www.myspace.com/metaleternity

Location: Los Angeles, CA

tracey@hollywoodmetal.com

Top 10 Bands:

Bal-Sagoth

Dissection

Immortal

Ensiferum

Sabaton

Dragonforce

Wintersun

Korpiklaani

Symphony X

Skeletonwitch

TRACEY'S COURT

April 13th 2009: Warriors of the world!

As you know we at Hollywood Metal play many genres of metal, including epic battle metal and tales about warriors of old. Today I'd just like to mention a great tv series that airs on the History channel for all of those with some type of cable television, which Brendan and I have been watching for a while now. A show called WARRIORS which is hosted by Terry Schappert, a 17 year veteran and Green Beret of the U.S. forces who knows the courage it takes to be a true warrior on the battle field!

In each episode Terry embarks on an epic journey to discover what it takes to harness the power and courage to be a warrior physically and mentally, in many ancient civilizations from vikings to samurais. The show covers such things as how these different civilizations would fight, the armor and weapons they used, and even battle tactics they used to defeat their enemies.

What I enjoy the most is that the show isn't boring like every other informational historic tv show. Terry actually goes into these situations with re-enactors and people who have studied these cultures and fighting styles and learns from them.

I would also recommend "Battles B.C.", which also airs on the History channel. Very similar, but covers more about the history and battles that took place, rather than the armor and fighting styles used by different civilizations of old. You can see episodes over at the History Channel's website.

Strength and honor!

January 21: The Quest Continues... Part II

"Falling to his knees, faintly holding himself up by the strength of his blade the battle ridden warrior could feel the light of Valhalla beckoning him home. But there was some bit of life left in him, enough to see the infernal legions of Askaar descend back into the black heart of the Abyss. They were defeated, the fifth reinforcement had been enough to fend them back, and once again in the tyranny of war light triumphed over darkness. - Abyssimus"

Hail!

Still working on that perfect sound, I'm thinking what I'll come out with in the end is a real hybrid sound, I enjoy black metal vocals, I enjoy clean vocals, I enjoy voice-overs. I'm not sure if I can efficiently compose songs using three types of vocals. That's another thing that really annoys me about a lot of bands they'll jump through different sounds so fast, it's like the first 20 seconds of the song you hear a piano, then a violin for 10 seconds and it has this great sound, a really catchy sound that you get stuck in your head, but the entire song only has that exact sound in it for like 10 seconds. Something else that frustrates me is songs that just sound like noise, it's like cadence doesn't exist, or it sounds like a factory. What I mean to say is if you have a great sound continue it throughout the song. Take the song "The Succubus - Drastique" at 0:23 to 0:26 there is a great sound there, but it's only bits and pieces, 3 seconds of that sound.

Anyway, PATHFINDER! Band of the week. Power metal from Poland. The first few seconds I heard their song "The Whisper of Ancient Rocks" I was like wow, this band has it. They make good use of a lot of classical instruments as well as power metal vocals. The band is very skillful and off to a good start.

Blood is the price of glory.


August 30th 2008: Black Metal and Dragonforce

Infernal Blessings

I'd like to give a bit of background information on Black metal today, explain some of it origins and how it came to be what it is today. 

One man that I'd like to mention, as he's essential to what Black and Viking metal is today is Quorthon, founding, and only member, of the band Bathory, commonly referred to as the father of Black and Viking metals, most likely because of his satanic lyrics, and distorted vocals. Some other early Black metal bands were Venom, Hellhammer, Burzum, and Mayhem. That of which I'd like to explain some of the history of Burzum and Mayhem. Personally I never listened to Black metal, Brendan had gotten me into it when he showed me the history on it, and I believe he sent me a few songs by Dissection and Immortal. Black metal is very cold and very dark, and it has a certain atmosphere about it that a lot of other metal genres just don't have, backed by it's treacherous history it would almost be impossible not to.

Violence, death, suicide, church burnings, and murder, that's the atmosphere I'm talking about. It started with the band Mayhem, vocalist "Dead", who was found by their gutarist/vocalist "Euronymous", he had his wrists slit and a shotgun blast to the head, and a suicide note that read, "excuse the blood". Ironically Euronymous didn't even go to the police at first, but he went to a store nearby, bought a camera and took pictures of the corpse, which was used as the cover for a bootleg album, "Dawn of the Black Hearts". There was even some rumors that they cooked some of his brain in a stew, and used parts of his broken skull as necklaces, but who knows, rumors are just rumors. The vocalist that replaced Dead, was Stian Johannsen(Occultus). Occultus said that, "He (Dead) didn't see himself as human; he saw himself as a creature from another world. He said he had many visions that his blood has frozen in his veins, that he was dead. That is the reason he took that name. He knew he would die."

After that came Varg Vikernes, who filled in on bass guitar after some members of the band left due to Dead's suicide. On August 10th 1993, Varg murdered Euronymous. Varg claims that Euronymous had plotted to torture him and video tape it. The murder was believed to have been over a power struggle for Burzum records, Varg said he intended to hand Euronymous the contract and "tell him to fuck off", but Euronymous attacked him first. Varg was arrested and received a sentence of 21 years in prison, for murder and church burnings. Even today when there's a church burning in Norway, somehow the blame is usually thrown on Varg.

