Steven Mace's Blog
November 7, 2021
My 12 Favourite Youtube channels for music
I thought I'd share my 12 favourite Youtube channels for music. Why twelve? Well, originally it was going to be a top ten but there were two channels I just couldn't leave out. I've listed these in no particular order.
Obviously as you can tell from my recent posts, my musical preferences are for metal/hard rock/classic rock/progressive rock/alternative rock and these are the genres that these Youtube channels specialise in.
After the linked video for each channel, I'm going to share an image of my copy of an album by a band that I had never heard of before this channel introduced me to them, and whose music I've got into purely because of the channel. These bands may be of interest to you too. I would encourage you to watch these channels if you are interested in these genres and would like to be introduced to fresh, unfamiliar rock music, both old and new- from the 1960s to the present day.
1. Sea of Tranquility
Sea of Tranquility is one of the largest music channels on Youtube, specialising in all genres of rock. The channel is run by Pete Pardo, an American based in New York State. He creates themed videos with friends and collaborators: album rankings, reviews, lists, best songs, etc. Most of the channels I will list here follow a similar format in terms of their Youtube content. The Sea of Tranquility channel was launched from a music webzine of the same name. The channel has introduced me to lots of bands and albums that were previously unknown to me (and you can find the videos about them on his channel), such as:
Savatage, 1980s-2000s, American power/progressive metal band
Be-Bop Deluxe, 1970s British progressive/art rock band led by Bill Nelson
Cactus, early 1970s American classic hard rock band
Gentle Giant, 1970s British progressive rock band
Sir Lord Baltimore, late 1960s/1970s American hard rock/early heavy metal band2. Niamh the Prog Nerd
I've mentioned Niamh the Prog Nerd on this blog before. She's a young British progressive rock and metal fan. From her channel I discovered Steve Hillage's band prior to Gong:
Khan, 1970s British progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene, formed by Steve Hillage.
Focus, classic Dutch progressive rock band
3. Fairly Secret Music
David from Fairly Secret Music is an American drummer based in Minnesota, I believe. He has a very cool channel showing off his amazing CD collection and I've been introduced to a lot of obscurities by watching his videos and checking out bands and albums he recommends. These include:
Lord Weird Slough Feg, 1990- present American heavy metal band
Hammers of Misfortune, 1990s- present American heavy metal band4. BryceTalksMetal
BryceTalksMetal is a young American guy from Georgia, I believe; he effectively has a PhD in most genres of metal and hard rock- extremely knowledgeable. He introduced me to a thrash metal band that I'd overlooked years ago...
Annihilator, late 1980s-present Canadian thrash band led by Jeff Waters5. Quest For Metal
Questy is BryceTalksMetal in British form. Questy managed to get me into Norwegian Black Metal, such as-
Emperor, Norwegian black metal band led by Ihsahn (Vegard Sverre Tveitan)
6. Classic Album Review
Barry at Classic Album Review is a British academic who focuses on classic and progressive rock, with occasional metal/alternative music covered. He does interesting unboxings such as this one, which introduced me to
Rare Bird, late 1960s-mid 1970s British progressive rock band
7. Metal Mickey
Mike (Metal Mickey) is a self-described 'middle aged metal fan'. He's based in Cumbria (I believe) and he answered my question in one of his recent Q & As. He has a broad range of metal likes and interests, across extreme, death, black, classic and glam metal.
He introduced me to this excellent band from Switzerland- Celtic Frost meets Megadeth?
