Decision...and 15 Epic Songs

Okay,everyone..hello again,it's been a while since m last post..
Well,i've decided 2 major changes to my fuckin' blog,you know what is it?

If you have read the older post and compare it with this post,you'll definetely know it..yeah,i've decided to posts in english for future posts.

Why did i decide to change the language i write the post? well,everything happens for a reason,but i had 2 reasons :
1. To improve my own english vocabulary,pronouncation and grammar.
as you can see,english is not my native language,so you can see many mistakes in my writing.
But i really wished that i can speak and write in english perfectly,so i think writing english in my blog will significantly improves my english

2. To make my blog understandable for international readers
Well,this is really a stupid,yet obvious reasons.I also wish that in english,my blog will become more exposed since many people search any shits on google with english words..lol

And what's the second "major change"?

Well,since i wished the blog to be more exposed,i must aim seriously,so i decide that this blog will dominated by hard rock,heavy metal,blues,and other rock  genres,though i'll keep posts other genres and some of my guilty pleasures..xD

Okay,let's start my first english post..:)

7 EPIC SONGS

First thing first,what's the definition of epic?

Epic,as an adjective means grand,heroic,or huge.

So what the fuck is "epic" song?
Let's sum up the meaning of epic with songs...
....
A grand,heroic,or huge songs..
LOL,that sounds really forced,but it's described what i mean close enough

Well,what i mean "epic songs" is not a genre,but rather a grand,usually long and mood-driving songs,regardless of genres.But since i want to focused on rock music,i'll post some "epic" rock songs..(although i love some classical tunes that have an "epic" overtones,such as "Ride of The Valkyries" by Richard Wagner,"Brandenburg Concerto" by Johann Sebastian Bach or "Beethoven 9th Symphony" by Ludwig Van Beethoven,obviously)

And please consider this,i don't post the "best" songs,since those are the songs i've heard recently,and more importantly,i just give some suggestions and share some music worth listening to you,and every people opinions are subjective.And don't say something stupid if things aren't going as you expected,nobody cares about your ranting :p

I've posted 2 Queen songs,since they are REALLY awesome at making this kind of shit.Don't bitchin' on me just because i don't post "Bohemian Rhapsody","We Are The  Champions" By Queen or "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin! I really liked those songs,but those songs are overexposed and i think it's pointless to promote that song anymore,since it's already well known,even in mainstream media.

1. Child In Time
By : Deep Purple
Album : In Rock (1970)

Overview :
The epic track of the first hard rock album in Deep Purple's Discography,("In Rock",was the first MKII's studio albums as well as their breakthrough to hard rock and heavy metal genres,since they were a progressive/psychedelic rock band in 60's) this track shines out as one of best Deep Purple song,although it's somewhat inspired (some even said plagiarized) from It's A Beautiful Day's track called "Bombay Calling". Not only offers the gloomy mood,then progressively transformed to killer hard rocker track,this song also show us what Deep Purple capable of! From Ian Gillan's awesome vocals,crazy solo by Blackmore,to Glover's buried,yet solid basslines

What's Make it Epic :
The Mood.
This song starts out as a simple ballad ,but it later built up onto heavier directions and the tempo also increased systematically,but what makes it awesome is,the progressions remains the same until the last part,it's only an A minor progressions which consisted F,G,and Am itself,but it's ultimately effective

Gillan's falsetto.
You can say,that "Child in Time" is the golden pinacle of Gillan's career.You can see how high,and controlled Gillan is on this track,where he screams some falsettos "Aaaaah Aaah Aaaaah!" many times,and keep in tune! But his falsettos isn't just a skill exposition,it's perfectly matched,even made the mood of this song.

Blackmore.
Include Ritchie Blackmore himself to your band/works are already epic...lol
You can't hear the guitar until the middle part of this song,which will make you questions yourself "How can this stupid douchebag said Blackmore is the essential part of this song?".But after it breaks into the solo,you'll PERFECTLY understand what i mean.

It's a chaotic yet quite random noodling in key of A Minor,but the solo effectively makes this song complete.And for those shredding geeks,this song shows some nice sweeping licks by Blackmore,which undoubtly raise the standards for the guitarist in 70's,and inspired numerous shredders in 80's,such as Yngwie Malmsteen,Paul Gilbert,Tony MacAlpine,and many more.

2. The Prophet's Song
By : Queen
Album : A Night At The Opera

Overview :
This track is often overlooked or maybe forgotten by mainstream media,and even some of my friends that said loved Queen doesn't know this song!
It's quite understandable,since this song is on same album as the infamous "Bohemian Rhapsody",the most popular songs in Queen catalogue,so the people tend to only pay attention to the latter.

But Queen is MUCH MORE than "Bohemian Rhapsody".This song (also many other songs from Queen catalogues) proves this and showed us that Queen is more than a mainstream yet popular rock band we know.

"Oh oh,people of the earth! Listen to the warning the seer he said!"
first words of "The Prophet's Song"

"The Prophet's Song" has some progressive and "medieval" overtones.It's tell us about that story about Noah's Ark and the great flood in the bible,which is hinted us that Queen often write songs about an epic story or a fantasy.The vocals really bring the epic atmosphere to us,just as expected,it's fuckin' Freddie Mercury!

But the real highlights of this album is the echo-choir part in the middle,which give me goosebumps first time i heard it (and still amuse me even today)

What's Make it Epic :

The Echo-Choir Part.
The most epic part of this song! Just hear it yourself,and you'll know what i mean!
Don't need words to describe this!

Mercury.
As many of us know,Queen is famous for Freddie Mercury's powerful yet distinguishable voice.Even,the mainstream media labeled Queen is Freddie Mercury!
But it's not completely wrong,at least on this track.Freddie nailed this one,again..
He successfully delivered the story of great flood in bible into an epic opus with his powerful voice.

3. Kashmir
By : Led Zeppelin
Album : Physical Grafitti (1975)

Overview :
One of the most well-known Zep's song,this song is one of the songs that made into Zep's live performance staples. Originally was going to called "Driving To Kashmir",the song featured a notable riffs composed on alternate tunings,D A D G A D (Open DSus4).All members of Led Zeppelin considered this song as their best achievement,even called it "A definitive Led Zeppelin song".Started with a heavy,thumping riff with an equivalent thunderous drums,mixed with a flanger,this song brings some heavyness "that's not heavy metal".

What's Make it Epic :
Bonham's Drumming
I don't even need to describe this shit..The "John Bonham" name itself already means "Epic Drumming".But the drumming in this track really stands out his playing even more! His drums sounds like a cannon,powerful and devastating! Also,Page includes some flanger into the drum track,an unique and rather "out-of-the-box" approach to mixing drums.

Page Riffs
Page may be a sloppy player when it comes to lead guitar playing,but you CAN'T deny his tasty yet epic riffings,and this song must be one of his best riffs ever!

4. Bach Onto This
By : Jon Lord (R.I.P)
Album : Before I Forget (1982)

Overview :
Jon Lord always known as one of "trinity" that shape the real,and loved Deep Purple,while the two other men are Drummer Ian Paice,and of course that dark,moody,and temperamental guitarist,Ritchie Blackmore.

Lord was known as the one that brings classical influence to Purple besides Blackmore.His massive riffs,his unique classical phrases on organ,and his suite works really shows his capabilities as organ player.

In one of his solo albums,Before I Forget,i found a song that really blows me away,no other than classical-inspired Bach Onto This. As the name suggest,it shows Lord fascination to Johann Sebastian Bach works.It even had one phrases from the famous "Toccata and Fugue" by Johann Sebastian Bach!

In fact,i've finished this article since long tima ago,but i forgot the password (fool me) of this blog and at last i remember.Sadly,Jon was already gone when i managed to opened this blog.Rest In Peace,Jon,your contribution to music will be long-lasting,and rock in paradise with your fellow musicians there! :D

What's Make It Epic :
Did i have to say? Jon Lord organ playing is virtuous,yet epic and catchy at same time,just listen to this track yourself and you'll know what i mean!

5.Stargazer
By : Rainbow
Album : Rising

Overview :
It looks that act partially and prefer to wrote about Ritchie Blackmore and other people related to Deep Purple,but it's because they have many of works that are underrated.This one is the example.Stargazer was the song that makes my keyboardist respect Rainbow and Ritchie Blackmore,and also the song that gives me such a goosebumps when i hear the solo.

Looks like Blackmore will never be apart from be the part of "Holy Trinity" in his peak of career.He's the part of "Holy Trinity" of Deep Purple,with Ian Paice,and Jon Lord.Deep Purple are also considered as one of Holy Trinity of Heavy Metal by many metalheads and critics alike,alongside Black Sabbath (obviously),and Led Zeppelin.In Rainbow,There are the other trinity that makes it epic,it's trio of Blackmore,Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P),and the drummer Cozy Powell (R.I.P)

What does this song have with that trinity? Well,obviously,this song is the one that show you the capabilities of Rainbow Holy Trinity,from Blackmore riffs and soloing,Dio's powerful voice,to Powell's drumming!

What's Make It Epic :
Ritchie Blackmore Guitar Playing
Okay,i guess you'll say "yeah,enough of this all Blackmore flattering,blah blah blah! We know he's great and all!".But i won't stop there,lol.Ritchie Blackmore lays down an epic riffs in this one (one of his best in my opinion),and the song isn't that fast-paced songs like "Kill The King" off "Long Live Rock and Roll" EP,or "Highway Star" off Deep Purple's "Machine Head".This song itself are similar to slow-paced yet progressive heavy metal such as Sabbath type-riffs.But what stands out in this song (once again) is Blackmore's solo,which has some middle-eastern flavour and gives me a goosebumps first time i hear it!

Ronnie Dio's Lyric and voice
Dio always known as one of the best singers in the scene,also the singer that often write lyrics about medieval themes,or some said "dungeon and dragons shit",and this song is one of them.It tells us the story of slavery and evil wizard,which gives some medieval and dark (i love it!) atmosphere to the listener.

Cozy Powell's Drumming
Well,Cozy didn't do anything virtuous here though he's a skilled drummer.But his solid-paced drumming really gives a nice touch to rhythmic pace of this song.Also,his drum intro is simply epic,and cool as hell too!

6.Princes of The Universe
By : Queen
Album : A Kind Of Magic (1986)

Overview :
Another hidden gem beneath another gem in Queen's discography (Well,Queen mainstream hits are epic,but i thought their forgotten works are the best). This song was written as the soundtrack for 80's movie "Highlander" and included in their "A Kind Of Magic" LP.

