32Pandora's PinataDiablo Swing Orchestra
Insert derp, unnecessary comment hereI LOVE it when bands don't take themselves too serious AND make some awesome music along the way. Well, DSO not only nailed both, but elevated it all with some insane experimentation that still, somehow, remains pretty accessible. What we've got here is a perfect blend for Avant-Garde and Progressive Metal, along with Swing, Big Band, and even symphonic elements. Sure, the ridiculous mix may be the reason this album and band get its fantastic reputation, but in fact there is an awful lot of well written music underneath the whole thing. Every single song, even 53 second interlude “How To Organise A Lynch Mob”, bring something interesting to the table, both in forward-thinking structures and instruments, and the actual melodies and harmonies used underneath this.
Recommended song: Black Box Messiah31The Downward SpiralNine Inch Nails
So ugly, so good...A journey through the fucking hell that Trent Reznor's mind was at the time. The harsh mix of electronics with rock very noisy rock is basically the trademark sound of Industrial Rock, and Reznor not only nailed, but mastered it on
The Downward Spiral. It's an abrasive experience with just a few songs to breathe fresh air. This is definitely not easy listening, nor it was intended anyways.
There are distorted sounds, mechanical sounds, screams and whispers, samples of people suffering. This concept album is the perfect soundtrack to a man that wants to self destruct. The making of the record is well documented, with Trent Reznor setting up a studio in the Californian house where Charles Manson and his gang of lunatic followers brutally murdered Sharon Tate and her group of friends. It's hard to really think of a more fitting scene for the recording of
The Downward Spiral than a house where one of the most notorious murders of recent times took place.
As the album name suggests, the story told is that of a man's continual downward spiral, culminating in his eventual death and reflection on it from beyond the grave. Starting with Mr. Self Destruct in which Reznor lays bare the weak, self-destructive nature of his character, the music progresses through rejection of God (Heresy), society (March Of The Pigs), a former partner (Piggy), and eventually himself and all that he has become (The Downward Spiral). And believe me, if that sounds miserable, then you really need to hear the music that accompanies this horrible story. While a trademark of Nine Inch Nails always has been loud, explosive bursts of noise combined with softer, more ambient textures, here the whole album is imbued with such a sense of otherworldly fear and menace that it seems at times as if Reznor must at times be close to a grand implosion such are the full scale and power of the emotions running through him. Particularly notable for this are Mr. Self Destruct, opening with the sounds of a man being tortured.
Both a horrible and a fantastic album. It doesn't help the production is so clean, even on the noisiest moments. Or does it? In any case, cathartic experience, almost unlistenable at times because of it's rawness and brutality. Definitely not a friendly, accesible record.
Recommended song: Heresy30DamnationOpeth
Can I have another like this? Please?Seems like after the Blackwater Park sessions, there were some acoustic ideas that weren't used, and Opeth didn't know what to do with them. A friend of them suggested them to do a double album, one disc mostly unplugged, so that it would portray their soft, more melodic side; the other, of course, would be their most brutal, intense work. As far as I know, the band wanted to release them as two albums on the same package, but it wasn't possible at the time.
While I'm not a fan of their heavier music, I fell in love with Damnation pretty much from the first listen. Steven Wilson produced (and collaborated a bit on it), so it's quite a clear-sounding record. Most instrumentation is pretty simple: acoustic guitars, drums, mellotrons, and some occasional electric guitars providing solos or some wonderful layering. And Mikael's voice. It's a bit of a bit of a bleak record for sure, but I just love dark stuff. Dunno what more to say, it's just a wonderful piece of art.
By the way, it's been recently remixed by Steven, and rereleased along with Deliverance (which has received a remaster) as it was originally intended.
Recommended song: In My Time of Need 
Topic: Le Sacul's fav records! v2. Hey boy, where are you going with that little toy? (Read 19059 times)