Ved Buens Ende´s "Den saakaldte"

Ved Buens Ende:"Den saakaldte", (fra albummet "Written in waters", 1995):

Listen, hear my demons dance
after a view and a fallen star,
they gather

Look, see my demons gleam
they´ve brought us stains
and my bubbles bother

Drifting us further away
really seems like a rainy day...

(tekst: Yousaf Parvez a.k.a. Vicotnik)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQwimwdAF4k

(Man skal ikke lytte ret længe til norske Ved Buens Ende´s debut-album "Written in waters", før man forstår, hvorfor dette album er blevet en af de helt store klassikere inden for heavy metal-genren...."Written in waters" er en dybt original blanding af avantgarde metal og black metal, med hovedvægten lagt på avantgarde, og et album, som man slet ikke kan komme udenom, når snakken falder på en af metallens store personligheder Carl-Michael Eide, (Aura Noir, Virus). Desværre har "Written in waters" aldrig fået sig en opfølger, og iflg. Eide er det på nuværende tidspunkt udelukket, at det sker. På en måde ærgerligt, men samtidig kan man godt stille sig selv spørgsmålet hvorvidt "Written...." overhovedet kan overgåes eller bare matches i kvalitet....:-)).

Napalm Death´s "Distorting the medium"

Napalm Death:"Distorting the medium", (fra albummet "Utopia banished", 1992):

Saturating pre-assuming icon of the youth,
Ways and means to call the shots,
Fingers in the pies which resign us from vacant urges,
Facing the bombardment - no escape!

Stick your intentions!
Parade of puppets
Sickly sweet - you stink of vulgarity!

Sacrifice the faculties,
All you´ve achieved is synthetic scenes.

Next step is to gain approval from those ignore,
Those who recognise the charade,
To fabricate alternatives designed to be expensive
In hand with the regular facade.

Acquire acclaim with plastic actions,
Sickly sweet - you stink of vulgarity!

Sacrifice the faculties,
All you´ve achieved is synthetic scenes.

Fit into the cliche,
A legend in your own brain.
Shooted, motivated only for prestige

A mask for your inadequacy.

Preshaping to what´s required for slick
   Commerciality.
Censored for subversion,
Redundant machine.

Don´t let them mould your identity.

(tekst: Mark "Barney" Greenway)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eskDe2H7MDU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCsVnPL9a84

(Det er så let at glemme Napalm Death´s tidlige udgivelser med Barney i spidsen, når man lytter til de nyere albums fra Birmingham-drengene....Men Napalm var også rigtigt fede i begyndelsen af Barney-æraen, som f.eks. på fuldlængden "Utopia banished" fra 1992. Dyrk lige tracket "Distorting the medium", hvor den nu afdøde guitarist Jesse Pintado i dén grad åbnede for riff-skuffen....Fantastisk medrivende nummer :-)).

Hate Eternal´s "The art of redemption"

Hate Eternal:"The art of redemption", (fra albummet "Phoenix amongst the ashes", 2011):

Conquer thy rebellion, destroy thy pristine
Bold, I must revel in the obliteration of the monotheist, so called mighty lord
Crush all man, burn down the temple of hope
Persecution of all your saint´s ideals
Behold, the end of days awaits
Whilst redemption now is at hand
The art of redemption
The final battle is at hand
Avenge me legions and hordes abandon
Triumphant in our stand
Confront me tyrant, absolve me messiah
Defy, I shall defy all those whom choose the path of lies
Lies, you cannot hide from nor deny
I cast thee out, out amongst slaves
Slaves amongst thieves, thieves amongst the fray
Amongst the fray may vengeance destroy you all
For victory now is within our grasp
The art of redemption
The final battle is at hand
Avenge me legions and hordes abandon
Triumphant in our stand
The art of redemption
With vengeance we shall command
In discipline we revolt against the tyranny
Defiant in our stand
Path of fury wrath of many
Insipid and insolent in our ways
Destroy all with pure ferocity
Vindication through annihilation
Redemption retaliate
Redemption obliterate
Redemption, annihilate
Redemption, we rule this world

(tekst: Erik Rutan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p-ADV4u7fw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOKK5W4KxYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smUcirPQ43Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWLZfIPghc

(Jeg har været fan af Florida´s Hate Eternal næsten lige fra det øjeblik, death metal-debuten "Conquering the throne" så dagens lys i 1999. Nu, 12 år senere, er bandet pladeaktuelle med 5. udspil "Phoenix amongst the ashes", som er brutal og kompleks død spillet i et forrygende tempo med mastermind og eneste originale medlem Erik Rutan i absolut storform. (Dyrk bare Rutan´s guitarspil på tracket "The art of redemption" :-)).

