Remenissions by Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold have been my favorite band for quite some time now, ever since the release of their 2003 album Waking the Fallen (which is still to this day their best effort, except maybe for 2010's Nightmare). I still listen to their early material, even from their debut album, and a lot of the songs still hold-up to their later stuff. But today I am going to talk about one song in particular, a hard-hitting metalcore track. Give it a listen first:

Remenissions

Like most of A7X's early material, it doesn't follow the rigid structure that most of their singles follow, being the intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-guitar solo-chorus format that they more-or-less typically adhere to (see Afterlife, Almost Easy, Nightmare, or Hail to the King). Remenissions instead takes us on a wild ride. It opens with a thunderous barrage of rolling drums and twisting guitar riffs accompanied by a trailing growl into a fist-pounding drum roll before we hit the first verse. The first two verses come up before any kind of chorus, and they consist of some of vocalist M. Shadows's best screams against a powerful thrash metal backdrop. After these two hard-hitting stanzas we break into a mellow reflection on memory and time that builds into an awe-inspiring warning to "keep away from me" that smoothly transitions back into metalcore territory with an insane drum solo. After the heavy breakdown we get a beautiful harmony from the guitars, then returning to the reflection on memory with more distortion this time (acting like a chorus but it isn't really), and then a thrashy finale fades out into silence.

Clearly, this is different than the mainstream A7X that most people have heard, not only for the harshness of their metalcore style, but notably for the odd song structure. It flows nicely but doesn't return to any of the previous melodies, except for the "chorus", which is unlike traditional rock songs. The track still keeps true to itself in terms of sonic quality and tone, and also with theme. I have to mention that this song has some of the best drumming The Rev ever laid down (may his soul rest in peace).

This also has some of the band's most philosophical lyrics, reaching into existentialist territory, and really shows off the angst they were feeling back in their younger punk years.

We may have created the beginning, mentally
We may have created the beginning, physically
To the end of our human existence

Certainly a question of who we are and where we come from. They touch on the question of God (not being afraid to explore religious ideas has A7X been), exploring ideas of morality.

If they didn't have One how would they act?
If we didn't have hope how would we behave?
Would they still feel remorse if they slaughtered innocent beings?
Or is hope the only thing that keeps you sane?

They end the poem on a final note claiming that no one really knows anything, most especially the songwriter. This could almost be a reference to Plato or Socrates.

I don't know the answers but neither do you

I've heard that Avenged Sevenfold have been performing Remenissions live again, but I have yet to see it myself (or any good quality versions on Youtube). Hopefully, it will be featured on an upcoming DVD in the future - I can only hope.

Dir En Grey - UROBORUS Live

Dir En Grey are one of those bands that have only become a favorite in the past few years and it was in large part because of their amazing live performances. The first one I stumbled upon was the epic ballad The Final and then went on to discover Vinushka (which I blogged about previously), an epic masterpiece of prog metal. After becoming slightly obsessed with their live performances and their superb song constructions (not to mentions Kyo's delightfully vast vocal range and powerful frontmanship), I gave in and ordered their UROBOROS -with the proof in the name of living - Live DVD from Amazon, which showcases their two-day show at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.

Obscure

This song almost fits into the nu-metal sonic atmosphere of a Slipknot show with its chugging guitar rhythm and deep bass drops, but don't let that fool you. Kyo lays down some guttural death growls throughout but lets his voice soar beautifully through the finale. This song is more in touch with the death metal side of Dir En Grey and yet still has that arena rock flare that gives them a wicked stage presence. Watch out for bass-player Toshiya at about 0:49 as he does an incredible bass swing.

Shokubeni

This is a perfect song to show off Dir En Grey's versatility and range, especially via Kyo's vocal prowess. He opens with a spine-tingling growl that opens into a cool nu-metal groove. The form of this song is brilliant, structured into a perfect buildup that exercises the band's unique talents and brings Kyo's vocal diversity to the forefront. The breakdown includes some of his best death growls and plunges into a truly powerful A Capella moment. Stick around for after the song and get a taste of the weird intermission performance of Inward Scream, a creepy vocal show of crooning, inhaling, and banshee shrieks. The strobe lights and generally spooky tone may make you think you're suddenly watching a scene from Alien.

