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Please click on a link to jump to the specific band, or scroll the page to read a review about all the bands.
- Rhapsody
- Before the dawn
- Gackt
- Sirenia
- Luca Turilli
- Casshern OST
- Wonderful Days OST
- Rammstein
- Nemesea
- Amadeus
Rhapsody
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Rhapsody is a well established Italian-based fantasy metal band. With millions of fans from all over the world, Rhapsody boasts their new album "The dark secret" in collaboration with Christopher Lee who played Saruman in Lord of the Rings. Their style of music is very diversified and for every taste. It ranges from introduction pieces like "Lux Triumphans" to melodic symphony metal like "Lamento Eroico" or "Magic of the wizards' dream". Then gets to a faster paced set of songs like "Emerald Sword". Their eight first albums span a saga of songs linked together logically, and describe events that occur in the Enchanted Lands. Their second saga features singing by Christopher Lee, in particular in the interim album featuring "Magic of the Wizards' dream" in English, Italian, German and French. Still one of my favorite metal bands that leaves you dreaming.
Before the dawn
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I discovered Before the Dawn by accident while browsing some albums. They relate very closely to me, in fact most of the songs describe some element of my life, in particular the loneliness and depression I suffered at 19. Their lyrics are not about death or destruction, they are more of the philosophy behind feeling down and depressed. They have some really fast paced songs like "My darkness", and slightly slower songs such as "My room". I really love this band, it's a sad thing they half broke apart, but a new album is coming out over summer probably, with a DVD, so I'm really excited about that. What I love about them, is their consistency throughout the whole albums to deliver the same quality of music and lyrics. Some songs could have typically been picked for soundtracks of the silent hill games.
Gackt
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Gackt has been in my playlists for quite some time now. I discovered this Japanese singer from a movie in which he also played called "Moon Child". I really enjoyed the movie, since it felt very natural, and is mostly about life. Back then I didn't know he was a singer, i only discovered that a bit later while browsing some concert videos. His type of music is not really pop, it's more of a pop and rock blend. Although the Japanese themselves made a very dodgy top 10 of his songs, i would still recommend "Oasis", "Mizerable", "Luna" and "Freesia op1" for starters. What I love about Gackt, is that he is really a natural guy, who doesn't pretend to be cool, in fact he is cool because of this natural side of his. I also love most of his looks, and look forward to seeing more of him on stage, or in a future movie, who knows.
Sirenia
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I enjoy a good listen of Sirenia from time to time. I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy the whole albums. The music style is kind of metal and kind of gothic. They sing in English but most of the chorus is made up of Latin I believe. I saw one of their mini concerts, it's a bit sad for the female vocalist to spend so much time on stage trying to dance, while having so little to sing. Maybe she should try to play guitar, something extra to the existing music. Even though I enjoy all the songs, my favorite remains "Save me now from myself", and I really regret it wasn't picked for one of the Silent Hill games. I would love to hear more songs of the female vocalist, in this gothic and dark style. But definitely, worth a listening session.
Luca Turilli
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Luca Turilli in many ways is the holding block at Rhapsody. Having co-written all the lyrics alongside Alex Staropoli, Luca has forged his reputation as one of the best guitarists in the world. He began a solo off-shoot band, but is still a full member at Rhapsody. His style of music is usually fast paced cosmic metal, which following Rhapsody's traditions recites a saga set in some unknown time. Having said that, they do have some slow and melodic songs, such as "Timeless Oceans", or "Warrior's Pride". Mostly I love the combination of some unlikely tunes put together to form the backgrounds such as in "Rider of the astral fire" or the almost 12-minutes long "Prophet of the last eclipse". The singer of the band is German and his name is Olaf Hayer. Compared to Fabio Leone at Rhapsody, his voice can be classified as non-opera style. While Fabio can pull those melodic vocals, Olaf tends to concentrate on the fast pace of Luca's songs. Even in slow songs, Olaf doesn't have the same depth as Fabio, but of course that is the concept of the solo band, you try something new, and it works for them.
