the adventurous compositions and the now 14 member choir (7 men – 7 women) who are the “singer” in Dol Ammad.

Formed in the year 2000 Dol Ammad is the brainchild of composer Thanasis Lightbridge. Growing up with the influences of the great electronic masters such as "Jean Michel Jarre" and "Vangelis", Thanasis Lightbridge discovered along the way the energetic and powerful world of heavy metal which changed the way he thought about music. Dol Ammad is the effortless result of his creative and exploring nature, giving out a highly descriptive, unpredictable and artistic sound that is totally fresh and original.

The band describes itself as “Electronica – Art – Metal” and in 2002 Dol Ammad were presented and interviewed in the "Music University" of Thessaloniki Greece for giving birth to a new music genre!

Dol Ammad released 2 demo CDs in 2001 and 2002 which were incredibly well received by the metal world.

In 2003 Dol Ammad recruited the talents of one of the best power/ progressive drummers in the world, Alex Holzwarth ("Rhapsody", "Sieges Even"), whose input was recorded and produced in Germany’s “Gate Studio” by Sascha Paeth and Olaf Reitmeier. Their much awaited debut album “Star Tales” was released in November 2004. It features 12 tracks of operatic and Progressive Fantasy Metal lasting 62 minutes! “Star Tales” received amazing reviews and feedback and has opened the way to a steadily growing fan-base for Dol Ammad.

“Ocean Dynamics” is another unexplored fantasy trip (this time inspired by the powers of the sea) that reveals the band’s maturity and evolution.

Apart from the more technical and challenging drumming that Alex Holzwarth produced this time, “Ocean Dynamics” will feature one of the greatest singers in the melodic metal world, DC Cooper ("Silent Force", ex-"Royal Hunt"), as a guest singer together with the choir in the song “Aquatic Majesty”.

Seeking total artistic freedom and control, Dol Ammad have formed their own personal record label “Electronicartmetal Records” which will carry the task of releasing Dol Ammad’s works as well as many other projects that Thanasis Lightbridge has planned for the near future.

"Ocean Dynamics"

01. Thalassa
......Dominion I
02. Thalassa
......Dominion II
03. Thalassa
......Dominion III
04. Thalassa
......Dominion IV
05. Solarwinds
06. Descent
07. Lava
08. Aquatic Majesty
09. Liquid Desert
10. Heart Of The Sea

Featuring a 14 member classical choir, with the contribution of drummer Alex Holzwarth (Rhapsody, Sieges Even) and the guest appearance of vocalist D.C. Cooper (Silent Force, ex-Royal Hunt).

If you would like any other information about the band, please send e-Mail to Dol Ammad.

Having listen them for first time, I was impressed by this magnificent Greek band. I consider Dol Ammad such as an Electronic, Melodic Progressive Rock, Symphonic and Epic Power Metal band made of up five virtuoso musicians. It´s fantastic their intensive musical performances, everything turns around complex sounds and instrumental atmospheres, mixing different musical styles. The music from Dol Ammad, alternate between intesives vocals, seven beautiful women and sevem men, creating a sublime fusion of Classic Music with the Progressive, Metal and Electronic Music. Although, the main musical energy, is generated by an impressive number of electronic keyboards, symphonic arrangements to create a deep space cosmic excursion, followed by nice bass lines, sometimes the drums section tends to be more into the best Power Metal style, sometimes go on around in a typical Progressive Rock style. Many of the tracks are developed under a superb orchestration, they sound like nothing you've ever heard before. Dol Ammad is an amazing band and "Ocean Dynamics" a great album and has plenty of variation to keep the listener on an introspective journey, through many varied rock style`s. Brilliant and fantastic, highly recommendable...

The musicians on the Dol Ammad are:
Thanasis Lightbridge - Synthesizers
Alex Holzwarth - Drums & Percussion
Dim - Electric Guitar
Nick Terry - Bass Guitar
DC Cooper - Guest Vocals on “Aquatic Majesty”
Mary Palaska - Soprano
Kortessa Tsifodimou - Soprano
Alexandra Voulgari - Soprano
Vicky Alexaki - Alto
Sofia Patsi - Alto
Maria Stolaki - Alto
Ntina Strani - Alto
Alexandros Barmpas - Tenor
Panos Iampoultakis - Tenor
Themis Mpasdekis - Tenor
Anestis Papageorgiou - Tenor
Kyriakos Chouvardas - Bass
Petros Moraitis - Bass
Yiannis Tsalouhidis - Bass

Dusty Hill

Arrangørene bak Skånevik Blues Festival jublet tidlig i mars, da det ble klart at amerikanske ZZ Top skulle være toppnavnet på festivalen med konsert lørdag 7. juli. Men nå har jubelen stilnet. Alt tyder nemlig på at konserten med guttene bak «Tush», «Gimme All Your Lovin’» og «Got Me Under Pressure» blir avlyst.

