Articles

This is about 10% mine library. I'm really not into female vocals, but this bands/artists I like a lot.
F - first song I ever heard; L - fall in love; C - current favourite. If you have something recommend, be my guests :)
These days I'm mostly into Azure Ray and Dolly.

Anahi
F: Sálvame
L: Mi Delirio
C: No Te Quiero Olvidar

Azure Ray
F: Across the Ocean
L: Fever
C: November

Dolly
F: Je n'veux pas rester sage
L: C'est Pour Toi
C: Monde sauvage

Fefe Dobson
F: Be Strong
L: Be Strong
C: 8 X 10

Goldfrapp
F: Ooh La La
L: Black Cherry
C: Black Cherry

Katie Melua
F: Nine Million Bicycles
L: Spider's Web
C: I Cried for You (Mary's Song)

Krypteria
F: Liberatio
L: Liberatio
C: Carol Of The Bells

Silbermond
F: Symphonie
L: Das Beste
C: Mach's dir selbst

The Cardigans
F: My Favorite Game
L: My Favorite Game
C: No Sleep

The Cranberries
F: Zombie
L: Zombie
C: I Can't Be With You

Tori Amos
F: Crucify
L: Leather
C: Cornflake Girl

Within Temptation
F: Ice Queen
L: Memories
C: Mother Earth

Originally released on October 1, 2009 on my blog.

This review is completely ignorant to the bonus symphonic CD or the bonus tracks. It’s just the 12 original tracks.

To me, Sonata Arctica has always been the power metal band. They were, together with Nightwish and Within Temptation, what brought me into both heavy metal music and classical music in circa 2005 – 2006. Since then, I have heard literary hundreds, if not thousands, of bands. Among these are Stratovarius and Helloween, two of the first power metal bands in the 1980’s and onwards. When I first heard Stratovarius, I though “oh – so that’s where it comes from”. And yes, it is obvious – Sonata’s 1999 debut Ecliptica was more or less a tribute to Stratovarius. There is basically no orginiality, although there are some really good tracks (including “FullMoon”, “Letter to Dana” and “Kingdom For a Heart”).

Both Silence (2001) and Winterheart’s Guild (2003) were MUCH more original, with several truly unique songs. The band, though, started to get bored with this style that more or less was a big tribute to the 1980’s power metal band. All this resulted in the more progressive Reckoning Night of 2004, an album that I’ve never really been that fond to. There is a lot of “purer” heavy metal – “Misplaced”, “Ain’t Your Fairytale”, “Wildfire” – and a lot of freakish let’s-have-fun-and-play-our-asses-of in “The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet”. This latter new angle was also a great part of their next album, 2007’s Unia. Unia was their first album to take a completely different direction, away from the general power metal and into a field of… can I call it progressive metal? I don’t think I can. It is a type of melodic metal, with influences from classical music, power metal, thrash metal, progressive metal, classical rock, psychedelic rock… It was something I had never heard before. At first I didn’t really like Unia, but I listened it through a few times… and it’s incredible.

The Days of Grays was the successor of Unia, and I was really worried. What could this lead to? Would it be another great turn, maybe into thrash or doom? Would it follow Unia closely – maybe too closely? Or would it be a turn back into the power metal field? It turned out I was wrong altogether.

The album kicks off with an instrumental intro – something I am a big fan of as long as it is good and not just something thrown in. And that’s absolutely not Everything Fades to Gray (Instrumental), which leads perfectly into the album’s epic, the wonderful Deathaura. This eight-minute track is a bit disappointed to me, actually, since Sonata usually has so great epics (”The Power of One”, “The End of This Chapter”, “Caleb”, “White Pearl, Black Oceans”), but I suppose I’m just constantly annoyed by the same thing; it is too fast. I would not mind at all if it was mixed into being played for a total of 15 och 20 minutes… Because as it is it’s just too fast, too much reminding of Wildfire. It’s okay for a minute at the time, but going fast as hell in eight minutes?

The second track is also the first single – The Last Amazing Grays – and is a beautiful semi-ballad about dying proud and with dignity. I actually cried the first time I heard it (when the single was leaked), although it’s now quite overplayed (I think it’s about 80 plays according to Last.fm, the single edit included).

Flag in the Ground is the third track and the second single. If you prefer the old school Sonata, this is the song you’ll like on Days of Grays. The song is a remake of the unreleased song “BlackOut” from the band’s early demos. It’s a really catchy tune with an epic bridge and finale - “I put the flag in the ground / Screaming and shouting, I’ve never been so proud, love / I make my way into the great unknown / Land by the river and a newbuilt home / Every night when I’m looking at the fullmoon rising / I hold you and know that we are free.”