Casshern soundtrack
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Casshern is the first entry under soundtracks. Casshern is a Japanese movie based on a comic strip written in the 20th century. Although many reviews online say that the story takes place at the end of the 21st century and on this planet, personally, I don't think so. It is not the image the movie projected anyway. To me it seemed all the "continents" are inhabited by Asians. Anyway, Casshern in the movie is a god that strikes a mighty blow on evil from the skies that resembles a metallic structure shaped as a lightening flash. The hero in the movie simply takes the name as he feels he is the savior of what is right. And then what is right? There is no evil or good in the movie, both sides offer good arguments. In the end, both the "new" breed of humans and the advancing human armies are destroyed and only the hero is left unaffected by the nuclear blast. That's what I love about the movie, there's no bad or good guys, and the hero is in the middle. I also loved the actor who played the father of the hero, and to what extent madness can drive a person. And I loved the conclusion at the end, which basically said, that we hurt each other by our sole existence, and that we must try to co-exist and forgive each other as much as we can, and just get along while we have the gift of life.
Back to the soundtrack then. One word...Exquisite. Truly a masterpiece of Japanese soundtracks which blends melodic pieces with some female choir in the background. Of course if you've seen the movie, the soundtrack will likely have more power to it, it was much fun watching the movie again, knowing the tracks and where they fit in. I LOVE IT, it's fantastic, it's so simply orchestrated, yet so so beautiful. This is a MUST buy for everybody interested in soundtracks, and/or symphonic music.
Wonderful Days soundtrack
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Wonderful days is the first and only real big budget Korean animated movie. What is unique about it compared to other attempts such as Innocence, aka Ghost in the shell 2 is the quality of blending 2D and 3D elements together. As it can be seen from the image above, the quality is really perfect. For some reason, many people are blind, and can't see the storyline in this movie, even though it's pretty clear to me. You got a regime that's polluting the main island, you got some "rebels" that are trying to restore nature to the rightful place.
I loved the music in this movie, which mostly consists of very slow paced could almost say romantic tunes, with a sexy Korean female vocalist I believe. Her voice is sexy, i don't know about her haha :p. I simply ADORE the last theme, Mar's theme, it's a brilliant piece of music, completed by what appears to be a children's choir. What I love about that one, is that the melody builds up, to an intense level, then finally releases the suspense towards the end. But the whole album is purely amazing, a masterpiece of soundtracks for animated movies. By far outclasses those of Ghost in the shell movies.
Rammstein
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Rammstein is a German based band. Even though they often include lyrics in English, they remain mostly in German. It is a metal band that made it to the big stage including the MTV Music Awards that was held in their country a few years ago. They are catchy by composing interesting tunes, and the vocals often complement the melodies very well. Highly polarized even in movies as the song "Hallelujah" made it to the official sountrack of the movie Resident Evil. My favorite songs include "Sonne", "Spieluhr", "Amerika", and that said, I am probably forgetting quite a few. They were present in the movie xXx playing the introduction song "Feuer Frei". Throughout the many years of their singing, they still continue to release interesting tunes even though the drawback is usually that it takes them 2 to 3 years to release a new album.
Nemesea
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Nemesea is a gothic band from the Netherlands. Yes the country of crack pot, and sex did produce this fine band. Nemesea is really unique in its own way, I love the songs "Cry", and "Angel in the dark". Nemesea has a female vocalist who can reach very high up on the pitch table which in turn makes it perfect for that type of band. They are relatively new on the music scene, and have only one album so far, but I eagerly await their next chef-d'oeuvre.
Amadeus
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Amadeus is a Japanese band. Like the banner says, JRock changed, Amadeus is a gothic metal band from Japan. Their means are quite limited and this is clearly displayed in their music, but nonetheless, they have slow gothic tracks which portray the spirit of the band. The type of music is very "Phantom of the Opera" ish, the female vocalist provides the background as well as foreground of some songs. This is the very depth of their songs, which I enjoy listening to very much. The only problem is, the band is sort of inactive for many years, and the only way to buy the only album is from Japan. HMV in Japan has the CD which I bought while in Manchester, it costs about 30 british pounds with a fast delivery option.
