Funeral Rain Press Corps

When: Tuesday February 15, 2011
Where: Edmonton Event Centre, Edmonton, Alberta

It’s so awesome to get onto the guest list for a concert that you REALLY want to see. But it’s lame as shit to be turned away at the door due to a clerical error. But it’s even more awesome when you’re walking through West Edmonton Mall (where the venue is housed) and you see the singer for the band that you’re at the show to see walking around.
You call his name. He turns around to see who the hell just recognized him. You chat for a moment. He laughs at the situation, and basically sneaks you and your wife into the venue so that you can watch the show.
And then after it’s all over you realize: “Fuck man, I just met Blake Judd and didn’t get my picture with him.”
As we got into the show late, we ended up missing all of Turisas, except for most of the last song. All I have to say about that is LAME. They seem like a really cool live band, and there’s something kind of sexy about a hot chick headbanging while playing accordion, so to have caught the whole set would have been sweet. Based on half of one live song: 7 out of 10.
The second act, Daniel Lioneye, was really fucking odd. I did some quick research into them, and they’re a HIM side project. Their singer is in fact Linde from HIM. They played a mix of black metal, melodic death metal, and Black Label Society-esque Southern rock, all with a stoner rock feel more than sound. Pretty good, but not something I would personally buy. 6 out of 10.
Nachtmystium took the stage to barely any fanfare. Poor bastards in the crowd had no idea who Nachtmystium are, it would seem, because there wasn’t much cheering. And as the band got off the stage, there still wasn’t much cheering. I hope it’s because everyone was stunned by how awesome they played.
Seriously, Nachtmystium became one of my favorite bands after last night. The sound wasn’t as muddied as Daniel Lioneye’s, making Blake’s vocals intelligable, and keeping all the instruments fairly well balanced. It’s hard as hell to do that at Edmonton Event Centre, mostly because it’s a shitty designed venue. Throw in a band that actually fucking PERFORMS and you’ve got a guaranteed win.
Sadly, Nachtmystium do perform a style of metal that does require one to have an attention span, intelligence, and the ability to recognize more than one musical influence at a time, which is probably part of the reason there were not as many people into the music as I thought there would be. Yes, Edmonton, that is a mild insult. I hope you’ll overcome your shortcomings in the future, because this band is pure win. 9 out of 10.
Cradle of Filth had the baton passed to them, and they were really good at getting the crowd into the tunes, but I’ll be honest when I say I’ve never been a huge fan. And after seeing them live, I’m still not a huge fan. Dani’s a great frontman, but at times seems awkward with himself more than others. The lady at the keyboards is gorgeous, and while no Sarah Jezebel Deva, she does the female vocals that SJD did on the albums wonderful justice, especially in “Her Ghost in the Fog”. The rest of the band, Paul, Dave, Martin and James, brought Cradle of Filth’s Gothic-tinged black metal sound to a loud and proud level for Edmonton once again, getting the crowed pumped and the pit somewhat violent looking. The sound man obviously had not shit the bed, as pretty much everything that Cradle did was crystal clear, so kudos to him. But ultimately, I prefer Cradle of Filth’s recorded music more than their live show. 6 out of 10.

Genres: Black Metal, Electronic Black Metal, Folk Metal
Label: Satanica

Belgium’s Malpertuus returns with a new full-length that surpasses the previous album Odyssea by far. The songs are a bit longer I think, with more thought put into their construction. It’s more cohesive as an album, rather than a collection of related songs. The fact that it’s a concept album might be part of it, but I think Angelus is just getting better at writing.
The music itself is keyboard based, with a definite electronic sound to it. It’s odd as hell at first, but you get used to it by the third song, and it becomes natural by the fifth song, and stays natural through repeated listens. Possibly one of the most interesting sounding bands to come out in a long time.
7 out of 10.

Malpertuus on MySpace.

Genres: Black Metal, Folk Metal, Pagan Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records

So the other night Mrs. Blaspheme and I are in HMV, as usual, and she said she’d grab a CD for me that’s under $22. So I saw Primordial, and liking their newer stuff that I’ve heard but not hearing the first album before, I grabbed Imrama. It was sitting at $19.99, so it passed the cash test.
And now, after hearing it twice, it passes the ear test. This album is a classic for black metal fans, and I understand why. It’s definitely grim, but unlike Scandinavian black metal, it’s not frostbitten. There is a beautiful warmth from the album that gives it a very different feel, and sound, and overall aura in comparison with Scandinavian black metal.
Must be all the Guinness and Harp.
Instrumentally, there’s nothing too special or odd, but since these guys are Irish and there is folk metal going on here, whistle and bodhran are present, which adds a really cool flavor.
Over all, Imrama kicks ass and I’m glad Metal Blade re-released it. I recommend it if you’re into folk metal like Arkona, or black metal like Hellhammer or Bathory.

