en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal The Last.fm journal for LilCthulhu. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2011/12/20/5949l2_my_2011_top_5 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:56:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2011/12/20/5949l2_my_2011_top_5 My Top 5 - 2011
par Christian Morency, 20 décembre 2011, à 14:50
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Top 5 CDs
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1. Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance - 2011
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This is the best of the best of progressive metal. From two original members of Fates Warning, one of the first american band influenced both by the British Wave of Heavy Metal and progressive bands, long before Dream Theater "improved" but "manufactured" the sound. Jim Matheos rejoins with original Fates Warning singer John Arch and delivers awesome riffs, complexity while maintaining melodic nuance. Somehow very modern yet very classic metal sounding, the drumming of Bobby Jarzombek has nothing to envy from the like of Portnoy and Zonder. Finally, Frank Aresti layers additional guitars. Finally, where all progressive metal singers don't push the "genre", John Arch is probably the only real "progressive" singers both in melody and lyrics.

2. Iced Earth - Dystopia - 2011
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Following the departure of Matt Barlow, Jon Shaffer delivers the best classic metal album in years. Newly-come singer Stu Block has nothing to envy from Matt Barlow and proves himself as a new voice of metal to recon with. Inspired by sci-fi flicks like Dark City, Equilibrium, Soylent Green and V For Vendetta, the production led by, yet again, the Morris Brothers is flawless… Unfortunately, lyrically does not provide enough considering the inspiration and material available.

3. Royal Hunt - Show Me How To Live - 2011
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Andre Anderson has once again re-teamed with singer DC Cooper to finally give fans a follow-up to Moving Target (1995) and Paradox (1997). DC Cooper's voice is soaring throwout this awesome CD. Neo-classically influenced and pretty kitsch, yet again, the voices carries their duties and you are once again in Royal Hunt territory. Unfortunately, the production is not perfect. In the mix, drums are too thin, symphonic synth patches sounds dated but the overall songwriting, melodies and Cooper's voice saves the day. Definitively for fans of Royal Hunt or Shadow Gallery. Great Songwriting !!!

4. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events - 2011
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Following the "unfortunate" departure of Mike Portnoy, the band seems to explore their past sound and provide us with a pretty good follow-up to Images & Words. Unfortunately, the guitar riffs seems uninspired, locked in the past but yet dream-theaterish. Jordan Rudess seems to finally restrain himself on the keyboard, providing us with better melodic passages and less "too-much-notes-a-la-mozart-vs-salieri". The lyrical content is flawlessly sang by James Labrie, however they dare manage to give us a worst song than Anna Lee in Far From Heavens. "No one has truly the answers" now come on, that's only the beginning of the kitschiest song ever… even Royal hunt would agree !!! Skip that one please. Newly come Mancini does fill the duty of the studio drummer and is flawless but we still long for Portnoy's return ONLY and ONLY if they, once again, push the boundaries of prog/metal, something they haven't done since Scenes From A Memory pt 2. The Mastering sounds a little bit thin and all guitars/bass are somehow lost in the mix. Yet, this album provides me with my favorite song from Dream Theater in the past few years with Outcry (What an awesome guitar riff).

5. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon - Wish You Were Here - Deluxe Experience Edition - 2011
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I'll keep it KISS (keep it simple and stupid) for this one. Awesome Production ! Awesome Remastering ! Great Bonuses ! Looking forward to The Walls and Animal Deluxe Experience Edition.

Runner up
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Symphony X - Iconoclast - 2011: Once again, Russell Allen proves himself to be one of the best singer in Prog/Metal today both by his respectful "growlness" approach… One of the best lead singer !

Looking forward to in 2012
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OSI, Fates Warning, Sykes/Portnoy, Adrenaline Mob

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Top 5 Series
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Note: I haven't watched Dexter latest season yet…

1. Fringe - Season 1-4
2. Sons Of Anarchy - Season 1-4
3. Californication - Season 4
4. Curb Your Enthusiasm - Season 8
5. Mad Men - Season 4

Runner Up: Nurse Jackie - Season 3
Looking forward to in 2012 : All of the above, Dexter Season 6, BSG: Blood and Chrome

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Top 1 Movies (Movies are boring HmKay !)
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1. Les Aventures de Tintin: Le secret de la Licorne

Looking forward to in 2012 : Tron 3, Les Aventures de Tintin: Le Tresor de Rackham Le Rouge

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Top 3 Books (Yep should read more... Used too until I read bored by Tad William's The Otherland cycle
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1. Joseph Campbell - The Hero With A Thousand Faces - 1949
2. Kenny Handelman, M.D. - Attention Difference Disorder - 2011
3. David Zindell - Neverness - 1988

Looking forward to in 2012 - FINALLY reading A Requiem For Homo Sapiens Trilogy (Neverness cycle)

Arch MatheosDream TheaterFates WarningOSIIced EarthPink FloydRoyal Hunt]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/12/19/2cepbd_my_2008_top_5 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:38:42 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/12/19/2cepbd_my_2008_top_5 A tradition of sort among friends. Whatever you liked or listened to in 2008.

