Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 17: Heavy Metal Is For Everyone

Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

Last time I did one of these, I was pretty rage filled, and I confess in hindsight it seems rather ignorant. Luckily, this one isn’t any of that. This is a Food For Thought/Thought For Food that I’ve had in the back of my mind for quite a while, and it’s something I wanted to talk about. As cheesy as this sounds, I feel that it was time for me to speak about this given how the world is right now. Everybody needs a boost of positivity in their lives, and maybe this might do just that.

As pretty much anyone who knows me personally, you know that I am a die hard fan of Heavy Metal. Since the tender young age of 4, I have had the music of outcasts and oddballs in my life. At some of the worst times in my life, some of the loudest, bombastic, thunderous, and most emotional music I’ve ever listened to. Not a day goes by where I don’t have at least one song playing in my head, and I wake up & the first thing I see is my collection of music. Outside of a few pieces, each and every single album is Heavy Metal. Some of it is old, and some of it is new, but at the end of the day it’s all metal......and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

However, something has been bothering me ever since I’ve dived deeper into the heavy metal scene.....no, disturbing me is the more correct word to say. I’m genuinely disturbed to see so much elitism in this most underdog of music style. On the one hand, I wasn’t necessarily surprised. You can find elitism in all aspects of pop culture. Cosplay, movies, anime, music, etc. However, the elitism in the metal community at times can be nothing short of venomous and caustic. At times I confess I have a little elitist in me with some of my opinions, but I do the best I can to curb it whenever it crops up. However, I am not like the guys that look at metal through tight-fitting nostalgia goggles, claiming that everything past the 1980s is trash. I am not like the guys that look at older metal bands and laugh (I admit I do that sometimes, but not for spiteful reasons). I am not like the guys that bash Grunge and say it was the cause for the “Death” of classic metal, and I am most certainly not like the guys that don’t say some styles are not the “True” metal & if you listen to them you’re not a “True” fan. Even in these plague-ridden times, it is shocking that you can still see these opinions anywhere metal can be found.

Let me just say this: I get why some metalheads aren’t fans of more modern metal & more modern styles. It’s definitely different and not like what the classics are, but that what makes it so good! Sometimes, differences from each decade really make a difference, and in turn brings in new generations to enjoy this new material. Hell, it might even tempt them to see what came before, and headbang to that stuff too! Different times of metal, not to mention different styles of metal, is what makes it so special. It’s the uniqueness of each genre & subgenre that has allowed it to thrive for so long, and I’ll even stick my neck out for Nu Metal if the situation calls for it. In short, differences in metal are what unite metalheads more than divide!

As for those who think they know what the “True” metal is? You don’t know what the “True” metal is. You know what “Your” metal is, and that what you think the “True” metal is. You try to push “Your” metal on people, and in the process look like absolute ignorant buffoons. This can also be applied to the anime community or any other community as well, but I won’t get into that here. The point is that there’s no real “True” metal out there in the world. If there is any “True” metal in the world (Dare I say, in the universe), it’s the metal in our hearts. The metal that drives us. The metal that makes life worth living. The metal that speaks to our souls, and most importantly.......the metal that makes you......you! Never let anyone take that away from you.

In conclusion: Heavy Metal is for everyone. Doesn’t matter if you’re young. Doesn’t matter if you’re old. Doesn’t matter if you’re a man. Doesn’t matter if you’re a women. Doesn’t matter if you’re somewhere in between, and it sure as hell doesn’t matter what way you swing (Or don’t swing). Metal is for all of us, and Never take it away from anybody. As Freedom Call so eloquently puts it........

Metal Is For Everyone

And that concludes part 2 of the return of Power Metal Pandemonium. Again, I’ve been sitting on this for a while, and it seemed like a good time as any to finally say my piece. Thank you very much for taking time out of your day to read this, and again to everyone that doesn’t like it when I tag you in posts, I’m sorry. Join me in the 1st week of August, when we’ll take a trip on the high seas........with the dorkiest band of pirates you’ve ever seen!



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Here’s a rant I did in defense of Grunge last year. It’s rather.......angry:

Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 14: In Defense Of Grunge (aka Grunge Didn't "Kill" Metal)

Album Review (Obscurus Metalus): Sinergy's Beware The Heavens

Hi again fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s been over a year since I last opened the tome of the Obscurus Metalus, and told a tale from it’s eldritch pages. Coincidentally, the last time I did it was a Power Metal release, so why not do it again? Not wanting to do something from a popular band again, I decided to go for one that many might not know about, and it’s a shame, cause the band I’m covering today were definitely popular for a hot minute. It’s time.....for a look at Sinergy.