Coroner, 1980s-1990s Swiss thrash/progressive metal band
8. ClarkOVision
Bev at ClarkOVision is based in Scotland. She is a big Def Leppard fan and a fan of Steve Clark, that band's late guitarist - hence her channel name. She specialises in a lot of power metal, symphonic metal, and melodic rock bands. She's introduced me to a number of bands I didn't know such as-
Glacier, 1980s-present American traditional heavy/power metal band
Orphaned Land, Israeli heavy metal band formed in 1991
Sabaton, Swedish power metal band formed in 1999
Screamer, Swedish traditional heavy metal band of the 2010s
9. Darcy Six Strings Nine Lives
Darcy is based in Canada and a huge metal fan and a specialist in thrash! He can introduce you to many a mighty thrashterpiece....such as those from this band below, which like Annihilator I had also missed first time round-
Forbidden, 1980s/1990s American thrash metal band
10. Old Head
Helmet, 1990s American alternative metal band
Sacred Reich, 1980s/1990s American thrash metal band
11. The Omaha Introvert
The Soft Boys, 1970s British rock band led by Robyn Hitchcock
12. Brendon Snyder
Last but certainly not least with his amazing music collection is an American based in New York, Brendon Snyder. He's a great person and his CD collection is very impressive.
A couple of bands I discovered from Brendon's channel were:-
The Alan Parsons Project, 1970s/1980s British progressive rock band
Spocks Beard, 1990s/2000s American neo-progressive rock band
Old school - going to buy vinyl records or CDs from record stores- remember those?
October 31, 2021
Halloween Literature and Music
For Halloween this year, I thought I'd create a blog post celebrating horror and supernatural themed books and music that I own and enjoy, kicking off with a selection of books first:
This is a very enjoyable collection of tales from the Welsh author Arthur Machen, featuring his most famous weird, sinister tale 'The White People', which I highly recommend.
I first wrote about Laird Barron on this blog in 2016. He writes in the type of weird supernatural realms that I enjoy and he is one of my favourite authors. The Croning is a very disturbing tale of cosmic horror.
I also wrote about Thomas Ligotti in 2016. This particular collection is very strong and has some of my favourite stories by Ligotti, 'Les Fleurs'; 'Dreams of a Manikin'; 'Dr Voke and Mr Leech'; 'The Sect of the Idiot'; 'The Music of the Moon'; 'Flowers of the Abyss'; 'In the Shadow of another World'; 'The Cocoons'; 'The Glamour' and 'Miss Plarr'.
I recently bought this copy of Algernon Blackwood, Ancient Sorceries and other Tales. This collection features his classic ghost stories 'The Willows'; 'The Insanity of Jones'; 'Ancient Sorceries'; 'The Man Who Found Out'; 'The Wendigo'; 'The Glamour of the Snow'; 'The Man Whom the Trees Loved' and 'Sand'.
H.P Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos requires no introduction.
Neither does Edgar Allan Poe. This volume contains all his classic tales such as 'The Gold Bug'; 'The Tell-Tale Heart'; 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. This leads neatly to the vast amount of music I'd like to suggest with a Halloween theme. First up, an album with a Poe connection...
British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project recorded this record, their debut album, in 1976. For this album the band created their musical interpretations of Poe's stories.
This is British heavy metal band Angel Witch's debut from 1980. There are horror/supernatural and occult themes throughout.
'Among the Living' is American thrash metal band Anthrax's third studio album, released in 1987. The cover art reminds me of the evil preacher in Poltergeist 2, but the main reason I selected this album is that a few of the songs are based on Stephen King's work, the title track and 'A Skeleton in the Closet'.
Black Sabbath's debut album from 1970, included for obvious reasons! The ominous, heavy, doomy title track of this album sets a Halloween mood and is hugely influential on rock and metal music.
The debut album by German speed/power metal band Blind Guardian, 'Battalions of Fear', released in 1987. There are evil themes on this and my copy has a bonus track, 'Halloween (The Wizard's Crown)'.
One of US classic rock/hard rock legends Blue Oyster Cult's later albums (their thirteenth), 'Heaven Forbid' (released in 1998) has a striking cover art and retains the gothic and occult themes that BOC have had throughout their career, mainly due to the 'Imaginos Mythos' created by their late former manager Sandy Pearlman. American SF and horror author John Shirley wrote lyrics to most of the songs on this album.
David Bowie's 1974 album Diamond Dogs is a worthy addition to Halloween-themed music, I think. There's something weird and sinister about this album and the opening track 'Future Legend' describes Bowie's vision of a bizarre dystopian future.
