duminică, 18 octombrie 2009

Warpath - Damnation


Damnation este al doilea album al tinerilor thrasheri britanici de la Warpath. "Old school" este cuvantul operativ aici: in cele 39 de minute ale albumului avem parte de toate riffurile, liniile de bas, solouri ritmuri de tobe caracteristice genului si avand in vedere faptul ca varsta medie a muzicienilor este doar 23 de ani, nivelul de executie este foarte impresionant. Fiecare membru isi face datoria ca la carte, readucand in primplan soundul binecunoscut al unor trupe precum Slayer sau Testament.

Desi abordarea nu este noua productia insa este excelenta si facuta cu profesionalism in conditiile in care trupa inca nu a semnat cu nici o casa de discuri, albumul putand fi cumparat direct de pe situl lor (oare cesta va fi viitorul industiriei?). Poate ca vocea nu o sa multumeasca pe multa lume, fiind lispita de multe ori de profunzime, insa chiar si asa se potriveste foarte bine cu stilul, si trebuie sa acord puncte bonus pentru temporizarea versurilor cu instrumentalul, care oricum face deliciul albumului.

O trupa care promite multe, si care va trebuie urmarita in continuare.

Track Listing:
1. Damnation
2. Infernal
3. Hostile Takeover
4. Face To Face
5. Spitting Blood
6. Life Unworthy Of Life
7. W.M.D
8. Expendable Forces

Lineup:
Vocals & Guitars: Richard Goss
Lead Guitar: Pete Hawthorne
Bass Guitar: Gareth Allen
Drums: James Davenport

luni, 14 septembrie 2009

Blood: The Last Vampire


Un Film despre vampiri care sug sangele, dar nu al poporului, defapt nici nu se prea suge sange in filmul asta. Ce suge defapt, sa imi scuzati limbajul, este scenariul. Filmul este o ecranizare a seriei anime Blood+, o productie destul de interesanta, serie bazata la randul sau pe un film anime. Totusi inafara de numele personajului principal Saya(un fel de Blade feminin nipon), filmul nu prea are mai nimic in comun cu seria anime, in alte cuvinte este vorba de o incercare nereusita de a atrage comunitatile fani anime intr-o vizionare ce nu are prea multe de oferit nica ca poveste nici ca experienta vizuala.
Povestea filmului sare de la un ala alta, accentul fiind pus pe scenele de lupta, pline de sange digital unde bampirii cad mormane peste mormane sub sabia de samaurai Sayei. De cateva ori cand am pus pe pause, am avut impresia ca am deralat din greseala, atat de segmentat e filmul.
In afara de o scena foarte buna de lupta cu un mos samurai impotriva unei mici armate de ninjas cu palariute la moda in secolul XVI, filmul nu prea mai spune nimic, decat ca ai facut bine ca l-ai luat de pe net ca toti prietenii tai.
Asa ca nu va pierdeti timpul cu el, nici macar fanilor nu il recomand. Mai bine aruncati o privire pe seria anime veti avea parte de o experienta mult mai placuta.

joi, 3 septembrie 2009

1349 - Revelation of the Black Flame


Cand am ascultat precedentul album din 2005 intitulat Hellfire, norvegienii de la 1349 nu prea m-au impresionat, asa ca dincolo de prima auditie a albumului nu m-am mai obosit cu ei. De fapt ceea ce m-a determinat initial sa le caut muzica a fost numele lor, anul 1349 reprezentand data la care Ciuma Neagra s-a hotarat sa plece in vacanta si in Norvegia.

Acum in 2009 s-au intors cu un nou album intitulat Revelations of the Black Flame. Spre deosbire de precedentul album ce se caracteriza prin clasicul torent sonor de black metal traditional fara rezerve sau pauze, prezentul album incearca o abordare mult mai temperata, mai atmosferica si mai cerebrala.

Pentru o trupa ce pana acum si-a creat o reputatie de seriozitate in ceea ce priveste livrarea unei muzici caustice si extrem de rapide, acest ultim produs reprezinta un viraj creativ destul de neasteptat, tempoul fiind incetint metodic dealungul intregului albumul si introducerea unor straturi succesive de zgomote, hai sa le spunem, ambientale si alte sunete neidentificate, pentru fiecare piesa. Mare parte din album s-ar putea gasi foarte bine pe soundtrak-ul unui film horror mai artsy deoarce reuseste sa creeze tot felul de peisaje sonice spectrale, atat de necesare unui astfel de album. Fanii formatiei totusi vor fi dezamagiti de scarcitatea pieselor „traditionale”, 3 din cele 9 piese fiind instrumentale, iar pe majoritatea celorlate piese vocea este data foarte jos, aproape soptita uneori.

