Presbyopia

alternate universe of the physical self
manifestations, deviations
coming under scrutiny
- screwing up with motherfuckers
who know nothing but deceiving
their own selves

alternate outlook on the material world
gestation, and rebirth
going under agility
- fragile beings put to test
to finally reveal the real strength
which otherwise would wither

seeking salvation in substantial abuse
for all the hurt thus far consumed
unfathomable deeds from the eons of childhood
hidden under the mercy of lacerations
a masterpiece in the red of blood
and the black of pain

but to remain the prisoner of own mind
is never a commitment
for personal gratification
forget dedication to the I
damn the surrendrance to the shell
transit for trancension towards the universal

and the divine inescapable, inexplicable
in designing the understanding,
harnessing the beast of a human
over dignified submission
away from indoctrination
removed from everything political

freedom is not when one cease to be
upon the sea of blissful ignorance
in which awareness drowned
swallowed by waves of industrialization
feeding the production line –
a nation of alienation

still the self is the most formidable structure
to master, to imprison, to enslave
despite the principle it knows
the basic primary colours of life
spinning to project
white light in the end…

looking up into the night skies
lying flat on the back in the grass
watching shooting stars, and make a wish
feeling the breath in the ribcage,
feeling the soul inside…
realizing just how lucky it is to be alive.

(8th of August 2010, Monochrome Duality)

Marhaenis, Proletariat dan Politikus

gnawed at the consciousness of the obeyance
age-old, almost supernatural in its legend
but still, like the betel leaf
the feelings return do to the place
brazened like the Archipelago
the past glories are all and gone
with the last of the seafarer's sails
that decayed in these waters of thoughts

just a pebble on the beach,
stranded ashore and pulled to drown again

the currents are vicious
corroding at dissidency and loyalty alike
the age-old spirits of the sea are howling
at what we have become
doing nothing but throwing ourselves
off the cliffs of sanity the seven princesses twirl
in their healing circle our pained souls embraced

ever struggling to rise through the surge
mainstream and sidelines fading into one impossibility

to kneel before the throne of Reason
while the heart is tied to the Divine
we worked ourselves to death unsung
climbing the stairs made of human bodies
and trodden realities

orang laut pulang ke laut
orang darat pulang ke darat

endless sacrifice - democracy demands offering
beyond symbols and romanticism
in a land where the blood of birth is shed
as tears to water a dream of the family
- economy-sized and politically corrected

favourable winds do keep the veil so frail
could we face the day if it redirects?
our supremacy, minor diplomacy
thrice negotiated and nullified
by fascilitator teachers!


(22nd of March 2010)

Hard-to-put-down Albums (2003-2008)

Hard-to-put-down Albums

1. Train of Thought (Dream Theater)

Swedish Dream Theater’s music takes the listener on a sensory experience with its Progressive Rock/Metal, as with the track Stream of Consciousness which is an 11-minute-plus instrumental epic. Other tracks also are also more than 6 minute, but there is one short piano track written by the vocalist James LaBrie (Vacant) that is a mere 3 minutes. John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards) are all good with their each instruments, each with their styles that complements the other. In the Name of God is a critic penned by Petrucci on cults, and Portnoy writes about strained parent-child relationships based on his own experience.












2. World of Glass (Tristania)


Crude Black Metal-styled growlings are matched with lush pianos, classically-trained female vocals and vast choirs in a collision not as violent as in previous Tristania’s outings, but still, this album is a return to the band’s earlier style it was known with most after spending an album (Ashes) on a more contemporary style of music with less choir. There is also a guest vocalist for Black vocal part by Trail of Tears. The opening track, The Shining Path is an example of such rough beauty unique to this melodic Gothic Metal band from Norway. Vibeke Stene is on her own in the track The Modern End in an apocalyptic boom of neo-classical-styled vocal.










3. Oceanborn (Nightwish)


This album features the track Sleeping Sun which is written for a solar eclipse that occurred in Germany. It is also trusted to be Nightwish’s best release, establishing the band as an opera Metal unit. Tarja Turunen’s soprano operatic vocals are contrasted with the band’s epic sounds that drew inspiration from folklore subjects, as well as literature masterpieces (J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Ringsfor example). Beauty and the Beast concept of duet is found in tracks Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean and the epical The Pharaoh Sails to Orion, whilst Tarja’s solo tracks are especially emphasising her operatic vocals, as in Passion and the Opera. There are also ballads, the most popular beside Sleeping Sun being Walking in the Air. Also, there is a folksy instrumental titled Moondance.








