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Queen of Liars

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Blog Entries posted by Queen of Liars

  1. Queen of Liars
    These have been released to celebrate the return of the metal band earthtone9 and their new album IV, and since I used to collect playing cards back when I still did a lot of sleight of hand, I figured I might as well pick them up.
     

     
    They are very nice and a fine addition to my collection. Excuse the not-so-great picture though, I seem to have forgotten how to use my camera.
    Now I'm actually considering starting to collect interesting decks of cards again.
     
    And I should also probably mention that earthtone9 released a 16 track 'best of' compilation as a free download if anyone is interested in them. I can't really tag them with a genre, but I've heard them called progressive, alternative and post-metal, so there's that.
  2. Queen of Liars
    Having done my last exam a couple of days ago, I have now finished my second year of university, which feels pretty good.
    The exam in question was really nasty, and I don't think I did very well on it. Still, I doubt it was bad enough to not even pass, and my assignments were good, so that will bump the grade up.
    This year hasn't been anywhere near as good as the last. It's been really stressful and I'm glad it's finally over. It feels really nice to be able to relax guilt-free for a while and I can finally start catching up on all the movies and games I've bought.
     
    Also, got my hands on this:
     

     
    Steelbook DVDs are pretty awesome.
    Now I just have to wait for Ghost in the Shell: Arise to finish and hopefully get an actual release over here. I'd very much like to have a complete GitS collection.
  3. Queen of Liars
    Received my copy of the 20th anniversary reissue of Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse today.
    One of the most well regarded and influential black metal albums, and for very good reason.
     

     
    That cover art is so good.
    It's a 2 CD package, with the first disc containing the remastered album, and the second containing a previously unreleased alternative mix of the album, along with a few rare tracks from EPs and demos they did around the time.
     
    This is also a good excuse to show off my collection of Emperor and Ihsahn's solo albums.
     

     
    Stacked them up Ryuujin style because my desk isn't big enough for 11 albums side by side.
     
    On the left, we have the Emperor stuff:
     
    In the Nightside Eclipse
    Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
    IX Equilibrium (Special Edition)
    Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise
    Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath
    In the Nightside Eclipse (20th Anniversary Edition)
     
    And on the right, Ihshan stuff:
     
    The Adversary
    angL
    After (Limited Edition)
    Eremita (Limited Edition)
    Das Seelenbrechen (Limited Edition)
     
     
    With that, it should come as no surprise that Ihsahn is one of my favourite artists. He's definitely one of the most interesting artists to follow because he always strives to experiment and stretch the boundaries of extreme metal, from the first Emperor album all the way to Das Seelenbrechen, which in my opinion eclipses even Anthems... as the best thing he's done.
    He's working on a new album for this year and I absolutely can't wait to see where he goes next.
  4. Queen of Liars

    Velcra

    By Queen of Liars,

    Well, I thought I'd share an album I recently discovered and am loving: Hadal by Velcra.
    Velcra made some great industrial metal with their first two albums, but the fantastic third album Hadal is more of a combination of industrial rock, electronic and trip hop. I almost want to say that it's like a heavier, industrial version of Portishead.
     


     
    Unfortunately, I am completely unable to find a copy of the album for sale anywhere. The best I could find was the MP3 download on Amazon, but no sign of a CD copy.
  5. Queen of Liars
    15 - Asia, Urban Dance and Warpath by Boris
     

     
    I'm going to treat these three albums as one for the purposes of this list, just to make it easier. Which should be fine, since they were released at the same time, and are obviously meant to be part of the same trilogy.
    They released a pretty big album last year, so for the most part this is just Boris relaxing a bit and doing some noise and drone rather than writing songs, and as usual, doing it very well. Usually one probably wouldn't describe releasing three albums at once as "relaxing", but this is Boris after all.
    However, between all the noise and soundscapes, there is an actual song hidden here. Surrender, which is the second track on Urban Dance, is actually a very nice post rock piece, interspliced with a little bit of noise, which comes as a nice surprise.
     
     
    14 - Hades (The Nine Stages of Change at the Deceased Remains) by 死んだ僕の彼女 (My Dead Girlfriend)
     

     
    I know it might seem like this would be a pretty bleak album, but it's actually some pretty upbeat shoegaze/noise pop, though there is the occasional darker and more atmospheric song. A very enjoyable album with some great melodies and riffs, as well as some truly fantastic atmosphere on those occasional tracks.
     
     
    13 - A N D by tricot
     

     
    Not quite as good as T H E, but still an excellent math rock album. Catchy, and filled with great instrumentation.
     
