鬼哭転生 - 魔王戴天 (2007)

Being very sad to be back home, i was trying to cheer myself up with some music and thought about that one.... i'm sure many among you already have that one and if not then that will be the occasion to get it! =) i was introduced to 鬼哭転生 by one of 大A兄's play quite a while ago and it stayed a fav band of mine since that time! this is their lastest album and it's a pretty good one IMHO, so i hope you'll like it...it's different from what they did previously to me...but i don't know the album well enough yet to have spotted all the difference...however overall, i think they are more on the metal/thrash side than before and taht they used a bit less that traditional apsect that i was used to find in their music....but i might change my mind!lol so tell me what YOU think =D

鬼哭転生( Onmyouza) - 魔王戴天(Maou Taiten) (2007)
Genre: Heavy Metal
Tracklist:
01 序曲
02 魔王
03 黒衣の天女
04 不倶戴天
05 覇道忍法帖
06 ひょうすべ
07 大頚
08 骸
09 接吻
10 生きることとみつけたり

The Winged Ones Are Back!

I'm not a Gun - We Think As Instruments 2006

this fav album of mine which was made by two guys coming from very different spheres. Indeed, the first one is John Tejada (not so famous to me!lol) and he is mainly known for playing techno music and electronic stuff, the second is Takeshi Nikimoto who is a very good jazz (and classical) guitarist from the U.S. =) the music is pretty much like electronic overall but it's one of the best i heard so far cause it's pretty subtle and not so common... a few weeks ago we were waging a Prog War, and regading that, that one could have easily fit into the category of quiet weapon of mass destruction!lol have fun with it!


I'm not a Gun - We Think As Instruments 2006
Genre: Electronic, Post-Rock, Instrumental
Tracklist:
01 Soft Rain In The Spring
02 Ripples In The Water
03 Move
04 Long Afternoon
05 A Letter From The Past
06 Rush Hour Traffic
07 Unseen Moment
08 Blue Garden
09 As Far As Forever Goes
10 Continuous Sk

Imaginary Travel!

Human Waste Project - E-Lux

HWP is an American band that plays some sort of "raw" punk/rock. Their vocalist is pretty famous, she looks like the girl in no doubt to me! ah ah... Her sick/angry vocals are quite peculiar and recognizable...they always come up with depressive, kindda horror like ambiances and loads of energy! to me they have something of the very first korn album (especially when they use flanged guitar sounds) but they definitely have a groove of their own...have fun! \m/

Human Waste Project - E-Lux
Genre: Rock
Tracklist:
01 Graverobbers From Mars
02 Disease
03 Drugstore
04 Exit Wound
05 Shine
06 Hold Me Down
07 Electra
08 Drowned
09 Interlude
10 Powerstrip
11 One Night In Spain...
12 Slide
13 Dog
14 Get With It

Spooky Radio Waves!

Smokers Die Younger - X Wants The Meat 2006

SDY is a band from the UK (Sheffield) so no wonder if you just feel like they have that Brit pop thingy sticking to them! but the band has many other facets to show and though they bring nothing really spectacular and over the top they should nonetheless be worthy of your attention...broadly speaking let's say they mix rock to post/art rock with also reggae and dub/techno ambiances at times...and they did not forget to add a smidgen of psychedelic notes that i like very much! like the hidden offspring of the White Stripes and 甜梅號! ...oh and another fact about 'em...they happen to have 3 vocalists!! ah ah! enjoy!

Smokers Die Younger - X Wants The Meat 2006
Genre: Alternative, Pop, Punk, Rock, Experimental (electro, techno..)...blablabla! =P
Tracklist:
01 BAD DRIVING SCHOOL
02 YER ACTUAL
03 I SPY DRY FEAR
04 IT'S COMING STRAIGHT FOR US!
05 THREE CIGARETTES IN AN ASHTRAY
06 X WANTS THE MEAT
07 RUBBERLEGS
08 FIVE-0
09 TOM LEE
10 SDY
11 FKUSA

Avant-garde pop' n' roll!