This song is another breed compared to Queen lengthy,epic songs.It only last for 3:33 seconds,yet it still gives you that "epic" chills and your thirst for "epicness"!

The song structure itself is more toward straight-forward hard rock/heavy metal songs,but improved with melodical approach of Freddie Mercury's vocal,that makes it sounds really theatrical and cool.

What's Make It Epic :
I didn't need to tell you about Freddie Mercury's vocal ability,eh? We all know Freddie is the best in this kind of track.But when you watch the video of this song,you can really feel this song epicness.
You can see that Freddie engage a mic stand-sword fight with an immortal from Highlander movie,makes us to think that he's a godlike entity (well,he is :) ),and for May himself,instead of wielding his famous Red Special,he wield another epic axe,a Washburn RR11V,which is a cool V shaped guitar,also his fast riff playings really make us demand for more guitar-oriented songs by Queen,which sadly will never happen since Mercury isn't with us anymore and Queen is finished :(

7.Under A Glass Moon
By : Dream Theater
Album : Images And Words (1992)

Overview :
Dream Theater is known as one of most overall technical band of modern days,since all of their members are  considered as virtuosos in their respective departements.Many of people criticized them for being "Exercise-Music" type of band or having "No-Soul" and "Only Speed,Speed is Nothing" band,which of course proved false.Dream Theater gives us some nice,sweet ballads such as "Spirit Carries On","Another Day",or "Wither",good solid instrumentals and some unique songs like "Home" off Metropolis Part II LP.

This song is known as one of their most known songs,mostly for Petrucci's memorable,yet technical solo in this song.But for me,the progression for this song is what makes this song really counts.From a slow intro,to epic  mid paced riffs,then the solos.It just as epic as that.

What's Make It Epic :
All of Dream Theater are epic.But as many people said,John Petrucci is really shine in this track,despite my former claims that the songs progression of Under A Glass Moon is what make it epic,John Petrucci really makes this track remarkable and distinctive from another DT's tracks

Ritchie Blackmore's tone and guitars

Well,It's been a long time i barely post anything..

And for "Album Minggu Ini" or Albums of The Week,will be changed to some song suggestions,since i'm quite busy,and also lazy nowadays.Besides,it's really hard to listen 5 albums in a row only in one week! It means that i listen to about 50 different songs and try to memorize it!

As all of you know,my favorite guitarist is Ritchie Blackmore.But kids nowadays didn't know anything about him.Even many of people know him only for "Smoke On The Water",or only know "Smoke On The Water",but didn't have any idea who the fuck is Ritchie Blackmore! (True story,some of my friends,who also musicians,only know the songs from The Guitar Hero game)

Today,i'll post something about Ritchie Blackmore,why?
Of Course,today is Blackmore's birthday!
Happy Birthday,Ritchie!

This time,i'll (attempt) to share about the legendary guitarist' guitars and other rigs,obviously his Deep Purple and Rainbow era rigs (I don't have any idea about his Blackmore's Night rig,apart from his signature strat).

Speaking about EFX,Blackmore is one simplistic guy,just like most rock guitarist of 70's,and they didn't do any major modifications with their pedalboard (didn't use compressors,distortion pedals,or any other complicated shit).Even many of guitarists of that time simply plug and play to their amp,but it's awesome!

BUT,It doesn't mean all guitarist of 70's sound the same,you know that in 70's there are tons of unique guitarists with their own unique tone,phrasing,and genres.Blackmore are one of them,and even considered as one of the guitarist that successfully achieved one distinctive,warm,and best tone on Stratocaster ever!

Ritchie's tone isn't muddled by Distortion or Overdrive,but it's a boosted amp boosted with a treble booster! (Hornby Skewes Treble Booster).As preamp,he used an old,vintage tape recorder as an echo and to warm his tone.As any other effects,he used many various things,an octave,phase shifter,even a keyboard bass pedals!

But rather than the effects,we'll discuss the most important part of Blackmore's guitar tone,obviously,the guitar itself! (I know he had LOTS of guitars and has destroyed hundreds of strat copies,but i'll share only about his important and main live guitars)

I. Guitar :

Ritchie Blackmore used Gibson ES-335 in his earlier years,But he's known as a strat guy,he also discovered his trademark and signature sound through this guitar.He's also the first player that scalloped his guitar frets since he prefer fast-playing with light touch.For those who didn't know what is scalloped frets,here it is :

Scalloped frets provides lighter touch,who gives advantage in bending and fast playing.There are many other guitarist used scalloped frets,such as Jeff Loomis,Herman Li,Steve Vai,and of course,Yngwie Malmsteen

1 Gibson ES-335
Where is it now : In the hand of Ilsan Akbil,a vintage guitar collector,which bought it from Laurence Wexer that got the guitar from vintage guitar auction.The guitar was stolen from Blackmore back then in 1970s by Barbel Hardie,Blackmore's ex-wife.This guitar was used in all of his session works as a teenager in England,and also first 5 Deep Purple albums (Shades of Deep Purple,Books of Taliesyn,Deep Purple,he used both this guitar and strat in "In Rock" and "Fireball").

Ritchie also said that it's easier to play fast here than in strat,since the Gibson had thinner neck.But he prefer Fender's tone and sustain after hearing Jimi Hendrix and got a Tele-necked strat from Eric Clapton's roadie (I got no info about that strat,however).

Young Ritchie Blackmore (around 18) with his Gibson ES-335

2. Stratocaster I : Black,White pickguard ,Maple Fretboard
Where is it now : Unknown,presumably destroyed in one of late MK-II show back then in 1970s

This strat is known as his first strat he used in Deep Purple.It's a black colored Fender 70's Stratocaster that become his main live guitar during his MK-II days,where he used this guitar in almost all MK-II performance (And this guitar is maybe the one that was used in "Made in Japan" live album).This stratocaster primarily is a stock,old vintage stratocaster,which had stock pickups and hardware,except for the whammy bar.And of course,he didn't scalloped this guitar yet.The whammy bar used in this guitar was custom-made bar that thicker and a little different from Fender's whammy bars.The reason he used this whammy bar,is,because he often broke his bridge,thanks to his aggresive playing.

Ritchie with his Black Strat



3.Stratocaster II : Sunburst,White Pickguard,Maple fretboard
Where is it now : Unknown,never seen again after the first MK-II broke-up
This stratocaster was the other staple guitar of Ritchie in his MK-II,and he often used this guitar in his last MK-II Days (You can see this guitar in their 1973 New York gig on YouTube).It's also a stock,unmodified stratocaster.

Ritchie's last days with MK-II,accompanied by his sunburst strat

4.Scalloped Stratocaster I : Natural.pickguard ,fretboard maple
Where is it now : Unknown,Only seen in MK-III days.
The first strat that Blackmore ever scalloped,Blackmore said he scalloped this guitar himself.Blackmore started using this legendary instrument in late 1973,or after Deep Purple MK-III was formed.This stratocaster appeared in legendary California Jam 1974 Performance,the infamous performance which Blackmore was angry at ABC TV Manager,broke a camera,destroys a strat copy and amps,then ran away with a helicopter.It seems he used a stock pickups in this one as well,although rumours said Dawk Stillwell,his guitar tech,modifier the pickups.

Ritchie with his Mk-III strat,that become part of legendary California Jam performance

5.Scalloped Stratocaster II : Sunburst,White pickguard,Rosewood fretboard
Where is it now : Unknown,whether destroyed or keep as collection by the man himself
This strat looks quite identical as his sunburst strat from his earlier days,but it's not! It's scalloped and Ritchie started to prefer Rosewood fretboards opposed to Maple he earlier used,which gives a warmer tone instead of the crunchy one.It's also scalloped by Ritchie himself,from what i read.The pickups and hardware remains unmodified,but started with this guitar,Ritchie put a strap lock in guitar headstock in order to merely annoy and confuse people (He also add this strap lock to his later guitars).You can see this strat in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Live in Munich 1977 performance

Ritchie's first stratocaster with Rainbow,along with his tape echo

6.Scalloped Stratocaster III : Olympic White,Black Pickguard,Rosewood Fretboard
Where is it now : Unknown,whether destroyed or keep as collection by the man himself
This strat is a proto-type to his later guitars.He started used this strat from 1977 until Down To Earth era.
Besides scalloped his rosewood fretboards,Ritchie also start to experiment with many pickups, from

DiMarzio HS-2,Schecter F-500 TS,Velvet Hammer "Red Rhodes",OBL Black Label,Bill Lawrence Pickups,until he settled with his Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4.This is also the first of his strats that used dummy pickups in the middle,make this guitar is a 3-way pickup switch rather than usual 5-way switch strats.

The black pickguard strat,i wonder where the hell it is now?

7. Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster : Olympic White,White pickguard ,Rosewood fretboard
Where is it now : Still alive and well,in Ritchie's ownership
Ritchie Blackmore main strat,this is the guitar that used by Blackmore until now (occassionally),and become the print of his signature that sold by Fender Mexico.This guitar had a significant difference with other scalloped guitar,had a gradually scalloped rather than the fully scalloped one.
Ritchie started play this guitar in 1980,in his Rainbow days and also his Deep Purple reunion days.And just like the Scalloped Strat III,it has a dummy middle pickup,2 Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Flat SSL-4 pickups,3 way switch,and also black-colored volume and switch knobs.

Ritchie Blackmore with his signature stratocaster

8.Ritchie Blackmore Stratocaster II : Vintage White,White pickguard,Rosewood fretboard
Where is it now : Still alive and well,in Ritchie's ownership
Another Blackmore's main guitar,that featured vintage white finish rather his standard olympic white.It's practically the same guitar as his Ritchie Blackmore Strat,but he changed the pickups with Lace Sensors,and change the knobs to white.This guitar can be seen in 1990's Deep Purple and Rainbow reunion days,and also Blackmore's Night performance.It's also his current main recording and live guitars,besides his acoustic ones.This guitar become Fender Japan's Blackmore signature blueprint.

