Opus Eponymous (Latin for the self-titled work) is the debut album by Swedish heavy metal band Ghost, released on October 18, 2010. An unnamed member said that it was the song "Stand By Him" that heralded the start of the band; "while being together in another band, Ghost started when I played a riff to everybody else. I said that this is probably the most heavy metal riff that has ever existed. Then I showed them the opening riff to “Stand By Him.” When the chorus came to me, it haunted my dreams. Every time I picked up the guitar, I ended up playing that progression, and when I fit the words in, it seemed to cry out for a Satanically-oriented lyric. This was in 2006. When we came up with the name Ghost, it seemed only natural to build on the foundation of this heavy imagery. Within that concept we were able to combine our love of horror films, and of course, the traditions of Scandinavian metal." Over the following four years Ghost would play and perfect these songs, but it wasn’t until October of 2010 that they would decide to record them, Opus was recorded in a basement studio in the band's hometown of Linköping. When asked about their sound, and how despite they having formed in the 00’s, they sound like a 70’s band, one Nameless Ghoul said “We did the whole thing with a standard Gibson SG, which is why a lot of the guitars sound more traditionally metal. We played everything through an Orange Thunderverb 50. To get a real Seventies vibe, we backed up the gain as much as possible without losing the tone or the sustain. We found that the midrange was really important as well. That's why we used Orange amps.” Opus is the only Ghost album to not get a gold certification as of April 2016. The one single released from Opus Eponymous was Elizabeth, a theme written song about the most prolific female serial killer of all time: Elizabeth Bathory; of whom boasted the murder of over 650 young women, who she would murder then bathe in the blood of. Pretty metal if you ask me. The song is written in ‘praise’ of her actions. “Her pact with Satan, Her disposal of mankind, Her acts of cruelty and her lust for blood, Makes her one of us.” Implying that they have a bond with her via their mutual love for Satan. This is one of Ghost’s best songs musically, as was typical of this album though the lyrics are a tad gimmicky, it wasn’t until their follow up album -Infestissumam - that lyrical strength really was truly gained for Ghost. However Elizabeth still definitely stands out as the best track on the album, it was with this song that they gained some mainstream notice and started to garner themselves a steady fan base. A personal favorite off Opus is one of the most pro-Satan track on the album, ‘Ritual’, which is a song devoted to the rebirth of Satan (or technically the creation of the anti-christ). Part of the main chorus is the lines “On this night of ritual. Invoking our master, to procreate the unholy bastard.” Literally the song is supposed to be a cult like anthem to get Satan to have a son to bring about the end of the world. Without listening to the words, the song could pass off as just a 70’s classic rock song, something your grandpa would crank in his car and something the stoner kids in your high school would have worshiped. The illusion would be broken though when the breakdown that is a mockery of the Lords Prayer, “Our father, who art in hell. Unhallowed be thy name. Cursed be the sons and daughters of thine nemesis whom are to blame. Thy kingdom come. Nema.” is heard. On a personal note, several of my staunch Christian family members have all mistaken this song as a Christian Rock song, to which I endlessly find hilarious. The most intriguing song on the whole album was never released in the US or even Europe. It was only on the Japanese release. It is a cover of The Beatles most famous track, Here Comes The Sun, to which they somehow twisted to make sound like a dark and demented song. It is in this that the talent of Papa and The Nameless Ghouls really shine. In an interview one of the Nameless Ghouls stated that he had always been a fan of The Beatles and that it just seemed natural that they would choose to cover them on their first album. Lyrically the song stays the same as how George Harrison wrote it. That is the only thing that stayed the same on it. The tempo, octave range and all around sound of the song is entirely different, making it only lyrically similar to the original. Some would say that doing as such is sacrilege, no one should change a classic like that, but with Ghost, they beat to the drum of sacrilegious acts and it’s doing rather well for them. The weakest of all of Ghost’s albums, Opus has yet to be certified by any international certification system and despite being a good album, the writing depended too much on gimmick and fell flat on the publics ears; however, had not been for Ghost getting noticed with this album we never would have gotten to experience the more mature and fantastic writing of the Ghoul who writes all their songs. Before checking out Opus, I would strongly suggest looking into Infestissumam and/or Meliora to get a better taste of Ghost, then maybe come and listen to Opus if you believe Ghost is truly for you. If you like what you hear, be sure to check out all of the music this Grammy Award winning band holds today, and head on over to their official website! Ghost will be going out on tour this week, and will stay on tour through May 22. They will also be performing at many festivals here in the US, and in Europe over the summer. The American festivals start at the end of this month and go through May, so they happen mostly through the diration of their tour. They will be performing at 98 Rockfest, Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range and Rock N' Derby. As previously stated, head on over to Ghost's official website for more information! Also, while you're checking all things Ghost out, please be sure to read all of our reviews for Ghost! This review completed Ghost's discography for us! Linked below are all of the reviews on the website for Ghost's work. Written by Coby Andrews Infestissumam - Meliora
