Korean Metal Friday

kmf turkish First up, Contantinopolis*. A pretty solid Thrash band with enough melody to keep me interested. Y'know, like too many Thrash bands are all like "we can play hella fast" and I'm all like "what else ya got?" and there all like "nothing, dude." Constantinopolis steps up and adds some chanting and wicked Eastern influenced guitar licks.

Next, Sorg Uten Tårer. I don't know what that circle is doing above that "a" but diacritical marks are totally METAL. You throw an umlaut or a circumflex on your name and total METAL happens. Also, they have a giant panther on their album cover. That's pretty sweet.

And finally, Gürz.** One of the newer bands on the scene. They only have an EP from 2012, but it is one of my favorite releases of the year. Really fun mix of traditional and modern instruments. Keep an eye on these guys. I'm going to share two tracks because they rule so hard.

Good luck in Turkey, Chris. Don't let the KOREAN METAL DOOR hit you in the ass on the way out.

*Not to be confused with the similar band Istanbulopolis.

**See that umlaut. Toatlly METAL.

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KOREAN METAL FRIDAY - N.EX.T (Part 2)

Details: Category: Korean Metal Friday; Published on Friday, 21 December 2012 05:11; Written by Curtis

So... It's the apocalypse today... how's that working out for everybody? Me? I'm listening to HELLLLLLLLHAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMER!!!!!

It's the end of the world so I couldn't wait SWISS METAL SATURDAY!

Last week we met N.EX.T, a goofy little prog metal outfit that was fun to listen to. But now it's time to pose as a team, because shit is about to get real, yo.

Well, maybe not quite yet. Shin Hae Chul and N.EX.T lent their talents to the soundtrack to one of the Guilty Gear games on the PlayStation 2. The Guilty Gear games are dodgy Street Fighter knockoffs with goofy characters, mediocre game-play, but INCREDIBLY BITCHIN' SOUNDTRACKS. Here's N.EX.T. piece from Guily Gear XX.

Now for realness. In modern times Korea has gained a reputation as a country that knows how to protest. From the student riots of the 70s and early 80s to the US beef protests of 2008, Koreans will take to the street and not take no for an answer. Everyone who has lived in Seoul has gone to Gwanghwamun (central Seoul outside the Palace and US Embassy) and seen tons of riot gear clad cops about to square off with a bunch of folks who are made as HELL about something.

Like, check out this dude. He's protesting so hard he's COVERED HIMSELF IN BEES!!!!!!

Or Water-Cannon-Man.

The point being is that if the government doesn't do what the people want the people reserve the right to take to the street and BURN THAT MOTHER OUT (and also BEES). That is straight fucking admirable.

The third song on the album "Lazenca: A Space Opera" is a thrashing track called "The Power." The video has N.EX.T playing in a METAL looking studio interspersed with footage from student protests.

When KOREAN METAL gets political it does not fuck around. Which leads us to ALMOST CURRENT EVENTS!!! In 2002 an American tank ran over two Korean school girls. This is what N.EX.T had to say about it:

This is important because of that piece-trash-Rick-Astley*-like-turd-clogging-the-already-vile-toilet-that-is-the-interweb, PSY. PSY and his ridiculous hair and stupid dance have been the bane of 2012. My year was going just fine, got a new job, celebrated the first birthday of my kid, played some wicked epic guitar licks, and had a fiery Iron Maiden album cover of an apocalypse to look forward to all with skeletons on motorcycles-that-are-made-from-skeletons totally wrecking shit. But, then this asshole PSY comes out with the lowest-common-denominator-piece-of-vomit-inducing-ass-filth-song and makes the entire year suck almost as hard as 2003. Fuck.

Anyhow. PSY drops a verse on "Dear American" that goes like so:

"Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives/Kill their daughters, mothers, daughter-in-laws and father/Kill them painfully and slowly."

Now, I'm all for protesting, but talking shit about America's armed forces is simply unpatriotic. I don't care what country you're from. And listening to a goofy horse dance song the same traitor made ten years later makes you no better than Frog Hitler. So, I'm calling you out, fans of PSY, y'all are Frog Hitlers.

See you next week. MERRY APOCALYSE!!!

*Did you click that? Really? Really? I don't know if we can be friends anymore.

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KOREAN METAL FRIDAY - N.EX.T (Part 1)

Details: Category: Korean Metal Friday; Published on Friday, 14 December 2012 06:16; Written by Curtis

Are you ready for some EPIC shit? 'Cause today's KOREAN METAL is EPIC and OFF THE HOOK. I bring you the New EXperimental Team.

