2000-03-05
Ah, itīs time to update once again. Talking about updating, one who have done some serious updating is Michael Menegakis with his site "Epigram for the last straw". Some nice site-design he, or whoever, have done. Looks reeeal professional, so to say. Not to mention he and his mates meganomaniac project of a progmetal encyclopedia, which is hosted on the same site. No sarcastic tone from my side(best to point that out). Actually a very great idea, I just hope they see it through. You better just visit "Epigram..." yourself, if you want to take a look at one of the best amateur progmetal sites in the whole wide world....
Besides, itīs good for people like me that there is some out there who keeps track on the progmetal community. For myself, Iīm totally busy keeping track on my own plans and doings. I better be, though, if thereīll ever be a Master Anthem from my side.
There is people who have already done a bunch of Master Anthems. Iīm talking particularly of good old "Dream Theater" , who will soon be visiting Stockholm. And thereīs plenty of others, thatīs why itīs so good thereīs people like Michael M . to tell us all about them. Personally, I havenīt done any deep digging in any record stores CD-shelves for quite a while. So Iīm way off, sort of.
One CD I have to lay my hands on soon is of course the new "Steely Dan" album. Donald Fagen and Walther Becker havenīt done a single studio album together for twenty years(grand old masters of westcoast rock)! The last album was "Gaucho", a real masterpiece even if I preferred the songs on "Aya" but the production was superior on "Gaucho". Donald Fagen has released two studio albums since: "The Night Fly"(a masterpiece, superb songs and awesome production) and "Kamakiriad"(which wasnīt amongst Fagens highlights). Walther Becker have released just one: "eleven tracks of wacks"(not so good, but in some ways a very funny album. TCC-The childrens channel; use it in their commercials ;-)) So the path has been downward, as to quality. No big expectations on two, soon more than, middleaged men. Guess my surprise when I read the reviews, a standing "Excellent" in all magazines ?!? Is it because the music industry is in bad lack of original songwriting competition nowadays, or is this actually a very good album in the same way as "Katy lied", "Pretzel logic" or "Aya" was in their time ? I donīt know yet, cause I havenīt heard a sigle song from this album so far. I just know I have to buy it, if only for feeding my Hifi-system with some awesome sound-quality and seriously disturb neighbours and landlord...
You
know, I really like "progmetal", as I spell it out a lot. But for
me, bands like "Steely Dan" is sort of "progmetal" too. Why, theres no
stylized hardrock clicheī Marshall-amplified riffs in that music ?
I focus on the "prog" part of "progmetal" since what I really admire is
the ability to come up with something new and original in music which
sounds just fluent and as it always been there...
As Iīve written before; the childs strong urge to play with things and
discover them, in this case music. Thatīs whatīs "prog" for me. A new
operating system for computers that really kicks the llamas ass, is also
"progmetal" in a way for me...
And donīt forget, "The Beatles" and particularly the "Sergeant Peppers lonely hearts club band"-album which really was progmetal ;-)
But wasnīt Frank Sinatra progmetal as well in your opinion, I hear you say ? And what about Barry Manilow ? Hmm, Iīm not being ridiculous. Of course thereīs the "metal"-part of "progmetal" which indicates a preferrence for rather "heavy" music. I have that preferrence; I like "heavy". I love "heavy", as in "metal". But Barry Manilow, why the hell did I mention him ? Anyway, the "metal" part is of great importance but the "prog" part is even more important. And I can give you the answer on the questions above: Frank Sinatra was a great singer, but in no way was he "progmetal" as he came from a long tradition of "crooners" which he just perfected. Barry Manilow was a more modern parody of Frank Sinatra( I like the song "Copacabana" though). But with "The Beatles" itīs a different story, they came up with something new and at the same time obvious, and wasnīt keeping to tight to any earlier style of music. They made a really great impact on both the record buying audience and musicians as well. Thatīs "progmetal". Of course Iīm talking strictly about the pop and rock format of music, otherwise I could start incorporating "Stockhausen" or "Arvo Pärt" ! No itīs mainly "metal" for me, but I prefer the "prog" kind of it which hopefully brings me some wonderful new listening experiences. Otherwise, the "metal"-genre itself is divided enough into different camps: trashmetal, speedmetal, deathmetal, hardcore, gothmetal, symphonic metal, brit-metal, heavy metal, hardrock, melodic hardrock, album oriented rock, progmetal etc. You should understand by now, that I could expect a real "progmetal" album to emerge from any of thoose camps. And they keep coming. You can read more about the details on what happens on the scene at Michael M:s excellent site(mentioned above) "Epigram for the last straw..."
SeeYa /Per
2000-01-15