ABAD - a band a day.

It was always going to end this way. Since the first utterance of the words “A Band A Day” I’ve known where it would all lead - to the greatest band of all time: Tool. So strong is my adoration of this band, and so deep their importance to me for over twenty years, that they’re an intrinsic part of who I am....

http://daily.band/2021/12/31/365-tool/

365: TOOL It was always going to end this way. Since the first utterance of the words “A Band A Day” I’ve known where it would all lead – to the greatest band of all time: Tool. So strong is my adorati…

Ciscandra Nostalghia is, without question, one of my favourite artists of all time. As an artistic force, there is literally nobody else like her on earth. I’ve written about many bands that are hard to label due to an eclectic and varied sound but, as far as I’m concerned Nostalghia is the only truly genreless artist. To even begin to comprehend Nostalghia as a band, you need to simply accept its namesake is not of this world - an celestial being of light descended from another reality....

http://daily.band/2021/12/30/364-nostalghia/

364: NOSTALGHIA Ciscandra Nostalghia is, without question, one of my favourite artists of all time. As an artistic force, there is literally nobody else like her on earth. I’ve written about many bands that are ha…

A couple of months ago, I did a series of 2-part posts detailing bands who’d undergone such a dramatic shift in sound that I could readily write separately about their early and late output. While Katatonia might have seemed an obvious choice for that run of bands, there’s two main reasons they didn’t make the cut. Firstly, as far as I am concerned, so gradual and steady has been this evolution that there’s no clear split between an old sound and a new one....

http://daily.band/2021/12/29/363-katatonia/

363: KATATONIA A couple of months ago, I did a series of 2-part posts detailing bands who’d undergone such a dramatic shift in sound that I could readily write separately about their early and late output. While …

It’s easy to forget at times how young of a band Mastodon are. I mean, they certainly aren’t young young, but the first of their eight full length albums is still 6 months of its 20th anniversary. With the breadth and evolution of Mastodon’s output, you could be forgiven for thinking this is a band that has being going strong for over thirty years....

http://daily.band/2021/12/28/362-mastodon/

362: MASTODON It’s easy to forget at times how young of a band Mastodon are. I mean, they certainly aren’t young young, but the first of their eight full length albums is still 6 months of its 20th anniversary. …

With their auspicious self titled debut in the late nineties, System of a Down were one of the first bands to bring a political message to metal since Rage Against The Machine. Their alt metal sound which effortlessly switched between cartoonish frenzy and grand melody soon started turning heads and, from there onward, their popularity exploded. In 2021, System of a Down are one of the biggest rock acts on the planet, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon....

http://daily.band/2021/12/27/361-system-of-a-down/

361: SYSTEM OF A DOWN With their auspicious self titled debut in the late nineties, System of a Down were one of the first bands to bring a political message to metal since Rage Against The Machine. Their alt metal soun…

They are one of the single greatest visionaries in rock music for the past thirty years, and a band a band whose impact was likened to The Velvet Underground by none other than David Bowie. There was never any doubt that, before the year was through, ABAD would be talking about Trent Reznor and the mighty Nine Inch Nails. When NIИ first released ‘...

http://daily.band/2021/12/26/360-nine-inch-nails/

360: NINE INCH NAILS They are one of the single greatest visionaries in rock music for the past thirty years, and a band a band whose impact was likened to The Velvet Underground by none other than David Bowie. There w…

I put an irrational amount of thought into who I'd be posting about today. Should it be something 'Christmas-y'? What does that even mean? Should it at lease be something joyful? I don't know. You know what, f**k it. It's the God of F**k. I preface this post by again mentioning separating art and artist. Manson's been in the media quite a bit for reasons other than his music, but today I just want to talk about the artistic output and pop cultural meteor strike that is/was Marilyn Manson....

http://daily.band/2021/12/25/359-marilyn-manson/

359: MARILYN MANSON I put an irrational amount of thought into who I’d be posting about today. Should it be something ‘Christmas-y’? What does that even mean? Should it at lease be something joyful? …

