Reviews by deksametazon

I love this kind of slow burners that dissect you slowly and lead into a crescendo moment at the end of each song. That's their whole modus operandi, but God does it never get old hearing each song start off minimalistic and slowly build up while the familiar instruments keep on thumpinglike some kind of motorik trip-pop-krautrock banger with Paul Buchanan wailing as if he's getting burned from his toes to his spine.

Their meticulous approach always pays off, as every moment here is perfectly and organically crafted to create such a magical atmosphere that makes you want to groove out in the middle of a rainy street.

For some reason, whenever I hear a song from A Walk Across The Rooftop I have an urge to do the Willem Defoe pose in Platoon while a torrent of rain washes upon me. Something about this album and its brand of sophisti-pop brings out a sensual urge out of me. Nothing sexual, just an urge to hold someone and feel the heat and the of the moment.

I enjoy this quite a lot. Not as much as Hats, but it has its charm. Very lush production, more upbeat and mainstream, and doesn't quite rely on building up an atmosphere, but throwing you into the groove. Paul Buchanan's voice is a great companion through this journey as well.

What an album. The 6th and final collaboration album between angelesque Kath Bloom and the virtuosic Loren Connors (billed Mazzacane). I haven't listened to the earlier albums, so I might be blowing wind out of my ass with this one, but despite them stating in multiple interviews that there was no love between them, this album really feels like two broken hearts slowly floating away in different ways. Hell, even Loren's wife decided to step in between them and forbade Connors from doing anymore collaborations with Kath, so I guess there was more than just musical chemistry here.

It's broken down and hollow. Kath's vocals are hushed, yet perilous, while Loren foreshadows his apocalyptic way of playing he would explore in the 90s. Together they paint the final stroke on a very sad canvas. Comforting in its emptiness, yet devastating in its restraint. A documentation of a quiet resign and dissolution.

This is actually not half bad. Probably due to electronic passages sprinkled around to make it more expansive and to add more facets to their sound. Nonetheless, the thumping death metal sounds still get boring by the middle, even with that.

While most ushered in the mid-90s as a welcoming tide of change, Nikola Vranjkovic and Block Out were quick to realize it was nothing more than a mere facade, and the music reflects that.

A cry for help? Not really. I'd categorize it more as a Dylan-esque painting of a world gone mad, with them prophesying and just watching it untangle and unwind into reality, a line they would walk for their entire recording career.

The music is raw, tethering between Tool and Pink Floydish progressive rock, and more "commercial" alternative rock. It slaps all throughout, with Tri Korne Penal being a finale for a defeated man, full of confusion.

I'll keep this review short and simple, because that's what this album deserves in the end. Crno, Belo i Srebrno is exactly what the name implies: Black, White and Silver. The songwriting is split between vocalist Milutin "Mita" Jovanović (the white part) who penned the first four tracks, and guitarist Nikola Vranjković (the black part) who's responsible for the rest, to create a mix of black and white, i.e gray/silver.

The first part is your standard alternative rock, pretty boring, mainstream and nowhere near indicative of what the band will be making, while those Vranjovic penned songs are pretty fun, progressive and dark with trademark feelings of angst and a pallid outlook on life. There's a reason why Mita stepped down from songwriting after this album, why they rarely played his songs on concerts, and why Block Out was launched into the musical stratospheres after that decision.

You can listen to the first four tracks and form your opinion on them, but those last six are staples of Serbian alt-rock.

With jazz you can never go wrong. Great combo of the beautiful and extravagant female voice of Julie Tippets and Howard Johnson's vocals that vaguely reminds me of Tom Waits energy, suave and elegant.

Essentially, the long form tracks here dominate in quality, with Carla Bley masterfully balancing parts to create a structurally daunting composition while simultaneously adding manic, and weirdly cool instrumental passages and shorter songs to easy transitions into more complex moments. Everybody got their spotlight, and everybody did their job well. And I'm totally pleased with the result

They show flashes of being competent and smart enough to make long-lasting and well-put-together music, but those flashes are being drowned by this pesky wall of sound and unintelligible vocals. Clean it up, and you got something that just might be of recommendable value.

