Emperor: Live at Wacken 2006

Emperor fans (or should I say, cult followers) would jump at every chance in owning the band's post-humous materials & I've gotten myself here the live coverage of the band's 2006 performance at Wacken.

Samoth was still toting his Jackson RR-V, if you need to hear how good the Duncan JB pickup is for distortion work, all you have to do is acquire any post-IX Equilibrium material to hear the tone in action. This also includes Samoth's coverage with Zyklon.

Back then, Ihsahn had already gotten his Ibanez endorsement, in this footage, he's seen playing his Prestige RGT model. I'm still amazed at his ability to sing & grind out the songs' riffs which were not elementary to say the least.

XX Good

The Peavey XXL amp is definitely one of the most outstanding solidstate amplifier in guitar universe. If you've heard it in use, you'd wonder how the manufacturer pulled it off without having any tube in there; it sounds very organic with lots of definition. I only had a chance to hear this head's performance in a sample soundclip & wanted one badly...

Unfortunately, the head version of the amp didn't make it here, I had to make do with the 2X12 combo version which is absolutely unregrettable. The good Peavey people are not keen in incorporating imposing drivers in their cabs, instead, the ones in this one is a pair of unglamourous Blue Marvel, in-house units which are excellent, to say the least.

To date, the XXL series are unfortunately discontinued...

Sound block

Guitar fans would know the fabled tone coming out from Yamaha's SBG models, this is in part, attributable to a brass plate contraption included in its construction (as arrowed in the pic above). The manufacturer refers to it as a 'sustain plate' & believes its contribution in tonal definition. I've personally played the SBG2000 on several occasions & the bit of clarity coming out from the guitar's overall voicing (from both pickups) is rather marked.

The idea of having such an additional mechanism would only be a mere gimmick if it doesn't prove itself effective, we take the cue from Ibanez on this fulfillment as this manufacturer employed a similar mechanical application in their Prestige SZ (discont'd) models. The massive block you see above occupies the gaping hole in the guitar to provide both bridge anchoring as well as tonal enhancements.

Pestilence: Resurrection Macabre

Ardent fans would find this release an anti-climax because largely, they are bent on believing the band would pull-off another Spheres. However, that release was a reflection of its time- it's the moment of capacity where aggressive music proved itself worthy by showcasing technical proficiency, hence the existence of bands like Cynic & Atheist, among others.

However, I like Resurrection Macabre for its bona fide good offering; it still showcases four people who can play very well & there's some very good arrangement & intriguing musicianship in the mix. I particularly like the guitar tones here; very cutting without losing the aggressive edge. Tony Choy is still the very much sought after death metal bassist with lots of technical prowess to exhibit.

New Starla

The only thing that stops me from really admiring the PRS Starla is its Bigsby vibrato bridge...

But the good people at PRS know there are fans of the tune-o-matic & stoptail combo bridge for this kinda guitar so this summer, that incarnation just happened... & it got my Starla preoccupation going again... If only I can source some funds for it *sigh*

1349: Revelations

This is a very difficult release to digest from 1349, for some of us, it's unacceptable. This happens because we tend to peg subsequent releases to Liberation (debut) & that this one especially, is a detractor, to say the least.

For those of us BM purists, Revelations of the Black Flame is a tired manifestation from the band, Frost's blastbeats are definitely limited here. What you get are hiss-laden atmospherics not quite an indication of the band's real ferocity. On hindsight, 1349 has moved on, choosing instead to propel feel more than the mere obligation to ignite anger.

However one chooses to see this release, the sure thing here is that the band's black metal roosts are in tact; just a different offering this time round.