Various Artists Metalmania 2006 [DVD]

The News Review:

- Various Artists Metalmania 2006 [DVD]
- Given to the Rising
- Dream Theater Systematic Chaos

Various Artists Metalmania 2006 [DVD]
PopMatters – Jun 5, 2007
Filmed inside the Spodek stadium in Katowice the lighting is not a spectacle thankfully avoiding annoying rapid strobe effects that some bands which shall go unnamed seem to favor remaining true to the concert’s brutal aesthetic. While it originated as an annual gathering place for fans of extreme music though it now sports a much more family-friendly variety; there are plenty of bloodthirsty black metal troopers but bands of doom and epic symphonies tend to occupy the stage as the night goes on. Did I mention the music? Vesania come first a side project born out of Poland’s finest death metal bands Behemoth and Vader. There’s a certain lo-fi appeal about their one song included here “Marduke’s Mazemerising” seeing all four members looking utterly evil in their corpsepaint playing to a half-empty stadium headbanging in violently synchronized motions and putting shrewd motifs to particular effect played by keyboardist Siegmar on a plain Roland model. Norway’s 1349 are a band who uphold all the traditional practises of black metal – spikes chains diabolical pseudonyms endless blastbeats and make-up that makes screamer Ravn look rather like an owl. He spends most of his time sneering at the crowd during their three renditions of which the highlight is the ferocious “Satanic Propaganda”. We get the impression that Hieronymous Bosch though along with Hunter are more thinking man’s bands complimented by their stomping technical rhythms; in the bridge to “Blind Window Stare” it’s a struggle to even keep up with their drummer’s arms.

Given to the Rising
PopMatters – Jun 5, 2007
Having such a profound influence on a generation of musicians is the highest compliment but it comes with a price as popularity breeds ubiquitousness to the point where we grow weary of the trends before long. Such is the case with At the Gates’ melodic death metal sound which had been mimicked and bastardized by dozens upon dozens of lesser talents and this Neurosis-inspired sound call it “post-metal” “metalgaze” or “NeurIsis” has been in danger of oversaturation as of late with more and more bands taking the slow crushingly heavy route punctuated with tribal drumming and anguished screams. While certain bands have taken the torch and ran mightily with it such as Minsk Intronaut Cult of Luna and Year of No Light like any overexposed musical trend before long we start to think enough is enough. However as Isis proved on last year’s majestic In the Absence of Truth nobody does it as well as the original masters and Neurosis in turn has one-upped their East Coast counterparts with their ninth album an uncompromising affirmation that they are without question the mightiest band if its kind and show no signs of losing their touch whatsoever… For all of Given to the Rising‘s awe-inspiring power though we are reminded from time to time of the band’s growing skill at more melodic numbers the highlight here being the shimmering “To the Wind” which hints at first toward the Slowdive-inspired majesty of Jesu but eventually starts into a jarringly upbeat groove. While it may be the most conventional song on the album it never strays from that core Neurosis sound be it Von Till’s authoritative baritone or the towering riffs that interrupt the tender beauty near the end offering a tantalizing glimpse at the darkness that lurks beneath. It’s one of many examples of how Neurosis returned to the form of the late 1990s back when underground metal was turned upside down by their spacious yet pulverizing music. The adoring young bands can try to imitate these guys all they want but as this fantastic near-flawless album attests nothing beats the real thing.

Dream Theater Systematic Chaos
PopMatters – Jun 5, 2007
But after all they were good albums which valued variety. There is not a single outstanding track on Chaos nor does it hold up particularly well as a whole feeling joyless and synthetic. There’s nothing essentially wrong with progressive music but by its own ideals it has to fit be logical add something to the music etc. and with recent high-profile releases from Porcupine Tree Iron Maiden even Therion its becoming all too clear for these elder statesman that it’s not enough to wank off your instrument anymore and pass it off as interesting. Systematic Chaos is full of pointless rambling and oddities that don’t seem to make any sense: Long minutes of ‘jamming’ that go nowhere. Spoken word passages presumably because their singer James LaBrie couldn’t be bothered to sing. Jordan Rudess’s shrill obnoxious keyboards that sound like R2-D2 from Star Wars… Unlike “The Root of All Evil” the previous entry in the erm pentalogy which opened ctavarium with soaring candor and energy “Repentance” is a shapeless throwaway of ten minutes. It doesn’t stop there. “The Dark Eternal Night” is likely the worst cut these prog-metal aficionados have ever recorded a juvenile fantasy about a “monster from long long ago… that comes and haunts a town” featuring blunt seven-string guitar buzzsaw attacks and DUBLE-BASS DRUMMING YEAH! The vocals are distorted and processed beyond recognition into a growl to boost their power but if they want to create the death metal effect they should learn to do it properly. How embarrassing it is to see Dream Theater stoop as low as a wall of sound to create an impression. And right from the outset on “The Ministry of Lost Souls” you know nothing’s going to save it from its bloated sense of self-importance and it’s so predictable you already know just how it’s going to end. Sure Dream Theater’s legions of fans will praise them for not conforming to trends and unashamedly showing off their skills as they always have and probably always will no matter how long-winded or lifeless their idols get. The problem is a subjective listen of Systematic Chaos reveals just how inherently flawed it is.