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We're actually coming up on the nineteenth anniversary of Pennywise's fourth studio album, Full Circle. The album was released on April 22, 1997, and was released in dedication to their late bassist, Jason Thirsk, who unfortunately committed suicide in 1996. The album did very well in Australia, reaching number 13 in the country, and moderately alright here in the US. It reached number 79 on the Billboard 200, so that's not bad. There does not appear to be a single from the album, though I did want to highlight a track that's actually a bonus , hidden track. Its a re-recording from a previous album called "Bro Hymn" and they renamed it "Bro Hymn (Tribute)" in honor of Jason. So obviously, that track stands out for the sweetness behind its re-release. Other tracks that stood out were, "Fight Till You Die", and "Society." "Fight Til You Die" stands out because its over all about war and fighting for your country. It does have an underlying questioning tone to it, which we hear through a lot of Pennywise's discography. "Society" may have been released in 1997 but its still incredibly relevant today. Its completely calling out how nobody lives up to societies standards no matter what you do. Its quite perfect, actually. The whole album is good, but those tracks in particular stood out to us. So, tell us -what did you think of this album? Feel free to let us know, and after you do that be sure to head on over Pennywise's official website to check out all of their tour dates! They are now on tour for the next few days and then later in the month and into May will be performing at many festivals. Such festivals are Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range! As previously mentioned, please head on over to Pennywise's official website for more details. The beloved heavy metal band, Trivium made their debut to the world on October 14, 2003 with Ember To Inferno. The band's front man, Matt Heafy was only seventeen years old when this album was written and recorded, and they re-released the album again in 2004 to include demos of a couple tracks. Those two songs are "The Deceived" and "Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies", and they both were late re-recorded for the band's next album, Ascendancy which came out in 2005. Fun fact, the instrumental introduction and outro to the album are actually the same song. "Inception The Bleeding Skies", which is the intro to the album is "A View of Burning Empires", which is the outro for the album, played backwards. Something interesting I found regarding this album was that they were a lot heavier than they are now. Obviously they're still heavy, but I feel like they screamed a lot more on this album than I have heard through out most of their work over the years. They've grown to be less heavy per-say and more melodic. Though I must say, they have aged gracefully, and even this album, while very different from newer works is very well done. That being said, I'm not sure I can pin point a song I liked more than any other. All of it is good, in its own ways. If you haven't heard this album, you just may want to. Just to see how much they've grown. While enjoying the progression, be sure to see where they are now! Near the end of the month they will be going out on tour with Sevendust and Like A Storm. During said tour, they will be performing at several festivals around the US as well. Those festivals are Earth Day Birthday, Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range and Rock N' Derby! Further information can be found on Trivium's official website. On March 6, 2007, Sevendust released their sixth studio album, Alpha! This particular album only charted here in the US, debuting at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and 6 on the US Rock charts. So, it didn't do that well chart wise, but that doesn't mean much. The chart ratings are fully based off of pre-orders and first week purchases, so clearly some people were just late on the game! The first single for the album was "Driven" and came out in February 2007. The song seems to be in response to someone who has messed your life up for a while, and you're just going through the emotions and questioning how they can live with what they've done. Honestly, after seeing the title, I expected it to be a song about the drive and passion to get things done. But, that was not the case, and what I did recieve was pretty damn good as well. Its good to hear someone releasing stuff like that, and he did it in a very good way. A track I wanted to mention in particular was ,"Confessions Of Hatred" because in a way it sounds like a lot of things. Addiction, anxiety, depression -some sort of mental illness. Its incredibly deep and I think it may be possible to get someone to stop and think, since its very clearly coming from a very dark, personal place. Its possible that someone may hear the words he's saying and understand just a little bit better. Over all, very good album, and we encourage you look it up, along with the rest of Sevendust's discography! While you're looking up their music, head on over to their official website to see tour dates and festival performances they have coming up here soon. Here near the end of April, they will be going out on tour with Trivium and Like A Storm. During the tour will be a ton of different festivals all around the US. Festivals include Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Lunatic Luau '16,Carolina Rebellion, 98.9 The Rock's Rockfest, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, Rock N Derby,Rocklahoma, and River City Rockfest. If you see something that draws your attention, or want to see the full list of tour dates, we do encourage you to go to Sevendust's website. Stay tuned as well, because Immortal Music will be attending the 2016 Fort Rock festival, and if time permits, we will have pictures of their performance at the festival for you guys. Meanwhile, we are working on doing reviews for all the artists performing at the festival. So far for Sevendust, we have done all of the following albums, and more