Five Great Albums You’ve Never Heard of: Pt. Two

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Hailing from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Zargof takes a stab at an unlikely genre — symphonic black metal. For a country most known for producing thrash metal bands like Sepultura and Sarcófago, this is quite a unique feat on its own. But it doesn’t end here. Zargof’s take on symphonic black metal is one that truly stands above the pack. While it does operate on the same underpinnings like all symphonic black metal bands, the feel is almost entirely different.

The music on Departure For the Cosmic Twilight is like the auditory equivalent of being in a Brazilian forest, much like the cover suggests but it also feels unfamiliar, mystical even. This is mostly accomplished through the use of ethereal keyboards, which will no doubt be what Zargof is most remembered for as well as the production, which gives the drums the appropriate punch, alongside the “muddy” guitars we’ve all come to expect. But there are also some odd elements such as the almost viking metal like galloping and very fluid arrangements. The end result is very warm, majestic, coherent and very to the point. Departure For the Cosmic Twilight is an amazingly well crafted and unique EP with few weak points.

Obligatory samples

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Jumping ship but not venturing too far, I introduce to you Italy’s How Like A Winter. The avenue this music looks to explore is a sub-genre of metal called doom metal. I realize you may be thinking that the words “doom metal” don’t exactly pique your interest. I mean, think about it: doom metal. It’s supposed to be about gloom and desolation; outward sadness. How can that be very interesting? I myself find that many bands in this camp struggle with keeping the intended audience interested. All too often, songs will reach a mid point and just kind of hang there with same-y power riffs and uninteresting structures. For a genre that already seems limited, is there really any hope? How Like A Winter seems to think so, as they refuse to operate within the standard confines of the genre and …Beyond My Grey Wake is a fine example of this. What you get here is surprisingly varied and skillfully composed doom metal that’s partly influenced by well respected groups in the genre like My Dying Bride, due to their use of live violins. Yes, you heard right, live violins; no synthesized sounds. To further add to the mix, How Like A Winter makes use of not one but two female vocalists, alongside Marco Benevento, who provides both clean and growled vox. There are also acoustic guitars and pianos. But let me tell you, this album is very smooth.

Perhaps the most quintessential example of the music contained on here is the track titled All the Seasons of Madness. Right off the bat, the song kicks off in high gear, with all of the vocalists chanting “I hope into this morning..” alongside desolate riffing, which is then abruptly replaced by seismic growled vocals which helps draw out the bleakness in the riffing almost tenfold. This opening section is repeated for a few measures, with the growled vocals occasionally popping up to increase the intensity before the riffing changes gears and becomes more aggressive, contrasted by mournful violin lines. This part is sure to be stuck in your head for weeks. In its 8 minute run time, All the Seasons.. switches tempo frequently but no section ever outstays its welcome and you are never left thinking “I wish that section were longer”. According to some, the content in the music is greatly influenced by Shakespeare but I’ve also spotted some quotes from seemingly disparate pieces of literature, such as Hagakure. At times, this almost seems to be classical in its approach, which is another huge plus. All in all, this is a fine album to check out if you want something different out of doom metal.

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Tatsuya Nakatani – Green Report 12

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Me being an appreciationist of the drums, I just had to post this. Tatsuya Nakatani is a percussionist from Osaka, Japan that has seen quite a bit of success. In fact, his resume is an impressive one that includes collaborations with more than 150 artists worldwide with over 40 recordings released in the last decade, alll the while remaining relatively obscure. But despite being a percussionist, Green Report 12 is not at all what you’d expect; it isn’t narrow. The music itself is quite creative and Nakatani’s drum kit is inventive. His drum set utilizes a wide array of instruments such as gongs, various metal objects, cymbals and even more rare instruments like singing bowls. The result is highly organic, varied and intense. Green Report 12 is a testament to the fact that drums can serve as far more than just background instruments. In fact, when I first listened to this album, it changed my view of just what drums can do. There are many times where certain sounds do not sound like they’ve come from a drum kit and this is mostly due to his use of different techniques like scraping cymbals against drums. If you enjoy percussion, you will at the very least, appreciate the ideas on display here.

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