From the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota: Rocky's Log - Music Diaries

BrandonMiaow

RockyRaccoon wrote:

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Journey by Journey

Gowi you know me too well.

Pre-Steve Perry we have the prog rock/jazz fusion version of Journey. So who's the lead singer? It's Neil Schon's guitar. Gregg Rolie sings on occasion but this is a mostly instrumental album and damn are they good. Some of the instrumentals kind of seems to sputter out and not really catch fire, but for the most part, this is a pretty solid, enjoyable album, especially if you like a bunch of incredible instrumentalists dicking around for 40 minutes.

Of a Lifetime is ridiculously good, I think it is one of the highest moments to be found in that sort of music (whatever sort of music it is). Not such a huge fan of the rest specifically but the vibe is consistently pretty sick. It is fun listening to at night driving around, you should give that a try Razz

The music you listen to has the coolest most fun covers. I'm referring specifically to those Rhapsody and Wizard albums. Hook me up with one of their t-shirts, gosh.

RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

BrandonMiaow wrote:

RockyRaccoon wrote:

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Journey by Journey

Gowi you know me too well.

Pre-Steve Perry we have the prog rock/jazz fusion version of Journey. So who's the lead singer? It's Neil Schon's guitar. Gregg Rolie sings on occasion but this is a mostly instrumental album and damn are they good. Some of the instrumentals kind of seems to sputter out and not really catch fire, but for the most part, this is a pretty solid, enjoyable album, especially if you like a bunch of incredible instrumentalists dicking around for 40 minutes.

Of a Lifetime is ridiculously good, I think it is one of the highest moments to be found in that sort of music (whatever sort of music it is). Not such a huge fan of the rest specifically but the vibe is consistently pretty sick. It is fun listening to at night driving around, you should give that a try Razz

The music you listen to has the coolest most fun covers. I'm referring specifically to those Rhapsody and Wizard albums. Hook me up with one of their t-shirts, gosh.

Haha power metal always has the craziest/most badass album covers
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mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

RockyRaccoon wrote:

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Odin by Wizard

Basically another version of Manowar (which is not a bad thing). A fun, albeit slightly predictable, power metal album. It's nothing groundbreaking, it's speedy riffs, break-neck solos, booming drums and powerful vocals with fist-pumping choruses, but it's executed really well. The production is excellent, the musicianship is top-notch, it's just a fun power metal album, simple as that.

This is way more than "just another version of Manowar" (that's Dream Evil, btw, and they are still awesome). There's not so much "metal for the sake of metal" here and more so TRADITIONAL/EARLY power metal energy and riffwork here that it reminds me a lot of the likes of Virgin Steele, Helstar, Cage, and Agent Steel. This is a really great release and I'd say it's a bit more than just a fun power metal release as it has so much going for it beyond that.

RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

Gowi wrote:

This is way more than "just another version of Manowar" (that's Dream Evil, btw, and they are still awesome). There's not so much "metal for the sake of metal" here and more so TRADITIONAL/EARLY power metal energy and riffwork here that it reminds me a lot of the likes of Virgin Steele, Helstar, Cage, and Agent Steel. This is a really great release and I'd say it's a bit more than just a fun power metal release as it has so much going for it beyond that.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound dismissive of the album, I actually really enjoyed it.

I didn't really hear anything that was strikingly original about the album, but that's not a bad thing. It really recalled Manowar, Iced Earth and Hammerfall to me, albeit perhaps a little faster, which is awesome to hear from a band in the 2000s, it's awesome, they sound like they could be right out of the early-90s. Lyrically it's stronger than most power metal albums (i.e. it's not cringey dragon-stuff) with the whole Norse mythology thing, which I appreciate. But from a musical perspective, that's where the album really shines, the fast-paced drumming (felt like Rhapsody), the great riffs, it's a top-notch power metal album, so don't think I didn't like the album, I definitely did. My review was written in a little bit of haste because I had to leave work, so perhaps I could've spent a little more time on it and written something that didn't sound as dismissive.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

November 12th, 2015

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Gather, Form & Fly by Megafaun