Cu exceptia unor piese precum „Serpentine Sibilance” si “Maggot Fetus…Teeth Like Thorns” , 1349 se tine departe de teritoriul black metal. Ar mai fi si coverul pentru „Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun” de la Pink Floyd, care odata trecut prin tratamentul oferit de norvegieni devine de nerecunoscut, dar se potriveste bine cu restul materialului.

Apreciez schimbarea de directie, dar desi ascultarea albumului este antrenanta si cu sigurnta diferita de ceea ce te-ai astepta in mod obisnuit de la ei, nu pot sa nu raman cu impresia ca este un album caruia inca ii lipseste acel „je ne sais quoi”. Poate ca pe urmatorul album, daca vor continua pe aceiasi directia, va fi unul complet maturizat.


Track Listing:

1. Invocation

2. Serpentine Sibilance

3. Horns

4. Maggot Fetus…Teeth Like Thorns

5. Misanthropy

6. Uncreation

7. Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun (Pink Floyd cover)

8. Solitude

9. At the Gate


Lineup:

Ravn – Vocals

Archaon – Guitars

Seidemann – Bass

Frost – Drums

joi, 19 februarie 2009

Omnium Gatherum - The Redshift


Nu imi simnt degetele si mintea suficent de relaxate pentru a atenta la un review serios si extensiv astfel incat, de vreme ce nu vreau sa ma trezesc cu o „febra musculara” dupa lunga absenta de pe teramanul recenziilor,va fac doar o recomandare

Prima data cand m-am intalnit finlandezii a fost in 2005 cand au scos albumul de debut Years in Waste si nu a fost tocmai ceea mai amiabila intalnire. Stilul vocal al lui Antti Flippu mi-a lasat un gust amar laolata cu abordarea neoriginala a unui gen ce este supra solicitat. Renuntand la Filppu la scurt timp, trupa a realizat in 2007 Stuck Here On Snake’s Way, inainte de a ne oferi ultimul lor efort muzical, The Redshift, un album extrem de antrenant si captivant. Jukka Pelkonen se afla acum in pozitia de frontman iar stilul sau se potriveste mult mai bine cu sound-ul Omnium Gatherum. De asemnea, relevant pentru acest album este amestecul de melodic cu pasage intunecate, gandti-va la o combinatie intre Amorphis si Dark Tranquillity, cereuseste sa dea un aer de prospetime death metalului melodic interpretat de ei. Productia este si ea foarte buna, per total Red Shift bucurandu-se de un sunet plin, expansiv.

Omniu Gatherum( alaturi de compatriotii de la Insomnium) conduc al doilea val de melodic death metal iar The Red Shfit este raspunsul la intrebarea: de ce?

sâmbătă, 10 ianuarie 2009

The Crusade of Emperor Frederick II in Freidank’s Bescheidenheit

Freidank was a didactic poet who gave an eyewitness account of the city of Acre (mod. ‘Akko, Israel) during the Crusade of Emperor Frederick II (1227–1229) in his ethical compendium Bescheidenheit (“Wise Judgment”). His satirical verses attack the avarice andirreligious behavior of the Franks of the Holy Land, they deplore Pope Gregory IX’s hostility to Frederick II, they express Freidank’s disquiet over Frederick’s negotiated truce with al-Kamil, the Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, but despite all misgivings they assert the continuing validity of pilgrimage and crusade. The fallowing bit is jut to funny not to post:

“I have heard many a man express the wish: “If I might get
to Acre, and just see the Holy Land, I would not care if I died
there on the spot.” Now I see these folk glad to be alive and
anxious to get back to their homeland.
I advise those who intend to come here after us to be well
equipped: the first shock comes when you buy or exchange
something. Acre has gobbled up silver, gold, horses, and
clothes, and whatever a man may possess, nothing eludes
their clutches. Now they mock us and say, “Allez—off you
go home across the sea.” And if thirty armies came to Acre,
they would fare as we have fared; the locals would treat them
as they’ve treated us.
In Rome and Acre it’s the same business, which always
finds enough fools to exploit. In no time at all they’ve gobbled
so much treasure that I’m amazed it doesn’t burst out
of the houses.
Since Acre won’t relent, it’s better to be sheared than
skinned: if you get away with your hide intact, you can sing
for joy.
Acre is rich in diseases, death is quite at home there, and
if thousands died there every day, you’d hear nobody
lamenting for long.
The first question they ask when someone’s died is, “Sir,
where’s his money?” (And that’s the last word of mourning.
God send us a speedy end!)
If anyone doesn’t want to live long, I advise him to hurry
off to Acre.
There’s no difference between the Christians and the
heathen in Acre: all the crusaders’ might won’t disturb their
friendly alliance. Young and old all speak the heathen
tongue. They prefer the company of one heathen to two or
three Christians. So it’s no wonder that they’re treacherous.
In Acre I’m well acquainted with the food, the climate,
people and land: all are bad news to Germans. So many a
man slips away to the graveyard—there’s a friendly landlord
who’s never stuck for guests; he does his best to greet
all strangers. Acre is the pit of death, where there’s naught
but death and disease; and a dead donkey would be
mourned more in other places than a hundred thousand
who die there.
In Acre they live corrupt lives: if the pope has imposed
that on them as penance for their sins, then even Judas has
hope of salvation.
In Acre the citizens are treacherous: an army of a hundred
thousand will be more quickly sold there than ten oxen anywhere
else.
The business they are up to in Jaffa is a good bargain for
the heathen, but it won’t help against the Christians who are
in league with the heathen. The allies of this land are showing
how far they can be trusted, and if it were up to them,
the talks at Jaffa would not be happening.
We were given the cross to protect against sin and to free
the Holy Sepulchre. Now the church wants to ban us from
doing that. So how shall we save our souls now?
No ban has more force in God’s eyes than is justified by
a man’s guilt. Obedience is only valid if the master acts justly;
if the master forces a man to desert God and do wrong, then
you must leave the master and cleave to what is right.
Though whether the church’s ban is wrong or right, it is to
be feared, that’s true.
It would be fitting if the emperor put a stop to the whispering
he and the Sultan have been carrying on. Can that lead
to a happy and honorable end without God’s help? It’s a strange matter, and fools don’t believe it—I hear wise folk
too say they’ll only believe it when they see it.
Mr. Mean and Mr. Stingy were supposed to share three
marks: Mean wanted the bigger half, Stingy wouldn’t give
up. The two misers still haven’t settled their quarrel. That’s
just how the emperor and the sultan are behaving.
When did an emperor ever go on a crusade banned by the
pope and without the princes’ support? And now he’s
reached a land where neither God nor man ever found a loyal
friend. And without treasure to help him he’s met much
opposition—may God settle it.
I don’t care how, so long as I glimpse the Holy Sepulchre:
then I’d return to Acre, stuff myself full of good food, and be
happy to board the first ship I found. I deplore all that’s ever
been told of this land, whether it was true or false; they’ve
enticed many a band of crusaders here.
I’d gladly go back over the sea and send another army
here—but I never want to return myself, because of the
treachery that goes on here.
What can an emperor achieve when heathen and clerics
alike fight against him? Solomon’s wisdom would be inadequate
there. Treachery is a birthright in this land, and the
natives have sworn to reinforce it with false counsel. Treachery,
arrogance, and enmity never run short in Syria. If the
emperor’s might is demonstrated here, all lands will fear
him; his honor will either soar or sink to the depths through
what happens here.
Whatever the emperor achieves here without sufficient
support, the help and cunning of the locals will be pitted
against him, so far as they dare.
Many an army has come to Acre, and all, I’ve been told,
perished without achieving honorable victory. The pope’s
ban and the cunning tricks of many Christians here wanted
to thwart us of success. Now God has won his own honor.
He was able to ensure without their help that sinners shall
see the Holy Sepulchre.
God and the emperor have freed that tomb and brought
comfort to all Christians. Since the emperor has done the best
he ever could, he should be released from the ban—but I
guess those in Rome don’t want that. If something good happens
without their consent, they don’t wish it to endure—
and now it’s happened against their wishes. All sinners agree
that no one should breach the peace treaty. Rome could do
us no greater honor than to affirm that too. Those who must
live and survive in this land, they did not want to be given it
back. What if a miracle happens and their arrogance is taken
way from them? Treachery will come to their rescue.
God has liberated the city that is the joy of our faith. What
more do sinners need but the Holy Sepulchre and the honor
of the cross? If those who tried to cheat him of his honor had
stood by the emperor, the Sepulchre and all this land would
have been in his hands: Nazareth and Bethlehem, the Jordan
and Jerusalem, and many a holy place where God’s own feet
trod, Syria and Judaea, many a fair land besides. The roads
all lie open before us that lead to the holy places.
It grieves the false hearted that the emperor did not let so
many armies be betrayed that would have perished defenseless
here. If a lord has men, might, and wealth and gives
these for God’s cause, it is a grievous sin when anyone gives
treacherous counsel.
A ban has no force if it is imposed out of enmity; a ban
that harms the faith can do no good. Acre has banned kettle
and frying pan, boiled meat and roast; may God provide for
us! The masters of our faith rant and rave. Lord God, where
shall we praise you, since we are banned from your city, in
which you, Lord Christ, were martyred and buried? The
honor of your faith is extinguished; sinners are deprived of
comfort; how shall we be rid of sin? All Christendom
despairs. Lord God, have pity on this inexcusable scandal.
This ban will bring scorn on the Sepulchre and all Christendom;
disbelief will prosper for it.
I witnessed Christ’s own land left without visible defense.
When we should be reconquering it, no one was prepared to
defend it. The devil has succored this land because no one
prevented it. It was the devil’s cunning that stopped more of
it from being won back. God punish those who are guilty for
us Germans being the laughing stock of the Franks. And if
the Germans might win back the land today, the Franks hate
them so much they would much rather the heathen kept it.
If anyone comes sick and poor to Acre, he will readily get
a lodging there—one seven feet long, where he can do
penance for his sins.
Nothing was ever better against sin than a pure-hearted
pilgrimage across the sea. Even if you never glimpse the Holy
Sepulchre, your reward is none the less for that. Anyone who
with devout intent bears his cross over the sea (this is my
firm belief) shall be freed from sin. Acre roasts the body yet
brings comfort to the soul. Have no doubt of this: if you die
a righteous death there, you shall be saved!

