I’m not gonna lie – I was SO excited when Victoria Grace Howell nominated me for this blog tag (thank you, Tori!) that this was my reaction.
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But music is one of my many loves in life, along with writing, books, and tea. So if you’re a music fan as well, fair warning: This post features YouTube videos. It also features links to more YouTube videos. I tried not to go overboard… but you still might be here a while. 😉
First, like any blog tag, let’s start with…
If I could use one word to describe the music of 2014 for me, it would be “weird.” Firstly, it was a year of transition and rediscovery music-wise. In May, I left my music-reviewing post at Sonic Cathedral after 5½ years so I could concentrate on novel-writing and other creative pursuits. Suddenly I had more freedom – and time! – to listen to genres besides female-fronted rock and metal. That explains why this year’s Top 10 list features the most variety I’ve ever had in my end-of-year countdowns. Yay! 🙂
Secondly, the quality of 2014’s music took me on a bumpy rollercoaster ride. There were awesome surprises, huge disappointments, and an unusually high number of “in-betweens” that I needed to replay several times before knowing how I felt about them. And in some ways, my #1 pick summarizes my year of music: It tips its hat to my “head-banging” past while shocking the hell out of me – in the best way possible. In fact, I don’t think my SC colleagues would have seen this one coming (except for one – she knows who she is, because it’s all her fault *winks*).
Buckled in? Then let’s go! Continue reading
If you’ve followed my music tastes over the past couple years, The Mariana Hollow may already be a familiar name to you. This alternative metal quintet from London, United Kingdom was hands down my favorite discovery during my tenure at Sonic Cathedral. Muscular rhythms, oceanic guitarscapes, evocative lyrics, and a gritty yet impassioned female voice – this unique amalgam has always made TMH a stand-out act.
Recently the band released two videos for “The Unburned”: one featuring the band, and the lyric video highlighted below. Maybe I’m biased, but how cool is the lyric video?! The archaic animations look like they came straight out of the medieval / Westeros era and make countless references to George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Fire And Ice saga. “The Unburned” itself was inspired by the character Danaerys Targaryen. Musically, this song is like one of Dany’s dragons prowling the desert before taking flight. It builds slowly, shouldering the gravity of its riffs and a thick sultriness, as Rebecca Spinks sings with a storyteller’s passion. It’s a truly unique song from TMH’s repertoire – and if you like this track, I highly recommend you check out other songs by this band!
“The Unburned” is taken from The Mariana Hollow’s 2013 EP Scars, Not Wounds. You can read my review of the EP at Sonic Cathedral here.
I didn’t expect that writing my final CD review for Sonic Cathedral would be such a challenge. But when reviewing a 16-track album that runs the rock and metal gamut, there’s no easy way to cover everything you want to talk about. So was the case with Die So Fluid’s The Opposites Of Light. This sprawling set revisits the British trio’s eclectic roots in two distinct halves: the first explores Die So Fluid’s heavier, grittier side, while the second takes a more brooding and balladic turn. Grunge, alternative, doom, punk, blues – Die So Fluid thrust all this and more at the listener while creating a weirdly cohesive sound. This band and album epitomize rebellion in a “fabulously dark way,” and fans will be grateful for it.
Click here to read my review of Die So Fluid’s The Opposites Of Light.
Die So Fluid have already released three music videos for songs from The Opposites Of Light: “Crime Scene,” “Comets,” and this one for “Black Blizzard.” The best way to describe this song is menacing melodic metal combined with the gravel of grunge and eerie cello / violin arrangements. A very cool combination, if you ask me.
Coming Soon: Passed 55,000 words on my novel this past weekend! Come back on Wednesday for a new installment of “Chronicling The Craft.”
The Mariana Hollow faced the tough task of replacing one of their founding guitarists last year. It didn’t take long for the British alternative metal band to rebound, however. Within a few months, they recruiter a new lead guitarist, jumped back into their local gig circuit, and started writing new material. Scars, Not Wounds is TMH’s first release since making that transition. The five-track EP shows the band moving from their original guitar-driven sound to one that highlights the distinctive voice of frontwoman Rebecca “Spinky” Spinks. And for the most part, this new direction could be quite promising for TMH.
Click here to read my review of The Mariana Hollow’s Scars, Not Wounds EP.
Here’s a video of The Mariana Hollow performing the title track from Scars, Not Wounds earlier this year in London. The sound quality is pretty decent (not too bassy or overdriven), and shows Spinky’s vocal charisma and magnetic stage presence.
Coming Soon: I passed the 25,000-word mark for my novel-in-progress last weekend! So, stay tuned for a new “Chronicling The Craft” article later this week.
