I recently watched a documentary called Death Metal Angola which was really fascinating and I recommend it for those who like heavy music or at least African culture.
One of the bands featured in that doc is Before Crush (pardon the grammatical aspect of their name). They’re from Benguela, Angola and play metalcore music. While I’m not a fan of that type of music, they do a good job and they’re lyrics have more substance than your typical whiny suburban fake tough-guy scenecore band. They have lyrics about African culture, positive messages, and historical elements involving the Angolan Civil War that lasted from the 70s until the early 00s.
I know the irony of relaxing to this kind of music, but I wanted a break from some of the self-loathing posts I’ve made recently while trying to balance between life, work, and NaNoWriMo.
Tag Archives: Metal
No Scene To Call a Community (Subculture Chameleon)
Loud guitars and screaming vocals surprisingly caught my ears during my teenage years
I learned how to mosh at the summer festivals because it would be a bummer if I didn’t know what to do in the pit
Later in high school, I wanted the indie spirit as I immersed myself in bands that weren’t swimming in the mainstream
I chilled out a bit and got more in tune with dynamics
Next came the monochrome clothes and delay pedals
I found the beauty in instrumentals and musical complexity in the post-rock landscape
Somewhere down the line, I embraced fast acoustic music played with dyed hair and mohawks
I found out you can still be punk even when unplugged
While I enjoyed those genres at one point, I realized I never belonged
There were some associates, but I realized in hindsight how insecure people were and how insecure I was
Despite avoiding the top 40, I was still trying to fit in for the wrong reasons
If only I could make a scene where I can belong
Only an osprey made me realize to be myself more often no matter how avant-garde I got
So I discovered a metal band from Togo the other day.
I needed to discover some new music since I’ve faced some repetition with my typical playlists. After watching a music video from a band I haven’t listened to in a while called Wrust.
Then I found these guys.
This is Arka’n. They are a metal band from Lomé, Togo of all places. Besides some typical metal instrumentation, they mix elements of African rhythms, reggae, rap, and funk. I thought it was cool how coalesced the musical styles were and how creative their songs are. This was a pleasant surprise for me as I wanted to find some new music.
I’m On A Benefit Compilation!
Hello, everyone!
It’s been a while since I posted on here. I really need to get better at that. Anyways, I debuted a new song for a compilation entitled Kill The Ill. It’s for Shawn Browning AKA Wretched, the lead singer from Grave Robber. He’s been diagnosed with nodes on his vocal cords with prevent him from singing. Even though I don’t personally now him, I have seen his band live before which really fun. No one should ever have to be sick like that. The proceeds from this compilation go straight to his medical bills. That’s $10 for the entire album.
Come on. $10 for a 92-track album. Let’s do the math here. It’s $0.10869565 per song and it’s for a great cause!
My friends in The Old-Timers, Desiring Dead Flesh, and Their Throats Are Open Tombs have contributed, too.
Thank you.
-Curtis
Ospreyshire's Realm 