ThePhantomEcho

Aspie/autistic music junkie who's obsessed with sharing tunes and making music. I love all music. My main passions are metal, indie, and electronic music, but I enjoy just about anything good.

[thephantomecho]

I went and did an open mic last night, and had a lot of fun. It was suggested, by several people there, that I go back. So I’ll go back next month. I’m still trying to recover my voice fully (my asthma acts up every night, like clockwork, these days), so I kept to the easiest songs I do well enough. It was received very well, and they wanted to have me up for a second set. Unfortunately, they acquired a couple more performers near the end of the night, so there wasn’t extra time for me. I was fine with it, though. I’m no star or diva. LOL I’m looking forward to testing out some new material for next time, though. from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Well, the kids are back in school, so I should soon have some semblance of routine. This means I'll be making more of an effort to post music and go live. Stay tuned after the week of Labor Day!! Got tunes a-brewin'! Can't wait to get all vocal post-rock-tronic on ya. (I need a better term for that...) from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

I think I'm gonna start posting some of my old stuff while you all wait for new stuff to happen. I mean really old stuff. Like, ThePhantomEcho circa 2003, back when I wrote electronic stuff. I actually still like some of it. 😂 from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Hey Phantomites!! It's been a crazy busy summer so far! With four kids at home, it's been difficult to find the free time and/or energy to do any music. I haven't gotten to my practice space at all in the past week or so, but let it be known that I am at least working through some material in my head. I've decided to settle on a sort of "vocal post-rock ambient-electronic" vibe, which means I need to rework some of my cover arrangements. I'm really looking forward to experimenting, rehearsing, and finally getting back out to perform (or at least going live when I can't get out.) As a side note, I do have a Patreon account, and I'll give more details on that just as soon as I can think of things I can offer to the kindest of people. 😉 Stay tuned, and thank you kindly for your patience! from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Yes!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzFWuwYd_zs)Near the end of the year, and I'm finally bringing back music reviews! My best friend requested this one awhile ago, and I'm finally getting to it. Let me start this by saying IF YOU HAVEN'T LISTENED TO OR HEARD OF DREAM EVIL, DO YOURSELF A FRIGGIN FAVOR RIGHT NOW!! "The Book of Heavy Metal" is what I would consider to be "a perfect classic metal album." It's got all the classic metal elements, but at the same time, it doesn't take itself too seriously. In fact, just the album title alone should clue you in, and the lyrics drive it home. It's almost a parody of itself, and it's awesome. The inspirations behind some of these tracks are borderline obvious. It harkens back to metal of the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and it does so perfectly. You can hear it. Elements of Ozzy/Sabbath, Maiden, Scorpions, Whitesnake, Queensryche, Priest, etc... it's all friggin' in there! I don't want to pick apart each and every song, because it would take far too long, and I don't want to end up getting all "TL;DR" on you. That said, let me at least draw your attention to "No Way," the fourth track on the album. OMG Does it ever just scream Sabbath/Ozzy/Maiden. Dang, dude. I'll post just that song in the comments. Some of the vocal "impersonations" (not really, but you can friggin HEAR IT) themselves are just... just... I can't even with these guys. Anyway, the entire album is straight heavy metal rawkin' goodness. If you're a metal purist, you NEED to give yourself an hour (50 mins, really) and just hear this one from start to finish. There isn't a single bad track on this thing, and that's a really difficult thing for me to say. It's solid. It's well-written. It's expertly performed. It's got top-notch musicianship. And there's an element of humor in it. Seriously, though, get all Shia LeBeowulf on this biatch and JUST DO IT!! Peace OutSide!! from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

I know I haven't posted lately. I apologize. I'll try to fix that soon. Life has been busy, and I haven't really had anything to share. I promise to work on that. Thanks for sticking with me, friends! from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Survived another open mic! w00t! Good times here. Everyone seemed to enjoy my set, even though my voice wasn't at its best. I'd say it went well. Hanging out for a bit to hear the rest of the performers. Laters! from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Sway (Ft. Belyn) by AudioTreats

[thephantomecho]

So I came to the realization that, almost exactly a year ago, I had started posting weekly videos of my music. Over six months ago, I stopped doing that because I had gotten sick and my voice didn't want to work. I also wanted to take some time off and assess what direction I wanted to go in. I didn't intend to take this much time off, though. Methinks I need to start doing things again. And soon. I recently downloaded a multitrack recording app for my phone, so that maybe I can record on the go, whenever the mood or an idea strikes me. Hopefully that means you'll start seeing some actual content here again soon. Here's hoping! from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

So I'd like to throw this cover at you. Not literally. I can't physically do that. Many bands have covered Metallica's "One", but I feel that this is one of the best. Far too many fall short or fluff it up to cover up the fact that they simply CAN NOT HACK IT. Take Korn's version, for instance. They completely skipped the last half of the song, because they just can't play it! I say, if you can't play the song, don't play the song.