Dozing Green

Another powerful performance that exposes Kyo's brilliant vocal abilities (did I mention that I love his voice?). He soars through the chorus here, hitting notes that seem to explode out of his lungs with a gusto that also holds a quality of anguish and hope at the same time. He really takes hold of me on this one and makes me feel something. Do you feel it too, or am I just talking out of my ass?

The Final

Finally, we have The Final. This is the performance that brought me to the realization of how amazing this band is (Vinushka also did but this came first for me). This is more of a pop-rock ballad that caters to the more mainstream audience of J-rock but still embellishes a few of Kyo's more classic screams followed by a rock n' roll guitar riff. It's the ending of this performances that really does it for me though and ends the show on a  note that superbly highlights Kyo's control and showmanship. He is more than just strong pipes and good music; he is a performer. This performance clearly elevates them to the highest quality of arena rock shows while still keeping their unique blend of pop, death metal, and prog-rock. Damn, they are awesome!

Cloud Atlas

I recently re-watched Cloud Atlas, which  hadn't seen since it was in theatres 2 years ago. Watching it a second time was a great experience as I noticed so much more than the first time around. The film follows several different stories that take place in distant times - the Pacific Ocean 1849, Cambridge 1936, San Francisco 1973, London 2012, Neo Seoul 2144, and far in the future 106 years after The Fall, an unnamed post-apocalyptic event.

Each story has interesting parallels within events, such as Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess) fighting to help a stowaway slave on board the ship contrasted with Sonmi (Doona Bae) learning about the plight of her existence as a a human clone and leading her people in a revolution against slavery. The stories plots run along with each other, demonstrating one of the main themes of the film, being how past lives can affect those of the future, no matter how far apart they seem.

The film does a tremendous job structuring all of the scenes together, often cutting between moments of parallel action, indicating the ties between these characters lives. The stories can sometimes seem jumbled and confusing, as it jumps around so often, but I found on a second viewing that the pace of the film works quite well and I never lost interest in any of the many stories. The characters are interesting and carry us through each world seamlessly, with the editing adding a great level of style to how the plot moves forward. By the end of the film, not everything feels tidied up, and there is a feeling of emptiness, like we didn't get the whole story - who is Somni really and how did she become a goddess in the eyes of Zachary's people? What happened to everyone after the events of the movie? Why did people abandon earth after the time of Neo Seoul? The answers may not be important, as the film ends like we were being told a campfire story of many eras, and leaves us with the simple answer that the story is still going on.

One final note I must make goes to the acting and the make-up effects. Each actor portrays several characters over the many timelines presented and some of them are barely noticeable. Tom Hanks is recognizable in almost every role, but did you see Halle Berry as Ovid, the Korean doctor or as Jocasta Ayrs, the wife of the famous composer? What about Hugh grant as the Kona chief? 

Halle Berry as Jocasta Ayrs, left

Hugh Grant as Kona chief

A large part of this credible to the wonderful make-up team, but I also have to hand it to the actors for taking on such a large project and learning all of these different roles for the film, some of the them being vastly different. Many of them even use different accents, dialects, and languages between roles, let alone changing their ethnicity. Questions of morality aside, it is a fun exercise when watching the film to spot as many cross-roles as you can, and since the film is very entertaining, I would definitely recommend giving it a view, if you can spare the 3 hours running time that is. Over all, the film is imaginative in all its visual splendour, offering a diverse look at time and destiny.

More Shikari!

Destabalize/MotherShip

Destabilize is an epic metalcore track that mixes some hardcore dubstep beats into the wicked breakdowns. The thing I like about this song is how much fun the band seems to be having, exuding a huge amount of energy into their performance. Rou Reynolds doesn't have the best voice in the world but he makes up for it with a wonderful stage presence, taking time to swing over to the electronica controls and jumping around the stage. The performance takes a wild turn when it breaks into Mothership with the memorable string-inspired melody that introduces the track on their first studio album. This launches into a grimy dubstep intro they affectionately named Motherstep, groovy and deliciously deep-toned, wringing out some of the dirtiest beats I've ever heard. Funny moment: Rou smiling and saying "If that sounds heavy, that's because it is."