     
    12 - Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper by Merzbow, Mats Gustafsson, Balázs Pándi & Thurston Moore
     

     
    A big collaboration resulting in a great free improvisation record, with plenty of harsh noise and jazz within. A very crushing and abrasive album, but one that is quite the experience.
     
     
    11 - The Dreaming I by Akhlys
     

     
    That cover sure reminds me of Behemoth's The Satanist from last year. As do some aspects of the music contained within. I mean, it's not a rip-off or anything, with the music being quite different, but Akhlys definitely took some inspiration from that album here, and have created a great black metal album with elements of dark ambient, and much like The Satanist, a great sense of atmosphere and grandeur.
     
     
    10 - Graveward by Sigh
     

     
    The production on this album may be quite bad, but it does not hide Sigh's signature avant-garde/black metal brilliance. Great riffs, excellent songwriting, and of course the usual Sigh weirdness.
     
     
    9 - Atheist's Cornea by Envy
     

     
    An excellent mix of post-rock and post-hardcore, with some great atmosphere, and moments of both slow beauty, and fast paced aggression.
     
     
    8 - Abyss by Chelsea Wolfe
     

     
    A mesmerising album of haunting and ethereal beauty, which sounds exactly what the cover looks like - dark, eerie and desolate.
     
     
    7 - Into the Shadows by Anoice
     

     
    A beautiful and melancholy album, blending post-rock with modern classical for some incredible compositions. It's very easy to get lost in the world that this album creates.
     
     
    6 - Fantasy Empire by Lightning Bolt
     

     
    An excellent noise rock/math rock album, with some fantastic instrumentation. The production gives it a very nice sound, with a layer of noise and muted vocals over top of the band rocking out on their instruments. Amazing riffs too.
     
     
    5 - Frozen Niagara Falls by Prurient
     

     
    A terrifying mass of harsh noise and industrial, which you can't break away from. It grabs and suffocates you, while taking you on a journey through bleak and hopeless soundscapes, with the occasional glimmer of beauty which inevitably gets drowned out in cold darkness. An experience unlike anything else.
     
     
    4 - Sgùrr by Thy Catafalque
     
     

     
    An amazing progressive metal album with an avant-garde flavour. Full of long and winding songs with incredible instrumentation and unique atmosphere, often going off in unpredictable directions. The riffs on this thing are seriously out of this world.
     
     
    3 - The Plague Within by Paradise Lost
     

     
    Paradise Lost continue their streak of perfect albums, this time seeing the return of growls and other death metal elements which have been long absent. Combining these elements with their current sound, Paradise Lost have achieved one of the best albums of their long and already highly impressive career. Great songwriting and riffs, their own brand of haunting beauty, the occasional symphonic elements, it's all here and it all makes for an incredible album.
     
     
    2 - The Battle of Being by Outside the Coma
     

     
    The latest project of Mikee Goodman, known for SikTh and Primal Rock Rebellion, is quite a wild ride. I don't even know how to describe it, to be honest. I guess that SikTh would be the closest point of comparison, but the experimentation and insanity is turned up to a whole different level here. It's a bizarre and eccentric album, and probably the best thing that Mikee's done, which is definitely no small praise when that means outdoing SikTh.
     
     
    1 - Freedom by Refused
     

     
    It's been 17 years since Refused revolutionised music with The Shape of Punk to Come - which I happen to think is the best album of all time. And for those 17 years, the world was convinced that there would never be another Refused album. Yet, here we are. And I couldn't be happier about it.
    Is Freedom as good as TSoPtC? No, of course not, don't be silly. It's not even close. Nothing is. So it's a good thing that Refused are not concerned with trying to replicate it, and instead do the same thing they've always done: change their sound with every album and never stop evolving.
    17 years, but Refused have not aged a day. The band is still as skilled and talented as they've ever been, and deliver an album of infectious punk anthems with plenty of twists to keep it interesting and unique. Although lacking the bold experimentation of the previous album, there's still plenty of new ideas here, and the excellent songwriting has not gone anywhere.
    Welcome back, Refused. Long live the New Noise.
     