4. Reflections (Apocalyptica)



Metal not necessarily needs chugging guitar chords played to death on sleek axes to rock and kick asses as Apocalyptica showed. Their main instruments are cello, and they are able to play arenas just like their idols Metallica do. They do rock, man! And they even have got that hot rockstar looks, playing on their instruments with the attitude strictly forbidden in classical auditoriums. On Reflections, Apocalyptica played original compositions after starting off as a cover band of Metallica. Some, like Cortĕge and Toreador II, have classical sounds, and other original compositions are evidence of their musical prodigy, even apparently without formal cello training.














5. Cruelty and the Beast (Cradle of Filth)


This is a concept album based on the legends of Countess Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad the Impaler, two infamous figures in the history of Romania wherein vampires and werewolves were part of the myths. Several notable COF tracks are here, like Once Upon Atrocity, Thirteen Autumns and A Window and The Twisted Nails of Faith, all of which has Gothic lyricms that deliver the theme adequate doses of monstrosity and wonders of the sick and gruesome legendaries. Musically speaking, it’s a Gothic journey from beginning of the first track to the last on the sickly fantasies of Dani Filth and the bloody legends of Transylvania.











6. Razorblade Romance (HIM)


Gone With the Sin is a sinfully unforgettable track with heavy bass and drums accompanying Ville Valo’s heavenly deep vocals. Join Me In Death, on the other hand, takes on light pianos and pop vocals that appeal to most. HIM’s music can be said as pop, but with the unmistaken old spirits of Rock N’ Roll. Often too they are labeled as dark because of the Gothic imageries romanticised in the lyrics by Valo on a light dose, complete with vocal harmonies. Despite all these, onstage, HIM is definitely a Rock band.















7. Evil Empire (Rage Against The Machine)


Every track on the album ignites fires on the seats of corrupt politicians who heard them, and RATM has always been a political popular band. From Vietnam to Mexico, issues are addressed in the lyrics without mercy by frontman Zack de la Rocha and supported by fellow gunmen Tom Morello (guitars), Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) on tracks like People of the Sun and Bulls On Parade. The militant attitude, the defiant standing and straight-in-the-face freestyles delivered in a funky barrage of Metal and Rap set the band (and inverted Uncle Jack flags) alight on their live sets. The beats contributed by Commerford and Wilk are very much groovy like Hip-Hop, delivering the rhymes of de la Rocha straight in the face while Morello’s pyrotechnics on his axes will make listeners bow to this album.

MUSIC and Me throughout the years

Okay, so I think I'm going to start off by introducing the bands I always listen to in my seclusion. Of course, I seldom get to come out and talk about it to my friends since too few of them know what it is at all, and this has been going on since I hit puberty. (Note: Discography here is pertaining to what album from those artists that I own and used to own, not the artists' full list of releases)

1. Rage Against The Machine

The band whose songs became the anthem of my early teenage years, inspiring me to be a non-conformist and a rebel at heart. I got introduced to them when I was 12 by the music video of Guerrilla Radio. “At 15 exposed to Philly’s finest killing machine..” I found my head banging to the music when I was only 15 when I decided to find them out. Tom Morello is an ace with his turntable-scratching-like guitar, but it was the bass sounds by Tim Commerford that got me groovin’ with RATM’s brand of funk music. Zack de la Rocha’s style is venomous, while Brad Wilk is the rolling drummer.
Whilst at lower secondary school, secretly I enjoyed the band’s music, something that I got to indulge in only in private as none of the people around me would listen to music as hard as this, and something I hope more people would do…that is, to appreciate music.