My favorite songs on the album are probably “Juliet” and “The Truth is Out There“. Juliet is both a big allusion to the famous Shakespeare play / the Italian legend of Romeo and Juliet, as well as the fourth and (I think) last episode in the Caleb tale (”Don’t Say a Word”; “The End of This Chapter”; “Caleb”). And it’s wonderful! It’s so beautiful, so sad, so epic! “These are my final lines, I used all my nine lives / My soul reason to die; there’s no life without you”. And The Truth is Out There… what can I say? So incredibly original and… well… strange but great at the same time. I really love it’s atmosphere, and it’s lyrics linked constantly with the great TV series The X Files.

What I missed on Unia was the ballads. On the earlier albums, there were lots of wonderful guitar-based ballads such as Letter to Dana and Shamandalie, but this sort of dropped out with Unia. With Days of Grays, it’s a bit different; there ARE two ballads, if not quite different to the original type. Breathing is actually one of my new favorite songs with Sonata. It is very melancholic and epic, and reminds me of Draw Me. As if the World Wasn’t Ending is different, it is a bit more… well… I don’t know. It is not a bad song, but it’s not excellent either. It is somewhere in the middle, just your standard ballad.

What can I say about The Days of Grays as a conclusion? It is great! Go buy it! At this point, it is honestly my favorite Sonata Arctica album, very original, melodic, sad, epic… It is just wonderful. Try it out, but be careful not to judge it too early; I didn’t like it at all until the third or fourth listen.

Ot Tak bo nie chce zatłaczać w "o mnie"

Ol33ks's top albums (overall)
1. Myslovitz - Miłość w czasach popkultury (226) 2. Myslovitz - Sun Machine (191) 3. Anathema - A Natural Disaster (156) 4. Myslovitz - Happiness Is Easy (121) 5. happysad - Nieprzygoda (120) 6. Nightwish - Century Child (120) 7. happysad - Mow mi dobrze (115) 8. Within Temptation - The Silent Force (105) 9. happysad - wszystko jedno (104) 10. Myslovitz - Z rozmyślań przy śniadaniu (100) 11. happysad - Podróże z i pod Prąd (90) 12. Myslovitz - Korova Milky Bar (79) 13. Nightwish - End of An Era (71) 14. Nightwish - Once (67) 15. Anathema - Alternative 4 (66) 16. Katatonia - Night Is the New Day (60) 17. Myslovitz - Myslovitz (55) 18. System of a Down - Toxicity (50) 19. Nightwish - Over The Hills And Far Away (45) 20. Anathema - Judgement (45)

Plays: 13395

Top Artists:
1. Epica 4,4%
2. Nightwish 3,4%
3. Within Temptation 3,0%
4. The Prodigy 3,0%
5. Maria Mena 2,8%
6. Delain 2,7%
7. Mr. Oizo 2,6%
8. Justice 2,6%
9. Shiny Toy Guns 2,1%
10. Linkin Park 1,9%


How Do You Listen To Music:
Top 10 Artists:28% of total library
Top 25 artists: 52% of total library
Top 50 Artists: 70% of total library

Top 10 Albums: 15% of total library
Top 25 Albums: 33% of total library
Top 50 Albums: 52% of total library

Top 10 Tracks: 2% of total library
Top 25 Tracks: 5% of total library
Top 50 Tracks: 8% of total library


Tag CLoud:

electronic symphonic metal rock gothic metal metal alternative female vocalists indie female fronted metal dance electronica electro pop alternative rock singer-songwriter power metal techno nu metal hip-hop house french

Super Electic Score:
Take your top 50 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 20 similar artists (where the artist itself is the #1 most similar). The resulting number of unique artists is your super-eclectic score. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/supereclectic.php

My super-eclectic score is currently




The most similar artists for my profile are Epica (7), Sirenia (7), Leaves' Eyes (7), Nightwish (7), After Forever (7), Delain (7), Lunatica (6), Visions of Atlantis (6), Xandria (6), Elis (5)

Average Age: 22
Underground: 0%
Mainstream: 21%

It's my first experience ^^

1. With an urgent, careful stare,
I see panic in those eyes
Angels & Airwaves - Lifeline


2.Ти там, ти є десь так далеко,
Чому летить одна лелека?


3. We're wakin' in he air
We're floating in the moonlight sky
Nightwish - Walking In The Air


4. Borderline, dead inside.
I don't mind, falling to pieces
Breaking Benjamin - Unknown Soldier


5. Could I be possibly insane
To think you and I have like figured out


6. Усе не так і вже не стане краще
A ранок знов лишить на призволяще


7. I got one more life
Can you see it wasting away?


8. Baby I've been waiting for some time
To find a way to free your mind


9. It's a tied rope, life flips
Someone else have found the mood


10. So wee meet again after several years
Several years of separation
Kings of convenience - Boat Behind


11. I'm not doing great
I feel like I'm dead


12. Make it quick, don't leave me here
In a crowded room with ticked air


13. Change everything you are
And everything you where
Muse - Butterflies And Hurricanes


14. Just talk yourself up
And tear yourself down


15. Тоска, одиночество, боль, дыхание ночи
Это, конечно, совсем не то , что ты хочешь


