Woods of Ypres, Ihsahn and more nature...

Oh my, the Spring has so much nice releases to offer! There are so much good shit getting released after winter has almost vanished that one really has to plan a budget and get only a few of them.

So far I've gotten the ones I wrote about in January and has lended them my ears, a few of them more regulary.

There are a few coming my way this Spring in assorted formats: Borknagar - "Urd" (The song "Roots" made me interested, as I liked what Borknagar did some years ago), Hawkwind - "Onward" (because Hawkwind with Dave Brock and Tim Blake are in fact whole of SPACE), Burzum - "Umskiptar" (the stuff Varg gives out now is amazing!), High On Fire - "De Vermis Mysteriis" (some Lovecraftian stoner and rock'n'roll)...

What I have heard of the new Meshuggah, entitled "Koloss" is really groovy and nice too and I wouldn't say no to that one nor the new Naglfar.

But even if I haven't taken a trip on vacation (to more that Sweden Rock Festival haha) I can't get 'em all. Let's hope I get myself a job! ;)

One has to have the time to listen to them all too, I've got plenty of time right now but hey there are as always too many records, movies & books!

Stopped by at Rusta for some reason the other day and went through the pile of CDs which were like scattered on a shelf, upside down and everything. You can understand I hate that, the disrespect one shows music like that - just throwing them on a shelf. Haha, I am like an old lady there (which I'm starting to become!) and you can imagine me shaking my head and thinking they need some help... ;)

Anyway, hidden behind a load of crap CDs I found Ihsahn - "After" from 2010 as CD+DVD in a nice limited edition which I've been after (haha) since it's release but skipped because I then was a bit scared of the Saxophone. The Album cost me 29 swedish kronor which is not much at all. For that price I might as well have sorted out their CDs and placed them nicely but as the most of the others were crap I just wasn't an old enough lady. Screw you, I'm going home... To listen to Ihsahn!

I really his solo albums too even if Emperor is the greatest. But as you know, I'm not so scared of a little prog or if it is somewhat strange so I think Ihsahn has really made a more complex work that "The Adversary" and angL". Looking forward to what the new one might sound like! (Holy crap, another one to look forward to and hope to buy?!?!)

"Frozen Lakes On Mars":

Something completely musically new to me were Woods of Ypres, I've never really listened to them before I now for some reason started to dig a little into it. I guess I needed something different!

I got "Woods 4: The Green Album" and the really new "Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light" both on vinyl. Woods 4 on 2-LP in a nice forest green color and the new on on regular black but with the limited 7".

This is really some depressing blackened doom, especially the forth album. The new one is even a longer step forward from their early blackened stuff and I think of bands like My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, Type O Negative and even some Sisters of Mercy (my darling, who loves them, agrees). "Woods 5" is very dark, dealing with death all the way, but the music is more melodic and not as heavy as before. It's eerie and I find it both difficult and easy to listen to.

But yet I've listened to "Woods 4" a few more times and some of the songs there has really gotten stuck in my head. The lyrics are very over the top, almost ironically depressing, but at the same time very honest.

David Gold.

Stolen picture from the Web, which I have altered/tempered with.

The 21st December of last year the founder and main member David Gold died in a car accident.

I remember reading that just a few hours later or so, not knowing the band's music or who they really were. I kept the name in my head but didn't want to listen to them "just because he had died" but if I actually found them interesting, which I now after a listen did.

The Canadian band died with their founder and "Woods 5" is the absolute final album.

The record ends with the beautiful song "Finality" which brings me to tears actually.

I think of the family I've lost when I hear that song, it is both sorrowful as it is somewhat hopeful.

And I guess no other songs of Woods of Ypres are hopeful, they are all mostly just black...

Have a listen to some yourself:

"Everything I Touch Turns To Gold... then to Coal"

"Finality"

The last weekend we decided to make us some nice vegetarian (as we are just that: vegetarians hehe) sandwiches, some coffee and take a little trip to see some tranor (in english: common crane, latin: Grus grus) at Hornborgasjön as it was premiere there. 5100 in fact. And lots of other birds as well. The weather was fantastic and we just completely relaxed and I didn't miss the City at all. I love nature and I'm so glad Spring is here now so I can move around more freely and just enjoy what Mother Nature has given us.

