TheEyeOfRa

There’s a lot to be said about how strangely the Protomen’s legend has grown in the past two decades. What started as a masked band simply making dystopian sci-fi rock operas based on the Mega Man video games has become a great cult act of its own. And while their 70s and 80s-inspired music primarily factors into their grand epic storyline over 20 years in the making, I think it’s equally important to describe how their music has been perfectly timed for certain niche trends ... read more

Classic Albums — Episode #5: ‘Act II: The Father of Death’ by the Protomen

(WARNING: This review dives headfirst into HEAVY SPOILERS on this album’s storyline. If you have not listened to ‘Act II: The Father of Death’ yet and you care about spoilers, don’t read this review unless you’ve done so. But whether you care about a story’s spoilers or you don’t and choose to read ahead, I highly recommend giving this record a go. It’s ... read more

Thank you Martiqued for recommending this!

Wow. For something that passed under my radar 5 years ago, Meer’s ‘Playing House’ was a surprisingly good find. The songwriting on each song may seem simple in structure, but it’s actually always more complex in the arrangements. This is evident in the really dense instrumentation, which is full of different subtle layers that all take full advantage of the large eight-member lineup. I especially like the violin and piano ... read more

There was a time when Eluveitie ruled the folk metal world. Led by Chrigel Glanzmann co-fronting with clean vocalist Anna Murphy, this 8-member band had a legendary streak spanning five albums, starting with ‘Slania’ and culminating with the double-punch KO that was ‘Helvetios’ and ‘Origins’. That all happened over 10–15 years ago, in the early/mid-2010s. At a time when scene bands dominated metal, Eluveitie both held their own and helped give folk ... read more