Ritchie and his vintage-white signature strat

That's all,folks,there are the electric guitars that Ritchie used in his career.
And if you want a guitar with Blackmore's tone,i got some cheap and easy (though inaccurate,it can be sink or swim,depended on your guitar) tricks to get "Blackmore'd" :
Use an S/S/S configuration is a must.Though Ritchie played hard rock and heavy metal,he didn't modified his guitar like many other guitarists.He preferred the warm sound of single coil strats rather than humbucker guitars like SG,Les Paul or Superstrats manufactured by Kramer,Ibanez,Jackson,or ESP.
This S/S/S configuration can be quite inversatile to play other kind of music like,say extreme metal,but if you play hard rock,or heavy metal,especially Rainbow or Deep Purple stuff,it will be really great.You can also change the pickup or not,it's your choice which Blackmore's tone you like,his 70's or later tone.If you want his 70's tone,just stick to Fender stock pickups (the vintage one will be better),but if you prefer the 80's and his current tone,find some noiseless,hum-cancelling and of course hi-output pickups such as DiMarzio HS-4,DiMarzio HS-3,or maybe his Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups.You may also unwired your middle pickup and create a dummy one.
Pickup-wise (i don't know if it's the right word,but i don't know any words to refer this),Ritchie NEVER used his middle pickups,which became his obvious reason to unwire his middle pickups.But be careful if you want to unwire your middle pickups.It will change your tone to be more closer to humbucker-guitars and of course makes the Fender main signature,the middle pickup tone,dissapear.Ritchie never used that kind of tone,unlike other players such Jimi Hendrix,Eric Clapton,Stevie Ray Vaughan,Jeff Beck,John Frusciante,or even modern player like John Mayer.His modification makes Ritchie sounds unique and in-between other players tone.He got heavier and warmer tone than other strat or blues players,but also more delicate than other heavy metal,and obviously extreme and glam metal guitarists.

And the most easy and obvious way to get his tone,is,of course,buy his signature guitar!
I have tried this guitar once,in a shop in Mall Kelapa Gading (i forgot their name,but it's on the corner).And in my opinion,this guitar is much more adaptable rather than Yngwie's strat,which features fully scalloped fretboards.But the cons of this guitar,is lack of middle pickup,like i say before.So for you,funk guitarists,or fender middle pickup lovers,this guitar is ABSOLUTELY NOT for you.But overall,this guitar is awesome,and it's cheaper than most of artists signature.It's cost around Rp 9.000.000.

Ritchie Blackmore Signature Stratocaster

II. Amplifier
There are 3 known amplifier that shaped Ritchie's tone.The first one is the legendary Vox AC-30 amplifier,which is Blackmore's personal recording amp.Then the infamous,yet loud Marshall Major that modified from 200 Watts to 278 Watts,cranked up to full(To make all of us deaf,lol),this amp is his signature live amplifier and  used by him until early 90s Deep Purple days.And the last is ENGL Blackmore,one of two signatures that ENGL made,coincidently the other signature is Steve Morse signature (Steve Morse is Purple's current guitarist).And from i read and heard,people said this amp is more versatile than Marshall Major.As you know,ENGL is known for making finest high-gain amps.And this amp is no exception,you can use this amp for playing thrash or death metal!

For his amp settings,this is my own version of his,but make sure you customizes it yourself and don't let the tone distorted too much,it will NEVER sounded like Blackmore if you played with overachieved gain!
Bass : 2-3,you don't need much bass for this.
Middle : Full or almost full,8 to 10,this is the main reason of his rich and fuller sound
Treble : Slightest than the middle,around 6 or 7.
Gain : Depends,but don't crank too much if you used a high-gain and modern sounding amp.
Volume : FULL! Just like the man in black say himself :
 "I've always every amp i've ever had fulled up,because rock and roll is supposed to be played loud!"

Vox AC-30

Modified Marshall Major,mod by Dawk Stillwell,dubbed "loudest amp in the world"

ENGL Blackmore

III. EFX and Accessories
As i stated above,Blackmore didn't use any distortion.His overdriven tone came from his loud Marshall Major Amplifier,boosted by Treble Booster made by Hornby Skewes,with Aiwa Tape Delay as his pre-amp.He sometimes used phase shifters for ballads.For other effects,they said he uses a Fuzzface and Unicord Univibe (Though i never heard both of them in Ritchie's playing),an octave divider,occasional wahs,and also Moog Taurus.These are his known effects :

1.Hornby Skewes Treble Booster

Treble booster is staple for many 70's rock guitarists,including Ritchie Blackmore.He used this booster primarily to add sustain,since he didn't really need any boosting,thanks to his earsplitting Marshall Major.
It may be sounds like an overdrive pedal if you never try one before,but it's actually quite different,a booster didn't really add clippings to your tone,unlike overdrive (soft-clipping),or distortion (hard-clipping).The result is,the overdriven,yet clear guitar tone.Where did you can hear this tone? Every Ritchie's Deep Purple and Rainbow songs,of course!

2. Mutron Octave Divider

As the name suggest,this is an octave effect. What this effect does is adds additional lower octave to your guitar tone,and it sounds like some synth or bass octave tone.It makes your guitar sounds layered.
You can hear Ritchie play this effect in "Difficult To Cure" in Tokyo 1984 video.

3.Moog Taurus Pedal

Actually,this pedal is NOT a guitar effects.It's more like a mini-synth,but only provides bass notes.It can be heard in "Gates of Babylon" intro or "Difficult To Cure" live performance

4.Schulte Compact Phasing A

What does i need to explain? It's a phase shifter,or you called,phaser!
It creates swirling sounds like rotary speaker for music instruments.
Ritchie Blackmore used this songs for ballad and live performance,notably "Catch The Rainbow",and "Rainbow Eyes".I didn't know much about this effect aside from it's German made,since it's not produced anymore and i didn't live in Germany!

5.Aiwa TP 1011

Yeah,you reading it right,Ritchie used this tape-recorder as a guitar effect! I don't know how he mod it,but you can found the tutorial videos in YouTube.Ritchie used this effect since the "Burn" era of Deep Purple.Ritchie prefer to use this than a conventional echo machine because he said that echo machine make guitar sounds shrill and thin.This tape recorder does it conversely,Ritchie said it's warmed up his tone and doesn't affect his tone in a bad way.He also liked the warm-analog delay from the machine.

Here is his picture with the tape delay machine :

 "I just thought it was a normal tape deck, but now it’s become this little soul on the side of the stage. It’s like my little friend."


6. Vox V845 Classic Wah

This one is really difficult to find out,since Blackmore isn't a big fan of wah!
But i found out about his wah anyway,it's this wah that Blackmore occassionally used,though he didn't abuse the wah the way Slash,Kirk Hammett,or Zakk Wylde do.He only stepped on it occassionaly or to boost some of his leads. It's heard in "Black Night" studio recording,"Hunting Humans" from Rainbow's Stranger in Us All album and also "Sail Away" off Burn album.

7.Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face & Unicord Univibe

The other staple effects for 60's and 70's rock guitarist,besides the treble booster.It gives a muddy,overdriven amp that creates lots of sustains.It's popularized by Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton back in the day.Unfortunately,i don't have any idea what's this effect had to do with Blackmore's sound. I guess he just own it,not use it,though some site said he used this effect.

Unicord Univibe is a leslie speaker simulator,or much more like a "vintage style" phaser.It gives swirling psychedelic effects loved by acid rock guitarists,and also nice for ballads as well.But from what i know,Ritchie Blackmore didn't use this effect for phasing,but rather the Schulte phaser i mentioned before.

Tips for Effects :
For Blackmore fanatics out there,i suggest you to NOT copy exact gear of him,since all of them are vintage effects that will costs you millions,wastes your time,and also it's not cool to copy your hero's tone completely.But if you want some of them,and searching for the cheaper,yet nice replacement,i got some suggestion :

* For The Hornby Skewes Treble Booster : This thing is VERY RARE to see nowadays,and it's not mass-produced,so i suggest you to find anything else.BSM HSS Treble Booster is a wise choice,since it's a true by-pass booster,and also based on this particular booster.

*For Mu-Tron Octave Divider : Find anything else as well,i don't even know who own this effect and sell it nowadays.Boss OC-2 (you can true bypass it if you're a true bypass purist),or Electro Harmonix POG pedals are a good alternative

*For Moog Taurus : There are shops who sell it,but not too many in Indonesia.But i thought it's not really important,anyway.And the shops who sell it usually sell the new ones,not the vintage one that Blackmore used.

*For Schulte Compact Phasing A : Just bought a simple vintage phaser than this one,as you'll (once again) desperately waste your time searching for it.A vintage or new Electro Harmonix Small Stone will do good,but if you want to have a REALLY perfect phaser,try to get Moog Phaser or Red Witch one,but it will cost you a LOT  of money just for a phaser.

*For Aiwa TP 1011 : You aren't going to found an old tape and mod it yourself,don't you? Well,you can do that,but make sure to find out how to do it CORRECTLY first before try it,and don't blame me for any mistakes you did to that tape,because from what i know,vintage tapes are very pricey,and it's really difficult to fix them if you broke it.So i suggest you to looking for a conventional delay pedal,such as a budget one like Biyang AD-8 Analog Delay (which i use),the decent one like MxR Carbon Copy,Electro Harmonix Memory Man,or Way Huge Aqua Puss,or maybe the pricey one like Fulltone Tape Echo if you live in USA (he only take the tape delay order for U.S buyer)

*For Vox V845 Wah : Since Blackmore isn't really a wah user,i thought wah isn't an essential if you want to cope Blackmore's tone.But I have some suggestions for a good wah! You can check out Jim Dunlop Crybaby Classic Wah,which featured Fasel Inductor like vintage wahs had (i used it too,and it sounds just awesome),it's true bypass as well.Jim Dunlop Jerry Cantrell's Wah are a good choice,as well as Vox Wahs.But i thought the best wahs i ever try and heard are Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah.

*For The Fuzz Face and Univibe : Well,buying those doesn't have anything to do to get Blackmore's tone,but i got some nice suggestions as well,for Fuzzface,get the Dallas Arbiter! But if you had hard time for it,Jim Dunlop provides it as well,in form of Dunlop Fuzz Face and MxR Classic Fuzz.Electro Harmonix have the famous Big-Muff as well. As for Univibe,i suggest to buy Fulltone Dejavibe instead of Dunlop registered Univibe,because the Dejavibe had the chips that used in the original vintage Univibe,whilst the Dunlop ones,ironically since they bought the trademark,don't have it!

As for pick,Ritchie didn't use standard-shaped pick,but a rectangular one like these,only in tortoise shell,not plastic :

For Strings,he used Picato brands,with 0.10-0.48 gauge

,Happy Birthday Ritchie,Long live and prosper,Long Live Rock & Roll! \m/

5 Album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #5

#5 Season 2

Band : Andra & The Backbone

Tahun dirilis : 2008

Genre : Pop,Pop Rock,Rock,Hard Rock,Alternative Rock

Anggota : Andra Ramadhan (Gitar),Stevie Item (Gitar),Deddi Suryadi (Vokal)

Siapa sih yang ga tau Andra & The Backbone? Band yang dipimpin sama Andra,gitaris di Dewa 19 ini gw rasa cukup terkenal dikalangan anak - anak jaman sekarang.Band ini pernah terkenal dengan lagu hitsnya dari album self-titlednya di tahun 2007,"Sempurna".