Musikken på "Phoenix...." er kompleks, endog særdeles kompleks, og det gør, at det er en skive, som man skal give tid til at vokse. Der er simpelthen så mange elementer i de enkelte numre, at man umuligt kan nå at få det hele med ved kun 2-3 gennemlytninger. Men væbner man sig med med tid og tålmodighed, er der utrolig meget guf at hente, og albummet bare vokser og vokser og vokser....Varmeste anbefaling!).

Napalm Death´s "Downbeat clique"

Napalm Death:"Downbeat clique", (fra albummet "Time waits for no slave", 2009):

For independence we alone define
Open-ended, not monopolised, it´s just as it is.

Does not need overstatement
Don´t broadcast it from the rooftops
It´s we alone that convene.

But radical actor there you are,
The radical statesman picking holes
But radical actor there you are,
The radical statesman´s checklist of faults

But radical actor there you are,
In radical terms this target´s soft
But radical actor there you are,
In radical terms it´s power to your lost soul

But radical actor there you are,
The radical heights alienating
To be a cut above - or below

Infighting starts to establish
A clearly marked distance because image is at stake

Mindlessly stifling downbeat clique
Down-at-heel tyranny downbeat clique

Infighting starts to establish
A clearly marked distance because image is at stake

Pitifully snipping downbeat clique
Re-branded morality downbeat clique

Exactly what are YOU achieving?

The faithful patron of one conclusion
With reflection, effects are null and void,
It´s just as it is

But racical actor there you are,
The radical statesmen picking holes
But radical actor there you are,
In radical terms it´s power to your lost soul

But radical actor there you are,
The radical slip into social structure
And your threatening alliance with the norm.

(tekst: Mark "Barney" Greenway)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogY28_5ayDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbWEodGvh2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DUKK_P-g7I

(Objektivt set er Napalm Death´s seneste fuldlængde "Time waits for no slave" en lille tilbagegang for Birmingham´s stolthed i forhold til forgængeren "Smear campaign" fra 2006. Meeeeeeen jeg har i dén grad dyrket "Time....", siden den landede i min samling i det tidlige 2009, for selv et Napalm i en 90%-udgave er stærkt medrivende selskab :-)

I næste måned får "Time...." så efter sigende en opfølger, og mens vi venter på den nye Napalm-skive, hvad er så mere nærliggende end at brøle lystigt med på det ultra-fede og herligt rytmiske "Time...."-track "Downbeat clique"? Okay, du kan måske godt finde en ting eller to, der er mere nærliggende....ha ha...., men forslaget er hermed givet :-)).

Communic´s "At dewy prime"

Communic:"At dewy prime", (fra albummet "Waves of visual decay", 2006):

The vision was a test of deprived physical strength
Dipped in the ocean to be born again
My soul was naked without a surface
Then fingers folded around me and gave me a shell
This ship on its travel carried meaningful thoughts
Travelled over me and left their minds
Then a shadow unbound me and stretched me with skin
And adorned my soul with the memories of them

Sailor, sailor burning bright
On the stormy sea at night
Golden heart and undying pride
Their heart lies buried in a bay of Noeway

Bring back the memories bring me back in time
Bring back the colors and the scent of meadow lands
Bring back the memories bring me back in time
Bring back the colors and the scent of meadow lands

At dewy prime
Bring back the souls of the dead
At dewy prime - Bring back the souls
At dewy prime
Bring back the souls of the dead
At dewy prime - Bring back the souls

Bring me back in time to their homeland
Bring back their souls together with me
Bring back their souls to their homeland
Bring me back in time together forevermore...