A seminal debut album by Swedish doom metal legends Candlemass: 'Epicus Doomicus Metallicus' was released in 1986 and is exactly what the title implies- Epic Doom Metal. It is a doom metal classic and perfectly Halloween-themed.
British doom metal band Cathedral's 'The Carnival Bizarre' was their third album and was released in 1995, featuring lots of Halloween-themed songs including 'Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)'.
Swiss metal band Celtic Frost's fifth and final album 'Monotheist', released in 2006, is a dark and sinister classic. My favourite song is 'A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh'.
American heavy metal band Cirith Ungol's third studio album 'One Foot in Hell' was released in 1986 and has numerous dark and supernatural fantasy themes.
R.I.P is the debut album released by the Swiss thrash/progressive metal band Coroner in 1987. Heavy thrash album with nice gothic touches.
'Scream Bloody Gore' is the hugely influential debut album by the US death metal band Death, released in 1987 and credited with inventing the death metal genre. Heavy and brutal with shock horror/zombie themes throughout. My favourite song on this is 'Denial of Life'- fantastic guitar riffing combined with Chuck Schuldiner's growls and blood curdling shrieks.
Power metal supergroup Demons and Wizards were formed by Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kursch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer. 'Touched by the Crimson King' is their second album with Halloween-themed songs such as 'Wicked Witch'.
'Tyranny of Souls' is a 2005 heavy/progressive metal solo record from Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden's vocalist/frontman. Lots of supernatural and science fiction themes.
Ronnie James Dio's classic US metal band released 'Dream Evil' in 1987. The title track is a classic Halloween-themed song about the supernatural.
German power/symphonic metal band Edguy released this album 'Hellfire Club' in 2004, it's their sixth album.
'In the Nightside Eclipse' is a Black Metal classic by Norwegian black metal legends Emperor, released in 1994. It sounds like a gurgling and shrieking demon choir in a vast underground cathedral, deep within the bowels of the earth.
'Hell Unleashed' is the fifth studio album by British thrash metal band Evile, released this year.
I'm including 'The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall', released in 1984 by British post-punk/alternative rock band The Fall. Mainly for the occult chanting and ominous feel of the opening track 'Lay of the Land'.
'The Spectre Within' is the second studio album by US progressive metal band Fates Warning, released in 1985.
'Forbidden Evil' is the debut album by US thrash metal band Forbidden, released in 1987.
Swedish rock band Ghost are the perfect Halloween band. This is their debut album released in 2010.
The self titled debut album by another Swedish hard rock band, Graveyard; released in 2007.
'Beautiful Distraction' is the 2021 album by US heavy metal band Haunt.
No list of Halloween music would be complete without German heavy/power metal legends Helloween. This album 'Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1' was released in 1987 and contains the epic song 'Halloween'.
US heavy metal band Helstar's classic horror-themed album 'Nosferatu', released in 1989.
US heavy/power metal band Iced Earth released this horror-themed album 'Horror Show' in 2001.
Any Iron Maiden album or single could have made this Halloween blog article. I selected the single 'Purgatory' (from their 1981 album 'Killers') for the striking cover art.
No Halloween themed music list would be complete without Danish metal legend King Diamond. Any album by King Diamond would have been suitable but I chose their fourth album 'Conspiracy', released in 1989.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are an Australian psychedelic rock band, this is their 2014 release 'I'm in Your Mind Fuzz'.
Kiss are difficult to take seriously but their costumes and make-up fit the Halloween theme. I chose to feature their second album 'Hotter than Hell', released in 1974, as Gene Simmons looks impressively sinister on the cover.
Coma of Souls is the fifth studio album by German thrash metal band Kreator, released in 1990.
'Twilight of the Idols' is US metal band Lord Weird Slough Feg's second album, released in 1999.
'Mystification' by US metal band Manilla Road was originally released in 1987. This is another album based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
US alternative rock, the second album by Marilyn Manson released in 1996. Lots of occult/supernatural themes.