From perhaps the most famous band of the black metal movement, to undoubtedly it’s most infamous. One of the best examples of needing to separate the art from the artist, Varg Vikernes’ work as Burzum stands as some of the most undeniably influential black metal in history. Vikernes efforts to create raw, yet minimalist black metal, integrating folk and ambient elements, made Burzum a progenitor for ambient black metal (a hugely popular subgenre in subsequent years)....

http://daily.band/2021/12/24/358-burzum/

358: BURZUM From perhaps the most famous band of the black metal movement, to undoubtedly it’s most infamous. One of the best examples of needing to separate the art from the artist, Varg Vikernes’ work as Bur…

They are the archetype and basis for essentially all modern black metal, and have a history more outlandish than any author could’ve come up with. They are one of the most revered extreme metal bands of all time and continue to command global relevance. They are pure f**king armageddon. They are, of course, Mayhem. Most bands who innovate take already established elements and evolve or alter them to create something new and (potentially) game changing....

http://daily.band/2021/12/23/357-mayhem/

357: MAYHEM They are the archetype and basis for essentially all modern black metal, and have a history more outlandish than any author could’ve come up with. They are one of the most revered extreme metal ban…

As one of the original giants of the second wave of black metal, Immortal always set themselves apart from their peers by eschewing the stereotypes and avoiding satanic themes. Instead, their lyrics dealt with dark fantasy, specifically Blashyrkh, a fictional realm of demons and permanent winter. While the band has seen a considerable turnover of members in its thirty years, the core members were usually Abbath, Demonaz, and Horgh - though only one album (97’s ‘...

http://daily.band/2021/12/22/356-immortal/

356: IMMORTAL As one of the original giants of the second wave of black metal, Immortal always set themselves apart from their peers by eschewing the stereotypes and avoiding satanic themes. Instead, their lyric…

Coming up in the same scene as many other black metal legends, Enslaved’s early sound was one of proficient black metal, drawing heavily from Norse history. But in their thirty year career, Enslaved have followed their own path. That path is one that has seen them not only push, but destroy, the boundaries and preconceptions of what black metal is. …...

http://daily.band/2021/12/21/355-enslaved/

355: ENSLAVED Coming up in the same scene as many other black metal legends, Enslaved’s early sound was one of proficient black metal, drawing heavily from Norse history. But in their thirty year career, Enslave…

During the Second Wave of Black Metal in Norway in the 90s, if there was every a band that best represented the sacrilegious themes the scene was known for, it was Gorgoroth. Backed by a revolving roster that has featured a who’s who of black metal icons, founding member Roger Tiegs - better known as Infernus - has created some of the most evil, satanic black metal ever composed....

http://daily.band/2021/12/20/354-gorgoroth/

354: GORGOROTH During the Second Wave of Black Metal in Norway in the 90s, if there was every a band that best represented the sacrilegious themes the scene was known for, it was Gorgoroth. Backed by a revolving …

When Hellhammer broke up in the mid eighties, it gave frontman Tom G. Warrior and bassist Martin Eric Ain the opportunity to form a new band. One that would go on to be pioneers of multiple extreme metal genres as well as avant-garde metal. That band was, of course, the mighty Celtic Frost. In 1985 they released their first full length album, ‘...

http://daily.band/2021/12/19/353-celtic-frost/

353: CELTIC FROST When Hellhammer broke up in the mid eighties, it gave frontman Tom G. Warrior and bassist Martin Eric Ain the opportunity to form a new band. One that would go on to be pioneers of multiple extreme…

There are very few people who can claim responsibility for an entire genre. And then there is Thomas Börje Forsberg, a.k.a. Quorthon. He did it twice. Through Bathory’s first four albums in the latter half of the 80s, Quorthon basically built the blueprint for what would inspire much of the Second Wave of Black Metal. All the heavy hitters of that scene - Mayhem, Darkthrone, Emperor, Enslaved and more - were undoubtedly influenced by that early Bathory output....