is coming soon! The goal is to finish their discography, along with all of the other artists for Fort Rock before the end of the month. Chapter Vii: Hope & Sorrow -Cold Day Memory -Black Out The Sun -Time Travelers & Bonfires -Kill The Flaw On October 24, 1995, Anthrax released their seventh studio album, Stomp 442. The album did moderately well in a few countries. It came in at 47 here in the US, 49 in Australia, 36 in Finland, 77 in Australia, and 81 in Canada. It does not yet have any certifications, but who knows, maybe that's still possible for them. The only two singles for the album were "Fueled" and "Nothing", released consecutively. "Fueled" seems to be about advancing in life and seeing how much you've progressed over time, while acknowledging that you're just getting stronger. You may not know why you are where you are now, but you're there and its an amazing feeling. This song expresses that very well, and is a great way to introduce your album to the world. Its actually the second track on the album, but given the fact that its the fist single, its perfect. A track I wanted to mention was the first song on the album, "Random Acts of Senseless Violence." While the song itself, lyrically does not really speak to me at all, I feel like this is one of those songs made to be performed live. I just really feel like this one would hype up a crowd very well, and would more than likely inspire several mosh pits. Though, its quite possible that the entire album will do that. We're going to hopefully be seeing Anthrax at Fort Rock, and you just may be able to see them as well! Not only are they going to be at Fort Rock, but they also will be performing at Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, and the Rock N' Derby. They also are booked for Rock Im Revier, Rockavaria Festival, Rock In Vienna, Sonisphere all around Europe. For further information, please go on over to Anthrax's website because they have everything you need to know! On February 8, 2005, 3 Doors Down released their third studio album, Seventeen Days. Interestingly enough, this album was released on the fifth anniversary off their debut album, and managed to hit number one on the Billboard 200. The first single for the album wasn't actually put out until Valentine's Day 2005, and that was "Let Me Go." This is one of those songs you've more than likely heard at least once in your life. Though that stands true for most of 3 Doors Down's hits, this one is rather bittersweet. He's asking someone to let go of him even though they love him. Problem is, he feels they don't really know him that well, which weakens the connection. A track we really wanted to mention isn't a single, as far as we know, but we definitely remember hearing it places as well. That track is "Be Somebody", and its fairly obviously all about being yourself. The chorus flat out says, "'Cause I'm trying to be somebody, I'm not trying to be somebody else. This life is mine, I'm living." That's something we stand behind completely! The last track we wanted to talk about was "Never Will I Break", because its basically a pep talk to himself to face things he was previously scared to do and stay strong. Its just a beautiful track, and could probably encourage others to do the same. Over all, its a wonderful album, and we're very excited to announce that this review completed the 3 Doors Down discography for Immortal Music! We have now reviewed every album from 3 Doors Down and we encourage you to check them all out! The links are at the bottom of this review and after you check out all of the work, chances are you're going to be thinking to yourself, "Man, now I wanna see 3 Doors Down live!" To hopefully fix that urge, head on over to 3 Doors Down's website to see if they're coming near you! They soon will be touring all over the US, and making stops at many festivals such as Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock,Carolina Rebellion, Rocklahoma and Bands In The Backyard. So be sure to look and see where exactly they're going to be! Our reviews: The Better Life- Away From The Sun -3 Doors Down -Time Of My Life- Us And The Night On June 3, 2008, Disturbed released their fourth studio album, Indestructible and let me tell you, Disturbed's success is indestructible. While that may have been a slightly stupid pun, its not a lie! This album, along with all but one album from Disturbed hit number one here in the US clear across the board! It also reached number one in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It did extremely well in most countries, and the lowest chart rating it saw at all was 63 in Japan. Pretty damn impressive, right? That's Disturbed for you. The first single for this album came out on March 25, 2008 and was "Inside The Fire." "Inside The Fire" seems to be about a dying person, encouraging them to let go of life fully and move onto another world. It sounds like its about a small child who passed, which is rather sad, and we can only hope nobody in the band has lost a child. The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009 for the Best Rock Performance category. Two particular tracks are also special because they were actually written prior to their first album, The Sickness came out. Those two songs are "Perfect Insanity" and "Divide." Why they chose this album to release them on, we're not sure, but none the less its great that they did. "Perfect Insanity" is basically what the title says -someone going insane, but wording it in a perfect way. Like most artists, David Draiman has "lost his mind." Its a wonderful track, and done very, very well. Other honorable tracks are, "The Night", "Haunted" and "The Curse." Its no secret really that the album is great, but that's just a few songs we wished to mention. Be sure to check out Disturbed's website because over there you will be able to find a bunch of tour dates and festival performances. Disturbed will be atUfest 2016, 98Rockfest, Welcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Rock On The Range, and Rocklahoma. They will be going out on tour very soon with Breaking Benjamin, Alter Bridge, and Saint Asonia! Also, while