SinDRomE to Head Control System
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Vogon [RIP 2013/06/29]
Agora fiquei embasbacado.
Eu tomei conhecimento da The End aqui há uns anos pela compilação "White", gentilmente cedido pelo representante português, que tinham bandas como Epoch of Unlight, Agalloch, Nokturnal Mortum, Mistic Vargoth qualquer coisa... Mas perdi-lhe o rasto, nem sabia que bandas tinham contratado. Agora fui ver o site e vejo que tem alguns nomes sonantes e agora HCS. E lançaram álbuns que eu ouço frequentemente e inclusive tenho. Damn, ando mesmo a leste.
Força nisso!
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HappyTreeFriend
- Participante Compulsivo(a)
- Mensagens: 122
- Registado: terça abr 19, 2005 2:13 am
A The End encontra-se em notável fase de crescimento. Fecharam um contrato de distribuição com a Sony Music para os Estados Unidos, recentemente assinaram Voivod (com o Jason Newsted, ex-Metallica) e além de serem empenhadíssimos com os seus artistas, as pessoas atrás da empresa são das mais gentis que alguma vez conheci dentro do ramo. E é uma opinião partilhada pela grande parte dos seus artistas senão todos. É raro neste ramo haver uma entidade do género onde ninguém tenha a dizer mal, antes pelo contrário. Essas e outras razões fizeram-nos optar pela The End em detrimento de outras propostas de nomes bem mais sonantes e aliciantes, mas que em última análise fariam de nós apenas mais uma banda para catálogo com toda a certeza. E posso dizer que desde o inicio que fechámos logo portas a Nuclear Blasts e Century Medias.
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Aiwass
- Ultra-Metálico(a)
- Mensagens: 2266
- Registado: segunda mai 12, 2003 8:13 pm
- Localização: Lisboa
- Contacto:
Já se pode ler a entrevista a HCS no Underworld #18.
Para quem ainda não apanhou a revista, aqui segue o link:
http://www.underworldmag.org/website2005/DirEscrita/edicoes/art_hXskjLg7o5xt.pdf
Para quem ainda não apanhou a revista, aqui segue o link:
http://www.underworldmag.org/website2005/DirEscrita/edicoes/art_hXskjLg7o5xt.pdf
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HappyTreeFriend
- Participante Compulsivo(a)
- Mensagens: 122
- Registado: terça abr 19, 2005 2:13 am
E ficou janota e tal. Entretanto podem ter uma visão mais enciclopédica da banda em:
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Control_System
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Control_System
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Brujo [RIP 2009/08/10]
The best "nu-metal" album of all time?
I wasn't familiar with Head Control System prior to receiving this disc, so it should come as no surprise that when "Murder Nature" showed up in the mail I was completely fucking horrified by how ridiculous the cover art is (though it's important to note that thankfully most of the rest of the layout actually looks quite nice). Seeing that it was released by The End Records did provide me with some small shred of hope since I've been a longtime fan of the label, but let's face it: I was very much expecting the worst here. But I was curious, so I immediately threw it in while I was driving to work and as soon as the vocals kicked in I was like, "Wait a minute, is that fucking Garm?" And sure enough, I learned that Head Control System is a Portuguese/Norwegian duo masterminded by Daniel Cardoso (formerly of Sirius and Re:aktor), who handled all of the music on this outing, with the help of none other than Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Formerly of Arcturus and Borknagar, but more importantly Ulver's main man. I mean, fucking Ulver, people!), who took on the lyrics and vocals.
Now, of course this record is being promoted in part with the kind of tremendously misleading statements that I wholly despise, such as this absolute classic example: "Fans looking for that in-your-face rock attitude of QOTSA and Alice in Chains and/or the mind-numbing drive of Tool or Faith No More look no further: Head Control System is your fix." And to that I say: Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, and bullshit. First of all, Queens of the Stone Age fucking sucks and I simply cannot comprehend their inexplicable popularity, but whatever. On the other hand, I love Alice in Chains and Faith No More, and I can appreciate Tool in small doses, but Head Control System doesn't sound a god damn thing like any of these bands. Having written a few promotional statements for bands myself (which I'm just not a fan of doing), I can understand the pain of trying to draw parallels to outside audiences strictly for the purposes of "marketing", but… it's a huge leap to compare this material to any of those bands, and I think everyone reading this will agree with me when they hear Head Control System for themselves.