http://daily.band/2021/12/18/352-bathory/

352: BATHORY There are very few people who can claim responsibility for an entire genre. And then there is Thomas Börje Forsberg, a.k.a. Quorthon. He did it twice. Through Bathory’s first four albums in the lat…

I’m sure you know of the Blue Man Group. They’re stage performers with wacky mime stuff and blue paint. Yeah, they’re a pop culture institution. Sure. But did you know the Blue Man Group also put on one of the most electrifying and incredible rock shows on the planet? Their first album, 1999’s ‘Audio’, was a mix of music from their stage shows and new instrumental pieces using their unique instruments....

http://daily.band/2021/12/17/351-blue-man-group/

351: BLUE MAN GROUP I’m sure you know of the Blue Man Group. They’re stage performers with wacky mime stuff and blue paint. Yeah, they’re a pop culture institution. Sure. But did you know the Blue Man Group also put o…

King Diamond is heavy metal royalty. It’s right there in the name. As the frontman for Mercyful Fate, he (and the band as a whole) were instrumental to the first wave of black metal, as well as influencing metal as a whole in the early 80s. Mercyful Fate incorporated the 70s rock sound, particularly prog rock, into their heavy metal sound....

http://daily.band/2021/12/16/350-king-diamond/

350: KING DIAMOND King Diamond is heavy metal royalty. It’s right there in the name. As the frontman for Mercyful Fate, he (and the band as a whole) were instrumental to the first wave of black metal, as well as inf…

The Misfits, to me, invented two things - horror punk, and the devilock hairstyle. Both will forever be linked to them. In the late 70s and early 80s, the Misfits infused punk with horror and sci fi themes and imagery, as well as took influence from rock n roll and rockabilly. But, while they’ve always been grouped in with the 80s punk movement, what the Misfits we’re doing musically was different....

http://daily.band/2021/12/15/349-misfits/

349: MISFITS The Misfits, to me, invented two things – horror punk, and the devilock hairstyle. Both will forever be linked to them. In the late 70s and early 80s, the Misfits infused punk with horror and…

I considered writing about Opeth back during the Chameleons series of posts, but came to the conclusion that two posts, covering early and late periods of the band, just would not work in this case. Opeth’s evolution has been steadily taking place over thirty years. Starting out as a more extreme band mixing death metal and growls with a more prog sound, Opeth were quite influential in that sphere....

http://daily.band/2021/12/14/348-opeth/

348: OPETH I considered writing about Opeth back during the Chameleons series of posts, but came to the conclusion that two posts, covering early and late periods of the band, just would not work in this case…

The first time I heard KMFDM, as an unsuspecting kid still finding his musical identity, I was dumbstruck. I’d never heard anything like it. It was electronic, weirdly danceable, but also really f**king evil sounding. I soon learned this was industrial music, and I adored it. I sought out and enjoyed other industrial bands, but KMFDM always held a special place for me....

http://daily.band/2021/12/13/347-kmfdm/

347: KMFDM The first time I heard KMFDM, as an unsuspecting kid still finding his musical identity, I was dumbstruck. I’d never heard anything like it. It was electronic, weirdly danceable, but also really fu…

The fact is, I could continue the format of the past two days, spending each day focussing on various projects and chapters of the great man’s influential and biblically prolific career, but there’s less than three weeks left of the year. Today’s post, in a sense, is about the man himself. Strapping Young Lad and The Devin Townsend Project were both hugely important and definitive chapters in the Hevy Devy story, but that barely scratches the surface....

http://daily.band/2021/12/12/346-devin-townsend/

346: DEVIN TOWNSEND The fact is, I could continue the format of the past two days, spending each day focussing on various projects and chapters of the great man’s influential and biblically prolific career, but there’…