ROSVO, Ticks and Ants EP-- My Impressions

ROSVO is a new band from Sweden featuring Peter Dolving-- Yes I've been mentioning him a lot, but he's everywhere! The sound of ROSVO is kind of like a cross between Deftones and Baroness, but a lot heavier and with a sort of punk influence. They released a four track EP very recently, and I wanted to talk a bit about it.

I give credit to this EP for it having a unique sound and being quite technical. However, the songs are over before you can really start getting into them. My personal favorite, Seasick, is the shortest song-- only lasting 2:10. These short track lengths don't make the songs bad; it just makes it harder to justify making the purchase.

Overall, my feelings towards this EP are neutral. The songs are very good, but don't last long. For that reason, I can't get into it as much as I can with a regular album or a set of progressive rock songs. I appreciate it for what it is though, and if you are into metal, you should too. Check out their bandcamp page where you can listen to all of the songs and buy them for download.

Long Distance Calling, Self Titled-- My Impressions

About three years ago I discovered the post-rock genre-- what was to me a hidden gem, something that is rare at best if found at a retail music store. Post-rock is dominantly instrumental, and goes without the structured form in many of today's songs. Instead it produces a texture-- a sort of sound-scape that flows and typically has an ambiance to it. The range of sounds is very broad in post-rock, from soft acoustics to jazz, electronic, metal, and experimental. The band Long Distance Calling has heavy undertones, but doesn't restrict itself to one sound, exemplified by their newest self-titled album that came out late last March.

Long Distance Calling is a fairly new band. They formed in 2006 in Germany, and in total released three full length albums. Every album they produce features a different guest vocalist for one track, including Peter Dolving from The Haunted on Satellite Bay, and Jonas Renkse from Katatonia on Avoid The Light. Their newest album hosts John Bush on the song Middleville, and really complements the sound well. The chorus is explosive and catchy, and makes for a good song and contrast from the rest of the album.

The standout track on this album is 'The Figrin D'an Boogie'. This song evolves perfectly and unexpectedly, while nailing the dynamics as always. More interestingly, it incorporates a blues style in the song which comes out great. There is a hint of jazz influence in some of the other songs, but you have to look for it. All around it is a great album.

Like all bands of this kind, you should listen to them differently than you would listen to something on the radio. Listen with headphones, or play it through some good speakers. Long Distance Calling and bands alike are more focused on the timbre and song structure than the repetition and emphasis on voice in other genres. The tracks can be a bit lengthy, but it is a part of the beauty of the art in progressive and post-rock.

The Verdict:
Great guest vocalist -- Unexpectedly jazzy -- Will satisfy old and new fans

Listen to the album here and tell me what you think.

The Haunted, Unseen-- My Impressions

I won't pretend that this is a review; this is a flat-out promotion and worship of the latest album of The Haunted that came out late last month. I can't hide my biases in that this has been one of my favorite bands through my high school years and still now at this point in my life. These feelings don't go by unjustified though, so let me tell you why:

Unseen is a very daring album and really reflects the confidence that The Haunted has in themselves and their identity when producing this record. There is a considerable amount of fans that criticize this album for drifting away from the thrash-metal roots of The Haunted's earlier releases, but this in no way makes Unseen any less of a masterpiece. Every song on this record has a distinct sound, which is a feat in itself when making such a great sounding listening experience. For this reason alone, it is hard to pick out the stand-out tracks. I have personal favorites such as No Ghost and Motionless, but it is truly a subjective opinion when it comes to dissecting the record song by song.

Peter Dolving (vocals) is at his best in Unseen. He has always been able to deliver a intense emotional voice and message in everything he ever touched, especially when The Haunted started experimenting with their sound with The Dead Eye album. Unseen has a great sing to scream ratio as well, and really narrows in on the intensity when it is due, making an all the more dynamic experience. In an interview with Metal Sickness, Dolving answered the question regarding the meaning of the album's title, Unseen:

"Look at us! All of us, going along with the everyday stride, everyone like good little puppets on a string, dancing to the tune of the piper. We keep justifying what we all feel frustrated and unhappy about. At the center of an entire civilization is a deep-rooted dissatisfaction. We claim we don't want to be mere cogs in a machine we claim to dislike. We have a thousand excuses as to why, and a thousand ways to escape our drab gray realities. Yet we all know. We really really know what is wrong, and what keeps us complacent. We just don't have the guts to turn the lights on to look at it."

This response echo's through the album, and is not only emotionally provocative like past releases, but also emotionally satisfying as he alludes to a sense of hope not present before-- "Until we shine the light of truthful loving trust, it's never going to change."

You can stream Unseen here. If you enjoy it, I highly recommend buying a copy.