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Anna ~ Queen_of_Loss ~

@just_berg_

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My first travel photo on this account.
Throwback to the Yorkshire Dales
Malham Cove (film set for HP7) taken in Malham Cove by @just_berg_

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3 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES – ENTRY 8 – TesseracT – Polaris (2015)
Well, I could easily write a long essay about Polaris and TesseracT, but I will try to keep it short. After a few years of not being in the right mindset for expanding my music horizons, 2017 was undoubtedly a pivotal year. I had vaguely heard of this band due to Facebook connections posting some of their stuff, but, as many other times in the past, it did not click at first. I also seem to remember seeing adverts for their 2016 tour and completely ignored them. Fast forward to half a year later, when I stumbled across the Live in the Studio video for Phoenix and was suddenly hooked. This event has had multiple repercussions in my life. Tess have become my favourite band and Dan Tompkins is up there with Daniel Gildenlöw fighting the top spot as my favourite singer. Tess have also ushered me into the world of djent and metalcore music: thanks to TesseracT, I have discovered many new bands since 2017. Going back to the album Polaris, I could hardly believe what I was listening to the first time I gave it a spin. The music was absolutely mind-blowing. Nothing like I had heard before. To this day, Phoenix remains the song that resonates with me the most. Polaris has so many great moments, it is hard to pick one over another. This is a special album also because it is the first one since Dan rejoined the band and if we compare it with his first record with Tess, One (also the band’s first full-length release), you will definitely notice they are completely different. If I had been introduced to the band with One, I am not sure what I would have thought. Too harsh perhaps? So, in a way I am glad everything happened the way it did and when it did, because thanks to the “softer” Polaris, I was able to embrace their full discography with a more open-minded attitude. It did not take me very long to fall in love with the early repertoire as well and to fully appreciate harsher singing techniques such as fry screams. I certainly owe them a lot. #prog #polaris #2015 #tesseract by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES – ENTRY 7 Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory (1999)
I was introduced to Dream Theater between 2006 and 2007 by my then boyfriend. It took me some time to fully appreciate their music, but by autumn 2007 I had become a big fan as I attended their concert in my hometown on 30th October. That gig was part of the Chaos in Motion tour in support of their latest release at that time, Systematic Chaos. I remember that night so vividly. At 17, that was the first metal gig I have attended. Since then, I have been to half a dozen DT gigs, the last one being the 20th anniversary celebration for their 1999 masterpiece Scenes from a Memory. Undoubtedly, this album goes down in history as one of the best prog-metal albums ever made. Its concept revolves around Nicholas who is put under hypnosis by his therapist and during the session he experiences the tragic story of Victoria, Julian, and Edward. The music and lyrics form together a beautiful piece of art, where nothing feels out of place. Musically, it is brilliantly paced, alternating between heart-wrenching ballads and harsher, faster songs. Crucially, the wide musical spectrum serves the unfolding plot perfectly. Critics of the prog-metal genre usually have one main argument against this type of music: that it is soulless and just a display of technical playing. While I agree that there are instances in which technique is overused to mask deeper issues such as the lack of ideas, this argument completely falls apart if you listen to Scenes From a Memory (and countless other albums). Nowadays, my focus has decisively shifted towards music made by younger bands; however, it would be foolish to forget that what the American band achieved in the 90’s was of the same magnitude of what djent pioneers did at the turn of the past decade: innovative, ground-breaking music. It would be difficult to overstate the impact of early Dream Theater on modern prog metal music. From a personal perspective, I would not have been where I am today regarding my music taste if I had not been exposed to Dream Theater music.
#progmetal #dreamtheater #1999 #scenesfromamemory by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES ENTRY 6
Opeth – Blackwater Park (2001)
Blackwater Park includes the first song featuring growls that I have ever listened to, Bleak. I do not quite remember what made me love it, but what I do remember, though, is that listening to Opeth was very trendy within the online community I was part of between 2007 and 2009. I certainly owe them a lot in terms of new music discoveries. The Swedish band has been active since the early 90’s and has about a dozen albums under their belt. It is safe to say that Blackwater Park (their 5th studio release) is my favourite, although their body of work contains many other fantastic records, especially those released between 1998 and 2008. Interestingly, this album was produced by none other than Steven Wilson, who also featured in Bleak as a guest singer. According to Åkerfeldt, Blackwater Park was a huge turning point in their career because that tour cycle turned out to be their biggest yet, allowing them to promote the record properly. What I have always loved about Opeth is their multi-faceted music style. Their ability to switch between harsh and mellow sections within a single song. Moreover, Åkerfeldt’s singing is exceptional both when he growls and when he does clean vocals. In winter 2008, I had the pleasure seeing them live in Milan for my first time, during the Watershed tour. I have a fond memory of that day, as I met up with some guys from the Dream Theater community and we had a great time together. Coincidentally, yesterday was the album’s 20th anniversary. It is not clear yet to me what the band is planning to celebrate this fantastic record, but I am very eager to find out.
