Review: Uneven Structure - Februus. Score: 4.5 / 5

2 years in the making, Uneven Structure's album "Februus" is everything I expected and more. Its mind-bending prog-metal is the perfect balance between heavy djent, beautiful clean guitars and lush soundscapes.

The best part about Uneven Structure's new album is that they have successfully carved themselves a niche in the over-crowded djent scene. With a large number of djent-bands popping up every now and then, this album comes as a breath of fresh air. They're snippet released on youtube, formerly named as "Februus Extract", almost more than a year ago, was a sneak-peek into what they were working on. Not only did that video make "Februus" one of my most anticipated albums of the year, but it came as a ray of hope in an already crowded djent movement.

I can understand why they are often compared with djent stalwarts, "TesseracT" because of how similar their guitar tones (clean and distorted) and melodic parts sound like, but they have an entirely different thing going for them. Uneven Structure's focus is more on utilizing heavy palm-muted riffage to complement their beautiful post-rockish soundscapes that they paint. The heavy riffage only helps to create a build up to crushing crescendos, rather than TesseracT's approach of groove-laden song structures complemented with melodic and clean guitar parts. Also, TesseracT does not rely on atmosphere like Uneven Structure, where atmosphere is the main element of the band.

But enough about the band, on to the actual review of the album.

The album is actually structured in 3 parts. With the 1st segment being 'Awaken', 'Frost' and 'Hail', these tracks follow a single musical concept, till we go to the first interlude, 'Exmersion'. From here 'Buds', 'Awe' and 'Quittance' are the 2nd segment which follow a similar musical concept, till comes the second interlude 'Limbo'. After that, 'Plentitude' and 'Finale' bring the album to climactic close.

The album starts off with 'Awaken'. The band's 1st ever music-video (a beautiful visual treat in itself), which I understand why they would choose it to be their début single. Its the most straight-forward song off the album and gives you a glimpse of what the entire album has in store for you.

From 'Awaken' it goes off to 'Frost'. The youtube snippet I mentioned earlier? That was actually 'Frost', and its my personal favourite off the album. There's just something about the part at 2:31 that makes me go all wind-mill. The first time I heard the youtube track, I instantly knew the potential in it, and I loved every moment of it. It has everything. Crushing djent, heavy groove-laden riffage, soft post-rockish atmosphere, clean guitar melodies and an awesome end to an amazing song.

Just before you realize 'Frost' is over, 'Hail' kicks in... hard.

After the heavy barrage of 'Hail' you're given a moment to catch your breath with 'Exmersion'. The band shows off their ability to create a soothing atmosphere with ambient music, which is really what you need after going through such complex tracks like 'Awaken', 'Frost' and 'Hail'.

With 'Exmersion' fading off into the silence the band brings us slowly back into the djent with 'Buds'. From here on, its more heavy music with 'Awe' and 'Quittance' which might be one of the heaviest tracks off the album, till we literally go into 'Limbo'. A track so heavy with atmosphere, you could cut it with a knife.

'Limbo' is the last time you'll get a chance to catch your breath, till we move into the last segment of the album, 'Plentitude' and 'Finale'. Here, the band shows off how it can completely grab you and take you through a musical journey and create one of the most climactic endings I've heard in a very long time. You won't be wrong to assume that both 'Plentitude' and 'Finale' are actually one complete song, because it obviously seemed that way to me when I heard it. 'Finale' sounds like its the outro to 'Plentitude'. The same musical progression continues from 'Plentitude' into 'Finale' which then eventually fades out to end the album.

The entire album is so flawlessly seamed together, its hard to tell when one track ends and the other starts. A feat almost impossible to pull off, but Uneven Structure do it effortlessly. The continuity of the album from one track to the other is perfect, which makes it feel as if the entire album was supposed to be heard in one go.

There is also a 2nd CD that comes along with the album containing 3 tracks, which all together are almost half an hour long. They're entirely ambient tracks, which would not seem out of place as a movie or video-game score. It sort of reminded me of the soundtrack to Limbo, but then again, I couldn't tell the difference between one ambient track to the next. That's why I don't have much to say about this CD. I honestly, couldn't tell the difference between any of the 3 tracks. It seems the mastermind behind Uneven Structure, Iggy, is a huge ambient-head. Having an ambient side-project, "worC", its no wonder he would include something like this on "Februus". But then again, I'm not complaining because that's a genre I'm not at all familiar with.

If you want, you can skip the 2nd CD, but I think you should still give it a chance. Its not really my cup of tea, but I rather enjoyed a few parts of it.

Overall, this is an awesome album! Probably the most amazing album I've heard since "The Ocean - Precambrian" (that album was a total mind-job, by the way). But "Februus" is such an amazingly, well structured album that you can't help but listen all the way through. The layer upon layer of textures creates such a thick atmosphere that you'll be lost in the fuzz of guitars and at times the cooing of the vocalist. That is, till his screams (bundled with the heavy djent) comes back to wake you up again.

This album is a must listen for any metal-head who likes to dabble in the progressive side of music. And if anything "post" is your thing, then you'll completely love this album.

