Avant-garde Metal
This EP is pretty perfect for the first Hex-code review known to man (or at least I have never seen one, if this kind of review has already been done, please let me know and of course I will give credit where credit is due). Well, what, my dear reader, is a Hex-Code review you might wonder, and if enlightenment were a bulb I'd switch it on now: Hex Code is some digital nerdy stuff that is used by machine programmers and Hackers or Crackers that show you program code is some weird binary style. When I put the two songs of this EP into my Hex-Code-Program I was mesmerized with two beautiful sets of data - the kind of beauty one finds in the scene from 'American Beauty' where the plastic bag flies around in the wind or when Benny films the shooting of the pig in 'Benny's Video'. I just wish I had a more powerful PC than my rusty but trusty old IBM-Laptop and could bring you an entire album in all its Hex-glory. In one file.
Oh yeah, there is some awesome double-bass and funny pianos in the two songs.
Note: Those pdf files are big (~50 mb), might take some time to d/l them. The glorious people at scribd.com had to do some manual coding to make the two pdfs work, still needs huge processorpower.
Song 1. In Hex-Code.
Song 2. In Hex-Code.
Jonny Lignano, original review at avantgarde-metal.com
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The Metal Archives
Very strange indeed.... - 84% Written by rexxz on December 24th, 2004
Ok, let me first start of saying that this is unlike anything else I have encountered before. The music that you will hear in this demo is very strange(no, not Obscura-strange...:P) but it seems to work out and come across as very good music.
Mixing in some operatic vocals with deep guttural growls(think Demilich), and the underlying synth combined with riffage that just screams INSANITY, this is one of the most unique creations I have ever had the chance to hear.
The vocals, as mentioned earlier, are somewhat like that of Demilich. they are very low and guttural, as if the man making these sounds is using his small intestine to produce them. The operatic vocals can be a bit annoying at times, but it isn't TOO bad. On "De Te Fabula Narratur", it almost instantly kicks off with awesome riffage and progresses on to some very weird combinations of music.
"Ekpyrosis" also shares the male operatic vocals and guttural growls. I would comment on the drumming, but it is nothing special. It complements the other elements of the music well, but does not particularly stand out as great. Also occurs the use of synth again, but it is utilized in a manner that does not distract the listener from the overall music. With some amazing time signatures and breakdowns on this track, I would say this is probably the better of the two.
Overall, this is a very good, albeit, very short demo. My only complaint is that well...there are only two songs. I am anxious to hear more from this band in the future. Defeinitely check this out if you are into the stranger and more experimental side of metal.
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Prog Archives
To date, Finnish band ABERRANT VASCULAR have recorded just two demo EPs. Released in 2004, "Actaeon" is the first of these and consists of two tracks. The band centres around the trained operatic vocals of Lumi and the keyboards of ex Kalman Varjot member Mr. Rych. The band's style is described in their biography as "Operatic Avantgarde Metal", perhaps conjuring images of bands such as RHAPSODY and NIGHTWISH. Such comparisons are certainly valid, especially as far as Rhapsody are concerned. The first track, " De te Fabula Narratur" has alternating growling and operatic male vocals on top of swirling orchestral synths. The vocals are slightly too far back in the mix, but the track is certainly striking, with numerous changes of pace and melody. At times the sound becomes chaotic, but is quickly drawn back in. "Ekpyrosis" is a slightly slower but still metallic piece with tinkling piano, and a fine vocal performance by Lumi. Here, guitarist Sade (no not the "Smooth Operator"!) is afforded more space, with a decent solo. The track plays out with a slower symphonic keyboards and guitar section before the frantic conclusion. "Actaeon" offers an enticing glimpse of a band who clearly have much potential, it is to be hoped that they get around to recording a full album soon. This EP will be of interest to those who appreciate bands such as OPETH, THERION, and RHAPSODY. It is currently available for free download at the bands official site, linked to from their Progarchives page.
