Key

Welcome to 2015 everybody, and specifically those who tend to read this journal on a regular basis. Not a whole lot will change in terms of the format of this journal this year, but I do want to point out a few things that I plan to finish up.

Devin Townsend Reviewed: I still plan on finishing this section up. I got a lot of albums out of the way already, and I plan to do the rest very soon. It's one of those things that I really want to see completed mostly for my own personal pleasure, plus...there's nothing wrong with talking about Devin Townsend.

Bands That Are In My Last.fm Library That Really Really Suck: I made this section with the thought that i'd talk about more bands that I've listened to, that just straight up suck, but unfortunately it didn't really take off as well as I wanted it to. I'll be bringing it back, and there are plenty of bands that I want to talk about that belong in that section, so be ready for that.

Live Shows: I had a section a while back that talked about the live concerts that i've been to. I'd really like to get that going again because i've seen my fair share of shows, and a lot of them are definitely worth talking about.

With some old sections coming back to life, I want to also take the time to talk about a few that will be making their debut in the months to come:

Albums in 2014 that I wish were released again in 2015: This will be a section where I talk about the albums that I thoroughly enjoyed last year. A lot of great music was released last year, and a lot of albums definitely made a good impression on me. The title just means that I wish those albums were released again so I could have the pleasure of hearing them for the first time all over again.

Bands / Albums Other Members Have Told Me To Listen To: Just your typical "this members recommended this to me" section. I wanted to start one up myself, because I think it's a great way for people to see that their recommendations are worthwhile. I've been introduced to a lot of great music from people at this forum, and i'd love to talk about them.

As we go onto another hopefully fantastic year for my journal, there will be new sections making their debut along the way that i'm not even sure about yet, but i'll let my creativity take the lead on that one. Last year was a pretty great year for my journal in general, and i'm hoping to make this year even better. So buckle up your seat belts. It's gonna be a fun ride.

Key

I've been listening to a lot of Approaching Nirvana lately. I'm not saying i'm super into the electronica / dubstep-esque style of music, but I do have a couple of guilty pleasures here and there. These guys are good. They've released quite a few albums so far, but one in particular is one that I will be talking about right now...Lapse In Time.



I don't know what it takes to make a nearly perfect or perfect electronic album, but man have these guys done just that. This albums flows perfectly, each individual song feels like a better version than the one before it, and the amount of repetitive play you can get out of this album without it getting stale is just incredible. It's been a while since I always was in the mood for an electronic - esque album. Truth be told, the last time that happened was when I was hugely into Pendulum, more because I saw them in concert prior to that. Anyway, definitely a group you'd want to listen to if you're into this type of stuff. I'm not even that much into this type of stuff and I enjoy it immensely.

Not sure what i'd put for my favorite track as all of them are pretty fantastic in their own right.

Trollheart

Yay! Welcome back man! Now I have some "Breaking news" for the update thread. Good to see you back.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Key

It's the return of...


Pretty self explanatory. Let's get into it right away shall we...



If you were to ask me a few years ago what I think of Jacobs Dream, I would've said they are pretty alright. With 112 plays on my last.fm, that's proof enough. However, as time went on, they started to make their way towards the bottom of my list of bands that I rate highly. Actually, they're a band that I rate pretty poorly when it comes to this genre. I believe this is one of those instances where I was really trying to get into this side of power metal / progressive rock, that even a ****ty band was considered good in my book. Funny thing is, my main issue with this band is the vocalist, and that hasn't really changed from the first time I listened to them. I could never really stand the vocals. I haven't really bothered with them recently, and going back and listening to them again, they don't seem nearly as good as I once thought they were. I will say that they did shine a path on other bands I really like in this genre, like Narnia, and Audiovision. I don't really see Jacobs Dream making a positive impact on me anytime soon, or at all in the future.

Key

Another brand spankin' new section in my journal. This one is pretty self explanatory. Say there were albums released in 2014 that you absolutely love. Now, say those same albums were actually set to release in 2015. Knowing what you know now, i'm sure if those albums were released in 2015, you'd probably fall in love with them again as they did the year prior. That's pretty much the concept here.

tl;dr i'm basically going to talk about albums that I absolutely love that were released in 2014.

First off we have...


Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls

Now there's a few things I would like to mention that relate to this album, so i'll get right into it. I wasn't the biggest fan of Judas Priest prior to this album. Honestly, I never really saw myself listening to them that much. I was given the opportunity to see them in concert in 2014, on their Redeemer of Souls tour, and y'know, I couldn't pass up a potentially great concert. Once I knew I was going, I asked people who had seen them live what they thought, and man I got more excited every time someone told me how they really know how put on a show. Do I share that same opinion? Hell yes I do. Seeing Judas Priest really shined a new light on my fan-ship of them. Since it was the Redeemer of Souls tour, I figured i'd give the album of the same name a listen, and man, I was blown away on first listen. Before the concert, I went through their discography to sort of get a feel for what i'd be expecting at the concert, and once I listened to Redeemer of Souls, I realized that Judas Priest has had an incredibly strong and successful discography throughout. I hadn't really noticed it before, but they've stuck to their marbles since day 1, and seeing them live made them even more true. I think the exact same thing about Iron Maiden in the sense that each album you listen to is something special. In my experience, I haven't listened to a Judas Priest album that I haven't liked. Furthermore I don't really see myself going "man, this song is meh" or "they could've done better". I see myself really enjoying the music. Same is said for this album specifically. A lot of great tracks as well, but this one is by far one of the best i've heard:



It's that heavy rock sound mixed with the beautiful vocals of Rob Halford that really make this song and this album one of the best you'll hear from 2014. I strongly suggest giving it a listen.

Key

You know those bands that just fit the mood so perfectly? The one you listen to in the morning and really just make your day start off on the right foot? That's what we'll be talking about here. I've enjoyed many many mornings simply due to the music i'm listening to. I honestly think my mornings wouldn't be as easy to deal with if it weren't for music.

Here's one I was listening to this morning, and man it really made the commute to work so much easier.


Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

Honestly, I don't really think you can go wrong with a bit of Iron & Wine during your morning rituals. He's an american singer/songwriter mostly known for being very calming and using the acoustic guitar for the greater good. I chose this album at random mostly due to my inability to choose an album that I know I liked. Although, with Iron & Wine, i've pretty much enjoyed every release he's put out since he started. This one in particular has a few of my favorite songs, however there's many of his other albums that also hold a lot of my favorite songs. These are a few of them:



This particular song really fits the mood of wanting to keep moving, and getting from point A to point B. It allows for a very relaxing morning commute and is easily one of the best on the album.



This one in particular has some of my favorite guitar work that i've ever heard from an acoustic guitarist. Everything fits so well and really has a special place on this album.

This album as a whole really flows so well and should certainly take a place in anyone's morning playlist. It's definitely one of my regular listens.

Key

You ever just listen to a song and realize how beautiful the lyrics are? That happened today:



I've listened to Scenes From A Memory multiple multiple times, but for some reason never really paid much attention to it lyrically, don't really know why, was probably more focused on the wonderfulness that is the instrumentals throughout the album. Then I listened to the lyrics of this song, and good lord this song is powerful. Every set of lyrics is just beautiful, and really tells the story of losing someone and you can feel the pain in Labrie's voice. I think when I realized how powerful this song truly is was when I heard the lyrics:

I would post the entire set of lyrics if I really wanted to, but honestly, listening to this song as a whole is the only way to really feel it.

Key

Earlier last week I was listening to an album that straight up just put me in a really good and relaxed mood as the day started.


The Black Keys - El Camino

Man, this album is so good. Honestly, it's nearly perfect as far as I'm concerned. I remember hearing it for the first time a few months back and thought the same thing. It just flows like an album in this genre should. It sounds like one of the old western albums you'd expect to hear if you were walking through an old western civilization. The reason I really like it is the vocals. I don't have a large collection of acoustic / smooth rock albums that I like that include liking the vocals, but this album is that rare breed where everything fits together perfectly and allows for a very nice listen.



Just a quick note, this song reminds me of The Raconteurs for some reason.

Key

I saw a song in Wpnfire's journal, and it made me think of the album it comes from and I thought it'd fit perfectly for reasons I will explain.



"What? A Heavy Metal album is good for your morning routine?" Well, yes. But that's not why i'm posting this album in this section. A Matter of Life and Death is definitely not one of the heaviest Iron Maiden albums you'll come across, but man are all the songs relaxing to listen to. They are pretty mellow throughout and pretty technical, but give them time and they do build up. That's true for pretty much every song on the album. It's great for the morning more because it gives you something nice and mellow to listen to but still allowing yourself to wake up to some awesome heavy metal. I could go on and on about how great this album really is, but I want to keep it short because the music does all the talking by itself. Truly a fantastic album though, severely underrated in my opinion.



Fantastic track and my favorite on the album.



The bass intro is absolutely killer.

Key

So, i'm participating in the Best Year for Music Tournament thing and it dawned on me that I went into it thinking I have a few albums I can throw in and have some fun, unfortunately I realized that I needed more albums in my arsenal. Luckily, the idea was brought up that it'd be the perfect opportunity to listen to some music that I may not have listened to when it was released in 2012. So, I figured why not making a place in my journal for things that I want to say about the albums that I'll be listening to. I figured it's a pretty good idea, hitting two birds with one stone some would say. Anyway, stay tuned.