I've loved music ever since I was five years old. 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' by Elton John & Kiki Dee was the first track I remember falling in love with and since then I've listened to everything from pop to punk, rock to hip hop, drum and bass to indie and everything in between. Heavy music is my bread and butter though.
This obsession with music has led me to amass lots of cds. Thousands of the fuckers. They're everywhere! In my bedroom. On shelves. In my wardrobe. In boxes. In cases. In my recipe book cupboard. My wife thinks I've got too many and she's right. I don't even know what I've got. Some I listen to regularly but there's some I haven't listened to in years. There's some I don't even like and probably should have got rid of by now. But how do I make sense of all the music I own? How do I find order in all of this chaos? I was looking for a project or hobby to keep me interested anyway so my idea is to catalogue all of my collection. A mere list would not be enough, however. I think I will only be satisfied when every single cd has been fully reviewed. This blog will eventually contain a review of every cd I own. That may never happen given the rate at which I accumulate music but that's the dream anyway.
I will just digress for a moment to explain the title of this blog. Originally, I was thinking of calling it Ordo Ab Chao which is latin for order from chaos which aptly describes what I am looking for. However, this has connections with the freemasons which I thought I'd avoid. Instead, I've decided on Ordo Ad Chao which roughly translates as order to chaos (I am aware that the phrase isn't grammatically correct) which is a bit more mischievous and probably sums me up better (my wife thinks I'm a walking disaster). Plus, it's also the title of a Mayhem album which is another good reason in my book.
I think a few ground rules need to be set though. Firstly, I will review proper releases only so no free compilations (just as well because I have far too many of them!). Promos and singles are acceptable though. Secondly, physical releases only so no downloads. Also, no vinyl or cassette releases although, to be honest, I don't own much of either anymore. I think I need to do this regularly to make it worthwhile. I know what I'm like. I'll be enthusiastic for a while and then there's always the danger that I will lose interest or life will get in the way. It also needs to be regular enough to keep potential readers interested so my aim is that I'll put a new review up every three days or so. Next, I suppose I'd best manage peoples expectations. If you're looking for biting criticism then you probably won't find it here. After all, this is my own collection and most of it, I own for a reason. Sure, there'll be some shit in there or, more likely, albums which haven't dated well but most of the reviews are likely to be positive. I won't give marks out of ten either because it should be clear in a decent review, how good a release is without the need to award marks. I may also post some other pieces, from time to time as and when I feel like it.
As a starting point, I'll run down my top 10 albums of 2013 so you know what I like at the moment. If it's not what you like, Don't worry. It probably isn't representative of my entire collection anyway.
1. Carcass - Surgical Steel: Stunning comeback from the UK death metal legends. Sounds like it could be a long lost album recorded between Necroticism and Heartwork, combining the gore fuelled technicality of the former with the melodic power of the latter.
2. Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen: Fifth solo album from former Emperor frontman. This is black metal at its freshest and most exciting. Listening to this makes you feel like you're listening to the future of extreme metal.
3. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse: Great Scottish indie rock. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Sounds like it could have been released during Chemikal Underground's glory days.
4. Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer - Child Ballads: A selection of traditional folk ballads. These songs will haunt you for weeks.
5. Cult of Luna - Vertikal: It's safe to say these guys have come a long way from the days when they were considered Isis rip-offs. This is a concept album based upon the visuals of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Weighty post metal but not excessively heavy thanks to some melodic touches. The use of electronics adds that little sprinkling of genius.
6. Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues: Terrific retro rock from this band featuring Arch Enemy's Mike Amott. Brings to mind the Glenn Hughes/David Coverdale era Deep Purple.
7. Wardruna - Yggdrasil: Ancient sounding folk music fashioned using traditional Norse instruments. Dark and atmospheric but given the black metal history of some of the members, that isn't unexpected.
8. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts: A definite change of style here as the ex-Czars frontman moves away from the mid-western rock of his previous album to darker electronic territory. Hugely evocative lyrics too.
9. Horisont - Time Warriors: More retro rock here, although these guys sound like they could have played the Ruskin Arms in 1979, right at the point where heavy rock met NWOBHM. There's a terrific energy about this and, unlike most other bands of this ilk, this sounds authentic.
10. Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus: Ambient electronic music which absolutely crushes. Progressive and experimental. Heavier than most doom bands and more original than any math rock act.
I hope this hasn't put you off reading this blog in future. It may not always be everyone's cup of tea but I like reading or talking about music, even music I don't like or know little about. I still find it interesting and there is always the chance I may learn something or discover some band or track which blows my mind or changes my life which is ultimately what I'm constantly searching for. Hopefully, you may find the same here.
I will just digress for a moment to explain the title of this blog. Originally, I was thinking of calling it Ordo Ab Chao which is latin for order from chaos which aptly describes what I am looking for. However, this has connections with the freemasons which I thought I'd avoid. Instead, I've decided on Ordo Ad Chao which roughly translates as order to chaos (I am aware that the phrase isn't grammatically correct) which is a bit more mischievous and probably sums me up better (my wife thinks I'm a walking disaster). Plus, it's also the title of a Mayhem album which is another good reason in my book.
I think a few ground rules need to be set though. Firstly, I will review proper releases only so no free compilations (just as well because I have far too many of them!). Promos and singles are acceptable though. Secondly, physical releases only so no downloads. Also, no vinyl or cassette releases although, to be honest, I don't own much of either anymore. I think I need to do this regularly to make it worthwhile. I know what I'm like. I'll be enthusiastic for a while and then there's always the danger that I will lose interest or life will get in the way. It also needs to be regular enough to keep potential readers interested so my aim is that I'll put a new review up every three days or so. Next, I suppose I'd best manage peoples expectations. If you're looking for biting criticism then you probably won't find it here. After all, this is my own collection and most of it, I own for a reason. Sure, there'll be some shit in there or, more likely, albums which haven't dated well but most of the reviews are likely to be positive. I won't give marks out of ten either because it should be clear in a decent review, how good a release is without the need to award marks. I may also post some other pieces, from time to time as and when I feel like it.
As a starting point, I'll run down my top 10 albums of 2013 so you know what I like at the moment. If it's not what you like, Don't worry. It probably isn't representative of my entire collection anyway.
1. Carcass - Surgical Steel: Stunning comeback from the UK death metal legends. Sounds like it could be a long lost album recorded between Necroticism and Heartwork, combining the gore fuelled technicality of the former with the melodic power of the latter.
2. Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen: Fifth solo album from former Emperor frontman. This is black metal at its freshest and most exciting. Listening to this makes you feel like you're listening to the future of extreme metal.
3. Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse: Great Scottish indie rock. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Sounds like it could have been released during Chemikal Underground's glory days.
4. Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer - Child Ballads: A selection of traditional folk ballads. These songs will haunt you for weeks.
5. Cult of Luna - Vertikal: It's safe to say these guys have come a long way from the days when they were considered Isis rip-offs. This is a concept album based upon the visuals of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Weighty post metal but not excessively heavy thanks to some melodic touches. The use of electronics adds that little sprinkling of genius.
6. Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues: Terrific retro rock from this band featuring Arch Enemy's Mike Amott. Brings to mind the Glenn Hughes/David Coverdale era Deep Purple.
7. Wardruna - Yggdrasil: Ancient sounding folk music fashioned using traditional Norse instruments. Dark and atmospheric but given the black metal history of some of the members, that isn't unexpected.
8. John Grant - Pale Green Ghosts: A definite change of style here as the ex-Czars frontman moves away from the mid-western rock of his previous album to darker electronic territory. Hugely evocative lyrics too.
9. Horisont - Time Warriors: More retro rock here, although these guys sound like they could have played the Ruskin Arms in 1979, right at the point where heavy rock met NWOBHM. There's a terrific energy about this and, unlike most other bands of this ilk, this sounds authentic.
10. Fuck Buttons - Slow Focus: Ambient electronic music which absolutely crushes. Progressive and experimental. Heavier than most doom bands and more original than any math rock act.
I hope this hasn't put you off reading this blog in future. It may not always be everyone's cup of tea but I like reading or talking about music, even music I don't like or know little about. I still find it interesting and there is always the chance I may learn something or discover some band or track which blows my mind or changes my life which is ultimately what I'm constantly searching for. Hopefully, you may find the same here.
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