On the surface, you could easily dismiss this album as yet another indie folk album that just sounds like an attempt at what Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes have perfected, or you could dismiss this for being a slideshow presentation of the folk of the past, of CSN and Gram Parsons, but that's not what this is. Sure, there are influences, it's no surprise that the guys in Megafaun used to be in a band with Justin Vernon, you can hear the similarities, and you can hear how rooted they are in CSN and Parsons and a little Grateful Dead, but Megafaun carve out their own unique identity. This album is always changing, I think that's the beauty of it, it never settles. There's gentle folk, stuff like "The Longest Day", which is great, and there's the incorporation of very slight electronic stuff, these songs are constantly evolving and moving. "All we'll ever be/All we'll ever need", they sing that in "Guns", and I think that encapsulates the feel of the album, contentment and simplicity.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

Crises by Mike Oldfield

I would say this is pretty typical Mike Oldfield stuff. It's not Tubular Bells or anything, it's got a bit more of a pop flavor to it. The first track is a 20-minute long sparkling synth epic, and the rest is where the pop comes in. You get "In High Places" with Jon Anderson on vocals, the song that Kanye sampled for "Dark Fantasy", which is a great song. "Moonlight Shadow" isn't bad either, but the rest is just alright, nothing bad about it, just relatively unremarkable. Still though, an overall above average album.
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RockyRaccoon
Is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?

Gender: Male
Age: 33
Location: Maryland

Moderator

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Invention by Daedelus

Exceptionally unique stuff. Somehow Daedelus is able to blend 40s and 50s string arrangements with mushy beats and make it sound sublime. It's warm and just completely envelops you, it's some of the best sampling I've ever heard. The pacing is excellent, the lush production is wonderful, it all just blends together so well. The last two tracks actually have vocals on them, features from Busdriver (who's always awesome) and Sach, and they both nail it, it doesn't sound out of place or anything. Really really good stuff.
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mickilennial
The Most Trusted Name in News

Gender: Female
Age: 35
Location: Detroit

RockyRaccoon wrote:

Gowi wrote:

This is way more than "just another version of Manowar" (that's Dream Evil, btw, and they are still awesome). There's not so much "metal for the sake of metal" here and more so TRADITIONAL/EARLY power metal energy and riffwork here that it reminds me a lot of the likes of Virgin Steele, Helstar, Cage, and Agent Steel. This is a really great release and I'd say it's a bit more than just a fun power metal release as it has so much going for it beyond that.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound dismissive of the album, I actually really enjoyed it.

I didn't really hear anything that was strikingly original about the album, but that's not a bad thing. It really recalled Manowar, Iced Earth and Hammerfall to me, albeit perhaps a little faster, which is awesome to hear from a band in the 2000s, it's awesome, they sound like they could be right out of the early-90s. Lyrically it's stronger than most power metal albums (i.e. it's not cringey dragon-stuff) with the whole Norse mythology thing, which I appreciate. But from a musical perspective, that's where the album really shines, the fast-paced drumming (felt like Rhapsody), the great riffs, it's a top-notch power metal album, so don't think I didn't like the album, I definitely did. My review was written in a little bit of haste because I had to leave work, so perhaps I could've spent a little more time on it and written something that didn't sound as dismissive.

Like I said it has a lot in common:

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Nosferatu by Helstar

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Darker Than Black by Cage

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Age Of Consent by Virgin Steele

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Unstoppable Force by Agent Steel

I think you'd get a lot out of said albums.

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RockyRaccoon wrote:

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Invention by Daedelus

Exceptionally unique stuff. Somehow Daedelus is able to blend 40s and 50s string arrangements with mushy beats and make it sound sublime. It's warm and just completely envelops you, it's some of the best sampling I've ever heard. The pacing is excellent, the lush production is wonderful, it all just blends together so well. The last two tracks actually have vocals on them, features from Busdriver (who's always awesome) and Sach, and they both nail it, it doesn't sound out of place or anything. Really really good stuff.

All-time favorite of mine. Been on and off my chart since I joined. Always cool to see more people getting into Daedelus. At his best I honestly think he's on par with FlyLo