So what does it sound like? While the band can't be so easily pinned down, at the most basic level they're very polished and definitely have a modern metal sound in terms of possessing plenty of groovy rhythms and a good balance of melodic tendencies. So, as if the title of this post didn't give it away: A lot of people are probably going to bemoan this as "nu-metal". And I'm not gonna lie, there are definitely a number of instances where this album does indeed sound like flat out nu-metal (I can see the "True Norwegian Nu-Metal" marketing campaign taking shape now! Just kidding.), were it to somehow be delivered in an artistically respectable fashion, which "Murder Nature" is. But Garm's vocals are of course extremely unique, not to mention immensely impressive and powerful, so his presence really changes the overall dynamic of the material – which is already too textured and creative in its use of electronic smatterings and atypical vocal arrangements to simply be relegated to some kind of "heavy rock" or "nu-metal" tag or whatever. But it does have some really catchy moments – again due in large part to the vocal work – so they're certainly not shunning a certain element of simplicity as far as memorable songwriting is concerned.
So yeah, I actually find this to be an excellent CD. It takes a few spins to start sinking in, and the album kind of ebbs and flows in terms of structural experimentation versus a more straightforward approach, but as you check out the tracks below, keep listening even if something rubs you the wrong way initially, because a lot of these songs have a tendency to switch it up out of nowhere and totally blow your mind. Kristoffer Rygg is a god damn genius in my book, and the vocal work during the chorus of "It Hurts" reminds me just what this cat's capable of. Fuckin' nice.
I wasn't familiar with Head Control System prior to receiving this disc, so it should come as no surprise that when "Murder Nature" showed up in the mail I was completely fucking horrified by how ridiculous the cover art is (though it's important to note that thankfully most of the rest of the layout actually looks quite nice). Seeing that it was released by The End Records did provide me with some small shred of hope since I've been a longtime fan of the label, but let's face it: I was very much expecting the worst here. But I was curious, so I immediately threw it in while I was driving to work and as soon as the vocals kicked in I was like, "Wait a minute, is that fucking Garm?" And sure enough, I learned that Head Control System is a Portuguese/Norwegian duo masterminded by Daniel Cardoso (formerly of Sirius and Re:aktor), who handled all of the music on this outing, with the help of none other than Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Formerly of Arcturus and Borknagar, but more importantly Ulver's main man. I mean, fucking Ulver, people!), who took on the lyrics and vocals.
Now, of course this record is being promoted in part with the kind of tremendously misleading statements that I wholly despise, such as this absolute classic example: "Fans looking for that in-your-face rock attitude of QOTSA and Alice in Chains and/or the mind-numbing drive of Tool or Faith No More look no further: Head Control System is your fix." And to that I say: Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, and bullshit. First of all, Queens of the Stone Age fucking sucks and I simply cannot comprehend their inexplicable popularity, but whatever. On the other hand, I love Alice in Chains and Faith No More, and I can appreciate Tool in small doses, but Head Control System doesn't sound a god damn thing like any of these bands. Having written a few promotional statements for bands myself (which I'm just not a fan of doing), I can understand the pain of trying to draw parallels to outside audiences strictly for the purposes of "marketing", but… it's a huge leap to compare this material to any of those bands, and I think everyone reading this will agree with me when they hear Head Control System for themselves.
