Tuesday, June 23, 2015

#22 - Power of Omens



There are so many things to like about this terrific Prog Metal band from San Antonio, Texas.  1. Their chops are as formidable as just about any band of their genre, which is saying a lot when it comes to the ambitions of progressive metal.  2. There's a decent amount of flamenco-style guitar in the mix, which, while not completely unique, is pretty unusual, and, although I'm a layperson when it comes to flamenco music, band leader/guitarist David Gallegos sounds pretty legit to me.  3. Vocalist Chris Salinas is pretty much a dead ringer for one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time, Queensrÿche's brilliant Geoff Tate.  4. The drumming is so note-y and varied, both of their two albums (especially the first) sound like a percussion solo work with band accompaniment.  I mean it's completely unique, impressive and bizarre drumming.  5. Everyone likes the underdog right?  How many other predominantly Latino progressive metal bands do you know?  None, right?  Plus, they released on tiny labels Elevate and Metal Ages, and they hail from the musical Mecca of San Antone.


I came across Power of Omens just after the release of their second album, Rooms of Anguish, in 2003 thanks, I think, to the late great website mp3.com.  At that time, I think they had about six or seven songs available for download between the two albums, and I remember being blown away by progressive masterpieces "Word on a Line", "My Best to Be", "A Toast to Mankind", "With These Words" and the on of my favorite metal epics of all time, "Test of Wills".  I immediately bought the album and scoured the internet trying to find a copy of the debut, Eyes of the Oracle.  It was tough to find; I even sent an email to David who basically told me "good luck".  I eventually found a copy on Ebay for less than $40 and snatched it up.  Unfortunately, they split up a couple years later, but at least they left behind two classics of the genre and some of the most complex, densely orchestrated melodic metal I've ever heard.  Here's the studio version of "A Toast to Mankind" which illustrates some of the unique characteristics I mentioned above, followed by some terrific footage of the band playing that terrific epic, "Test of Wills" live at a bar in San Antonio, which is almost comical due to the juxtaposition of the proficiency of the musicians, the complexity of the music and the dramatic presentation against the ordinary, everyday setting.



Monday, June 15, 2015

#23 - Rage Against the Machine


I don't listen to them all that often, but whenever this Los Angeles quartet gets into my rotation, I always come away impressed and glad I gave them yet another listen.  Like with Mr. Bungle, I was introduced to Rage Against the Machine by a trumpet playing college friend who had great taste in music that was then woefully under-appreciated by me.  He came from more of an alt-rock background and... let's just say that I hope I'm more open-minded to different musical perspectives now than I was in the early 90's.  As a result, it took me a few years before I really gave their 1992 self-titled debut a chance.  Better late than never.


RAtM is often referenced as the pinnacle of rap-metal and the chief influence of the nu-metal genre that took off in the late 90's, and while those plaudits are true, I think they sell the band a bit short.  You can definitely hear the influences of earlier rap-punk bands Beastie Boys and Urban Dance Squad, as well as those of metal acts Anthrax and Faith No More, but you can also hear a distinct beatnik jazz influence in the vocal and instrumental rhythmic approach, and of course in the exaggerated, idealized poetry of the lyrics.  Add to that Tom Morello's unique approach to guitar solos, a super-stanky funk groove, and an extremely enthusiastic, energetic and earnest performance style, and you've got a wholly unique and convincing metal act.  Early on, I had a tough time with what I saw as outrageously over-the-top lyrical content, but over time I've come to appreciate it as, like a lot that I love about metal, an output of expressionist art that's simultaneously embarrassing and essential to the success of the music, and now they are to me a landmark band, as impressive and listenable today as they were over 20 years ago.  You probably remember the following songs, as they certainly weren't "underground", but they're a couple of favorites of mine, so here you go.  "Wake Up" was featured in transition to the closing credits of the great action/sci-fi film The Matrix, and besides a great groove and some interesting rhythmic shifts, features a spine-tingling crescendo to the coda where vocalist Zack de la Rocha screams desperately at the listener to "WAKE UP!".  And probably their most famous song, largely thanks to the shock value, "Killing in the Name" follows a similar formula - I'll close with a compelling live performance of it.  Just in case you somehow arrived here unawares and are sensitive to strong language, be warned: there is no hesitation on the part of this band to gleefully deploy f-bombs with frequency and heartfelt emotion.