- Rhapsody
- Before the dawn
- Gackt
- Sirenia
- Luca Turilli
- Casshern OST
- Wonderful Days OST
- Rammstein
- Nemesea
- Amadeus
Rhapsody
Back to Index
Rhapsody is a well established Italian-based fantasy metal band. With millions of fans from all over the world, Rhapsody boasts their new album "The dark secret" in collaboration with Christopher Lee who played Saruman in Lord of the Rings. Their style of music is very diversified and for every taste. It ranges from introduction pieces like "Lux Triumphans" to melodic symphony metal like "Lamento Eroico" or "Magic of the wizards' dream". Then gets to a faster paced set of songs like "Emerald Sword". Their eight first albums span a saga of songs linked together logically, and describe events that occur in the Enchanted Lands. Their second saga features singing by Christopher Lee, in particular in the interim album featuring "Magic of the Wizards' dream" in English, Italian, German and French. Still one of my favorite metal bands that leaves you dreaming.
Before the dawn
Back to Index
I discovered Before the Dawn by accident while browsing some albums. They relate very closely to me, in fact most of the songs describe some element of my life, in particular the loneliness and depression I suffered at 19. Their lyrics are not about death or destruction, they are more of the philosophy behind feeling down and depressed. They have some really fast paced songs like "My darkness", and slightly slower songs such as "My room". I really love this band, it's a sad thing they half broke apart, but a new album is coming out over summer probably, with a DVD, so I'm really excited about that. What I love about them, is their consistency throughout the whole albums to deliver the same quality of music and lyrics. Some songs could have typically been picked for soundtracks of the silent hill games.
Gackt
Back to Index
Gackt has been in my playlists for quite some time now. I discovered this Japanese singer from a movie in which he also played called "Moon Child". I really enjoyed the movie, since it felt very natural, and is mostly about life. Back then I didn't know he was a singer, i only discovered that a bit later while browsing some concert videos. His type of music is not really pop, it's more of a pop and rock blend. Although the Japanese themselves made a very dodgy top 10 of his songs, i would still recommend "Oasis", "Mizerable", "Luna" and "Freesia op1" for starters. What I love about Gackt, is that he is really a natural guy, who doesn't pretend to be cool, in fact he is cool because of this natural side of his. I also love most of his looks, and look forward to seeing more of him on stage, or in a future movie, who knows.
Sirenia
Back to Index
I enjoy a good listen of Sirenia from time to time. I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy the whole albums. The music style is kind of metal and kind of gothic. They sing in English but most of the chorus is made up of Latin I believe. I saw one of their mini concerts, it's a bit sad for the female vocalist to spend so much time on stage trying to dance, while having so little to sing. Maybe she should try to play guitar, something extra to the existing music. Even though I enjoy all the songs, my favorite remains "Save me now from myself", and I really regret it wasn't picked for one of the Silent Hill games. I would love to hear more songs of the female vocalist, in this gothic and dark style. But definitely, worth a listening session.
Luca Turilli
Back to Index
Luca Turilli in many ways is the holding block at Rhapsody. Having co-written all the lyrics alongside Alex Staropoli, Luca has forged his reputation as one of the best guitarists in the world. He began a solo off-shoot band, but is still a full member at Rhapsody. His style of music is usually fast paced cosmic metal, which following Rhapsody's traditions recites a saga set in some unknown time. Having said that, they do have some slow and melodic songs, such as "Timeless Oceans", or "Warrior's Pride". Mostly I love the combination of some unlikely tunes put together to form the backgrounds such as in "Rider of the astral fire" or the almost 12-minutes long "Prophet of the last eclipse". The singer of the band is German and his name is Olaf Hayer. Compared to Fabio Leone at Rhapsody, his voice can be classified as non-opera style. While Fabio can pull those melodic vocals, Olaf tends to concentrate on the fast pace of Luca's songs. Even in slow songs, Olaf doesn't have the same depth as Fabio, but of course that is the concept of the solo band, you try something new, and it works for them.
