DIV Experimenting or Changing

I remember discovering this band back in 2013 they with out a doubt embraced the visual kei  look and hard rock sound as seen below.

Now they are like this

I have some people say that this is them just experimenting while other people say that is a full on transformation.  I personally think it can be either or.  I personally am not a big fan of this new stuff but it is only the first time they have done something to this level of pop and it could be a one time thing, who knows.  Also, when their new album comes out maybe it will feature more of the hard rock sound that they are known for.  Only time will tell.  

Dream Theater Change of Seasons

At 23 minutes this is for sure one of the longest rock songs I have ever listened to but it is good and doesn't get boring. If you are driving a great distance it is a good song to have in the car.  Every time me and my family are on a long drive my dad will play this song in the car and I don't get bored of it.  Now I will say that these guys are not for the casual music listener.  with the arrangements they have going on you have to be will to absorb it all and not feel thrown off while listening to it.  Now if you are a musician and love prog rock this song is worth checking out.  All the musicians are great and they showcase it very well in this song which why I will always love it.

The Gazette Finally Coming To The U.S.A.

Finally, The Gazette is coming to Los Angeles along with some other places in the U.S. and I could not be more excited right now.  I discovered this band back in 2012 when I was browsing YouTube and came across the PV for their song The Invisible Wall.  It caught my curiosity and I decided to look into them and the I heard Red and just fell in love with that song.  After looking a little more and listening to more of their stuff they became my favorite band and still remain my favorite til this day.  These guys have a pretty good range and variety in their music.  The most common band that people associate them with when I show The Gazette to people is Korn.  The have a bit of a New Metal meets Thrash Metal feel to them and in my opinion it makes them very well balanced.  Check out some more of their tunes below and if your in the U.S.A and want to them here are the places they will be.

APR. 25TH（MON）DALLAS, USA / THE BOMB FACTORY
APR. 29TH（FRI）NEW YORK CITY, USA / PLAYSTATION THEATER
MAY 1ST（SUN）SAN FRANCISCO, USA / THE REGENCY BALLROOM
MAY 3RD（TUE）LOS ANGELES, USA / THE WILTERN THEATRE

If you dig the songs shown below then I recommend seeing them now because I am not sure when they will be coming to the U.S. again.

TOP 10 JOHN WILLIAMS MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS

On my last post I did a list of my top 10 movie soundtracks.  This time I am doing a list of my top 5 soundtracks composed by the great John Williams.  Normally I tend to talk about why they are on my list but this time I'm not going to do that, besides this intro.  With that, take a listen to these amazing works he has done.

1.  Indiana Jones Theme

2.  Harry Potter Theme 

3.   Star Wars Darth Vadar Theme

4.  Empire Of The Sun Theme

5.  Jurrasic Park Theme

                                            6.   Harry Potter Harry's Wonderous World

7.  Superman Theme

  

8.  E.T. Theme

 

9. Star War Episode 3 Battle of Heroes   

10. Star Wars Theme

My Top 5 Movie Soundtracks

1. Star Wars by John Williams

I am a big John Williams fan and this is without a doubt one of his best works ever.  With the amount of catchy songs and hooks he composed for the series he has played a big part in what makes the Star Wars series so memorable.

2.  Gettysburg by Randy Edelman

This was one of my childhood movies and with a great soundtrack to remind of it I still watch it today.  Randy did a good job of bringing in great of combining great orchestra music and southern tunes to make you feel like your in a Civil War battle.


3.   Tarzan by Phil Collins

Phil Collins is famous as being the second front man of Genesis as well as having a great solo career.  One of his best moments in his career was when he wrote the soundtrack for Disney's Tarzan.  He would go on to win an Oscar for his work on this movie and I feel rightfully so.  When you listen to the soundtrack it does not sound like a typical sing along soundtrack like Disney did in their movies.  This was a Phil Collins album used for a movie and a great album at that.


4. Braveheart by James Horner

James Horner does a great job of bringing the Celtic and Scottish mood to the movie.  Not only does he do a good job on matching the cultural aspect of the movie but he also did a great job matching the mood of each scene he composed for and when you listen to it you can see those scenes playing out in your mind and when your music is able to do that you have written a great soundtrack.