That’s right! Now, I had already taken a look at them in my overview in February last year, but now I’m taking a look at one album on it’s own merits. This beginning release definitely showed off a lot of the band’s potential, and for anyone that decided to listen to it.....it seemed like they could be something big. So, grab your sword & shield, say your prayers to the metal gods above, and enjoy this journey into the hallowed halls of Beware The Heavens. Let us depart!

Background
Taken from Metal Overview: Sinergy

“Our story begins in a joint world tour between Black Metal legends Dimmu Borgir, and Death Metal icons In Flames. DB keyboardist Kimberly Goss and IF guitarist Jesper Strömblad managed to meet, and the idea came up of a female-fronted metal band in the vein of Warlock & Doro. This idea could not be done at first due to time constraints, but once she quit Dimmu Borgir, it was time for her & her partner in crime to start their special project. Acquiring the services of bassist Sharlee D'Angelo (From Arch Enemy & Mercyful Fate), Ronny Milianowicz on drums, and Children of Bodom guitarist Alexi Laiho, the motley crew worked in 1998 on what would be their first release, and on June the 21st of 99, Beware The Heavens was released.”

Basic Description
Badass!

When I first listened to this album last year, I realized that this was something awesome, but at the sametime something lingered in the back of my head. Cue to earlier this month when I listened to it again, and I realized something.....this is Battle Beast! Well, more of a Battle Beast prototype to be honest. Sinergy isn’t quite as cheesy as the previously mentioned band, and Goss has a more softer feel with her voice sometimes, but the firm footing in both Power Metal & 80s nostalgia is highly evident. The drums are bombastic, the guitars spew lightning, and even the keyboarding all sound like they’re from 2 different timeframes.....but in a good way!

Best Track
As I stated last year, virtually every track is wonderful. Outside of just 2 tunes, there’s nothing bad on Beware The Heavens. However, to make things easy, I’ll mention the tracks I used as examples back in February last year. Venomous Vixens and Virtual Future are two great songs, with the former be a loud & furious track to kick ass to, and the latter sounds like typical Power Metal from the late 90s....but in way that doesn’t make it sound lame. You definitely don’t want to skip these two on subsequent listens!

Venomous Vixens

Virtual Future

Worst Track
Obscurity is the big weakness of this album, and by extension Sinergy’s discography as a whole. A lot of people know about Children of Bodom or In Flames, but they might not know about the band despite the musicians that composed the group. They’re all skilled in some way, and grouped together they’re fantastic, but it’s a shame that this collection of talent never brought a massive amount of attention to them. Still, other than this obscurity, I can’t think of anything else bad to say music wise (Apart from the 2 tracks I said were bad in the overview & mentioned earlier, but I didn’t want to repeat that). However......

Finding physical copies of Beware The Heavens is a huge issue! You can find it on the internet in digital form easily, but as far as it’s CD form it can be exceptionally difficult. Amazon & Ebay are the closest you’re every gonna get to finding Beware The Heavens in it’s physical form, but even then it’s not guaranteed. Ebay is a better option, and the pricing isn’t terrible for some copies. Still, it’s rarity definitely put’s a dent into this album’s otherwise impenetrable armor (Apart from the obscurity).

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Beware The Heavens

Overall Impression & Rating
Beware The Heavens is the start to a potentially long career. It’s obvious that Sinergy was devoted to Power Metal & nostalgia, and while they didn’t have massive attention, there was just enough that they had their foot in the door. It’s certainly something to listen to, and if you can somehow find the thing it worth a listen or two. It may be obscure & difficult to track, but it’s worth all of the time spent.

Beware The Heavens gets an 8 out of 10.

And that was Beware The Heavens. It’s a shame that they didn’t have a huge amount of popularity in the Power Metal community, but for the faithful that believed, the band was a diamond in the rough. If you want to go off the beaten path, then you might want to give Sinergy a go. Well, I got a Food For Thought/Thought For Food coming next week, and it’s one I’ve had planned for quite a while. Don’t worry.....it’s not political.



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If you want to know more about this band, check out my Overview in the link below:

Metal Overview: Sinergy

Album Review: Nightwish's Once

Hey ladies, it’s your time to shine again on the return of Power Metal Pandemonium!

In July of 2017, I gave that month two female fronted Power Metal bands, and 2020 is no exception. The metal subgenre was one of the first way for women to gain a huge foothold in the world of Heavy Metal in the 90s (Despite fronting some classic rock & metal bands from the 80s and before), and to this day many Power Metal bands have women in them in some capacity. Chief among them was Nightwish: since the late 90s they’ve patented their Power Metal/Symphonic Metal formula, and they’re still going strong today. They’ve had 3 female singers over the course of their existence, but I figured that it might be fun to look at the final album that Tarja Turunen ever sang on.  So grab you sword, put on a heavy cloak, and let’s take a look at my review for 2004's Once. Let’s begin.