–”Konserten er i fare, ja. Vi har fått meldinger om at bassist Dusty Hill har fått svulst på hjernen, og må opereres. Her er vi langt mer bekymret for ham enn for festivalen”, sier festivalsjef Alf Warloe Christophersen til iBergen.no.

Festivalen har jobbet i tre år for å få ZZ Top til Hordaland, og arrangøren er selvsagt svært skuffet og lei seg over avlysningen, og ikke minst årsaken. Publikum på festivalen kan derimot slappe av, beroliger Christophersen.

Den perfekte gaven til den tørste musikkelskeren.

Markedet oversvømmes av tilleggseffekter til iPod. Det er ikke bare de store iPodene som får tilbehør. For de av dere med Shuffle kommer flaskeåpneren. Perfekt på denne årstiden.

Det beste er at denne lille dingsen gjør mer enn bare å åpne flasker. I tillegg til å beskytte spilleren kan du snurre ledningen rundt den, i tillegg til å ta vare på nøklene dine.

Dingsen var faktisk med på en design-konkurranse på årets MacWorld, og vil ligge på ca. 90 kroner.

Death & Taxes

Paradigm For A New Quater

Named after a Benjamin Franklin quote "....the only thing we can be certain of are death and taxes", Death and Taxes describe themselves as a progressive jazz fusion metal band. Though this title might be a wee bit bombastic, this trio does manage to incorporate a vast array of styles though the predominant factor is that they are very very metal. Emerging from the South Bay in Los Angeles, the group was formed in 1987 with only bassist Tom Shannon remaining from the original lineup. The remaining two members are Tony Martinez (guitars, vocals) and Mark Hanson (drums, percussion).

Straight from the onset, Cyberpunks From The Galactic Core is a broad indication of what the group's music deals with. Fast and furious, this style is more akin to the most technical of speed/trash metal bands that were so popular in the eighties. Unfortunately the sound is a bit muffled at times with all instruments bunched together with little or no delineation between individual sounds.

Munchkins From Hell keeps up the tempo, yet there is more musicianship involved in this track. The riffs remain decisively in the speed metal vein with the guitar licks reminding me of Testament, that is until the tempo changes. This track shows the first hint of progressive influences as the speed dies down to an almost complete standstill with Shannon able to wander off into some great bass runs with the remaining two musicians just backing. Paper Thoughts is in my opinion one of the highlights of the album. Starting off like a track that could have easily slotted on 'Master Of Puppets' (Metallica) with a delicate Rush-like intro which gradually piles up into a double-bass drum led rhythmic romp. This the 90's King Crimson playing heavy metal!

Invisible Man is one of the oldest tracks presented on the album. Originally written when Shannon was in a group called New World in the late eighties, it still retains those speed metal influences from groups like Testament, Kreator and Death. Short and straight to the point. The instrumental Fighting The Bromides on the other hand has a more funkier touch to it though it soon descends into that bone-crunching riff that this group can create to then return to the funk! To hear is to believe!

The music just keeps on hitting you between the ears. On Genuflecting Derelict you feel that the group is moving in a Red Hot Chili Peppers direction to then diverge into an almost Slayer like onslaught, Circle Song sounds like pre-keyboard Rush while Man Machine is easily the most commercial track on the album. Not that the music moves away from its complexity, yet this is the first ear-friendly chorus.

Swirling Serling's Baragin Matinee and My Silent World, which is anything but silent, are an excellent showcase for the more jazz-tinged influences the group possesses. On the other hand Sexual Intellectual is fast and furious with great playing from all the band members and The Woodpecker Song is a great complex prog-metal tune. Acid Bath, another track from the eighties, sounds slightly outdated and could have easily been left out of the album in my opinion.

Undoubtedly if you have no affinity for metal in any sense let alone speed metal, then it would be difficult to even conceive you liking just one of the tracks here. On the other hand if you like progressive metal this group will go down superbly. The only drawback that this recording had was the mixing which on certain tracks sounded a bit muddled with the vocals in parts recorded a bit too way down the mix.

Tracklist: Cyberpunks From The Galactic Core (3:47), Munchkins From Hell (4:55), Paper Thoughts (7:04), Invisible Man (2:53), Fighting The Bromides (3:47), Genuflecting Derelict (6:09), Circle Song (5:36), Man Machine (3:55), Swirling Serling's Bargain Matinee (6:50), My Silent World (3:30), Sexual Intellectual (5:54), Obstreprous Auguries (2:19), The Woodpecker Song (7:28), Acid Bath (2:38)

Death & Taxes

The Enigmathatismachine

Theenigmathatisman is the second release from this Los Angeles-based band and the musical maturity that they have acquired since their debut is remarkable. Whereas their debut was a very direct and in your face metal output, this second album is replete with experimentation and does justice to their own definition of the band, a progressive jazz metal fusion band.

