Dawn Of Kaos

Hi this is your host stevO bringing you the news that’s unfit to print this week in no particular order other than what I choose to give it to you.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18309-copenhagen-chaos-sets-world-on-track-for-35-c.html?full=true&print=true

(continue reading…)

More Work Behind the Scenes

We’re updated a lot of the scripts in the back end for us admins in the last week. We’re still looking for devoted writers, so anyone with a passion for music, art, literature, politics, self sustainability, and the like is encouraged to send us a email with a sample of your writing. We’re looking to get connected with like minded people.

We’re going to try our best to keep things on the website up to date in the holiday season, but things can get crazy as we all know. Regardless, we’re goign to have the radio show Monday midnight to 3am so on 91.3 FM so tune in. If you’re outside of the Connecticut area, you can still hear us live by checking out the WWUH site and clicking ‘listen’.

Podcast: (subscribe)

[Last Week's Show - Beginning Next Week!]

Weeklies:

Music Reviews:
Artist: Revocation – Album: Exsitence Is Futile – Record Label: Relapse Records
Artist: Immortal – Album: All Shal Fall – Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Artist: Hypocrisy – Album: A Taste Of Extreme Divinity – Record Label: Nuclear Blast
Artist: Between The Buried And Me – Album: The Great Misdirect – Record Label: Victory Records

Art Review
Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156–1868
October 21, 2009–January 10, 2010 - coming soon

News Unfit to Print
CIA Agent Captured in Cuba
Guinea arrests 100 soldiers in connection with attempted assassination of leader
Martial law declared in Philippine province after massacre
Female Circumcision Banned in Uganda
Find me all the red balloons; MIT wins DARPA challenge

Book Review
Don’t Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff – coming soon

News from the last week in no particularly timely derived order:

Breaking News out of the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/07/man-throws-tomatoes-at-sa_n_383451.html

A man was arrested for allegedly throwing two tomatoes at Sarah Palin from the second floor balcony during a book signing event at the Mall of America in Minnesota, MyFoxTwinCities.com. reported.

Neither tomato came close hitting the former 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, but did hit a police officer in the face, the station reported.
The unidentified man may face charges for assaulting a police officer, according to the station. (continue reading…)

This past week I am not at the Phoenix Art after hours event in the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford. Although I’ve been to the Wadsworth many times before I’ve never been to one of these events until now so I was unsure what to expect. I did know however that there was also a Rembrandt exhibit in the museum at the same time and that my five dollar cover to the after-hours party was the same price as normal admission to the gallery. So two for one.

Once inside I made my way to the main fountain room and was amazed at the sheer number of Christmas trees and other tinsel covered objects on display. Sure, it’s the holiday season, but being one who avoids malls and most shopping centers this is my first real immersion into the holiday season this year. It was both sickening and beautiful.

I didn’t have a lot of time as I was about two hours late for my already belated work appearance so I quickly moved away from the congregation and yuppies drinking overpriced wine and moved on to find the Rembrandt exhibit. Although I had expected to see more work by this great master I was still in awe of the man’s ability to render the face, light, and capture the essence of the character he was painting. There are number of private collectors paintings in the exhibit which will no doubt soon be hidden away from public view for years to come at wholeheartedly recommend any and everyone to go see this exhibit -especially fans of portraiture or Dutch painting.

On my way out I took a different way as I came in and was delighted to stumble upon a trove of Thomas Cole paintings. Thomas Cole was an American painter in the late 19th and early 20th century who captured the Midwest and West landscape in vivid almost terrifying scale. Simply put he is a master of composition and color which leadings the viewer’s eye through his spectacular scenes. Thought these are in the permanent collection, some of these I had not seen before and was totally blown away by.

Back again with our second week of reviews, including Nile, Rimfrost, Skitliv, and Dying Fetus.

Album title: Those Whom The Gods Detest

Artist: Nile www.nile-catacombs.net

Record Label: Nuclear Blast Records www.nuclearblast.de

Synopsis: Nile have returned to assault your eardrums with their sixth and latest studio offering, Those Whom The Gods Detest, maintaining their unique blend of ancient Egyptian themed death metal with jackhammer-like precision. Besides the blistering riffs, mid-paced chugging mixed with breakneck drumming (which is recorded by Erik Rutan – of Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal fame – on this album), what has always drawn me to Nile has been the concepts and detailed explanations behind each and every song. Although in the preceeding release, Ithyphallic, Karl Sanders did not include the usual liner notes, they have been included once again to further educate the listener about ancient Egyptian mythology, concepts, and rituals. The trio have managed to return to the form that brought them worldwide recognition through not only their unparalleled technical prowess but also through integrating dynamics into song and album structure more successfully than they ever have previously. Nile’s riffs seem like events in time whose moments pass too quickly to differentiate the space between them, creating a seamless fractal whole out of tiny flowing fragments of pure death metal glory. A must for any Nile fan, or fans of technical death metal.

