1. This was one of the Tobor voice overs I did for Kajun's 3D project. He ended up using one of my others, but I love this one and think it leads nicely into the next song.
2. I think this song pretty well fits the theme of a Tobor cornholing. :p This was also my very first Finntroll song, so it has that bit of sentimental value to it. To be honest, I'm not sure what it was about this song that made me sit up and take notice... it probably had something to do with the fact that it featured the sound of accordions, and had an overall "evil circus" feel, which was totally novel to me. It's energetic, frantic, and fiendishly light hearted. Actually, you could say that about most Finntroll songs, and it's what endears them to me... That whole refusal to take themselves too seriously.
3. If Finntroll don't take themselves seriously enough, then Moonsorrow is a step (if only a small one) upwards on the seriousness scale. I chose this song because it is the embodiment of what the band seems to strive for, and that is to make epic music. Catchy rhythms mixed with folk/polka-influenced interludes, mead drinking, sword brandishing, primal screams, and a strong tavern-like chorus combine to create the ultimate legendary fantasy war/victory song. I can't quite describe my reaction upon first hearing it, but I have a feeling that I had a goofy grin on my face, and a desire to go pillage. As a side note, the keyboardist here is the same one as from Finntroll. I've read that he wants/wanted to make music for video games. I think he would make some incredible soundtracks. I wanted to include a load of his instrumental stuff from both bands just to illustrate the point, but I'll save that for another CD. Let's just say it would fit in with any fantasy video RPG.
4. After all that blood-boiling, viking-raiding, carnivalesque fun; I decided to calm things down a bit with this track by Otyg. Folk rock/metal through and through, Otyg charmed me from the first note. They have a bit of variety in the kinds of songs they put out, but the one hallmark of all their music is its bombast. Personally, I think that they are at their best when their songs are either a) adventureous, or b) melancholy. I opted for the latter because none of their best adventuresome songs follow the last song particularly well. This one offered a much more logical extension of the mood. On a personal note, I love the jews harp, especially in this song. *boing**boing*boing**boing*
5. Those of you who have played Dungeons & Dragons (or who are at least familiar with Tolkienesque fantasy) might come up with a similar vision as I did when this folk/metal song by Lumsk comes up. To me, it sounds like music being played in a tavern, sung by a duet consisting of a Dwarven bard and a barmaid. It's like they're telling the tale of a great hero who came bravely through the hall on his way to certain doom. Or maybe the Dwarf is singing about his greatest adventure into the halls of Toboria? That's what I love about music in a language I don't understand... I get to let my imagination run free with the imagery of the song without being guided by the lyrics. The band doesn't currently have a CD, so this song was from their samples page. Last I checked they had just gotten a recording contract, so I hope to see what else they have up their sleeve soon.
6. Here is a song by the band that my forum user character wears on his shirt. Vintersorg was probably my first introduction to the kind of music that's been played up to this point. The folk influence here is more subdued than in the previous songs, but it's still detectable. If the vocalists sound familiar, it's because Vintersorg (yeah, that's what the guy calls himself) was also the vocalist for Otyg... the female vocalist/violinist too. Actually, the two bands shared many of the same members, but kept themselves musically distinct, which I thought was pretty cool. This song brings to my mind an image of windswept seas, treking across a deadly glacier, a fight against a demon, and the rescue of a beautiful yet cruel goddess, whose reward to her rescuers is an icy kiss, and a frostbitten death. I may make a Maya animation inspired from/set to this song if I feel that I have the ability to do it justice
7. Okay, enough drama. It's time to break out the Porno Polka! I'm afraid there's nothing more to say about this. :)
8. This track isn't from a band, but from a video game. For a long time, I've been a big fan of video game music and felt that I should pay some homage to one of my favorite games of all time by including a piece of the soundtrack on this CD. Sadly, my favorite track (the one that sounds like a circus dirge played aboard a pirate ship) was unavailable to me in mp3 form, but I chose another that I really enjoyed. This music played while your main character had an out of body experience, and you play through the last few moments of some unfortunate other guy's life. This type of vision quest sequence happens a few times during the game to give you an insight into what you're up against. Sad to say, it's a Japanese only release.
9. Wow, a band singing in English! Morgion tend to play a kind of metal that is both heavy, and yet thoughtful. I think they're noteworthy for a few reasons, one of which is their sublime use of keyboards, the other of which is that even when he roars, I don't have much trouble making out the lyrics. This vocal style is something that so many people hold against death and doom/death metal, and I'll admit that at first I didn't care much for it... but Morgion (and also Novembers Doom, who I didn't include a track from) was the band that first made it palatable for me. After that, I began to look at other roaring / growling bands and was able to appreciate their vocalists not as traditional singers, but as people who use an exotic form of instrument, sometimes with incredible talent, sometimes not.
10. While the last track was brooding and intense, this one is (generally) more mellow in in mood. Umbra Nihil are a rather new band, and I'm really fond of the way they use their music to evoke the sense of floating in limbo. This song in particular fascinates me because it so perfectly captures an aquatic atmosphere. It has its moments of calm serenity, and turbulent waves. I really enjoy their atypical approach to metal, and can't wait to see what they come up with given more time to hone their skills. Incidentally, this version of the song is from their demo. I recently got ahold of the produced full album (it's the Aarni/Umbra Nihil Split, and available online for $4, amazingly). I was dissapointed that the master producers put a cheesy reverb effect on the vocals. This song is definitely better in its demo form, though the rest of the material ended up a little better on the split CD. The other band, Aarni, has a less conventional approach to music. "Reaching Azathoth" is probably his best song from that split. I might include it on another CD.
11. This song to me feels like it's rising slowly from the sea, and marching up the shore after the last song finishes drowning you. I don't know much about the band Garmarna aside from the fact that itsclark reccomends them. I heard this song and liked it, so here it is. :p
12. Another video game song. This one comes from Revelations: Persona... I really love this game, and despite the fact that when I first heard this music it sent me spiraling into insanity, I really love it too. No really, I love it. *evil grin* There's only one other piece of music I really enjoy as much as this one from Persona, but I unfortunately couldn't find it online anywhere. It's very operatic, unlike this one, which is just plain bouncy and happy.
13. Now that you've had your brief moment of sunshiney fun-time for the day, it's time for the sun to set... no, it's time for the world to shatter. Those of you who saw my 3D project might recognize the style of this band, because it's the same guys whose music I used as the soundtrack for it. I think what really gets me about these guys is their drummer. I think "crushing" is the most adequate word for his performance. This song appeals to me mainly because I see a video game here. I'm seeing a once vibrant modern city leveled into a desolate wasteland, with a thick enveloping fog that consumes the landscape. There are a couple of parts that also remind me of things like checking an inventory screen, fighting a battle, and victory afterwards.
14. I struggled with this choice. For the final track, I really wanted to pick a piece that screams THE END, and I had a number of choices in mind. While I almost picked something more serene, I decided to just finish the job that Evoken started with a piece by Shape of Despair. What I love most about this track starts at about the 3:30 minute mark, and lasts for the entire remaining 10 minutes. This song is called "Sylvan Night" for a very good reason. I don't think I've ever heard a song that so thoroughly and completely evokes an image of wandering through a haunted, enchanted forest lit by a full moon... one enshrouded with a light mist rolling through the lush evergreens. No animals in sight, no natural sounds... just a simultaneous feeling of soothing calm and nervous dread, puncutated by the gravely utterances of a vocalist who seems simultaneously stalking off in the distance and yet hovers just over your shoulder. And those eerie female vocals... they give me chills.