US metal band Mastodon released 'Once More Round the Sun', their sixth studio album, in 2014. It also contains a song titled 'Halloween'.
'Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?' is the second album of US thrash metal band Megadeth, released in 1986. A few songs with Halloween-related themes such as 'The Conjuring', Bad Omen'.
Danish metal band Mercyful Fate are the original band of King Diamond, who already featured on this list. This album '9' was released in 1999.
This is the 2021 release by US rock band The Offspring, lots of dark themes.
This list would not be complete without an Opeth album, I chose 'Still Life' by the Swedish progressive-death metal legends.
US thrash metal legends Overkill released this album 'Horrorscope' in 1991, complete with their cover of the Edgar Winter song 'Frankenstein'.
Another natural choice for a Halloween music list, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne experimenting with lycanthropy on his third studio album released in 1983, 'Bark at the Moon'.
'Obsidian' is the 16th studio album by British gothic metal band Paradise Lost, released in 2020.
A 'blackened thrash' classic by thrash metal pioneers Possessed, released in 1985. The album begins with a sample of the Mike Oldfield music from Tubular Bells which was used for The Exorcist movie.
German power/pirate metal band Running Wild released this, their seventh studio album 'Pile of Skulls', in 1992.
US thrash metal legends Slayer need no introduction. 'Hell Awaits' was their second studio album released in 1985 and containing satanic and demonic themes.
This is a sinister and creepy-sounding album by the German progressive rock/electronica band Tangerine Dream, released in 1974.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats are a British stoner/psychedelic rock band. 'Blood Lust' is their second studio album from 2011. They use plenty of gothic and occult themes in their music.
'Very Eavy, Very Umble' is the debut album by British hard rock/progressive rock legends Uriah Heep, released in 1970. The album has an eerie, atmospheric feel emphasised by the cover art and 'Dreammare' is a good example of the best song to fit the Halloween theme.
US heavy metal band Wraith released this, their second full length studio album, in 2019.
British thrash metal band Xentrix released this album 'Bury the Pain' in 2019.
Finally, this is an extreme metal compilation that I own. The cover art is a perfect piece of Halloween cover art. I decided to quickly run through these but I hope you enjoying looking through this list of books and records- I would encourage you to check them all out, not just at Halloween but all year round. Admittedly, this is perfect reading and listening for autumn and winter!
July 3, 2021
Notes Reviews Vinyl Tag via Niamh the Prog Nerd
Yesterday Niamh the Prog Nerd did another vinyl tag video, this one from Notes Reviews. I follow her channel so I have decided to jump on board for fun and do the same thing on my blog with the CDs and cassettes I own.
The questions this time were:
1. An album you got for free (bonus points if it was from the band)
2. A 'rainy day' album
3. An album that has grown on you (didn't like when you first heard it, now you do)
4. An album that has a female member in the band that doesn't sing lead vocals
5. A 'cottage vibes' album
6. An album that has Mike Portnoy on drums (bonus points if it is NOT Dream Theater)
7. A Side Project album
8. First album purchased with own money
9. A 'nostalgic' album
10. An album obtained at a concert
11. A quintessential summer album
12. Most expensive single record bought (not a box set or double/triple CD)
13. An album you own more than once (across the same format)
14. A quintessential Canadian
15. An album that marked a stark change in musical style
16. A Feel Good album
17. An album you inherited from family members
18. An album bought solely on the basis of the cover art
19. A high school/secondary school flashback album
20. An album that tells an epic story
OK here we go...
1. An album you got for free (bonus points if it was from the band)
No bonus points- I have a handful of free CD compilations that came with the magazine Classic Rock when I used to buy it. So I paid for the magazine but the CDs were a nice free addition.
(the 'coffee cup stain' on the sleeve on the right is part of the actual artwork on it, by the way!)2. A 'rainy day' album
This could encompass a broad range of choices. I went for a Led Zeppelin album, but not one that has 'The Rain Song' on it! I went for Led Zeppelin- Presence because the album sounds like unsettled, stormy weather and it has a rock sound for a bleak rainy day. 'Achilles Last Stand' is thunder, 'Tea for One' is stuck inside while gloomy drizzle is outside.