Standout tracks: Kafir!, Permitting The Noble Dead To Ascend To The Underworld, Kem Khefa Kheshef, The Eye of Ra

Score: 4/5

Album title: Skandinavisk Misantropi

Artist: Skitliv www.myspace.com/skitliv777

Record label: Season Of Mist Records www.season-of-mist.com

Synopsis: Skitliv somehow manages to convey a sense of despair that is truely bleak and dark with Skandinavisk Misantropi. The band’s music is an incredible amalgam of doom and noise metal with roots firmly planted in black metal. It is very much a continual progression of Maniac’s (vocalist) earlier work. He has reached his musical potential and continues to grow exponentially and this album is very much a progression of his earlier work with Mayhem, a band in which he never seemed to fit although he was around from its inception. His artistic concepts as well as his vocals, idea and image seem to come into fruition with Skitliv as they never did with Mayhem, and he (as well as the band) seem to grow exponentially. Although this would not be categorized as black metal, it seems as a natural progression to the genre amidst all the black metal bands simply trying to reproduce the glory years (1990-1995) and the quintessential sound most metalheads have learned to associate with black metal (albums such as Darkthrone’s A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Emperor’s In The Nightside Eclipse, and Mayhem’s ). There is next to no break-neck drumming (exluding the last cut, Densetsu), no consant tremolo guitar picking, yet the rawness, shear despair, tortured vocals, and bleakness of Skandinavisk Misaontropi is a true testament to Maniac’s commitment to progression in extreme music and the band’s clarity, composure, and seriousness. In my personal opinion, a natural progression of what black metal should sound like. One of the sleeper albums of the year, a personal favorite, highly recommended for fans of black metal, noise, and doom.

Standout tracks: Hollow Devotion, Towards The Shores Of Loss/Vulture Face Kain, A Valley Below, Densetsu

Score: 5/5

Album title: Veraldar Nagli

Artist: Rimfrost http://rimfrost-official.com

Record label: Season Of Mist Records www.season-of-mist.com

Synopsis: I must confess to shy away from most modern black metal bands that don corpse paint, look like morbid circus clowns, and wear spikey chain mail accoutrements while trying to recreate a sound that is two decades past. I mean c’mon, Darkthrone stopped all the superficial imagery quite a while back, and they were the purveyors of the movement. Rimfrost should be but are not an exception to this rule. Shrouded by controversy, Rimfrost made the jump to Season Of Mist to broaden their appeal and escape unjust fascist/nazi labels (due to affiliation with old record label No Colours Records), so in that respect they garner my respect. However, Rimfrost manage to draw so heavily on their influences (Iced earth, Immortal, Metallica, et al) that there is really no redeeming quality that distinguishes this album from most other monotonous black metal bands.

Standout track: Veraldar Nagli

Score: 2/5

Album title: Descend Into Depravity

Artist: Dying Fetus www.dyingfetus.com

Record Label: Relapse Records www.relapse.com

Synopsis: Descend Into Depravity sees Dying Fetus slimming down to a trio, but losing none of the ferocity for which they are renowned. Although they are an established band and this is their sixth release, Dying Fetus finally seems as though they have hit the bullseye, with an impeccable level of production seeming to have lacked from previous albums. This is the album all Dying Fetus fans have been waiting for. Gallagher, Williams, and Beasley make this their finest offering without a shade of a doubt. Descend Into Depravity is replete full of the usual technical, frantic riffs, arpeggios, mid-paced chugging, blistering bursts of drumming speed, and equally frantic, blistering playing and thick sound from the bass, and goes to show what a huge difference the level of production can make on an album. Although clocking in at a disappointing 33 minutes, this is one album sure to floor every fan of death metal. One of the best metal albums of the year hands down.

Standout tracks: Your Treachery Will Die With You, Conceived Into Enslavement, Descend Into Depravity, Ethos Of Coercion

Score: 4.5/5

Be sure to tune into Dawn Of Kaos on WWUH 91.3FM (CT) www.wwuh.org on Monday nights, midnight – 3am EST to hear your favorite metal bands!

Hey Folks!

Time to kick off with our first music review, just in time for the frost, snow, and winter. Each week we’ll bring you 3-5 synopses of albums deemed worthy in the Dawn Of Kaos universe. Pertinent links and information about the bands and albums will be provided. Keep an ear out, because you’ll most likely hear them on the radio show!

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Album title: Existence Is Futile
Artist: Revocation www.myspace.com/revocation
Record label: Relapse Records www.relapse.com
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Synopsis: One mark of a good band and the music they play is whether or not it can stand the test of time, and Revocation has succeeded with this in Existence Is Futile. Listening to 30 second soundclips online simply does not do this album justice. Pre-release, the band was surrounded by a lot of hype as the “best metal band of the year” or the “best metal band you’ve never heard”, which is a tall order (and totally ludicrous, in my humble opinion) for any up-and-coming band. Most probably, however, the band doesn’t care, and neither do I. The album has elements of death metal, thrash, tech, and a tinge of “old school” but does not adhere specifically to any of the sub-genres. The most impressive element of this album is the songwriting. I would be remiss to not mention the fantastic guitar solos (a dying entity in heavy music), riffs, and the drumming. I know tasteful is not a word usually associated with heavy metal, but the drummer for Revocation manages to intensify the album greatly by punctuating passages with double kicks instead of laying down constant blast beats throughout the songs. This trio from Boston is definitely worth checking out.