As with most trap albums, the artist's insecurities tend to rise above the album, leading to a release of something that the artist deemed as moving and emotional, but what in reality is a humorous display of a collection of songs that fall into the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" category. It's devoid of anything good, it makes my head buzz, and makes me question the amount of shit these upcoming generations of young people are in, if they think this is good music.

Music like this is why we're becoming deprived as a society. Make happy music, or if you have to make sad music, at least make it meaningful.

I love these delicate sounds of trying to be a functional human being while strung out on PCP.

24 years after their debut, Mos Def and Talib Kweli reunite to record the successor to one of the most critically acclaimed debuts, and generally hip-hop albums ever.

Honestly, I went into it expecting it to be mediocre, but it's actually good, considering the general opinion on older rappers dropping albums, and considering that Black Star had to continue where they left off on their debut.

Madlib's beats are beautiful as always, and both Talib and Mos Def spit those thought-provoking lyrics, although not with the same intensity that they did some 20 years ago, which is expected, they still aged like wine, though sometimes they feel disconnected from each other. Overall, this album feels like a more mature version of the first album. All the songs bring out some parts that were locked since the Black Star debut, while some parts bring out techniques that both Mos and Talib have perfected since that period. Also, they do not stretch the album unnecessarily, keeping the length to just over 33 minutes.

I recommend checking the album if you like hip-hop. My favorite tracks are "o.G", "So Be It", "The Main Thing Is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing", "Freequency", and "No Fear of Time" though the last two tracks have parts that unnecessarily lengthen the album, though it's not a detriment to the quality.

Also, why does the beat on "Yonders" sound like it's being recorded through earphones on max volume?

A bit longer than I would've liked it to be, but it still has enough meat to it to be a tasty meal. Both Mos Def and Talib have a lot of lyrical power that requires deeper reading and listening, and the beats here have that grimy quality mixed with a lot of east coast cultural appreciation.

"Respiration" was always a favorite of mine, which I've always felt stood out for some reason on this album (I feel as if the production is much clearer, or that the overall flow of the song doesn't quite go the same way the rest of the album does), but listening to it front to back, there's a lot more like "Astronomy", "K.O.S", "Children Story", and "Thieves in the Night", which are all amazing in their own little way.

Out of the first 6 albums, Sabotage is probably the most straighforward out of them all. Not many forward leaps into the unknown, deeper progressive tinges nor that much occult aura around it. Just darkish heavy metal.

Of course, it doesn't work as well as their previous albums. It's probably their worst out of the six, but it doesn't mean it's bad overall. Symptom of the Universe is great with its rolling guitar, and the progressive Megalomania never lets up, even if it's almost 10 minutes in length.

The other side was a bit of a dud, but that's on me for tuning out of it. Am I Going Insane is good, and I love the symphonic tinges on The Thrill of it All.

Obviously I'll be returning to it. Side A was great and side B was decent on first listen, and I'm sure I'll love it more once I get a good picture of it.

Stopping their drug-fueled frenzy turned Black Sabbath into a multi-faceted monster with additional haunted progressive tinges, rather than sinking deeper into the doom groove. Engaging stuff, especially the effortless switches around the melody with an unpredictable solo here or there, a tempo change, or straight up changing genres for portions or full songs.

One underrated aspect is how Black Sabbath has deeper lyrics than one would expect. A National Acrobat is an ode to an unborn child and living life to the fullest, and Spiral Architect is about maintaining hope in a grim world. Honestly, you don't expect deep and concious(lly optimistic) lyrics in metal, especially from guys whose whole schtik was witches and the occult.

One of those albums that are responsible for my taste. Can't say a lot that hasn't been said before. Essential album. Iconic cover. Iconic side A, maybe even the most iconic side in all music. A pinch worse side B, but still very, very good.

A juggernaut of an album.

I don't know if there are more people like my father, who like Paranoid but don't like Master of Reality. He never told me the specific reason, but I think it's more because of the reduced commercial factor of this album. A poser, I say.

What can I say more than the obvious. Perhaps the best heavy metal album of all time, even better than Paranoid in some aspects, and if not for Paranoid, the metal album which defined me the most through the years. The slow mode in which they worked here gives it a lot of charm and uniqueness, even more than half a century after it was released. They stuck to a template they set on the previous album, with heavy songs with some ballad moments inserted.