The album opens with Becoming, a short track which acts as an intro to the second track on the album Question In Question. Becoming sees the band retaining that raw sound though immediately one senses that there is a looser feel to their music with room for improvisation. Questions In Question is an excellent opener to show what the band have matured into. The sound is still powerful, though even the production seems to have been varied from their last album. In fact a prominence is given to the bass and drums with the guitars not as far forward in the mix as one would expect from a heavy band. I remember hearing a similar sort of production on Onslaught's In Search Of Sanity album. The music retains that complexity with the drums constantly varying the beat, while the music flits from a raw harsh sound to a mellow placid feel. The duet between bass and guitar during the solo is exquisite.
What Can You make Of This? has a funkier direction, almost Living Colour in texture with collaboration from Bal on trumpet which gives the track that extra free jazzed up feel. With Words Of A Feather the band enter the space rock genre with a track that starts off with the guitars feeling airy and light, though with the progression of the track they subsequently pick up in strength and power. On this track show the band show their prowess and capability in producing high caliber progressive metal, something that is not very easy to achieve when the band is just a trio and without the use of keyboards.

Human Fly is a fusion between the previous two tracks as the beat and feel is decisively in a funk-metal vein though the guitar effects give the track that hippy spaced out feeling. The opus Instrumental With Words, running at close to eleven minutes, is one of the stand-out tracks on the album. The guitar effects create that sinister feeling to the whole of the music as the group show how they have attained their new-found musical style that has seen them progress from an almost speed metal output to a more polished and at the same time accessible musical format. Of course the odd reference to their previous style does surface occasionally, but this is blended in with complementary off beats and Shannon's mesmerising bass hooks that allow the guitar onslaught to fit neatly into place.

The title track The Enigma That Is Man opens with an acoustic element that contrasts sharply with the previous Instrumental with Words. More emphasis is placed on syncopation on this track as the rhythm is shifted continuously with awkward off-beats that break the mould of this track from being a straight forward commercial track into a complex progressive rocker. Bottomless Hippopotamus starts off as a slow stomper with a bluesy riff that eventually moves into a funkier direction to eventually become a furious sped up rocker of a tune. The chord playing and bass runs on this track by Tom Shannon is the highlight of the track.

The instrumental Frenetic Genetic Overdrive, as its name implies is a more sped up affair with the distortion cranked up to a maximum as the band return to their roots with a distinct sound that reminds me of groups such Testament. Mid-way the track slows down to a Black Sabbath/Type O Negative plodding sound, a proof that deep down the band still hold their musical roots close to heart! Diet Of Worms has the band retaining their heavy stance though the heavy nature of the music only comes across in fits interrupted by pleasant breaks while the closer After Words is an experimental instrumental track that features an array of effects coupled with interplay between guitar and bass. The now customary bonus track follows the same lines as After Words with the music assuming a free flowing almost improvised nature.

Overall this album shows that the band have made a vast musical improvement over their debut album and this definitely bodes well for the future. They have managed to move forward and create a sound that incorporates a degree of experimentalization together with a certain amount of funk without betraying their metallic roots. The band are gradually coming round to their own band definition which is that of a progressive jazz metal fusion outfit.

On a sadder note, the band are unfortunately in a state of limbo with the news that band leader Tom Shannon has been diagnosed with brain cancer and at the time of writing this review had just undergone surgery to remove the tumour and is undergoing a period of recovery. From all at Dutch Progressive Rock Pages we wish Tom Shannon a quick recovery and look forward to reviewing more of his work in the future.

Tracklist: Becoming (2:10), Questions In Question (5:37), What Can You Make Of This? (2:36), Words Of A Feather (6:01), Human Fly (6:22), Instrumental With Words (10:45), The Enigma That Is Man (4:56), Bottomless Hippopotamus (4:45), Frenetic Genetic Overdrive (5:39), Diet Of Worms (6:22), After Words (4:39)

Deluge Grander

Deluge Grander is a Progressive Rock group from the Baltimore/DC area in the U.S.

The group sprung from the ashes of the Baltimore progressive fusion group "Cerebus Effect". After the third "Cerebus Effect" album "Acts of Deception," Dan Britton, who had been working on some new material, suggested to drummer Patrick Gaffney that they try to form a new group to record and possibly perform the material. Eventually, guitarist Dave Berggren joined in and made some valuable contributions of his own. With the acquisition of Brett d'Anon on bass, the group was complete. Brett's uncle Frank, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist in his own right, also sat in on some session and added a few parts of his own.

The first Deluge Grander album is "August in the Urals," which was released in September 2006. Below some information about the songs, track by track.

Inaugural Bash:
This is a 7-part collection of ideas that, in spite of their diversity, hold together well as an extended piece. The first 4 sections were originally intended to be the bulk of the piece, but new sections were added on while those original 4 were being worked on.

August in the Urals:
Another extended piece, this one is basically in four parts, though there are a lot of sections that get reprised in alternate forms throughout the piece. The main theme, stated in the beginning on acoustic guitar, at around 3:00, and again at the end as a coda, is based equally around a simple melody and chord sequence, as well as Brett's distinctive bassline. In fact, the bass is one of the most important elements of this track.

