Metal Songs Acoustified by AidanR
OurStage is home to many songs exuding the quintessentially metallic “power, attitude and decibel” gems. And while many of them could be adequately transferred into the acoustic realm, A Vision Grotesque’s “King of the Massacre” stands out in particular to me. Opening with a spastic guitar riff followed by locked and loaded percussion, this song is packed with musical fury from the get-go. “King of the Massacre” travels through many different time and tempo environments as well, sometimes placing a racing lead solo over a momentous set of half time mammoth metal chords, at other times employing the opposite, with extremely rapid drumming milling beneath a stagnant bass and lead. The most endearing surprise appears at 2:31, at a point in the song where the traditional metal “breakdown” would usually announce itself. However, instead of a brutally raucous breakdown, a delicate acoustic medley enters instead.
A Vision Grotesque
A Vision Grotesque
The next minute or so are composed of an epic acoustic build sounding more gentle than metal. At 3:44, the hard rock vibe breaks back in with full force, but still hasn’t reached the metal caliber that was evident earlier in the song. With the onset of frenetic strumming and drumming, said metal climax returns with chaotic chorus screaming @ 4:51. The song has officially come full circle. With so many musical offerings in five chaotic minutes, the acoustic cover possibilities are a dream come true.
Of course, these songs cannot be accurately transformed without talented musicians to perform the “shred” in their own style. Enter 15 year musical veterans Sol Y Canto. Hailing from Cambridge, MA, this seasoned Latin outfit has received a slew of hefty awards throughout their career, including Best of Boston for Latin Rhythms by Boston Magazine and Outstanding Latin Act by the Boston Music Awards. Their performance resume isn’t too shabby either, having performed at Boston’s Symphony Hall and the California World Music Festival. That being said, they’re plenty talented enough to work some Latin magic on “King of the Massacre.” I would transfer the opening riff (and the rest of the lead guitar) over to piano. Partly because piano is the only other instrument in Sol Y Canto besides guitar that would be able to play that riff, and because how many times to you hear guitar riffs played by a piano? I think this would be an interesting trend to carry throughout the entire song, giving the piano the lead riffs while the acoustic guitar (harmonized by flute and saxophone) played the rhythm guitar parts of the original song. Of course, adequate congas would be necessary to keep it moving, despite the hand cramps that might entail. Another instrument capable of driving the song forward is the bass, but the bass is rather neglected in the original song, just playing root notes in a rhythm matching that of the rhythm guitar. I would have the bass walk at a fast tempo and vary outside of the tonic key, a move that would undoubtedly inject some more pep into the acoustic version.
Metal Monday: A Vision Grotesque by Munson
Not many bands on OurStage have had continual success for as long as A Vision Grotesque has. Having won the Death Metal/Grindcore channel in September 2008, and then the Metal channel in May 2010, with numerous top 10 finishes over the last few years and a five-week stint in the Best of the Best Rock top 100 — A Vision Grotesque are truly a force to be reckoned with.
A Vision Grotesque is a band that has had no shortages of bumps in the road over their six years as a band, having shifted the members often from release to release and show to show. In the last three years AVG has released two full-length albums and an EP, with different lineups throughout and as a result, each with a distinct sound. The most-constant member of the band is the vocalist, Joe Grotesque. Determined to keep making great metal and getting it out into the world, after their first full-length, the band self-released their next EP and full-length (Waking up to Hell and Metaphysical Hypnosis, respectively).
Since the release of Metaphysical Hypnosis, the band has been looking to further solidify their lineup with permanent members and write more material for their next release. As of May 15th, the band had two songs nearly completed, songs that have been reported to be of a direction more progressive than ever before. The band’s guitarist, Charles J.A.L. (Jerk at Large), claims that “The new stuff is without a doubt going to be above and beyond anything we’ve ever attempted before. It’s the logical evolution of where things have been going for the past five years.” Which means that listeners are really in for a treat if his claim holds true.
A Vision Grotesque "Metaphysical Hypnosis" Review by Loucifer Speaks
I knew when I interviewed them back in 2009 (on an older incarnation of the site) that they were on to something special – they’re a band who aren’t afraid to take risks and step outside of the usual boundaries… and such is the case on “Metaphysical Hypnosis”.
The album is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish – there are changes in tempo a-plenty, infectious riffs, insane melodies, savage brutality and enough energy to make sure that the listener will never be content to just sit down and listen. You have to be up and moving – starting a pit (even if you are in your living room with no one else but your goldfish for company) and banging your head.
In terms of genre, the easiest way to pigeon-hole A Vision Grotesque would be “melodeath”, but there are thrashier and more progressive elements on offer on this album too. As I said before, AVG are not a band who are content to coast along and play by the same set of rules as everyone else. At times they also seem to have more of a European sound and they come across as a more savage version of bands like Dark Tranquility and Omnium Gatherum. At other times it’s all about banging your head at… er… break-neck speeds. Whatever direction AVG decide to take their music in, you know they’re going to put in 110%.
A Vision Grotesque review by Ringmaster Reviews
Metaphysical Hypnosis is not the heaviest or hardest album you are likely to come across but it is one of the most resourceful and engaging extreme metal releases in the past couple of years. When it sounds this good the missing ambition to strike down new doors is not an issue and there is more than enough ideas and as mentioned freshness that lifts it above most other similar veined offerings, songs like the blistering melodic rock powered Sacred Geometry and the unrelenting To Taste The Living with its Swedish death metal spicery leaving nothing but pure enjoyment in their wake.
The album offers eight tracks that all hit the mark and keep the high level constant though Behind The Walls Of The Wicked takes things even higher with its addictive hungry groove and bullying rhythms, the vocals spewing unbridled bile and venom upon every syllable wonderfully, though that applies to each and every track. Infectious and impactful the track tells you all you need to know about A Vision Grotesque, a band with a hand and ability as mighty as the sounds they unleash.
