Well, here is another one! A lot more people are starting to view these, something that I never expected to happen. I am glad that through this silly little thing I do, people are learning about new music and actually enjoy my writing! Now, without further ado, the three featured albums this week!
The 69 Eyes - X
The 69 Eyes are a gothic rock band that calls themselves 'goth n' roll'. I got into them a few years back through the band HIM and was quite weary at first. I loved the image of the band but the music I originally heard was not the greatest material they have ever written, so it was very much an acquired taste for me. Their more recent albums appealed to me a little better, so when X came out, I was very excited. I was a fan of the single 'Red', released a month or so before the album came out, so I was waiting at the door of the record store to pick up a copy on the release day. I was instantly obsessed with the album, so much that I went and imported a copy of the vinyl from Europe (it is extremely hard to get a copy nowadays.) Songs like the opener, Love Runs Away and slower ballads like Borderline really stuck out to me because of their groove. The 69 Eyes found a good rhythm, dug in, and rode it out for the duration of the song, something that I love. Sometimes, bands fall into a songwriting structure and soon enough, all their songs sound just about the same. During the early to mid 2000's, The 69 Eyes became one of these bands and all their material sounded bland and uninteresting. Fortunately, X broke that pattern and through in songs like Borderline, which infuses modern acoustic rock with a western vibe to it. The solo is one of my favorites that the band has to date. It is simple but the chords blend so well in the song. This is one of the best 69 Eyes records that they've released and I am more than excited for their new material!
Emperor - In The Nightside Eclipse
Being an avid lover of black metal in all forms, this is the staple album for the genre. While my first exposure to black metal was through Cradle of Filth, this is the first album that really hit it home for me. I was more into things like doom metal and such when a friend let me borrow his copy of In the Nightside Eclipse. In a few of these weekly three's, I have said that I have become obsessed with some albums. In fact, I even said it above in the 69 Eyes one, but let me tell you, obsessed is an understatement when it comes to talking about how into In The Nightside Eclipse I was. Each and every track was beautifully crafted. All instruments were performed with such grace that the riffs stuck out over everything. The haunting keyboards, while very thin and underutilized, were arguably the most important part of the album, building that creepy and cold atmosphere up to its highest potential. I could go on and on about how much I idolize this album because it is one of my favorite albums of all time. After getting into an album like In The Nightside Eclipse, the rest of Emperor's discography was sort of a disappointment to me. I have grown to appreciate the rest of their work, but ItNE will always be at the top of my list!
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Ghost is quite a controversial act in the metal world. While the release of their debut album, Opus Eponymous was well received and loved all around, their 2nd album sparked the topic of them just being pop metal rip offs. In late 2010, I was on a family vacation and while flipping through the pages of a Decibel magazine, I noticed an article about Ghost playing at Roadburn Festival (I think, I don't remember exactly.) Anyways, he described their music and at that time, it sounded like every other simple review out there, but the way he described their get up and their stage presence memorized me. I instantly went and searched up their music on Youtube and fell in love. When I arrived home from vacation, I ran down to the record store in hopes that they had a copy of the album, but I had to order one. I was in every day for a week, hoping that my CD came and when I finally got it, I listened to that thing non stop. It is a super short listen, only about 35 minutes, but when lies within that 35 minutes is pure genius. The riffs are solid and diverse, keeping every song interesting. The lyrics delve into deep topics but always revolve around one central topic, Satan. While the music was not overly complicated or difficult to play, the simplicity and relaxed nature of the songs were exactly what was such a turn on. Overall, Ghost is an act that I follow like clockwork and will always support them no matter what, but no other release that the future holds for them will ever surmount to the level that Opus Eponymous is on.
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