ayreon – Nine Circles

CANTO: Act Of Defiance, Mayhem, Darkest Hour, and More

February 1, 2018February 1, 2018CoreyLeave a comment

2/1/2018. Last one these this week from me because I have a show to shoot tomorrow!

Act Of Defiance will be hitting the road this March. 20 dates across the U. S. and A (no East coast stuff though). Support from Shattered Sun.
Mayhem have announced a couple extended shows here in the U.S. as well. There aren’t many. So, um, good luck. I guess they are “career-spanning” shows or something.
Remember Ayreon? I sure remember Ayreon. Here’s a link to a live performance of “Everybody Dies”. Yay!
Darkest Hour have a new video out for “Enter Oblivion”. They’ve got some shows coming up as well, so that’s neat.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb

Best of 2017: Hera’s List – Woes of Research

December 20, 2017December 20, 2017GUEST3 Comments

9C 2017 EOY Header Image

We’re stoked to feature Hera Vidal, purveyor of all things heavy and writer/deep metal researcher for sites like Broken Amp and Metal Bandcamp here as a featured guest presenting her Top Albums of 2017. Hopefully we’ll see her pop up here again in 2018. Until then, take it away, Hera!

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2017 was a fantastic year for metal. However, this means that I now have another pile of albums to look into that I probably missed. The struggle to keep up with releases is real, you guys.

Anyway, it’s list season!

Now, there is some criteria for me to decide my top albums of the year, and they usually revolve around one key factor: I have not written about them, whether they are planned drafts or have been published elsewhere. That means albums like E, Berdreyminn, and Codex Omega – which I enjoyed – and a bunch of black metal albums are not going to be on this list.

With that in mind, here is a list of 10 albums I enjoyed in 2017. If you think I missed one, please let me know via Twitter and/or any way you can get ahold of me. Continue reading →

Retrospective: Ayreon – “The Human Equation”

October 7, 2015May 14, 2018Corey1 Comment

It’s difficult to really discuss one of my favorite concept albums in a single post. In fact, you would need to spend hours, if not days, analyzing the infinite complexities and personalities of such an album. The album I’m referring to, of course, is Ayreon’s The Human Equation, which, in all fairness, shouldn’t really be categorized as a collection of songs. In classic Ayreon form, The Human Equation calls upon a wide range of musical influences and musicians for a truly ambitious display of sound. Continue reading →