Review: Blumen – Press 1 For Music

by Dæv Tremblay
The first thing I did was to press 1, and I was utterly disappointed that the very title of this album is a big ugly lie. However, I didn’t press the keypad 1 so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. This one-man project originates from Athens (no, not Greece’s Athens), in Georgia (no, not the country), USA, and plays us some really cool progressive rock music, with an emphasis on pianos and keyboards, which is a rarity these days.

The project is really reminiscent of David Maxim Micic’s material, it’s melodic, progressive, and heavy with arrangements of all … Read more

Review: Rise – Resilience

by Dæv Tremblay
1You, mere mortals, subordinate readers, can only listen to one of the songs from Rise‘s Resilience upcoming album, through the video above: About Duality. But trust me, your supreme guide and musical spirit, this album will be on a lot of year’s end lists, ours first! Let’s dig a bit to try and understand why.

The manifesto of Rise is all about bringing back romanticism in modern music, specifically a blend of metal, hardcore, metalcore, alternative, and other trace elements. Romance is all about evoking emotions, stimulating the imaginary, and blowing an atmosphere around itself, engulfing the beholder … Read more

Review: Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra – Ghostology

by Dæv Tremblay
Lost between the realms of opera, jazz, and avant-garde music, Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra‘s what seems to be debut album Ghostology is a real gem of experimentation in popular music, although what’s left of pop music is so altered in the process that it can barely be called that. However, the avant-pop label seems quite fitting, even more so when followed by the ghost jazz speciality. What is ghost jazz? I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to it.

With an orchestra comprising of many instruments, from glass harp to bass clarinet, and from glockenspiel to “toys”, the … Read more

Review: Vetha – Rancid Or Acid

by Dæv Tremblay
Listening to noise-sludge and microtonal Middle-Eastern folk-rave-metal songs, although infinitely entertaining and awesome, definitely can fatigue your ears and brains. So, let’s talk about a more standard metal album for once. But it’s a good one… And an independent slash underground band, so… that fits us pretty well still!

Vetha is a French trio playing as a quatuor (the guitarist and drummer recorded the bass on the album) groove metal band. Musically, it draws inspiration certainly from Pantera and the likes, and perhaps some more recent groove metal like some of the harder-hitting Periphery songs, or from bands like … Read more