3. An album that has grown on you (didn't like when you first heard it, now you do)
I am going to pick exactly the same album and band that Niamh did, King Crimson- Lark Tongues in Aspic as I had precisely the same reaction to it. I couldn't think of an alternative because I don't buy a lot of albums/CDs by artists or bands that I don't like or that I know I won't. King Crimson are not an immediately accessible band. I did like Red immediately, with its heavy guitar sound, but both In the Court of the Crimson King and Lark Tongues in Aspic took longer to get into, particularly the latter.
4. An album that has a female member in the band that doesn't sing lead vocals
I thought of Talking Heads and Tina Weymouth first of all as well, but after the last question I will have to go differently in terms of what I own; I eventually picked David Bowie's band on Earthling. Gail Ann Dorsey plays bass and sings backing vocals.
5. A 'cottage vibes' album
I'll pick Fleetwood Mac and Kiln House. This is where the album was recorded and the album cover art (by Christine McVie) speaks for itself:
6. An album that has Mike Portnoy on drums (bonus points if it is NOT Dream Theater)
I get bonus points- Liquid Tension Experiment.
7. A Side Project album
I'll pick the 1995 side project by Suede's Bernard Butler and David McAlmont from Thieves, The Sound of McAlmont and Butler. They'd left their bands at this point but they have mainly had solo careers, they've never committed to being a full time duo, so I'm counting it as a side project. I only have this, I haven't got the follow-up album from when they reunited in 2002. I only bought it because of the Suede connection and the single 'Yes' from it.
8. First album purchased with own money
I bought a batch of cassettes in the late 1980s that were my first purchases with 'pocket money'. I showed Iron Maiden-Killers in the last blog post. Another one from this batch was Queen- Sheer Heart Attack.
9. A 'nostalgic' album
This can be taken two ways I guess- either an album that has a musical feel of nostalgia; or one that makes me feel nostalgic. An album I own with a nostalgic, timeless and evocative kind of sound is XTC Skylarking, but I am not going to feature that one. I decided instead to go with an album that makes me specifically think back to the past. So I decided to pick Def Leppard- Hysteria. It's one of the first albums I bought along with the ones I mentioned previously, it just sounds very 1980s and has that 80s production sound, and I remember listening to it at the time. I had it on cassette previously, but I now have it on CD.
10. An album obtained at a concert
Can't answer this one, never have got a cassette or CD at a concert. Moving swiftly on...
11. A quintessential summer album
I'll go with a late 1990s indie rock/Britpop album, Suede- Head Music. It has a very summery feel, more like breezy power pop more than the indie rock of Oasis at the time.
12. Most expensive single record bought (not a box set or double/triple CD)
The most expensive single CD I have bought cost me 28 euros for the CD and for the postage/packaging combined, and that was the only album released by an early 1970s hard rock band called Jerusalem. It cost so much because it's relatively difficult to get hold of, without ordering from Japan or paying well over the odds for it, but I found it at that price on Discogs.
13. An album you own more than once (across the same format)
I own original issue Megadeth CDs and the later remixed & remastered versions that Dave Mustaine did in 2004(?). So I have Megadeth - Rust in Peace in both the original and the remix/remaster version, both on CD format.
14. A quintessential Canadian
I could have gone with members of Rush too, but instead I'll go with Neil Young- Harvest
15. An album that marked a stark change in musical style
I had a tie on this. I also thought about David Bowie, Young Americans but I already featured Earthling in this. As two great examples I could not separate Radiohead- Kid A; and Rush- Signals. So two for the price of one. Radiohead went deeper into electronica and experimental rock with Kid A, and Rush completed their transition from 70s progressive hard rock and metal to 80s synthesiser-driven soft pop-rock with Signals.