Ali Farka Toure - The River 1990

Though in a few days i'll be on the mainland, at the moment African music (Mali) is floating around, i'll sure feel a change when i'll get there!lol I've been listening to Ali Farka Toure since i'm a kid and i have always loved his style, not really knowing what it was at the time! ah ah! so far i've never heard anyone playing the guitar like him...unfortunately he died from cancer last year =( .... he's certainly no shredder, however he could be considered some, if trance like rhythmic shred existed! he can sometimes sound a bit like reggae as it's definitely some musical artistery coming from the "roots" but it's more like some mixture of african music and blues to me (there is harmonica as well, ...the very first song is really awesome!)....well i live you to it, you're in good hands! ;)

Ali Farka Toure - The River 1990
Genre:Folk, Blues
Tracklist:
01 Heygana
02 Goydiotodam
03 Ai Bine
04 Tangambara
05 Toungere
06 Jungou
07 Kenouna
08 Boyrei
09 Tamala
10 Lobo
11 Instrumental

Mystically Drifting Away!

Seminole county - seminole county (2005)

A completely different type of band this time! SC in not too much my cuppa tea as it is very much like the usual mainstream format regarding production and melodies but they have interesting ideas that's a fact, so i guess they are worth checking out =)
the music is hovering between classic pop and rock chiefly, but at times they mix it with some kind of hip hop passages and the singer even raps (somewhat like rapcore so far... except the vocalist is a female here!!) Her style is close to that of Eminem to me and it's fun to listen to her!lol....but i must say i'm rather out with the fairies when it comes to rap! ah ah! well i'd never heard such a band till now, so i hope they will open new perspectives to others as well! enjoy!

Seminole county - seminole county (2005)
Genre: Pop/Rock, Rap
Tracklist:
01 Pieces
02 Let Em' Know
03 Playin' Me
04 Simple Dark
05 Myself
06 Failed
07 The Only Thing
08 Better Than Me
09 Life In Me
10 The Blessing

Free style battle!

The Dog Faced Hermans - Hum Of Life 1994

the place is all quiet so i guess it's time to sneak something in!lol The Dog Faced Hermans is a strange band from Scotland...overall they play punk rock but they definitely have their own way to deal with it cause i seldom heard any other punk band or just any band for that matter that made music in the same manner =) they also have a female singer whose voice is really niece and sweet (much better than the usual brawling anarchist to me!lol)...actually the whole concept of it is perhaps not too far from stuff like My Little Airport on certains songs where there is not much guitar but drumming and noises (or trumpets, saxophone..etc) ...the album is much more about "ambiances" than classic punk rock songs in the end...well hope you enjoy cause i like this one very much! ;)

The Dog Faced Hermans - Hum Of Life 1994
Genre: Experimental, Punk, Noise
Tracklist:
01 Jan 9
02 Viva
03 The Hook and the Wire
04 How We Connect
05 Love Split With Blood
06 Wings
07 White Indians
08 Hear the Dogs
09 Love Is the Heart of Everything
10 Madame la Mer
11 Peace Warriors

Musicians Gone Astray!

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

As everybody is having a well deserved rest, i play that smooth band which comes from the US (L.A). They play some sort of swinging and rocking jazz music in the style of New Orleans stuff (I'm not pretty sure about that one, but it sounds like it somehow! ah ah!) it's pretty quiet and yet there a very cool rhythm in their song (the album contains many different style in the end)... it's kindda like Cherry Poppin' Daddies which i played earlier! =) so hope you like it, ....that should swing you back to life in the wink of an eye!! lol

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Genre: Big Band, Jazz, Rock
Tracklist:
1 Jumpin' Jack
2 13 Women
3 Cruell Spell
4 King of Swing
5 Beggar's Blues
6 Machine Gun
7 Fire
8 She's Gone
9 So Long, Good Bye Swing

Highly energetic elixir!