     
     
    So that's my list done. Now it's time for the honourable mentions, since I can't be bothered to do a separate entry for them this year:
     
    Thier by Amestigon
    Arcturian by Arcturus
    Crypt of the NecroDancer OST by Danny Baranowsky
    Near Death Revelations by Blaze of Perdition
    The Devil by Blue Stahli
    Psychic Warfare by Clutch
    Lore by Elder
    Beware the Sword You Cannot See by A Forest of Stars
    Holographic Violence by Grave Babies
    Enki by Melechesh
    II by METZ
    Exercises in Futility by Mgła
    Autumn Eternal by Panopticon
    Monotony Fields by Shape of Despair
    International Blackjazz Society by Shining
    Opacities by SikTh
    Ordeal by Skepticism
    The Ride Majestic by Soilwork
    Never Were the Way She Was by Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld
    The Moon Lit Our Path by Tempel
    The Children of the Night by Tribulation
     
     
    And that concludes my look back at 2015's music. Here's hoping that 2016 is anywhere near as good.
  6. Queen of Liars
    Getting the notification "you have been given a warning" is a bit unsettling when you have forgotten that you renewed your premier membership.
     
    And other than that, I still don't have much to blog about. My first coursework was set on Monday, and it involves 3000 words about the European Convention on Human Rights... done in a website FAQ format. I really hate doing writing that is supposed to be done like a website or magazine article, especially when it's just not something that you would actually see in an article. I'd much rather just do a 6000 word dissertation on it. But oh well, I'll have to live with it.
     
    Tomorrow I'll be going to see Devin Townsend, so that should be fun. Would love to go see his London show, The Retinal Circus, on Saturday as that is going to be his biggest show yet, but it's sold out an I don't really have money to spend on it anyway. Admittedly, that probably wouldn't stop me, so it's good that it's sold out.
  7. Queen of Liars
    ...was as awesome as everyone says it was. Brilliant film, and I'm considering going to see it again.
     
    Although I would have preferred not being shown the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises before the film. I like not having anything spoiled, thanks very much.
  8. Queen of Liars
    Well, handed in my final English and History coursework pieces today, and it feels good to have that done.
    Sadly, no time to relax, got to prepare for exams now.
     
    *Sigh* Can't wait for the summer, although I'll probably spend it being worried about results and whether I'll get into university...
  9. Queen of Liars
    One of my favourite record labels - Century Media - mark their 25th anniversary this year and have released 25 of their classic albums as limited 2CD editions, which is pretty cool.
    I got myself City by Strapping Young Lad today and will probably end up getting Paradise Lost's In Requiem despite owning the original, just for the second CD and because that album means quite a lot to me.
    Might also use these reissues to get some albums by bands I've been wanting to try out, like Turisas, Iced Earth and Tiamat.
    And of course I find out about these reissues just as I was thinking I should probably cut down on the money I spend on music... Ah well.
  11. Queen of Liars

    Paris

    By Queen of Liars,

    Hey, something that actually merits a blog entry. Gonna have a bit of a spontaneous trip to Paris for New Year, because why not I guess.
     
    I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, and staying for about five days. It'll be really nice to get away from everything for a short while before my January exams start. Really not looking forward to those, I'll admit.
     
    Not sure what the internet situation will be like, but hopefully I'll get some access. I'd like not to be too late with my albums of the year list, as this time I've actually gone through my entire backlog already.
     
    It'd be nice to catch the remainder of the Steam sale too, even though it's been really underwhelming so far. Picked up The Wolf Among Us and Transistor (+ soundtrack), and that's it.
    I'm actually really disappointed that Invisible, Inc didn't win the last community vote. It's one of the games that I'm the most excited for, and while it is still in early access, it's by one of the few developers who actually do early access right. That it didn't even lose to a noteworthy game just rubs salt in the wound.
  12. Queen of Liars
    Decided to finally spend some of the money I got for my birthday and got all this stuff in the last couple of days.
    You know, just to make sure I have things to distract me from doing university assignments and revising for exams.
  13. Queen of Liars
    So, I went into the kitchen intending to get myself a cup of mint green tea, daydreaming as I did so, and everything seemed fine in the moment. However, it was only upon returning to my room and taking a sip of said tea when I noticed that it tasted a bit odd, at which point I came to the realisation that what I have actually made was, in fact, a cup of coffee.
    I am not sure how I went through the whole process without it even occurring to me that I was making an entirely different drink, which I keep on an entirely different shelf and consume from an entirely different mug.
    It seems that I either have a caffeine problem or really need to get some sleep for once. Probably both.
     
    And yes, I have nothing else noteworthy to blog about, in case you're wondering.
    Mostly just trying to finish off my coursework and prepare for the two exams at the end of the month, which have me a bit worried.
    It's hard to believe that my first year of university is already almost over.
  14. Queen of Liars
    Had my Sociology exam today and am now official done with exams. Forever. Well, until university.
    It went quite well, but the 33 mark question was all kinds of nasty. "Assess whether interpretivist methods are appropriate for sociological research". Eugh, that's the one specific question I was hoping would not come up. Still, I think I did pretty well on it, and the other three questions were very nice, especially since one of the 21 mark questions was on suicide. So hopefully I got that A I need.
     