16. A Feel Good album
I'll pick the most positive and feel good progressive rock band that there is. In relation to positivity, the clue is in the name. Yes. Yes- Fragile
17. An album you inherited from family members
My parents kindly gave me this. The Best of the Kinks
18. An album bought solely on the basis of the cover art
I don't usually make blind buys, but ClarkOVision showed this album by Screamer on her Youtube channel. I knew they were a band I would like and I thought the cover was awesome, and it's titled Hell Machine, how could it possibly be bad?...went out and ordered it purely on that basis. No regrets.
19. A high school/secondary school flashback album
I think everyone in my school sixth form went out and bought this album when it came out in 1995, including myself.
20. An album that tells an epic story
I had a tie on this one too, so I've picked both. Niamh picked Dream Theater so I decided that I couldn't go with Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory or The Astonishing. Instead it's a tie between two classics, one from the 1980s and one from the 1970s: Queensryche- Operation Mindcrime and Genesis- The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
June 21, 2021
New Helloween album arrived
I decided to pick up the new Helloween album which was released on June 18th. It features both the returns of key founding member Kai Hansen and legendary singer Michael Kiske. I ordered the limited CD digibook edition with a nice slipcase.
Brand spanking new and wrapped with hype sticker.
Unwrapped but still inside the slip case.
Back of the case with track detail (all courtesy of Nuclear Blast).
The CD Digibook is inside, like so
Here's the cover of the album in full, with artwork.
Below are images of the CD booklet: featuring more artwork, photographs of the band, lyrics, designs and even a riddle/puzzle to solve.
I'm very pleased with this packaging and this limited edition of the album- I can't wait to listen to the music. This is a good example of why its still fun and rewarding to own and to continue to buy music in a physical format, be it CD, vinyl or even cassette.
June 19, 2021
Niamh the Prog Nerd - Vinyl Tag 2021 (but with CDs! and...cassettes)
In the past few years I've begun subscribing to a number of YouTube channels themed around physical music collecting, music discussions, album rankings etc. I've been following these channels and watching videos while I've expanded my own collection. I was originally a heavy metal fan, and during the 90s and 00s I started listening and buying to a lot of alternative/indie rock, and then classic rock. In the past ten years, I've started to get heavily into progressive rock. There are some great channels focusing on these genres which I'll do a blog post in the future about.
I started buying my own music with my pocket money in the late 1980s. Of course, back then it was all physical format rather than streaming/downloads/digital. My format of choice initially was cassette so my early purchases were all on cassette tape. In about the mid 1990s I started buying CDs, and I've never stopped collecting albums in this format despite the advent of digital downloads. I've never bought any vinyl, despite vinyl revival- it's just a way of listening to music that I never really took to, and record players and vinyl records require much more maintenance and care than CDs do. So, I haven't jumped on board the vinyl bandwagon as yet.
Despite that, I'm going to do my response to a Youtuber called "Niamh the Prog Nerd" who has 23 questions about people's progressive rock collections as a 'vinyl tag':
I'm going to cheat though- firstly, I'm going to do it with CDs (and cassettes); as Fairly Secret Music (another awesome Youtube channel by the way) did in his response:
and I'm going to cheat by doing it in a blog post as I don't make videos (yet).
I am also going to cheat by including some classic rock/indie rock in there to answer all of the questions, as my CD collection only included those options. But where I could, I picked a prog answer!
Here are the full list of questions:
1. An 80s prog record from a band that formed in the 80s
2. An album by a three piece band
3. A Canterbury Scene record
4. An impulse buy record
5. An album people wouldn’t suspect that you own
6. An album with great keyboard work
7. An album by a non-prog band that made a ‘proggy’ album
8. The album that got you into progressive rock
9. Pick an album from a discography of 5 or less album
10. An album you HAVE to crank the volume up for
11. A chill out album
12. An album you play when you’re angry
13. An album you have more than one copy of
14. An instrumental album
15. An album by a band you love that disappointed you
16. An album that sounds better on CD
17. A new prog rock discovery
18. An album you had to buy the deluxe edition for
19. Triple albums: pick one STUDIO and one LIVE triple album
20. An album with the best bass
21. An album you have pre-ordered
22. The first album you ever bought
23. An album by a band more people should know about
And my responses are...