Incinerate - Dissecting The Angels (2002)

Incinerate comes from the U.S and as you'll hear they play a DM that is very idiosyncratic of that country...and incidentally i'm sure this one has never been played here so far!lol nothing really original or spectacular here but if you like it technical and uncompromising, like out and out DM, then you will definitely enjoy that one cause Incinerate is downright good in this genre! they are not over technical (just what is needed) and that gives their music a very powerful and agressive form! the vox are also pretty good as they hover between screaming and growling in the best DM style...and finally the production is tight and live up to the talent of that band! not much to criticize here...definitely a great stuff! =)

Incinerate - Dissecting The Angels (2002)
Genre: (Brutal) Death Metal
Tracklist:
01 Condemned To Be Damned
02 Endless Defilement Of The Dead
03 Dissecting The Angels
04 Fuck Your Jihad
05 The Flesh Shall Rise To Serve
06 Fucking The Rotting Nun
07 Denounced by God
08 Mutilation Of Christ
09 Thy Feeble Savior
10 Raping Mary

Undomitable Warrior!

Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun 1994

At last, the demanding Prog War reached an end!lol i never though such a style would scare me as much in the end! ah ah! i'll chalk down to experience that things are sometimes quite misleading! ;) anyway, now i can revert to my old habit and my old style...BM! =) i'm sure you all know about Sacramentum and their technical BM style (very much influenced by old heavy metal)... i bought that one a long time ago (when it came out indeed!) and after all these years i still listen to it so it passed the most difficult test i guess,... it lasted for 14 years so far and i guess it can be considered a must-have in any metal head collection! \m/
ps: i have a strange feeling, like i already played this one ...that last war made me lost the head!! ah ah! well if it's a replay it proves i really think it's good!ah ah! ;)


Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun 1994
Genre: Technical Black Metal
Tracklist:
1 Fog's Kiss
2 Far Away from the Sun
3 Blood Shall Be Spilled
4 When Night Surrounds Me
5 Cries From a Restless Soul
6 Obsolete Tears
7 Beyond All Horizons
8 The Vision and the Voice
9 Outro - Darkness Falls for Me/Far Away from the Sun (Part 2)

Contemplating the chaos!

[Prog War] Doomsword - Let Battle Commence (2003)

all this battling has awaken the blood thisty wolf that roams battlefields for eons! let battle commence heralds the new hardships coming after that very demanding war, cause war never ends for those who live by the sword! lol destroying is one thing but now it is time to build up again ....and all your warrior strength and determination will be needed =) music wise, these guys are very good at coming up with epic ambiances and pounding riffs (and serious leads sometimes!)! beware horns will be blown all around! ah ah grab your sword and shield for that last destrutive assault cause the production is also very good and you'll be thrown face to face with the enemmy as soon as you press play! =D

Doomsword - Let Battle Commence (2003)
Genre: Progressive Viking Metal (uhmm ...or something like that!lol)
Tracklist:
1 Heathen Assault
2 In The Battlefield
3 Wodens Reign
4 Deathbringer
5 Siege, The
6 Blood Eagle
7 My Name Will Live On

Heathen stroke back!

[Prog War] Dead Soul Tribe - The January Tree

i'm so glad i finally found a true prog band in my music! ;) ah ah! it was high time! and on top of that i think this is a good one! better be!lol the music is original with the use of samplers in addition to the synth, the vox are also varied and actually the music reminds me sometimes of stuff like ministry... but not as brutal of course! the album is almost always heavy and yet the musicians never lose the atmosphere in favour of it so in the end the listener enjoys a work that is very well balanced =) as the previous one their ambiances are also great as the use flutes or other instrument to give a traditional dimension to ther music ... hope you like it \m/

Dead Soul Tribe - The January Tree
Genre: Progressive Metal
Tracklist:
01 Spiders and Flies
02 Sirens
03 The Love of Hate
04 Why?
05 The Coldest Days of Winter
06 Wings of Faith
07 Toy Rockets
08 Waiting for the answer
09 Just Like a Timepiece
10 Lady of Rain

the last blow before victory!

