Serum Dreg kick off "Death Ritual" by screeching "FUCKING DEATH RITUAL!" over a bunch of guitar squealing. There's a song called "Blasphemic Black Death Noise” and the record is titled Lustful Vengeance. As you might have guessed, Serum Dreg is crusty, blackened, deadly, and deeply, unabashedly goofy. Though the Portland duo is certainly not tongue-in-cheek, there's no doubt that their debut record is ridiculously fun. Lustful Vengeance is a no-frills throwback to black metal's heyday and a record that boasts more than enough merit to stand out in an increasingly crowded genre.
Despite what the decidedly unfriendly song titles might otherwise suggest, Lustful Vengeance’s greatest strength is its impressive accessibility. This is intense, to-the-point music that has little time for lengthy atmospheric breaks or measured, hypnotic riffing. Serum Dreg might not be reinventing black metal, but their crust-heavy take on genre makes for a frantically enjoyable listen nonetheless. Take the aforementioned “Death Ritual,” and not just because of its gloriously absurd opener. The track speeds along at a blitzkrieg pace, full of chunky riffs and drum beats that practically melt together in their ugliness. The vocals overlaying the murky instrumentation are no less pungent, shifting from scratchy black metal screeches to the occasional death growl or over the top garbled laughter on a dime.
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The expected underproduced elements keep things suitably grim and evil. Lustful Vengeance genuinely sounds like a studio-quality recording of live music, which makes their occasional sillier forays all the more entertaining. Attempts at creating a live music soundscape are hardly uncommon, but few nails it as well as Serum Dreg, and the results are a key factor in Lustful Vengeance’s
In Rebel Music by Daniel Felsenfeld, he tells his story of how he became interested in classical music at a younger age, and could not break away from this interest. He began his story at the age of 17, after he had training in piano, and could play reasonably well. However, at this point he declared himself “by no means unmusical.” He also explains the times when he first found classical music, while visiting a friend he was asked if he wanted to hear “something really wild.” While he expected a rebellious theme or genre of music, such as goth, punk, edge, or another style, instead he pulled out a remarkable collection of classical pieces, and Felsenfeld immediately became hooked. He continues his narrative to his later years, as he discovers
The songs that were played at the concert were Low Rider by War and Soul Sacrifice by Santana.
Later in Sweeney Todd Sondheim continues to play with the techniques of Brech and Weill to shock his audience. The well-known Act I closing song, “A Little Priest”, is the moment when Sweeney and his partner in crime Mrs. Lovett conspire to bake Sweeney’s victims into meat pies. This gruesome song could be very appalling if it was not set to an up-tempo waltz in which Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett joke about which profession would make the most delicious pie filling. The waltz style is traditionally thought of as a style of love, so the harsh contradiction with lyrics about conspiring murder is what makes the song very memorable (Taylor 85). This juxtaposition of style and lyrics is exactly what Weill and Brecht accomplished in Threepenny. This technique
Lyrically, Demons could be compared to any metalcore band, but I feel like I’m listening to The Amity Affliction. The themes of depression, anger, despair, and anxiety are present consistently through, the appropriately named, Demons. Each song touches on one of those topics, and the emotion is prevalent through front man, Nicholas Matthews’ versatile voice. His higher pitched voice may turn away some, but I do not mind it at all. His sound reminds me of Denis Stoff or Vic Fuentes. Matthews lets his screams become more evident in each song, rather than being used as background vocals. The screams also sound much better than those from their last album, Everyone is Out to Get Me. The uncleans and cleans overlap each other adding a complexity to the songs, as well as harmonies in some parts. Certain lines in the songs are screamed while others are sung, with no pattern, to add a strong emotional emphasis. My one complaint though, is that all the songs follow the same formula of a verse, chorus, and then a bridge near the end. There is not much variance in the song structure. However, the band is able to keep things interesting by adding unconventional instruments and effects. Songs such as “The Devil’s in the Details” or “Second Guessing,” features both violin and piano. The song “Addict,” even has the sound of rain in the background, which
The Wiz is a musical/movie released in 1978 that was an adaptation of the popular film “Wizard of Oz”. It included several very popular stars of the time, which were Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell. The movie set place in New York City where the main character, Dorothy, suddenly is swept by a tornado in the middle of a snowstorm. She later then found herself lost in a city she had no clue about and curious as to how she could return home. After meeting 3 other characters during her journey that share similarities, they all embarked on a trip to OZ to fix each of their problems. Throughout the movie characters apply their own soundtrack through singing songs in harmony that compliment the mood of each scene.
Into the Woods is a musical based off of classic Grimms Brothers’ characters and their fairytales. The production explores the consequences of their wishes and the quests that they fulfill and take on. In writing this play, it seems as though Sondheim and Lapine were attempting to bring to life the classic fairytales of their youth with a twist of reality. Through this portrayal of classic tales, the audience is also taken back into their childhood for the entire two hours and forty-five minutes.