I'd have to say Black metal is nothing but the most savage and dark of the metal genres. Some black metal bands I'd recommend check out are, Gorgoroth, Dissection, Immortal, Marduk, Dark Funeral, Impaled Nazarene, Tormentor, Venom, and of course Burzum, and Mayhem.

DRAGONFORCE!!!

Just now getting their 2008 release "Ultra Beatdown". The first track "Heroes of our Time" has a very uplifting sound to it, and if you'll notice, it like most Dragonforce songs has some similar lyrics to it. But there's nothing wrong with that. I really felt the solo was too short though. Dragonforce are still making all of their video game noises in this album, and if you listen close you'll hear a few new ones. The third track "Reasons To Live" I fell in love with, the song is great, the lyrics are beautifully amazing, and the whole song takes a more unique guise than the usual Dragonforce, it almost sounds something similar to Dragonland around mid-song. Track four "Heartbreak Armageddon", some splendid guitar work by Herman! Lots of speed here, but he also slowed down a bit and got more of that sound that really lingers on your soul. Dragonforce tried different sounds in this album. Track five, "The Last Journey Home", you travel with Dragonforce from acoustic guitar to the endless speeds of chunky riffing. Track seven, "Inside The Winter Storm", the guitar is amazing, very fast love the tremello picking here. and the intro was great. The whole album is filled with war, triumph, defeat, and the struggle for something more. Dragonforce really bring you into it with the music in this album. Sound-wise the big thing to notice about this album is the experiment with sounds and video game noises, which is to be expected from all Dragonforce songs. I give this album a 4 out of 5. Some of Dragonforce's best work. 

August 16th 2008: The Quest Continues

Hail!

Noble and courageous warriors of light and shadow I welcome thee to my court. Leave your axe at the door, pull up a chair, and grab a pint of mead...

The quest that started so many months ago continues. I'm still composing, and at the current rate it's going to be a while before I get a demo out. Track number one which I haven't quite decided on a name for will be the intro to my demo, and I feel confident that I'm half way finished with it.

The past two weeks have been completely dead when it comes to getting anything composed since I've been moving. I've written quite a bit of lyrics to my demo, and there isn't much work left to do regarding lyrics.

I really try not to have a favorite band but for the past two or three months, I've listened heavily to Bal-Sagoth, they've really grown on me. When I first listened to the band I'd heard their 2006 release "The Chthonic Chronicles". I wasn't very fond of any of the songs until I heard that guitar slide intro on "Shackled To The Trilithon of Kutulu" which we had on air around episode 13. They're a symphonic black metal band hailing from the UK. I think part of the reason I like them so much is they really take you into that whole "sword and sorcery" scene. For me it's better than setting down and reading a fantasy book, which takes you places yes, but it doesn't have the same carnage backed behind a stack and a Warlock.

Bal-Sagoth has really taken epic metal to another level. What makes it truly interesting is not just Byron's ability to write such great content, or how Chris comes up with such heavy riffs, or melodic solos. But how they mesh everything together, you have the usual growling vocals, heavy riffs, solos, and then Byron throws in another element with his narrated lyrics, voice overs, and dialogue. Often you'll hear a clean deep voice in the songs, then the typical growling voice, and the two will argue back and forth in dialogue.

Alot of people have issues with keyboards and other instruments in metal. If you've ever listened to Bal-Sagoth you'll notice that they're pretty big on keyboards. I think I noticed it at first but over time I really haven't paid much attention to it. Every time I listen to one of their songs I hear something new, a new line of lyrics, a new riff or something. Which is quite nice considering my Last.fm play count is a little over 15,000.
Byron mentioned in an interview back in January I believe that at this point in time the band could do whatever it wants, he really feels he's ended the chapter I believe, but there's always room for more content I feel. There's also some mention about comic books and a possible novel. It's disappointing to know they might be ending with the band but as fans you have to accept whatever the band's decision is.

I'm not living in the "sword and sorcery" era but Bal-Sagoth take me there in song.

I'd also like to mention a few other great bands that I've came across in this year of 2008. Immortal, black metal! so very cold. Every time I listen to them I picture this frozen world with a purple sky, lightning illuminating every nook and cranny of the world, and there floating I see a kingdom of ice, which atop of it seated in thrones of thorns and shards of ice, "Tyrants". Clad in pure black armor, of leather and spikes. So brutal. 

They're rumored to be having a 2008 release, Abbath mentioned a few months back in a lesson of Guitar One I believe, that they were working on some new stuff. Which I can't wait to here, and hopefully we'll have on air.

A few other great bands include Equilibrium, simply amazing I highly recommend them, as well as Skeletonwitch right out of Ohio, they're a thrash/black band, so that means plenty of solos. Another great thing about Skeletonwitch is their vocals, where they're very growlish you can understand the words more, because unlike a lot of foreign bands they don't have that accent, and their English is easier understood.

Blodu ok jarna!