1. An 80s prog record from a band that formed in the 80s
I'm going to go with 'progressive metal' and pick Dream Theater, who formed in 1985 and released the album When Dream and Day Unite in 1989:
2. An album by a three piece band
This would also have qualified as an answer to the first question. I'm picking an album by the Texas trio Kings X, "Out of the Silent Planet":
3. A Canterbury Scene record
I'll pick Steve Hillage's band Khan and their album "Space Shanty":
4. An impulse buy record
The answer to 3. also relates to this answer. After listening to "Space Shanty", on impulse I recently bought an album by another Steve Hillage project, Arzachel. This is their only album (not listened to it yet).
5. An album people wouldn’t suspect that you own
I own this CD of Turkish Anatolian belly-dance music, that I purchased in Istanbul.
This is a standard choice but in prog can't look beyond the great late Keith Emerson on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Tarkus":
7. An album by a non-prog band that made a ‘proggy’ album
Do Opeth count? They have now made a number of 'prog rock' albums, when originally they were a metal band. Of their proggy albums I'll pick Sorceress
8. The album that got you into progressive rock
The first 'prog rock' album that I bought was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Pink Floyd and Rush were the first 'prog' bands I listened to.
9. Pick an album from a discography of 5 or less album
This was a difficult one within my collection for prog bands, and I had already picked a couple that qualify. In the end I went for a French psychedelic space rock band called Slift. I think they only have a couple of albums and an EP. I have one of theirs, Ummon.
10. An album you HAVE to crank the volume up for
A lot of albums in other genres qualify but within progressive rock I think Red by King Crimson sounds great if you turn it up to 11
11. A chill out album
I think Wake of the Flood by the Grateful Dead is a moody, reflective chill-out album.
12. An album you play when you’re angry
I couldn't pick a progressive rock album for this question. There's only one album for 'angry' and that's Megadeth's debut album. This is the 2018 reissue/remix of Killing is my Business...and Business is Good...The Final Kill
13. An album you have more than one copy of
This is also non-progressive rock. I have more than one copy of Gentle Giant Octopus; Rush Farewell to Kings, and some Iron Maiden albums but Rush and Maiden I want to use for a later question. I'm going to pick Oasis Definitely Maybe because I have three copies of it. My original cassette from 1994; a standard CD version I bought in 2011 and a deluxe 3CD version I bought in 2014. It's not so amazing that you have to have it three times, but just the way it turned out.
14. An instrumental album
This was a recent prog find. PFM, Stati di Immaginazione
15. An album by a band you love that disappointed you
I really like Genesis, with Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett and even also during a lot of the Phil Collins as front-man era. This is their worst album, I think.
16. An album that sounds better on CD
Everything I have is on CD. I will cheat and select a classic rock compilation because I have it on both cassette and CD. And it definitely sounds better on CD. The Best of The Doors
17. A 'new' prog rock discovery
I recently bought Phantasmagoria by Curved Air. They are a 1970s progressive rock band of course, but I only just started listening to them.
18. An album you had to buy the deluxe edition for
I have Rush, Farewell to Kings in standard CD format too but I decided to buy the 40th anniversary deluxe edition with live CDs (performances from 1978) and some cover versions by other bands included:
19. Triple albums: pick one STUDIO and one LIVE triple album
I don't own any progressive rock triple albums, studio or live, in CD format. So I had to turn to classic rock for The Beatles - White Album (triple studio CD with the Esher Demos included) and Led Zeppelin's How The West Was Won (triple live CD).
20. An album with the best bass
In progressive rock, I will go for Yes, Fragile featuring the playing of the late, great Chris Squire:
21. An album you have pre-ordered
I have to cheat here, I have nothing on pre-order at the moment. I did put a new box set from Cherry Red Records, Rare Bird's Beautiful Scarlet: The Recordings 1969-75 on pre-order from them a couple of months ago. It's already arrived but it was the last pre-order I made and was waiting for.
