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Friday, November 9, 2012

Black Sabbath New Album - A Reunion Album after 34 Long Years

Black Sabbath New Album! This is great news for solid Sabbath followers. After 34 years since they have recorded "Never Say Die" as original line up, finally the father of heavy metal is now working for their new album expected to be released in April 2013. Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and the prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne, are working there butt off to make the album as interesting as possible. 

These would be Sabbath's first new studio album as a reunited band since 1978. Actually this is not completely a reunion album because the original drummer Bill Ward has parted paths with the band due to contract issues. But seeing these three legend work together again is a big celebration to all Black Sabbath fans as well as to metalheads all over the world. 

The Legendary Sabbath




Black Sabbath is considered to be one of the founding father of Heavy Metal and was featured on the documentary film Metal Evolution. Though during their early career they were not aware of such kind of music genre (Heavy Metal), most metalheads put the credit on them as pioneers of the genre. Sabbath is one of the most influential heavy metal bands in the history of metal. They have inspired many of the famous acts like: Iron Maiden, Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, Pantera, Foo Fighters, Korn, Opeth, Lamb of God, and hundreds of other bands.

Black Sabbath was included in the UK Music Hall of Fame last 2005. And in 2006 they were inducted by Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich in the US Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band's manager Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Sabbath will be touring in 2013 in Australia. Aussie fans should be expecting to hear some of the classic hits like "War Pigs", "Paranoid" and of course the tracks from the new Album.



The Black Sabbath New Album has no official name yet and there is no definite list of songs that have been revealed as of this writing. Fortunately, I found one track that leaked from the album, the title is "God is dead". Enjoy the track and let me know what are your thoughts on Black Sabbath's new album by dropping your comment down below.






Photo credit - Tim Whitby, Getty Images


Monday, November 5, 2012

Unionbank Eon - Credit Card and PayPal Alternative

Unionbank EON! You might ask why I am writing about this! What is the relation to rock/metal? Actually nothing :) But I'm thinking that this post may help you somehow, so keep reading :)

In this internet era, most of us buy things or products online. It can be MP3 or CD of your favorite metal bands or perhaps a metal documentary DVD Metal Evolution from amazon. In these two blog posts - How to Download Premium Metal Guitar Lessons For Free?  and Blues Scales: How Can I download Blues Guitar Lessons for Free? I shared a little trick on how to download premium guitar lessons from guitartricks.com without spending any money. On these posts I mentioned that you need a credit card and PayPal for you to be able to sign up and download those guitar lessons. 

However, the problem is that not all of us have a credit card or PayPal. 

In the Philippines, it's not easy to get a credit card unless you have a stable job. With that problem, some of you was not able to grab the opportunity and benefitted from what I've shared. If you are one of those people who are very interested to download those guitar lessons but don't have credit card or PayPal, it's not the end of the world yet because I found four credit card and PayPal alternatives for you.

The four Alternatives

1. Unionbank EON Card
2. BPI My ePrepaid 
3. Payoneer
4. BDO Ko-kard 

Among the four, what I'm currently using is Unionbank EON card and we'll be talking more about this in a short while. I don't have experience using the other three cards so I cannot talk more about them. But they are also good credit card or PayPal alternatives so you might want to ask Mr. Google more about these services.  

What is Unionbank EON?



Union Bank EON Card is a VISA Debit card that would let you do online transactions like money transfer, pay bills, and buy items/products online. It's different from a credit card because you need to deposit some cash on it first, before you can use it. 

I got my Unionbank Eon card for almost 2 years now and so far it really helps me a lot. I use it to buy metal band t-shirts from the US, sign up for guitar lessons, book tickets, pay my bills, and purchase gadgets online.

My Unionbank Eon card is a great credit card and PayPal alternative. It totally replaced the purpose of my credit card so I decided of cutting off my HSBC and Citibank credit cards. I feel worry free using Union Bank eon because it's a debit card and it's a wise strategy from keeping you away from DEBT trap.

It's also much easier to apply for a Unionbank Eon card compare to credit card. They are not that strict on requirements and there's a greater chance that you'll be accepted even if you don't have a high paying job.

How to apply?