Abandoned Mansion Afternoon:
Although it's 12 minutes long, there aren't a whole lot of changes to this piece, which in some way incorporates both ambient and jazz sounds. (The working title for it was "Hancock/Schulze"). Although the rhythms rarely deviate from a steady 5/4 rhythm, the track ebbs and recedes several times. There are also a large number of snippets of some obscure albums thrown in for seconds at a time in many spots. There were some problems encountered after this song was mixed that necessitated some tricky remixes at home- it was tough to tell for sure whether this would be a problem, but I think it turned out ok.

A Squirrel:
This instrumental goes from baroque to jazz-funk and finally incorporates both approaches at the end. Other than the analog synthesizer, there were no additional overdubs to this one. This one and "Abandoned Mansion Afternoon" were the first two pieces Deluge Grander worked on.

The Solitude of Miranda:
Although this was the final track recorded for the album, it was actually composed on a cheap $90 acoustic guitar in 2001 by Britton in St. Petersburg, Russia. The middle piano section was added in just before the group started working on it.

"August in the Urals"

01) Inaugural
......Bash (26:57)
02) August in the
......Urals (15:52)
03) Abandoned Mansion
......Afternoon (12:14)
04) A Squirrel (8:45)
05) The Solitude
......of Miranda (7:18

Deluge Grander is a tremendous new discovery with considerable promise. Their music sounds with references to the classics of the early 70's, with modern and sophisticated orchestration, constituted by renowned and talented musicians. Their main musical style is Symphonic Progressive Rock in top form, blended with some fuzion parts including some Art Rock elements. The music is extremely diverse and, the rich compositions are much more complex, with extended instrumental explorations. We have, all time, extraordinary guitar solos and cosmic keyboard lines alternating quickly or playing different lines simultaneously. The sound of Deluge Grander has influences of many progressive rock bands of all times, it´s possible hear a high quality Progressive Rock that, even reflects a wide variety styles from bands such as "Genesis", "Yes", "Frogg Cafe", "Spocks Beard", "Emerson, Lake & Palmer", "Porcupine Tree", "Moody Blues" and etc... What an amazing band, and what a perfect album. Brilliant and fantastic, an incredible debut album, highly recommendable...

The line up on Deluge Grander are:
Dan Britton - Keyboards Mostly, occasional Guitars and Vocals
Dave Berggren - Guitars
Patrick Gaffney - Drums
Brett d"Anon - Bass

Guest Musicians:
Frank d' Anon - Xylophone, Trumpet, Flute & Keyboards (1, 5)
Jeff Suzdal - Saxophones (1)
Adnarim Dadelos - Vocal (5

Dissekering

Noen av oss bare bobler over av nysgjerrighet. Derfor tok vi en Zune spiller og diverse egnet verktøy og la foran vår nerdete venn Bob Kåre og hans meget muntre gjeng. Som vi ante kunne de ikke styre sin nysgjerrighet. Ganske så kjapt var spilleren dissekert etter alle kunstens regler.

Vi hadde vært forutseende nok til å filme begivenheten. Her er hva en stolt og svett Bob Kåre og blant annet Bill Thorvald utrettet på noen få minutter:

Delain

Lucidity

Lucidity is the impressive debut album of Delain, a unique gothic rock project initiated by (ex-Within Temptation) keyboardist Martijn Westerholt. He has surrounded himself with a number of extremely talented musicians such as Finnish bassist Marko Hielata (Nightwish, Tarot), guitarist Jan Yrlund (ex-Lacrimosa) and Norwegian vocalist Liv Kristine (ex-Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes). A number of renowned Dutch rock musicians contributed to the project as well: singer Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), guitarist Ad Sluyter (Epica), drummer Ariën van Weezenbeek (God Dethroned) and singer George Oosthoek and guitarist Guus Eikens (ex-Orphanage). Delain has room for new talent as well: the young and relatively unknown singer Charlotte Wessels (ex-To Elysium) contributed most of the vocals on the album.

Imagine this: you have been part of a band for five years, and when they finally break through, you are unable to reap the fruit of success! It happened to Martijn Westerholt. From 1996 until 2001, he was a fulltime member of Within Temptation, by now one of the most successful and internationally renowned Dutch rock bands. While his brother Robert and his fellow Dutch goth-rockers set out to conquer the world, Martijn was forced to leave the band because of a chronic illness. But he did not give up. As soon as he was physically fit, he began to write songs again, at first just as a way to pass the time. But it felt so good that his desire to make music on a professional level got stronger everyday. Slowly but surely, his idea for a musical project began to take shape.

Martijn made a wish list of talented musicians and began to contact each of them personally by sending out demos and making phone calls. Sooner than he'd expected, his wish list began to materialize into a project of international standing. He called it Delain, inspired by the kingdom of Delain from Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon.

In July 2005, Delain signed a recording deal with Roadrunner Records, the ultimate metal label and the ideal partner for Delain because of their international contacts and knowledge of the genre. Soon afterwards, Delain started recording their debut album in Germany, Finland, Sweden and The Netherlands with Oliver Phillips and Martijn himself at the production desk, whereas Stefan Helleblad (Opeth, Rammstein and Dark Funeral) did the final mixing.