Source
Kreuzzugsdichtung, ed. Ulrich Müller (Tübingen: Niemeyer,
1979), no. 72, pp. 102–109.

vineri, 9 ianuarie 2009

Min herze und min lip diu wellent scheiden

Since I haven’t posted anything relevant in a while, I’ll try to make up for it by sharing with you something from my crusades studies. I’m talking about a German Crusade song of the late twelfth century by Friedrich von Hausen and translated by Jeffrey R. Ashcroft.
Friedrich von Hausen is recorded in charters and chronicles as a ministerial knight with military, legal, and diplomatic functions in the service of Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor, and his son King Henry VI between 1171 and 1188. He was killed in battle on the Third Crusade, in May 1190. Hausen wrote courtly love songs during the 1180s, and this song of crusading propaganda must date from 1188–1189.

“My heart and my body want to part company, though they
have been together for a long time now. Body is keen to go
fight the heathen, but Heart has chosen a woman in preference
to all the world. This pains me ever more, that they will
not stay with one another. My eyes have caused me much
grief. God alone can settle this dispute.
Since, Heart, I cannot dissuade you from leaving me in
this unhappy way, I pray God that he may deign to send you
somewhere where you will be well received. Alas, how will
you fare, poor thing? How can you venture to face such peril
alone? Who shall help you bring your cares to an end so loyally
as I have done?
I thought I had freed myself of such cares when I took the
cross in honor of God. It should by rights have been so, if my
own steadfastness had not prevented it. If my heart had
given up its foolish will, I should be truly a whole man. Now
I realize that it doesn’t care how I am to fare in the end.
No one can reproach me with inconstancy if now I hate
her whom before I loved. However much I begged and
beseeched her, she behaves as if she doesn’t understand. It
seems to me indeed as if her words behave exactly like the
fickle summer weather does in Trier. I’d be a fool if I took
her foolish obstinacy seriously. It will not happen again.


Source
Des Minnesangs Frühling, ed. Hugo Moser and Helmut
Tervooren, 36th ed. (Stuttgart: Hirzel, 1977), pp. 81–83