I'll be out of town until Wednesday but I didn't want to leave
The Circle Pit hanging. So here's something I set up last week to kill
all the memory left on your iPod.
THIS IS THE FREE MUSIC MARATHON!
We've
helped promote a lot of free music over time. This is the cream of the
crop. And it ranges from big bands to the deep underground. Click a
link, any link. You may just find a new favorite. No matter what, you'll
find free music and tunes available for the price of your choosing. All
of these artists deserve support, so don't be afraid to throw some
dollars if something really makes you happy.
This is the second lap of four. 25 links a day.
We'll officially be back in full operation on Wednesday.
I've been following Encircle (aka Anthony DiGiacomo, aka Alucard XIX on Youtube)
for awhile now. I found him by his dead on covers of various challenging metal
songs posted up on the Alucard XIX channel. Later on, I found he wrote
music of his own and was immediately impressed by his songwriting ability. Encircle is a solo project with a lot of power and
creativity pushing behind it.
His latest album "Into The Dreamstate" is no exception. If you want to gauge just how awesome this album really is, read up on our review right here. I have a special reason for bringing up Anthony DiGiacomo's work on this fine day. It turns out he's currently offering up "Into The Dreamstate" (along with all his other work) for a "name your price" download over on Bandcamp! Stream below and take advantage of this... twice.
I've been following Encircle (aka Anthony DiGiacomo, aka Alucard XIX on Youtube)
for awhile now. I found him by his dead on covers of various challenging metal
songs posted up on the Alucard XIX channel. Later on, I found he wrote
music of his own and was immediately impressed by his songwriting ability. Encircle is a solo project with a lot of power and
creativity pushing behind it. So far there has been an EP and a
full-length released, both sharing the title "Watch The Sky Fall". But the time has come for new music and a new title. Anthony dropped his second full-length "Into The Dreamstate" January 11th. The album was met by a largely positive response across segments of the metal underground upon it's release. But how does it stack up to our standards?
After giving this record several listens, it's safe to say this an amazing dream filled to the brim with original ideas from it's very own depths. It's incredible to consider the large majority of this record was constructed by just one man, especially when you recognize the high level complexity and serious attention to detail laced throughout. If anything, Anthony had improved greatly over his previous releases on all fronts from guitar technique to actual songwriting. There's a fascinating balance of ethereal and heavy elements to be found in this dreamstate. Some songs will pack a huge punch while others provide taste. But all of the above are powerful. The songwriting is quite impressive this time around. I especially enjoy Anthony's solid progressions and chord choices. All in all, this album really stands out among the Prog Metal pack as a beast of it's own. To put it simply, "Into The Dreamstate" is god damn incredible! Something else that makes this record stand out is the abundance of guitar cameos contributed from various artists across the metal underground. All of which are awesome. This includes solos from Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment, Chris Vogagis of Wide Eyes, and Sarah Longfield of The Fine Constant among others. I should also note the album received a excellent mix from Chris Purvis of Friend for a Foe, but Anthony also had his hands in the production process. It's always great to see so many talents come together.
Now onto the content. Every track found on "Into The Dreamstate" has something special to offer, but some stand out especially. "When Colors Bleed Away" is the albums first venture into the tasty side of things, providing awe-inspiring guitar work through purpose and direction. But as hinted at above, it keeps a balance with a heavy edge. Especially towards the end when it descends into total chaos. The title track was released shortly before the rest of the album and stands strong as one of the best. "Into The Dreamstate" is just plain powerful. In particular, the chord choices and an incredible drum groove about half way through bolster this track among the rest. It also includes a phenomenal contribution from the virtuosic Sarah Longfield. It transitions smoothly into "You Were The Tempest", which is interestingly a completely acoustic interlude in the vein of Andy McKee. "An Awful Image Of Calm Power" riffs like hell. There's one lead in particular that appears twice to soar above the rest. Power is an appropriate word to have in the title. It fades into calm atmosphere which leads directly into the next song, "Confessor". Similar to the track before, this one riffs like hell as an adrenaline infused, stand out song. At the end it reverses into a potent, mosh worthy break. "Retribution" was released awhile back as a single. It's easily one of the heaviest, most chaotic parts of "Into The Dreamstate", slamming out a furious metal edge. Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment provides an awesome guitar solo on this one, making it shine even brighter. "The Curse Of Consciousness" isn't only the longest track on the album, it's one of the best - if not the best. I highly recommend you listen to see why. "If The Day Should Come" opens up the ending with a massive orchestral soundscape before plunging into intelligently conceived guitar work. This is a thoroughly enjoyable track and a great way to close out the album.
I personally have no real criticisms here. Objectively, a few tracks may not be as appealing as others. Also the programmed drums may not be the most exciting. But when you consider the legendary amount of effort put into this album, these are very minor blemishes - if anything.
This is easily the most impressive instrumental album to be released in 2013 so far. Filled with adrenaline pumping composition and huge, original ideas, it's hard to go wrong with "Into The Dreamstate". Especially considering you can buy the album for only $5 on Bandcamp! That's a deal and a half! Go ahead and sample a few tracks above and stream through the entire album on the official Encircle Bandcamp. You won't regret the greatness \m/
I've been following Encircle (aka Anthony D, aka Alucard XIX on youtube)
for awhile now. I found him by his dead on covers of challenging metal
songs posted up on the Alucard XIX channel and later found out he wrote
music of his own. Encircle is a solo project with a lot of power and
creativity pushing behind it. So far there has been an EP and a full-length released, both sharing the title "Watch The Sky Fall". Now it's time for a new full-length! Anthony will be releasing "Into The Dreamstate" this Friday! And he just dropped the title track off that record as a single and it's sounding phenomenal. You can give it a listen along with his other single "Retribution" featuring the amazing Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment! There are several other huge cameos to be found on this record. Take a look at the track listing below to find more. You can also go ahead and pre-order the greatness on Bandcamp if you enjoy the heavy tunes \m/
________________
1- Instances 2- When the Colors Bleed Away 3- Into the Dreamstate (ft Sarah Longfield of The Fine Constant) 4- You Were The Tempest 5- As the Horror Unfolds 6- An Awful Image of Calm Power 7- Confessor 8- An Ending Without A Story (ft Plini of Halcyon) 9- Retribution (Ft Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment) 10- The Serpent and the Static Between Thoughts 11- The Curse of Consciousness (Ft Mark Hawkins of DEVOLVED and Chris Vogagis of Wide Eyes) 12- If The Day Should Come ________________
I've been following Encircle (aka Anthony D, aka Alucard XIX on youtube) for awhile now. I found him by his dead on covers of challenging metal songs posted up on the Alucard XIX channel and later found out he wrote music of his own. Encircle is a solo project with a lot of power and creativity pushing behind it. So far there has been an EP and a full length released, both sharing the title "Watch The Sky Fall". A new song "Retribution" (Featuring Dan Wieten of The Omega Experiment) was put online not too long ago. You already know where you can find the play through. Encircle will be releasing his new album "Into the Dreamstate" before the year is out!
I'll be out of town until Wednesday but I didn't want to leave
The Circle Pit hanging. So here's something I set up last week to kill
all the memory left on your iPod.