Also tacked onto Imrama is the Dark Romanticism demo from 1993, which is great because trying to find it otherwise would probably prove to be a pain in the ass.
These four tracks show what would essentially become the sound of Imrama, just slightly more raw. Really great stuff.

The DVD that came with this Metal Blade re-release is a live show from 1994, in Cork. The video, the sound, the entire thing is rawer than a still living steak, and fuck is it gorgeous to behold. Stage jumpers, intense moshing, and Alan with long, flowing hair!
If you’ve already got Imrama and Dark Romanticism, this set is worth buying just for this concert footage.

CD: 8 out of 10.
DVD: 8 out of 10.

Primordial on MySpace.

When: Saturday October 15, 2010
Where: Starlite Room, Edmonton, Alberta

Long story short, I was intending to attend this show, in support mostly of Sonorous Odium, the direct support to Samandriel, but after checking the headliner’s music, I became a fan of them as well. Unfortunately, I was not going to be able to attend simply due to money. I had none.
Thankfully, a friend of mine is friends with Jeff B., the keyboardist of Samandriel, and he was able to hook me and Mrs. Blaspheme up with a guest list spot. So to begin this review: thank you Randee and Jeff!
Now, the show! A band from Calgary, Viathyn, opened up the night’s festivities, and did they kick ass! Unfortunately for them some technical difficulties plagued them and the vocals weren’t quite loud enough, but they impressed me enough to go and grab their CD from the merch booth. Proggy, folky, and technical as hell, Viathyn are going to be a force to reckon with. If you’re into stuff like Opeth, Eluveitie, Korpiklaani, and Finntroll, you might be into these guys.
The second band, Sonorous Odium, are some local favorites. Technical melodic death metal, I guess would fit their genre. I’ve been a fan since I saw them headline a show at New City. Fans of Swedish death in general should give Sonorous Odium a listen. They’ve got an EP out that you can expect a review of soon.
Finally, Samandriel took the stage, and despite having to follow Sonorous Odium’s set were undaunted. And they took home the win. Again, some technical difficulties affected the first couple minutes of their set, but they were soon smoothed over and a nearly flawless victory was achieved. Symphonic gothic metal is Samandriel’s forte, and Doneka’s voice is strong, full, and rich. Hoop’s death growls and bass work add a diversity to the band who, if this show is indicative, have a very bass-heavy live set. If you’re into Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, The Gathering, etc., Samandriel will probably turn your crank as well. Give them a listen at MySpace, and if you’re interested order a copy of Awakening.
In all, it was a great night; new CDs in my collection, and some good live music. I hope to see all three bands again soon. Hopefully next time I’ll take the damn camera!

Genres: Doom, Sludge
Label: Ecophagy Records

This review here is an oddity for me. First up, I got it from Clawhammer PR, which isn’t odd. But HOW I got it from them is: the singer of the band, Jarret Keene, specifically asked Clawhammer to ask me to do the review. I feel honored, Jarret.
Now, the music contained within this album: wow. Picture Black Sabbath sped up a little, with some High on Fire thrown in, maybe some Orange Goblin too. It’s definitely a classic style of doom, traditional to the core, but touches of sludge are in this too. Fucking great primitive nuclear METAL.
You can tell that Jarret is new to the guitar, because of the rawness of the riffs, the sound, everything, and it does not detract at all. The fact that he’s self-taught and has barely been playing for a year adds to the music, and his doctorate in English makes the lyrics that much more potent. He can throw down more metaphors and similes than most lyricists.
Jaq and Jessie’s drums and bass keep this rhythmic monster solid and gorgeously slow, while pounding the horrors of nuclear Armageddon into my conscious and subconscious. I don’t think I’ll sleep proper for awhile after listening to this.
If you want to take a trip through a nuclear wasteland covered in people succumbing to the horrors of radiation, starvation, and worse of all each other, take a trip with Dead Neon. It’s fucking awesome, and I know this is going to be on my own Top 10 for awhile.
My favorite songs are “Doom Town”, “Cancer Eater”, and the folked up album closer “Ride the Light”.
10 out of 10.

Dead Neon on MySpace.