On Saturday night 10/17/2015, I attended the theatre at Tarrant County College North East Campus, the comedy drama God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and was directed by Stephen Thomas. “God of Carnage,” which is poised somewhere in between, definitely delivers the cathartic release of watching other people’s marriages go boom. A study in the tension between civilized surface and savage instinct, this play is itself a satisfyingly primitive entertainment with an intellectual veneer.
Two years in the making, countless hours of songwriting, guitar tracking, recording, then multiple lawsuits by record companies and the end result is the masterpiece that is A Day To Remember’s Common Courtesy album. To most people, the entire genre of metal, hardcore, or punk music is all just one big idea of devil worshipping and ignorance, these misconceptions are so false it’s almost unfair. The detail and progression of the music in these genres is so advanced that it is devastating to musicians that most people don’t consider it music. A Day To Remember is the pinnacle of what melodic hardcore, or “pop-mosh” music is, they are the best musicians and make the biggest impact on the scene and the world. In a world that only focuses on what Miley Cyrus is doing and in a genre that is mainly only heard by angry heartbroken teenagers, ADTR has been able to solidify themselves into the musical world and that is what makes their new album “Common Courtesy” an iconic part of hardcore music.
How is rhythm used in the control of tension and repose? I-Introduction Music has Expectations and surprise - tension and repose –Who controls it? First in order to find what controls- what is tension and repose?
“We don’t want to make Pyromania 2. We should do a rock version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller” (Collen). Hysteria went one step further on the pop sound that Def Leppard had originally debuted with “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.” Despite a slow start in the United States, Hysteria delivered at being the rock version of Thriller. Hysteria sold twice as many albums as its predecessor and had seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Hysteria spent seventy-eight weeks in the top-ten of the Billboard 200, which is the longest lasting streak for a rock album in the history of the chart (Newman, 2017). “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” “Animal,” “Armageddon It,” “Gods of War,” “Run Riot,” and “Rocket” are the very definition of pop metal. Loud guitar mixed with pop-melody made these songs marketable to everyone. “Love Bites,” “Hysteria,” and “Love and Affection” were the power ballads of the album that reflected the sound of “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.” Def Leppard achieved its goal of creating a widely successful rock album: Hysteria is the forty-second best-selling album of all time in the United States (Lynch, 2016). Def Leppard toured across the globe promoting Hysteria, but guitarist Steve Clark’s alcoholism was starting to worsen and would soon change the course of Def
War and its ramifications for those who are unfortunately entangled in it, is an issue that has fueled both political discussion and literary exploration throughout the previous century. Underived, authentic accounts of the experience and effects of war, from those who have served in it, can be especially enlightening for the majority of society who have had the fortune of not being intimately familiar with war. Through the examination of poems and stories written by soldiers, who were inspired by their involvement in conflict, one can obtain a greater understanding of this gruesome aspect of life, without having to directly experience it. Similarly, soldier turned poet, Bruce Weigl, has contributed his perspective on war through his literary
Honor in The Iliad is imperative to the Greeks because it is the foundation of the Greek society. It leads people to perform certain actions and determines their fate. Greeks live their lives based on the actions in which they will receive honor. All Greeks are determined to gain honor because it guarantees them a strong reputation and standing in the social ladder. The goal of every Greek soldier is to achieve honor in their lifetime one way or another. Homer portrays numerous heroes in The Iliad who fight for honor using various techniques. Honor is an important factor in a Greek society because it holds the respect for those honorable men; it gives Greeks a motivation to attain dignity. Hektor is the most honored because he sacrifices
Enhancing the sustained fright of this film are an excellent cast, from which the director coaxes extraordinary performances, and Bernard Herrmann's chilling score. Especially effective is the composer's so-called "murder music," high-pitched screeching sounds that flash across the viewer's consciousness as quickly as the killer's deadly knife. Bernard Herrmann achieved this effect by having a group of violinists frantically saw the same notes over and over again.
This piano piece is from the romantic era, demonstrating breathtakingly lyrical and expressive melody, chromatic harmony, and use of dissonance to convey emotion (Wright 232-233). The dark beauty, haunting quality, melodic structure, and lyrical nature reminded me of Frederic Chopin, the master of the nocturne (Wright 232, 270). After comparing it to several pieces by the composer, I determined that it was Nocturne in C Sharp Minor (Op 27 No 1)1.
Music + Meaning Translated across many forms of media, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has long gripped the hearts of audiences around the world. Its many adaptations have made it readily available in a range of forms. Baz Lurhmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is one example of a film bringing the story of Romeo and Juliet to a new generation. Originally met with hesitation, Lurhmann’s film was deemed a pop culture remake of the classic story.