Weekly Falconer Post

This week's pre-show Falconer post (leading up to ProgPower) consists of two music videos. First off, we have Falconer's first music video from 2005. Hopefully the band will have no hard feelings against me for posting this because it's quite a laughable video, and not intentionally. It was obviously very low-budget, and let's be honest, the video didn't turn out well at all. If I remember correctly, Stefan Weinerhall stated, before the video was even officially released, that it looked dumb and he was unhappy with it. Between the makeup, the staged headbanging and the horrible acting of the female lip-syncher who appears out of nowhere at the end (and isn't even the actual vocalist), this video is just plain bad.

That being said, I do like the song and its anthem-esque chorus. I would love if it, somehow, they decided to throw this into their set at ProgPower. With Mathias Blad singing it for what I believe would be the first time, and the crowd singing along with that chorus, it would make a fantastic farewell song for their final live show.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the video for Emotional Skies, from their 2005 album Grime Vs. Grandeur, featuring Kristoffer Göbel on vocals.

Now, to show what Falconer is capable of when they have a bit more of a budget... their awesome 2008 video for Carnival of Disgust, from the album Among Beggars and Thieves. A lot changed in 3 years, including the switch back to their original vocalist, Mathias Blad. Though the change in vocalist had nothing to do with the quality of their music videos, it did change the entire tone of the music when they brought him back. Check out the little vocal epilogue at the end of this video.

Hysterica's First Video - Lock Up Your Son

After ten years, two full-length albums and one EP, badass metal chicks Hysterica have finally released their first music video.

I love this band. Their first album was good, but their second one is one of my favorite albums. Almost every song on it is solid, one of those albums I can listen to all the way through without skipping anything. I appreciate that their music seems to incorporate several different subgenres of metal: power, doom, death, etc. but overall, it is just pure, unadulterated metal. I feel the same about their vocalist. She has some pretty impressive pipes, and I like that she just gets out there and sings her heart out. It sometimes seems like there are only two types of female singers in metal anymore: the "operatic" female voice and the "death growl" voice. This chick is just a metal singer who gives it her all.

When they announced last year or so that they had signed with a new label, I was hoping that something like this would happen. And I hope that they continue to move forward and receive the recognition they deserve. They have only released a 5-song EP on the new label so far, but the future is promising.

Hysterica seems to be continuing down the path of awesomeness with their new single, Lock Up Your Son, which has now been released as their first ever music video. It's a pretty straight-forward video, but I love the song!

Back From Hiatus + OOMPH!'s new video

The Queen of Thunder is back! I apologize for my extended absence. As an experimental blog that I've never really advertised and that doesn't have many readers, I tend to forget that it exists sometimes. But I want to put an end to that.

To avoid losing my mind, I recently went from working full-time to only working two days a week. The rest of my time I am using to focus on things that are more important to me, such as music and writing (and volunteer work and going to the gym). As part of this dedication to creative and enjoyable tasks, I'd like to breathe new life into this blog -- and not just today, but on a regular basis from this point on.

So I'd like to announce that I will now be updating this blog, in one form or another, EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY. These posts can be in-depth reviews or simply a YouTube link to song I'm enjoying at that time. But one way or another, I will be updating twice a week at the minimum. Posts may be made in between these days as well, as needed. Additionally, to show that metalheads can have other musical interests as well, I will begin doing one non-metal post every month. You will never see me post hiphop or country, as these are my mortal enemies -- but songs and articles I share may encompass a variety of other genres, such as oldies, jazz, classical, musical theatre, or whatever else strikes my fancy that month. Don't worry, each non-metal post I make will probably be accompanied by a metal post made on the same day.

I may include a lot of Neue Deutsche Härte and even some of the heavier darkwave stuff in my definition of metal. Today I'd like to share Oomph!'s new music video, Alles aus Liebe. As you may know, I am a huge Oomph! fan. I include them in my top 5 favorite bands of all time, so I'm excited for their new album, which was released only a week ago. I haven't bought the album yet, but I soon will. The first official music was released not long before the album, and it's a pretty great song.

See you on Tuesday!

Singing the Praises of Brother Firetribe

Most Nightwish fans have probably at least heard of Brother Firetribe, thanks to the fact that they share a guitarist (Emppu Vuorinen). But most of the people I mention them to have never listened to them. I do everything I can to change that. I HIGHLY recommend this band to almost everyone I meet, especially if they tell me they enjoy 80's music. I can't recommend them enough, in fact.

And everyone I introduce them to ends up loving them. Because they're bloody amazing.

Some people might say they aren't "real metal," but those people are stuck-up elitists who don't know how to have fun. Brother Firetribe's music is ALL about fun. And considering that the title of their first album was "False Metal," I don't think they care what you think.

A friend of mine, to whom I recently introduced them, said the following statement after listening to a few of their songs: "They sound more 80's than most of the 80's bands." Maybe you don't like 80's music. To each their own, even though I think you're crazy. If you do like 80's music, though, you need to hear Brother Firetribe. Their songs aren't your typical metal by any means, but some might argue that they are metal in its truest form. This band doesn't care about much else other than having fun, and their songs inspire people to do just that: have fun. Some of the best nights are ones where I just stay at home listening to Brother Firetribe's albums on repeat and rocking out all night. Over the past two years, their first album has been played about 80 times, their second one about 60 times - on my laptop alone.

I will admit that their music sometimes takes a little time to grow on you. But if you listen to them long enough to let them grow on you, you will be so glad you did. Their songs are definitely "sing along" songs; half the fun is in knowing the lyrics and belting them out shamelessly. Once you know the songs well enough to sing along, you will have the time of your life. You will want to blare their music and sing at the top of your lungs on every road trip you take for the rest of your life.

I will be seeing Nightwish live in about a month and a half, and I hope I get the opportunity to praise Emppu for his involvement with this band and blather on and on to him about how they need to come to the U.S. so I can see them. I would be more excited about seeing them than Nightwish.

Here are five of my favorite Brother Firetribe songs:

Eisbrecher - Verrückt (I Have a New Theme Song)

It's not "new" anymore, per se, but it has taken me a long time to get around to listening to the most recent Eisbrecher. This is the video for Verrückt, which is definitely going to be my new theme song. Those who speak any German, fluent or not, will probably understand from the title. Otherwise, feel free to translate the title/lyrics if you really want to know!

Great song. Awesome video. Makes me want to go out and buy the album, which I'm sure is what they were going for!

Deathlike Silence

Every once in a while I need to be reminded how much I love this band. Their sound, their lyrics, their unique female singer who is a breath of fresh air to me (and easier to sing along with because her range and tone are similar to mine), their kitschy horror image, even the hearse they carry their instruments around in. I think it's time for a third Deathlike Silence album!

I'm having trouble figuring out how to post videos from the Blogger Android app, but if you have a moment, pop over to YouTube and check out their low-budget music video, "Six Feet Under the Ground." While you're there, take a listen to some of their other songs too. If you like a more classic metal sound, you just might enjoy Deathlike Silence with their horror-themed lyrics atop classically fun metal guitars.

Edit: Now that I'm at a PC, here's the video for your viewing pleasure:

Welcome to the Blog! + Hysterica

Welcome and thanks for stopping by my brand-new metal-focused blog. As a proper opening, I thought this song seemed appropriate. It is by all-female, Swedish metal band Hysterica -- The Girls Made of Heavy Metal. I suggest doing as the video title says and switching to High Quality if it defaults to a lower quality version. This is a great video and I love this band full of kick-ass metal ladies who know how to make awesome music and have fun doing it.