Periphery not only plays it, but they knock it out of the friggin' park. Yeah, maybe parts of the solos near the end are (slightly) fluffed, but most are pretty on-point. Honestly, and I know I'll probably catch some grief for this, Periphery is technically a better band than Metallica. I mean "technically" to be just that. They're a progressive metal band. They kinda have to be better than a thrash band when it comes to that style of music. Their technical prowess with their instruments is top-notch, and they weren't afraid to step up to this tune. It also shows that they have a ton of respect for the iconic original song/band, because they changed next to nothing about the song itself. They just did it their way.

Just the drumming on this track is way better than anything Lars could've done. The vocals may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Spencer Sotello has a hell of a range, and he uses it without compromise. I love how he goes into his harsh vocals for the thrashy end part. It fits. This band has three guitarists and a bassist, so it fills out the sound more. Basically, it's an awesome-sounding cover of an awesome song that too many bands butcher, in my opinion. Have at it!

[thephantomecho]

Okay, I'm not going to beat myself up over not doing a review last week. I'll just call it a week off because my birthday was Monday. I'll have a good review for you this week. Got a few tunes in mind, so I just have to choose one. Epicness ensues... from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

Wow, I never did my review this week! I should fix that somehow... Hmmmm... I'll get back to you tomorrow night. ;) from ThePhantomEcho http://ift.tt/22hmk8k via IFTTT

[thephantomecho]

So it finally hit me just now… I was never thrilled with the sound quality of any of my videos posted last year. I enjoyed doing it, of course. But with my setup the way it was, I couldn’t get it to sound as good or as clear as I would’ve liked.

So I think my first batch of new videos will be a re-recording of some of my other covers from last year. Now that I have my good condenser mic dug up and connected, I really have no excuse. Sound quality matters to me, and the only reason I even allowed myself to post what I did was because I had no other outlet. I will feel better about what’s up on my channel if it’s a bit more “polished.”

This will also give me the opportunity to get back into recording by doing something familiar, rather than diving into new stuff right away. Arranging takes a lot of work, even if a lot of it is improvisational.

So yeah, I just figured I’d throw that out there. I’m kind of excited to see how things come out this time around. Peace OutSide!!

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[thephantomecho]

Good gravy! It's almost July and I haven't posted any music in quite some time! By this time last year, I had started posting weekly videos. I guess it's time to start doing some regular posting again. I don't want to do weekly vids, as I just don't have the time for it, and I'm trying not to stress myself out. But maybe bi-weekly or monthly (at the very least) should be doable. I can see taking some time off in the winter to regroup and reassess my goals would be good for me, but 6+ months?? I don't think that's acceptable. Granted, I was sick for several months, so I have an excuse, kinda. But that's still too much of a "break." I'm overdo, and I'm feeling ready. Gotta get off my butt and start singing again. Once I set a schedule for myself, you'll start seeing regular vids again. Thanks for hanging in there, friends!

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[thephantomecho]

It's music review time, friends! this week I chose this track by the extremely talented Devin Townsend (and his Project.) Kingdom just has this awesomely epic feel to it. The instrumentation and progressions feel grandiose and he's got his usual "wall of sound" production behind it to just put everything IN YOUR FACE. The guy has an unbelievable voice, and you can hear his great tone and power in the verses of this song. I chose this particular video because it shows 1) how good he can sing live, and 2) what a character he is while performing. I don't have much else to say about this, so just listen and enjoy! Peace OutSide!

[thephantomecho]

This came at me this morning on Spotify. I had this big long thing typed out about how much I love this song and this band, and how happy I am about where they've ended up musically, and then my app decided to barf all over me and erase what I wrote. So just pretend that you read it and loved it. Now just listen to this awesome track and love that, too. Now I feel better. ;) And next time I'll save a draft. Peace OutSide!

[thephantomecho]

I'm a huge Coheed and Cambria fan. I haven't even heard the majority of their music, but I'm a huge fan. They're one of those bands that almost defy classification. They cross-genrify (if that's even a term) themselves constantly. Punk, metal, alt-rock, prog, what-have-you... They have a distinctive sound that transcends all of that. This particular tune leans more toward their metal side, which is what more than half of their tracks seem to do, which is fine by me. This isn't even one of their more complicated songs, but it's catchy, it's driven, and it's a bit more in-your-face than some of their other offerings. I love that about it. It's completely uncompromising. Claudio Sanchez's voice (and his hair) are also uncompromising as he tells the story of a hostile relationship gone worse. All of Coheed's albums tell part of an epic ongoing story written by Sanchez, and I don't know all of it. (There's also a series of graphic novels depicting said story.) In fact, I know very little. But the opening lines, "You could've been all that I wanted, but you weren't honest, now get in the ground" give you a sense of where this part of it is going. Holycrap, right? Welcome Home, indeed! I could say more, a lot more about the band itself and the crazy stories they tell in their awesome music, but I did say that these were going to be mini reviews. So just have a listen and enjoy. Peace OutSide!!