you're checking things out, please check out our other reviews for Disturbed albums, as this review completed their discography for Immortal Music. The Sickness -Believe -Ten Thousand Fists -Asylum -The Lost Children -Immortalized On January 25, 2012, Avatar released their fourth studio album, which is called Black Waltz in Sweden. It came out on Valentine's Day 2012 in the US, and hit number 25 on Swedish charts. The single for the album happens to be the title track, "Black Waltz." It has a very creative music video and is the fifth song on the album. The song itself has a bit of an interesting vibe to it, because while its saying "Life is so wonderful, life is so beautiful" its all coming from a man that's going insane. Which is sort of fitting because they made the front man, Johannes Eckerström, look a bit like a dark clown for the music video. This started a theme for him, as he very regularly now wears face paint for photo shoots and concert performances. Honestly one of the better songs we've heard from Avatar. We can actually understand what he's screaming, and its very well done. The music video is also very creative and interesting, if anyone was wondering. Another track we really wanted to mention was "Paint It Red", because its actually quite intriguing. Much like "Black Waltz" it gives you a certain imagine in your head just based off the lyrics. Its speaking directly to a woman that they keep calling "Little Miss J" and it sounds almost as if she's a vampire. Or he is, one of the two. Either way, its a very interesting track. We haven't exactly been the biggest fan of Avatar, but this album did draw our attention a bit. Through out it, we saw a lot of creativity and appreciated that a lot! This review also is what completed Avatar's discography thus far, so please be sure to check out the rest of the reviews we've done for them. After you've done that, please be sure to head on over to Avatar's website They will be performing at many festivals coming up here very soon, such as Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range,Rocklahoma, and more! Many more are in Europe as well! Further information can be found on their official website or the respective festival websites. Reviews: Thoughts Of No Tomorrow -Schlacht -Avatar -Hail The Apocalypse I've been a fan of Bring Me the Horizon since I found them, which was in 2012. However, listening to their album, "There's a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let's Keep It A Secret" with a purpose, rather than just for fun, was definitely an experience. It actually reminded me of how much I love their music. "Anthem" was definitely meant to be performed live. The rhythm section and the breakdown both really make the song what it is. When you listen to the lyrics, in a way seems like the original "Happy Song." Encouraging people to sing when things get hard, that is wonderful. "Don't Go," is the album's most emotionally strong point. It features the vocals of Lights, and that just makes this ballad that much better. This is easily one of the most popular songs BMTH has, and for perfect reason. Its a cry for help, but done in a beautiful way. Nobody wants to be alone, and some feel like they can't do it on their own. This shares that thought very well. Then there is "Blacklist." Now, "Blacklist" was a nice change from the aggressively fast paced tracks on the album. It's low and slow, and Oli's vocals in this song sound even more unhinged than they typically do - which is also a nice change. This album was definitely one of the best among all the musical work that was released that year. Bring Me the Horizon get better and better, and push themselves harder and harder with every new song and album they release. Their latest album, "That's the Spirit" is definitely their best work to date, and I know their next album will be even better. Use this album, along with the rest of BMTH's discography to fuel your excitement for everything they have coming up. Here soon they will be going to Mexico, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, the UK, and the US. US dates include festivals such asWelcome To Rockville, Fort Rock, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion, Pointfest, and Rock On The Range. They also will go back to Europe around the end of May to play many festivals there as well! Go look at all their upcoming dates on the Bring me The Horizon official website. Written by Cassidy Donahue Throwback to June 1 of 1999 when Pennywise released their fifth studio album, Straight Ahead! The album did fairly well, charting at number 8 on the Australian Album Charts, 17 on Canadian Album Charts and 62 on the Billboard 200 here in the US. The only single I could find that was released in promotion for this album was "Alien", which seems to be calling out humans a bit for the way they live life. Honestly, that seems to be the entire album. Its either questioning humans as a whole, or how the world works. Angsty teenagers, or adults fed up with their lives wishing to make a change probably would love this, because it is fast paced and may fuel some to take this life and make it theirs, but over all, I'm not seeing what's so spectacular about this album. Its definitely not bad, and I see nothing wrong with it exactly, I just find it to be a bit....boring, for lack of a better word. I've definitely heard better work from Pennywise. That being said, everyone is going to feel differently! If you've heard this album, please feel encouraged to give us your feedback! Also know you can catch Pennywise on tour on May 1, through the 15th, and will be appearing at Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range! For further information, please visit the respective festival websites or Pennywise's official website. |
InformationAll reviews have the date they were written, the album title, and the band's name, with the exception of Life Starts Now by Three Days Grace and Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin. Those dates were guessed at, as they were written well before the website began. Archives
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