story

Awaited In Valhalla (Amon Amarth, Jomsviking review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Why are we so damn fascinated by Vikings? Their scandinavian hair cuts, combinations of metal, leather, and wood do depict a very specific aesthetic, don’t they dear readers?

Initially thought of as barbarians who dabbled in piracy, thuggery, and nomadic culture, we’ve slowly learned that they carried a unique culture and, though I cringe to write this, a viable counter-culture alternative to the Roman way of life that was spreading throughout the European climate of the time.

So what does that have to do with today’s Melodic Monday entry? Let’s take a look see.

 

 

 

Amon Amarth – Jomsviking
released March 25, 2016
******** 8/10

original

Amon Amarth is a Swedish melodic death metal band, which has been around for the almost 25 years. Composed of vocalist Johan Hegg, with Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Soderberg on guitar, and Ted Lundstrom as the bassist.

Jomsviking is their 10th studio album, and if you haven’t guessed it yet, the lyrics and tone of the album deals mostly with the mythology surrounding vikings and the full album plays out a viking story, which is why Amon Amarth is sometimes called viking metal.

I’ve said this before, but I’m not a huge metal enthusiast, well, at least not consciously. But I can appreciate a good story, and which focus their effort to produce something with meaning and real thought behind it. Which is why it’s really cool that the band takes its name from one of the mountain which houses Sauron, in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. Yeah, Mount Doom.

Interestingly enough, Jomsviking is the first concept album that Amon Amarth have ever done.

It’ts a story about the Jomsvikings and their universe of violence and revenge. Essentially the story deals with a young man who has lost his love to an arranged marriage and the consequences of his decisions to take revenge and get her back.

Having never listened to any of their other work, but knowing a decent amount about metal, storytelling, and music in general, I can tell you very assuredly that this is an excellent listen. This band has a deep love for Nordic culture and they are arranging the elements to produce an epic that portrays the world that the Jomsvikings live in. It’s incredibly easy to follow, and once you get lost in the style of music, you begin to appreciate the subtle emotions that naturally attach to the genre.

It feels genuinely authentic. Which is so refreshing and well placed.

Opening rather courageously with the track First Kill, the record is well placed to get you chanting and rooting for it’s characters. I read one reviewer say that this kind of album can increase your deadlift strength, and he just might be right.

One of my personal favourites is Raise Your Horns, which perfectly encapsulates the myth of the viking – featuring warbling vocals by Hegg, chanting in the background, and the war drums of new drummer Tobias Gustafsson. It’s quickly followed by The Way of Vikingsm, which amps up the story one more notch.

Vengeance is my name has a classic sounding death metal ring to it, and of course A Dream That Cannot Be is just so sad, and I can’t really ruin it at this point, but the tragedy captured by featuring Doro Pesch on vocals alongside Hegg is quite apt and fits well.

If you are looking for a way to ease yourself into death metal, or you are sick of substitutes, you should give Jomsviking a listen, you won’t be disappointed. I personally was so happy I bought this album, especially after a couple of listens.

 

 

 

Amon Amarth are in a unique position. After almost 25 years of producing the same style of music, they have become the face of viking metal, a proud and noble group which has not modified their sound to keep up with trends and tastes, if anything this concept album proves they are going to dig their heels in deeper if necessary.

What’s interesting to me though, is that they get most of their success from touring, as is often the case with most long-standing rock groups. People are willing to spend a little bit more money to support a band which stands for an ideal or a belief system, and that’s why Amon Amarth are so interesting. They celebrate a culture and an obsession of it in their music, while simultaneously providing a legacy for it.

And that’s something we should all strive for. But maybe that’s just my theory. See you tomorrow for something theatrical friends.
Tim!

Tales To Astonish (Dream Theater, The Astonishing review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I am the first in my own social network to admit that I know almost next to nothing about the intricacies of the metal genre of music. Between that and the country genre, I feel the most out of place listening and sharing my thoughts on that subject.