5.  Indiana Jones by John Williams

I end my list by returning to John Williams for another great soundtrack he wrote for Indiana Jones.  like Star Wars John Williams creates a very catchy score that you can identify the second you hear it.  While I love the acting in the Indiana Jones movies I feel that the score that John Williams wrote is more memorable today then the individual scenes in the movies and that is why I feel this belongs in my top 5.

Mejibray Secret No.03 Review

Oh Boy, where to begin.  Now I have stated that I am a fan of visual kei but sometimes there are exceptions to that and this is one of them.  I have never been a big fan of trying to scare and shock people just to be shocking. For example, when The Gazette use disturbing visuals in their Filth In The Beauty video it is because they are trying to address the issue of rape and that I can support.  However, when Marilyn Manson tries to scare you in his Sweet Dreams video just to try to shock people that is something I have a hard time getting behind and that is where this song and video falls in.  The video appears with the band showing up to a dark psychotic party with a look that feels very inspired by Marilyn Manson.  It is not something I care for much.  As for the music,  I am not a big fan of Tsuzuku's (singer) voice. I don't think he's a bad singer I just don't think he's that great.  MIA's (guitar) playing isn't that great in my opinion in this song, especially when you listen to his playing in some of the bands other songs he can actually do some cool soloing.  The fact that he doesn't really showcase that much in this song i think is a real let down.  Koichi (bass) is a pretty good bass player but again doesn't showcase it much in the song.  In the music video he is not even playing his bass.  He is just wondering around with his pink loud speaker.  when the rest of the band is playing their instruments and your the only one not playing it, it feel out of place in my opinion.  Then there is METO (drums),  this guy really has a goal to be the most odd and freaky looking member of the band.  His look in this video is just the latest and if your a fan of the band you would expect that from him so that is normal.  As for his skill on drums I think he is a good drummer but again I feel this song doesn't bring out his best.  Sadly, I feel like I have to give this song a 2 out of 5.  Now, that doesn't mean I hate the band completely.  I just don't like this song.  I personally like the songs Divergence and Nephenthes.  Check those songs out they are worth listening to.

Slade, The band that spawned Quiet Riot

 When it comes to Quiet Riot most people know the band for "Cum On Feel The Noize".  It would go down as one of the bands most successful songs and is still considered an 80's metal classic by many today.

However, what some people don't know is that it is a cover tune.  "Cum On Feel The Noize" was originally performed and written by an English band called Slade.

Slade started in the 60's and, were at height of their success in the 70's.  Known mainly for their singer, Noddy Holder (who it was rumored was asked to replace BOn Scott in AC/DC after Scott died), Slade had many hits in their time from "Cum On Feel The Noize" to "Run Runaway", and were huge globally. The bands days appeared to be numbered by the end of the 70's, but a last minute call to fill in for Ozzy Osborne at the 1980 Reading Festival proved to be pivotal in the band's resurgence, at least in the U.K.While apprehensive before the show they proved to be the story of the day, bringing the house down and leaving Def Leppard to come onstage to a crowd still screaming for Slade!   Sadly though they would never achieve the same level of success in the U.S. that Quiet Riot had.
The funny thing is that when Quiet Riot was presented with the song at first they despised it and wanted nothing to do with the song or Slade for that matter.  However, as people know that did not come to be, as Quiet Riot recorded the song and it became one of the high points in their career.  Another thing that people don't know is that Quiet Riot actually covered 2 songs from this band. The second one was "Mama Weer All Crazy Now".

Below is Slade's version

So as you can see Quiet Riot, and many other bands for that matter, owe a lot of their success to Slade.  As for which version you prefer, that is up to you.  Now, don't get me wrong, Quiet Riot is a good band that deserves the fame they have, but it does bother me that they are still remember world wide while Slade has become a regional band in this day and age.  Slade is a talented and underrated band that deserves a lot more credit then they have received.  You can get their stuff on Itunes, Ebay, Amazon, and Half.com, go check them out.