So what does it sound like? While the band can't be so easily pinned down, at the most basic level they're very polished and definitely have a modern metal sound in terms of possessing plenty of groovy rhythms and a good balance of melodic tendencies. So, as if the title of this post didn't give it away: A lot of people are probably going to bemoan this as "nu-metal". And I'm not gonna lie, there are definitely a number of instances where this album does indeed sound like flat out nu-metal (I can see the "True Norwegian Nu-Metal" marketing campaign taking shape now! Just kidding.), were it to somehow be delivered in an artistically respectable fashion, which "Murder Nature" is. But Garm's vocals are of course extremely unique, not to mention immensely impressive and powerful, so his presence really changes the overall dynamic of the material – which is already too textured and creative in its use of electronic smatterings and atypical vocal arrangements to simply be relegated to some kind of "heavy rock" or "nu-metal" tag or whatever. But it does have some really catchy moments – again due in large part to the vocal work – so they're certainly not shunning a certain element of simplicity as far as memorable songwriting is concerned.
So yeah, I actually find this to be an excellent CD. It takes a few spins to start sinking in, and the album kind of ebbs and flows in terms of structural experimentation versus a more straightforward approach, but as you check out the tracks below, keep listening even if something rubs you the wrong way initially, because a lot of these songs have a tendency to switch it up out of nowhere and totally blow your mind. Kristoffer Rygg is a god damn genius in my book, and the vocal work during the chorus of "It Hurts" reminds me just what this cat's capable of. Fuckin' nice.
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HappyTreeFriend
- Participante Compulsivo(a)
- Mensagens: 122
- Registado: terça abr 19, 2005 2:13 am
The CD started playing and all I was hearing was this mechanical noise, almost like the skipping of a CD, just not as choppy. I figured that I must have not properly fixed my device, so I went to go get the Hammer again for another tune-up.
It turns out that just as I was ready to smash my CD player to bits the song started playing. I was hearing what sounded like the beginning of a song and the noise was still going on in the background.
On to the first track named Baby Blue, now we are really on the way.
My first impression was that the music was not as hard as the Cover Art suggested to me. The very long intro did bore me once I figured out that all systems were operating normally. The vocal opening reminded me of a Winger style 90’s chick magnet band, but as the song progressed, I caught a sense of heaviness in the form of a wicked hard meddle with some insane drum work on it, so I figured that there is hope and there are many more tracks to listen to. Meanwhile the same noise in the beginning of the song was still going on in the background. This kind of ruined the first song, because there was a lot of dissonance throughout the track. There are 11 tracks on this CD.
On to Track 2 named Skin Flick.
It is now becoming Krystal-clear to me that this CD very well produced and highly professionally done. The mix is perfect and the instruments sound big and powerful. There are lots of instruments on this track. The song is a lighthearted alternative rock track that really shows off the vocalist’s skills. The Singers voice is very good and he has a very good range. The backup vocals are as good if not better than the lead vocal. This song has some nice unusual rhythms built in, but somehow manages to flow as smoothly as the hot wax which we use to…. Well never mind that for now….. There is a pretty good melodic guitar solo in this song. Again the song title does not exactly represent the title’s name. Skin Flick. to me sounds devious and perverse, dirty, disgusting, fun, etc. The song has more of a Love Song feel to it.
Track 3 is called Masterpiece (of Art)
Now this track has a very cool techno industrial beginning that turns into some very heavy Metal Sound with tuned down guitars and some guy screaming rhythmic chants in the back. The song features some very good guitar playing and some very wild Vocoder effects, as well as the before mentioned backup vocals. The song is very musical and seems to get more complex musically as it continues. There are a lot of different elements in this track and the overall feel of this song is semi-evanescenceish. Very smooth but yet heavy at times.
Track 4 is an Instrumental called Blunt
This gives me a great idea, hmmm haha. This piece has a slight Pink Floyd style to it with some nice Piano work layered into it. Interesting stuff.
Track 5 is titled “It Hurts”
Now there is a subject that I like, pain! Yummy Pain! There is some very nice Bass Playing as well as some more very nicely played Piano parts. The vocals have a darker feel, sort of Type O like, of course just not nearly as dark. Again, as with all the songs so far, there is very skilled musicianship on display here.
