On the importance of production.

This is just a link to an already existing piece but its a very good one and it explains on a low level why and how the production of an album is important. It all stems from the complete flop of Metallicas Death Magnetic in terms of the sound. It was awful. This article isnt so much focused on that but it does indeed touch upon that as well.

Was there anything wrong with the recording of the new Metallica album? How did Led Zeppelin revolutionize recording rock? Why do newer albums sound louder? For these questions and more, clink the link and discover why the production on albums matter! Read more...

To be right and to move on.

Today I woke up early to make something for lunch later on in the day. Alot transpired yesterday and I feel empty yet quite satisfied. Its weird really how things happen. Someone let me down but I did kind of expect it so it didnt hit that hard. Its a shame though, I dont think she can help herself and in the end she ends up hurting people and then herself (even though she might not see that herself). I cant help to think how much better her life would be if she could be honest because when hanging out she is really nice and easy to talk to. Ah well, I cant do anything about it and my best guess is that she wont reply to my tries to contact her. So I guess this is good riddance and good bye. Im one experience richer and Im happy that me being careful and not get into things to much paid off. It kind of reassured that I wasnt off base. See you in hell miss ;)

Furthermore I have a good idea on my next philosophical post for the blog which will probably be about change. As usual the post will probably be influenced alot by eastern thought as well as western esotericism or left hand path pilosophy in one way or another.

I dont know when or if I have the time though. I decided to pick up my studies a few weeks back and registered. When I spoke to my teacher he immediately asked if I was interested in going for a phd. It gave me lots of ideas. Last time I was studying we got a few alternatives for further studies. One was in England (I believe it was in Manchester) and if they have something similar this time around and if things work out I will probably do something with it. And I know a couple of people in England who I have never met so it would be a good opportunity to start a relation t them in a non-online manner.

I would actually love to get paid to study and then getting away and try smething new is something I really need and I think the experience would be a good one for sure. Besides it would mean that I leave my current job which is close to my home, pay me alright and gives alot of security but is no future really.

I was also getting into alot of the norwegian black metal scene again the last week or so. It contains some really good suff and is actually very diverse and even if the scene often seems close minded its usually only the fans perspective. The bands are often quite experimental and they differ alot individually from eachother. My latest purchases have included Immortals "at the heart of winter", Mayhems "grand decleration of war", Gorgoroths "ad majorem sathanas gloriam" as well as Burzums "hvis lyset tar oss". Quite a far way from my last purchases that included Verdis "aida" and Miles Davis "bitches brew". Hey, diversity in music is a strength... :)

Copper Wimmin

This is a song that someone, who I am starting to get closer to, recomended to me. She said it made her think of her and me and when I heard it it really hit me. The vocal delivery is beautiful and the lyrics hits me straight in the heart. This might be one of the strongest songs I have ever heard actually and I would like to recomend it to anyone out there.

I know you've been hurt
Many a' time before
Your heart bleeds rivers
Deep enough to drown
Thought I could be the one
To swim against the current
Swim against the force
The force that pulls one down

But no matter how hard I try
I can't seem to win this fight
I seem to be further behind
Than I was when I met you

I know that you choose
Where you want to be
Choose the heart of gold
And not the one for free
Choose the heart of the past
Belonging not to me

But no matter how hard I try
I can't seem to win this fight
I seem to be further behind
Than I was when I met you
No matter how hard I try
I can't seem to win this fight
I seem to be further behind
Than I was when I met you

Queen of Night

Today I attended a musical called footloose. A friend invited me and I thought it ould be nice. I usually dont do these kind of things so I gave it a shot. On the way home we discussed doing thing we dont usually do. I remembered having attended the opera as a child and when I got home I decided to look up some opera. I havent been able to get into alot of classical music before but I remembered having a VHS-tape of "the magic flute". This was when I was really young and I remember liking it and watching it alot. So in my search I came across this clip. This is Diana Damrau as Queen of Night from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts "The Magic Flute". Im quite stunned to be honest. I may not be hugely into this kind of music but this performance really touches me. The aria itself is a masterpiece and Dianas voice is superb. Listen and enjoy:

1000 Times Goodbye.

MEGADETH
1000 Times Goodbye

[Dave Mustaine]

