The Shadow Theory "Behind The Black Veil"
The Shadow Theory is a new project from Devon Graves, the mastermind behind prog metal acts Psychotic Waltz and Dead Soul Tribe. If you know the work of those two bands, you probably understand how eccentric Devon Graves can be within a musical composition. This new band and album is certainly no exception by any means. "Behind The Black Veil" is a concept record about a man who wakes up from a nightmare only to find himself in yet another one, seemingly trapped in a dream world where the only constant is a mysterious woman, who is leading him towards some important truth. Slightly less than an hour long, the album runs through the musical genre inventory of prog, metal, folk, and rock, as well as all the different tools of dynamics and instrumentation. There is a lot going on in these songs, sometimes almost too much. Besides vocals, guitar, bass, and drums, you'll experience piano, flute, keyboards, strings, hell, even the kitchen sink might in the mix somewhere. While sometimes overblown, the album as a whole is an enjoyable listening experience. The glue that holds it all together is the impressive voice and range of Devon Graves. His voice is at times reminiscent of artists such as David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, King Diamond, and Layne Staley. This vocal ability works well with all the different parts of the story being told through the music, as he becomes different characters within songs. One vocal aspect that might put off some listeners is the ungodly amount of vocal tracks in the mix. There are a lot of whispered parts being sung right behind the lead vocals, several explosions of choir like melodies, and parts that come in and out of a song, panning left to right in your eardrums. Very eccentric and ambitious, but one must give credit to all of these voices coming from one person, Devon Graves, who performs every vocal on the record. The meticulous and time consuming process of putting so many vocal parts into a recording may not always work for every listener’s ears, but it’s a nice thing to see an artist trying out interesting things in the studio, rather than just turning on that auto tune and letting rip. That’s really what this type of prog record is, an indulgent experiment, and overall stronger as a whole piece of music, rather than song by song. So if you like bombast, musical theatre, and distorted guitars, you might enjoy The Shadow Theory.
Ghost "Opus Eponymous"
Sweden’s Ghost has conjured up some new demon into the world with their debut album "Opus Eponymous". This very to the point 35 minute record definitely deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon its unholy pyre of riffs and melodies. The band’s sound is a cross between Mercyful Fate and 70s pop rock, but they aren’t happy about rainbows and unicorns, they are happy about Satan (the first word sung on the album is Lucifer, after all). The lyrics at times sound somewhat hilarious, but the singer’s delivery is very interesting to say the least. The vocals are really what bring out that 70s pop feel, and are sometimes very reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult in that they are cheerful, yet telling you about very dark subjects. Another great aspect of Ghost’s debut is the brilliant use of organ within many of the songs; it is perfect in the mix and doesn’t sound like "hey, let’s throw some organ in there for no reason." This brings us to the songwriting, which is very lean and clever, there are no out of place frills or wankery, the overall result sounding like it was written by veteran musicians. Seeing as this band keeps the identities of individual members secret, there are various rumors as to this band being made up of well known players from the Swedish metal scene. Who can tell and does it really matter? No one bit, all that matters is that Ghost has arrived with an opus to contend for album of the year.
Crowbar "Sever The Wicked Hand"
One thing that usually tends to be true about Crowbar records is that you can be pretty confident as a listener about what you will receive when you press play. This newest effort continues that trend, and the trend remains a good one. Crowbar deliver the finest sludge metal through the gigantic riffs and distinctive voice of Kirk Windstein, the founder and only original member remaining in the band. Picking back up after a 6 year hiatus with all new band members, the new record is more focused in direction then their previous release, and still undeniably Crowbar in every way, with just a little tweaking in the machine to keep it running. Kirk continues to prove his skill at crafting bone crushing tunes that slowly stride out of your speakers like a colossus smashing through the side of a mountain. He is a genius at throwing string bends into a guitar part at just the right moment, making the impact that much heavier (see the breakdown section in "The Cemetery Angels"). Couple this with the awesome guitar tone that he has cultivated, and you can't lose. One of the best songs on the album that demonstrates Crowbar's mastery of the sludge would have to be "Liquid Sky and Cold Black Earth"; a slow burning dirge of muddy riffing that will coat your brain in happiness. Not all contained within this record is straight up sludge though, there is a liberal sprinkling of faster tempos on some of the tracks (check out the title track, "Cemetery Angels" or "Cleanse Me, Heal Me" for some galloping beats and up tempo rocking). That's the great thing about a band like Crowbar, there's more to their records than slow riffs. Kirk has always been adept at writing GOOD dynamic songs, especially choruses that hook right into you. So, if you have never given Crowbar a listen, check out this new effort and then give their self-titled debut a listen (a genre classic), and you will find a consistency of great heavy music that defies the attitude of "faster is heavier". No, it is not.
