The Saxophone in Metal

I know there have been recent posts about this on Invisible Oranges and possibly some other places, but I do feel qualified to make a post about this because I played the saxophone for eight years. I was pretty good at it too, winning several awards at solo and small ensemble contests and being a member of a high school jazz band chosen as one of 20 groups from across the country to perform at a contest honoring Duke Ellington's 100th birthday at Lincoln Center in New York. I have experience playing the alto, baritone, and soprano saxophones.

The saxophone has not made frequent appearances in heavy metal, it is typically a complimentary instrument and requires a guest appearance. Sigh is the only band I am currently aware of that employs a full-time saxophonist, Dr. Mikkanibal. While it would be interesting to hear a band use the saxophone full-time, the instrument often adds an eerie atmosphere to the songs in which it does appear.

So, after an exhaustive search through my collection, these are a few examples of the saxophone in heavy metal:











Anyone know any others I may have missed?

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 87: Sigh

I don't think it's controversial to say that Sigh's music can be a little weird at times. The highly experimental avant-garde metal band never puts out the same album twice in a row. The band's foundation is in black metal but they have added lots of elements of other types of music into their sound for years. Their latest two releases included a lot of symphonic and classical music. One thing is for certain, Sigh is always interesting.

FAVORITE ALBUM: HANGMAN'S HYMN-MUSIKALISCHE EXEQUIEN

Year in Metal: 2007

AMORPHIS: SILENT WATERS
I first discovered Amorphis in the late 1990's, around the time that Tuonela was released. However, I stopped listening to them after their follow-up album for several years. This was the album that brought me back to Amorphis. This album is hauntingly beautiful and surprisingly catchy. Gone for the most part are the psychedelic meanderings of their previous albums. These are full songs and they are delivered extremely well. New vocalist Tomi Joutsen fits very well with the rest of the band and they were rejuvenated on this release. I have been a huge fan of them once again ever since.

IMMOLATION: SHADOWS IN THE LIGHT
Immolation has steadily put out classic release after classic release. Their 2007 effort is quite possibly their best ever though, which is really saying something since the band had been around since the early days of New York death metal. Immolation's take on occultish, Morbid Angel-influenced death still sounds amazing more than 20 years later. This album actually finds the band exploring some new melodies that sound great with their usual twisted riffing style.

PRIMORDIAL: TO THE NAMELESS DEAD
Ireland's Primordial have been making quite a bit of noise just underground for several years leading up to this album, but this is when most of the metal world really stood up and took notice of the band. Rooted in black metal, but playing with Celtic folk influences, Primordial went for a much more melodic sound on this release. The result was one of the strongest albums of the year and an album that will stand as a true classic.

ROTTING CHRIST: THEOGONIA
This was the album that introduced me to Rotting Christ. It also still stands as my favorite release by the band. Rotting Christ is another band that consistently puts out great release after great release. It is a little more unusual for them though as their sound has changed frequently over the years. This release finds them adding black metal influences once again into their gothic, Hellenic style. This album would have made my Album of the Year in 2007 had I been doing it at the time. It is simply flawless.

SIGH: HANGMAN'S HYMN-MUSIKALISCHE EXEQUIEN
Sigh is a weird band. But most of you out there probably already knew that. Sigh does not produce the same album twice in a row. This album is much more of an orchestral thrash metal album. It has some truly impressive thrash riffs and some simply amazing symphonic elements. What results is a catchy and bombastic album that gets going quickly and never really falters. It is an easy album to sit down and listen to and become fully engrossed in. It's just unfortunate that Sigh will not release anything like it again.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Akercocke: Antichrist
Arch Enemy: Rise of the Tyrant
Behemoth: The Apostacy
Dark Tranquillity: Fiction
Helloween: Gambling with the Devil
High on Fire: Death is this Communion
Iced Earth: Framing Armageddon-Something Wicked Pt. 1
Machine Head: The Blackening
Marduk: Rom 5:12
Mayhem: Ordo Ad Chao
Paradise Lost: In Requiem
Skeletonwitch: Beyond the Permafrost
Slough Feg: Hardworlder
Symphony X: Paradise Lost
The Black Dahlia Murder: Nocturnal
Watain: Sworn to the Dark

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 2007:
Cavalera Conspiracy

2010: Year in Metal

It's been another strong year in metal this year. We endured some tragedies, such as the deaths of Ronnie James Dio and Peter Steele, but we also had some amazing albums. Filling out a Top 10 list this year has been a little difficult, I had several albums that I wanted to include, but ultimately did not.