Casshern soundtrack
Back to Index
Casshern is the first entry under soundtracks. Casshern is a Japanese movie based on a comic strip written in the 20th century. Although many reviews online say that the story takes place at the end of the 21st century and on this planet, personally, I don't think so. It is not the image the movie projected anyway. To me it seemed all the "continents" are inhabited by Asians. Anyway, Casshern in the movie is a god that strikes a mighty blow on evil from the skies that resembles a metallic structure shaped as a lightening flash. The hero in the movie simply takes the name as he feels he is the savior of what is right. And then what is right? There is no evil or good in the movie, both sides offer good arguments. In the end, both the "new" breed of humans and the advancing human armies are destroyed and only the hero is left unaffected by the nuclear blast. That's what I love about the movie, there's no bad or good guys, and the hero is in the middle. I also loved the actor who played the father of the hero, and to what extent madness can drive a person. And I loved the conclusion at the end, which basically said, that we hurt each other by our sole existence, and that we must try to co-exist and forgive each other as much as we can, and just get along while we have the gift of life.
Back to the soundtrack then. One word...Exquisite. Truly a masterpiece of Japanese soundtracks which blends melodic pieces with some female choir in the background. Of course if you've seen the movie, the soundtrack will likely have more power to it, it was much fun watching the movie again, knowing the tracks and where they fit in. I LOVE IT, it's fantastic, it's so simply orchestrated, yet so so beautiful. This is a MUST buy for everybody interested in soundtracks, and/or symphonic music.
Wonderful Days soundtrack
Back to Index
Wonderful days is the first and only real big budget Korean animated movie. What is unique about it compared to other attempts such as Innocence, aka Ghost in the shell 2 is the quality of blending 2D and 3D elements together. As it can be seen from the image above, the quality is really perfect. For some reason, many people are blind, and can't see the storyline in this movie, even though it's pretty clear to me. You got a regime that's polluting the main island, you got some "rebels" that are trying to restore nature to the rightful place.
I loved the music in this movie, which mostly consists of very slow paced could almost say romantic tunes, with a sexy Korean female vocalist I believe. Her voice is sexy, i don't know about her haha :p. I simply ADORE the last theme, Mar's theme, it's a brilliant piece of music, completed by what appears to be a children's choir. What I love about that one, is that the melody builds up, to an intense level, then finally releases the suspense towards the end. But the whole album is purely amazing, a masterpiece of soundtracks for animated movies. By far outclasses those of Ghost in the shell movies.
Rammstein
Back to Index
Rammstein is a German based band. Even though they often include lyrics in English, they remain mostly in German. It is a metal band that made it to the big stage including the MTV Music Awards that was held in their country a few years ago. They are catchy by composing interesting tunes, and the vocals often complement the melodies very well. Highly polarized even in movies as the song "Hallelujah" made it to the official sountrack of the movie Resident Evil. My favorite songs include "Sonne", "Spieluhr", "Amerika", and that said, I am probably forgetting quite a few. They were present in the movie xXx playing the introduction song "Feuer Frei". Throughout the many years of their singing, they still continue to release interesting tunes even though the drawback is usually that it takes them 2 to 3 years to release a new album.
Nemesea
Back to Index
Nemesea is a gothic band from the Netherlands. Yes the country of crack pot, and sex did produce this fine band. Nemesea is really unique in its own way, I love the songs "Cry", and "Angel in the dark". Nemesea has a female vocalist who can reach very high up on the pitch table which in turn makes it perfect for that type of band. They are relatively new on the music scene, and have only one album so far, but I eagerly await their next chef-d'oeuvre.
Amadeus
Back to Index
Amadeus is a Japanese band. Like the banner says, JRock changed, Amadeus is a gothic metal band from Japan. Their means are quite limited and this is clearly displayed in their music, but nonetheless, they have slow gothic tracks which portray the spirit of the band. The type of music is very "Phantom of the Opera" ish, the female vocalist provides the background as well as foreground of some songs. This is the very depth of their songs, which I enjoy listening to very much. The only problem is, the band is sort of inactive for many years, and the only way to buy the only album is from Japan. HMV in Japan has the CD which I bought while in Manchester, it costs about 30 british pounds with a fast delivery option.
posted by Evgueni JC Goloubev at 2:31 PM
2 comments