Discography:

1. Rage Against The Machine
2. Evil Empire
3. The Battle of Los Angeles
4. Renegades
5. Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

2. Audioslave

Not many of my friends know the dire truth that ¾ of Audioslave is made up of RATM. Chris Cornell originally is the vocalist of Soundgarden. Of course, I got so excited over the news of Audioslave’s formation, since I miss the good music by good bands so much after the music scene is very much being saturated by chugging riffs of the so-called Nu-Metal, something Commerford allegorised with ‘an easy Maths problem’ in a live phone interview with Malaysian Hitz.fm radio.
Despite the majority, Audioslave is not an extension of RATM in terms of music. Cornell’s soulful vocals is very delightful to listen to, and Morello’s guitar pyrotechnics is something lovers of good ol’ rock relinquish from. However, on the third (and last) official album, Revelations, I was shocked to hear political lyrics being sung by Cornell on it although I’m much very used to it with RATM as he was the one who refused prior to the band’s formation. Now, RATM is back on the scene, performing live on rallies to music enthusiasts and for just causes alike.

Discography:

1. Audioslave
2. Out of Exile
3. Revelations


3. HIM

I got my first taste of razorblade-sweet love songs when I was 17 in the song Gone With the Sin from this band hailing from the Scandinavia, so painfully good that I got into Gothic (and started to believe in love) ever since. The best part is, it has got the old rock spirit in it despite its compositions are being rather contemporary pop rock. This band are: Ville Hermanni Valo (chief songwriter/vocalist), Mikko “Linde” Lindstrom (guitarist), Gas Lipstick (drummer), Mige (bassist) and Burton (keyboardist).

Discography:

1. Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666
2. Razorblade Romance

3. Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights
4. Love Metal
6. Dark Light
7. Venus Doom (special edition)

Compilations:

1. And Love Said No: Greatest Hits 1997-2004
2. Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 (Remixes)

4. Cradle of Filth

The fact is, I had first listened to Black Metal music with Singaporean As-Sahar (Intifada album) when I was 16, introduced to by a guy called Joe Slaughter 666 (no, I’m positive he’s not from the band Sil Khannaz). COF is more melodic, focusing on Gothic themes. The Metal guitar in the overdose of Nymphetamine was so beautiful that I pay no heed to warnings of explicit contents of Dani Filth’s dirty lyricm nor of Black Metal’s notorious reputation as what the local media’s quick hotcakes are made of.

Discography:

1. The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
2. Cruelty and the Beast
3. Midian
4. Lovecraft and Witch Hearts (compilation)
5. Damnation and A Day
6. Nymphetamine
7. Thornography

5. Children of Bodom

This is another Finland’s export beside HIM and Nightwish. COB’s brand of Death Metal music, introduced to me through the album Hate Crew Deathroll is energetic, a make-no-apology headbangers’ ball. Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho is on both guitar and vocals. Although literally suffering from headache from the loud music and growling vocals during the first listen, the album was fast becoming among my favourite soundtrack during furious times.

Discography:

1. Hate Crew Deathroll
2. Follow The Reaper
3. Are You Dead Yet?


6. Nightwish

I’m going to talk of Nightwish in terms of Tarja Turunen’s era as the band’s vocalist. I first listened to them on the final album with her - Once. It is an opera Metal band centered mainly around Tuomas Holopainen’s piano arrangements, and supported by Emppu Vuorinen on guitars, Marco Hietala on bass, and Jukka Nevalainen on drums. Tarja’s operatic vocals are particularly strong on epic tracks inspired by folklore subjects as well as literature by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the band’s ballads are lushful despite not being inspired from profane love themes. The Netherlands’s export Within Temptation is a neo-classical Gothic Metal band that uses a female as the main vocalist like Nightwish.

Discography:

1. Oceanborn
2. Once
3. Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish (CD+ Live DVD)

Other Listening:
Within Temptation
- The Silent Force
- The Silent Force Tour (DVD)

Epica

7. Tristania

Tristania is a melodic Gothic Metal unit hailing from Norway, another Scandinavian nation. It has since changed lineup- I first listened to them on the album with Vibeke Stene as the vocalist- World of Glass, in which the band returned to its earlier style of music that deliberately mixes Gothic choir and classical female vocals with Black male vocals on a canvas of melodic Gothic Metal music, resulting with rough Metal gems unique to this band. Ashes revealed more of the band’s industrial side of music, an prominent approach that has taken by Theatre of Tragedy, another Gothic(-Doom) Metal unit that uses female vocalist.

Discography:

1. Ashes
2. World of Glass