[Prog War] ダイタ - Direct Mode (2006)

At last the end of the war is showing its nose!lol indeed that is certainly the most difficult we have ever waged! =) Progressive is much tougher than it seems (to me at least)! lol Daita is probably not unknown to you, and he is quite famous in Japan i believe. This album is truly great IMO and to be real prog they would just need to add a singer...though the music does not need one at all!...the ambiances are brilliant and epic, the axeman is a real master in that sense... he plays as if announcing the dawning of a new era! ah ah!... and actually i find the album pretty short in the end!!lol ....so no showing off here, just the efficiency of a rogue swordman battling for his own reasons .... =)

ダイタ (Daita) - Direct Mode (2006)
Genre: Progressive Metal, Instrumental
Tracklist:
01 Emphatic Line
02 Funny House
03 Motor Beat
04 Blue Passion
05 Oriental Road
06 Volplane
07 19 Boogie

A lonely Wanderer!

[Prog War] Naked City - Naked City (1990)

NK is one of my all time fav band though i have never played them so far! but not having many prog bands to strike with i resorted to a sneaky attack! ah ah! there's about any styles in that album so that included prog rock as well, no wonder since the composer for that band is no one else than John Zorn!! eh eh! how cunning!lol =) this is their very first album i think and it's an awesome one IMHO, the musicians are of course very impressive and the music...really psychedelic! =D

Naked City - Naked City (1990)
Genre: Progressive Rock, but more like avant garde and experimental (many styles inside!)
Tracklist:
01 Batman
02 The Sicilian Clan (Ennio Morricone)
03 You Will Be Shot
04 Latin Quarter
05 A Shot in the Dark (Henry Mancini)
06 Reanimator
07 Snagglepuss
08 I Want to Live (Johnny Mandel)
09 Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman)
10 Igneous Ejaculation
11 Blood Duster
12 Hammerhead
13 Demon Sanctuary
14 Obeah Man
15 Ujaku
16 Fuck the Facts
17 Speedball
18 Chinatown (Jerry Goldsmith)
19 Punk China Doll
20 N.Y. Flat Top Box
21 Saigon Pickup
22 The James Bond Theme (John Barry)
23 Den of Sins
24 Contempt (Georges Delerue)
25 Graveyard Shift
26 Inside Straight

A medic is required!

[Prog War] Tangerine Dream - Melrose (1990)

You certainly know Tangerine Dream...it is a band i discovered a long time ago by listening to old vynils of a friend ...if you are acquainted with the old TD, then this one is not really in the same style, it much more thought out and gives less the impression of an improvised feel (none indeed!lol) i still have an old vynil that i ripped and i must admit i like their old style much better, here there is no more guitar (except a few soudclips) and it's all electronic.... nevertheless this album is pretty cool and when after several listening you get to know it, you appreciate it all the more, cause it's a pretty subtle one... very well balanced... and you can either listen to it attentively without being bored or use it as a musical background and it won't disturb you... sounds like a swiss army knife album!lol =)

Tangerine Dream - Melrose (1990)
Genre: Progressive rock, electronic
Trackslist:
01 Melrose
02 Three Bikes In The Sky
03 Dolls In The Shadow
04 Yucatan
05 Electric Lion
06 Rolling Down Cahuenga
07 Art Of Vision
08 Desert Train
09 Cool At Heart

Jean Michel Jarre's counterparts!

