heavy metal, extreme styles

[Leo40]

I wonder if anybody remembers the plant experiments done by Steve Baxter.
When he exposed them to heavy rock "music" they shrivelled!

 

[abstract]

I wonder if anybody remembers the plant experiments done by Steve Baxter.
When he exposed them to heavy rock "music" they shrivelled!

Well, imho, i'm not that surprised. Admitably, the intensity of such styles is a bit of a physical tax if you're trying to relax and regenerate.

Nowadays, i'm backing waaaaay off the heavier stuff, trying to bring balance to my "musical life" so to speak. If you've never heard of steve vai, he's a great guitarist, alot of his music i find to be preferable during meditation, imo.

That being said, I think that there's a lot of metal that just sucks, if i may be so crass. But not all of it is just screaming and raging impact of nearly subsonic frequincies. Ever listened to iron maiden? You honestly wanna sit there
and say that their stuff isn't music? Metallica has a fantastic instrumental called "call of ktulu" (yes, ripped of from lovecraft) and it's very well planned out, it starts small and builds up to an incredible finale with a bang.

Not all metal vocalists scream, either. There's a band called Nevermore, and their vocalist sings in an almost operatic style. Which reminds me that they covered a song called "the sound of silence" on one of their albums,
there's a thread on the sound of silence if you haven't seen that yet. :)

 

[shijing]

Metallica has a fantastic instrumental called "call of ktulu" (yes, ripped of from lovecraft) and it's very well planned out, it starts small and builds up to an incredible finale with a bang.

Now that you've brought it up, I've always loved the version of Call of Ktulu where Metallica is backed by an orchestra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xisIVhc64Ng

I also gave Steve Vai a plug here, in case you missed it:

http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=5700.msg116611#msg116611

 

[abstract]

Now that you've brought it up, I've always loved the version of Call of Ktulu where Metallica is backed by an orchestra

aw, yeah. Me too.

Speaking of steve vai, isn't he just a circus on two legs or what?! My first guitar teacher, when first telling me about steve vai, very plainly said to me "he's kind of a freak".

 

[shijing]

Speaking of steve vai, isn't he just a circus on two legs or what?! My first guitar teacher, when first telling me about steve vai, very plainly said to me "he's kind of a freak".

Yeah, Steve is often an acquired taste, and there is a small fraction of his stuff that I appreciate intellectually, but just can't get into because it is just too weird. I love a lot of his stuff in general, though, and he is an example of someone who I feel found his calling very early and just went for it. I think he does well most of the time when he is constrained by other musicians. I like the interplay between Steve and Billy Sheehan (the bassist, for those unfamiliar with him) in this live version of The Audience is Listening, and I think they've always had good chemistry together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUddr0ziOQM

 

[abstract]

Steve is often an acquired taste

Can't argue with that.

and there is a small fraction of his stuff that I appreciate intellectually, but just can't get into because it is just too weird

He is quite an emotional player, but his technical skills are still top-shelf. The man used to practice 8 or 10 hours every day!

I think he does well most of the time when he is constrained by other musicians

Well, sort of, imo. He's a weird guy. He once came up with a song idea while brushing his teeth and listening to the rythm and sound of the brush strokes!

. I like the interplay between Steve and Billy Sheehan

billy is one of the few bass players i've seen who does pinch harmonics on a bass, he's got an interesting way of doing that. no pick necessary.

 

[shijing]

and there is a small fraction of his stuff that I appreciate intellectually, but just can't get into because it is just too weird

He is quite an emotional player, but his technical skills are still top-shelf. The man used to practice 8 or 10 hours every day!

Have you ever come across his 10-hour workout? It was originally published in Guitar World magazine around 1993 or so. I still have a copy in my garage.

I think he does well most of the time when he is constrained by other musicians

Well, sort of, imo. He's a weird guy. He once came up with a song idea while brushing his teeth and listening to the rythm and sound of the brush strokes!

He is really talented with things like that. Two of the things I really like that were inspired by quirky, everyday things were Bad Horsie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5BrE1Pi5cU&feature=related

And Ya-yo Gakk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6JYXiXio74

. I like the interplay between Steve and Billy Sheehan

billy is one of the few bass players i've seen who does pinch harmonics on a bass, he's got an interesting way of doing that. no pick necessary.

