classical

How about a composer who’s actually alive? And one who plays metal? In a band that’s good, to boot? Nick Vasallo is a guitarist for Bay Area death metallers Antagony. He’s also a doctoral student at UC Santa Cruz in music composition. The Burning (Ars Nova Classics, 2007) is an eclectic compilation of his work. […]

Here’s a weird one: Dave Lombardo playing Vivaldi. In 1999, the not-in-Slayer-at-the-time drummer collaborated with Italian music critic Lorenzo Arruga and some classical musicians on Vivaldi: The Meeting, a set of improvisations on Vivaldi pieces. (This bio of Arruga amusingly calls the recording “improvisations with a Cuban drummer.”) The CD is fairly unlistenable, though it […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We_cMznbs6Y] This has made the rounds, but it never fails to warm my heart: a video of two guys playing Vital Remains’ “Dechristianize” on piano. Their performance is a little sloppy. But it’s charming that they put the time into this endeavor. Minus distortion, drums, and vocals, the song reveals classical influences and majestic themes […]

Photo by iamdonte To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Japan’s Mono played a one-off show last Friday at New York’s Society for Ethical Culture. Originally, it was to be their only North American date to support their new album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind. However, it sold out, causing the addition of a second date. People […]

Fleshgod Apocalypse‘s shtick is combining death metal and classical music. Classical music in metal goes all the way back to Richie Blackmore. However, metal bands usually lack formal training. They often merely tread harmonic minor water, while throwing in some diminished arpeggios. So many bands play classical-sounding licks without “getting” classical’s complexity and colors. In […]

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/lt3wBHznw8E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0 The Great Kat’s Beethoven Guitar Shred is the most surreal DVD I have ever watched. It contains 11 minutes and nine seconds of content, divided into four sections: “Shred Videos,” “Shred Bonus Features,” “Shred Kartoon,” and “Shred Online.” “Shred Videos” contains seven videos totaling 7:47 in length. They are a mix of classical pieces […]