22. The first album you ever bought
The first album I ever chose to buy for myself, with my pocket money, was Killers by Iron Maiden. This is the original cassette I bought in the late 1980s, which I still own.
23. An album by a band more people should know about
More people should check out Haken, a British progressive-metal band. This is their latest release, the appropriately titled Virus.
Those are my answers! I've decided I am going to do more music-themed and music-related blog posts, in addition to literary, fiction and writing posts and articles; so look out for all of those.
June 1, 2021
Cirith Ungol - Half Human EP
I picked up the latest Cirith Ungol release, an EP entitled Half Past Human, released this year on Metal Blade Records. It has four songs on it, 'Route 666'; 'Shelob's Lair', 'Brutish Manchild' and the title track 'Half Past Human'.
I was very pleased to add this to my expanding music collection. During the lockdown months, I have enjoyed the pleasures of listening to music while working, writing and exercising. I've been discovering, and re-discovering, a lot of classic rock and metal bands. Cirith Ungol are a band I particularly like for Tim Baker's distinctive vocals, and their heavy sound combined with fantasy 'sword and sorcery' lyrics and themes. They are named after the mountain pass Cirith Ungol in J.R.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, along which is the lair of Shelob the spider.
The band were formed in 1972 and released their first studio album, Frost and Fire, in 1981. However, they broke up in 1992 and were inactive until 2016, when they reformed (however without founding guitarist Jerry Fogle who died of liver failure in 1998). Since then, there has been a new album, Forever Black, which was released last year and now this limited edition EP release.
Another notable feature of Cirith Ungol, and another fantasy fiction connection, is their album artwork. Each one of their album's cover art is taken from DAW Books editions of the novels in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone saga. The artist is Michael Whelan.
March 2020- May 2021: More images of the lockdown era in London
I have a host of photographs that I've taken over the past 15 months, that I didn't include in my previous post back at the end of last year. They've been taken from various trips and rambles around Greater London, and unfortunately haven't been labelled. Nevertheless I thought I'd post on my blog again and share them all. If you're familiar with London environs then you will probably recognise many of the places. I quite like documenting my travels but I'm not particular about captioning everything, and it would take too much time to do so now. Instead, I will let the images speak for themselves.
January 31, 2021
My books are on sale (all six of them)
Just a reminder to my visitors that you can still buy my published books at Amazon. The link is here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Steven-Mace/e/B005JJLWX6
That Amazon author page contains the six books plus some of my short story magazine publications that are also linked.
I have written and published six books. There are two full length novels: Copper Moon Rising and Staccato House; three collections of short stories: Beyond Twilight, The Splendour of Shadows and Echoes and Exiles; and a YA novella, The Pirate Princess.
In terms of genre, Copper Moon Rising is a blend of SF and Fantasy. Staccato House is an psychological thriller based on the occult and some supernatural themes. It could also be categorised as 'weird fiction'. It was influenced by the film 'Eyes Wide Shut' and some occult fiction/conspiracy theories. The Pirate Princess is a YA fantasy adventure. I've been planning a sequel which has been in the works for a number of years. The short story collections are a mixture of everything: horror, fantasy, science fiction, occult & supernatural, psychological thriller, satire and urban realist fiction.
The original quartet published in 2010-2012
All six books (first edition of Copper Moon Rising with alternative cover)
All six books with some moody lighting!
Echoes and Exiles book with outstanding cover art by monkeysvsrobots
Monkeysvsrobots' amazing cover art for Staccato House
December 12, 2020
The Mothers of Darkness Castle
Some intrepid and courageous explorers posted their visit to the infamous "Mothers of Darkness" castle on Youtube.
More information about this site, which may be of interest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chateau_des_Amerois
It's no surprise to me that a place like this would be in a sorry country like Belgium. I have personally met and had dealings with one or two extremely unpleasant people from Belgium. However, I digress. The story of this place helped inspire some of my ideas for my novel Staccato House.