The tides of change pulled us apart
I feel a familiar pain
It seems like years since we've loved
Or even liked and that's a lonely way to be

Drifting alone in a sea of agony
Your face I can't recognize
Don't make this hard on us
I will miss you if you just go away

I did no right you did no wrong
Nothing left but wasted days
I regret you leaving
But I will never take you back

- You know what? It's over
I just don't feel the same way as I used to
We've been together forever, but it's over

Goodbye 1000 times goodbye
The thought never crossed my mind
That this would be my last goodbye
Let me put pennies on your eyes
And kiss your lips one last goodbye
My love 1000 times goodbye

It seems nothing good is free
A good thing cost much more than the price
You were good but not that good
Don't kid yourself now it's time to beak up

Drifting alone in a sea of agony
Your face I can't recognize
Don't make this hard on us
I will miss you if you just go away

I did no right you did no wrong
Nothing left but wasted days
I regret you leaving
But I'll never take you back

- Don't call me anymore. It's just not.
I don't feel the same way about you
Its not as good as it used to be

Goodbye 1000 times goodbye
The thought never crossed my mind
That this would be my last goodbye
Let me put pennies on your eyes
And kiss your lips one last goodbye
My love 1000 times goodbye

- I'll always love you but just not like that
- Like what?
- I want to be honest with you I met someone else
- You did what?
- And I really, I really love him like I used to love you
Remember the time that I told you that
I was going out of town for business?
Well I went to see him
- You know what? You suck!


Goodbye 1000 times
- You'll always have a special place
In my heart you know that
- It's just I can't be with you anymore it's over
Goodbye 1000 times
- Things may not work out with him
Goodbye 1000 times
- And if they don't
Goodbye 1000 times
- Then I'll certainly call you
Goodbye 1000 times
- You mean a lot to me
I still really want to be friends with you
I love you like you're my brother

*hangs up phone*

Join the loudness wars!

Lately Metallicas latest album "death magnetic" has made alot of people aware of the loudness wars that is going on in music today. It has gone so far that the dynamics of the music as well as overall sound quality is lost. In the Metallica example their retail version of "death magnetic" really is the worst sounding record I have ever heard. Now I like the songs but I am boycotting the album. I wont ever pay for a shitty product and that is what this is. Heres some information on the loudness wars:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
http://turnmeup.org/

Now heres a video that compares the retail version of death magnetic and the guitar hero 3 version. The guitar hero version didnt go through the same mix/master (whatever it was that caused the problem) and thus sounds alot better. Remember this is from youtube so the quality is low because of that. However this will give you an idea of whats wrong but I recoment you to download the album and the guitar hero rip and compare on your home stereo or in your mp3-player. The difference is huge and after a while you will find the retail version hard to listen to.



Heres a petition to make Metallica re-issue the album with proper sound:

http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/re-mix-or-remaster-death-magnetic.html

This is of course not only a problem for Metallica or metal but all music. So please join in and show that youre disapointed and want a change because as long as things happen as they do the record companies will keep doing what they are doing. Lets fight for good and dynamic sound!

I can always turn up my volume, but once the music is on the CD, I can't turn up the quality! Give the consumers quality and let us turn up the volume!

Am I unforgiven?

Metallicas new album "death magnetic" was leaked and my interest in this release was pretty high even if my expectations were grounded. I've heard it 3 times and for now I'd say its good enough to buy (I always buy the music I like to support the band and the scene). The Unforgiven III has some really good lyrics and the chorus really connects with me. It's very beautiful and has alot of meaning and it hit me right in the heart when I heard it.

How can I be lost
If I've got nowhere to go
Search for seas of gold
How come it's got so cold
How can I be lost
In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive

Guns N' Roses - Patience

This is one of my favorite songs ever and I like to listen to it when I'm not in that happy place I should be in. It brings out alot of sad feeling but it does contain hope as well and it's so good that I automatically feel better hearing it as well. It's a song that brings together two polarities for me and it's just beautiful.

How to be an online metal head!