16. When leaves have fallen
And skies turned into gray
Within Temptation - Ice Queen

17. Where do we go nobody knows?
I've gotta say I'm on my way down
Coldplay - God Put A Smile Upon Your Face


18. Іноді не маєш ти нічого крім м'яса
Мару-мармурового, та все ж лишень м'яса


19. Loaded forecast on to you
The pants are tided, you are ready to use


20. Don't know what i'm doin' backin the studio
Getting greedy cause he said he had another sick flow
Gwen Stefani - Orange County Girl


21. I don't believe in miracles
I never did


22. I conjure up the thought of being gone
But I'd probably even do that wrong


23. Hey i would really like to talk with you
Girl do you have a time to stop


24. You are too important for anyone
There's something wrong with everything you see
Evanescence - Where Will You Go


25. The sun rises to another day
My constitution keeps changing till it slips away
Creed - Illusion

26. He hurts me 'cause he cares
He hurts me and it's all my fault!


27. You'd better believe I'm coming
You'd better believe what I say


28. Зашаманила в четверг бы
Я же чистую бы правду


29. Someday I'll talk about it
One day I'll mention it to you


30. Газовых горелок больше нет
Hoли своё забирают




artists:





Angels & Airwaves
Anastasia
Breaking Benjamin
Cinema Bizarre
Coldplay
Creed
Crossfade
Eisley
Evanescence
Fakultet
Guano Apes x 2
Gwen Stefani
Kings of Convenience
Korn
Muse
Nightwish
Otep
Paramore
Pink
Sahara Hotnights
Travis
The Verve
Within Temptation
Лама
Земфира х 2
Flёur
QARPA


Enjoy =)

Wenn eine Band wie Within Temptation entscheidet, ihre Songs in akustischer Natur darzubieten, dann horcht man auf. Sind die Songs der symtpathischen Holländer doch alles andere als auf Schmalhans komponiert: Massive Gitarrenwälle harmonieren mit schwelgerischen Keyboards, donnernden Drums und massiven Orchesterklängen, dagegen muss man sich als gothic metal-Frontfrau erst einmal durchsetzen. Mit " An Acoustic Night At The Theatre" wagen die Düsterrocker eben jenen Schritt. Mitgeschnitten wurde das Live-Album auf ihrer umjubelten Tour, wo sie ihre Light-Versionen in verschiedenen Theatern aufführten, die ein passendes Ambiente für diese Art der Darbietung boten. Viele Gründe also, um mit Sängerin Sharon den Adel zu sprechen.

Zum Interview.

I thought about doing this as a list for myself, but totally failed. The papers are just somewhere in a box and i forget about them. And i thought it would fit in here. :3
I might do it with DVDs as well.

To Be Continued. Too lazy to go on now. XD



Apocalyptica
Worlds Collide (Special Edition)


Arise
Timeless Aeons


Bloodhoung Gang
Use Your Fingers


デンジャー☆ギャング
サムライ
ドクロック
烈
Duty
Gothic Emily (Compilation)
St.Beast
AmbitiouS


Daniel Lioneye
The King of Rock 'n' Roll


Dellé
Before I Grow Old (Deluxe Edition)


Dir en grey
鬼葬
CLEVER SLEAZOID
GLASS SKIN (Limited Edition)
UROBOROS (Deluxe Limited Edition)


激楽隊
東京 [LIMITED EDITION]


HIM
Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666
Razorblade Romance
Join Me
Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights
Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights (Limited Christmas Edition)
In Joy And Sorrow (Limited Edition)
Heartache Every Moment & Close To The Flame (Limited Edition)
The Single Collection
Love Metal
The Funeral of Hearts (Limited Edition)
Buried Alive by Love
The Sacrament (Limited Edition)
And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997-2004
Solitary Man
Venus Doom


Juliette and the Licks
Four On The Floor


KoЯn
Freak On A Leash
Untouchables
Take a Look in the Mirror
Did My Time ("Pock it!" CD)


ラヴィアンローズ
バラ色の人生


Michael Jackson
This Is It


Miss Platnum
The Sweetest Hangover


ムック
ファズ


Peter Fox
Stadtaffe


Queens of the Stone Age
Rated R
Songs For The Deaf


兎-usagi-
夢


Within Temptation
Mother Earth (German Special Extended Edition)


y.k.ユナイテッド
東京シンドローム




Ordered Stuff
Dir en grey - 激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇 (Limited Edition)
Epik High - 1집 - Map of the Human Soul
Eternal Morning - Eternal Morning - Soundtrack To A Lost Film

2007:
Blind Guardian
Sonata Arctica
Evanescence
30 Seconds to Mars

2008:
Within Temptation
Nightwish
Tarja Turunen
Epica
Rufus Wainwright
Martha Wainwright
Cyndi Lauper
Paramore
Madonna

2009:
Xandria
Evanescence
Panic! At the Disco
Kylie Minogue
Lily Allen
Agua de Annique