Falconer @ ProgPower, Part 1: Introduction

Everybody has That One Band.

Unfortunately for a lot of us, our One Band is a band that never goes on tour. Especially sad for those of us who live in the United States, and have favorite bands residing in Europe, meaning that even when they do go on tour, they don't come anywhere near us. I actually have a few of these bands, but one of them stands out - because their singer is a god at whose voice I fall down in worship. This is the story of what was truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see my vocal god and the kick-ass band he sings in.

Seven years ago, I fell in love with a voice. That voice was Mathias Blad’s on Falconer’s 2008 album, Among Beggars and Thieves. Falconer was a band I had never heard of until that year, when their new album began receiving ‘airplay’ on a power metal station on internet radio. His voice was what drew me to the band, and he quickly became my favorite vocalist. His voice spoke to me in ways I couldn’t describe. It took a little while for the songs to grow on me, but once they did, I became a huge Falconer fan (a.k.a. Falconite), and not just a Mathias Blad fan. Falconer has since become one of my favorite bands, for both its vocalist and its songwriting and musicianship. Mathias has also been my all-time favorite singer for a number of years now, a throne I don't think can ever be stolen from him.

Six years ago, during the unfortunate time I spent in Billings, Montana, I created a ‘demand’ on Eventful for Falconer to perform there. Eventful, as I’m sure you can guess from the name, is a website for concerts and other events. One of its claims to fame (if you can call it that) was being the place where people could ‘demand’ that the movie Paranormal Activity be shown in their city, back when the movie had first come out and was being hyped as an independent B-movie that would only be shown in a few cities. I thought Paranormal Activity looked like it might be a good movie (I was wrong) so I joined the demand, which resulted in being automatically assigned an account with Eventful. I’ve barely used it since then, but I did join demands for a few bands I wanted to see live. Falconer was the only demand I ever created. When prompted to write a description of my demand, I wrote, “I need to see Mathias Blad live if it’s the last thing I do.”

Unfortunately, I knew this demand would do no good because (a) metal bands from Sweden rarely perform in Billings, MT. In fact, metal bands in general rarely perform in Billings, MT. And (b) Falconer had only done a handful of live shows in their entire history as a band. None of those shows had been in the United States, to my knowledge at the time (as it turns out, one of them had, but it had been a long time ago during the days of Kristoffer Göbel on vocals).

I honestly thought that I would never see them live, at least not without winning the lottery and traveling to Sweden, or possibly to Wacken Open Air or somewhere like that. (WOA is, of course, on my bucket list.) I actually thought that it would be more likely for me to somehow wind up seeing Mathias Blad sing in a musical on a stage in Sweden than for Falconer to ever come to the United States. Seriously, I thought the odds of that happening were actually a lot higher. Never in a million years did I dream that the entire band would end up playing in the United States. They were the one band that I thought I would never see.

Then, one year ago, I won the lottery.

No, not literally. I’m still broke. Especially after this show. But one year ago, I received the news that Falconer would be a studio-only band after September 11, 2015. Which didn't change much of anything considering how infrequently they played live anyway. But there was one thing about that news that would change things for me: they would be playing their final live show at 2015’s ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, Georgia. In the United States.

I. Flipped. Out. My reaction was literally that of someone who'd just won a million dollars, complete with the jumping up and down and screaming. I remember the exact moment I received this news. At the time, I lived in a house in Tempe, Arizona with two male roommates I had found on Craigslist. I lived there for a grand total of two months after moving back to the Phoenix area. I had just moved across the country, and hadn’t gotten back on my feet yet. I had been unemployed for two weeks so far and had no job prospects in sight just yet. I had very little money, if any money at all after such a big move. I was in the kitchen cooking some ramen noodles, and casually scrolling through Facebook on my phone when I saw a post from my friend Joan, who goes to ProgPower every year and is also a huge Falconite. The post was made to guitarist Jimmy Hedlund’s timeline, though I didn’t even notice that at first. All I saw was a reference to Joan’s “raptor shriek,” which she claimed could probably be heard all the way in Sweden, upon seeing the announcement video for the following year. Seeing the words “raptor shriek,” “Sweden,” and “next year’s ProgPower,” I immediately put two and two together... and stopped breathing.

