Artwork

As I mentioned in my last post I loved the artwork for Ice Nine Kills "Every Trick In The Book," and since I've been swamped with coursework, and haven't really had time to write lately, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite album artworks. 

Escape The Fate - "Dying Is Your Latest Fashion" 2006

I'm not saying this was Escape the Fate's best album, far from it. I like the album, but I love the cover. It's a bit sleazy, a bit debauched, and a lot amazing. And it's probably the biggest reason I'm tempted to get my lip pierced, and it kind of resembles what I look like when I wake up the morning after a night out. I'm sure other people can relate to this too right? It pretty much sums up the album, a kinda wrecked, kinda trashy.

Aiden - "Knives" 2009

Anther cover that reflects the album. Knives is full of nightmarish analogies, an album of dark, twisted ideas and lyrics. The album artwork shows a creepy kid, vampire like in nature. This could be a reflection of the entire album, or a reflection of song "Let The Right One In," a tribute to the Swedish vampire film of the same name. Either way it resembles the things nightmares are born from, and has the right amount of creepiness.

HIM - "Dark Light" 2005

"Dark Light," is the second album not to feature frontman Ville Valo on the cover, and the first to feature artwork that is neither Valo, just the Heartagram or a combination of both. The album is itself is mythical, and there is something quite eerie about a skyscraper in the middle of the sea. It's the perfect accompaniment to the lyrical and instrumental content, and an amazing piece of artwork to bring HIM away from their classic style.

Falling In Reverse - "Just Like You" 2015

Like with every other aspect of Falling In Reverse, if you don't take any of it seriously, it's good. If you take it with a light heart, "Just Like You," is a great album. If you take it too seriously (like most critics do) then it sucks balls. But go fuck yourself, it's meant to be funny. Or at least I assume it is. The album artwork is true to this. Half naked girl, comical belt.

 

Nirvana - "Nevermind" 1991 

The "Nevermind" album artwork has become an iconic image. Worldwide hundreds of millions of people have seen it. It's simple, yet has an impact on you. It can be looked at primarily as an imaged the band liked, and idea they had. It can be looked at as more, as a symbolisation of society chasing the dollar. Either way it's the image of a generation, the image of a scene, and an image that will always be there.

I Will Wait For This Moment

I couldn't sleep last night. This has become a recurring theme in my life, and after a few hours of tossing and turning I thought I'd at least try to be productive. After an hour of failing to get the motivation to do coursework I ended up just listening to music. I ended up listening to songs I've not heard in a while, songs that bring back memories of times gone by. I've always regarded music as a catalyst for emotion and evoking the nostalgia for the past. Music is with you every step of your life and can help put into words what you're feeling or going through when you don't know how to. So I decided to do a post on the top 5 musical moments in my life. Really it's just another excuse for me to ramble on shit about music, and spend an hour or so procrastinating.

1. Aiden

I can't tell you the first Aiden song I listened to, I can't tell you where I was, how I felt, or that in the moment it instantly changed something in my life. But I can remember seeing they were playing in Aberdeen, and getting a ticket to go, more because a band was playing in Aberdeen than anything else. That's when my love affair with Aiden began. I started listening to them after buying that ticket and I got obsessed. I remember meeting them at One Up on Belmont Street before the gig, getting my already wrecked jeans signed (they've still not been washed...) and getting a photo taken with Angel, 'cause I was too shy to ask Wil Francis. I remember being right at the front of the gig, where there were no barriers between the floor and the stage, and Francis saying there was no need for the security staff acting as barriers. And the best part, I remember Francis taking my camera (this was back when cameras on phones were shit) and taking a 'selfie' with the crowd in the background. I lost the photo when my old laptop broke. I never backed it. I'm sure there is a way to get it back, but I'm technically challenged. It was true love after that gig. A couple years later I went to Glasgow to see them again, and it was just as magical as the first time. And in January I will be seeing them for the last time, and hopefully this time at the VIP meet and greet I won't be too star struck or shy to function. But probably not. Thank god for alcohol.

Check out Aiden's website where you can get their full discography as a free download, and for full tour dates.

2. Sixx AM/Motley Crue

I do remember when I first hears Sixx AM. I was surfing through the music channels back in the day, like you do. I stopped on Kerrang! where the video for 'Life Is Beautiful,' was playing. Something about the song made me stop and listen. And I was hooked. I immediately bought the album, then the book, then started listening to Motley Crue. And if you've seen any of my previous posts about Sixx AM or Motley Crue there isn't really much else to say.

3. Motorhead

I grew up with Motorhead. My dad is obsessed. Motorhead has always just been there, a constant in my life. It's one of the things I can remember always being there, much like my mums obsession with Meatloaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell' album (I know all the words to all the songs from childhood car trips) Motorhead was a staple of life. I was around 14 or 15 when my dad first took me to see Motorhead with him. It was one of, if not the first, proper rock gig I had been to. And I loved every minute of it. I'm not entirely sure how many times I've actually seen Motorhead now, I think it's around 6 or 7 but I could be wrong. After experiencing the atmosphere of an amazing live performance I was left craving more, and this is when I really fell for live music. 