#opeth #2001 #blackwaterpark #progmetal #sweden by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES ENTRY 5
Cocciante/Plamondon/Panella – Notre Dame de Paris, Live at the Arena di Verona (2002)
I am 99.5% sure that this is the first record I have ever bought. As a child of the 90’s, I tiptoed into the world of music from a very unusual angle, that of musicals. No Spice Girls, no Backstreet Boys for me at that time. In fact, I was completely unaware and disconnected to any sort of music other than the Italian version of Notre Dame de Paris and that is because my uncle’s involvement in it. My family and I were extremely proud of Uncle Vittorio for being cast as one of the main characters back in 2001. Granted, it was not exactly mainstream music, but it certainly helped me familiarize with the notion of great singing voices. My school friends @paola.marcato90 @too_long_to_remember know and remember all too well how obsessed I was with it. There were so many adventures in those early-teenage years revolving around going to the theatre with my family, especially with my grandparents and my cousin @whity_mat. Due to its popularity, the show has kept running on and off ever since and I have always been drawn back to it, even in more recent times. As an adult, I have been able to grasp deeper layers of meaning within the story that I could not fully appreciate as a 12-year-old. That is what great literature does, after all. I have been a couple of times to the Arena di Verona to see the show and it has always been something special because of its setting. The Arena is home to the late-summer open-air Opera season in Verona, north-eastern Italy. Performing on that stage is arguably considered the pinnacle event of the year. You can therefore understand the excitement of attending the show there. This write-up goes out in loving memory of my grandparents and to my grandma in particular, who passed away about two months ago and I was not able to say goodbye.
#musical #notredamedeparis #victorhugo #2002 #arenadiverona by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES - ENTRY 4
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)
My first exposure to Porcupine Tree happened in 2008 thanks to my dear friend Anna @la3vy who almost casually made me listen to a track from this album. Sitting on her bed, a break from the chatting. “Hey, listen to this!”. Typical me forgot about it for a while, until somebody from the Dream Theater-dedicated forum I was part of at that time started spamming another track by PT, Arriving Somewhere But Not Here. Then, it was love. Along my journey of music discovery, it has been fairly common for me not to “understand” a new band at first, only to go back to it perhaps just a few months later, at which point the new music finally starts making sense. Steven Wilson’s music has been a constant ever since and I cannot possibly overstate how influential Porcupine Tree have been for my growth. The British band has released one great album after another from the early 90’s to 2009, the year of their final record before splitting up, The Incident. I chose to talk about Fear of a Blank Planet because of that first memory I have of listening to this amazing band and also because it is probably my favourite one. This album is, simply put, a flawless gem from start to finish. If you want an example of a perfect 18-minute song, please, listen to Anesthetize. There is a deep connection between some of these songs and vivid memories of life, as I was transitioning from high school to university. 2009 was a mess. It was also good…but mainly a mess. Fear of a Blank Planet resonates with me for so many reasons, hence the stronger emotional attachment I have to it.
#porcupinetree #stevenwilson #fearofablankplanet #2007 #prog by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES – ENTRY 3
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane (2002)
I have a very complicated relationship with Remedy Lane. I utterly love it, but at the same time it reminds me of a very specific time in my life. People, places far away from my hometown. Some very good memories, some very sad ones. Between 2008 and 2009, Pain of Salvation rapidly became my favourite band and Daniel Gildenlöw my favourite singer. Listening to this album is not easy for me and it will always be emotionally exhausting. It takes a heavy toll on me not necessarily because I have experienced the same things that we are told about in the story, but because each song is drenched with raw emotions. The album’s concept revolves around a relationship, inevitably touching on its best and worst phases. Crucially, some (if not most) of Gildenlöw’s lyrics directly draw from his personal experiences. Hurt is a big theme in the lyrics and Daniel’s out-of-this-world singing performance just makes you feel that pain all the way to your bones. Two standout moments are for instance when the protagonists suffer a miscarriage and when she attempts suicide by hanging herself. In the above picture you can see the 2016 remix release of this record, Remedy Lane Revisited. I was a bit doubtful at first, wondering how they could improve on the original version, but when I finally listened to it, I immediately realized that remixing it was completely worth it. I highly recommend listening to the 2016 version because it brings forwards lush bass lines and enhances the drums delightfully. Remedy Lane is undoubtedly a pillar of the prog metal genre, but it is not their only album that I consider to be a masterpiece. In fact, between 2000 and 2004 they released 3 top-notch records, The Perfect Element I, Remedy Lane and BE. Pain of Salvation have made many great albums over the years, even in more recent times (how not to cite the brilliant In The Passing Light of Day). However, the 2002 album is the one that I am the most attached to and is my favourite of their discography.
#painofsalvation #remedylane #2002 by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