You have two options. One is to apply online by following these 4 easy steps down below:
Fill out.Fill out the necessary information in EON’s online application found Union Bank’s website: www.unionbankph.com. After filling out the application, you will be receiving an SMS and email notification of your reference number and selected UnionBank pick-up branch. Please take note of this information.  
Visit.
After receiving your SMS and email notification, you may immediately visit and present your reference number to your selected UnionBank pick-up branch. (Link for list of current pick-up branches)
EON Visa Debit Cards that were applied through the online application are initially available at the following branches. More UnionBank pick-up branches will be available soon for your convenience.   
Submit.
Please prepare and submit the following account opening requirements: P350 for your first annual fee, the original and photocopy of one (1) valid photo-bearing ID (list of IDs  
Enjoy!
Receive your EON Visa Debit Card in a single branch visit. Now you’re ready to start enjoying the many benefits your EON Visa Debit Card has to offer! Use it for PayPal, online and mobile banking, online shopping and more!  
The second option is to go directly to Unionbank branch near you and follow the instructions found on this page - How to open an EON card?

After you have submitted the necessary documents during your application, wait 1 to 2 weeks then follow up if your card is already available for pick up. Once you have your card, be sure to deposit some cash on it then you are good to go to purchase items online. Hope this article help you and it would be great if you can share this to your friends as well. If you have questions about Unionbank EON that I have not covered here, feel free to put in the comment section below and I'll be happy to help you.



Friday, November 2, 2012

Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker Dead after a Motorcycle Crash

A Halloween that the Metal world would remember forever. 28 year old Mitch Lucker, singer for Suicide Silence passed away yesterday Thursday at 6:17 am, November 1, 2012. According to the police report, the young front man was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle in Huntington Beach on Wednesday at around 8:55PM. 

Without luck Lucker lost control with his motorcycle and crashed against a light pole. He was thrown away from his motorcycle and the bike kept moving until it hit a Nissan Titan pickup. There were no injuries reported with the occupants of the pickup. 

Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker 
Mitch Lucker was tremendously injured and was treated right on the scene by paramedics. Afterwards he was rushed to UCI Medical Center in Orange County and was treated with intensive care. However due to severe injuries he did not make it and take his last breathe Thursday morning.

As of the moment there's no final statement of the cause of his death since the police is still under investigation and the autopsy has yet to be conducted. The police are also looking for possibility if Lucker was under the influence of Alcohol.

Suicide Silence is a Deathcore band from Riverside, California. They've been active in the Metal scene since 2002 and was awarded with the Revolver Golden God award for "Best New Talent". The band was scheduled supposed to be to perform this coming November 24 at the California Metalfest VI in San Bernardino.



Below is the statement from Suicide Silence Official Facebook page:
There's no easy way to say this. Mitch passed away earlier this morning from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. This is completely devastating to all of us and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. He will be forever in our hearts. 
R.I.P. Mitchell Adam Lucker - We Love You Brother
Here's a good memory that Mitch Lucker left us.



RIP brotha Mitch Lucker! 

Topic: suicide silence Mitch Lucker death

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Why Do We Have Different Tastes In Music?

Have you ever wonder why your taste in music is so different from other people? Why there are songs that you love but others hate them? Or bands that sucks but to your friends they’re awesome. 

One of the hit songs of 2012 was the song "Call me baby" by Carly Rae Jepsen. For many, this song is a great piece just perfect for disco lights in an overcrowded room. But for headbangers and metalheads, this is one of the most annoying and nonsense songs ever made. You can't complain why people have such bad taste in music because on the other side they might be thinking the same to you. 


Scientist found out that our taste of music is driven by external and internal influences. We will discuss them in details on this post.

External Influences

Our family, friends, peers, media, office mates, band mates, music critics, famous music blog, and the people that surround us can be a big influence on the kind of music that we listen to. Would you believe that you like certain bands because your cool friends tell you that they’re awesome? Well for me, I do. When majority of your friends tells you that a certain band or song is awesome, there is a big possibility that you would also like that band. 

When we hear a certain idea or thought over and over again, later on our brains tends to accept that idea and inject it to our subconscious. Eventually, that idea or thought will become our reality. 