ALBUMS

1. Coheed and Cambria: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
ref: rock / prog / metal / rush / the police

2. Avenged Sevenfold: Diamonds in the Rough
ref: hard rock / prog / metal / emo / guns n roses / iron maiden

3. Guns N Roses: Chinese Democracy
ref: hard rock / pop / jazzy / many / guns n roses / bee gees

4. Fiction Plane: Left Side of the Brain
ref: pop / new wave / the police

5. Kamelot: Ghost Opera
ref: prog / metal / queensryche / dream theater

HONORABLE MENTIONS

X. Children of Bodom: Blooddrunk
ref: heavy / metal / iron maiden

X. Muse: Black Holes And Revelations
ref: prog / rush / pink floyd

X. Symphony X: Paradise Lost
ref: prog / heavy / metal / dream theater

DISCOGRAPHY:

1. Muse
ref: prog / rush / pink floyd

2. The Tea Party
ref: prog / rock / led zeppelin / the doors

3. Threshold
ref: prog / rock / metal / dream theater

4.Coheed and Cambria
ref: prog / rock / metal / rush / the police

5. Royal Hunt
ref: prog / pop / metal / dream theater

SERIES

1. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0

2. Lost: Season 4

3. Dexter: Season 3

4. Band Of Brothers

5. Desperate Housewives: 5]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/12/17/2cac6s_the_australian_pink_floyd_show Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:43:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/12/17/2cac6s_the_australian_pink_floyd_show Tue 16 Dec – The Australian Pink Floyd Show

Was unbelievable !!! The sound was perfect. The band was great. Complete Wall set list with the following songs as encore :

Time
The Great Gig In The Sky
Learning To Fly
Wish You Were Here
Brain Damage
One Of These Days

One of the best show I've been to all considered.

Did I say the sound was immaculate ?]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/10/24/28mwxj_critical_acclaim Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:00:37 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/10/24/28mwxj_critical_acclaim
Critical Acclaim

Welcome to Bat Country, Avenged Sevenfold is currently the band I listen most to, and it's relatively a new band compared to what I usually listen to. Those young guys have everything needed in a band: great attitute, good technics, good songwriting and everything a band needs to succeed ! Great frontman, great guitarist, awesome rhythm guitar, a punk bassman AND a drummer involved in songwriting !

Originally started as a semi-hardcore-emo band, it's now clearly a hard-rock-metal band with a touch of progressive rock thrown in. They range from country to hard rock to metal to vaudeville songs ! Amazing act reminiscent of Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Iron Maiden.

Their latest studio album Avenged Sevenfold features those styles done properly. Some great songs: Almost Easy, Afterlife and the awesome A Little Piece of Heaven

Personal picks: Avenged Sevenfold; City of Evil; Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/21/24ihca_forever_and_one_%28neverland%29 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:17:53 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/21/24ihca_forever_and_one_%28neverland%29
Forever And One (Neverland)

Helloween is one of these bands I can't say I'm a huge fan of, but I like them enough to enjoy most of their releases. Lately, a friend of mine lend me the latest album from Helloween's second singer : Michael Kiske. An album on which he covers, acoustically, some of their early songs when he sang with the band. From then on, I knew I had to listen to their full discography... The last album I heard from them was The Time Of The Oath.

Some people say they prefer the Michael Kiske era, I don't have a preference. So I rediscovered a lot of their good songs and enjoyed my favorites ones, once again: Eagle Fly Free, Your Turn, When The Sinner, In The Middle Of A Heartbeat and Forever and One. I was not impressed by their later releases although I must admit to be quite fond of the last one, Gambling With The Devil.

Personal picks: Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part II; Chameleon; Master Of The Rings.

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/19/24feaz_everything_will_never_be_ok Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:57:07 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/19/24feaz_everything_will_never_be_ok
Everything Will Never Be OK

Two friends of mine suggested that I listened to Fiction Plane, so I did. Being a big fan of The Police, I was at first very skeptical about a band featuring the son of Sting, Joe Sumner. My friends told me that it kind of sounded like The Police and that Joe Sumner had his father's voice... So I listened to them and was surprised. They can't deny their influences, but they can really stand up next to them. Fiction Plane are good musicians with great songs like Two Sisters and Cold Water Symmetry ! I will listen to them again and again...