Unfortunately, I missed out on a lot of albums the last couple of months due to the unsettled nature of my law practice, but I will catch up eventually.

Now, for the Top 10:
10. DARKTHRONE: CIRCLE THE WAGONS
Darkthrone has been veering away from black metal or years. This album found the band experimenting with more traditional heavy metal and hardcore sounds. It's also Darkthrone's best album in years, sounding like a black metal band covering Motorhead.

9. ORPHANED LAND: THE NEVER-ENDING WAY OF ORWARRIOR
For a long time, this was my top album of the year, an absolutely breath-takingly epic concept album. Orphaned Land combines middle Eastern melodies and instrumentation into their progressive metal. This gets the nod for the most beautiful metal album of the year.

8. ENFORCER: DIAMONDS
It seems like every year a traditional metal album comes out of nowhere and blows me away. 2010's edition is this album from Enforcer, a band devoted to playing NWOBHM-style metal. Having the pop sensibility of Def Leppard certainly helped them as they put out some amazingly catchy songs on this release.

7. IMMOLATION: MAJESTY AND DECAY
Immolation has continued to put out amazing release after amazing release. One of the most consistent bands in death metal, Immolation's twisted and sadistic riffs keep getting better. The best death metal album of the year.

6. MELECHESH: THE EPIGENESIS
It has been a long time since the last release by Melechesh, and there was some question whether the band would be able to match their last amazing album. Well, question answered. Another classic album from these Middle Eastern blackened thrash merchants.

5. WATAIN: LAWLESS DARKNESS
Watain has long been saddled with the tag "The Next Dissection", and while not earning that tag, they have put out some good albums. With this release though, Watain has really come into their own. The addition of traditional metal elements has made this a truly amazing black metal album.

4. OVERKILL: IRONBOUND
Probably the comeback album of the year. Overkill has never released a bad album, but this one may possibly be one of the band's greatest albums ever. Blitz Ellsworth still has his trademark sneering vocals and the twin guitar attack is still in top form. This is incredible thrash metal. Overkill deserves a lot more accolades than they have received.

3. ROTTING CHRIST: AEALO
The Greek black metal outfit once again has put out a truly exceptional album. Essentially sounding like the soundtrack to an Ancient Greek battle, Rotting Christ's album is melodic and powerful, and eerily beautiful.

2. WARBEAST: KRUSH THE ENEMY
The thrash metal album of the year comes from an unusual place. Made up of members of long-gone Texas thrash metal bands Gamacide and Rigor Mortis, and released on Phil Anselmo's Housecore label, this is extremely aggressive and razor sharp, raw thrash metal. Forget all the retro bands, this is the real shit.

1. TRIPTYKON: EPARISTERA DAIMONES
Amazing album, all the way around. Tom G. Warrior's new band picks up right where Celtic Frost's last album left off. It's dark and eerie, and heavy as hell. The most amazing thing about it though is that it sounds better every time I hear it.


DISAPPOINTMENTS: This does not mean I don't like the albums, but they were overhyped or overanticipated.
SIGH: SCENES FROM HELL
I loved Sigh's last album. It was an incredible mix of black metal, thrash metal, and symphonic bombast. Unfortunately, on this release, the symphonic elements were a little overdone. It's not a bad album, but not nearly as good as their prior album.

IRON MAIDEN: THE FINAL FRONTIER
Again, not a bad album, and I do like it a little more than their last one, but it's not the return to Brave New World that it was hyped up to be. Besides, what is the deal with missing Eddie?