The famous American Author Napoleon Hill calls this phenomenon as Auto-suggestion. If you keeping hearing from the people around you that they like Megadeth because of blah blah blah and whatever reasons, what they’re doing is that they are planting in your subconscious mind the idea that "Megadeth is a great band". 

Sooner or later when you think of bands, your subconscious mind would suggest to your conscious mind that you like Megadeth. Often times we like bands or songs primarily because of cultural influences but not because of the technicality of the music itself.  

Based on my experience this is very true. I grew up surrounded by people who listen to rock/metal so no doubt why I like the same kind of music too. However, this may not be always true to everyone.

What if you ignore your outside influences?

Since our taste in music is somehow dependent on our outside influences, what if we take those influences away? What would be the kind of music that you would like? Would you still like "Laid me to Rest" by Lamb of God or would you prefer listening to Justin Bieber instead?  :)

Pandora, an Internet Radio station aims to provide solution for this problem. They designed a computer algorithm that would help you find the kind of music that you like without the influence of other people. Pandora is a free service that would let you create your own station based on your personal taste of music. I haven't tried their service yet since you can only access their website if you live in the US.

Internal Influences

It includes emotions, feelings, beliefs, dreams, values and other factors that can be found within your inner self. These things define who you are, your character, your personality, and how you deal with people around you. Based on studies, your personality would tend to reflect on the kind of music that you like. Your inner self would resonate to your outside world and that affects your music preference. 

I bump to an article just the other day about Music and Personality by Kendra Cherry. She mentioned there was a research conducted by two psychologists Jason Rentfrow and Sam Gosling. According to Jason and Sam, your top 10 favorite songs are enough to reveal your personality, whether you are an Introvert or an Extrovert. 

Just to give you a little idea about introvert and extrovert. Extroverts tend to enjoy human interactions. They like parties, social gatherings, and community activities. On the other hand, Introverts are likely to enjoy time being alone and are not interested socializing with other people. Most introverts are archetypal artists, writers, sculptors, engineers, composers and inventors.

According to their research, extroverts would tend to like pop music and prefer to listen to top 40 hits. "While pop music lovers are hard-working and have high self-esteem, researchers suggests that they tend to be less creative and more uneasy."

I am an introvert kind of person and I was really amazed how their assessment fitted my personality.

This is their assessment for people who likes Rock / Heavy Metal - "Despite the sometimes aggressive image that rock music and heavy metal project, researchers found that fans of this style of music are usually quite gentle. They tend to be creative, but are often introverted and may suffer from low self-esteem." 

My taste of music revolves around rock/Metal, loud, and aggressive kind of music. But after writing this blog post, I realized that If I take away my outside influences, I will find some new genre that I've never thought that I like. Songs of Jack Johnson, The Black Keys, Coldplay, The Fray, some Blues songs, Lily Allen and some bands that others may call gay would seems pleasing to my ear. 

Now how about you? What if you take away those external influences, what kind of music would you listen to? Write down your answers in the comment box below. Just be honest to yourself, listen to want you really enjoy, and most of all have fun finding your real taste in music.   




Thursday, October 25, 2012

An Interview with Metallica's Lead Guitarist Filipina Mom

If you love metal, most probably you already know that Kirk Hammet (Metallica's lead guitarist) is half Filipino because his mother is Filipina. But most of us don't know more about his mother. Who really she is? Where she came from? And what she looks like? 

I've been a hardcore fan of Metallica for almost 15 years now and I'm proud that Kirk is a half Filipino. Although he doesn't talk more about being a Filipino unlike Apl.de.ap who is very passionate in promoting his Filipino origin. But deep inside, a Filipino blood is running through his veins and that fact is undeniable.

Kirk Hammett of Metallica with his mom Teofila Oyao
As a Filipino and a Tallica fan, I've always been interested to know more about Kirk Hammet. About his family background and his personal life when he is not with Metallica. But I just don't have free time to do it. Thankfully, last weekend I had a vacant time so I sat down and did a quick search about him. 

There's very limited information about Kirk’s family on the internet. If you look at his Wikipedia profile, they don't even have the name of his father. They just indicated "Irish Merchant Marine father." 

