how does it feel … to be without a home … a complete unknown … like a rolling stone ???

Good musicians play death metal!

An old friend from East Sides made a tour stop in Ottawa, and since he taught me to play the guitar (briefly anyway), I had to check him out again. They play what is apparently known as “brutal death” … which kind of fits my interest anyway, as I tend to gravitate towards music with absurd and unexpected changes

Band is here -> http://www.myspace.com/orchidectomy

It’s true. You wouldn’t expect it, but they do. Those people you see walking around sometimes. They wear all black, have metal buttons on their hats and bags. They listen to death metal. Some of them play it. Some of them are GOOOOD. Their hands move like lightning, as everything is ramped up and speeded up. It’s too bad really, because when you listen to death metal, you can’t hear that. I mean you can, but it’s like watching an orchestra on an old 13” black and white TV. The experience is just missing.

I haven’t listened to any death metal in years. It generally makes quick appearances every couple years in my path through music. It’s hard to enjoy, because the pursuit of speed and technicality, creates something that is loud, in every sense of the term. I don’t doubt that the “loud”ness that I criticize is very likely the artist’s intent. And that’s cool.

To me, the ‘volume’ obscures the passion that the speed and technicality are unleashing, but that’s just me.

But death metal is incredible in a lot of ways. It’s deep, heavy tones, come at you faster than a machinegun, creating a beat that punches you repeatedly in the gut. At the same time the eardrum shattering wails of the lead guitars tear into your head like the talons of a giant mythical bird. Some may look down upon such things, and I can only take them in rare small doses. It does beg me the question, what kind of people are naturally drawn to such extremes? What is it about ‘punch-you-in-the-face-kick-you-in-the-balls’ music that draws certain people to it and to each other?