ARMORED SAINT: LA RAZA
I was very excited when I heard Armored Saint would be releasing a new album. I always thought John Bush's voice was better suited to traditional metal than his time in Anthrax. Unfortunately, this album sounds more like Nickelback than older Armored Saint.

ELUVEITIE: EVERYTHING REMAINS AS IT NEVER WAS
If I had not heard their prior album, this would have been amazing. But I have, and this is virtually the same album.

CARNIFEX: HELL CHOSE ME
It's got a great cover and it had some hype that it was a cross between deathcore and melodic death metal. Unfortunately, it just was not a very good album. It's certainly brutal, but that's not the most important thing in the world.


SURPRISES: Other than Enforcer and Warbeast, there were some surprisingly good albums from unusual places.
DANZIG: DETH RED SABAOTH
Danzig came back and released an album on par with his first four albums. I am not sure anyone really expected that.

LAETHORA: THE LIGHT IN WHICH WE ALL BURN
I did enjoy their previous album, but I was not originally all that excited to hear this one, however, this is an incredible album.

DECREPIT BIRTH: POLARITY
Technical death metal is not one of my favorite genres, but this was not just any other technical death metal album. It is an epic album in the purest sense, just amazing musicianship.


GROWER:
DARK FORTRESS: YLEM
When I first heard this album, I was not terribly impressed by it, but as I continued to listen to it, I liked it more and more. When I recently re-evaluated my Top 10, this was #11.


ALBUMS THAT HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO SINK IN: New albums that I have not heard enough yet to evaluate.
LIMBONIC ART: PHANTASMAGORIA

HAIL OF BULLETS: ON DIVINE WINDS

KAMELOT: POETRY FOR THE POISONED

HELLOWEEN: 7 SINNERS


CONCERT EXPERIENCE: I saw the Killfest 2010 tour featuring Woe of Tyrants, Evile, Warbringer, God Dethroned, Vader, and Overkill. I missed the first two bands, but the other four were amazing. Overkill is a fantastic live band. I own the most recent albums by all of the bands and enjoy them all.


FAVORITE SONGS:

TRIPTYKON: "GOETIA"

WATAIN: "WATERS OF AIN"

OVERKILL: "THE GREEN AND BLACK"

ENFORCER: "RUNNING IN MENACE"

ROTTING CHRIST: "DEMONOM VROSIS"


ALBUMS I MISSED OUT ON THAT I PLAN TO CHANGE:
GRAND MAGUS: HAMMER OF THE NORTH
ELECTRIC WIZARD: BLACK MASSES
THE CROWN: DOOMSDAY KING
FORBIDDEN: OMEGA WAVE
ATHEIST: JUPITER


ALBUMS I LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2011:
SODOM
COFFINS
DIM MAK
AMON
SKELETONWITCH
MORBID ANGEL
PRIMORDIAL
AUTOPSY
WINTERSUN (maybe?)

Initial Impressions: Sigh: Scenes from Hell

Japan's Sigh has always been a bit of an unorthodox band. They started in the early 1990's as a black metal band on the label of now-deceased Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Since then, the band's sound has been constantly evolving. Some black metal elements are still present, but by and large the band has morphed into something altogether different and unique.

This album I feel, is a bit of a grower. It may be that I come to appreciate it much more given some time to fully digest it. But, initial impressions have lead me to believe that this is really strange. And that's difficult to do when the band's music up until now has been difficult to define and strange anyway.

The band has been experimenting with classical and symphonic music elements for some time. This is no surprise. However, those elements have largely taken over the band's sound. There are very few moments where there is no classical/symphonic instrumentation found. This gives kind of an awkward feeling overall to the band's music. Included are horn sections and saxophone parts courtesy of new member Dr. Mikkanibal.

The metal riffs are in there somewhere. They do still superficially resemble black metal riffs, but there's so much else going on musically that it's difficult to classify this group as black metal. The vocals are delivered in a harsh, black metal rasp. Occasionally, female vocals are present, also courtesy of Dr. Mikkanibal.

This is an extremely odd album and very hard to pin down. I'm not sure yet what to think of it. Maybe in time, I will come to love it, as I did with their prior album. I'm just not sure.