Good thing they have little information about his Filipina mother. Her name is Teofila Oyao but many people preferred calling her "Chefela". I searched further and I found this video on YouTube posted by Adobo Nation. ADOBO Nation is a weekly magazine talk program for Filipino-Americans living in the US. 

I found this video very inspiring. Chefela is a very supportive mom. He let Kirk's follow his dreams, gave her full support to his son since Exodus (1980–1983) up until Metallica (1983–present). She's been there since Kirk's first Guitar Lesson until the Grammy Awards.

We can get a little lesson from this video. For all of us, if you have a dream, work for it, fight for it and give your best shot. For parents, sometimes we need to listen to our sons and daughters dreams, not just our personal goals and dreams for them. May this video be an inspiration for all Filipinos around the world. How about you, what do think about this video?




Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Arcadia Philippines - Are They Just Another Copycat Metalcore Band?

Arcadia Philippines, many Filipino metalheads are saying that this band has no originality, just a copycat of Parkway Drive and other famous metalcore bands. Are they really imitator? 

Or Does people just hate them merely because their getting successful these days? I'm a fan of Arcadia but not an avid fan of metalcore and I'm not interested in the so called metalcore movement or anything like that. But I respect the genre and the people within the metalcore scene.

Arcadia Philippines
I hate seeing metalheads divided and debating each other of who’s the superior metal genre. That's only a complete waste of time.

However I do listen to metalcore bands like killswitch Engage, All That Remains, and Lamb of God. Yeah Lamb of God, I don’t know why people considered them as metalcore but for me they're just heavy Metal that plays heavy riffs good enough for a headbang.

When I first heard Arcadia, the first thing that came out from my head was killswitch Engage. And if you listen to their song "A Broken Portrait" then jump to 2:43, you will hear a riff that sounds very similar to the song "The End Of Heartache" by killswitch Engage. I cannot blame them, that riff is very cool and worth imitating for. It makes me raise my fist and stand my ground.

Here's the music video for "A Broken Portrait" by Arcadia. Jump to 2:43 and compare it to  "The End Of Heartache", then you will see what I mean.


Here's "The End Of Heartache" by killswitch Engage


Are we not all imitators?

Human beings are great imitators. This is a very vital skill throughout the human evolution and this skill bought as here on what we are now. When we were babies, we were trained to imitate. Imitate to speak, walk, eat, and other stuff that a full grown human normally do. Humans are wired to imitate since birth and you might disagree if I say that we are all imitators.

In business world, imitation is a very profitable strategy. Have you ever wondered how Samsung overtaken Apple in terms of smart phones sales, it's because of imitation. Once again, it proves that imitation works.

In music industry, there are also a lot of imitators. This is a common phenomenon among musicians and there are some artists who are really serious about copyrights. One example is the Joe Stariani plagiarism case against Coldplay, accusing the band of copying part of Satriani's song "If I could fly". Sometimes a riff or tune can be copied accidentally and the artist doesn’t even know if there's already an existing song with similar tune. However, there are also instances that a tune is being copied intentionally.

Bands of the same feather sound together

Most often bands or artists in the same genre would have similarity in sound and style. I have noticed this with blues which is one of the roots of metal by the way. Most blues songs are using the 12 bar pattern and they sound very Identical. You can also notice similarities amongst songs within certain genres like reggae, hip hop, pop, NU Metal, trash metal, death metal, Gay Metal(Oops!) :),...etc. And of course metalcore is not exempted.

In the case of Arcadia, to me it seems like they copied the riff intentionally and they added some notes on it to sound a bit different. Although they did not copied completely but you can clearly spot the similarities. We cannot really conclude that they are a complete copycat metalcore band. Maybe this is because those famous metalcore bands have a very strong influence to them in terms of musical structure, style, and how they write songs. 

I'm a fan of Arcadia and I respect them as artists, but to be honest I do admit that most of their songs have close similarities with some famous metalcore bands. However, I believe on this band and there is always a room for improvement. I just hope that they are also looking forward into that and they'll be injecting more creativity on their future albums. 

Few words to end this post "Imitation is good but once abused, it becomes annoying" 

BTW just a little info, there are two other bands called Arcadia. One is a pop group and the other is a metal band from Australia. So if you want to more about the Filipino Arcadia, be sure to Google these keywords "Arcadia Philippines" or "Arcadia Band Philippines".