Delain is an exceptional band because of its project-like set-up. The many musicians and vocalists on Lucidity have all left their mark on the music. "I wanted to encourage interaction between the different musicians," says project leader Martijn. But despite his prominent role, he provided enough room for personal contributions. "I think it is important to create a positive vibe in the studio. I had a final say with regard to the overall sound, but I made sure my ego did not get in the way of the best final result."

Despite the fact that Delain is, first and foremost, a project, Martijn and the talented Charlotte Wessels make up the core of the band. Martijn wrote most of the songs, whereas the characteristic voice of Charlotte gives Delain its own identity. Her serene and poppy sound differs from the high opera-like vocals so typical for the gothic genre. Martijn met the then still 18-year-old Charlotte by chance. He wasn't looking for a lead vocalist at the time, so he just asked her to write lyrics and vocal parts. But when he heard her sing a few tracks in the studio, he was so impressed that he immediately asked her to join Delain.

Lucidity contains some interesting duets: Liv Kristine sings with Marko Hielata on 'Day For Ghosts' and with Charlotte on 'See Me In Shadow'. Sharon den Adel's distinctive voice is a great counterpart to Marko's intense vocals on 'No Compliance', whereas the heavy grunts of George Oosthoek combine very well with Charlotte's peaceful voice on a number of other tracks.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the musical and vocal diversity on the album, the songs on Lucidity form an appealing unity. Musically characteristic for Delain are the prominent keyboards, bombastic choirs and changes in tempo, added with heavy guitars, ultra-tight drums and great melodies. "I love beautiful, melancholic and powerful, even euphoric, music. But most important for me is the vibe a song has," explains Martijn.

The album release will be preceded by the first single 'Frozen', which contains the same ingredients as most of the songs of Lucidity: a catchy chorus, heavy riffs, a guitar solo, a choir, but also a more mellow and melodic break. In short, it is a great taste of everything Delain has to offer!

Deadwood Forest

A recent discovery from Texas, Deadwood Forest follows the similar mold of many prog bands today; the retro 70s sound. Unlike most of these bands, Deadwood Forest pulls this off quite admirably. A melding of various influences, including King Crimson and typical 70s symphonic such as Genesis, these sounds are brought together to form a hybrid that evokes the Moody Blues in the vocal songs and Anglagard in the instrumentals (not surprising, as former Anglagard drummer Matthias Olsson is the producer here). The combination works; an even amount of mellotron drenched vocal tracks interspersed with raw instrumental power.

"The Pioneer" provides a rather auspicious beginning, starting with a rather annoying and repetitive drum beat, and is the most simplistic song on the album. Fortunately, it gets better from there. "King of the Skies" is one of the best examples of the meshing of styles here, a typical prog song with extended instrumental bits. This is one of the pieces that most brings to mind Anglagard, with fierce riffs contrasting with lush mellotron. "The City in the Sea" follows a similar pattern. "Stolen Smile" is a heavy instrumental, recalling the dark influence of King Crimson via Anglagard.

While not the most original thing to come along, Melodramatic is a solid outing of new symphonic rock with a retro slant. The biggest criticism here is that the band takes its influences from some premier bands, but lacks material of their own that really stands out. It will be interesting to see where the band goes from here.

Duty Free Area

DFA

Alberto Bonomi - keyboards, vocals

Alberto De Grandis - drums, vocals

Luca Baldassari - bass

Silvio Minella - guitar

DFA was formed in 1991 by Alberto de Grandis, Luca Baldassari and Roberto Tommasini of Verona, Italy. De Grandis was the main composing force in the fledgling band, which rounded out its lineup in 1993 with addition of Silvio Minella on guitar. They explored progressive territory first mined by King Crimson, Gong, and Allan Holdsworth. In 1994 DFA made its initial live performances to good reviews. Buoyed by the reception, they recorded a six-song all-instrumental demo tape entitled Trip on Metrò. Reviews were positive, eliciting comparisons to Moerlen-era Gong. Alberto Piras of Deus ex Machina heard the tape and saw a tremendous amount of potential in this young four-piece, agreeing to produce their first full CD.

At this time Tommasini left the group. The keyboard vacancy was rapidly filled by Alberto Bonomi. In 1996, the new line-up re-recorded many of the songs on Trip on Metrò with Piras in the producer's chair, adding vocals performed by both De Grandis and Bonomi. Some of the compositions were fleshed out with extended complex instrumental breaks. DFA first performed live with this line-up in January of 1996. In October of that year, Lavori in Corso (Works in Progress in English) was released on Piras's Scolopendra label. The album is chock-full of highly sophisticated but very melodic jazz-influenced progressive rock, with occasional vocals.

1997 saw the live debut of all of the Lavori in Corso material, in the band's hometown of Verona. Gigs with legendary Italian progressive bands Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Le Orme attracted attention to this rapidly developing quartet. DFA began to get noticed outside of the Italian peninsula as well. Keyboard columnist Dan Barrett stated in the magazine's 1997 year-end issue: "This superb new band from Italy carries the torch of Yes and Gentle Giant without being imitative. Lavori in Corso features intricate, complex, high-energy ensemble playing that grabbed me in the first 10 seconds and didn't let go. Possibly my favorite release of the last three years."

