Between the Buried and Me is an experimental metal group from North Carolina, USA. This is the kind of band that changes their sound with every release (with the exception of the last two full lengths), but the band's signature, eclectic sound pervades all of the releases. BTBAM have gained a large following with their later albums, becoming a band that represents an ever-growing popularity of fusing progressive elements with metal.
BTBAM's debut album Between the Buried and Me introduces us to the diversity of sound that BTBAM is known for, despite sounding somewhat "young". Their next release The Silent Circus, my favorite in particular, has a more refined sound. The production is thick while maintaining clarity, and the music is brutal with a wacky twist. Alaska was recorded with significant line-up changes, bringing in Dustie Waring, Blake Richardson and Dan Briggs. This was the onset of the new sound of BTBAM, which went even further into experimental territory.
Colors is the next album, and it is probably their most widely regarded due to its more sophisticated songwriting. Every song is seamlessly transitioned to blend as one epic song.
Here's a video of my playing the closing track "White Walls". This song puts together various musical segments from the rest of the album in a brilliant way. Enjoy!
Hailing from the Czech Republic, Lykathea Aflame is (yet another!) unique death metal band. If you thought that all death metal was about raping cadavers, then you haven't been enlightened by the spiritual journey that Lykathea Aflame brings to you on Elvenefris.
Unfortunately, Lykathea Aflame have been more or less inactive for the greater half of a decade. Elvenefris is the only album released, and that was back in 2000. It almost makes the album that much more of a gem, knowing the fact that music like this will never be made again. What makes Lykathea Aflame so special is their approach to death metal. Musically, they embody all of the traits of death metal, but it's complemented with synth keyboards, eastern melodies, melodic passages and superb drumming. The vocals are beyond incomprehensible but they convey the savagery that is paralleled in the music. Lyrically, the band focuses on inspiration, emotion, and being positive within a world of despair.
The current status on the band is unknown, with little hope of any resurgence. In honor of Lykathea Aflame, I decided to cover the track "Shine of Consolation" on guitar.
Ulcerate is a death metal band from New Zealand that makes chaotic, melancholy music in a relatively new style. Aside from their last album The Destroyers of All, Ulcerate songs are generally fast paced with sparse moments of breathing room. Ulcerate songs are prone to dissonant harmonies, abstract song structures, riff layering, and explorative drumming.
As soon as they released the album Everything Is Fire, Ulcerate hit the radar. Hard. Every song exudes an unearthly atmosphere, filled with energy and precision. Since the song structures don't follow normal standards, the songs can be hard to digest at first. Initially, I couldn't listen to more than 2 songs at a time, because anything after that would fly over my head. However, repeated listening warrants fresh experiences. There are new things to be heard each time you listen to the album, which is one of my favorite qualities of abrasive music. The track "Drown Within" is the perfect album opener because it showcases the range of diversity throughout the entire album.
Here's my cover of Ulcerate's "We Are Nil", the second track on Everything Is Fire. I hope it's as enjoyable as it was learning the song.
Animals As Leaders are a progressive metal band from Washington D.C. and despite their youth as a band, they've been making a big impression on the metal scene. The founder of the band, Tosin Abasi, is an up-and-coming guitarist that rivals many of the great guitarists of the past. Tosin has razor-sharp technique which he has used to push his songwriting further. I was floored when I first heard their first tracks on myspace.
The first and only album (so far) is the self-titled debut Animals As Leaders. A year or two before it was released in 2009, Tosin Abasi had many ideas, but nothing ready for a full album. So Tosin Abasi went to Misha Mansoor aka "Bulb", who so happened to live a few minutes away, and asked him to program the drums and produce the album. Contrary to popular belief though, Misha wound up doing a lot more than that for the record. He and Tosin co-write a large part of the album. Sometimes, Misha just added layers to riffs and provided transitions, but Misha states that there were times when he and Tosin were writing riffs second by second, together. Unfortunately, Misha was never credited for being part of the songwriting process. But after listening to his songs for over 6 years, I can certainly say that Misha's contributions are prominent. Check it out for yourselves!
Following the debut release, the album reached worldwide popularity in no time. Tosin went out to find touring members, and wound up recruiting a full band. Animals As Leaders is now Tosin Abasi, Navene Koperweis (ex-Animosity) and Javier Reyes. They've been touring extensively with a wide range of bands and now they are set to release another full-length named Weightless on November 08, 2011. The album can be preordered here:
http://prostheticrecords.bigcartel.com/
In lieu of this new release, here's me playing "Modern Meat" from the self titled. This is the first video I uploaded to youtube, so the quality's far from being the best.
Gorguts is an influential death metal band from Quebec. Changing their sound with every album, Gorguts has steered the genre into unfamiliar territory.
Along with releasing classic death metal albums in the early 90's, Gorguts is known for their experimental releases "Obscura" and "From Wisdom to Hate". Obscura in particular, raised the bar in experimentation with atonality. The album was written with the intent to disregard any tonal "regulations" of modern music. Despite all that, the album has it's own unique feel and style that is only now, 13 years later, being recognized as a particular form of death metal.
The last album they released, From Wisdom to Hate combines the progressive feel of Obscura and the older albums to create yet another unique aural experience. Nothing has been released since then [2001]; however, Luc Lemay (frontman/guitarist/composer) has brought back Gorguts with an all new lineup that sounds promising. In hopes of new material soon, here's a cover of Elusive Treasures off of From Wisdom to Hate.
