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Friday, July 30, 2010

Metal gets a little moody but tries to keep its edge

By Ron Gonzales
For the Journal
          Those who choose to attend a tour dubbed Thrash and Burn would understandably be expecting some of the gnarliest music available. And with bands like Asking Alexandria and Born of Osiris filling the headlining spots on this bill, showgoers will get exactly that.

Thrash and Burn Tour     With Born of Osiris, Asking Alexandria, Kittie and others     WHEN: 5 p.m. today     WHERE: Sunshine Theater, 120 W. Central         HOW MUCH: Advance tickets are $18.50 and are available online at sunshinetheaterlive.com

    But since when did the preferred tools of musical heaviness become keyboards and atmospheric synthesizers?
        For at least the two aforementioned bands, a well-placed tickling of the ivories seems to have become standard. Asking Alexandria, on its latest album, "Stand Up and Scream," places dance-styled electronic vignettes into its metal mix, something that already has become a sort of played-out trend.
        Conversely, Born of Osiris seems to be after a sound that followers of black metal have been privy to for many years — one that sees the use of synthesizers and keyboards to create a darkened mood. Guitarist Lee McKinney explained in a Journal interview that though Born of Osiris bleeds brutal metal on stage and on wax, its members draw cues from plenty of nonmetal artists.
        "As far as what we listen to at home and on tour, it's mostly atmospheric music, stuff like Devin Townsend, Cynic and even bands like Mew," McKinney said. "So as far as our songwriting goes, if we're listening to metal and taking inspiration from metal bands, I think our music would sound much differently. Instead, we're listening to bands that have singing and no screaming."
        Born of Osiris recently released a three-song teaser (myspace.com/bornofosiris), meant to satisfy those seeking something new, since its "A Higher Place" has long been on the shelf. McKinney said the original plan was for the band's new album to have been completed before the Thrash and Burn Tour, so that those songs could be debuted while on tour. That didn't exactly pan out, but McKinney promises that aficionados of the band's melding of limber guitar lines, orchestral backdrops and Ronnie Canizaro's growl will hear plenty to like in the six-minute span of the new music tidbits.
        "The third part of the teaser has keyboards all the way through, but it's not like it's taken the lead," McKinney said. "(It's also) really heavy and really dark and it has a lot of cool guitar on it."