During 1997 and 1998, DFA broke in some material for another album in the live setting. In September of 1998 the band concentrated solely on composing for their sophomore effort. The band was signed by Mauro Moroni's Mellow Records, ensuring wider worldwide distribution. Recording took place in June 1999. Duty Free Area was released in October 1999. This album expands the already distinctive DFA sound, with a bit of an Ozric Tentacles or Happy the Man vibe in places. Of note is the track "Esperanto", featuring the unmistakable vocals of guest performer Piras. "Escher" is a stunning ten-minute instrumental workout with bubbling synths and laser-precise drumming and guitar leads.

Discography:

Lavori in Corso (1997)

Duty Free Area (1999)

Home page: digilander.iol.it/dfa

Den Lille Prins

Litt musikk fra hippietiden kan være et kjærkommet om enn nostalgisk bekjentskap.

DEN LILLE PRINS~Hippieology vol. 1

~From the ancient rock-years in Denmark. DEN LILE PRINS and FORENINGEN TILL LIVETS BESKYTTELSE was situated in a comunity outside Aalborg in Jyland Denmark around '70 - '72. This is more or less the same story as FUREKAABEN from Copenhagen: People are living together in a community, some of them are musicians, and.. wow, you have a band ! Just the girl Susanne Hamilton is from Copenhagen, and she was presentet to the group via the "producer" from ancient rec. label Spectator. No wonder that the two LPs sounds like something between FUREKABEN and SKOUSEN / IINGEMANN. That means rock based on folk. Instruments are: Acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, violin, saxophone, jewharp, mandolin and lotsa vocal. Lyrics are naive-but-with-a-big-warm-heart as they came those days, and this was not bad at all. The atmosphere is so groowy and friedley as you can think of. Those days were really something. These two LPs on one CD tells us something about why the early hippie-rock-days were so good.

This is more or less the same story as FUREKAABEN from Copenhagen: People are living together in a community, some of them are musicians, and.. wow, you have a band ! A rock album based on folk. Instruments are: Acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, violin, saxophone, jewharp, mandolin and lotsa vocal. The atmosphere is so groowy and friedley as you can think of.

Dali`s Dilemma

Manifesto For Futurerism

Californian quintet Dali's Dilemma's sole album, Manifesto for Futurism, has been missing from DPRP for some years now; it's been one of my favourite albums for some time, so it's probably worth a wider airing. Another of Magna Carta's non-touring groups, Dali's Dilemma matches keyboardist Matt Guillory, known from experiments like Explorer's Club and Mullmuzzler, with progressive metal musicians of equal talent to remarkable success.

The obvious comparison here is with Dream Theater, and indeed Dali's Dilemma stand up well. The album opener Within A Stare serves as a powerful introduction, Guillory's keyboards leading into a rhythmic feast of metal riffing. Vocalist Matt Bradley has more of a raw voice than we often hear, even in the upper reaches, and never really enters the stratosphere, preferring to remain in the melodic lower range. The backing vocals are used throughout to excellent effect.

From this strong start, it's good to hear that Dali's Dilemma keep the standard throughout. Miracles in Yesteryear could come straight from Images and Words, high praise for any band in the genre. Bassist Steve Reyes stars with a remarkably melodic bass solo. Despite the Waves sounds like a major-key Fate's Warning, if such a beast can be imagined. Two instrumentals bracket Ashen Days, which breaks things up nicely between hard rock onslaughts. Whispers, a short 2-minute keyboard instrumental, is the better of the two, although neither of the two hangs around for long before launching into This Time Around.

The high point of the middle of the disc, however, is Hills of Memory, a fairly straightforward but melodic metal ballad clearly intended as single material. Can't You See is a technically demanding but melodic excursion into Queensryche territory, but the standout is the ELP-inspired Living In Fear, diminished chords leading into a fast-paced rocker that never loses momentum even as it shifts from rhythm to rhythm on its way to the climax.

It's a shame we've heard no more from Dali's Dilemma, because this debut album is simply faultless. Strong melodies buoy up the songs throughout, while the riffing and technical prowess is used to superb and tasteful effect. It may not be the last word in originality, but it's rare to find CDs as good as this, and it easily ranks alongside the best written and executed prog-metal of all time.

Dopamin

Trofast med hormoner ! Hvorvidt dette også kan spores til å være trofast mot musikk, og å ha en bevist holdning til hva en liker, og for eksempel avsky kommersiell musikk, samt elske musikk som utfordrer en som lytter sier såga ingenting om.

Kan et enkelt hormon forklare trofasthet? Det mener forskerne som har undersøkt effekten av kjærlighets-hormonet på monogame mus.

Kjærlighet er kjemi. I alle fall for forskerne som studerer de forskjellige hormonene som påvirker hjernen vår.