Nocturnal Bloodlust, One Of The Few Hardcore Bands I Like

For a long time I wasn't able to listen to hardcore, death metal, or screamo music because it seemed to me like the bands were just trying to be as loud and fast as the could and it sounded like noise to me. Then to my surprise I discovered this band, Nocturnal Bloodlust.  Now after looking into their catalog they do have some of songs that are like the death metal I don't like but overall I came to find them very unique.  The first thing I like to point out is that these guys are really good musicians.  The first guy that comes to mind is the bands lead guitarist Cazqui. This guy is one of the best soloists I have ever seen because he is well diverse in his playing.  He can bust out a nice sweet melodic solo or just go all out and shred and he does both very well.  Then there is the singer Hiro.  While he does tend to do a lot of growling and screaming the guy also has a very good singing voice as well.  If you listen to his voice in songs like Libra and Aster he has a real good melodic voice to bring to those songs. Which leads me to my second point.  Unlike how some of these hardcore bands tend to stay  away from ballads this band actually embraces them.  Libra is an interesting song because it has hard parts in it but at the same time it is able to give off a nice ballad feel which I haven't seen too much from a band of their sub genre.  In a weird way these guys are actually one the most diverse bands I have ever seen. While you can tell they tend to stay closer to the hardcore side they are not scared to venture new ground and with the talent they have they can certainly pull it off. I will say this band is worth a listen.  If you like their music you can get it on Itunes, Ebay, and Amazon. Check them out

My Top 5 Albums

1.  Shinedown: Sound of Madness

As I mentioned in an earlier post this is a great all around rock album that has good in your face rock with songs like Sound of Madness and Sin With a Grin.  It also has great ballads with songs like Second Chance and my personal favorite If You Only Knew.  All the songs are good I always enjoy listening to it all the way through.

2. Leatherwolf: Leatherwolf

My second album is Leatherwolf's self titled album.  These guys may look like the typical 80's band at first but after listening to this album you will think differently.  They are a heavy and dark, you get that feeling when you listen the opening song Rise of Fall, a song about a king being murdered.  Another example is Princess of Love, which is about a ghost ship haunting the seas.  Along with the lyrics these guys are great musicians and they showcase it well on this album.  While it may not be the most famous album to come out of the 80's it is a good one and one worth checking out.

3. The Gazette: Toxic

Like I said in my post about this one, it a good alternative metal album with something for a lot of people.  My personal favorite of this album is the song Red.  With its heavy opening riffs and melodic guitar solo it makes for one great song,  If you are looking for a nice softer ballad you can turn to Pledge.  It has a nice piano intro and the double lead solo in this song is great.  What I like most about this album is how they can through in heavy music and make nice melodic solos work with it.  This is one worth owning for sure.

4. Iron Maiden: Brave New World

 Now Iron Maiden has many great albums but for me this is one of their best.  The guitar melodies are amazing and of course Bruce Dickinson's voice is great in most if not every song he sings.  This also the first album they did as a six piece band with the return of Adrian Smith and Janick Gers staying in the band upon his return.  Now a lot of people believe that three guitar players in a band is too many but in my opinion it is the perfect amount and this album showcases how that can work. This may not be one of Iron Maidens heaviest or darkest albums but it really showcases the bands musicianship and is worth getting.


5.  Queensryche:  Operation Mindcrime

This album is without a doubt one of my favorite concept records.  Not only does is tell a good story but the songs are great and they flow well together making this album great to listen to.  The musicianship on this album is amazing and it was very ground breaking for its time.  Geoff Tate's voice is amazing and he does a really good job presenting how dark and mysterious the songs are supposed to be.  This album has been recognized as one of the best concept records ever and when you listen to it you will see why, get it now.

Girl's Day I Miss You Review

When I first discovered Kpop music videos I only saw them as very over the top and all over the place. Some examples that come to mind are I Got A Boy by Girls Generation and Fantastic Baby by Big Bang.  Then I discovered I Miss You by Girl's Day and man was I surprised.  First of all, I love how deep this song and video is. It is simple, with it just showing the members either sitting and singing or in their own areas deep in their thoughts.  I like it because it perfectly reflects the theme of the song, which is about being broken up and feeling the urge to back together.  As for the four members of Girl's Day, Sojin, Minah, Yura, and Hyeri I think they are good singers and did a good job singing it, Yura's rapping was actually pretty good, which is something I don't say lightly, especially in this day and age.  One of the few criticisms I have though is that Hyeri and Minah are the dominant voices in this song. I wish that Sojin and Yura had a little more time in the song.  My other minor criticism is that they didn't write the song, which is shame for me because when the artists writes the song it feels more personal because you think it reflects what they are feeling at the time.  I am not saying that they do that for all their songs, but for this one they didn't write it.  Now having said those 2 criticisms, I think the song is good and I think the video is good.   It reflects the mood of the song perfectly and I think the artists involved in the song did a great job I give it a 4 out 5.