Yes, he's really clever in his own right. I played bass in my college band, and Billy Sheehan was one of my favorite players, along with Stu Hamm and Les Claypool. The bass is underplayed and unrecognized in general, so its really fun to see someone who really does a good job with it.

Addendum: Here is a video I just came across that is also pretty fun, with Steve, Billy etc setting up in front of a gradeschool in Poland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnjLyfj8nAg&NR=1

 

[abstract]

The bass is underplayed and unrecognized in general, so its really fun to see someone who really does a good job with it.

I agree. Bass guitar carries a certain set of frequincies that works well in a variety of applications. it's a great instrument.

 

[un chien anadolu]

I think he does well most of the time when he is constrained by other musicians.

I agree with you. And also when he plays with other bands or musicians (whitesnake, David lee Roth etc.) he rises the quality of the entire album. Not like a good guitarist playing in a band and adding some good value with his solos etc. but Steve Vai is effecting the taste of the entire album. Here is an example from David Lee Roth's Skyscraper album. The crew (David lee Roth, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Gregg Bissonette)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUd4xT3PAfs

Here is another version (the original clip) of the song you've posted (Steve Vai's For The Love Of God)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp1fLW-DS8Q&feature=related

[quote author=shijing]
The bass is underplayed and unrecognized in general, so its really fun to see someone who really does a good job with it. [/quote]

Yeah but maybe because of this when you try to establish a new band bass guitarists are most difficult to find compared to others (vocalists, lead or rhythm guitarists and even drummers).And that makes them valuable ;)

 

[Al Today]

Now that you've brought it up, I've always loved the version of Call of Ktulu where Metallica is backed by an orchestra:

S&M is the live album by Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony recorded on April 21-22, 1999 . Double album set.
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S&M_(album)

I know people who don't like heavy metal like that album...

Anyone who still calls them albums... well...

 

[Mirakel]

Do people here listen to rap music ? i guess not but there is a group called Jedi Mind Tricks and they are literally blowing up my mind ! here some lyrics :

THIS IS RAP MUSIC !
heres the Youtube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3s71vWC3Ps

this song is called Books of Blood: The Coming of Tan

[El Eloh from Lost Children of Babylon]
Took a physical odyssey
To the fathers of Shabazz
With the shamans of the Cherokees
Arrived in Nevada, 10 miles away from NASA
Met the farmer, in which he revealed to me the
Ohioan crop circles that linked all the star constellations
To 19th galaxy... The metaphysists
That quote the Roswell
New Mexican deserts of death valley
Will he be, extraterrestrial biological entity
discovering extraordinary memories
Glided across Glassland
Suddenly seeing illuminations from the seven heavens circle of sand
Of Area 51 and 57, separate the schoolkid and reveal the reptilian
I seen the CIA transform into the species of Greys
The Sabbath seven adding up to seven levels of the Majestic 12
Neoclassic traveller
I Travel the Twilight Zone with Einstein and Nikola Tesla
Walk through the wilderness of Ibilis
as the flying disc, of Ezekiel
the pope stands upon the podium
Becomes a Zeta Reticulian
behold the arrival of the Elohim ..."

[IKon the Verbal Hologram]
...Beware the prophecies of the Tarots!
Alien Spacecraft flying away like Sparrows!
Study the lost prophetic books of the bible
That recites Fallen body energies: spiritual survival
Flying discs seen in Ezekiel 1:3
Granted Kingu a tablet of destinies
Seviates spoke the word of the Bavarian illuminati
I bring forth harmonics of Hiroshima and Nagasaki!
Annunaki planted the seed where I dwell
either vortex turbines pulling me to hell
awareness upon my savannah as omni dimensional
great species has a common memory complex of the social
liquid crystal colloidal membranes responding
to the spectrum of the universal intelligence matrix...
the basis is that extraterrestrials created Christ
and have a device
that recorded all of Earth's history
and can display it in the form of a hologram precise;
Construction of synthetic humanoids is among us
You have entered the Land Of Nod now, face the deafening thunders
And the spiritual wonders
because the harvest now is coming
Beware the world-wide ancient tunnel system
the government is running
Hectic! Verbal slaughter of the Judeo-Christian Ethic!

