Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Z. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Z. Mostrar todas las entradas

sábado, 28 de noviembre de 2009

Zyklon - 2001 - World Ov Worms

Zyklon is the new full-time super group from Norway's most blackened regions, consisting of Emperor members Samoth (guitarist and bass) and drummer Trym, Myrkskog's Destructhor on lead guitar, and Limbonic Art vocalist Daemon. This is hyper-fast, extreme black death metal, not to be contended with from any region or country, as it blitzkriegs the listener with it's all-out sensory attack. Opener "Hammer Revelation" is just that: an over-the-top assault in the vein of old Emperor, Morbid Angel, Immortal, Bolt Thrower, or Behemoth all pushed to new levels of extremity. Resident murderer Bard Faust Eithun has decided to pen the lyrics to the album, and from what can be heard, they aren't too bad, focusing more on the apocalyptic than the overdone blasphemous tomfoolery of old. Razor-sharp production, futuristic samples, and cold, mechanical synths combine to give the whole album a degenerated industrial feel. One gets the feeling that they have entered the post-apocalyptic region somewhere between solitude and hell. Trym sounds back to old form, leaving behind his recent straightforward Emperor style, for the more experimental percussive rhythms of Zyklon with its varying tempos and mechanical persistence. Daemon's vocals sound like a black metal hybrid with old Godflesh/Justin Broadrick vocals, which accentuates the mechanized quality of the music. However, it is Destructhor and Samoth's string work, which holds the foundation of the music together, as layers of churning guitar grind through the listener with Ihshan or Trey Azagthoth-like precision. Once "Transcendental War," the closer, is reached, we are treated to the most savory morsel of all, a guest appearance by the infamous Garm. Bursting forth with boiling guitar, the song grooves into a mid-paced Morbid Angel churn at the four-minute mark, before Garm's sorely missed clean chants soar effortlessly over the music as the chaos winds down to a quiet doom. This aptly subtitled "Battle Between Gods" is a perfect, grim closure to an apocalyptic masterpiece. Those who love the extreme, commit musical suicide with Zyklon.


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viernes, 30 de octubre de 2009

Zorn, John - 1995 - Redbird

Proving once again that some of his most beautiful pieces come when he is paying tribute to someone, Redbird, a tribute to the artist Agnes Martin, is a work of ambient and minimalist grace. The album consists of two pieces: a shorter percussive piece called "Dark River," and a 41-minute work for harp, viola, cello and percussion called "Redbird." Each conveys a hypnotic quality that does justice to its subject. Martin is an incredibly spiritual artist, whose minimal gestures on canvas and paper exude auras of calm. Redbird captures that sense in music and, in its continuity, becomes one of Zorn's most effective tributes. As always, Zorn has managed to collect a group of extremely talented musicians, and their execution of this album makes it even more perfect.


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martes, 1 de septiembre de 2009

Z'ev - 2005 - Rhythmajik


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Zawinul, Joe - 1998 - World Tour (2CD)

This version of the Zawinul Syndicate could swing harder than any Zawinul-led unit since the heyday of Weather Report, as this two-CD set -- taken from three concerts in Berlin and Trier, Germany -- triumphantly illustrates. Small wonder, for the lineup of the Syndicate looks almost like a Weather Report alumni gathering, with Zawinul, the brilliant percussionist Manolo Badrena from the 1977 Heavy Weather band, and bassist Victor Bailey, from the great '80s global-funk edition forming a quorum, with Paco Sery on drums and Gary Poulson on guitar filling out the ranks. Zawinul remains a marvel at 65, always in touch with the idea and feel of the groove, weaving spare, enigmatic electronic comments and spangled layers of synthesizers into the mix, creating a touching dialogue in "Zansa II" with Sery's kalimba. Some of the material stems from the early years of the Syndicate, and "Indiscretions" and "Two Lines" date all the way back to Weather Report. Among the greatest groovathons -- at last presented in full glorious concert length on CD -- are "Indiscretions," which gets the voodoo going in an insinuating manner, and "N'awlins," which manages to evoke the Crescent City R&B feeling in a swingingly original way. The set's two anomalies are "When There Was Royalty," a curious intermezzo consisting of Zawinul's polystylistic solo piano musings poorly recorded in his home studio on a Walkman, and "Success," a spoken poem by Erich Fried set against the stunning blend of Berlin church bells and electronics. For a souvenir of the state of Zawinul's art in the 1990s, this is the album to get.


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lunes, 6 de julio de 2009

Zuco 103

Originally known as Rec.a, the Netherlands-based neo-tropicalismo group Zuco 103 was spawned from a collaboration that singer Lilian Vieira, keyboardist Stefan Schmid, and drummer Stefan Kruger worked on with the Dutch fusion ensemble SfeQ. The trio met at the Rotterdam Conservatory in 1989, where Brazilian-bred Vieira was studying singing and began blending the bossa nova and samba of her homeland with jazz, funk, and dance elements, all of which were showcased on the group's debut album, 2000's Outro Lado. The Other Side EP was also released that year.

Zuco 103 - 2002 - Tales Of High Fever

This Brazilian trio's sophomore effort finds the band continuing its global dance project, blending Brazilian rhythms and Portuguese lyrics with elements of R&B, acid jazz, and breakbeat, delivering all of it with a counterintuitive combination of laid-back relaxation and infectious energy. It's hard to know where to focus your attention: Lilian Vieira's sweet voice or the richly textured funk grooves laid down behind her by keyboardist/programmer Stefan Schmid and drummer/programmer Stefan Kruger. There are great horn charts on several tracks, notably "Peregrino," and the bossa nova-flavored guitar that appears at various points throughout the album guarantees that everything will have at least a faintly Brazilian tint. "Curso de Reclamação — Lição 1" opens with a bluesy electric guitar lick, but when Vieira's voice comes in it is multi-tracked in close harmony, an effect that evokes some of Zap Mama's more interesting experiments. "Sací" utilizes traditional drum sounds, flamenco handclaps, and a reggae-influenced bassline to create a kaleidoscopically complex rhythmic groove. This is one of those rare albums that draws you in on first listen, but continues to reward your attention even after many more.


¡Aquí!