    And now a whole summer of doing nothing and not caring about anything eduction related at all. Until results day, anyway.
  15. Queen of Liars
    So, some drunk students in my accommodation apparently thought it would be funny to activate the fire alarm at 4 AM, thus waking everyone up and making them go stand outside in the cold for 20 minutes.
     
    It's fine really, not like I was planning to get a decent amount of sleep for once before a day at university or anything >.>
  16. Queen of Liars
    It's been a while since my last music collection post, so here's my recently completed collection of Rage Against the Machine related stuff:
     

    ^Click for a slightly bigger picture
     
    So, here's what we have, going left to right:
     
    The special edition 20th anniversary reissue of the self-titled album.
     
    Rage Against the Machine stuff consisting of:
    Rage Against the Machine
    Evil Empire
    The Battle of Los Angeles
    Renegades
    Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
    Bulls on Parade single
    Guerrilla Radio single
     
    Tom Morello's solo project, The Nightwatchman:
    One Man Revolution
    The Fabled City
    Union Town EP
    World Wide Rebel Songs
     
    No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out, which was Zack de la Rocha's pre-RAtM hardcore punk band
     
    The self-titled One Day as a Lion EP, which is a project Zack formed after RAtM
     
    ...and that's it. With the B-sides from the singles and the bonus tracks from the self-titled reissue, I think I have every song RAtM have recorded, as well as the band members' other worthwhile projects.
     
    What's that? 'Audioslave'? You must be mistaken. I don't think such a band exists, and if they did I probably wouldn't be a fan.
  17. Queen of Liars
    Well, after a couple of days of unpacking we're starting to settle into the new house. My room is pretty much done now, although not that it matters much anyway, since in just over a month I'll be packing my things up again for university.
    Still, just need to unpack a few more things and hang up some posters and it'll be set. It's a fair bit smaller than my room in the old house, but again it doesn't really matter as I won't be spending much time here once I'm back at university.
     
    Took some pictures (which are of poor quality because it's 11:30 pm and thus there's no natural light... and maybe I'm no longer as good with a camera as I like to think): [1] [2] [3] [4]
     
    My desk and bookshelf are a lot smaller than the old ones so a lot of my stuff will have to stay in boxes and be stored under my bed or on top of my wardrobe. Only have enough room for half of my CDs on the shelf Also not enough room for a chair, so I have to awkwardly sit on the edge of my bed when I want to use the computer.
  18. Queen of Liars
    Before I do my top albums list, I thought I'd give a quick mention to some albums that didn't quite make it, but still deserve to be recognised:
     
     
    Kveikur by Sigur Rós - A beautiful post-rock album with hints of dream-pop and a rather dark and foreboding atmosphere which makes for a pretty interesting listen.
     
    Sunbather by Deafheaven - A fantastic cross between shoegaze and black metal that pulls you in and doesn't let go until the album ends.
     
    Seesaw by Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa - The second collaboration by these two, and between Hart's soulful voice and Bonamassa's fantastic guitar playing, it makes for a great blues rock album.
     
    Pain Is Beauty by Chelsea Wolfe - A fitting title for this dark and atmospheric journey through quite a mixture of genres.
     
    Quartoze Pièces de Menace by Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones - A very interesting combination of dark jazz and drone. It is beautifully composed, but carries with it a sense of foreboding doom.
     
    Colored Sands by Gorguts - A fantastic technical death metal record that is crushingly heavy, but maintaining a powerful atmosphere. The instrumentation is wonderfully complex and sounds absolutely colossal.
     
    Echogenetic by Front Line Assembly - When this album was announced it seemed that a lot of fans were getting hyped over the band choosing to not use guitars on it, which seems like a strange thing to get hyped over to me. Besides, I actually thought that the sparing use of guitars greatly contributed to Artificial Soldier and Improvised Electronic Device being the best FLA albums since Implode. But coming back to Echogenetic, yes, the band ditched the guitars in favour of looking a bit into dubstep. They're not the first industrial act to do so, but I'd say that they pulled it off rather well. However, I do think that the album starts to feel like the band are trying to repeat their older stuff a bit, and it's definitely weaker than the previous two records (three if you count the AirMech soundtrack). Despite that, it's still a very solid and extremely enjoyable album by one of the greatest industrial bands.
     