In remembrance of this kind
That once came to round our land
What immortal hand of time
Made a frame and locked the symmetry

Our eyes contemplate
A transmission to the soul
Spectacle of this universe
The night veils its sadness in bloom

And one day will come
Suppress all the dark thoughts
Spirits of our destructive time
Even into plains of ether

Bring back the memories bring me back in time
Bring back the colors and the scent of meadow lands
Bring back the memories bring me back in time
bring back the colors and the scent of meadow lands

At dewy prime
Bring back the souls of the dead
At dewy prime - Bring back the souls
At dewy prime
Bring back the souls of the dead
At dewy prime - Bring back the souls

Bring me back in time to their homeland
Bring back their souls together with me
Bring back their souls to their homeland
Bring me back in time together forevermore...

The vision was a test of deprived physical strength
Dipped in the ocean to be born again
My soul was naked without a surface
Then fingers folded around me and gave me a shell
This ship on its travel carried meaningful thoughts
Travelled over me and left their minds
Then a shadow unbound me and stretched me with skin
And adorned my soul with the memories of them...

(tekst: Oddleif Stensland)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5_MOEt0_so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYX44-81FcA

(Jeg er ikke meget for at indrømme det, men jeg havde lidt svært ved at se det fantastiske i norsk/danske Communic´s 2. fuldlængde "Waves of visual decay", da den udkom i 2006....Jeg syntes, at det var en noget skuffende opfølger til debut-braget "Conspiracy in mind", men som tiden er gået er jeg heldigvis blevet klogere :-) "Waves...." holder 100 %, hvis bare man giver sig selv lov til at lytte koncentreret til de 7 lange labyrintiske, gennemarbejdede, intelligente tracks. Det er power/progressive metal så englene synger, og især closeren "At dewy prime" har jeg lært at se/høre som et af Communic´s allerbedste tracks til dato.

I disse måneder er Oddleif Stensland & Co. pladeaktuelle med bandets 4. fuldlængde "The bottom deep", og er blevet et etableret band på den internationale metal-scene og i HEAVY-SKOV´s univers....:-)).

Triptykon´s "Shatter"

Triptykon:"Shatter", (fra EP´en "Shatter", 2010):

I don´t want to feel
I don´t want to see
I don´t want to love
I don´t want to live
I don´t wish to drown in the beauty of your eyes
I don´t wish to remember the warmth of your embrace
I don´t wish to bleed on your altar of demise
I don´t wish to wither among the petals of disgrace
why did you cast me into a bottomless pit of pain
my love a sacrifice in your temple of disdain
why did you cast me into a bottomless pit of pain
to feel is suffering
to feel is rejection
to feel is despair
to feel is to die
the air liquefies as it enters my shattered lungs
darkness enwraps my mind as my blood stains your skin
my heart pierced by thorns of words that now seem wrong
I yield to the darkness of the angry deep within

(tekst: Tom Gabriel Warrior)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrRi25jZRFY

(Det lykkedes mig endelig her i torsdags d. 25. august at få fingre i denne lille udgivelse fra Triptykon takket være FONA 2000 på Strøget i København. Jeg havde været til tandlæge, (0 huller :-)), og da....øh....kampen var overstået, skulle det på en eller anden måde fejres, så hvad var mere nærliggende end at aflægge nærliggende FONA 2000 et visit...., og dér dukkede "Shatter"-EP´en omsider op, efter flere måneders eftersøgning :-)

"Shatter"-EP´en kan måske godt opfattes som værende en bagatel, men jeg ser den snarere som et væsentligt supplement til kongeskiven "Eparistera daimones". Udover det skønne titelnummer bydes der på det ærketypiske Triptykon-track "I am the twilight" og den instrumentale closer "Cruxificus" inden det er tid til Triptykon-live-versioner af gamle Celtic Frost-vindere som "Circle of the tyrants" og "Dethroned emperor"!

Celtic Frost er definitivt lagt i graven, men Triptykon lever i allerbedste velgående :-)).

Arch Enemy´s "No gods, no masters"

Arch Enemy:"No gods, no masters", (fra albummet "Khaos legions", 2011):

Here I am, back to the wall
I pick the fight against the tide
Free at last, I go my own way
I will resist them ´til the day I die

I am who I am - my time has come!