I found this on the Ultimate Metal Forum. Not sure if non-metalheads find it funny but I do. Unfortunately it's true in alot of cases:

1. Every band you don't like sucks. You know the critically acclaimed band that revitalized the genre that you personally never got into? They suck. There's no room for debate; they just utterly blow ass. Make sure you're always ready and willing to point this out on various Internet forums/message boards/communities to fans of the band. In fact, you should take advantage of every opportunity and jump at any mention of the band, no matter how minuscule. Listen, it isn't enough to call an oft-praised band "overrated"; you must bring to light their extreme suckiness. No excuses.

2. Word play is a metalhead's best friend. Since you'll be frequently conversing in various online metal communities, it's important that you utilize the target band's name. A statement like "Band X sucks" is a good start, but if you want to improve your metalhead credibility, you're going to have to get more sophisticated than that. Never pass up the chance to twist and bend a band's name to include some negative word play. Some of the more effectual terms you can inject into a band name include, but are not limited to, "gay," "fag," "sucks," "shit," and my personal favorite, "turd." For examples, consider the following: "Trivicum" (Trivium), "Craptallica" (Metallica), "Blowpeth" (Opeth), "Lamb of Gay" (Lamb of God), "Iron Gayden" (Iron Maiden), "Mastodong" (Mastodon), "Panterrible" (Pantera), etc.

3. Make use of negative labels. Generalizing an entire group or thought process works in politics, so why not music? There's really no limit to what you can stick a label on. Bands, the members of a band, the band's fans – hell, even entire genres are up for a good ridicule by way of labeling. The best part about labels is that they don't even have to hold any significant meaning; they just need to sound unfavorable. "Mallcore," for example, doesn't need to carry a negative denotation, as long as it connotes a feeling of shitty music. Your use of "-core" doesn't end at "mall," so don't let an opportunity to use such gems as "fagcore," "shitcore," and "douchecore" slip by.

4. Adjust to tunnel vision. You may from time to time be tempted to listen to a band you once derided despite never having heard a single song of theirs. Resist the temptation! If you keep yourself in the dark and refuse to listen to any of the band's songs, you can still argue for their suckiness, and you won't be a hypocrite in the eyes of your fellow metalhead. This goes double for any of those fagcore genres; every single band that even so much as resembles that style of metal is shit. There's no two ways about it. If you can't resist the temptation, then make sure you never let anyone know you listen to the band in question, and fervently deny every accusation of hypocrisy.

5. The Internet is no place to be insightful. Make your point, and make it quickly. Rarely will you need more than a single sentence to describe how purely awesome a band is or how ridiculously awful another is. Don't get bogged down trying to think of something clever; leave the intelligent prose to the professional critics who, by the way, are always wrong. Keep your caps lock on, and don't be afraid to use an excessive amount of exclamation points.

6. Points are awarded for obscurity and deducted for popularity. So one of your favorite bands who you've listened to for years has just sold 100,000 copies of its most acclaimed album. This may go without saying, but it's time to drop those fucking sell outs like the greed-mongering posers they really are. Any CDs, posters, t-shirts, and magazines featuring said band must be burned immediately. Delete any trace of the band from your computer. Deny ever having listened to them. Once all this is complete, you can successfully rebound by finding the most obscure metal bands you can. Don't worry about quality – whether they're any good or show any potential isn't important; what's important is that you find that one band that no one has ever heard of. A good find will vary, but extra points go to the enthusiast who finds a band that only produced one song before breaking up indefinitely: a self-released demo only available on their now-defunct website.


That concludes my suggestions for being a metalhead online. Have fun, and remember, Internet anonymity is what keeps metal alive.

Black Sabbath - N.I.B.

Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe me, my love, and Ill show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal

Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me till the end of time

Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way Im going to feel
Im going to feel
Im going to feel

Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you will see who I am
My name is lucifer, please take my hand

God Of Emptiness

Lies - And you fill their souls
With all oppressions of this world
And all the glory you receive?
So, What makes you supreme?
Lies - Your crown is falling
I offer fantasy
And you, you creator are
Blind with envy

Let the children come to me
Their mother loves me, so shall they
Woman, bleeding, ate my gifts
Man was close behind
Just like a snake I'm slithering
Thru my world divine
And like the cat I'm stalking
I'll take your soul and You'll
Be like me
In emptiness, free

Just bow to me faithfully
Bow to me splendidly

(Morbid Angel - Covenant - God of Emptiness)