Monday, September 17, 2012

Featured Band 002: Vulture Kult

For the past weeks, I received a lot of requests asking if I can feature their bands here in Rockosphere. It feels great to know that many are interested to be part of this blog.

It's also awesome because I got a chance to review new rock bands and listen to fresh music and ideas.

Unfortunately, I cannot feature all the bands and just pick up those bands which I feel worth featuring here in Rockosphere.

Vulture Kult
One band that got my interest was Vulture Kult. When I first heard their song "Electric Medication", Ozzy Osbourne was the first thing that came out in my head. Why? Listen to their songs and you will know why. Click here to listen to Vulture Kult's songs.

Band Bio:

If you think there's no edge left in modern rock, you haven't heard Vulture Kult. Conceived in the spring of 2008, Vulture Kult is a child of the cold Canadian prairie wind and snow from where they hail. Born from the discontent of pointless cliques so prevalent in the current music scene, VK forced themselves to take a different road and see where they would end up.

The result is pounding drums, guitar riffs that light up the dark night sky, and vocals that will rip a hole through your chest. Sometimes sleazy, but always raging, Vulture Kult will tell a story that you will understand and enjoy to the fullest.

Come listen to the new era of the two-piece Rock n' Roll sound and escalate your expectations.

Band:                Vulture Kult
Location:          Saskatoon, Canada
Style:                Rock N' Roll, Punk, Sludgy Metal
Similar to:         Fugazi, Stooges, Black Halos, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin
CD:                   Don't Let Rock n' Roll Ruin Your Life
Release date:   July 2, 2012
Production:       Recorded and mastered by Kelly Rudoski
Press contact:  james@independentmusicpromotions.com
Sites:                 http://vulturekult.com/ http://vulturekult.bandcamp.com/
                           http://www.facebook.com/VultureKult
Accolades:        24 Canadian college radio chartings with 1st album (Self titled),
                          Played with  Black Mastiff, Western Canadian tour this Fall.
Band members:   
                              Hans Bielefeld - Guitars and Vocals
                              Bradley Friesen - Drums and Vocals







Monday, August 27, 2012

Featured Band 001 : Well Hung Heart

Earlier this month I received an email from Grow Vision Studios about the band Well Hung Heart. An Alternative blues infused rock trio band based in Southern California. 

The band is composed of two British and American singer Greta Valenti from Louisiana. 

I was asked if I could feature them here in Rockosphere. But before I said yes, I reviewed first the band profile and personally I like blues based kind of music so they got my interest right away.

I also found out that Grow Vision is the creative mind behind the Papa Roach music videos for songs “No Matter What” and "Burn".  And this really makes me very excited to feature them here in the blog.

Without further ado, here’s the full bio of the band and down below is the video of their lead single "Devil" from Their newest album "Young Enough To Know It All". You can download some of their songs via souncloud for FREE! by clicking here - Download Well Hung Heart Songs.

Band Name:   WELL HUNG HEART
Origin:             Orange, California, United States.
Genre:             Blues rock Alternative fusion
Website:         http://www.wellhungheart.com/
Members:       Greta Valenti
                        Robin Davey
                        Phil Wilson

Keith Richards once proclaimed, ""If you don't know the blues, there's no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music"".

There is no mistaking the bluesy undercurrent that forms the bedrock of Well Hung Heart's raw and uncompromising Rock sound. British born guitarist Robin Davey cut his teeth with the Blues elite, jamming onstage with the likes of Buddy Guy and recording with Mick Jagger. Davey quickly secured a place as the youngest ever inductee into the British Blues Hall Of Fame, and has built a reputation as an eclectic and cutting edge musical mind.

Singer Greta Valenti grew up amongst the deep-rooted musical traditions of New Orleans. Though the two's early years were spent on opposite sides of the Atlantic, they have both found common ground in their passion for the raw honesty of music, delivered in its most unprocessed and unrestricted form.