Despite my financial situation, thoughts like “I can’t afford to go to Atlanta” or “How am I going to pay for this?” never entered my mind. I went straight to “I’M GOING TO SEE FALCONER” territory, and never looked back. Yes, it was three time zones away on the opposite end of the country, but it was still in MY country. Hell, even if it had been in Mexico or Canada… Falconer was going to be on the same continent as me, and I was going to be there. It was hard for me catch my breath for a moment. I couldn’t form cohesive sentences for several minutes, other than “OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. I’M GOING TO SEE FALCONER.”

And see them, I did. I even lived to tell the tale.

Now that my dream has come true, I have decided to do a song-by-song review of their entire setlist, which I will post in Part 2 of this review series, as my introduction has taken up enough space already. I had been looking forward to this for too long to do a one-page review of the entire show, so I’m splitting it into 3 parts: the introduction, the song-by-song, and then a general review of the overall performance and atmosphere, as well as a few extra songs I would have liked added to the setlist. There will also be a fourth (maybe even a fifth) entry, which will NOT be all about Falconer, but about my overall experience at ProgPower, the friends I met there, and the other bands I saw perform.

Stay tuned...

Top Ten Favorite + Most Underrated Falconer Songs

My internet was temporarily down yesterday, so I was unable to get my Friday blog post up on time. I also tend to miss my Tuesday posts lately, as it's been a busy couple of weeks leading up to my trip. We'll see if I can get back on track after I get home. If not, posts may be limited to once a week from now on, which is still an improvement over the neglect this blog has seen in the past.

Anyway, it is now the month of September. Yesterday marked one week until I get to see Falconer play their final live show at ProgPower USA. It is now only six days, thanks to my internet going AWOL last night. Five days until my flight. Four days until a lot of people get to begin celebrating ProgPower with Midweek Mayhem, though I personally will not be there until Friday's show.

I am now preparing for my trip in ways that make it seem very real. Official packing is happening as we speak (except for while I'm typing this). I colored my hair with indigo yesterday so it will look good with my outfit for Corset Night. Today I made it to a third-party DMV location to replace my expired out-of-state ID with one the TSA will be less likely to reject when I get on my flight. I just have one last shopping trip, a few more errands to do, and to finish packing, and I will be good to go!

With only one week left to go, this will be the final installment of my once-a-week, pre-concert Falconer posts. It was hard to narrow down which Falconer songs to post to celebrate the milestone. So I've decided not to post any. Instead, I am sharing a list of my Top Ten Favorite Falconer Songs. I encourage you to listen to all of these songs, if you aren't familiar with them already. For those of you who are already Falconites, I thought you might find it interesting which songs I enjoy most. Feel free to share your own Top Tens, as well.

These are not necessarily in perfect order, and are subject to change at any time.

1. Herr Peder och Hans Syster
One of Falconer's heavier songs, and the hard-hitting riffs made it an instant favorite.

2. Dreams and Pyres
This was actually the first song I heard by Falconer. This song made me a fan, and made me fall in love with Mathias Blad's voice. Incredibly well-composed and great performances by all involved.

3. En Kungens Man
In my opinion, one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Tragic lyrics + beautiful acoustic guitar + Mathias' voice = amazing.

4. Child of the Wild, 2006 remake
A fantastic song from the moment it was originally released, but with the addition of Blad's vocals, it became twice the song it used to be. The instrumental bridge and the beautiful vocalizations near the end are some of my favorite moments in music.

5. Himmel Så Trind
I love the melancholy sound of the guitar. It reminds me of the cold depression of winter, but I can listen to it from the comfortable warmth of Arizona. I feel like this one is a bit underrated as far as Falconer songs go.

6. Vårvindar Friska
Another one of the most beautiful songs ever done by a metal band. No metal instruments in this one at all, but the piano and vocals make it. Since hearing this version, I've also listened to several other versions by other artists, and have yet to find one that came remotely close to being as beautiful.

7. Substitutional World
This is a totally badass metal track, but also includes a very musical-theatre moment with "The higher your lucky star rises..." I consider this the best of both worlds!