    Old Mornings Dawn by Summoning - A fantastic atmospheric black metal album, thematically and lyrically inspired by Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Do I need to say more?
     
    One of Us Is the Killer by The Dillinger Escape Plan - A great chaotic and abrasive mathcore album. Perhaps a bit more accessible than the band's other work, this record is still a behemoth that beats you down without mercy. As usual, some excellent playing and vocals are to be found here.
     
    Marriage of Metals by Daniel Menche - One of two albums released by Menche this year, Marriage of Metals experiments with drone music by fusing it with Gamelan gong instruments, which results in a very atmospheric and mesmerising experience.
     
    IV by earthtone9 - earthtone9 return with their first album in 13 years, and they pick up right where they left off with arc'tan'gent. The band's unique blend of progressive metal, alternative metal and post-hardcore provides for a fantastic album with very tight playing and some great riffs.
  19. Queen of Liars
    Gravedigger 2: The gallows-maker, for that frame outlives a thousand tenants.
    Gravedigger 1: I like thy wit well in good faith. The gallows does well, but how does it well? It does well to those that do ill. [...] To't again, come.
    Gravedigger 2: Who builds stronger than a mason, a shipwright, or a carpenter?
    Gravedigger 1: Ay, tell me that, and unyoke.
    [...]
    Gravedigger 2: Mass, I cannot tell.
    Gravedigger 1: Cudgel thy brains no more about it [...] and when you are asked this question next, say a grave-maker. The houses he makes lasts till doomsday.
     
    Gravedigger 1 would have to be my favourite Hamlet character. Witty fellow.
    And yes, studying Hamlet too much will result in randomly quoting it.
  20. Queen of Liars

    Birthday

    By Queen of Liars,

    Well, I'm officially 20 years old as of about an hour ago.
     
    20 is a nice number and all, but obviously it just goes downhill after 18 because this song doesn't fit anymore:
     
    http://youtu.be/vMCyX0P_dGE
  21. Queen of Liars
    So I was just casually browsing the internet when my monitor decided that it had quite enough of me wasting my life away in front of the computer and went into what I believe is known as the 'white screen of death' mode. Well, I'm assuming it's my monitor, since it stays in a white screen even if disconnected from the computer.
    So there go my plans of saving up some money, as I'm gonna need a new monitor.
  22. Queen of Liars

    Life Update?

    By Queen of Liars,

    It's been a long time since I used the blog, eh? Might as well do a little life update thingy, as it's been a strange month or two for me.
     
    Right now I am approaching two months of having worked in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, which is pretty far from home. It's a job for an Austrian company, which looks like it will last around half a year. I'll occasionally fly back home to London for holidays and stuff, but for the most part I'll be living here, which has been pretty interesting. It's nice to have an opportunity to see a bit more of the world, I suppose. The job is nice, though at 6 days a week it doesn't leave me with too much free time, but I'm not complaining. The time zone change does make it a bit tricky to keep up with friends from around the world, but I've been managing.
     
    So that's one big thing, but then I have also been dealing with some... gender idendity stuff? However you want to phrase it. Won't go into much detail here, but if you follow me on Tumblr you've seen my numerous posts there. So yeah, that has made it... an interesting time, I guess. We'll see where that ends up going.
     
    Well, without going into some other stuff, that is mainly what's been going on with me lately. A whole lot of self-discovery.
  23. Queen of Liars
    It's time for an updated Emilie Autumn collection post, since I recently made a few acquisitions:
     

     
    On the left we have the albums:
     
    Enchant
    Opheliac (The Deluxe Edition)
    Laced/Unlaced (Limited edition digibook, limited to 2000 copies)
    Fight Like a Girl
     
    And on the right we have the compilation and EPs:
     
    A Bit o' This & That (Limited edition digibook, limited to 3000 copies)
    Liar/Dead Is the New Alive EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
    4 o'Clock EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
    Girls Just Wanna Have Fun/Bohemian Rhapsody EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
     
    Which are all sitting on a signed copy of her book.
     
    And that's basically everything. I wouldn't mind getting the digibook edition of Enchant, but it's not a big deal, and otherwise I've got everything of hers I'd want. So that's nice.
     
     

    Don't mind that sound, that's just my bank account crying.


  24. Queen of Liars

    Community

    By Queen of Liars,

    So, I watched all four seasons of Community over the past few days.
    Now that that's done, I'm not really sure what to do with my life anymore. At least until season 5 starts.
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