Tag: "rapture cabaret"

Rapture Cabaret have been a part of the upper-echelon of OurStage metal elite for quite some time, joining the site in March of 2008 and finishing in the Top 10 on the Metal Channel ten times. They even made the Best of the Best Rock Charts for five weeks, reaching Number 38. The band was pretty quiet during the first half of 2010, but in October they dropped a monster record called Gates of Domination that features a few OurStage favorites.

Rapture Cabaret has about as pure of a metal sound as you’ll find in modern metal bands. Reminiscent of the older, more raw Dark Tranquillity mixed with some thrash metal riffage and a sinister hint of Heaven Shall Burn, Gates of Domination showcases every tiny influence, drawing you into their fervent and deliberate sound.

Where this album truly shines is the lack of nonsense,  filler material. Though a bit short, clocking in at 28 minutes, the album is filled to the brim with music—once you hit the 45 second mark, your head won’t stop banging until you’ve reached the end. Each song is perfect for air drumming, air guitar playing or shouting along to —whatever your pretend instrument of choice might be.

The production and mix of Gates of Domination sits at a comfortable middle ground between polished and raw. You can easily hear each instrument individually in the mix (even the bass!) but no instrument has a totally clear and pristine sound. The mix adds a very welcome element to the band’s vocal sound, shown most clearly in the song “Masters of the Damned” which features a section that the vocals are performing a cappella and you can hear just how much force there is behind that sound, unlike some extra polished recordings.

A worthy addition to any metalhead’s collection, Gates of Domination is available on iTunes for a measly $7, so buy a copy! Not sold yet? Check out some of the band’s music below (which is featured on the album):

“Now Playing” features playlists as well as information about the person responsible for the mix. Up next: Munson’s staff picks! 

About Me: I go by the name Munson. Yes, like from Kingpin. It’s actually my name. I love metal. A lot. I like other stuff too, but mostly metal. I’m a man of many talents and interests, but no specialties. Jack of all trades, master of none. I love to write, both for the OurStage blog and my personal blog, as well as for my school’s music magazine.

Favorite Artists: Hard to say, they change so often. Currently I would say: August Burns Red, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Faceless, 3 Inches of Blood, Protest the Hero and Arsis.

Favorite OurStage Artists: Derelict, Shot At Dawn, Sicarus, Shatter This World, The Syncope Threshold, Machiavellian, Eroica and Rapture Cabaret

If I Were a Rock Star for a Day I’d Be: Rob Halford or Lemmy. Definitely not Lars Ulrich.

Because… Two of the most badass dudes in the history of metal. Rob Halford has one of the coolest voices in the history of music, let alone metal. He also was the pioneer of the studded leather look. Lemmy is Lemmy, bassist and vocalist for Motörhead. He’s been rocking harder than most anyone for close to two decades now, and has not lost any awesome. All he has lost is the enunciation in his speech, so no one can ever understand what he’s talking about through his amazingly thick accent. This I consider is a plus, because you could say anything to anyone, and no one would ever have the slightest clue what you said. About Lars… he’s a big, untalented [bleep]. That’s pretty much it.

Beneath the Stone

by:

Sicarus

Going Through Changes

by:

Fires of Babylon

Whisper The Serpent

by:

A Vision Grotesque

desperate measures

by:

Shatter This World

Bomb Shelter

by:

Antagonist

Unspoken Words Part II: Never Reborn

by:

Derelict

A Flow of Souls

by:

Process For Enigma

Exodus

by:

The Syncope Threshold

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First impressions are key. In many cases, the title of your song is what draws someone in. When you give your song a lackluster title, you’re wasting an opportunity to woo your potential fans. Bands like Cannibal Corpse get it, and give their songs obscene or noteworthy titles like the ever-offensive “Blunt Force Castration” which is only really meant to draw attention. Below are ten of the best metal songs on OurStage. Not only do they talk the talk, but they walk the walk as well.

1. “Kamikaze Aliens” by Japanese Kombat Car – A strange title, but the thought of kamikaze aliens is sort of terrifying. The best part about this song is the opening quote “Yeah, we don’t wanna do anything to scare your children, we don’t wanna scare anybody.”



2. “Upon the Shoulders of Atlas” by At Long Last – Atlas was no wuss. His whole deal was that he held up the heavens, which is badass. The song has a ton of great riffs, sweeping solos, and brutal breakdowns—the perfect way to epitomize Atlas’s brutal strength.



3. “Hell on the High Seas” by Rapture Cabaret – If you somehow think of something other than pirates when you read this title, shame on you. Raping, pillaging, stealing and being generally delinquent, pirates are among the most metal beings in all of history (falling far short to the Vikings, of course).



4. “I Am The War” by Final Sacrifice – Anyone who has heard more than a couple metal songs has most likely heard one involving war, or has war in the title. But few metal songs claim to be the war. Being war is something much more extreme that simply being involved with war.



5. “Metaphysical Collapse” by Living Corpse – Objects physically falling over and collapsing is pretty cool, but try to wrap your mind around the metaphysical collapsing. That would be like the laws that govern the physical world ceasing to exist. At that point, it is hard to say what sort of chaos would emerge.



6. “Monolith” by Sephiras – A monolith is a big, heavy, upright-standing stone that is usually shaped into a pillar or monument. Sound like a particular style of music? Of course it does. Metal = monolithic. This song even has the right sound for a monolith; big, heavy and churning.



7. “Chainsaw Facelift” by The Summoned – Taking it to the extreme might be metal’s longest-standing mantra, and “Chainsaw Facelift” is a grand example of just how memorable the extreme can be. The imagery of performing a facelift with a chainsaw is not something easily forgotten.



8. “Blueprints for a War Machine” by Process For Enigma – The subject of war once again rears its ugly head in a metal song, but in a more calculated and sinister way. This song is out to raise some hell, and does so in a precisely calculated way to fit the song title.



9. “Final Judgement” by Shatter This World – Dire circumstance indeed. Whether you meet your maker at the pearly gates or the the gates of hell, final judgements are extreme. With such an extreme topic, the demand is for music to match and Shatter This World deliver.



10. “Armageddon” by What Dreams May Come – The word armageddon pretty much speaks for itself. The mother of all chaos and destruction, it does not get more intense than armageddon. The song is 1:35 of pure, unadulterated, mayhem.

We’ve all been there: work getting you down, crappy weather lately, etc. Don’t worry, we have just the thing for you: a list of the most awesome and angry metal songs on OurStage; a list of ten songs that are sure to make your blood boil (in a good way). Go ahead, play these songs loud, too loud in-fact, and rage like you have never raged before. It will be a good healthy dose of metal for your day. If it leaves you wanting more, head to the OurStage metal channel and get your headbang on. Horns to the heavens, people!