Aberrant Vascular have yet to produce a full length album, instead they have provided us with two teaser EPs lasting only ten minutes. However, I'm not exactly tantalized. Aberrant Vascular create a brand of highly symphonic yet extremely heavy prog-metal. Take an extreme metal, and add to them layers of bombastic, symphonic keys, and you'll have a good estimate of what AV sounds like. The musicians all seem to have tremendous talent, especially the keyboardist who really blew me away with his frantic style almost reminding me of a modern Keith Emerson. However, sometimes they seem to go too over the top for anybody to really appreciate. They try to fit an epic into a 5 min song, and the results sound preposterous and unfocused. Also, the vocals pose a huge problem for this and probably many other listeners. Lumi sings two ways, overblown operatic and death metal growls. His operatic singing really strikes a nerve with me. His voice becomes rather emotionless when singing like this, and it tends to be rather samey. Then when you get to hear his death metal side you'll realize he's not very good at it. It's a dead end no matter wear you look. If they could learn to streamline their ideas and maybe exercise in restraint, Aberrant Vascular could have a bright future with a different singer. For this EP though, it has a few good licks mainly in the name of the keyboardist, but other than that isn't worth your time.
Aberrant Vascular are one of those strange metal bands that you occasionally find, in this case a band that combines the operatic vocals of Vladimir Lumi with keyboard led metal. Actaeon is the debut EP of this band and offers an interesting glimpse at the possibilities of this band. This EP starts of with a few very unusual sound effects before diving straight into the heavy metal side of the band. Throughout both songs here, both of about 5 minutes in length, you get a lot of changes in the flow of the music, from fast and crushing metal to slower keyboard dominated parts. Over it all is the Operatic vocals of Lumi, interspersed with a few lines performed with a Death-metal style growl. The band definitely proves to be very interesting but both songs seem to sound very much the same with little variation in style and feel between them. I also find that the death-metal growls don’t particularly work to well here, and whatever it is Lumi is trying to say it is unrecognisable. The great strength of this band is its keyboard player, Sarator Rych, who shows a great ability to lead this heavy and eclectic sounding music on his instrument, and providing the only solos here. The rest of the band sound very competent at this without sounding particularly special. I feel the band could benefit by extending the songs slightly so that they can explore their ideas better but overall this is an interesting EP that leaves you wondering what the band could do over a full album. Rather short at 10 minutes but decent enough, I’ll give this 2.5 stars as something people should at least try if you have no problem with operatic vocals or death-metal growls, rounded down to 2 because it is very short and clearly has some space for improvement.
I’ll admit right from the start, I’m not the kind of person who starts with EPs when trying to get into bands. I generally like to get into bands by diving into a studio album. Anyway, I was browsing through prog metal, looking for bands not like Dream Theater and their ilk (all of whom I can’t stand), but rather looking for bands that were doing something new, something interesting, something, in short, WORTH DOING. After reading the bio of Aberrant Vascular, I was sure this was one of those bands. Still, I planned on waiting for a studio release until Easy Livin pointed out that both their EPs can be downloaded legally and entirely free from the band’s website (which is linked to from the band’s profile page on progarchives). If you are at all interested in this band, I strongly urge you do that. I will say that because I’ve done that, I will be getting their studio album whenever it comes out. Between the two EPs (this is the first), we get five songs and about twenty-four minutes of music. Two of those songs (and ten and a half minutes) are on this EP, Actaeon. This EP shows a lot of promise, and while I haven’t yet heard their second EP, I can only hope it stays in the vein of this one but improves it. What we get here is a wonderful combination of strange vocals and great drumming in a metal background (don’t know my sub-genres of metal, so I can’t help out much more than that, sorry). Both of the songs on this album are very good, a wonderful mix of the avant-garde and metal. Perhaps it’s just because they’re from Finland, but I think they sound similar in many ways to Finnish avant-garde group Hoyry-Kone (now split up). They enhance the metal aspect of Hoyry-Kone, and the vocals are quite different, but I still feel similarities (but without being derivative). The only real problem with the songs is that they drag on just a bit too long (though they change enough throughout that this is less noticeable than it might be). This is clearly a very talented band, and worth checking out. I’m not much of a metalhead, but even I find this quite enjoyable. I have a feeling that when they release a studio album (which I plan on buying), both EPs will go down on my playlist, but for now, this is plenty good for me. The songs are very good, and they show that the band has a lot of potential. Also, I have a lot of respect for them for forming with the ideal of doing something different and new. While they have not quite succeeded in finding a sound in which they can operate completely comfortably, they seem on the verge of doing so. I highly recommend that you plunge in with the free downloads, because, after all, it’s a great way of discovering a band you might just find you love.