But life is supposed to be about stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing that which makes you the most afraid, or else you would live in fear and never see anything of the world than what you already know.

 

 

 

Dream Theater – The Astonishing
released January 29, 2016
******* 7/10

dreamtheatercoverjpg

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band which has been active since 1985, by founding members John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy.

They are well known in the metal community for their technical ability and ability to put together well crafted records – And that is why I’m glad I picked up Dream Theater’s The Astonishing.

Who would have thought that metal music could be so intricate and willing to explore concepts that we rarely see in other realms of the industry.

Well, if you asked my girlfriend, my Cross Talk co-host, or anybody who has been listening to the genre since it’s inception in the early 1970s, then they would say, duh obviously timotheories.

Dream Theater’s thirteenth studio release is lauded by other critics as an excellent portrayal of how music can represent characters and the development of a story. This might be naive on my part, but all the while listening to the record, I couldn’t help but think of stories like Peter and the Wolf, Star Wars, Dune, and Game of Thrones.

And after spending more time than I can count listening to Star Wars The Force Awakens theories recent;y, I’ve come to accept the King Arthur influencetial elements in both The Astonishing and The Force Awakens.

I’m going to borrow this snippet of how the concept album reads from another review I read because it’s just so darn apt, and I don’t want to rewrite what is already so eloquent –

Guitarist John Petrucci has written a double-disc sci-fi rock opera, set in a dystopian future in an invented country (the package contains maps). In it, music created and/or performed by humans has been outlawed by the state. Only government-sanctioned and programmed machines are entrusted with those functions. A small band of rebels cling to and fight for the vision (and redemption) of human music.

This kind of story is something that a self-proclaimed geek can get behind, and it helps to digest the prog-metal, pro-rock, and operatic elements of the album.

It’s difficult for me to speak about the evolution of the band, but if you compare these two clips, the first from their earlier days, and the second from this album, you can pretty obviously tell that Dream Theater has made a conscious effort to try something new here, and it’s pretty damn cool two-and-a-half hour ride.

I’ve already linked to it above, but The Gift of Music was particularly fun to listen to. Also check out Ravenskill, A Tempting Offer, and Astonishing.

 

 

 

I’ve said it before, but if sophistication and obsession over craft are hallmarks of good music then Dream Theater has it in spades, now unfortunately this isn’t exactly my cup of tea, so it’s somewhat difficult to gauge how this album fares against its brethren.

Regardless, I stepped out of my comfort zone and sampled a band that has reminded me just how refreshing a rock opera can be.

At the end of the day, its up to you to decide whether to buy this album, but I suggest  you give it a listen at the very least.

And that’s it for today’s Melodic Monday entry! I’ll see you dear readers tomorrow with a movie review!

Tim!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock (Lucas Chaisson, Storytelling)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

A post quite literally 5 months in the making. Holy moly! I owe an incredible debt to the patience of this months featured artist on timotheories interviews.

Lucas Chaisson did not complain once about my delays – he didn’t bother me, he didn’t get upset with me, he just let me do my thing and sort out this video interview as quickly as I was able to. And I hope the video does justice to the enjoyment I got out of spending a couple of visits better getting to know him.

And for that reason alone, I will happily admit he has been one the most thoughtful and considerate guests in my studio space yet!

Readers, you are in for an incredible opportunity with this one. Lucas is not only the first interview of 2016, but the first ever musician I have had the pleasure of speaking with for more than an hour and letting me pick their brain on camera.

And not only was he that engaging as an interviewee, but I loved his album Telling Time even more so.

Did I mention he gave a copy to me so that I could simply enjoy it for myself? When all I needed to do was check it out on bandcamp a few times to get a sense of the theme? Well let me tell you, he is very deserving of the accolades this record has gotten thus far. For instance, Telling Time was up for Solo Roots Recording of the Year at the 2015 WCMA’s, and when it made its initial opening on CKUA, it has number 2, and lasted in the top 30 for just over a month.