Track 6 is called “Watergate”
I guess they have TV’s in Norway too..hmmm. This song has a slight Seattle feel. An easy listening version of Alice in Chains, mixed with some what I call 4 non Blonde yodeling style high lights. Very bizarre mixes of vocal styles are used here. This song is all over the place melodically and there are so many hints of familiar elements throughout it.
Track 7 is called “SEVEN”
I must have missed the significance of the number 7 in the hidden messages of the CD cover. I am noticing that the verses of this song are in ¾ time signature. 7the Song called on the first record titled Seven with mixed time signatures. Perhaps there is some math class that I missed back in school. Anyway, this is another complex piece of musical showmanship. Complex and easy to listen to, I am starting to see a pattern develop here.
Track 8 is not called Eight, but “KILL ME”
This song starts out sounding like with singing and piano like Queen’s Freddy Mercury, except the singing is in a language that I don’t understand. There are some wild effects being used on this track, sounds like he is singing backwards. The guitar parts in this song could have been skipped though. This is a filler piece, not really a song.
Track 9 is called “Wonderworld”
This track starts off heavy, with some guy counting to 3 in the most bizarre way I have heard anybody count to 3 yet. The song is very complex again, yet not offensive to listen to. It turns out that this song too is full of time signature changes. These guys are insane, I just figured it out. I feel bad for the drummer who has to count all this stuff. Wow!
Very cool!
Track 10’s name is “Rapid Eye Movement”
This name makes me sleepy and also makes me want to dream of tall blonde Norwegian women wearing latex or “Gummi” as the say over there. As the name suggests, this is a very light airy sounding song that has a touch of Soundgarden built in towards the later parts. Again the styles keep changing and yet they all sound familiar.
Track 11 is named “Falling On Sleep”
This seamlessly spills over from the previous track and is basically a Rush style fadeout of the last song. A long ending of a song with it’s own name. I also get it now..long intro long beginning.
I made it to the end!...well actually I did listen to it several times and keep finding new things to notice every time.
Overview:
As a whole, this is one of those records that is just so full of amazing musical elements. There is definite Genius at work here. Even though the music is not exactly my preferred style, I fully appreciate the immense amount of talent and effort that went into making this CD.
One thing is for very sure, this is one of these records that you can just put on and chill out to. The music is not offensive and the tracks flow smooth from one into the next.
The production is amazing on this release. The band is hot, the drummer is Neal Peart like, and if you are into good complex music, you should definitely buy this CD.
This is very interesting stuff, indeed and should be heard at least once.
It turns out that just as I was ready to smash my CD player to bits the song started playing. I was hearing what sounded like the beginning of a song and the noise was still going on in the background.
On to the first track named Baby Blue, now we are really on the way.
My first impression was that the music was not as hard as the Cover Art suggested to me. The very long intro did bore me once I figured out that all systems were operating normally. The vocal opening reminded me of a Winger style 90’s chick magnet band, but as the song progressed, I caught a sense of heaviness in the form of a wicked hard meddle with some insane drum work on it, so I figured that there is hope and there are many more tracks to listen to. Meanwhile the same noise in the beginning of the song was still going on in the background. This kind of ruined the first song, because there was a lot of dissonance throughout the track. There are 11 tracks on this CD.
On to Track 2 named Skin Flick.
It is now becoming Krystal-clear to me that this CD very well produced and highly professionally done. The mix is perfect and the instruments sound big and powerful. There are lots of instruments on this track. The song is a lighthearted alternative rock track that really shows off the vocalist’s skills. The Singers voice is very good and he has a very good range. The backup vocals are as good if not better than the lead vocal. This song has some nice unusual rhythms built in, but somehow manages to flow as smoothly as the hot wax which we use to…. Well never mind that for now….. There is a pretty good melodic guitar solo in this song. Again the song title does not exactly represent the title’s name. Skin Flick. to me sounds devious and perverse, dirty, disgusting, fun, etc. The song has more of a Love Song feel to it.