Nå mener en gruppe forskere at hormonet dopamin står ansvarlig for både rusavhengighet og kjærlighet. Trofasthet er også et resultat av hormonene.

Dopamin har en klar sammenheng med rusavhengighet til stoffer som kokain og heroin. Og kjærlighets-beviset fant forskerne hos en gruppe trofaste præriemus, forteller avisen Daily Mail.

Monogame mus
Den lille gnageren Microtus ochrogaster er berømt for sin monogame livsstil. Musene holder seg til én partner hele livet og jager unna andre mus av motsatt kjønn som truer forholdet.

Men hva skjer når de mannlige musene får blokkert effekten av dopamin i hjernen? Forskerne fra Florida State University testet dette på mannlige præriemus og satte seg ned for å studere musenes oppførsel.

Mangelen på dopamin førte til at mannlige mus raskt mistet interessen for sine partnere. Forskerne mener at hormonet er ansvarlig både for utviklingen av et forpliktende forhold og lite interesse for andre partnere, og dette endret seg helt når hormonet ble blokkert.

Trofaste menn
Amerikanske forskere har tidligere undersøkt effekten av et annet hormon på kjærlighetslivet. Betydningen av hormonet vasopressin ble avslørt i studiet av to forskjellige typer mus.

De kjærlige og trofaste præriemusene utviser nemlig en helt annen oppførsel enn sine promiskuøse fettere slette-mus som ligger rundt så ofte de får sjansen. De utro musene er heller ikke spesielt interessert i familieliv eller i å sørge for at avkommet har det bra.

Men hvordan kan to pattedyr med så like gener ha så ulik oppførsel når det kommer til seksualitet og partnerskap? Undersøkelser av dyrenes hjerneaktivitet ga svaret:

Dream Theater

Octavarium

Dream Theater består av musikere som alle har blitt kåret om og om igjen som "verdens beste" innenfor sine felt, av diverse rockemagasiner og musikkblader. Mange ser kanskje for seg Dream Theater som et veldig tungt metall band. Kanskje har du bare hørt så vidt innom et par klipp og funnet ut at dette var for hardt? Det er nemlig ikke tilfelle. Dream Theater har plassert seg under sjangeren: Progressiv Metal. Veldig kort fortalt er det en sjanger hvor basspedalene til tider kan gå ganske fort, som man kjenner til i metal sjangeren, men musikken er forøvrig ganske rytmisk og melodiøs, og vokalisten synger "clean vocals". Altså, du hører helt tydelig hva som blir sunget.

Så over til selve albumet, ”Octavarium”, som er det nyeste albumet til Dream Theater, og som kom ut tidlig i sommer. Musikken kan fort oppfattes som "briefete", med ville soloer og ekstremt komplisert sammensatte melodier. Det er forøvrig ikke så "briefete" som folk vil ha det til. Det er et system i det hele, og gutta er rett og slett bare utrolig samspilte! Mitt råd er at dersom man skal høre på Dream Theater for første gang, må en ikke gi opp etter å ha hørt ett eller to spor, men la det synke inn og forstå hele sammenhengen i musikken.

Tittelen på albumet er ikke tilfeldig. Skiva er nemlig deres 8. album, og tittelen spiller på ordet ”Octa” som betyr nettopp ”8”. Det er derimot ikke kun dette som spiller på tittelen, det er flere ting som ligger skjult bak ordspillet. Blant annet har skiva akkurat 8 spor, og tittelsporet ”Octavarium” er ikke rent tilfeldig spor nummer 8. Her står det også i teksten: ”Trapped innside this Octavarium” Kanskje hintes det til at de er forevig bundet til dette 8 tallsystemet? Jeg skal ikke gå noe nærmere inn på symbolikken rundt tittelen, men det finnes mange finurlige ting rundt det, og mange teorier ute på nettet.

Når det gjelder innholdet på albumet er det kanskje litt annerledes enn slik man er vant å høre Dream Theater. Mange av de største Dream Theater fansene har veldig varierte meninger om dette albumet. Noen mener at sangene er for rolige, og at Dream Theater ikke får vist sin harde side, andre mener at dette er akkurat hva Dream Theater er kommet sammen for.

Octavarium har egentlig det meste man kan ønske seg av et band med slike kvaliteter. De har fete soloer, utrolig fengende partier og rytmer og ikke minst holder tekstene god stand. Selv personer som ikke liker hardere musikk en man kan finne på VG lista, kan finne spor på dette albummet de liker. Samlet er vel skiva noe roligere en mange av de øvrige, men har selvfølgelig fortsatt mye av trøkket i behold.

Akkurat Dream Theater er faktisk vanskelige å anmelde, for de er så varierte fra spor til spor.
I det ene øyeblikket blir vi kastet inn i heftige rytmer og utrolige gitar soloer, før alt plutselig brytes opp og blir helt rolig som i spor nummer to; ”The answer lies within”.
”I walk beside you” inneholder et snev av likheter med ”U2”. Det varer ikke lenge, men et spesielt punkt i refrenget minner virkelig om U2 materiale. ”Panic Attack” har også slående likheter, denne gangen med bandet ”Muse”. Når man hører starten av sangen finnes det ingen likheter overhodet, men så helt plutselig, halvveis i sangen, hører man det. Enhver som har hørt litt på Muse vet hva jeg snakker om når de hører denne sangen.
Det er at disse to sangene har likheter med andre band, er slett ikke noe negativt, men heller gode eksempler på hvor varierende spor til spor kan være.

Skal jeg sammenligne denne plata med resten av platene deres må jeg si at dette absolutt er en av de bedre! Den desidert beste plata de har gitt ut er "Scenes from a memory", men Octavarium ligger ikke langt bak. Veldig kjapt oppsummert kan man si at Octavarium er et mesterverk av en utrolig kombinasjon av dyktige musikere.

Artikkelen er hentet fra Musikkavisen.

Drottnar

Drottnar? Hva, eller hvem, er det? Først å fremst er de bandet som nettopp har gitt ut en kritikerrost EP. Bare sjekk anmeldelsen på Musikkavisen sine sider. Dermed er det straks interessant å finne ut hvem som skjuler seg bak det originale navnet. Så undertegnede tok mot til seg, og møtte deler av bandet til et kort intervju. Det ble mye snakk om løst og fast innen vår felles kjærlighet for metal musikk. Men noe fornuftig fikk jeg vel ut av Karl Fredrik (gitar) og Glenn-David (trommer).

Vi kan jo begynne litt med bandets historie. Fortell...

Noen av oss begynte så smått å spille sammen allerede i 1996. Som Drottnar (forøvrig et gammel-islandsk ord) har vi eksistert siden 1998. Vi var veldig unge da vi startet, og musikken var i stilen death metal. Etter hvert gikk det mer over i black metal og viking metal. Første demo ble spilt inn i 1997, og den andre i 1998. Plankton Record re-utgav disse 2 demoene på CD i 2000, under tittelen "Spiritual Battle". Denne CD'en er nå ganske vanskelig å få tak på, og Glenn-David har ikke selv et eksemplar en gang! Vi hadde også med en låt på en samle-CD som selskapet Endtime Productions gav ut i 2000. Låta het "Trellebaand Maa Briste", og samlealbumet het "In The Shadow of Death". Etter dette ble det litt stilt på oss, før vi i det siste har begynt å spille litt live igjen, og altså gitt ut en ny EP, ved navn "Anamorphosis", gjennom det relativt nystartede selskapet Monumentum Scandinavia.

Hvordan vil dere selv beskrive musikken deres?

Det er veldig vanskelig å sette det en selv driver med i bås. Noen vil kalle det teknisk death metal, andre black metal eller avantgarde metal. Det er egentlig ikke så viktig for oss. Vi spiller bare det vi selv liker. Som sagt har stilen vår forandret seg stort sett gjennom hele vår eksisterende periode, men nå føler vi at vi har landet ved det musikalske uttrykket vi føler oss hjemme i. Så fort noen prøver å sette en label på et band så er det alltid noen som mener noe annet. Det får bli opp til lytterne. Jo åpnere sinn du lytter med, jo mer uttelling tror vi du får ut av musikken.

Har dere noen videre mål med Drottnar?

Målet er først å fremst å fortsette å spille, og ta det som det kommer. Vi skriver låter, og har selvfølgelig lyst til å spille inn en fullengder. "Anamorphosis" er ment som en slags promo. Vi vil vise hva vi har å by på, og se hvordan dette blir mottatt.

Og hvordan har EP'en blitt mottatt?

Så langt har det vært overveldende bra respons. Vi har faktisk ikke registrert noe negativ feedback ennå. Men skiva har nok ikke blitt aktivt sendt ut til anmeldelser. Selskapet har trykt 850 eksemplarer, så først til mølla prinsippet gjelder her. Poenget var å gjøre utgivelsen så tiltalende ut som mulig. Derfor har det blitt lagt litt vekt på et flott utseende, og en noe spesiell "innpakning". På den måten føler du at du har noe ikke alle andre har, samt at det er forseggjort. Så vil kun tiden vise hva som skjer videre.

Er det blitt mye konsertvirksomhet på bandet?

I år har vi spilt i Tyskland, Tsjekkia, Sverige og Norge. Vi spilte bl.a. på Elements Of Metal i Sandefjord, og på Inferno-vorspielet i Oslo. Vi prøver også å lage litt show ut av konsertene våre, med diverse effekter og sånt. En får nesten komme å se oss live for å forstå omfanget av det vi driver med. Responsen vi fikk i Tsjekkia var så bra at vi ble bedt om å komme igjen. Vi får se hva det blir til med det.

Og da gikk denne reporteren tom for fornuftige spørsmål, selv om vi ble sittende å tjatre en god del videre. Vil du vite mer om bandets virke kan du gå inn på websiden deres: www.drottnar.com. Sjekk også ut "Anamorphosis"!