8. Carnival of Disgust
A great song all-around. And obviously the band knows it, since they made quite the epic music video for this track.

9. Upon the Grave of Guilt
I'm pretty sure everybody loves this song, and for good reason. It was the first track on their first album, and set the tone for their career. The music, lyrics and vocals were all a great look into the awesomeness that was to come.

10. The Clarion Call
Duh.

And now for my list of five most underrated Falconer songs. I rarely, or never, hear these songs getting credit for being the awesome songs they actually are.

1. Viddernas Man
I believe Stefan Weinerhall himself has said this song isn't very good, but I think it's lovely! Particularly the piano during the first verse, and the low notes in the chorus.

2. The Past Still Lives On
I think the lyrics to this song are really cool.

3. Stand in Veneration
The a capella intro is amazing! It used to be my ringtone. The lyrics are pretty well-written too.

4. Ridom, Ridom
Maybe it's just because it was on a bonus disc, but I never hear anyone talk about it. This song is AWESOME. If my top 10 were a top 15 instead, this one would have been on it.

5. Dark Ages
Again, it's probably only because it was a bonus track, only appearing on the Japanese edition of the album. Still, it gets less recognition than I would expect for a song of its quality.

Weekly Falconer

Sorry I missed my Tuesday post. I have no excuse, except it's been a busy week and I forgot. So here's your Friday post instead, and once again, it is in celebration of Falconer. It is only two weeks now until I get to see them live at ProgPower USA. My outfit (as their performance falls on Corset Night) is complete, my friend from Austria who will be sharing this experience with me is about to get on a plane for the United States in a mere two days, and soon, packing of my own luggage will begin. As it draws nearer and nearer, it becomes harder to believe; especially when I realize how much money I spent on it. Between buying ProgPower tickets, reserving a hotel room, and paying for my flight, this is a very expensive trip all to see one band live. But worth every penny? Hell yes, it will be.

Today, we celebrate Falconer with my favorite song of theirs. It was Mathias Blad's vocals that got me into Falconer, but this song is one in which I feel the instruments are more impressive than the vocals. The riffs in this song have made it one of my all-time favorites. Every time it comes up on shuffle, I do a little happy dance in my mind. This is Herr Peder Och Hans Syster, from the 2011 album Armod, which features a real brother-sister singing team, Mathias and Heléne Blad.

As a bonus, I'm also sharing a car commercial that featured this song. Yes, a car commercial. That featured Falconer. This commercial blew every Falconer fan's mind when we first found out about it... and also let every Falconer fan down when we got to actually see it. While it's awesome that their song was used (and my favorite song at that!), it's comical, to say the least, that they chose the actors they did to fill in for the band members. I understand why the actual band couldn't be in the video, but whoever cast the roles clearly did not do their research, as the band in the commercial, particularly the vocalist, couldn't look less accurate. A long-haired, headbanging vocalist? Nope, definitely not the Mathias Blad we know. And that's part of his charm. But at least they got the logo right, and chose a badass song.

Bi-Weekly Falconer Post

I'm a little late, as I had a very long night and was out late -- went to see a production of Gypsy that included two of my actor friends, and then had a late-night dinner with some of the cast members after the show. As a result, it is now 5:00 on Saturday morning. Who says musical theatre people don't know how to party? Anyway, since I haven't gone to bed yet, it is still Friday in my mind, and that means that it is exactly three weeks until ProgPower USA. Technically 20 days now, 'cause, you know, Saturday. But hey, 20 days is even better.

Because it's so late, and I do require some amount of sleep (thank goodness I don't have to work tomorrow), this entry will be short and to the point. The following is an example of why I cannot wait for the 11th to come around. This is just a video, and it has awful sound quality at that, but I'm still in a fit of ecstasy over the first song. That voice! After all these years I will finally hear him sing live. I especially can't wait for this song. Musically it isn't necessarily one of my favorites, but it showcases his voice so well... and that little vocal breakdown that occurs not once, but twice, has always been one of my favorite moments. I could listen to it over and over. Despite the horrible quality of this video, I have already listened to it several times, picturing how much more amazing it will be in person. Did I mention I'm really looking forward to this show?

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.

