Analysis of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9

Even if the main part of the work was composed between 1822 and 1824, the Symphony n°9 is the fruit of a long maturation which lasted more than thirty years. Thirty years for the idea of ​​a symphony with choir to progressively take hold in the mind of Beethoven. Thirty years during which the music and the text of the “Ode to Joy” will evolve in parallel, each one gradually taking shape over the course of Beethoven’s compositions, before finally being reunited in their last symphony.

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Eucharist “Wounded and Alone” Opening Analysis

Eucharist A Velvet Creation straddled the line between the metal of old and the “melodic death” metal that would ravage the Scandinavian scene. Intelligently the band still remained enough grit and the compositional maturity of the better genre while not being afraid to integrate an overt admiration for Iron Maiden and the occasional rhythmic tool. “Alone and Wounded” is a bonus track that manages to shape Melodic Death metal into what it should have been. The opening sequence however is so remarkable that it merits a closer look.

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Retrospective: Septic Flesh – Ophidian Wheel

In the modern metal lexicon, European metal has often been used to denote bands that relied extensively on Iron Maiden harmonies, keyboards, pseudo-classical melodies, female vocalists, tremolo picked riffs and overall less influence from Pantera and Metallica. Septic Flesh have come to epitomize this style despite adding a lot more Metalcore elements to keep with the times. Before the name change, the band were once an overlooked force and presented many ideas that metal as a whole was never fully able to capitalize on. Ophidian Wheel is the summit of the band’s creativity and pushes the romantic qualities of metal even further.

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The Greatest Idiot Riff : Bolt Thrower’s “World Eater”

Master’s Paul Speckmann is known for taking an idea and squeezing everything he can from it through repetition and then utilizing the most direct route to return to that idea. Though this mentality would fail many bands because the riffs didn’t have the necessary urgency and creativity to work. Bolt Thrower on the other hand took this approach and pushed it to the logical extreme as each individual riff became the central focus while narrative development was relegated to an afterthought despite somehow still being present. What made Bolt Thrower so intriguing was that they possessed powerful riffs that were caveman like and more often than not completely idiotic yet the band managed to soar where others failed miserably.

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Perdition Temple – Sacraments of Descension

Gene Palubicki from Angelcorpse notoriety returns with a new album that continues within the tradition of Black metal informed Floridian Death metal. Perdition Temple bring a level of technical acumen that has been denigrated by fans and practitioners of this style in recent years without falling into the pitfalls of Modern metal.

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Sepsis – To Make Rotten (1991)

To Make Rotten was initially released in 1991 by the band Sepsis and only seventy handmade copies existed at the time. La Caverna records have re-released this record twenty eight years of its initial release. While many expect another band that is rediscovered uniquely for existing at the right time and having a certain “spirit”. Sepsis put these claims to rest with a good demo that shows untapped potential.

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Proscriptor Ends Absu

After three decades of existence, Proscriptor McGovern has decided to finally end famed American black metal band Absu. While the “Absu” trilogy will never be finished due to Proscriptor’s difficulty in maintaining a stable lineup and the histrionic ego-drama of a certain guitarist, the band leave behind a decent catalogue with unfortunate dips in quality over recent years. Though this begs the question, was there anything else that Absu could express?

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Supuration The Cube: Death Metal’s Most Unique Album

It is commonly assumed that the most unique album in death metal is Nespithe and while there is a very strong case for such a claim, Supuration’s The Cube has a stronger claim to such a title. Demilich have a large number of failed imitators while Supuration have none at all. The first listen to Demilich immediately shows the band’s intentions and dizzying whirlwinds of ideas in elaborate riff mazes. Supuration sounds like a rock hybrid that borders on modern metal but with much depth and just as unique but requiring many more listens to dig past the highly accessible aesthetics. Here are a few tools that Supuration used to create the most unique album in Death metal.

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The Hessian Introduction to MMA’s Most Barbaric Moments

MMA is now a mainstream sport consisting of highly paid athletes, large organizations, specialized doctors and strict rules governing all aspects of the sport. During the sport’s formative years, this was not the case as fighters didn’t fully comprehend the rules, the pay was minimal and the risks weren’t fully understood, creating situations that were wild and uncontrolled. This lead to some fights that had a feral quality that has mostly been lost in the sport barring a few exceptions. Here are some fights that showcase the brutality of the sport.

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