The best songs are at the beginning and the end, but the interior of the album also contains some very meaty and delicious streaks of genius.

The only minus doesn't necessarily concern the album, but the remaster mix on Spotify that throws out depth, density, and that feeling of haziness in order to achieve some "hi-fi" sound is one of the stupidest musical decisions. Travesty, I say.

Orpheus Listening Challenge 2023: #8 A classic rock album you should've heard by now but haven't (6th album)

I have a friend who absolutely loves anything Dio put out, and on the other side of the coin, hates whatever Ozzy did during his stint with Sabbath. He also loves Whitesnake and Coverdale and his DP albums. Do with that information what you will.

Speaking of which, this album is in essence, a Rainbow ice cream with some Black Sabbath flavor cookies added to it. Thank god Black Sabbath actually tried and did some masterful instrumental work on some tracks. Especially Iommi. Helps alleviate some sickness I get from some of Dio's lyrics.

Neon Knights is a good, speedy opener, Lady Evil surprisingly gets a passing grade, and the s/t is the high point for me. After that, the album loses me with Wishing Well and Walk Away. Alongside Children of the Sea, it's just too campy. At some points, they feel like Led Zeppelin, at others like Rory Gallagher, and at that point, it'd just rather listen to them.

It's definitely below the pantheon of Sabbath albums, but it's still a solid effort, and a very good way to stay afloat after moving to a different sound.

Perfect album for this soggy autumn morning, where crows crack fallen leaves, the cold wind starts freezing the summer blood. Black Sabbath transcended blues rock and created something revolutionary. Blues was always about melancholy, but it was never this dark.

It's great hard rocking blues music. Iommi is a maestro on the guitar, prodding through each moment, Ozzy's vocals fit really nicely in the occult aesthetic, and the rhythm backbone of Geezer and Ward are one of my favs. The A side is the meal here, which set the standard for what Black Sabbath was known for: dark and ominous, while the B side is a safe route to go with two covers and an original sandwiched in between. Still great playing, especially from Iommi, which used this side as more of a showcase for himself.

Up until I went and explored that pesky 1001 albums book, I've always underrated this one, but that book has opened my eyes. Top 3 Black Sabbath album of all time for me.

Also worth mentioning, some pressing have the song Wicked World on them instead of the cover song, Evil Woman. Both of them are good, but I lean towards WW a bit more. It's an original, and it's mighty good. So if you're going to download the album, I suggest crafting a custom one with both.

Side A is the continuation of the Damaged sound, in a more personal tone. Its confinement to 6 songs is one of the greatest choices, since after the first two songs, the quality starts going downhill rather quickly.

Thankfully, the channel is switched and on side B we get half the songs but double the staying power. Henry's vocal approach is perfect for this style: a maniacal, loony-bin drone. Beside that, Greg Ginn's mixture of doom licks with punkish flavor is a great facet.

It's my favorite Black Flag album. I always love returning to its ferocious bite every once in a while.

It's not an album I like to play often, but it's an album that matches the feeling and desire to get out of the house and start some shit. If today's Ritalin babies could do something like this with their energy, we'd already have an express line to the moon, I'm telling you that.

In my opinion, you don't need to be an expert musician to make a good hardcore album. There aren't many points that you need to touch in order to make a HC album that turns out well. Maybe that's why I was never too excited to enter that world, but Damaged is perfect as a starting point. Even if you are not a fan of that fast sound, there is that noisy and energetic atmosphere on this album that will soften some people who swear to avoid hardcore due to "lack of musical variety and artistry". And in my opinion, that's a stupid take to make, mostly because underneath the hardcore way of playing lies a love for the deeper groove, something along the lines of sludge and doom metal. Especially at the end in Life of Pain and Damaged I.

Everything that is stated as a minus can be stated as a plus. Very simple playing, with the energy of hymns present everywhere. In addition, the subject matter is very simple, in the sense that all the songs revolve around simple things in the daily life of a twenty-year-old: anarchy, beer, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, without any trace of any deeper pretentious songwriting.

I like My War more, but Damaged is better.