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Voices of Masada - analytical review!
I was very shocked to come upon a well thought out review of the band that came from a writer who clearly had a depth of expirence to draw on. The first thing that supprised me was it didn't open with "I went to this gig and..." nor did it repeat the press release sample listing (again) who is in the band and what they had done before (which just shows lack of effert) but instead makes use of the brain (oft' forgotten organ these days). The result, while not full of praise, did produce a tone of appriciation and understanding.
I felt I couldn't disagree while I didn't want to agree either. The result is that I simply quoted the review here and readers can make up their own mind.
Voices of Masada: "Voices of Masada
Prelude
~reviewed by Mick Mercer
This is a fine debut of a fledgling London band, bringing to us three tracks of late 80's inspired trad Goth Rock, which is all fine and dandy, if you like that sort of thing. And no, obviously they don't sound that old, in tone, but they do seem far too cautious. They're in that sub-faces Faces Of Sarah vein, with plenty of quality, a little dash of style, but not as much blatant power as there should be, it's all just a little formal.
They do have all the requisite musical accomplishments, and a particularly fine singer, so there's nothing wrong on those fronts, but by three songs you do almost second-guess how things will progress, and you're not wrong. Or I'm not, but you can pay along too.
'Flight' is a classic example where a song which is just too nice could have been better because when the guitar starts getting frisky it does sound exciting, and you'll certainly believe the programming is actual drums. Instead we see them rely on the time-honoured trick of dropping the music back down to basics midway and then building pleasantly once more. 'Fragments' is similarly restrained, but the key to their future development is how the dramatic vocal story is well delineated and the long mild passage here, which would have worked better on an album, is definitely attractive.
The zigzagging guitar and serious bass (good throughout) makes 'Fallen' seem slightly wilder but when the vocals come in, you know they're coming, and they just do what you expect, which is a shame. It's too much like they have a book of Functional And Successful Goth Songwriting laid out before them.
As a debut it is more then encouraging, but they really need to let rip when they get to that album.
FLIGHT
FRAGMENTS
FALLEN "
# posted by Matt the Hat at Tuesday, July 27, 2004 | |
VOM 27-09-03
Remember the gig opened by Voices of Masada followed by Rome Burns and Corrision Headlined by The Faces of Sarah? I don't but then I can't get to many live events Coz I'm a sad hard working sap! But this is the impact that gig had on the WWW:
VOM 27-09-03: "Voices of Masada where the first band on stage on the night. With a sound reminiscent of Descendents of Cain, with striking vocals. They opened with a song called Flight then Vathek, Fallen, Fragments and finally Step Down. I really want to see Voices of Masada again, they have really grown on me."
Rated: "A creditable 7/10" by this reviewer, includes gig photos of the band.
What ever else that can be said about this reviewer she at least took the time to learn the names of all four members of the band!
# posted by Matt the Hat at Tuesday, July 27, 2004 | |
"Concerts I've seen" - mini review
Concerts I've seen: "Thus for me, the first band of the evening where Voices Of Masada, who played a quite presentable trad goth set. Although I don't have a record of having seen them before, there's something familiar about them. I wonder if I've seen the band members in previous bands."
Voices of Masada got a 3/5 next to The Faces Of Sarah's 4/5.
# posted by Matt the Hat at Tuesday, July 27, 2004 | |
I see no purple light crashing out of you
I'm lieing on my back, the stars look oh so clear
Todays Play List
Temple of love
Walk Away
Driven like the snow
Good things (Morphine Mix)
The weeping song
If only and sometimes
December
Bring me to life
Ribbons
Love you to death
# posted by Matt the Hat at Monday, July 26, 2004 | |
cd review - A Review of Voices of Masada
cd review: "On Prelude we find three songs which is a bit short to judge a band.
This quartet brings beautiful gothic ballads with rock elements. The
first track, Flight, will seduce many people because of its eighties
touch. It really makes me think of ballads by gothic bands of more than
ten years ago like Love Like Blood and such. Fragments continues in the
same line and is the longest track on the disc. Dark vocals are combined
with dreamy melodies and guitar parts that evolve from calm and peaceful
to more powerful without loosing the rhythm of the ballad. Fallen has
more tempo end ends the short CD in a good way. "
# posted by Matt the Hat at Monday, July 26, 2004 | |
Technical update.
Now that the reptile house is fresh and clean after it's recent cleansing it was time for some technical changes!!
First up writers for this blog no longer have to use work-arounds for bad HTML.
Next the page should load somewhat faster due to some cleaver CSS tricks.
Oh yeah and some funky graphics got in too.
That's it for the technical changes (mostly) all GUI so newsfeed readers will see little that is different.
By the way please click the little blue vote button way down on the right there and put The Reptile house where it should be - No #1!
# posted by Matt the Hat at Monday, July 26, 2004 | |
He who has taken the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire
What the Reptile House had become was totally amoral. It was a poor representation, a total canker and an insult to everything it stood for: Goth, Freedom, Art and even God himself. Bible verses were used like so much other ammunition and now it is gone - burned in the all consuming fire of destruction.
Destroy from among you that which is devoted to destruction
This is a new chapter for the reptile house. It has been purged of the feted, putrefying flesh that has so damaged it's soul in recent months. That which offended and drove away both member and reader alike.
"I don't have any insults to hurl, I was just visiting..." --Comment
All I have done as editor is serve the to feed the same monster that the other partakers have and in doing so we have all shamed ourselves. We have all shown ourselves baseless, weak, immoral, cowedly and pathetic. A shame to our culture and to our country. We are all losers. None are innocent.
What have I leaned as editor of this mess? What new direction will we take? Other than all who have parteken in this death on every blog, in every forum is base worthless and nothing.
Thou shalt not troll.
Trolls shall be ignored for as long as they have to.
No debate shall be entered into.
Blog war is off limits.
The power of delete shall be used...
and the six and final rule one post at a time fellas.
This blog has been redeamed in blood and fire purged in a mighty and rathfull deleting of blogs. Edited heavily and born renewed into this dark world to do what it was originally commisioned to do - examine the world of goth. To do it with style, verve, insighted and above all humer.
There will be people who slate us and try to take us down the path of unrighteouse word slinging but this will only hurt our fans. Heaven (and possibly hell) only knows how many or few fans still read the Atom feed or visit the site but hopefully we can rebuild what the canker worm has eaten.
A new reign has began in the Reptile house and it is illuminated by FIRE!
# posted by Matt the Hat at Sunday, July 25, 2004 | |
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