Nah,album "Season 2" ini merupakan album ke2 dari Andra and The Backbone.Gimana sih isinya?

Well,di album ini,beberapa track dipengaruhin sama riff hard rock dan heavy metal,coba aja denger "Muak",atau "Sahabat".Tapi tetep ada lagu ballad yang asik,lengkap dengan lirik "manis" koq,"Tak ada yang bisa" nyajiin permaenan gitar akustik yang simpel dan asik,juga dengan lirik yang menurut gw lumayan bagus (dan gw pernah maen lagu ini waktu gw kelas 3 SMA,yang jadi satu - satunya penampilan gw selama SMA..wkwk).Band ini sendiri jadi salah satu band yang gw dengerin dan pelajarin lagunya waktu awal - awal belajar gitar."Main hati",adalah lagu yang gw pelajarin itu,dan lagu ini juga cukup terkenal koq.

Pokoknya,buat yang demen musik pop rock yang easy listening,menurut gw ni album lumayan asik koq buat lu denger.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Muak","Main Hati","Hitamku","Sahabat","Tak Ada Yang Bisa","3 Keajaiban"

#4 Lean Into It

Band : Mr. Big

Tahun Dirilis : 1991

Genre : Hard Rock,Blues Rock,Ballad

Anggota : Eric Martin (Vokal),Paul Gilbert (Gitar),Billy Sheehan (Bas),Pat Torpey (Drum)

Mr. Big mungkin dikenal sebagai band yang "gila","monster" dan "teknikal" karena adanya duo gitaris-bassist virtuoso didalemnya.Duo itu ga laen adalah gitaris Paul Gilbert dan bassist Billy Sheehan.Dua musisi ini sering melakukan duo solo maupun guitar-bass solo trade-offs yang jadi ciri khas dari band ini.Ada juga satu lagu di album ini dimana mereka bermain solo bareng dengan sebuah bor khusus,"Daddy,Brother,Lover,Little Boy",ato juga terkenal dengan nama "The Electric Drill Song".

Selaen "Daddy,Brother,Lover,Little Boy",Paul Gilbert juga masih nunjukin skillnya di lagu "Green Tinted Sixties Mind".Lagu ini sih simple,cuma lu ga bisa bilang hal yang sama kalo ngedenger intronya,dimana Paul Gilbert melakukan riff dengan tapping yang asik.

Tapi apakah cuma itu kehebatan dari Mr Big?

Jangan salah,selaen bisa maen cepet dan gila - gilaan kyk gitu,mereka juga dikenal dengan lagu ballad tentang cinta yang manis,yang mereka tunjukin di album ini dengan lagu "Just Take My Heart",sama "To Be With You",disini juga Eric Martin sebagai vokalis nunjukin kebolehannya dalam nyanyi.

Overall,ni album lumayan asik buat didenger waktu santai koq,meski mungkin bukan buat selera semua orang,tapi gw yakin 2 ballad di album ini,yang gw sebut tadi bakal lu pada suka koq. :)

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Daddy,Brother,Lover,Little Boy","Alive and Kickin","Green Tinted Sixties Mind","Voodoo Kiss","Never Say Never","Just Take My Heart","Road To Ruin","To Be With You"

#3 Spirits Having Flown

Band : Bee Gees

Tahun Dirilis : 1979

Genre : Disco,Pop,Funk,Ballad,R&B

Anggota : Barry Gibb (Gitar,Vokal),Robin Gibb(Vokal),Maurice Gibb (Bas,Vokal)

Mungkin,lu sama sekali ga ada clue sama band pop legendaris yang satu ini.

Tapi gw yakin,kalo bokap ato nyokap lu anak 70an,seenggaknya mereka pernah denger nama Bee Gees,apalagi kalo bokap nyokap lu itu suka sama disco tahun 70an,pasti mereka tau band ini. Kenapa? karena inilah salah satu band paling "in" di scene disco sama club - club jaman itu

Dialbum ini,para personil Bee Gees ga cuma nyanyi kayak kebanyakan artis pop sekarang.Selaen nyanyi,mereka juga maen instrument di lagu - lagu mereka."Tragedy" adalah salah satu lagu paling terkenal mereka.

Dialbum ini,lu bisa nemuin riff - riff yang funky dan vokal harmoni dari tiga bersaudara Gibb.Tapi,mungkin beberapa dari lu pada ada yang bakal kurang suka sama vokal falsetto dari Barry Gibb,yang menurut gw khas,tapi aneh buat beberapa orang.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Tragedy","Love You Inside Out","Spirits Having Flown","Living Together","I'm Satisfied"

#2 Alice In Hell

Band : Annihilator

Tahun Dirilis : 1989

Genre : Thrash Metal

Anggota : Jeff Waters (Gitar,Bas),Randy Rampage (Vokal),Ray Hartmann (Drum),Anthony Brian Greenham (Gitar),Wayne Darley (Bas)

Ada yang tw genre Thrash Metal?

Genre ini mulai muncul tahun 1980,dimulai sama band Overkill dari New Jersey dan Exodus (waktu itu masih ada Kirk Hammett,gitaris Metallica sekarang) dari San Fransisco sebagai 2 band thrash metal pertama.Genre ini berkembang pesat di scene - scene underground dan 4 band dari Amerika berhasil sukses di pasaran dan dikenal sebagai "The Big 4 of Thrash",band itu adalah Megadeth,Metallica,Slayer,sama Anthrax.

Seiiring suksesnya mereka,mulailah muncul band - band thrash dari negara - negara laen,mulai dari daratan eropa seperti Jerman,Denmark,Inggris,Prancis atau dari benua Amerika sendiri,dari Kanada,Mexico ato Brazil.Annihilator sendiri berasal di Kanada.

Annihilator dipimpin sama gitaris Jeff Waters,yang merupakan songwriter utama + satu - satunya anggota yang belum pernah keluar ato digantiin di Annihilator.Di album ini,Jeff nunjukin permaenan gitarnya yang unik,teknikal,dan pastinya,cepet,layaknya band - band Thrash Metal di jamannya.

Album ini dibuka sama intro akustik "Crystal Ann",yang dilanjutin sama lagu thrash progresif "Alison Hell",yang juga merupakan salah satu lagu signature dari Annihilator.Riff - riff di album ini cukup asik dan kreatif menurut gw,karena ga melulu mengandalkan power chord ato kunci gantung yang dimaenin dengan cepet kayak kebanyakan band thrash yang muncul jaman itu.

Lu simak aja riff dari "Schizos Are Never Alone",dimana Jeff maenin riffnya dengan alternate pick yang gila - gilaan.Vokal Randy Rampage dialbum ini pun cukup baik menurut gw,bahkan

banyak fans Annihilator yang bilang,kalo Randy Rampage itu vokalis terbaik yang pernah direkrut Annihilator.

Buat para penyuka thrash,ato "thrashers",ni album KUDU lu denger,soalnya menurut gw,album ini cukup unik buat lu denger,meski mungkin lu pada suka band yang lebih cepet macem Slayer,Dark Angel,atopun Sodom.Buat yang demen denger musik keras pun,gw rekomendasiin album ini.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Alison Hell","W.T.Y.D","Wicked Mystic","Schizos Are Never Alone","Ligeia","Human Insecticide"

#1 Assault Attack

Band : Michael Schenker Group (MSG)

Tahun Dirilis : 1982

Genre : Hard Rock,Heavy Metal

Anggota : Michael Schenker (Gitar),Graham Bonnet (Vokal),Chris Glen (Bas),Ted McKenna (Drum),Tommy Eyre (Keyboard)

Ok,kayaknya kebiasaan buruk gw susah diilangin..

Apakah itu? kebiasaan itu adalah gw dalam ngasih review,pasti bawa - bawa gitaris/band favorit gw,meski gw uda bilang mw ngebatesin "dosis" musik rock di blog ini,dan semua gitaris/band favorit gw itu hard rock/heavy metal..

yah,whatever,ni gitaris juga menurut gw SANGAT pantas buat gw promosiin koq,karena selaen dia punya influence yang besar di dunia musik rock,dia juga ga begitu dikenal kalangan luas,padahal banyak banget pengaruh yang dia kasih ke musik rock,terutama musik heavy metal.

Michael Schenker memulai karirnya di dunia musik dari umur 13 tahun,dimana dia gabung sama kakaknya,Rudolf Schenker,di band yang didiriin sama Rudolf,Scorpions.Ga lama setelah gabung,keliatan kalo Michael punya skill yang emang lebih hebat daripada Rudolf,dan setelah mereka rekam album pertama Scorpions 'Lonesome Crow",Michael direkrut sama band hard rock Inggris,UFO,buat jadi gitaris mereka.Setelah keluar dari UFO,Michael mutusin buat bikin band sendiri,Michael Schenker Group.

Ni album sendiri merupakan album ke-3 dari MSG (bukan Monosodium Glumatate loh yah,Michael Schenker Group...hehe).Dari awal album aja,Michael Schenker udah "nampar" lu semua dengan riff cepet dari lagu pertama dialbum ini,"Assault Attack".Dari denger lagu pertama aja,gw yakin lu pada bisa tahu kayak apa permaenan Michael Schenker,vokal kuatnya Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz,ex-Rainbow),dipadu sama rhythm solid dari keyboardist Tommy Eyre.Lagu - lagu laennya pun ga kalah asik,coba aja lu denger "Desert Song",salah satu lagu paling dikenal dari band ini,ato ga "Ulcer",track instrumental dari album ini.Di track terakhir ini,lu bisa denger kemampuan dan kreatifitas dari Michael Schenker sebagai salah satu lead gitaris paling berpengaruh dijamannya.Banyak gitaris yang lu kenal terpengaruh dari dia,sebut aja Kirk Hammett & James Hetfield (Metallica),Slash (Guns N Roses),Dave Mustaine (Megadeth),Gary Holt (Exodus),bahkan Paul Gilbert!