[El Eloh]
The world has turned on its last spin
The coming of Tan- That is when ya learn! (x2)


[El Eloh]
Fled with the 5, led through a European wooded ravine
And seen Stone henge connect and bring upon the Annunaki
The Highest kabbalah mystic chants by Elohim
And looks to the sky for prophecy
Was abducted in Nebraska
Then taken back to the laboratory, experiment performed before me
Non earthly alien autopsy!
Psycho social biological and electro-
-Magnetic manipulation of human consciousness
The Vulcan walks about the abyss!

[IKon the Verbal Hologram]
The Verbal Hologram: Wordal killer like Shark eyes
Speak Babylonian and Hebrew genesis like the Star Gods
Blessed by Biaviians like the French theologians
Anti-Christ is coming in the form of a powerful Roman!
Development of Aid’s was funded in 1969
For the seven (G-7)
and injected into 100 million Africans in ‘77
Cuneiform inscriptions in Western Asia of the Nabu
Dwell in hell, celestial bodies : twelve like Kathabu
But I can rob you of your spirit soul like Xenu
Elders imprisoned, negative Para-physical beings we knew
Function outside the time-track like Ississani
I chose to be enclosed and I fold too, like Origami
Comprehend the theory of reflection like Paromatma
In the epic Sanskrit history of the world like Mahabharata
Praise to His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

[abstract]

Do people here listen to rap music ?

I sure don't, but some other peoples around here sure do, just roll through the posts and check em out. EVERYTHING here is totally worth reading. There is much within our

digital walls that provides a seeker with a mountain of information, at his/her disposal whenever he/she needs it, it's one of the perks, if I may call it as such.

Have you seen our music collaboration thread? Nomad shifted around some posts for us to make it, if you have ideas you should totally go over there and check it out.

We've got a bit of a "cass-band" happening slowly but surely!

 

[Argonaut]

I really like some metal, as well as hard rock. One of my favorite bands right now is Monster Magnet. They have some interesting lyrics, several of which indicate they may "know" something. The Song "Silver Future" seems to talk about "the terror of the situation":

What kind of creature do we have here?
It feels like love but it smells like fear

Look in the mirror, baby, what do you dream?
Look at it harder now and you start to scream
We're findin' out what drives your machine

They also have a song called "Leapin' Lizards" which begins like this:

Keep those leapin' lizards off my back
Right off my back

Cause they're blocking off the highway to the sun
And it's my sun

Also, their song "Space Lord" seems to be about world events and politics being controlled by something "alien." Their music is full of symbol and metaphor, a lot of which could be interpreted in many ways. But they do appear to have at least a slight clue about what's going on. A lot of hard rock/heavy metal artists seem to have some awareness, actually. Also some rap artists. Although most rappers I've heard who bring up "reptilian" or "alien" involvement seem to be in the David Icke/Zechariah Sitchin camp. Lots of mentions of "Nibiru," the "Annunaki," etc, along with heavy Babylonian symbolism.

I have so many incredible memories listening to Pink Floyd. I remember one time listening to the Solo to Comfortably Numb and I had this incredible vision in my mind's eye of "God" who was in the shape of a person, but was made out of millions of stars and he/she just scattered apart to become the cosmos, and that was when I realized that God, or better yet the Divine Cosmic Mind is all and everything that exists in the universe, the creator and the creation.

I'm a huge fan of Pink Floyd! :D Their music always seems to lift my spirits and make me feel better.

Here's a bit of one of the C's session transcripts where Laura asks the C's about Pink Floyd:

Q: (L) Now, frivolous question number one: Do you guys like Pink Floyd?
A: "Like" is a bit off base.
Q: (L) What would be more 'on base?'
A: Absorb.
Q: (L) Do you absorb Pink Floyd?
A: We are Pink Floyd, and all other facets of your higher consciousness.

I also love Pink Floyd; I can see how their stuff could be a "facet of higher consciousness." This C's quote makes me think of the supposed synchronicity between the PF album "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wizard of Oz," since the C's have also mentioned that movie being inspired from 6D.