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Standout Tracks: Across Forests and Fjords, Dismantle the Dictator, Anthem of the Betrayed, Leviathan Awaits

Score: 3.5/5

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Album Title: All Shal Fall

Artist: Immortal www.myspace.com/immortalofficial

Record Label: Nuclear Blast www.nuclearblast.de

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Synopsis: In a world full of metal bands pumping out garbage every six months as their record labels/contracts demand, “epic” is the only way to describe Immortal’s long awaited release All Shall Fall. After a seven-year hiatus we are treated to an album that is uncompromising in its depth, musicianship, and raw brutality. It reaches a level of atmospheric intensity without the cheesy synth and operatic elements many modern black metal bands adhere to.  Immortal defines what the genre is capable of and what great black metal sounds like (Conversely too many bands have tried and failed at reproducing a sound that used to be new and exciting, with copycats trying to reproduce Darkthrone’s groundbreaking album A Blaze In The Northern Sky).  Some say it is a continuation of their 2002 Sons Of Northern Darkness; in my opinion this album is an experience all of its own. While Sons Of Northern Darkness was an enjoyable album, it does not have the breadth and depth of this release. The songwriting is spectacular and is best enjoyed listening to the album in its entirety. The album’s title track of this opus starts us off with blistering ascending chords that will sink in like the icy cold that seaps through to your veins in the dead of winter. All the elements of this album combine to make for an outstanding listening experience: choosing a favorite song from this album is a difficult task. The subtle nuances of this album: industrial ambience, intricately laced melodic riffs, combining with elements of thrash, mid-paced sweeping chords make this one of the must-have metal albums of the year.

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Standout Tracks: All Shall Fall, The Rise Of Darkness, Hordes Of War, Arctic Swarm

Score: 4.5/5

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Album title: A Taste Of Extreme Divinity

Artist: Hypocrisy www.myspace.com/hypocrisy

Record Label: Nuclear Blast www.nuclearblast.de

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Synopsis: What better way to follow up Immortal than with their producer’s (Peter Tägtgren) band Hypocrisy and its latest release, A Taste Of Extreme Divinity. Tägtgren’s incomparable ear and knack for production shine through on the bands 11th release amidst a saturated and much copied sub-genre of metal (the “Gothenburg” sound). Hypocrisy is true to form, self, and genre, drawing as far back in its own repertoire as The Fourth Dimension while keeping the material moderately fresh. This album can be considered a mixture of different metal sounds and styles played through the Hypocrisy filter, including tinges of black metal and power metal, combined with their trademark Swedish death metal sound. Make no mistake, although this album has its catchy hooks and groove rhythmns, it is completely uncompromising in its intensity. With all the mass-produced garbage that has invaded the Swedish death metal scene and the metal music industry as a whole, A Taste Of Extreme Divinity acts as a defibulator for a dying sub-genre diluted with copycats and wannabes.

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Standout Tracks: Hang Him High, No Tomorrow, Alive, Tame, Sky Is Falling Down

Score: 4/5

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Album title: The Great Misdirect

Artist: Between The Buried And Me www.betweentheburiedandme.com

Record Label: Victory Records www.victoryrecords.com

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Synopsis: This album serves as a showcase for melody, natural and idiosyncratic tempo shifts, and a roller-coaster-like ride of emotion expressed the way only BWTBAM can. Although this album was released on the 31st of August, I had to mention it in our first edition of Sonic Onslaught purely because this band never ceases to amaze me, amalgamating divergent styles to come up with nothing short of a masterpiece. Make no mistake, however, if you are expecting a full frontal assault this is not the album, or band, for you. However if you enjoy musical adventures and keep an open mind, I highly recommend purchasing this album, or getting familiar with Between The Buried And Me’s body of work. Extended doses of death metal intensity peppered with bluesy lounge rock that lead into periods of Mr. Bungle-esque passages only to be followed by more doses of uncompromising heavy metal put this band on a different level than many of their contemporaries. The keyboard on the fourth cut off the album, Fossil Genera – A Feed From Cloud Mountian, is tasteful and suits the mood quite well. The Great Misdirect seems like a natural progression from their previous releases, Alaska followed by Colors, only stretching each direction that much further than its predecessor(s). Trying to fit Between The Buried And Me into a subgenre is pointless, as they defy convention by incorporating elements of math metal, lounge rock, blues, death metal, and prog rock/metal. One could even go so far as to say that they sound like a mix of Radiohead, Dillinger Escape Plan, and something undefinably raw and brutal, yet that does not do it justice. Much the same as Immortal’s All Shall Fall yet to a much more intense degree, it is recommended to listen to the album in its entirety for maximum listening enjoyment. Highly recommended for the more serious, open-minded fans of heavy music.

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Standout Tracks: Obfuscation, Fossil Genera – A Feed From Cloud Mountian, Swim To The Moon

Score: 4.5/5

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All comments and thoughts appreciated, let us know what you think of the music! Till next week, keep the metal flowing through your veins!