The Paddington Frisk

This isn't a live track, but the video is just hilarious. Enter Shikari produce a short PV for a Japanese audience and get the anime treatment. It's like a crazy Asian game show that ends in one of the most fun breakdowns they've ever produced. For a short song it packs a wallop!

Winny Puuh!

Ah! Music from Estonia! And not just any music - this is Winny Puhh! 

Are they metal? Are they hip-hop? Are they some new kind of music that no one has ever heard before? Probably the latter. They certainly warp the perception that most people have of music, especially with this live performance of Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läks eile Lätti.

It's almost like Naked City's song Bonehead that plays at the beginning of Michael Haneke's Funny Games (a great horror film if you haven't seen it). The vocals are perhaps the most dividing in terms of musical taste - the non-sensical (or not really because it's a foreign language) and screaming ludicrousness is an attack on one's senses and I can imagine a lot of viewers pulling away from their laptop screens covering their ears against this madness. But that is precisely why I enjoy this performance. Winny Puhh push the boundaries on musical art and everything from their eccentric showmanship (dangling upside down) to their bizarre costume design (are they Sasquatch's in athletic gear?).

Now check out the music video for Peegelporand:

This is an interesting music video. The song is much more hip-hop infused than the first video I included (although using non-traditional hip-hop instruments). The music itself is very Eastern European, harking to the Estonians' cultural roots but creating an upbeat tempo that matches the rap vocals nicely. This goes to show Winny Puhh's diverse range and interest in including various genres into their musical catalog. The video itself is quite reminiscent of European arthouse cinema, using eerie zoom techniques and tableau inspired compositions. Not to mention the creepy way the performers look directly into the camera like something out of Fellini's most bizarre work (see Fellini Satryicon for an example of this).

I Fink It's Freeky And I Like It A Lot

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but I think Die Antwoord are some of the most creative artists around these days. I generally don't listen to a lot of pop music (including hip-hop and dance music) but every now and then something comes up that I just can't get enough of (usually everyone else I know gets sick of). This happened with Psy's Gangnam Style (I know, I know - but I loved it!).

So I first heard Die Antwoord's crazy tunes when I saw the video for Rich Bitch, which was kind of a history lesson on Yolandi's life and how she became a success. It's pretty ridiculous and when I first heard them I didn't really like it. Then I saw the video for I Fink You Freeky and my perception of them was turned out. This video is nuts! It's all shot from the same perspective, creating a tableau mise-en-scene a la Wes Anderson.

What do you think of this crazy video? Do you think it's just stupid and worthless modern music (if you dare call it that)? Or do you think this is true art and Die Antwoord are brilliant composers of the hip-hop/dance world?

Nightmare - Can You Do It?

Can you do it? Nightmare can. This is another one of those rockin' visual kei bands I have a taste for from our friends in Japan. Now, I haven't heard a whole lot of Nightmare's material besides this track but I keep on returning to this PV (promotional video) nonetheless. 

Visual kei - always looking like anime characters

First off, the song is pretty decent, despite being in pretty cookie-cutter form. Sure, it has some decent guitar playing skills and a cool rhythm but it really doesn't set itself apart from most other J-rock groups (the drummer has some promise though). I can see why I never really got into the band's other work due to this, but then why do I keep returning to this video? Honestly, it's for pure cinematic reasons. The footage they have here and the way they shot it is incredible. The lighting glints perfectly off the players' slick pseudo-trashy attire and gel-infused hair and the shot compositions are tight. This tight composition keeps each player within their own dedicated frame, fully capturing the energy and passion they are playing with. The wide crane shot makes sure to tie the group together, reminding us that they are a team, but it's the tighter shots of each player that sets this video apart. The guitarist lays down some slick guitar playing at the very end but it is the great shot and his framing that brings the virtuoso power out of the performance. This goes to show how much power the visual image can have in making band look incredibly awesome.