Just having finished some work with Northern Sessions, you should also check out the two music videos he released with them.

But enough preamble, as promised here is Episode 5 of timotheories interviews, featuring Lucas Chaisson.

Dear readers, what an experience this has been, I’m now back on track to release one of these interviews a month. If you haven’t had a chance to look at the back catalogue yet, here is a link to my YouTube channel. As always, please send me your thoughts via comments below and/or emails (timotheories@outlook.com).

Please also check out Lucas’ website and bandcamp page and buy his album. You won’t regret that decision.

And of course my sincerest thanks to Lucas for being levelheaded, lionhearted, and quite a lovely guy.

Tim!

Sand Castles In The Sand (10 Lists To Success)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

Do you ever just want to say f**k it, I’m out?

6e31d4d3db73abde59f4d96f4a80576219cff6e4a6d7680647a22b904a020ab6

I’ve talked about motivations before dear readers, and I’ve hinted at how I stay on top of goals, but I don’t believe I have really and truly detailed for you the significance of keeping a variety of functional lists available at your fingertips at all times and the incredible satisfaction you will get from this habit – whether you are highly motivated, stressed out, feeling aimless or a combination thereof.

In fact, 2 of my oldest and first posts specifically addressed the areas of my own motivations and some of the ways I intend to achieve them, one was The Watch List and other was titled Motivation and Movies.

Motivation and Movies is about more than just my love of movies and their incredible ability to connect an introverted type like myself with the world around me. The heart of that post demonstrates that we all love to tell stories, be involved with the storytelling process, and that ultimately our various types and niches of society break down and are usually broken because of communication issues.

Sure I may be simplifying it, but don’t tell me that you believe we all keep this information top of mind!

That’s why today’s Wisdom Wednesday post is all about list making and how it connects with motivation. That’s right my friends, I got to the point of the post through a direct correlation of thoughts, without me using a story, meme or analogy to build it up for 500+ words worth of exposition. WHOA.

It can be done.

16e8c22f-641c-4324-b962-b6db22bba1bf

Granted, I threw in some fun memes, but they didn’t drive the plot forward, they were fun visual aids.

Having worked in marketing as my day job for almost a decade (and barely scratched the surface, might I add), I’ve read quite a few books and articles about the subject, and I’ve also learned some things along the way.

You see, I have this theory that the future of what’s cool and engaging is not going to be furthering technology and scientific achievement, though those things will continue to permeate our globalized village. Instead, because of the advent of the internet and the information age, those two achievements are going to lead us to the next logical step, refining our communication and storytelling ability.

This branding article kind of takes the roundabout to explain what I’m stating rather plainly, but to be fair the author IS referring to the future of business, which is full of plot holes.

tumblr_nszajnzdj91u8ncpjo1_1280

So let’s get down to brass tacks, talk turkey, and strike while the iron is hot.

If you want to be successful in life, you have to be persistent, work hard, sacrifice, be prepared to deal with lots of failures, and keep up good habits. Ask anyone who YOU think is successful, and they will without question give you some variation of that short list.

That’s why I am going to let you in on something pretty straightforward. If you build these lists laid out in this article for yourself and maintain them, ie work at them and add to them, then you are on the track to success.

  1. list of goals
    A reason to get up in the morning, reasons to respect yourself
  2. list of tasks
    Milestones to goal completion, daily – personal and professional
  3. list of contacts
    Reliable, skillful people, who you maintain a healthy and natural relationship with
  4. list of expenses
    Monthly obligations, to create a clear overview and stick to your financial guns
  5. list of useful tools
    Apps for restaurants, maps, task management, learning, etc. AND physical resources too
  6. list of self improvements
    Things you would like to improve or change about yourself, one thing a year may be more viable
  7. list of creative ideas
    To hone your focus and keep your mind occupied. Needs to be new, make sense, and have a use
  8. list of future plans
    Events, changes in law, trends, software – keep you well-informed and prepared for life
  9. list of contingency plans
    Be prepared for the backlash of major projects
  10. bucket list
    Keep your regrets to a minimum – put the impossible down, then find the next best thing, use to restore will power and keep going

If you can maintain these lists, you will never lose sight of yourself and what you need to be doing in your life to achieve your purpose.