Here's some info I found about this:

_http://www.dwmorrison.com/floydwiz.html
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Rainbow
_http://members.cox.net/stegokitty/dsotr_pages/printable.htm
_http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1433194/19970530/story.jhtml
_http://www.dvdsavant.com/s2ozfloyd.html

I've listened to the album while watching the movie and it really is intriguing. Members of Pink Floyd have flatly denied that they intended the album to synch with "The Wizard of Oz" (they said the album was actually inspired by "The Sound of Music"). And I doubt they'd lie about this, because what would be the motive? But maybe the synchronicity was intended at a higher level. This sort of thing may happen a lot - a sort of "fingerprint" or signature of 6D STO influence.

The problem is, if one were to go looking for these "fingerprints" it would be easy to fall victim to wishful thinking. Maybe this is what's behind the "Wizard of Oz" connection. But the album really does seem to synch up well with it.

Oh, and here's something interesting: I was just looking up info on Monster Magnet and found their "unOfficial Biography." _http://www.monstermagnet.net/bio.htm It's clearly a somewhat fantasized version of the band's history, but near the beginning it mentions that back in the 80's they called themselves "Pinque Phloid." Whether true or not, it was still a neat synchronicity, since I had written most of this post before reading that info. :)


[EDIT: Fixed a messed-up quote]

 

[Breton]

I don't think music is essential to increasing awareness.....but like everything else in this existence it can help or hinder depending on your level of knowledge and understanding.

I would tend to agree with this. The more knowledge you have, it is possible (but not guaranteed) to increase your awareness. When you are more aware, how you react to music is different. Imagine how different you might perceive the same music of your teenage years many years later after you had experienced much more of life. Even if your taste had not really changed, you might react to the music very differently. As (I think) Gurdjieff suggests, your "being" has changed.

For myself, having become aware of esoteric studies, and hyperdimensional realities, I am more likely to search for and pick up on lyrics in songs that might be influenced by these things. I also find that I desire to be more aware of the responses it awakens in me and question them: is this helping or HINDERING my spiritual growth. Here I define spiritual growth as being more aware of objective reality. Also, by being more aware of how music makes me react, I can learn more about my machine, and observe it.

Not long after the infamous day in september 2001 I started to wake from my sleeping subjective reality and started to really look at the world I was living in and tried to understand it. My studies showed that society, "civilization", was uglier, more corrupt, and depressing than I could have guessed. I found myself searching for music that had lyrics that expressed these same things that I was seeing and feeling. In fact, it was the search for this music that led me in 2008 to the MP3 files posted on a certain page I had never seen before: Signs of the Times! Since then, thanks to the assistance of the SOTT team the learning has advanced amazingly. Now some of those ballads and folk songs that protested war and societal injustice that I found are a bit out of date and somewhat naive even, and I have lost the need to listen to them much anymore.

On another note: Music and its effects on people is an intriguing topic.


This topic is not only interesting, but I think that understanding this is crucial if we want to look at music for the purposes of "positive dissociation" as Laura brought up in its own thread:
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=14103.0

I have had the desire to learn more about this, but my research has been limited and paltry so far, and I was surprised that just doing Google searches for articles (not very extensively I admit) has not brought to me very much of what I would call very solid data yet. Lots of conjecture, speculation, urban myths, and articles that promote religious interpretation of good and bad music.

I would really like to investigate this idea I have sometimes come across, of sort of "higher" vs "lower" music. Perhaps certain frequencies are designed more to please or suit our lower centers and there may be others that seem more oriented to our higher centers. Or some frequencies appeal to the lower emotional, others to lower intellectual, or moving center. Or something like that. I wonder what Gurdjieff said about music - my studies have not gone that far.

Another term that has been used is "positive" or "negative" music. "What is negative music? It is music that stimulates the negative emotions: anger, frustration, depression, hatred and fear." [from _http://www.dovesong.com/Positive_music/negative_music.asp - (I don't know if this is a credible site or not)]

Then it gets all more complicated with tastes, moods, and then even add possible cultural upbringing that has labeled some music as "good" and other as "evil".

