Well,I've been wanting to post a new blog entry for a while but the inspiration has not been there. I'm pretty sure that in at least one of my previous blog posts I made a point of not wanting dwell on negativity. Quick quote, '' You say I dwell on the negative,well it's a part of my life'' ~ 100 Demons ''Hard Luck''(Conn. hardcore). I had to give props to those lyrics real quick. I still stick to that and despite a world of relative negativity,I don't want to spread that energy about. Are you feelin' me? 🙂
With that said,there has been something that I have been wanting to write about for quite some time now. You know,for as long back as I can remember music has always been a big part of my life. The interest,passion and respect I have for music will most certainly be one of the greatest things I take from and cherish in this life. It's beautiful,in all it's forms...even death metal mother fuckers..
This is kind of off blog topic but I'll quick enter it anyways. As far back as I can remember,one of my earliest musical favs was ''Down in a Hole'' by Alice in Chains. Recently,well a few months ago recently, I purchased the Unplugged performance by AIC on dvd. I found it hauntingly amazing how that song,''Down in a Hole'', has stayed so dear to me all these years and how in some ways it was a sign of things to come. I guess,''Sometimes you just know.'' 🙂...And a qucik tribute...
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Back to thee appropriate topic......As stated,I grew up on music,all kinds. The hardcore scene in the Troy,Albany,Cohoes area is legendary.I mean real hardcore basically originated here and in NYC.It's roots are deep and because of that I've had the priveledge of listening to all kinds of talented,kick ass,in your fuckin' face kinds of bands. Because of that local influence I've gained a real respect for metal and an ability to appreciate a great talent when I hear it.A few years ago there was a local music store that I frequented quite often. The owner and I were pretty cool and he always hooked me up with free sample cd's. On a side note,that store sadly went out of business...I fuckin' miss that place. 😡 One of the samplers he gave me was the album '11 Dreams' by Mercenary.For a long time that cd sat in a pile of other unlistened to albums.Hey,one can only listen to so much music.In time,that sampler would become one of favorite albums of all time and introduce me to a truly remarkable,ground breaking and fuckin' timeless band. (I'm jammin' ''Falling'' right now as a matter of fact)
Metal is not for everyone and even for those who enjoy it there are many flavors. In all of my years of listening to metal,hardcore,punk rock,hip hop,whatever label you wanna place,I have never,let me repeat that,NEVER been so taken by a band as I was with Mercenary......I could really go off on a ramble about this band. I have to try and find a place where to start here. I believe it was a combimation of things that made me embrace this band the way I did.First off,they're incredibly diverse.Unbelievably diverse. Their abiltiy to transition from one beat or rhythm to another is surreal.It's so fluid that I found it hard to grasp.More than once,on multiple albums,I found myself thinking,''Can a band really be this good?'' Double bass,crazy guitar solos,deeply poetic lyrics,keyboards,a blend of clean vocals and screams...they have it all.In my opinion,and this could be very debatable among metalheads,I believe the lead singer has the best voice in THE HISTORY of metal.Yeah,I said it.Indescribable vocals along with amazing lyrics.
The albums ''Everblack'',''11 Dreams'', ''The Hours that Remain'' and ''Architect of Lies'' are among the most diverse and unique yet the most soundly fluid one could imagine.Each album is so amazingly different yet so equally masterful.Around the time that I really got into this band things were pretty chaotic elsewhere. I found myself trying to embrace the beauty and renew a lust and desire for life when appreciating these works and couldn't be more thankful. I was spending a lot of time outdoors,hiking,embracing photography(I actually have a camera now)..lol. It was a very special,spiritual time amidst a world of nothing. The combination of trying to renew my appreciation of nature and life and this amazing music made for a spectacular relationship.Those feelings are now embodied in the beats and lyrics of this music.The music of Mercenary will always have a timeless place in my heart. 🙂 It's not everyday that I pay respect to a band or artist but felt strongly about this.
I could continue to go on but will stop myself now. I'll end this post with a fantastic Mercenary mix found on Youtube....
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With that said,there has been something that I have been wanting to write about for quite some time now. You know,for as long back as I can remember music has always been a big part of my life. The interest,passion and respect I have for music will most certainly be one of the greatest things I take from and cherish in this life. It's beautiful,in all it's forms...even death metal mother fuckers..
This is kind of off blog topic but I'll quick enter it anyways. As far back as I can remember,one of my earliest musical favs was ''Down in a Hole'' by Alice in Chains. Recently,well a few months ago recently, I purchased the Unplugged performance by AIC on dvd. I found it hauntingly amazing how that song,''Down in a Hole'', has stayed so dear to me all these years and how in some ways it was a sign of things to come. I guess,''Sometimes you just know.'' 🙂...And a qucik tribute...<object width="220" height="155"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HsucxjYnlTA?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HsucxjYnlTA?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="220" height="155" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
Back to thee appropriate topic......As stated,I grew up on music,all kinds. The hardcore scene in the Troy,Albany,Cohoes area is legendary.I mean real hardcore basically originated here and in NYC.It's roots are deep and because of that I've had the priveledge of listening to all kinds of talented,kick ass,in your fuckin' face kinds of bands. Because of that local influence I've gained a real respect for metal and an ability to appreciate a great talent when I hear it.A few years ago there was a local music store that I frequented quite often. The owner and I were pretty cool and he always hooked me up with free sample cd's. On a side note,that store sadly went out of business...I fuckin' miss that place. 😡 One of the samplers he gave me was the album '11 Dreams' by Mercenary.For a long time that cd sat in a pile of other unlistened to albums.Hey,one can only listen to so much music.In time,that sampler would become one of favorite albums of all time and introduce me to a truly remarkable,ground breaking and fuckin' timeless band. (I'm jammin' ''Falling'' right now as a matter of fact)
Metal is not for everyone and even for those who enjoy it there are many flavors. In all of my years of listening to metal,hardcore,punk rock,hip hop,whatever label you wanna place,I have never,let me repeat that,NEVER been so taken by a band as I was with Mercenary......I could really go off on a ramble about this band. I have to try and find a place where to start here. I believe it was a combimation of things that made me embrace this band the way I did.First off,they're incredibly diverse.Unbelievably diverse. Their abiltiy to transition from one beat or rhythm to another is surreal.It's so fluid that I found it hard to grasp.More than once,on multiple albums,I found myself thinking,''Can a band really be this good?'' Double bass,crazy guitar solos,deeply poetic lyrics,keyboards,a blend of clean vocals and screams...they have it all.In my opinion,and this could be very debatable among metalheads,I believe the lead singer has the best voice in THE HISTORY of metal.Yeah,I said it.Indescribable vocals along with amazing lyrics.
The albums ''Everblack'',''11 Dreams'', ''The Hours that Remain'' and ''Architect of Lies'' are among the most diverse and unique yet the most soundly fluid one could imagine.Each album is so amazingly different yet so equally masterful.Around the time that I really got into this band things were pretty chaotic elsewhere. I found myself trying to embrace the beauty and renew a lust and desire for life when appreciating these works and couldn't be more thankful. I was spending a lot of time outdoors,hiking,embracing photography(I actually have a camera now)..lol. It was a very special,spiritual time amidst a world of nothing. The combination of trying to renew my appreciation of nature and life and this amazing music made for a spectacular relationship.Those feelings are now embodied in the beats and lyrics of this music.The music of Mercenary will always have a timeless place in my heart. 🙂 It's not everyday that I pay respect to a band or artist but felt strongly about this.
I could continue to go on but will stop myself now. I'll end this post with a fantastic Mercenary mix found on Youtube....
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