Track 3 is called Masterpiece (of Art)
Now this track has a very cool techno industrial beginning that turns into some very heavy Metal Sound with tuned down guitars and some guy screaming rhythmic chants in the back. The song features some very good guitar playing and some very wild Vocoder effects, as well as the before mentioned backup vocals. The song is very musical and seems to get more complex musically as it continues. There are a lot of different elements in this track and the overall feel of this song is semi-evanescenceish. Very smooth but yet heavy at times.
Track 4 is an Instrumental called Blunt
This gives me a great idea, hmmm haha. This piece has a slight Pink Floyd style to it with some nice Piano work layered into it. Interesting stuff.
Track 5 is titled “It Hurts”
Now there is a subject that I like, pain! Yummy Pain! There is some very nice Bass Playing as well as some more very nicely played Piano parts. The vocals have a darker feel, sort of Type O like, of course just not nearly as dark. Again, as with all the songs so far, there is very skilled musicianship on display here.
Track 6 is called “Watergate”
I guess they have TV’s in Norway too..hmmm. This song has a slight Seattle feel. An easy listening version of Alice in Chains, mixed with some what I call 4 non Blonde yodeling style high lights. Very bizarre mixes of vocal styles are used here. This song is all over the place melodically and there are so many hints of familiar elements throughout it.
Track 7 is called “SEVEN”
I must have missed the significance of the number 7 in the hidden messages of the CD cover. I am noticing that the verses of this song are in ¾ time signature. 7the Song called on the first record titled Seven with mixed time signatures. Perhaps there is some math class that I missed back in school. Anyway, this is another complex piece of musical showmanship. Complex and easy to listen to, I am starting to see a pattern develop here.
Track 8 is not called Eight, but “KILL ME”
This song starts out sounding like with singing and piano like Queen’s Freddy Mercury, except the singing is in a language that I don’t understand. There are some wild effects being used on this track, sounds like he is singing backwards. The guitar parts in this song could have been skipped though. This is a filler piece, not really a song.
Track 9 is called “Wonderworld”
This track starts off heavy, with some guy counting to 3 in the most bizarre way I have heard anybody count to 3 yet. The song is very complex again, yet not offensive to listen to. It turns out that this song too is full of time signature changes. These guys are insane, I just figured it out. I feel bad for the drummer who has to count all this stuff. Wow!
Very cool!
Track 10’s name is “Rapid Eye Movement”
This name makes me sleepy and also makes me want to dream of tall blonde Norwegian women wearing latex or “Gummi” as the say over there. As the name suggests, this is a very light airy sounding song that has a touch of Soundgarden built in towards the later parts. Again the styles keep changing and yet they all sound familiar.
Track 11 is named “Falling On Sleep”
This seamlessly spills over from the previous track and is basically a Rush style fadeout of the last song. A long ending of a song with it’s own name. I also get it now..long intro long beginning.
I made it to the end!...well actually I did listen to it several times and keep finding new things to notice every time.
Overview:
As a whole, this is one of those records that is just so full of amazing musical elements. There is definite Genius at work here. Even though the music is not exactly my preferred style, I fully appreciate the immense amount of talent and effort that went into making this CD.
One thing is for very sure, this is one of these records that you can just put on and chill out to. The music is not offensive and the tracks flow smooth from one into the next.
The production is amazing on this release. The band is hot, the drummer is Neal Peart like, and if you are into good complex music, you should definitely buy this CD.
This is very interesting stuff, indeed and should be heard at least once.
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Grimner
- Administrador
- Mensagens: 4290
- Registado: domingo mai 08, 2005 9:41 am
- Localização: Lisboa
- Contacto:
E links às criticas, ou pelo menos, dar o crédito aos autores das mesmas, não existe?
Eu já vi o raxx num papo seco
Hordes of Yore webpage
Hordes of Yore webpage
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