THE RECORD SERIES - ENTRY 2
Ayreon - The Human Equation (2004)
It is impossible not to think of my final high school trip to Berlin in November 2008. There, I
stumbled across a music shop near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and rushed inside. I
was excited because I knew I had good chances of finding good, "alternative" stuff of the kind
18-year-old me liked at the time. And I was not wrong. I found this amazing record and bought it
straight away. I knew about Arjen Lucassen at that time, but I had never listened to this specific
album before, so I did an old school blind purchase. What made me get it was the back side of
the record, showing off all the singers that feature in it. My jaw dropped. To name a few, James
Labrie, Mikael Åkerfeldt and Devin Townsend are surely the most famous guests. The Human
Equation is a great concept album in the good, old prog metal tradition. Labrie's characters falls
into a coma and in each song, we are told about pieces of his life. 20 songs for 20 days of
coma. The record has aged very well in my opinion and I believe the reason for it is that the
album contains the best traits of “progressive” music, such as sonic experimentations, leaving
aside most of its bad aspects, like the abuse of super-technical playing. Lucassen is well known
in the prog music circles for his trademark approach to song writing: the operatic works, the use
of a wide range of instruments, his dipping into different music styles, the compelling stories and
finally the huge number of collaborations he has had with both prominent and less-known
singers and musicians. Now, I have mostly moved on from the traditional prog metal stuff, but
listening to this record again for the occasion, I still find it a remarkable and inspired endeavour.
#ayreon #2004 #thehumanequation #berlin #arjenlucassen #progmetal by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

Leprous – Malina (2017) Among the new music discoveries of 2017 is the Norwegian band Leprous. I had heard of them before, but they officially got my attention as the album’s first single, From the Flame, was released. I remember not being fully convinced about Einar’s singing style at first, but it did not take me very long to realise I was listening to one the most unique voices of today’s prog music. Mind you, calling Leprous prog is extremely limiting and I am not a big fan of labelling, but it might nonetheless help you understand the kind of music context I am talking about. Malina is a very good album and is their first one to include cello sections. The celloist, Raphael Weinroth-Browne, has since then become more and more present in Leprous’ music up to the point that he fully toured with the band during Pitfall’s tour cycle. I decided to select Malina for this series because it is the album that is connected to my first memories of listening to this mind-blowing band. However, I have another fantastic memory related to it that I would like to share. In 2018, I decided to visit Stockholm for my birthday, on a sort of music pilgrimage. On 27th September I went to see Pain of Salvation playing their home gig and the next evening I attended Leprous’ concert at the Fryshuset Klubben. What a treat. On the first night I met Emi @sodanoemiliano , an Italian guy who was also going to see Leprous the next day. We became friends instantly and I am very glad that we have been in touch ever since. Once the doors at the Fryshuset opened, we went to the merchandise and I bought that very album you see in the picture above. TorO (one of the band’s two guitarists) was standing there behind the counter, chatting to people, so I asked him to sign my copy and he did. The gig was superlative. Agent Fresco, the opening band, was also incredible. That night, all was perfect.
#leprous #2017 #malina by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

Wearing proper clothes for the first time in about a month to go out and face the world. This is becoming a challenge... 😟 by @just_berg_

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6 years ago

That's me doing what I like and being paid for it.
#happiness by @just_berg_

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6 years ago