That was some ten minutes of EPIC from their second album, "The Return of N.EX.T Part 1 - The Being." Do you know what I like? Over-the-top pretentios album names. Seriously.

The core members of N.EX.T are vocalist Shin Hae-Cheol (going by the name "Crom") and guitarist Kim Se-Hwang.

You guys, Kin Se-Hwang is pretty damn good. Here is a super cheesy awesome cover of the theme from "Love Story" from "The Return of N.EX.T Part 2 - World."

The point being that the key to N.EX.T's popularity was their versatility. They seemed to enjoy the high concept prog numbers, but when they needed to play towards the more sentimental lighters-in-the-air tastes of mainstream Korea they were more than happy to do so. When the markets crashed in the late 90s and more politically themed music was in vogue they were more than happy to provide thrashy condemnations of the MAN. They even have a live double disk called "The Fan Service Album." I really wish I could track that down. Let me know if you have a copy. I'll trade you a napkin Jani Liimatainen signed for me when I ran into him at an all night diner once. Cool?

Anyhow. More METAL! In 1997 they released a prog rock epic album entitled "Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera." It begins with a cover of Mars, Bringer of War that I won't inflict on you. It's so prog/pretentious it would embarrass Keith Emerson.* Here's the second cut instead.

They broke up** shortly after recording that album, because, honestly, how do you follow that?

I think I'll return with more N.EX.T next week. There are CURRENT EVENTS to talk about. Also, video games, and more EPIC shit.

*For those of you who aren't in the know, inevitably a prog minded band will take a crack at the classics of classical music. The best thing to do is to wave your arms or jacket above your head and back away slowly.

**OR DID THEY? FIND OUT NEXT WEEK!

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KOREAN METAL FRIDAY - NECRAMYTH

Details: Category: Korean Metal Friday; Published on Friday, 07 December 2012 04:09; Written by Curtis

AAAAAAAAAWWWWW, yeah! Korean Metal Friday returns. I'd apologize for not posting more of these, but the inexfuckingplicable popularity of Gangnam Style made me so insane that I had to stab like thirty hobos and then hide out in a cave in Gangwon-do waiting for it all to blow over. And what music does one listen to while stabbing hobos? I'm glad you asked! The answer in one METAL word is NECRAMYTH!!!

Necramyth was one of the great up and coming metal bands from Korea in the last few years. They released their first album "Unwritten Prophesy" in 2005. It was one of my favorites from when I first started paying attention to Korean METAL thanks in no small part to lead vocalist Urlock and his wicked vocals.

That is how it is done. That's the kind of singing that makes you want to hobo-stab. Necramyth really began to get good when they added former Woods of Ypres drummer David Gold (going by Veillko in Korea). Here they are at something with the incredibly awesome name of the "KOREA HAPPY METAL FESTIVAL" in 2007.

Sadly, Gold would tragically die in a car accident in 2011 and Necramyth disbanded. Which is a damn shame as both his bands were pretty fucking great. Hoefully we wil hear more from Urlock and company sometime in the future. I'll leave you with some Woods of Ypres in honor of Gold.

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KOREAN METAL FRIDAY - APOLLO 18

Details: Category: Korean Metal Friday; Published on Saturday, 22 September 2012 03:05; Written by Curtis

Man cannot live on metal alone*. So in the interest of showing a wider variety of the Korean rock scene I bring you Apollo 18. Not really a metal band, more of a post-punk/hardcore in the spirit of Sonic Youth. I covered another Korean post-punk group, Jambinai, a few months ago.

Formed in 2008, Apollo 18 quickly gained a reputation as one of Korea's loudest bands. Korean indie rock had been kicking around for a while with bands like Cherry Filer, Peter Pan Complex, and Jaurim writing catchy slightly-hard-rocking tunes for the last decade or so. Music suitable for quirky romantic dramas, non-threatening commercial soundtracks, and wiping your ass with. Suddenly bands like Apollo 18 start making a god-awful amount of noise and getting booked all over the world with their artful arrangements and devastating live shows.

Korea has two major summer rock music festivals, the Jisan Valley Rock Festival and the Pentaport Rock Festival. These festivals are growing every year and Apollo 18 is part of the reason. I'm curious to follow the rise of Korean post-rock-punk-hardcore. Korea needs more noise.

Apollo 18 is currently touring Canada. Tomorrow night (September 22nd, 2012) they'll be at the awesomely named "Bovine Sex Club." All my Toronto peeps should go see them.

*Not entirely true. Will the Thrill can live on metal alone.