The HAARP Machine Denied Entry Into USA. Go Figure!

The HAARP Machine, a death metal band from Reading, UK were recently denied entry into the US for their upcoming tour, playing along side Decapitated. Why you ask? No clue, yet. But here are a few things that could've forced the US government into taking this decision.

1. The lead guitarist (the dude on the extreme left), whose name is Al' Mumin. A Muslim and probably a desi (well, I think so). He's also sort of middle-eastern looking, isn't he? Especially with the shumagh (head scarf) and the beard. Well, to most ignorant westerners, he looks absolutely middle-eastern. Would that have to do with anything? I'd like to suspect it does.

 2. The name of the band "The HAARP Machine". A conspiracy theory involving the US government, with something to do with a research project to alter the weather and/or use it as a weapon. My knowledge on this subject is quite low, so I'm not going to say anything more than, its a conspiracy theory.

 3. They're a Death-Metal band. A genre of music so extreme, most people can't fathom the gory lyrics and super fast music which mostly sounds like noise to the general public. Even metalheads go "WTF?!" when they hear death-metal. Its that extreme! Even bands like Cannibal Corpse and Nile weren't allowed in some countries. (Dont know about Nile, but I know for a fact Cannibal Corpse were denied entry into Australia). 

4. 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The US government has been paranoid beyond comprehension ever since that catastrophe occured. Everyone I know (which are mostly Muslim btw) have had trouble getting into or just passing through the US. So I'm certain anyone who looks even remotely Muslim is a no-no on American soil.

 So this brings me to question, could racial profiling be the reason for denying them entry? As a Muslim living in the West, my personal experience says, "yes". Several "random" checks on flights have led me to believe this is an obvious case of racial profiling.

Rant: Voting For A Scholarship

A few people have come up to me, asking for me to vote for them on a website which "allegedly" is going to give the winner of a voting contest, a $2000 scholarship (or a full scholarship depending on who asked me). Strange, isn't it?

Not only did I find this a crazy way of deciding who should get a scholarship, but isn't it just unfair as well? I mean, when did getting a scholarship turn into a popularity contest? Doesn't the desire to study count for anything any more?

So according to this type of scholarship schemes, if you've got good people skills, lots of friends (I use the term "friends" very liberally here), and not have a problem with whoring yourself out, then you definitely deserve a scholarship. You've got to be kidding me, right?! Whatever happened to assessing a person for a scholarship on the basis of how good their academics are?

I can't help but wonder if these scholarship trusts have a hidden agenda with these types of schemes. An underlying fine-print yet to be read. Because it just makes no sense why anyone in their right mind would determine if a person is eligible for a scholarship on the basis of his capability to herd in everyone they know into voting for them. What about the other guy who is actually too poor to afford a scholarship? He doesn't have an entire arsenal of voters at the tip of his hands! What if his academics were better than the person who got the scholarship? Does his ability and commitment to study hard not mean anything? Instead a person who has good social skills is better suited for an academic scholarship.

No, that's just bullshit. Its not necessary that people who are good at interacting with other people would be better at academics. Most book-worms I know are shy people. And I guess its a "nerd-thing" to be socially inept. But that doesn't mean just because someone is a social pariah, he should be punished like this. How are "social-skills" a criteria for an "academic" scholarship?!

Are the people granting the scholarship so incompetent that they have no way to assess a candidate's eligibility that they have to resort to general voting? That's just stupid. I'm sure there's a hidden agenda here somewhere. Like a lewd marketing scheme you know is wrong but you just can't put your finger on what it is.

By the way, the links to the voting scholarships can be found here and here.

Guitar Issues

Its videos like this of Tosin Abasi playing his song "Wave Of Babies" off his new album that just crushes my self-esteem and I end up thinking "there is no way I'm going to be able to play the guitar".



But then, I get to see a video of this guy playing the bass with just one arm and my hope of being able to play the guitar is restored. I mean, just look at him! He even shreds! On a freakin' bass! How hardcore is that?!



Well, if you're wondering why the Doctor is talking about guitars, its because I've bought a new guitar. Actually, its my first guitar and I'm really excited about it. But the problem with the guitar, as is the problem with any instrument, is that its just so difficult at the start to learn how to play it. Its been 2 months since I've bought it and I still cant play anything... substantial. I mean, sure, I know how to play "Tool - Schism" (and a few other songs) but I cant play the entire thing through.

It just sucks, I tell you. But anyways, I guess I'll stick to it. No reason of just letting it go now when I'm really into it and started to understand it. But it just gets you down when you're not able to accomplish what you started out to do, doesnt it?

The Stuff On slashTHREE Is Amazing!

To tell you what I'm referring to, you have to visit this website that I stumbled across www.slashthree.com.