I am who I am
Take it or leave it
A rebel at heart!
No gods, no masters
My time has come

No gods, no masters!

There is no sacred place
No perfect world
Your head is home
Freedom in your heart
Be strong
Take this chance
Make your way
A better future calls

What doesn´t kill us
Makes us stronger
Locked and loaded
Ready to strike
Here we stand
Loud and proud
United as one

(tekst: Angela Gossow)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR3kwe-mbB0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q8GYtkIax8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJZIHxalYkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74fCMq2fOjI

(Okay....indrømmet....jeg havde ikke ligefrem de store forventninger til svensk/tyske Arch Enemy´s nyeste udspil "Khaos legions", som blev udgivet her i sommerens begyndelse. For efter de, i mine ører, halvtamme fuldlængder "Doomsday machine" (2005) og "Rise of the tyrant" (2007) var det svært at forestille sig, at de melodiske dødsmetallere kunne smide en svinesej skive på gaden...., men det er så ikke desto mindre, hvad der er sket :-) "Khaos legions" indeholder ganske vist lidt fyld hist og her, men generelt er de enkelte tracks gennemarbejdede og herligt fængende! Her er mildest ikke sjusket med sangskrivningen.....

....så selvom jeg er en af dem, (hvis der da overhovedet findes andre....:-)), som normalt savner Arch Enemy´s originale forsanger Johan Liiva ved mikrofonen, så gør "Khaos...."-albummets høje niveau og en Angela Gossow på toppen af sin growler-karriére, at jeg i tankerne sagtens kan abstrahere fra Liiva´s manglende tilstedeværelse :-)).

Napalm Death´s "In deference"

Napalm Death:"In deference", (fra albummet "Smear campaign", 2006):

Ethically aligned to the cause -
Or so I thought
A cause that decried the exploits
Where masses are coerced

Often, social justice is a cynical smokescreen
Only at their bidding

Close-circuit reach - don´t overstep my boundaries
Such boundaries that crumble under order

Sincerely you serve your own ends -
Do as I do
I can´t tell my left from my right -
Corruption blurs

Face the wrong direction
And we risk containment
Whilst they sanction murder

Close-circuit reach quickly erases all travesties
Such travesties waved away with feeble ease

It´s adjudged to be uncivil
You should be at lower reach
Bound over
Because open thinking is an act of complicity

Leaders are leading by example
"Rights" and "wrongs" on a sliding scale
Sit atop the order of importance
You too can reap the power harvest

The "deviant" young get in the way
We become suitably distraught
Whilst their judges take lives near and afar
And reap the power harvest

(tekst: Mark "Barney" Greenway)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw6ZFq0BVtE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hppI2oGTCq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xos98Y_NGhg

(Det engelske grind metal-band Napalm Death fra England´s næststørste by Birmingham er forlængst blevet en institution inden for heavy metal-verdenen, og dette ikke mindst takket være energibundtet Mark Greenway, i daglig tale kaldet "Barney". Med sin nærmest amok-agtige sceneoptræden og sine samfundskritiske tekster er denne bulderbasse af en forsanger på en måde synonym med Napalm Death....Der var en periode i 1990´erne, (1996-97), hvor Barney var blevet "sparket" ud af Napalm, men blev taget til nåde igen af bassist Shane Embury og Co., simpelthen fordi de øvrige bandmedlemmer indså, at der ikke fandtes noget Napalm Death uden Barney ved mikrofonen :-)

Ligeså fandenivoldsk Barney er under diverse koncert-optrædener og studie-indspilninger, ligeså venlig, hyggelig og velafbalanceret virker han under diverse interviews, og det er måske i bund og grund den væsentligste årsag til Napalm´s succés....At der bag det voldsomme lydbillede gemmer sig en regulær menneskelighed og en lyst til fredelige forbedringer af samfundsmæssige skævheder :-)

Med disse ord er det her på Heavy-Skov blevet tid til den absolut største overraskelse i Napalm Death´s lange fornemme karriére....nemlig nummeret "In deference", hvor Anneke van Giersbergen, om jeg så må sige, lægger vejen forbi :-)).