With a dose of Hendrix, and a nod to PJ Harvey, Well Hung Heart is just as comfortable channeling Nirvana as they are Leadbelly or Led Zeppelin. Greta Valenti's pint size frame belies her vocal range. From whispered tales of regret, to frenzied screams of intent, she is often found onstage clamped to Daveys' back in an attempt to bring him crashing to the floor. Or alternatively throw him a curve ball, should he try and play the same solo twice.

Well Hung Heart record just as they play live - stripped down to the core, void of multiple takes and studio trickery. With Davey handling simultaneous guitar and bass duties, and fellow Brit Phil Wilson on drums, Valenti is left to lead the three piece in an assured but unpredictable stomp through their take on the Blues, Rock and Roll, and its many subsidiaries.

Well Hung Heart finished off their first year in existence with high profile shows both sides of the Atlantic. Appearing at London's prestigious O2 Academy, and the Make Music Festival in Pasadena, opening for Grimes, Grouplove and Cults.

Their debut album ""Young Enough To Know It All"" is set for an October 2012 release and features the lead single ""Devil"".


Well Hung Heart acknowledge that though their influences might stem from the roots, their approach to finding an audience is very much in the present. With a series of self-directed YouTube videos establishing the band's presence, Well Hung Heart have managed to build a burgeoning fan base, both with their blistering live performances and their creativity in the digital age.





Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Easy Way To Understand The Blues Scale

Have you ever wonder why there are so many blues scales? There is E blues scale, b blues scale, A blues scale, and so on. The problem with these variations is that it makes very confusing especially to beginners. 

Blues scales
Understanding the blues scale is very important and failure to do so may lead to frustration. It is easy to get overwhelmed with so many scales when you just starting out.  

However, if you just take time to understand the basic principle behind the blues scale then you'll realize that it is just as easy as ABC. 

In this post I will do my best to explain the blues scale in the simplest way and hopefully once you finished reading, you will fully grasp the principle behind the blues scale. 

By the way, if you want to download quality blues scale guitar lessons for FREE, please check out my article Blues Scales: How Can I download Blues Guitar Lessons for Free? by clicking here!

Blues scale is called hexatonic because it is made of 6 notes. Now the question is "where these 6 notes came from?" The notes were derived from the minor pentatonic and the minor pentatonic came from the major scale. Now you’re confused! 

Let me explain this really simple. Remember the do re mi fa so la ti do thing that your music teacher taught you back when you were still a little Guy.? That's the major scale. It is composed of 7 distinct notes plus the 8th note which is just a duplicate of the first note. Take 5 notes of from the major scale and you'll have a pentatonic scale. 

To be specific, take the 1st, flat 3rd, 4th, 5th, and flat 7th note out of a major scale then you'll have a minor pentatonic scale.

                                         1st       2nd      3rd       4th         5th       6th       7th     Octave
C major scale                  C          D          E          F          G          A          B          C
C minor pentatonic          C                       Eb        F          G                      Bb        C

Shown above is an example of a major scale in the key of C and how C minor pentatonic extracted from the C major scale. Take note that This principle can be applied to any key and not just in key of C. Don't be confused with this. 

You can have major scale and minor pentatonic scale in key of A,B,D,E,F,and G. Basically to get a minor pentatonic, you just omit the 2nd and 6th notes out from a major scale then have the 3rd and 7th flatted and you'll have a minor pentatonic scale. Here's another example in the key of A.

A major scale                 A          B          C#          D          E          F#          G#          A 
A minor pentatonic         A                       C            D          E                        G            A 
  
Now from the minor pentatonic, we can extract blues scales out from it. If you look at the pentatonic, there are only 5 notes. Of course the word "Penta" means five. But in a blues scale we should have 6 notes. So we need one more note to complete the scale and that note is the flat 5th. The note arrangement of blues scale is 1st, 3rd, 4th, Flatted 5th, 5th, and 7th. You can notice that the notes are just the same with minor pentatonic except for the added flatted 5th. 

So to make it simple, a blues scale is just a minor pentatonic with added flatted fifth. 

That flatted 5th is also called the blue note and that makes all the deference when being played with other notes. If we apply the principle of the blues scale pattern from an A minor pentatonic, your A blues scale would be A, C, D, Eb, E, G, A.  

You see you just need to copy the minor pentatonic scale then add the flat 5th on it, that's simple.