I came across this website after I was going through www.deviantart.com. I've been going through this "artistic" phase ever since I got my new camera (FYI - my new camera is a Canon 500D which clicks some sick shots!). So I was looking at other people's pictures to get some ideas of how I could try some different angles. I tell you, DeviantArt has been a lot of help (but we're straying away from what I was 'really' telling you guys). So I saw a few pictures and the artists said that they submitted these to slashTHREE. I followed the link to find out what this "slashTHREE" was and when I got there, I was blown away! slashTHREE is a website to a certain online community of artists. It displays "artpacks" which are basically a theme to which the member artists are supposed to create their works of art. The level of professionalism in the pictures by these artists is just amazing, considering that some of these artists are just in their teens. But its not the teenagers that really caught my eye, it was these few guys almost the same age as I and they were making some unbelievable works!

[Picture taken from www.slashthree.com]

One guy that has really blown me away has to be this guy from Serbia who goes by the name 'Gloom' (above). This dude is on a completely different level. He doesn't have a lot of color in his works and his works are usually black and white (with some brown now and then) but the level of detail is just mind boggling! My favorite has to be his "Black Dream". This one is just unbelievable. The level of detail on the hound is amazing! You can see every vein-type thing that makes up the hound and the serpent. Another one that I thought was amazing was "Weiss's Secret". It just has that eerie feeling that you can see that the clown is hiding something, something very frightening. To be able to convey such emotions through a picture is beyond my amateur ass. Therefore I bow to 'Gloom'. You my friend, have a shit load of talent. And I hope you use it well.

[Picture taken from monophotography.co.uk]

Another guy whose work I was particularly fond of is this guy who goes by the name 'Mono' (above). Now 'Mono' is a photographer from Scotland who usually takes pictures of the beach, but his shots are just amazing. His work "Respice Finem" is a personal favorite. That foggy effect he has is basically shooting the waves at a very, very slow shutter-speed also called 'long exposure', which gives an ethereal element to the picture. Kudos to Mono for using minimal fancy camera-techniques to make an illusion of some seriously awesome shit. "Salvation" is also a good picture, which I have no idea how he did it. I don't think its digital manipulation, I actually think that that bridge is in the middle of the water. Oh well, we'll never know. But yeah, this guy sure knows how to take pictures. I might try that long exposure trick as well but first I need a tripod.

After going through all those pieces of art, I'm just amazed at how much talent these guys on slashTHREE have. slashTHREE has got a good thing going on here. Being able to bring together some of the new upcoming artists online is a great thing. Of course those completely eccentric/snobbish artists from art-school aren't here, so the level of some of the other artists is slightly amateur but they're still good with a good concept in most of their works. But I guess that comes with maturity, and most of these people are just teenagers so you can't really blame them.

You can bet that slashTHREE is going to be on my regularly visited list. And I can also imagine the new artpacks to have more awesome artworks to display. So if you guys want a dose of some seriously screwed-up works of art go and have a look and be amazed.

A Strange Dream

I had a very strange dream a few days ago. I've been a little disturbed by it and haven't really told anyone about it. I sensed the need to write it down because I have never felt this strangely before by a dream. It involved a person who was very dear to me and had passed away a few years ago. Clearly, the loss of this person was very heavy on me considering I was in my teens at that time and had never lost someone so close. That's why the vision of this person deeply effected my emotions. Now, I don't mean this to be an emotional post at all, its just that the strangeness of what I felt is something that I wish to archive.

I don't remember much about the dream other than it had a very comical feel to it. With a TV actor I know to be in it, a few children, a volcano... and that's about all I remember about it. But the entire dream was nothing that I cared for and I forgot about it as soon as I woke up. But the time that I woke up was the most startling part of the entire dream. At the end of the dream, I saw the person who I had loved so much. It was only for a moment. And in that moment I remembered everything about her, how she looked like, the way she smelt, the way she felt, everything. I had forgotten everything about that person, being almost 5 years to her death. And even though I had consciously tried to keep a memory of this person, I had forgotten all I knew of her. But all it took was a moment and all the memories came rushing in. This event was too unbearable for me so I suddenly woke up.

Its been 3 days now and I'm starting to forget what I felt. But for that day, even after I woke up, the feeling was so strong that I couldn't forget it. For the whole day, that was all that was in my mind. The vision was so vivid and I didn't think I could forget, but here I am 3 days later trying to remember exactly how I felt and I can only recall about 75% of it. I tried writing it down the same day but couldn't get the privacy to. And now no matter how hard I try, I keep forgetting about it. It's like new memories are being over-written no matter how hard I try to hold on to them. And it scares me...

Is the "good doctor" in?

Why, he certainly is. "But doc... ", you might ask. "Why no updates for the past month?" Well, its only because I've been having a few technical difficulties with my computer. In the past month I've had everything from my hard-drives crashing, to my motherboard and CPU over-heating. I've fixed the first 2 problems by replacing my hard-drive and fixing the overheating motherboard by opening and cleaning all the components on the motherboard which lead me to creating another problem. When I took my CPU heat-sink out to clean it, I broke off 1 of the connecting points. Now my CPU heat-sink doesn't sit correctly and my CPU is over-heating to some freaky extreme temperatures! Like, 73 degrees Celsius!

So yes, its been difficult. Also, I'll be moving to my new house this weekend so I've got a lot of things that I'd be doing for the move. With all the packing and cleaning, I have no idea when I'll be able to write a new post. But rest assured, it will be soon...