Observing nature.

My pretty little lady.

Smoking lady. ;P

My meateating plants have survived! And the weirdest flowers are taking form.

Zelda totally built her own little cave in the bed, looking very sleepy.

Zeus eating grass which I planted for them, otherwise I am not popular at all.

Vintersorg - "Jordpuls

As I stated in my previous post there are SO much good music in the world that I have too much to write about and it's hard to choose from day to day what to take a closer look at.

So I went through my large CD-collection (as I'm a bit boring in that department usually, the vinyls are larger and more fun to play with) and just randomly found some things I think is worth a mention. I'm going to do that more often, both for you guys and for me, as I have plenty of goodies which haven't been played in a while.

Don't judge me too hard of what I have found here though, I know there are more cult releases and better editions but I had to start somewhere and sometimes it's nice not to choose the obvious stuff! ;)

Vintersorg - "Jordpuls"

2011

I've been a huge fan of Vintersorg since I first heard "Till Fjälls" and also loved the following "Ödemarkens Son" and "Cosmic Genesis". The more progressive approach in the latter release did not scare me away but the ones after "Cosmic Genesis" just did not fit me as well. When mr Vintersorg and Mattias Marklund returned with "Solens Rötter" in 2007 I bought the CD instantly and although I liked some songs and parts of the album it didn't flow freely into my pagan soul. I comforted myself by the old albums and the beautiful albums by Otyg instead.

So when "Jordpuls" came last year I was a bit hopeful but also somewhat distancted since I couldn't really trust 100% that this would fit my mind and soul as much as the old releases. But I bought it, like a hopeful fan that I sometimes am, and I am glad I did since Vintersorg has found the key to my pagan heart once again! A fine blend of black, folk and progressive meets in a wonderful mix and intelligent as well as beautiful swedish lyrics handling nature and science. Last album was all about science and although I respect that and find that very interesting I really love the pagan nature-worshipping lyrics a bit more.

This CD also demonstrates what a fine musician Vintersorg is, and why he is one of my favorite singers. Can't help it, I'm a sucker for that norrländska! (Armagedda also has that effect...)

Waiting for an Autopsy

Här sitter jag och lyssnar på Terrorizer - "World Downfall" från 89 (vinyl, första press, det blå/turkosa omslaget) och glädjer mig åt att jag snart skall hämta nya Autopsyplattan, en ännu blåare uppenbarelse och förhoppningsvis också brutal!

Och så är jag lite sugen på nya skivor fast jag inte borde. Varför borde jag inte? För jag har köpt tillräckligt. Och jag har kommit överrens med mig själv och plånboken att jag nu endast bör köpa budjetstyle, dvs begagnade billiga CDs, gammel bra skit alltså (har redan hittat lite, som lär dyka upp här snart). För man kan icke ta ifrån mig hela njutningen av att upptäcka bra musik, då vet man inte vad som händer...

Så vad lockar mig? Mycket! Men nu är jag speciellt sugen på de nya från Vintersorg och Vomitory. En konstig blandning kanske, men jag är lite svag för Vintersorgs folk-black metal. Jag erkänner det. Även fast "Solens Rötter" inte riktigt var min kopp té... Eller kaffe kanske man kan säga nu också!
Denna tant har nämligen fått tidig 30-årskris eller liknande och börjat dricka lite kaffe på äldre dar! Ni som känner mig vet att detta är extremt sjukt och ett udda beteende och att jag borde skickats direkt till hispan då kaffepaketet landade i min kundvagn.

Lägg till nytt beroende av piptobak (för att det är så hääärligt väder, är min ursäkt) så förstår ni att denna tédrickande tant är på väg att bli gubbe. Får en kvinna ha sådana här gubbiga beteenden, undrar jag? Skivsamlandet, organiserandet (nytt: bandtröjor i bokstavsordning i garderoben!), patchandet, kaffedrickandet, röka pipa Gandalf-style...?

Äsch, mascaran jag köpte häromdagen väger säkert upp allting till en jämnare nivå.

Återkommer med mer kvinno-gubbligheter och Autopsy!