Tystnaden

Tystnaden is a band from Italy that I discovered several years ago. Though they've been around since 1999, it seems they've never achieved any significant amount of recognition, to the point that they don't even have an entry on Wikipedia and when I type their name into YouTube the first thing that comes up is a Swedish movie from 1963. In fact, I believe the band was named after this movie, if I remember correctly. Though the band is Italian, the word 'tystnaden' is not - it is actually Swedish for 'silence'

This isn't a band I've followed very loyally over the years. In fact, I didn't even know until just now that vocalist Laura De Luca left the band, which apparently happened a couple of years back. Laura was the vocalist on all of their album releases, but their Facebook page now has a ton of photos of new vocalist Giada Etro, who seems to have been performing live with the band as far back as 2013. That's what I get for not paying attention. That being said, I can't offer any opinions on Giada's vocals, as I've never heard her sing. Laura, on the other hand, had a very distinct voice and accent. The accent was a little strong for me, as it seemed she didn't actually speak English that well (and all of their lyrics are in English) but I do think she is a quality vocalist and can't be faulted for her accent. I can only imagine how horrible my accent would sound if I attempted to sing in Italian!

Anyway their music has been a bit hit-or-miss with me, but they do have several songs that I think are fantastic. They are touted as gothic metal, but some of their music is a bit too nu-metal sounding for my taste. However, not all of it is. I think that fans of bands like Epica and Lacuna Coil might like Tystnaden as well -- if they are fond of clean female vocals mixed with male grunty/growly vocals.

One thing that I really like in their music is how certain songs have very obvious Italian elements. One of the cool things about metal bands existing all over the world is when bands include elements of their country's traditional music in their metal.

Here are a few Tystnaden songs I really like. The first is a beautiful ballad that really speaks to me musically and lyrically. The other two are just really cool metal songs that also feature those Italian-sounding elements I spoke of.

One month until FALCONER

Back in September of last year, I made this post in a fit of ecstasy. I had just heard the announcement that Falconer would be performing their final live show at the ProgPower USA festival on September 11, 2015. This was huge news to me because Falconer's vocalist, Mathias Blad, is my all-time favorite singer, and I had been under the impression that I would never, ever have a chance to see them live. This is a mostly studio band who have performed only a handful of live concerts in their 15 years together. Of that handful, the majority took place during the short time Kristoffer Göbel was their lead vocalist instead of Mathias, who is unable to commit to touring due to his full-time job as a musical theatre actor. And of all the shows they've ever done, only one of them had been in the United States; it was 12 years ago and Kristoffer was vocalist at that time.

For all of these reasons, I, an American Falconite, thought that my chances of seeing Mathias live with Falconer were just about on par with my chances of seeing Elvis Presley. Until that day last year, I viewed it as so improbable that even putting it on my Bucket List would have been pointless. (Yes, I have a real Bucket List, and it does include attending certain concerts.) Plus, not only would this be their first and last show in the United States with Mathias, but their last live show ever; after this night, Falconer will continue as a strictly-studio band. This was literally a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and I vowed that I would be there no matter what. Even though I had just made a move across the country and hadn't found a job yet, even though I would have to travel 2,000 miles to the concert venue, the question of "How can I make this happen?" never even entered my mind. I went straight into "I'm going to see Falconer" territory and never looked back. It was a blissful moment in which a halo of light surrounded me and a choir sang one heavenly note. I bought my ticket minutes after they went on sale (and they sold out within 6 days).

Now, only one month remains until that glorious day. An entire year of anticipation will come to an end in one monumental night.

Over the next month, many of the posts on this blog will be related to Falconer and ProgPower, to chronicle my preparation and journey toward one of the best musical nights of my life.

For now, I leave you with one of the most rare and beautiful Falconer songs: their 2006 remake of "Child of the Wild." This song was originally recorded with Kristoffer Göbel on their 2005 album, Grime vs. Grandeur. The following year, after Göbel had been fired and Mathias Blad had returned to the band, the song was re-recorded for their album Northwind. However, it was only released as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album. For the band's 15th anniversary, band leader Stefan Weinerhall was kind enough to upload the track to YouTube for all of us. Thanks, Stefan - for everything.

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: