Five things in metal that I am thankful for

This is the fifth year I have done this feature and it's always fun to think about the top bands, labels, services or whatever that I am most thankful for from this past year. So here you go in no particular order.

Metal Mind Productions- This record label has been so consistent that they have made this list every year I have done it. They always manage to put out some great re-issues and this year was no exception as we were treated to re-issues from Mad Max, Blind Illusion, Quartz, Fist and others. Many included lyric booklets, some with band biographies and several contained bonus tracks as well.

Ratt-Certainly not a band I thought would end up on this list. Their last album the 1999 s/t reunion album was wretched so my hopes for "Infestation" were not high. I was wrong and Ratt came back with not just a good album, but one of the best hard rock albums of the year and one of the best of their career. I am thankful to them for proving that a veteran act can still make a fine record.

Canvas Solaris-Progressive metal is not exactly my favorite sub-genre of metal. Many bands is this field tend to be self-indulgent and frequently turn into giant wank fests as they to squeeze as many notes and beats possible into their music with complete disregard for emotion or spirit. However Georgia based instrumental prog-rock/metal act Canvas Solaris no better and they have been proving it for several years. Only they have also gotten even better with each release. This is a skilled prog band that hasn't forgotten how to rock plus be able to inject feeling and grooves into their music.

Self-produced metal acts-This is a broad choice, but an important one. Twenty or twenty-five years ago getting signed by a label was perhaps more important for bands. If they couldn't get signed by a major or an indie major label then they had to go the self-produced route which frequently didn't lead anywhere because they could make the album, but distribution for a self-produced release often meant they could only hit a small area. Years ago is seemed that only major label metal bands could get greater production values on their albums. Nowadays if bands can't get signed they produce their own product. It's easier to get great production nowadays thanks to technology so self-produced albums can sound great too. Also outlets like Myspace and Facebook allow bands to promote their product to a broader range of people and MP3s and downloads can allow fans to hear their music right aways. So their are many factors that go into helping bands that produce their own music, but I still applaud these bands for going this route and showing that the music business is always all about the big record labels.

Downloadable music-Another broad choice, but an important one and it ties in with the above choice. There are benefits to the physical product like artwork, but on the other hand downloading music can be done right, it doesn't take up space on your shelf unless you choose to put it on disc. Also it allows bands to get their music out to people in a manner that doesn't require as much money. An up and coming band can record and put their songs on Myspace and not have to go through the process of packaging and distributing a demo. Also labels and PR people can save some money on postage and packaging by sending downloads rather than mailing out physical copies. In tight times like these saving money where you can helps a lot. So if that's what it takes to keep music alive and available then I am all for it.

Canvas Polaris-Irradiance

Sensory

2010

Progressive metal and prog-rock in general are styles where I know rather quickly what I think of a band. There is typically not a lot of middle ground for me when I judge this type of music. Most prog type bands fall into one of two categories for me either they leave me feeling cold because they concentrate so much on the technical aspect and very little on the emotion or they find a balance between skill and emotion and they pull in completely. Enough about my grading though because the new one from Georgia's Canvas Solaris easily falls into that second category. This is more instrumental prog-metal and as good as anything they have created during their ten years of recording. It's still the kind of music that might most be appreciated by musicians instead of just the average fan. However there is definitely more of a metal edge and even a more direct approach from the band this time around. This slight in change likely calls for the listener to step up to really be able to absorb the busy almost continually changing cycle that is going on. When you do focus is you will be rewarded by an album that is pleasing on different levels. The playing level is fantastic, that's a given. On an emotional level they manage to find the right between sounds and textures to really build the song and have you excited about what is coming next. These were my feelings from the first play and that analysis was confirmed upon repeated listenings. I have been a fan of these for several years, but I think that they have undoubtedly outdone themselves this time around.

Interview with Canvas Solaris

Hailing from Georgia, Canvas Solaris have been around for almost a decade. It took few years before they settled on the musical direction. I recently got to check in with drummer Hunter Ginn to find out more about this band.

MM-Tell us some about the history of this band.
HG-Nathan and I started playing in 1999 with Jimmy McCall on bass. This incarnation, along with Brad Jeffcoat on vocals, lasted until 2002, when Ben Simpkins was added. It was at this juncture that we decided to go instru-tech. In 2006 Ben bowed out due to academic obligations. We added D. Smith, C. Rushing, and G. Pirlot. That line-up recorded 'The Atomized Dream' and persists to this date.

MM-I have been listening to your new release the Atomized Dream lately. How do you think that it is different from your previous albums?
HG-It's the full realization of the Canvas Solaris vision. If 'Penumbra Diffuse' was a start, then 'The Atomized Dream' is its logical conclusion. It's everything that I've ever wanted to hear this band do. Many of your songs seem rather complex yet they flow so smoothly at times.

MM-What is the writing process like for your music? Do you start with a part and build and add from there or do just jam and iron things out as you go along?
HG-Normally, Nate and I both have ideas for particular songs, and we bounce those ideas against each other. However, band members write entire compositions and look to other band members to fill in the lines. 'Cortical Tectonics' and 'The Atomized Dream' were written in their entirety by Nathan and myself.

MM-What are some of your favorite tracks on the new album?
HG-The Binaural Beat, Photovoltaic, and The Unknowable and Defeating Glow.

MM-You have been on Sensory records since 2005. How did you signed by them and how has relationship with them been since then?
HG-Our friend Jeff Wagner recommended to Ken Golden (CEO of The Lasers Edge) that he give us a listen. He seemed to be adequately impressed with Penumbra Diffused to offer us a deal. We love and respect the label that Ken has built and we function quite harmoniously.



MM-Do you have a tour in the works? Do you know any areas or approximate dates you might be playing yet?
HG-We'll be playing ProgDay in Chapel Hill, NC on August 31. That is as far as we're committed. If the right offer comes together, we'll consider it. Otherwise, no tours are in the works.

MM-What’s the club scene like in your area of Georgia?
HG-Any fantastic unsigned acts that we should be aware of?
It's non-existent. For the most part, however, we're not aware of what's going on, club-wise. We're rather introverted, in that sense. I wish I could offer tips re: hip club groups, but I can't. I can recommend that everyone listen to Jermaine Stewart's "We Don't Have to Take our Clothes Off," which is one of the funkiest joints ever. I'm listening to it right now!

MM-Who did the artwork for the Atomized Dream?
HG-Mars-1, who is an amazing artist to whom Ken hipped us. In fact, we plan on working with him until notified otherwise. His art sums up our music quite perfectly, I think.

MM-What should someone who comes to see you live expect?
HG-Boring looking guys playing their recorded music quite faithfully. Sorry, but the truth is the truth.



MM-Is your music difficult to reproduce? Do you improvise much live?
HG-There is absolutely no improvisation. Given adequate rehearsal time, our music is not difficult to reproduce live. We all live 5 hours apart, though, so rehearsal time is rationed.

MM-Your Myspace page says you started out doing weird death metal. In what way was it weird? When and why did you change your musical direction?
HG-It had nothing to do with the blast-attack trend, which, at the time, was the norm. Our death metal looked back to quirkier and cooler early 90s traditions.

MM-How do you think that your band has improved over the years? In what areas would you still like to grow or improve upon?
HG-Our music has become richer and more comprehensive of the metal idea. I'd like to push things even further, perhaps into realms unknown even to metal.

MM-What do you hope to accomplish over the next year?
HG-Not to break up over the impossibility of doing nothing absolutely new.

MM-If you could only listen to three albums over the next month then what would you choose?
HG-Fela Kuti--He Miss Road/Expensive Shit, Julian Priester--Love, Love, Sonic Youth--Daydream Nation

MM-Is there anything else that you would like to say about your band or your music?
HG-Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about the music of Canvas Solaris. I hope that I did our project justice! All hail Baudrillard's theory of meaning deriving from absence! -Hunter

http://www.myspace.com/canvassolaris