#communic

[metalsongoftheday]

Thursday, April 1: Communic, “Under a Luminous Sky”

Communic opened Waves of Visual Decay with the 8-plus minute “Under a Luminous Sky”, doubling down on the progressive power metal of their debut and standing out among fellow Norwegian acts simply by virtue of not wearing corpsepaint.  And despite the epic length, the track felt more focused and confident, as Oddleif Stensland sounded a little less indebted to Nevermore in both his riffing and vocals.  It also helped that even though “Under a Luminous Sky” was very much a progressive power metal number, it didn’t sound overly showy, burdened or mannered, instead playing like a fun headbanger that just happened to have progressive touches and a long runtime.  And while it wasn’t enough to break Communic big, the track was an enjoyable number that worked as a gateway track to their 6-album discography.

[metalsongoftheday]

Thursday, November 30: Communic, “Flood River Blood”

The Bottom Deep didn’t deviate significantly from Communic’s previous albums, but their brand of Nevermore-style progressive power metal has never either been in vogue nor felt dated, so in that respect, the band didn’t need to make any major changes in order to stay somewhat relevant.  “Flood River Blood” had all the bark and aggression of prime Nevermore, if not the particular charisma that brought Warrel Dane and company major underground acclaim, and roared with crunch and vigor.  Oddleif Stensland bellowed with just the right amount of histrionics, adding further drama to the proceedings, and his riffing offered a good blend of technicality and melody.  Communic never broke into the big leagues, but the Norwegian act delivered quality power metal that fit in with the scene while standing on its own feet.

[lesdeuxmuses]

Communic - The Bottom Deep (Nuclear Blast, 2011)

[lesdeuxmuses]

Communic - Hiding From The World (AFM Records, 2020)

[lesdeuxmuses]

Communic – Where Echoes Gather (AFM Records, 2018)

[wheelwlf]

Creepy Pseudo-pretentious album covers have become a noticed pattern in my life, and I love them. Album covers categorized as "Creepy Pseudo-pretentious," (For want of a better term) look like a snapshot of an alternate universe.

Hail Spirit Noir's - "Mayhem in Blue," album cover is a ritual almost complete by sea dwelling demons to summon Dagon or Levithan from the ocean the sea dwelling demons arrived from. "Mayhem in Blue," is an inspired name, not for the album alone, but the album cover as well.

Hail Spirit Noir took advantage of a moment of inspiration in the album name "Mayhem in Blue," I do not feel the same is true for the other album covers selected. Still, each album cover presented still comes back to being interesting primarily because the enticement comes from capturing a moment from unreality.

All four of these album covers, all four of these bands, likely all have something in common in that have all probably listened to Black Sabbath and have taken inspiration from early Black Sabbath album covers. Albums covers that are all very good at capturing "Creepy Pseudo-pretentious."

Black Sabbath's first cover and Communics - "Conspiracy in Mind," album cover look like they are in same zipcode, hell it even looks like that little girl could be sitting inside that same house.

Look at them all and compare, you will get the same feeling, reader. I would love to see more these "Creepy Pseudo-pretentious," album covers.

[louiselebert]

Conception de l’identité graphique des mutilé.e.s pour l’exemple du mouvement gilets jaunes, à titre solidaire