Motorhead are touring the UK at the start of next year.

4. HIM

I can't remember which song I heard first, but it was the release of the 'Dark Light' album that got me. So I'd guess it was 'Vampire Heart,' the first track on the album. 'Dark Light,' was the first album I bought that wasn't cheesy pop music. And it's the one that started it all. Probably one of my dads proudest moments too. That album changed my life, in regards to my taste in music. I would still regard it as one of the best, most influential albums I've ever bought. It might not be one that will stand for the test of time, or even be the one they are remember for, but to me, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I remember feeling like everything made a lot more sense. It woke the true music fan within me, and that's stayed with me since.

5. Guns 'n' Roses

If you've read my blog before you'll know I'm not a fan of Guns 'n' Roses post Slash. I can remember 'borrowing' my dads 'Appetite of Destruction' CD (my dad now still borrows CD's from me..) and it clicked. It was like with HIM, it just felt right. I appreciate that Axl Rose is a talented musician, I can appreciate that what remains of Guns 'n' Roses are still making good music, but I just don't like it. The early music is brilliant, and deserves all the praise it gets. Sometime around 2006 I think it was I was reading Kerrang! magazine and saw the tour announcement, Guns 'n' Roses were playing in Glasgow with Bullet For My Valentine. I was excited. I loved Bullet at the time, so off me and my dad went. It was one of the worst atmospheres I ever experienced at a gig. Bullet were fantastic, but the majority of the (older) crowd didn't care, they weren't there for a support band they'd never heard of. It was a strange atmosphere, with a blatantly obvious mentality people were there for the main act, and the main act only. Two hours and near riots later Axl finally got on stage. By this point I was already over it. They put on a good show, but my heart wasn't in it any more. And this when I first realised that music could be a let down. When the band stops caring about the music and the fans and more about the money the magic is lost.

And Just Maybe, I'm To Blame For All I've Heard - Top 10 Bands, Part 1

My last post has got me thinking, if I was to try and list my favourite bands I would be here all day, and constantly changing it depending on my mood, and my latest addiction of the week. I can get really obsessive when it comes to music, be it a band on repeat for weeks, sometimes an album that I just can't get enough of, or even sometimes just one song, over and over and over. Then I start to sing along, which my flatmate will tell you is not something you want to be hearing. But this is my attempt at picking out my top ten bands, in no particular order, because that would just be impossible!

1. Nirvana - As I mentioned before, one of my biggest regrets in life is that I never had the opportunity to see Nirvana live, but they still continue to be one of my favourite bands. My favourite song would probably be Lithium, but ask me this next week and I'll have a different answer for you. From the (often weird and nonsensical) lyrics to the guitar riffs, there is something magical about them. RIP Kurt Cobain.
2. Papa Roach - As you may have already guessed from previous posts, Papa Roach are a favourite of mine. As long as giving me the motivation to get on with uni work, they have a song for every mood, whether it's questioning life and society, a broken heart or feeling like giving up, I can put on Papa Roach and it all feels better. That's one of the key qualities music has to have in my book, the power to change your perspective.
3. Aiden - Like with Papa Roach, the first time I saw Aiden live was another of the best nights of my life. Meeting them before hand in One Up Records then being right at the front of the stage at Moshulu (totally showing my age here!) was just indescribable. Especially when Wil Francis took a "selfie" (back before it was cool) with the crowd in the background with my camera. I almost died. I was just searching through my external hard drive for the photos from that night, and of course I didn't back them up after transferring them to my old laptop, which is fucked! So unless I can get them off of there they may be lost forever. Aiden were just as good the second time around, as was the trip to Glasgow to see them. Aiden are a teenage favourite that may become forgotten in years to come by the music fans of today, but they will always have a place in my heart.
4. HIM - I started listening to HIM after Dark Light was released, and have never looked back since. There is just something about the sound of Ville Valo's voice that transcends into an experience of listening that no other has replicated, and it doesn't matter what he looks like (although I do think he's hot, I have a thing for tattoos!) you can't help but fall a little bit in love with him. HIM is a band that you constantly go back to and rediscover the enchantment of the music, as I discovered last year with the release of their latest album, "Tears on Tape", an amazing birthday gift from my dad who shares my love of music. 
5. Sixx AM - The band originally formed to provide the harrowing and emotional soundtrack to Nikki Sixx's book "The Heroin Diaries," but have now (according to Sixx's twitter) recorded their third album, a release that I can't wait for. I first heard them when the Life Is Beautiful video played on Kerrang! and instantly fell for the band. Years later and The Heroin Diaries is still one of my most played DVD's, and I know the book nearly word for word having read it so many times. Their second album, "This Is Gunna Hurt" is just as good, as is the book that accompanies it. I have no doubts what so ever that the next album will be great, especially after Sixx tweeted "I think we're topping ourselves..."

The second half will be up soon, apparently I have too much to say about each band, this is just scratching the surface of my very opinionated views.