[Prog War] Gastr Del Sol - Camoufleur - 1998

Gastr Del Sol is just 2 people from Chicago and this is one of their latest albums. i hope i didn't played that one before cause i can't remember...though i guess not =)
these two guy play a mixture between electronic music, classic rock with synth... i'm not sure this is called progressive but let's say it is! ah ah! well i've been listening to that band for several years now, they are a bit in the line of Cheval de Frise but not really alike as they use some kind of old hippy/poppy vox!lol... it's just to give you a general idea =) hope you like it

Gastr Del Sol - Camoufleur - 1998
Genre: Progressive, Experimental
Tracklist:
01 Seasons Reverse, The
02 Blues Subtitled No Sense Of Wonder
03 Black Horse
04 Each Dream Is An Example
05 Mouth Canyon
06 Puff Of Dew, A
07 Bauchredner

Sophisticated Orhestra!

[Prog War] Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye ( 1986 )

i'm not going to present this guy as everybody knows him already! well this album is not what i would call Prog rock, as it's more like shredding or neoclassical stuff but at times it's has also that aspect...so open your ears!lol That was Vinnie's first album and it's definitely a very good one, ...one of my favourite though i don't know them all! it mixes power, feelings, and technique in a way that is almost perfect to me! to make it short,... an awesome debut that is still shining more than 20 years later! =)

Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye ( 1986 )
Genre: Instrumental
Tracklist:
01 In Control
02 Daydream
03 Saved By A Miracle
04 Hero Without Honor
05 Lifeforce
06 N. N. Y.
07 Mind's Eye
08 Shadows Of Yesterday
09 The Journey

Proficiency and passion!

[Prog War] Negativland - Negativland 1980

This is the first album released by a band from San Francisco and as you can see the date is just what it needs to be! ah ah, how i struggled to find one!lol and as a matter of fact that's also the only one i have from that period! the music is progressive in the sense that they create many strange ambiances but it's more like what we call collage music, a sort of early techno music in some way and not really r'n'r (some track are however)! well have a go if you don't already know it, it pretty cool whatever it is! =)

Negativland - Negativland 1980
Genre: Experimental (considered as prog!lol)
Tracklist: (none has a title, it not me who forgot to write 'em! =P )
1 (1:01)
2 (1:25)
3 (2:16)
4 (1:22)
5 (5:19)
6 (1:18)
7 (0:57)
8 (1:01)
9 (2:02)
10 (1:36)
11 (0:47)
12 (0:33)
13 (1:55)
14 (0:38)
15 (2:12)
16 (3:17)
17 (1:12)
18 (1:34)
19 (5:04)
20 (1:09)

Special 80's sound soup!

[Prog War] Its A Beautiful Day - Its A Beautiful Day(1969)

in my comments i often talked about Jefferson Airplane ...well this is definitely my favourite style and here we're not far from that, it's very soothing, going crescendo while bindidng male and female vox together, the whole thing being held up by a harpsichord and a violin...a mix between jazz, folk, classical, and of course prog rock... you'll certainly recognize some of the tracks cause some were pretty famous... =)

Its A Beautiful Day - Its A Beautiful Day (1969)
Genre: psychedelic rock
Tracklist:
1 White Bird
2 Hot Summer Day
3 Wasted Union Blues
4 Girl With No Eyes
5 Bombay Calling
6 Bulgaria
7 Time Is

Flower Power!

[Prog War] ジュン上久保 - サンフランシスコの奇蹟

this guy is certainly not unknown to you, and if by chance he turns out to be, then you'll discover an awesome artist! =) i have had this one for a few years and ...apparently it's a masterpiece to a lot of people but i live that to you...to me i must say that in the psyche style it's certainly a very good one! you'll see the sound is very bluesy and very "acid" like! hope you enjoy!
ps: track 4 seems to be cut just before the end but all the others are ok so i have no idea if this is normal...??

ジュン上久保 - サンフランシスコの奇蹟
Genre: Progressive Rock
Tracklist:
1 勲章いっぱいぶらさげて
2 死んだ恋人は
3 天国行きの最終便
4 愛が欲しい
5 半分終わった俺の人生は
6 人生は舞台劇
7 何となく何となく
8 殺ったのは俺じゃない

incredible Japanese!!