Well,kayaknya uda kepanjangan gw nulis review hari ini,pokoknya buat lu pada yang demen dengerin Deep Purple,Rainbow ato band - band hard rock dengan keyboard laennya,gw yakin lu pada bakal demen sama album ini.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Assault Attack","Rock You To The Ground","Samurai","Desert Song","Broken Promises","Ulcer"

5 album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #4

Oi..ini lanjutan posting review album yang gw bilang beberapa hari yang lalu..

tapi kyknya..kali ini gw bakal review band" jadul,cuma satu band yang "baru" doang yang bakal gw review minggu ini,jadi mungkin buat sebagian lu pada,lu pada mungkin bahkan belom pernah dengerin lagu - lagu mereka (tapi seenggaknya gw yakin yang baru like post gw di grup dimana gw promosiin ni blog,pasti familiar banget sama yang gw bakal review...hehe)

5 Album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #4 (Minggu ke 3 Tahun 2012 - Part 2) :

#5 City of Evil

Band : Avenged Sevenfold

Tahun Dirilis :

Genre : Alternative Metal,Hard Rock,Rock

Anggota : M. Shadows (Vokal),The Rev (Drum,backing vokal),Synyster Gates (gitar),Zacky Vengeance (Gitar),Johnny Christ (Bas)

Ini dia album "jaman sekarang" yang gw sebut" diatas tadi..hehe

Well,jujur gw rada bingung kalo disuruh definisiin genre dari Avenged Sevenfold,gw ga bisa bilang dia metal,karena dia ga mirip sama band" extreme metal macem Megadeth,Metallica,Death,ataupun band Black Metal macem Emperor,Burzum,dan laen"nya,Avenged Sevenfold juga terbilang lebih radio-friendly dan komersil (sorry,no offense) dibandingin band yang gw sebut diatas,tapi gw juga ragu nyebut hard rock,karena band ini juga ga mirip sama Deep Purple,Led Zeppelin,ataupun Scorpions.Dan darimana saya bisa tulis band ini alternative metal?

Karena band ini banyak campurin unsur" dari musik" alternative rock,terus juga wikipedia yang nulis gitu (lol).

Tapi peduli setan dengan pengotakan musik sial itu,kita mulai aja reviewnya..hehehe

Album ini,bisa dibilang album yang bikin gw tertarik dalemin gitar listrik secara serius (tepatnya karena denger lagu "Bat Country",meski gw uda demen musik rock jauh sebelom denger ini,karena bokap demen Scorpions sama Deep Purple).Album ini jugalah yang bertanggung jawab atas segala waktu gw yang terbuang bersama gitar akustik tua punya nyokap,kulit - kulit jari yang terkelupas gara" latian picking kayak orang bego,kuping kiri yang sekarang jadi susah denger gara" suara keras amplifier gitar listrik yang gw taruh disebelah gw waktu latihan (dan bodohnya,gw sadar itu bakal ngerusak pendengaran gw),dan banyak hal - hal lainnya.Intinya,inilah album yang paling berpengaruh dalam ngubah seorang "gw" menjadi "gw yang bermain gitar".

Dari album ini juga gw mulai merhatiin yang namanya guitar solo,yang sebelomnya gw ga gitu perhatiin waktu denger Scorpions waktu Deep Purple dulu (bodohnya,padahal tuh 2 band termasuk band yang solo gitarnya maut..:( ).Karena dialbum ini banyak solo" kreatif dengan phrashing - phrashing yang menurut penilaian gw cukup fresh ,asik buat latian dan emang enak didenger.Belom lagi,banyak harmoni gitar yang kompak dari Zacky Vengeance sama Synyster Gates di ni album,simak aja "Bat Country" ato "Burn It Down",dimana mereka dengan kompaknya maen arpeggio dengan kecepatan tinggi barengan,"Beast and The Harlot",yang solonya penuh sama chromatic yang bikin gw terkaget - kaget pertama kali liatnya,ato ga "Wicked End",yang nampilin harmoni gitar yang asik dan solonya yang lagi - lagi pake arpeggio yang disweep.

Tapi lagu yang menurut gw paling apik,unik + memorable di album ini bukan lagu yang solonya dimaenin sama 2 gitaris dari band ini,tapi sama Brian Haner,bapaknya Synyster Gates.Lagu itu adalah "Sidewinder".Lagu yang berdurasi 7 menit ini,selaen punya struktur ynag unik,juga nampilin solo gitar akustik,lengkap dengan rhythm yang bernuansa latin.Bener - bener keren dan ga terduga.

Gw yakin,ni album banyak pengaruhin anak muda jaman sekarang selaen gw,buat mulai belajar maen gitar.Gw pribadi sih uda ga gitu ngikutin ni band lagi,malah gw prefer band - band rock jadul,ato band metal 80an,baik yang glam metal maupun underground macem thrash,death,ato black metal.Tapi menurut gw,ni album mantep buat didenger,terutama kalo lu suka phrashing - phrashing gitar listrik yang unik dan harmoni yang kompak.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Beast and The Harlot","Burn It Down","Bat Country","Trashed and Scattered","Sidewinder","The Wicked End","Strength of The World"

#4 Blow By Blow

Band : Jeff Beck

Tahun Dirilis : 1975

Genre : Instrumental Rock,Fusion

Anggota : Jeff Beck (Gitar),Mad Middleton (Keyboard),Phil Chen (Bas),Richard Bailey (Drum)

Nama Jeff Beck udah terkenal dikalangan para gitaris,baik sebagai gitaris yang 2 x diberi penghargaan di Rock N Roll Hall of Fame,mantan gitaris band legendaris The Yardbirds (band dimana Eric Clapton pernah maen bareng sama dia,dan dimana posisi Jeff digantiin sama Jimmy Page,gitaris Led Zeppelin),ataupun solo artis yang maenin musik instrumental yang asik punya.Pokoknya,nama Jeff Beck emang udah terkenal dikalangan para gitaris dan musisi dunia.

Di album ini,Beck nawarin permainan gitar yang melodius,seolah - olah gitarnya "menyanyi" buat para pendengernya,kyk di "Cause We've Ended As Lovers"(ini lagu dibikinin sama Stevie Wonder),"She's A Woman" (yang ini cover dari The Beatles,tapi diaransemen ulang dan dibawain dengan efek talk-box,yang masih baru dijaman itu),ada juga track yang groovy di lagu "You Know What i Mean","Thelonius",sama "Air Blower".Jeff juga nunjukin permaenan kompleks dan struktur rumit di "Scatterbrain".Jadi,disini lu ga cuma nemuin permaenan gitar yang simple dan melodius,Jeff Beck juga nawarin permaenan yang funky,rhythm yang solid,dan yang paling penting,phrashing dan penjiwaan yang "dapet" banget.

Overall,ni album menurut gw bener" bagus buat didenger.Disini,lu bisa paham kenapa Jeff Beck

disebut - sebut sebagai salah satu gitaris terbaik dunia,yang bahkan menurut gw,dia lebih brilian dari Jimmy Page (ya,dan gw fans berat Jimmy Page :p),dan Eric Clapton.Mungkin kekurangan dia cuma di songwritingnya ga sebagus kedua koleganya itu,cuma tetep aja dia pemaen yang bagus koq...hehe

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "She's A Woman","Constipated Duck","Air Blower","Scatterbrain","Cause We've Ended As Lovers","Freeway Jam"

#3 Led Zeppelin IV

Band : Led Zeppelin (obviously...XD)

Tahun Dirilis : 1971

Genre : Hard Rock,Blues Rock,Folk,Heavy Metal

Anggota : Jimmy Page (Gitar,Mandolin),Robert Plant (Vokal),John Bonham (Drum),John Paul Jones (Bass,Gitar,Keyboard)

Siapa sih yang ga pernah denger nama "Led Zeppelin"?

Band rock legendaris ini terkenal karena lagu "Stairway To Heaven",citra mereka yang urakan + berandalan,style,kharisma,dan yang paling penting pengaruh besar di dunia musik rock ini dikenal inovatif dan fresh dalam ngerekam dan ngerilis album mereka,dimana album - album mereka selalu unik dan genrenya cukup diverse,dimana mereka bisa bikin lagu yang beatnya funky,ballad yang tenang,blues rock yang "menyayat",bahkan reggae!

Dan album ini,adalah album paling terkenal dari Led Zeppelin.Album ini ga punya nama resmi,ada yang nyebut "The Fourth" (karena album ini merupakan album ke 4 Led Zeppelin),Led Zeppelin IV,The Four Symbol (Karena ada 4 simbol yang jadi identitas setiap personil di dalam album ini),Untitled,The Runes,ataupun nama lainnya.Selain itu,album ini terbilang cukup gila dan kontroversial waktu dirilis.Kenapa?

Soalnya waktu Led Zeppelin mau rilis album ini,Led Zeppelin mutusin buat ga nulisin judul maupun nama band mereka di album ini,bahkan cuma naruh gambar yang kyk kita liat diatas.Mereka mau masyarakat beli album ini karena hargain musik,bukan karena label dan citra Led Zeppelin yang udah cukup terkenal dan penuh kontroversi waktu itu.Tentu aja,pihak label ngoceh" sama Jimmy Page dkk,meski akhirnya mereka mau juga nurutin kemauan para personil band hard rock ini.Hasilnya? Spektakuler! Album ini jadi album Led Zeppelin yang paling sukses,baik secara komersial maupun musikalitasnya.

Ga percaya? Simak aja permaenan Jimmy Page dkk yang emang udah "nendang" banget di awal",di track "Black Dog",lengkap dengan solo gitarnya yang fenomenal,terus ada juga "The Battle of Evermore",dimana Jimmy Page masukin unsur folk kedalem musik Led Zeppelin dengan maenin mandolin,yang bikin ni lagu kedengeran mirip musik folk britania raya dari jaman medieval."Misty Mountain Hop" yang catchy dan cukup asik buat didenger,"Four Sticks" sama "Going To California" yang banyak make gitar akustik buat rhythm sectionnya.Dan yang paling penting,"Stairway To Heaven" juga ada di album ini,gw rasa ga perlu gw jelasin lagi ni lagu,karena ampir semua orang juga uda tau..hehe..

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Black Dog","Rock and Roll","The Battle of Evermore","Stairway To Heaven","Misty Mountain Hop","Four Sticks","Going To California","When The Leeve Breaks" (Yep,gw rekomendasiin lu semua buat denger satu album FULL,soalnya setiap lagunya punya "sensasi" unik)

#2 Taken By Force

Band : Scorpions

Tahun Dirilis : 1977

Genre : Hard Rock,Heavy Metal

Anggota : Rudolf Schenker (Gitar),Klaus Meine (Vokal),Uli Jon Roth (Gitar),Francis Buchholz (Bas),Herman Rarebell (Drum)

Nah,ini dia salah satu band rock yang pertama kali gw dengerin (meski bukan ni album sih yang pertama gw denger..hehe).Mungkin banyak dari yang banyak orang tau,band ini terkenal di tahun 1980an,lewat lagu - lagu macem "Rock You Like a Hurricane","Wind of Change",ato "Send Me An Angel",terus juga dari vokal yang khas dengan aksen jerman dari Klaus Meine,serta permaenan solo yang harmonis dan kompak dari Rudolf Schenker dan Matthias Jabs.

Tapi,lu semua ga bakal nemuin permaenan macem itu di album ini!

Apa itu artinya album ini jelek?

Well,album ini dirilis sebelom Matthias Jabs masuk ke Scorpions,dan sound Scorpions belom kyk di tahun 1980an,dimana Scorpions belom terlalu terkenal,dan juga belum semainstream sekarang.Tapi bagus jelek itu relatif.

Menurut gw sendiri? Ini era Scorpions favorit gw! Ini dia album terbaik Scorpions! (Well,at least buat gw sih gitu..wkwk)

Gimana kaga? gitarisnya Uli Jon Roth! Nama ini mungkin asing bagi banyakan orang,tapi orang inilah salah satu yang bertanggung jawab atas wabah shred dan neoclassical metal di tahun 1980an selain Ritchie Blackmore,bisa dibilang inilah gitaris lainnya yang paling pengaruhin Yngwie Malmsteen,baik dari phrashing,pilihan nada,bahkan style dan gaya berpakaiannya.

Disini,lu bisa dengerin lick - lick yang "cantik" dan inovatif dari Uli Jon Roth,yang paling berasa di lagu "Sails of Charon",yang banyak nampilin phyrigian modes sama harmonic minor,yang ngebawa nuansa klasikal kedalem lagu ini.Intro solonya juga ngebuktiin ke dunia,bahwa Yngwie Malmsteen bukanlah orang yang pertama shred di gitar elektrik."We'll Burn The Sky" juga nunjukin permaenan gitar yang cepet,tapi lebih melodius dari Uli Jon Roth,phrashingnya juga bener - bener dapet banget disini.

Tapi bukan Scorpions namanya kalo ga punya riff yang maut.Tenang aja,album ini juga nawarin riff - riff cadas layaknya Scorpions yang lu kenal.Di track 1 aja,"Steamrock Fever" uda bakal bikin lu puas dengerin riffnya,"I've Got to Be Free" juga nawarin riff yang cukup asik.Riff yang simple tapi memorable juga bakal lu temuin di "He's A Woman,She's A Man".

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Steamrock Fever","We'll Burn The Sky","I've Got To Be Free","The Riot of Your Time","The Sails of Charon","He's A Woman,She's A Man"

#1 The Seventh Sign

Band : Yngwie Malmsteen

Tahun Dirilis : 1994

Genre : Neoclassical Metal,Power Metal,Heavy Metal

Anggota : Yngwie Malmsteen (Gitar,Bas),Mike Vescera (Vokal),Mats Olausson (Keyboard),Mike Terrana (Drum)

Akhirnya,kita sampe juga di nomor 1..

Well,ini dia gitaris favorit (kedua,setelah Ritchie Blackmore) gw,Yngwie Malmsteen (dibacanya Ing-vay),dikenal sebagai gitaris yang ngebikin trend shred ditahun 1980an,dan "nyetak" neoclassical metal/rock sebagai genre yang pasti,setelah sebelum - sebelumnya banyak gitaris sebelum dia masukin unsur - unsur klasikal ke permainan mereka,macem Ritchie Blackmore,Uli Jon Roth,Randy Rhoads,sama Eddie Van Halen.

Gw sempet bingung mana yang gw rekomendasiin,album ini ato album "Rising Force"nya dia juga.Tapi karena uda ada album instrumental dari Jeff Beck diatas,gw lebih milih album ini buat gw rekomendasiin,karena gw yakin bakal pada ga betah kalo gw kebanyakan rekomendasiin instrumental..hehe

Mungkin banyak yang nganggep Yngwie itu pemaen yang hebat,tapi juga ngebosenin dan sering ngulang scale.Tapi disini,permaenan Yngwie (meski tetep banyak banget make scale yang sama) lumayan berbeda dan riff - riffnya bener - bener asik,ada juga lagu yang lebih pelan dan bernuansa ballad macem "Forever One",ato "Prisoners of Your Love",riff pentatonic yang asik (jarang - jarang loh dia maen macem gini..hehe)di "I Don't Know" sama "Hairtrigger" yang stylenya rada mirip sama glam metal 80an.Ada juga lagu yang bener - bener ngasih "atmosfer" etnik,yaitu "Pyramid of Cheops" yang dimulai dengan petikan sitar.Tapi buat lu pada yang demen permaenan rusuh Yngwie seperti biasa,album ini juga ga bakal ngecewain lu pada,masih ada "Never Die","Seventh Sign",sama "Crash and Burn" yang nampilin permaenan solo yang gila (well,sebenernya semua solo dia sih susah..hehe) dan juga riff rusuh.

Buat yang demen shred ,apalagi fans Yngwie Malmsteen,kudu denger ni album.Fans Heavy/Speed metal sama hard rock juga gw saranin buat dengerin ni album,karena banyak riff dan licks yang emang asik disini,dan yang paling penting,cuma ada satu instrumental di album ini,"Brothers",jadinya lu pada yang ga gitu suka sama album "Rising Force" yang kebanyakan shredding bisa tenang dengerin ni album (Well,sebetulnya ampir semua album dia pasti ada vokalnya koq..)

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Never Die","I Don't Know","Forever One","Hairtrigger","Seventh Sign","Prisoner of Your Love","Pyramid of Cheops","Crash and Burn"

5 album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #3

Hello all!

Sorry banget lama gw uda ga urus ni blog sial..

yah,emang dikit yang liat c,cuma ttp aja gw malah ngelanggar omongan gw sndiri deh...=="

khusus posting yang ini,gw post di hari selasa,jadi itungnya ini buat minggu lalu,nanti minggu gw post yang baru lagi,jadi totalnya minggu ini gw rekomendasiin 10 album totalnya (makan tuh album..wkwk)

ok deh..daripada kebanyakan cing-cong ga jelas lagi,mending kita mulai aja..hehe

5 album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #3 (Minggu ke 3 Tahun 2012 - Part 1) :

#5 By The Way

Band : Red Hot Chili Peppers

Tahun Dirilis : 2002

Genre : Alternative Rock,Funk Rock

Anggota : Anthony Kiedis (Vokal),Michael "Flea" Balzary (Bas,Terompet),John Frusciante (Gitar,keyboard,synthesizer),Chad Smith (Drum)

Well,tadinya gw ga ada pikiran buat ngereview albumnya RHCP,secara gw ga pernah begitu dengerin dan suka RHCP tadinya,cuma karena ga sengaja gw nemu channel di youtube yang namanya deppwaswho,yang isinya video cover bass RHCP yang tergolong lumayan susah dan dimainkan dengan baik sama seorang cewe dari hongkong (iya,cewe loh),gw jadi tertarik buat nelusurin Red Hot Chili Peppers lebih dalam,gw pun mendownload 2 album dari RHCP,yaitu "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" dan....yah,album ini.

Setelah gw bandingkan,karakteristik musik yang ditawarin di "By The Way" beda sama di "Blood Sugar Sex Magik",dimana "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" lebih nawarin musik dengan sound funky,groovy dengan nuansa punk rock yang khas,sementara nuansa alternative dengan sedikit influence funk bisa lu temuin di "By The Way"

Lagu" di "By The Way" sendiri cukup asik dan beragam menurut gw,ada track funky yang asik "By The Way",sama "Can't Stop","On Mercury" yang cukup ngebeat dengan nuansa ska,"Cabron" yang nawarin nuansa latin,lengkap dengan strumming gitar akustik didalemnya,"Universally Speaking",sama "The Zephyr Song" yang easy listening,ada juga ballad "I Could Die For You" sama "Dosed" .

Ringkasnya,ni album emang rada beda sama rilisan RHCP di tahun 80an (pastinya),buat yang demen funk banget,mungkin lu pada bakal kecewa sama ni album,tapi RHCP tetep asik koq di album ini..hehe

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "By The Way","Universally Speaking","Dosed","The Zephyr Song","Can't Stop","I Could Die For You","Cabron","On Mercury","Minor Thing"

#4 Awake

Band : Dream Theater

Tahun Dirilis : 1994

Genre : Progressive Metal

Anggota : John Petrucci (Gitar),Mike Portnoy (Drum),James LaBrie (Vokal),John Myung (Bas),Kevin Moore (Keyboard)

Gw yakin,ampir semua dari lu seenggaknya pernah denger nama ni band.Entah napa,belakangan ini gw ngerasa Dream Theater mulai terkenal + sering diomongin dimana - mana,dari lagu "Spirit Carries on" sama "Forsaken" yang easy listening itu lah,orang yang ngomongin skill mereka yang emang jago itu lah,malah waktu itu gw ga sengaja denger ada iklan yang make bagian riff "Dark Eternal Night",lagu Dream Theater di Indosiar! Ya,INDOSIAR!

Setau gw,banyakan orang anggep Dream Theater 90an itu identik dengan album "Images and Words",album yang sukses secara komersil maupun kritikal di pasaran waktu itu,ditengah - tengah tekanan dari trend musik grunge. Tapi menurut gw,puncak musikalitas Dream Theater bukan ada di "Images and Words",tapi album setelahnya,"Awake".

Sound Dream Theater terdengar lebih heavy disini,tapi tetep ga ngilangin kompleksnya Dream Theater.Meski kompleks dan heavy, komposisi lagu dialbum ini ga ngebosenin,bahkan menurut gw lumayan asik buat disimak.Coba lu denger aja track "6:00" sama "Caught in The Web",meski struktur lagunya lumayan kompleks,tapi chorus yang asik + lick - lick yang easy listening tetep ngebikin semuanya kerasa asik.Ada juga instrumental "Erotomania",yang dimulai dengan sound keyboard yang ngingetin gw ke Hammond Organnya Jon Lord dari Deep Purple.Buat yang demen ballad dari Dream Theater,kudu dengerin "The Silent Man".

Cuma dari semua itu,ada 2 yang jadi track favorit gw,yaitu "Lie" sama "The Mirror".

Lie yang nawarin riff gitar heavy layaknya musik thrash metal/groove metal,tapi tetep nampilin vokal James LaBrie yang clean dan dibacking sama keyboard,membuat suatu chemistry yang ga biasa,tapi unik dan asik buat didenger."The Mirror" juga menawarkan intro yang terbentuk dari gabungan riff gitar yang berat ditambah dengan keyboard,sehingga memberikan nuansa epic dan majestic di lagu ini.

Buat lu pada yang ngaku demen sama Progressive Metal,Progressive Rock,maupun sodara - sodaranya,kudu dengerin ni album,apalagi kalo lu demen Dream Theater..:p

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "6:00","Caught In The Web","Erotomania","The Silent Man","The Mirror","Lie","Space Dye Vest"

#3 Leftoverture

Band : Kansas

Tahun Dirilis : 1976

Genre : Progressive Rock

Anggota : Steve Walsh (Keyboard,Piano,Organ,Vokal),Kerry Livgren (Gitar,Clavinet,Synth,Piano),Phil Ehart (Drum),Dave Hope (Bas),Robby Steinhardt (Biola,Vokal),Rich Williams (Gitar)

Ok,sekarang gw mau ngereview album yang (lagi - lagi) asing buat anak - anak jaman sekarang.

Ni band mungkin cuma dikenal karena lagu "Dust In The Wind",itu pun banyak anak - anak sekarang yang belum tau...jadi anggep aja sekarang gw lagi ngenalin band baru ke lu pada..hehe

Sesuai yang ditulis diatas,ni band bergenre progressive rock.Apakah band ini bakal mirip soundnya kyk Rush,yang pernah gw review di post dulu - dulu? ato mirip sama Dream Theater yang gw tulis diatas?

Sayangnya,tidak! Progressive rock itu luas nak!

Ga semuanya soundnya sama,emang ada karakteristik yang mirip,cuma secara keseluruhan,band ini berbeda jauh dari kedua band yang gw tulis diatas.

Seperti kebanyakan band progressive,Kansas juga banyak nampilin tempo change sama struktur lagu yang ngejelimet ,yang ngebuat progressive rock rada ribet buat didenger.

Cuma menurut gw,album Leftoverture ini lumayan easy listening dan ga "berat" amat buat didenger,coba aja lu denger "Carry on Wayward Son",lagu yang mungkin lu pada kenal dari game "Guitar Hero" ini lumayan cepet masuk dan easy listening,ato ga "What's on Your Mind" ,yang nampilin riff yang asik.Tapi paling asik dari ni album menurut gw adalah "Magnum Opus",track yang panjangnya 8 menit dan menjadi ekshibisi dari kemampuan bermain instrumen musik dari anggota band progressive ini.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Carry on Wayward Son","The Wall","What's On Your Mind","Cheyenne Anthem","Magnum Opus"

#2 Dekade

Artis : Chrisye

Tahun Dirilis : 2002

Genre : Pop

Anggota : Well,ga ada info yang jelas buat anggotanya,tapi yang jelas,Chrisye di vokal (ya iya lah),arrangement oleh Erwin Gutawa,sama ada vokal tambahan di Track 1 oleh Sophia Latjuba (well itu ketulis tuh di cover albumnya...hehe)

Yeah! ini pertama kalinya gw ngereview album dari musisi dalam negeri,dan karena gw ga mau asal - asalan ngereview musisi dalam negeri yang acakadut,gw akhirnya memilih penyanyi pop legendaris yang menjadi kesukaan keluarga gw,Chrisye!

(Almarhum) Chrisye udah mencetak "nama" di dunia musik Indonesia sejak tahun 1969,dimana awalnya dia bermain sebagai pemain bas di band progressive rock (sumpeh..progressive rock loh,kalo ga percaya coba googling aja) yang namanya Gypsy,yang ngerilis album "Guruh Gypsy" di tahun 1976.Namun nama Chrisye lebih dikenal sebagai penyanyi solo dengan lagu - lagunya yang legendaris,mulai dari "Badai Pasti Berlalu","Cintaku","Semusim","Anak Jalanan","Lilin - lilin kecil",dan banyak lagi

Tapi selain lagu - lagu yang gw sebut diatas,album yangw gw review ini berisi lagu - lagu yang menurut gw asik dan bisa bersaing dengan lagu - lagu diatas,meski ada 2 cover,yaitu "Sakura Dalam Peluk" dan "Pengalaman Pertama",yang diaransemen ulang menjadi lebih apik dari aslinya (menurut gw c,jangan ngomel kalo menurut lu lebih asik aslinya...wkwkwk)

Well,track 1 nampilin Sophia Latjuba sebagai teman duet Chrisye dalam lagu "Kangen",yang lumayan ngehits awal tahun 2000an.Terus ada juga lagu "Kisah Kasih di Sekolah" yang (kalo ga salah inget) pernah jadi soundtrack sinetron juga,yang pastinya ga asing buat lu pada."Seperti Yang Kau Minta" menampilkan nuansa ballad yang lembut dan easy listening.Tapi lagi - lagi,lagu yang upbeat jadi favorit gw di ni album.Lagu yang kental dengan boogie,terompet,dan riff rock n roll itu adalah "Dara Manisku"

Nah,karena ni album adalah album pop dari musisi legendaris Indonesia,gw rekomendasiin ni album ga cuma ke penyuka pop,tapi juga ke semua orang yang baca ni review,karena selain easy listening,ni album juga merupakan kebanggaan tersendiri bagi masyarakat Indonesia,dimana Indonesia bisa menunjukan kualitas musik pop yang baik tanpa menghilangkan sisi komersial.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Kangen","Sakura Dalam Pelukan","Kisah Kasih Di Sekolah","Dara Manisku","Dibawah Sinar Bulan Purnama","Seperti Yang Kau Minta"

N.B : R.I.P Chrismansyah Rahadi (1949 - 2007)

#1 Rising

Band : Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow

Tahun Dirilis : 1976

Genre : Heavy Metal,Hard Rock (Dengan influence Symphonic,Power Metal,sedikit Neoclassical)

Anggota : Ritchie Blackmore (Gitar),Ronnie James Dio (Vokal),Tony Carey (Keyboard),Cozy Powell (Drum),Jimmy Bain (Bas)

Akhirnya kita sampe juga ke nomor 1 minggu ini,dan lagi - lagi,karya bikinan Ritchie Blackmore gw taruh di nomor 1,sorry yah kalo rada subjektif..soalnya dia favorit gw sih..hehe

Rainbow dibentuk tahun 1975 setelah Ritchie mutusin keluar dari Deep Purple karena dia ga suka sama influence funk dan soul yang dibawa sama Glenn Hughes dan David Coverdale,bassist dan vokalis Deep Purple waktu itu,belum lagi,usulan Ritchie buat ngecoverin lagu "Black Sheep of The Family" dari Quatermass ditolak mentah - mentah sama anggota Deep Purple laennya,yang akhirnya ngebuat Blackmore milih hengkang dari Deep Purple setelah album "Stormbringer" tahun 1974.

Rainbow sendiri awalnya kebentuk dari band blues rock Elf,minus gitarisnya (di"tendang" sama Blackmore..wkwk),yaitu vokalis rock legendaris Ronnie James Dio,bassist Craig Gruber,drumer Gary Driscoll,sama pianis Micky Lee Soule,lineup ini cuma sempet nelorin 1 album,dan setelah itu,Blackmore "nendang" semua personilnya kecuali Ronnie James Dio (bisa dibilang Ritchie Blackmore itu ngebajak Elf,terus ditendang semua cuma buat rekaman 1 album + ngambil Dio dari Elf..wkwk)

Setelah "nendang" personil - personil Elf tersebut,keyboardist Tony Carey,drummer rock Cozy Powell,dan bassist Jimmy Bain direkrut buat ngerampungin album kedua Rainbow.Album ini dibikin waktu Blackmore lagi demen - demennya dalemin alat musik Cello,sehingga banyak nuansa symphonic dan classic yang bisa lu denger disini.Dan diluar dugaan,nuansa klasik yang diinjeksi sama riff gitarnya Blackmore digabung sama vokalnya Dio,ditambah sama keyboardnya Tony Carey,ngebuat Rainbow jadi salah satu band heavy metal yang influental,terutama buat para praktisi neoclassical di tahun - tahun setelahnya ,macem Yngwie Malmsteen,Randy Rhoads,Jason Becker,Uli Jon Roth,dll.

Album ini dibuka sama solo organ yang futuristik oleh Tony Carey,berlanjut ke riff berat yang nunjukin mulainya lagu "Tarot Woman",lagu yang lumayan asik buat didenger.Track no 3,"Starstruck",menampilkan kebolehan Blackmore dalam ngebuat riff yang bernuansa classical dan permaenan solonya yang asik.Tapi yang jadi highlights di album ini adalah 2 track terakhir,yaitu "Stargazer" yang nampilin orkestra,struktur yang kompleks + range vokal Dio yang fantastis,dan "Light in The Black",yang nampilin solo trade-offs antara Ritchie Blackmore dan Tony Carey,yang banyak membawa pengaruh besar ke band - band rock dan power metal setelahnya seperti Yngwie Malmsteen,Stratovarius,dan Symphony X

Bisa dibilang,ini album Rainbow yang jadi favorit gw,yang saking demennya,gw bela"in beli ni album bareng temen gw.Emang,cuma ada 6 lagu didalem sini,cuma kalo lu demen rock tahun 1970an dan musik yang nunjukin skill instrumental personilnya,lu ga bakal nyesel beli album ini!

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Tarot Woman","Run With The Wolf","Starstruck","Stargazer","Light In The Black"

5 Album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #2

Halo lagi semua...:p

seperti janji gw hari minggu lalu,setiap hari minggu gw bakal rekomendasiin 5 album dari berbagai

artis dan berbagai genre,ga terbatas di satu genre (tapi kyknya c gw bakal lebih fokus dan rekomendasiin band rock lebih banyak,soalnya gw banyakan twnya gituan..:p)

Nah,karena gw yakin lu pada pasti bete kalo gw rekomen album classic rock melulu,khusus minggu ini,ga bakal ada album - album classic rock!

Bahkan gw bakal masukin satu artis yang ga biasa didenger kalangan pecinta rock..