A major scale                 A          B          C#          D          E          F#          G#          A 
A minor pentatonic         A                       C            D          E                        G            A
A blues scale                 A                       C            D    Eb  E                        G            A

We have already answered where does blues came from musically. The next question is "Why there are so many blues scales? Basically, we only have one blue scale and that is the 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7 but you can apply this pattern to any key so you'll have many blues scales.



Photo thanks to John Steven Fernandez

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Devil Music: Why Metal Is Considered Evil?

"Metal is devil music". "It is the work of the Devil". "Heavy metal is devil worship music." Or worst "Heavy Metal is the devil". These are some of the famous lines you would often hear from people who positioned themselves as religious. 

Devil's Music?
I grew up listening with Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera. Then came death metal such as sinister, Dismember, Napalm Death, Sepultura and others. 

As a young boy growing up with metal, I wonder if I'm worshiping the devil by listening to the music and this really puzzled me for many years.

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But what's really makes metal the devils music? 

Why these people would consider this beautiful type of music the work of the devil? Is it the lyrics or there is something else? In order to find out, let’s go back from the beginning. Back to the time when heavy metal doesn't exist yet.

Trace the root and you'll know its history.

Most metalheads firmly believed that heavy metal was conceived through the creative minds of the band Black Sabbath. Though there are other metalheads who consider Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple as the pioneers of heavy metal, but still Black Sabbath wins the majority.



The Devil and Music

In the midst of the industrial revolution in Great Britain, Black Sabbath draws from its womb in the rough streets of Birmingham. But the very critical point of heavy metal history is when Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi incorporated the Flatted 5th in many of their songs which later became their signature sound. Little did he know that because of his heavily usage of the tritone, it would revolutionarize the rock music industry forever. The flatted 5th is also called the Devil's Interval or tritone

Iommi is not the first man to discover the tritone. Long before him and black Sabbath, The Tritone has already known by classical composers during the 19th Century. The Roman Catholic considered the Flatted 5th to be devil music so this was suppressed by the church during the middle ages. In modern day, Black Sabbath did not escape the critique of the church and the public. They were banned and were forced to play underground in England.  

So the answer why metal is considered to be evil is because of the flatted 5th note or the tritone.

The funny thing is that Iommi never had an intention to make their music to be some kind of devil worship music. In fact in one interview he said, "When I started writing Sabbath stuff it was just something that sounded right. I didn't think I was going to make it devil music.

Where the hick the term "heavy metal" came from?

Originally, black Sabbath is a jazzy blues rock band but because of the devil's note they developed a new kind of genre. No one knows what kind of genre they were playing at that time. Too heavy to call it blues rock or Psychedelic rock. In an interview with Iommi in a heavy metal documentary film Metal - A Headbanger's Journey, he said that he already heard the term heavy metal but he doesn't even know the meaning of it. 

Many metalheads believed that the term Heavy Metal was inspired by the industrial revolution in UK where there are huge factories processing heavy metal ore and they relate it to this new breed of music.  

The heavy metal soon evolve and being split to several genre. It evolved from just musically evil to both musically and lyrically evil. The evil thing is the favorite topic to many death metal and black metal bands in the 80's up to present. Maybe because the topic about the devil and music grabs attention to the public and make the bands popular. But there are some Norwegian black Metal band literally worships the devil on their lyrics and on stage, to the extent that they even actually burn down Christian Churches. These guys are really taking being evil to the next level and not just a plain marketing strategy.

However, many of heavy metal bands today doesn’t use the devils note and doesn't have evil lyrics but still considered to be satanic. Why? Simply because their music are so loud, they have long hairs, their wearing black t-shirt (with skulls on it), and most of all, their body is wrap with tattoo! Crazy! Isn’t it?

In my own point of view, there is no such thing as devils music. The flatted 5th is just part of the music and I simply love the way it sound. Heavy metal is just another form of music and it can be evil or not. I think the thing that makes a song evil is the lyrics and not the music itself. Any type of music can be evil. One can worship the devil by making evil lyrics in a pop song, hip hop, orchestra, and even national anthem.

To wrap things up, lyrics, appearance, and misconception of the close minded religious people makes metal the devil music.