From personal experience what is in my mind and how I am feeling and then the reason I choose the music I listen to, determines a great deal of its effect on me. For example if I am angry, and I purposely choose some heavier stuff BECAUSE I am angry, I get angrier, and downright aggressive. However, if I choose meditative or relaxing and calm kind of music, mainly because I don't want to dwell in my anger, I find myself getting calmer pretty rapidly. However having a fairly neutral mood, for example I have no anger, when I choose either the heavy or meditative music, the effect is almost neutral - or at least I don't consciously notice the effect.

Or what do you think about this thought I came across in my (limited) searches:

We all have our built-in filters, our likes and dislikes, that can block the direct effect that music might have. A happy song might appear to make an angry person angrier, yet it is not the music itself that is creating the anger; rather it is the positive effect of the music. The angry person does not want to accept the song’s happy feeling: it points out his already existing anger, and makes that anger come to the surface.

In any case, I will stick my head out on a limb and say that music, whatever it is, is not neutral. It has effects on us, and thus I suppose also to our spiritual growth. But I do not know enough to say more.

Studies about the effect of music on plants and animals are interesting and I might like to read more. However, humans are still a different kind of creature and I immediately imagine that there is only a certain limited applicability of such studies to human beings that are more complex. Perhaps a place to start is "The Sound of Music and Plants" by Dorothy L. Retallack? I think this may be the often referred to study about plants thriving or dying when exposed to certain kinds of music?

If anyone has done any research along these lines mentioned in this post, I encourage them to share! Maybe start a new thread? It is possible, (and quite likely) I have not searched SOTT/Cass enough and there might be some deeper dicussions on this topic already.

In the meantime it is on my todo list to gather some more information on this. I suspect the more knowledge we have about music, the more we can use it for whatever spiritual growth effect that we consciously desire, (heh whether it is STO or STS oriented!) rather than simply being subject to our "likes" and "dislikes" of the mood of the moment.

_Breton_

 

[Mjolnir]

Metal... it's not "heavy metal" but "power metal". It's called "Symphonic Metal" also. This kind of metal combines classic music with electric instruments, chorus and everything. They're impresive. Some examples:

-The Magic of the Wizard's Dream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZDc0js-m2Q

-Wings of Destiny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUZrtjzyzRo

-Power of Thy Sword:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmhxWi5O1gg

-Emerald Sword:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye6YHQ8AZzU

Talking about influences, check out this lyrics from the same group:

Reborn from ancient chaos
They came to rule our planet
The matrix is the answer
To their new plans of terror
In millions they've been cloned
With dna corrupted
To conquer our freedom
To impose a schizoid truth

Reason with your mind
Reflection is your gift
Don't let the mass confuse you
With it's stupidity
God is in me God is in you
Now be strong and walk alone
Try to look into your heart and find
The way to your own soul

It's time to stop crying
Now we are called

REACT
IT'S TIME TO FIGHT
FIGHT NOW
THE MATRIX SOUL
SHE NEEDS
PLEASE HEAR HER CALL
YOUR HELP
IT'S MOTHER EARTH
YOU WILL KNOW THE DAY
OF THEIR MIGHTY FALL
WHEN YOU HEAR THUNDER'S MIGHTY ROAR

The threat of a new kingdom
Led by apathic zombies
Is tragic and dramatic
The acid rain is falling
The virus is now spreading
Beware the brain's infection
The world is now in danger
It waits for our reaction

Reason with your mind
Reflection is your gift
Don't let the mass confuse you
With it's stupidity
God is in me God is in you
Now be strong and walk alone

It's time to wake up
Open your eyes

IT IS
IT'S TIME TO FIGHT
FIGHT NOW
THE MATRIX SOUL
SHE NEEDS
PLEASE HEAR HER CALL
YOUR HELP
IT'S MOTHER EARTH
YOU WILL KNOW THE DAY
OF THEIR MIGHTY FALL
WHEN YOU HEAR THUNDER'S MIGHTY ROAR

May the scars use their cosmic energy
So the violence will never prevail
You will know the day
Of their mighty fall
When you hear thunder's mighty roar

Other power metal groups:
-Luca Turilli: Angels of the Winter Dawn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpgSyT3CGEo
-Dragonland: Starfall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI9IJpR-jzA
-Sonata Arctica: Broken. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3p22-_IOQs
-Kamelot: Karma. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMFqdlvqAw0

I hear this kind of music when I need inspiration. :(