I’ve said it before, but creative types are just as prone to dreaming rather than doing as those deem themselves more pragmatic and functional.

Be vigilant and you’ll achieve your goals. And those are all of the theories I have for today dear readers.

Tim!

 

 

Real Talk (Bridging The Talent VS Vision Gap)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

What if you only had a few more months left to live? How would YOU spend YOUR time? Would you stay at the shitty job you took to get your career started or because you didn’t know what to do with yourself, or would you restructure pretty much everything so that you could finally do the things you’ve been saying you’ll do for years? And that probably means travelling, time with family, and projects that might not work out.

Seriously think about that for a minute.

Think about the dreams you have in the back of your mind and which ones (yes plural) you are not pursuing right now. I’m sure you’re scared about them too, right?

But that’s not gonna cut the mustard anymore!

I’m going to share a list of ten things you likely haven’t considered simultaneously but seriously need to if you want to get out of your funk and start contributing to society proper. That means you need to take a good hard look at your life and what it is made up of and start dissecting many things and nurturing other less obvious things.

This is real talk! And not the creepy kind from R Kelly.

Shitjustgotreal

10 Sentences That Can Change Your Perspective On Life

  1. People aren’t against you; they are for themselves.
  2. Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.
  3. You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character.
  4. The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.
  5. Go where you’re celebrated not where you’re tolerated.
  6. The person that you will spend the most time with in your life is yourself, so better try to make yourself as interesting as possible.
  7. If you accept your limitations you go beyond them.
  8. People often say that motivation doesn’t last, Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.
  9. Everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.
  10. Comfort is the enemy of achievement.

I originally found this list from imgur a few years back, so I can’t properly source it, other than the link itself, but here is the link if you want to do some investigating.

Today’s post dear readers is about this theory I have that most people are only willing to do the bare minimum to get through life.

You, yes you, as a creative person have a choice though – decide if you are willing to accept this as reality, or if you are going to fight with everything you have to stay passionate, to burn to produce something real, and to keep doing it until the day you die.

You see my friends, nobody is going to tell you the most obvious thing, they expect you to figure it out yourself.

We all have a reach that it is much longer than our grasp, in terms of asethetics/ability and our vision of what we will accomplish. We will always have this vision, from youth to our old age; but you have to work through potentially years of work in order for your talent to reach your vision.

Admittedly that last point is not my own idea, it comes from Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life. I paraphrased it, but here is the quote I took the idea from.

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me.

All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.

But there is this gap.

For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.

A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have.

We all go through this.

And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap. And your work will be as good as your ambitions.

And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

Ira is right though. And I am gonna expand on his idea –  when we have nothing to lose AND we are physically able, we finally hunker down and start making beautiful things. And that’s when we start to close the gap.

Take for instance this song Clouds about a young man who was an incredibly talented musician.

As delicately as I can say it, the point I am making with Zach Sobiech is not that he FINALLY started to make art and follow his passion because of his cancer (though that is true), my point is that many of us finish school or enter the workforce and give up on our dreams. That was not Zach’s story, but look how much he accomplished in 4 years because he had a purpose and committed to it.

As I mentioned, most of us wait.

But if we wait until we get sick or when we retire and show signs of age, then decide to take up “hobbies” and finally start to share our unique visions with the world, we might not close that gap.

And that’s my theory for the day. Leave some comments or reach out to me with your thoughts! I’ll see you tomorrow with a Melodic Monday review.

Tim!