Background
By the time it reached the mid 2000s, Nightwish had made quite the name for themselves. With 4 album beforehand made of their unique mix of Power & Symphonic metal, they gained plenty of success in their native Finland & beyond. It was this success that allowed the band to put out their 2004 record, Once. Released on the 4th of June, Once was the most expensive recording in Finland at the time, costing €250,000 to make, (1,000,000 including the videos). This would be the band’s most expensive album until their next one, which would cost €500,000. Deciding to pick an orchestra from outside their home country, they settled on the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which was probably one of the chief reasons why things were expensive. As of 2013, Once has sold 2.3 million copies worldwide, making it their most successful album to this date.

However, it would be the post period of Once that would be the most interesting. As stated on Wikipedia:

“The success of the album allowed them to perform the Once World Tour, taking them to play in many countries the band had never visited before. Nightwish performed at the opening ceremony of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, held in Helsinki, highlighting the acclaim the band had gained. A "best of" album, Highest Hopes, was released in September 2005. The compilation also featured a live cover "High Hopes" (from the Pink Floyd album The Division Bell). Besides "High Hopes", a remake of "Sleeping Sun" (from Oceanborn) was included on the album and released as a single. A video for the remake was shot, featuring a medieval battle, and can be found on the German release of the single and as a separate DVD released by Spinefarm.

The four other members of Nightwish had decided that it was best to continue Nightwish without Turunen. After a concert in the Hartwall Areena (Helsinki) on October 21, 2005, recorded for the live DVD End of an Era (released June 2006), they expressed their decision through an open letter which was given to Turunen by Holopainen, and afterwards posted on the band's website. It was written by Holopainen and signed by all four band members. The main justification given in the letter for Turunen's dismissal was that the band felt that both her husband Marcelo Cabuli (an Argentine businessman) and commercial interests had changed her attitude towards the band.

Turunen responded to the incident twice, during press conferences in Finland and Germany, saying that her dismissal came entirely as a shock to her, given that she had not been notified before the letter was given to her. She felt that the personal attacks on her husband were unwarranted, and that playing the issue out in public was "senselessly cruel". She expressed these feelings through her own open letter, which was published on her personal website, and through various TV, magazine, and newspaper interviews.”

Basic Description
Symphonic Behemoth.

Though I have a tiny gripe with this (More on that below), I must say that Once is one of the most bombastic Symphonic Metal records ever released in the 2000s. Nightwish already established themselves well within the realm of Power Metal, but they had symphonic elements as well. With this album, they’ve effectively gone full-blown Symphonic Metal, and it’s wonderful. Tarja is at the top of her game when it comes to her voice, Tuomas plays the keyboard masterfully, Emppu Vuorinen earns the position of lead guitarist once again, Marco does a good job on the bass and has some fine singing moments as well, and Jukka Nevalainen handles the drums & percussion wonderfully. Coupled with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and many other symphonic components, the band created something wonderful that has lasted nearly 20 years, and hopefully for 20 more afterwards.

Best Track
Nemo has to be one of the best song Nightwish has every made. I knew about this track long before listening to the album it came from, so I confess some personal elements are guiding me to this decision. The opening piano notes lend a soft kind of melancholy before the guitar & drums kick in, yet nothing ever gets “loud” per se in terms of volume. A subtle yet obvious gentleness persists during the song’s run time, and even when things do get “loud” at the end, it never goes away. Certainly a curious song you shouldn’t skip when this album is in your preferred listening device!

Nemo

Worst Track
About the only thing that I can say bad about Once would be the lack of Power Metal elements. There are still around here and there, but the symphonic aspects are much more forward here than on any other release before. This isn’t bad per se, but for any fan who enjoy an even mix between the powerful and the symphonic, you might not like the shift in metallic styles. I don’t have a problem with this since I listen to some Symphonic Metal from time to time (Apocalyptica mostly), but I do think it hurts the record a little.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Once

Overall Impression & Rating
Once is the end of the classic Nightwish. The album on which the band’s original outfit of musicians etched their name into the marble wall that is Power Metal. It may lean more in the direction of Symphonic, but that doesn’t make the album any less enjoyable. If you like Symphonic Metal more than Power Metal, then Once might be the album to start at. I guarantee you’ll never forget it.

Once gets a 9 out of 10.

And that was Once. The final time that Tarja Turunen got to sing with the band, and it’s a hell of an album to go out on. It may not be as Power Metal-y as Nightwish’s prior outfits were, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be included in such. See you all next time for more femininity with the world of Power Metal, and I got something nice for when you come back!