Penasaran? Ok,kita langsung mulai aja...hehe

5 Album yang gw rekomendasiin minggu ini #2 (Minggu ke 48 Tahun 2011) :

#5 Hybrid Theory

Band : Linkin Park

Tahun Dirilis : 2000

Genre : Alternative Rock,Nu Metal

Anggota : Chester Bennington (Vokal),Mike Shinoda (Vokal,Gitar,Keyboard),Brad Delson (Gitar,Bas),Rob Bourdon (Drum),Joseph Hahn (Turntable,Keyboard)

Ok,sebelom gw ngereview singkat album ini,gw mau tegasin dulu,kalo penilaian gw ke album ini rada subjektif,dan jujur aja,gw bukan tipe orang yang biasa dengerin Linkin Park ato pun temen - temennya,jadi sorry aja kalo ini gw taroh di no 5 minggu ini...hehehe

Gw dengerin ni album karena rekomendasi dari seorang temen (oi,lu baca ini ga bro? :p).Dia seorang fans Linkin Park,dan dia pernah ngeluarin statement kalo dia juga mirip gw,dia beli album Linkin Park karena suka,mirip sama gw yang demen ngoleksi CD Deep Purple,Megadeth,sama CDnya Yngwie.Karena itu,gw jadi lumayan tertarik buat mencari tahu.

Akhirnya,setelah gw dengerin ni album (dari dl di internet tentunya,ga beli cdnya..wkwk),ternyata album ini cukup easy listening,dan emang asik buat didengerin,tapi kebanyakan struktur lagunya gitu - gitu aja,jadi rada puyeng + penat juga kalo dengerin satu album.Dan buat track paling asik,menurut gw "In The End" yang megang,selaen emang chorusnya yang asik banget,terus juga intro pianonya cukup memorable.

Well,akhir kata,kalo lu demen sama band nu-metal ato alternative,ini album pilihan yang bagus buat lu,apalagi kalo lu bandingin sama album Linkin Park yang terakhir,yang menurut gw dan temen gw itu kurang "dapet" feelnya..hehe

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Paper Cut","One Step Closer","With You","Crawling","In The End"

#4 Real +

Band : IU (Yi Ji Eun)

Tahun Dirilis : 2011

Genre : K-Pop,Ballad

Yang cowo,jangan ngiler yah liat foto diatas :p

Nah,ini dia yang gw maksud diatas tadi...hehe..

Jarang - jarang lu pada bisa liat anak rock ngerekomendasiin album K-Pop :p

Gw juga dengerin IU berdasarkan seorang temen lama dari BHK (kyknya daritadi gw merekemondasiin album yang orang rekomendasiin ke gw jadinya...hehe),dia ngasi denger gw IU kira - kira 3 bulan yang lalu,,dan dari kesan pertama,gw demen banget sama suaranya IU,yang emang bagus dan bahkan dapet julukan perfect pitch itu.Dan ini cewe jadi guilty pleasure gw dalem dngerin musik 3 bulan belakangan ini XD

Nah,dari mini album dan album - album dia,ini yang jadi favorit gw.

Emang,ini cuma mini album yang isinya cuma 3 lagu,dan musiknya rada beda dibanding album laennya macem "Growing Up" atopun "IU...IM",tapi justru itulah yang jadi daya tarik tersendiri buat album ini.

Dialbum ini,3 track itu dibacking sama orkestrasi,piano dan keyboard,yang ngebuat nuansa musiknya jadi symphonic dan lebih cenderung ke ballad dibandingin musik - musik upbeat.

Apalagi di track 2 "Cruel Fairy Tale" (sorry,gw ga tw tulisan koreanya :p),yang jadi track favorit gw di album ini.Sementara buat track 3 sendiri,itu cuma alternate version dengan piano dari track 1,tapi ttp asik buat didenger koq.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "The Story Only I Didn't Know","Cruel Fairy Tale" (emang cuma ada tu 2 sih..haha)

#3 Ghost of A Rose

Band : Blackmore's Night

Tahun Dirilis : 2003

Genre : Medieval Folk

Anggota : Ritchie Blackmore (Gitar,Mandolin,Domra,Hurdy Gurdy),Candice Night (Vokal,Tamborin,Shawm,Cornamuse),Malcolm Dick (Drum),David Baranowski (Keyboard)

Ok,ngeliat tulisan di album diatas,mungkin lu pada bakal keinget sama Deep Purple,karena ada nama "Blackmore",dan lu bakal liat nama "Ritchie Blackmore" di nama anggota diatas.Tapi apakah mungkin ini Ritchie Blackmore yang sama kyk yang maen di Deep Purple itu? Jawabannya,Ya! Dia orang yang sama kyk yang maen di Deep Purple itu!

Cukup aneh buat banyak fansnya Blackmore,termasuk gw,ngeliat Ritchie Blackmore maen musik folk pada awalnya.Tapi disinilah keliatan kalo Blackmore itu musisi yang lengkap,dia bisa maen gitar akustik maupun elektrik dengan baik.Disini lu bisa liat keunikan permaenan Blackmore,dan influence klasiknya keliatan makin jelas di album ini.Sayangnya,bagi lu pada yang suka sama aksi Ritchie Blackmore yang maen gitarnya rusuh,penuh distorsi,agresi dan riff -riff asik,lu ga bakal nemuin permaenan macem itu disini.

Sekedar tambahan aja,Band ini dibentuk Blackmore tahun 1997,setelah tahun 1993 dia cabut dari Deep Purple dan ngebubarin band solonya,Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow tahun 1997.Dia ngebentuk band ini sama istrinya (Candice Night,vokalis Blackmores Night)dan ngebentuk duo vokal - akustik,lengkap dengan backing band buat maen live.

Dari sisi musiknya sendiri,lu ga bakal nemuin lagu hard rock apalagi heavy metal disini.Disini Blackmore menawarkan musik yang jauh berbeda,yaitu musik rakyat/folk inggris jaman medieval.Disini keliatan banget nuansa medieval dan sedikit nuansa - nuansa latin dan arab dipermaenan gitarnya.Dan ada sedikit terselip lick - lick yang cepet,kyk yang bisa lu temuin di

album - album Rainbow.

Beberapa dari lagunya ada cover dari artis laen yang dibikin jadi versi medieval folknya,ada juga 2 instrumental "Nur eine Minute",yang jadi favorit gw di album ini,sama "Mr Peagram's Morris and Sword".Dan ada juga lagu - lagu folk yang dicover sama mereka.

Overall,ni album lumayan asik buat didengerin + dieksplorasi,baik buat mereka yang demen sama Ritchie Blackmore,Deep Purple,Rainbow(kecuali fans fanatik rainbow ato deep purple,yang kebanyakan kecewa denger ni album),maupun yang belom pernah denger sama sekali.

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Way To Mandalay","Cartouche","Queen of The Day (Part 1 & 2)","Nur Eine Minute","Loreley","All For One"

#2 Thriller

Band : Michael Jackson

Tahun Dirilis : 1982

Genre : Pop

Siapa sih yang ga tau Michael Jackson?

Orang yang dikenal sebagai King of Pop ini emang fenomenal,terutama di tahun 80-90an,dimana itu jadi puncak dari karir dia.Gw,meski demennya sama rock dan heavy metal,gw demen banget dengerin MJ,malah gw denger dan demen dia duluan daripada gw demen Metallica..wkwkwk.

Menurut gw,album - album yang dia rilis emang asik - asik,tapi album inilah yang menurut gw paling asik dan juga beragam,Thriller

Di sini,lu bisa temuin berbagai macam lagu dengan nuansa yang berbeda,ada lagu yang upbeat "Wanna be Startin' Something","Billie Jean",sama "Thriller",ballad "The Girl is Mine"dan "Human Nature",sama track rock yang terkenal dengan solo gitarnya yang dimaenin sama Eddie Van Halen,"Beat it"

Kayaknya gw ga perlu ngomong banyak lagi deh ya tentang kerennya ni album,gw rasa lu sendiri uda pada tau :)

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'","Thriller","Beat It","Billie Jean","Human Nature","P.Y.T"

#1 Perpetual Burn

Band : Jason Becker

Tahun Dirilis : 1988

Genre : Neo-Classical Metal,Instrumental Rock

Anggota : Jason Becker (Gitar,Bas,Keyboard),Marty Friedman (Gitar),Atma Anur (Drum)

Nama Jason Becker mungkin ga dikenal dikancah permusikan dunia sekarang,apalagi kalo dikalangan luar gitaris.Tapi bagi para peminat permaenan shred, nama ni orang pasti uda ga asing lagi.Jason Becker terkenal sebagai salah satu gitaris neo-classical paling berbakat,tercepat + tergila dimasanya (Tahun 80an akhir,dimana jaman - jaman gitaris macem Yngwie Malmsteen,Paul Gilbert,Tony MacAlpine,Michael Angelo Batio berjaya),bahkan banyak yang bilang dia lebih hebat daripada pelopor shred sendiri,Yngwie Malmsteen.Cuma sayangnya,gitaris dewa ini ga bisa nikmatin suksesnya,tahun 1989,diumurnya yang baru 20 tahun,dia terkena ALS,penyakit yang ngebuat dia lumpuh total sampe sekarang :(

Menurut gw,ni album bisa definisiin kegilaan dan kehebatan Jason Becker dikarir profesionalnya yang singkat.Hebatnya lagi,umurnya baru 18 waktu album ini dirilis,dan permaenan dia waktu itu udah ngelampauin kebanyakan gitaris hebat jaman itu.

Di album ini,Jason Becker ga cuma nawarin permaenan cepet + bersih kyk kebanyakan shredder. Disini,Becker juga nunjukin songwritingnya yang apik dan komposisi yang menurut gw keren.Apalagi di lagu "Air",dimana ada satu part dia maenin gitarnya dengan gaya klasikal dan fingerstylenya yang asik banget.Ada juga lagu yang straightforward langsung nge-shred diawal - awal macem "Perpetual Burn",yang pagi - pagi udah "nabok" muka lu pake arpeggio + dual gitarnya ,ato "Mabel's Fatal Table",dengan permaenan tremolo dan divebomb yang gila.Dan ada juga yang nawarin riff yang berat + asik,kayak "Temple of The Absurd".

Overall,ini album yang menurut gw terbaik buat direkomendasiin minggu ini,terutama buat kalangan gitaris yang demen musik - musik instrumental dengan format gitar listrik

Track yang gw rekomendasiin : "Altitudes","Perpetual Burn","Mabel's Fatal Table","Air","Temple of The Absurd","Eleven Blue Egyptians","Opus Pocus"

Ok,sekian buat minggu ini,thanks buat yang uda liat blog ini...:)