I’m thrilled to announced that I’m one of several fans featured in The Mariana Hollow’s new documentary, “Scars, Not Wounds.” You may have read other posts here about The Mariana Hollow. This alternative metal quintet from the United Kingdom is one of my favorite musical discoveries of the past few years, on an artistic level as well as a personal level. (You’ll find out more in the next installment of my Sonic Cathedral Retrospective countdown, coming later this week.)
“Scars, Not Wounds” chronicles the making of The Mariana Hollow’s new EP of the same title. It also focuses on the major line-up change that led to the evolution in TMH’s sound. The band also took time to interview fans about why they like The Mariana Hollow’s music. Those fans include Mark Ashby of ProgTopia Radio, members of UK bands The Neon Choir and Breed77, photographer Thanira Rates, and some of TMH’s regular gig-goers in the London area. You can catch me twice in the documentary (2:37 to 2:47, and 24:42 to 24:58).
Prepare to listen, laugh, and learn. Be ready to lose yourself in the heavy, oceanic music of The Mariana Hollow. And most of all, enjoy! (NOTE: This video contains some adult language and may not be appropriate for young audiences.)
Coming Soon: As mentioned yesterday, I’ve got one more installment of the Sonic Cathedral 5-Year Retrospective countdown, as well as a new review coming at Sonic Cathedral and the next “Chronicling The Craft” article. It’s going to be an active week here, so stay tuned!
Agharti may be a relatively young band, but their music already shows great promise. The Croatian band’s upcoming debut album, Change, introduces listeners to a melodic alternative style that’s accessible, dynamic, and thematically balanced between personal experiences and social observations. Other defining elements include a wide array of keyboard / synthesizer sounds (including violin-like complements that could pass for the real instrument) and dual vocals (male and female) on some songs that’s reminiscent of Lacuna Coil. This is one of the few instances where, in my opinion, an up-and-coming band’s first release deserves the hype invented by its record label. So I’ve decided to call Change “one of the best ‘femme metal’ surprises of 2013.”
Click here to read my review of Agharti’s Change.
Here’s a video montage of Agharti promo photos set to “Lost,” one of the songs from Change. “Lost” is an adrenaline-filled track with hurtling rhythms, bobbing keys, and “tag-team” style vocals during the chorus that make it one of the album’s highlights.
Coming Soon: Soul-Lit’s Summer issue, which includes one of my newest poems, should be published online any day now. I’ll share the link as soon as it’s available. As for my projects, I’m continuing to work on my fantasy novel (and recently passed 13,000 words!), and I already have my next review ready for Sonic Cathedral. Speaking of Sonic Cathedral, next month marks my fifth anniversary as a staff writer there! I’m planning to celebrate with retrospects here and at my Facebook page. So stay tuned!
At first listen, Apparatus sounds like your typical North American alternative rock/metal band. But once you’re two songs into their second album Evolution, it’s clear that they’re far from the typical. This quartet from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada weaves progressive influences through in-your-face alternative metal and top it off with sweeping clean vocals, guttural screams (all from the same singer, Melanie Laquerre), and lyrics that embrace social awareness and spirituality. Those are all reasons why I said Evolution “takes you on a journey that’s as intense as it is insightful.”
Time for another CD review at Sonic Cathedral!
I’m starting to see a trend with up-and-coming female-fronted metal bands: Most of them are evolving their music in a heavier direction. We can now add 69 Chambers of Switzerland to that growing list. Their 2010 debut album, War On The Inside, showcased the band’s guitar-driven, pop-melodious brand of alternative metal. With their latest release Torque, 69 Chambers flirt with more dynamics and intensity. The riffs are sharper, and singer Nina Vetterli-Treml uses more grunts in addition to her sultry, delicate normal voice – all while maintaining a catchiness that keeps the music accessible. But, does this tweak in style actually work in 69 Chambers’ favor?
Click here to read my review of 69 Chambers’ Torque.
~ Sara
One of two articles I had hinted about last week is now online at Sonic Cathedral!
If you’ve visited this blog before, you may recall me talking about The Mariana Hollow. I’ve covered this UK alt-metal quintet several times at Sonic Cathedral, the previous article being a review of their second album Velvet Black Sky. (A glowing review, to be specific!) And now, I can say I’ve had the privilege of interviewing all five members of The Mariana Hollow for the second time! We talked about the making of Velvet Black Sky, upcoming touring plans, and stories of missing snares and “hairy” gigs. Insightful yet entertaining – my favorite kind of interview!
Click here to read my new interview with The Mariana Hollow.
More news and updates coming soon – including a new review at Suite101, as well as a big announcement regarding my poetry!
~ Sara
Sara Letourneau 