This is very short (10:35) release, and maybe not the best quality, but definitely strikes me. These are better songs than Thyestes', maybe being more weird. (1.) De te Fabula Narratur has strange almost cacophonic background. Song is symphonic with some odd harmonies. All the different parts melt together nicely, there's no irrationality (as much as some could say). (2.) Ekpyrosis goes with more electric, trance, and monotonic vocals. The vocals of Aberrant Vascular reminds Rammstein. But the instruments sound more like Höyry-kone or something weirder. Orchestration is good, but not stunning. I would like more variations - as almost always. Weak four stars for the potential and for pity, or, as I'm waiting new material. Then 3 stars.
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Imperiumi
Vaasasta kotoisin oleva Aberrant Vascular kutsuu itse genreään nimellä "operatic avantgarde metal". Nimikkeestä voi olla montaa mieltä, sillä bändin metallipitoisuus on varsin vähäinen sisältöä mitattaessa. Kahden biisin demo koostuu runsaista kosketinkuvioista, taustalla soivista kitaroista sekä monipuolisista laulusuorituksista. Kenties hämmentävimpänä elementtinä kuullaan oopperalaulumaista ilmaisua örinälaulun rinnalla.
Vajaan parin vuoden ikäisen bändin tyyliä voinee ulkopuolisten kommenttien perusteella verrata kokeiluhalussaan Arcturusiin, joskaan allekirjoittaneen muistikuvilla en uskalla moista verellä allekirjoittaa. Teknisesti osaavaa sävellystyötä voi pitää osaavana, mutta hämmentävänä, sillä kosketinsoittimilla sävelletyt kuviot eivät ole sieltä kaiken helpoimmasta päästä kuultavaa ja samalla myös varsin korkealentoista tavaraa. Ainakaan itse en löytänyt kappaleista teknisen osaamisen lisäksi mitään erityisen hienoa, johon tekisi mieli tarttua yhä uudestaan.
Puhtaan soittomekaniikan lisäksi demon soundit ovat hyvää jälkeä. Tosin osin asian selittänevät koskettimien runsaus, joilla ei oikein voi mennä puihin. Paitsi jos tietynlaisia soundeja voi pitää väärin perustein valittuina. Kitarat tosin jäävät turhan taustalle, mutta tämänkaltaisessa hybridimusiikissa asia ei paljoa paina. Laulut kuuluvat koskettimien lisäksi parhaiten, joten myös rumpujen rooliin jää soida taustalla rytmiä esille tuoden.
Actaeonia vaivaa se, että se kikkailee liikaa ja sotkeutuu omiin hienouksiinsa. Yhteen biisiin on ahdettu liian paljon tavaraa liian lyhyeen kestoon ja näin ollen kappaleista jää kuva valtavan sekamelskaisina kokonaisuuksina, joita bändi ei enää itsekään täysin hallitse. Musiikkiin sopivana modernina vertauksena demoa voisi kuvailla monitoimilaitteena, jossa enää yksittäiset osa-alueet eivät toimi kunnolla, vaan jäävät muun, jopa turhan härpäkkeen alle.
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Chambers Magazine
Helsinkiläisen Aberrant Vascularin perusidea on kuulemma ollut alusta asti kehittää omalaatuista musiikkia yhdistelemällä eri tyylejä. Tässä on onnistuttu. Jos tästä jokin luokitus pitäisi väkisin antaa niin sinfoniallinen metalli olisi varmaan aika osuva tälle tekeleelle, jonka kuunteluolotilaksi suosittelisin joidenkin psykedeelisten aineiden vaikutuksen alaisena olemista. Kaaos ja sekavuus ovat avainsanoja tätä lättyä kuunnellessa, eikä hämmennykseltä voi välttyä. Kaksi biisiä metallisia taustoja höystettynä piano-osuuksilla, jotka kuulostavat joltain fuusiojazzilta ja todella mielenkiintoinen "laulu" tähän päälle muodostavat kokonaisuuden, josta voisi sanoa ettei tiedä onko tuotos lintu vai kala. Taitavan kuuloista soittoa tässä on ja kaikessa musiikissa on kuitenkin joku selvä punainen lanka koko ajan, mutta ei tätä oikein nautinnokseen pysty kuuntelemaan. Itselleni tämä oli aivan liian omalaatuinen, mutta suosittelen hörhöille ja heviin päin kallellaan oleville taiteilijoille.
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