Personal picks: Left Side Of The Brain; Everything Will Never Be OK

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/18/24d2m8_welcome_home Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:13:47 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/18/24d2m8_welcome_home
Welcome Home

I discovered Coheed and Cambria while playing their tracks on Rockband and from the moment I heard them, I knew I had to hear more from these guys ! With a progressive metal sound ranging from Rush meets Metallica meets Pink Floyd, you would guess that their sound would pretty much like Dream Theater, but no ! I don't know why but there's also something quite reggae in the style reminiscent of The Police. Enough to say that they are one of the most original band I've heard in a while.

Not only they do "concept albums" but they are a "concept band" as all their songs are inspired by a storyline and comic book adaptation from guitarist and singer Claudio Sanchez. Welcome Home, Ten Speed (Of God's Blood & Burial) and A Favor House Atlantic are great tracks to listen to, but I can't but put on a smile when I see a song title like 2113 knowing that even if they try to deny their Rush influence, they can't really !

Personal picks:
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness; No World For Tomorrow; In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/15/248kvr_the_swing_of_things Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:07:25 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/15/248kvr_the_swing_of_things
The Swing of Things

Never considered myself as a big a-ha fan. But I have always liked their East of the Sun West of the Moon album back when it was released and have listened to it from time to time. I particularly enjoy the warm acoustic tone !

While listening to their complete discography, I was astonished by the maturity and quality of their second release. Especially the title song Scoundrel Days.

Unlike returning artist from the 80's, their last three releases are very good albums especially Minor Earth Major Sky which really stands out as my favorite album from this norwegian band.

Personal picks: Minor Earth Major Sky; East of the Sun West of the Moon; Scoundrel Days

]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/05/23ooh7_so_far_so_good_so_what Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:23:51 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/05/23ooh7_so_far_so_good_so_what
So Far So Good So What

Complete Discographies

I decided earlier this year that, by joining Last.fm, I should start listening to complete discographies of bands I either like or that I've always wanted to hear more stuffs from. I've mainly excluded live albums and compilations to focus only on studio albums.

I've been pretty much serious about this approach and I've been successful not "enforcing" my current listening habbits to my family and fellow co-workers. Even though I've been complaining about "f@ckin' my last.fm stats" or suggesting some stuff to others ;)

So far, here's what I've been listing to, When I have the time, I plan on adding journal entries for each one.

a-ha; Avenged Sevenfold; A Perfect Circle; Bedouin Soundclash; Breaking Benjamin; Brian Setzer Orchestra; Children of Bodom; Coheed and Cambria; Bon Jovi; David Gilmour; Def Leppard; Depeche Mode; Dream Theater; Duran Duran; Fates Warning; Fiction Plane; Guns N Roses; Helloween; Iron Maiden; Joe Satriani; John Mayer; Jon Bon Jovi;Kamelot; Kiss; Lacuna Coil; Led Zeppelin; Liquid Tension Experiment; Marillion; Megadeth; Metallica; Muse; Nine Inch Nails; OSI; Pearl Jam; Porcupine Tree;Queen; Queensryche; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Rhapsody of Fire;Richie Sambora; Royal Hunt; Rush; Savatage; Scorpions; Shadow Gallery; Silent Force;Sonata Artica;Soundgarden; Steve Vai; Stratovarius; Stray Cats; Symphony X; Tad Morose; Temple of the Dog; The Cult; The Cure; The Doors; The Gathering; The Police; The Tea Party; The White Stripes; Threshold; Tool; Van Halen;

Currently listening to Sting's discography;]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/05/23oogh_welcome_to_the_machine Tue, 5 Aug 2008 14:23:27 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LilCthulhu/journal/2008/08/05/23oogh_welcome_to_the_machine
Welcome to the Machine

Hey, first entry in my Last.fm journal ;) I could tell you how about my life... but my
Facebook profile does that...

So here are some of my favourite bands :

30 Seconds to Mars; AFI; Avenged Sevenfold; Coheed and Cambria; Dream Theater; Fates Warning; Guns N' Roses; Iron Maiden; Megadeth; Metallica; Pink Floyd; The Police; Queensrÿche; Royal Hunt; Rush; Savatage; Shadow Gallery; Symphony X; The Tea Party; Threshold;

See ya...]]>