Review by UMUR — “De profundis” is the 2nd full-length studio album by Polish death metal act Vader. The album was released through Croon Records in September 1995, three years after the release of their debut full-length studio album “The Ultimate Incantation (1992)”. While a four-piece lineup were credited for recording the debut, it was in reality only recorded by Piotr “Peter” Wiwczarek (vocals, guitars, bass), and Krysztof “Doc” Raczkowski (drums). Those two remain from the lineup who recorded “The Ultimate Incantation (1992)”, but Jaroslaw “China” Labieniec has been added as a second guitarist (one of the guys who were credited but did not play on the debut album).

Stylistically the instrumental part of the music has become more death metal oriented than the more thrash metal oriented death metal sound of “The Ultimate Incantation (1992)”. The rather dominant Slayer influence is still there (in particular in the screaming atonal lead guitar work), but I hear a more obvious (early) Morbid Angel influence in the way the riffs and drums are constructed and played. Wiwczarek raw throaty semi-growling delivery sets Vader a bit apart though, and although I mention the influences above, the material on “De profundis” are not a clone of those influences.

The material on the 9 track, 34:07 minutes long album are relatively well written, but the tracks aren´t easy to tell apart, and the music style is a bit one-dimensional. It´s not a major issue considering this is a death metal release, but a few more hook laden moments wouldn´t have been a negative. One of the great assets of the album is the solid musicianship. Everything is delivered with fierce energy and raw conviction, and I´d like to give a special mention to drummer Krysztof “Doc” Raczkowski for his performance on the album. He is a fast and skilled drummer, and especially his blast beats sound really tight.

“De profundis” features a sound production, which is raw, powerful, and detailed. The snare drum has a rather distinct tone, which probably wouldn´t have sounded that great in other types of music, but here it serves the purpose that you are able to hear every snare drum hit, even during the really fast blast beat parts. So upon conclusion “De profundis” is a good quality death metal release by Vader. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Published at Sun, 07 Mar 2021 07:40:37 +0000

Life can be downright bleak sometimes. No matter how good you had it until now or how many hardships you’ve endured so far, we all have moments when we feel like giving up.

Maybe your relationship isn’t all sunshine and daisies. Or maybe you’re single and feeling overwhelmed while looking for a partner and you may start wondering why you bother to keep trying. There are moments when you make a mistake that has negative consequences or you lose someone you love. Struggling with financial problems or health challenges can become overwhelming too.

So, I get it if sometimes you feel like you don’t want to get out of bed. Giving up may seem easier, but it does not strengthen you. In the long run, you’re always better off trying to hang in there, put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. When you don’t give up on your dreams, you become stronger through adversity. And, that can help you realize that you can handle the tough times that may come in the future.

If you’re reading this article, you probably want to know how you can gain the strength that will help you handle future challenges in love or other areas of your life.

Here are the 5 critical tips to strengthen yourself when you feel like giving up:

Strengthen Yourself Tip #1: Be Kind to Yourself

Many of us are our worst critics, which just makes matters worse when you are already having a hard time. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. So, it’s better to accept them and learn lessons from them rather than to obsess over every little error and berate yourself.

Strengthen Yourself Tip #2: Get the Support You Need

We live in an individualistic culture and feel that we have to overcome every hardship by ourselves. But, that’s usually detrimental to our wellbeing and goals. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. When you need help, ask for it.

Most of us will need some support and guidance at one point. If you are making mistakes and having a hard time figuring out your next move, being all alone isn’t the best approach. A different perspective from someone with the right experience can be extremely valuable.

Strengthen Yourself Tip #3: Take Action

Rather than become a couch potato, do something to help yourself feel better. Even if it is just going outside and taking a walk, you’re moving away from a negative place to a more positive one. Even if you cannot do much to change your situation right now, you can start with something small.

You have the choice of whether you do something that will make you feel better or something that will make you feel worse. Believe it or not, most people feel better when they accomplish something, even if it is just a small step. In fact, it might be better to take small steps so you do succeed rather than have unrealistic expectations when you’re struggling already and set yourself up for failure.

Strengthen Yourself Tip #4: Appreciate Your Baby Steps

The key to feeling good about the actions you take requires you to give yourself credit. “I’m so glad I took that walk today. I feel a little better.” After all, when you are suffering, it is harder to do what might have come easy to you before. When you criticize yourself for struggling, you tell yourself that your struggle is not important. Instead, acknowledge that you are having a hard time right now, but you are taking steps to make yourself feel better and stronger.

Strengthen Yourself Tip #5: Look Forward to a More Positive Future

When you know that your situation is temporary, it becomes a little easier to hang in there.  Of course, the tricky part is believing that your struggles are temporary. This is where talking to someone with a different perspective can make a big difference. Grieving gets easier with time. Learning from your mistakes turns them into something beneficial. Struggling makes you human and helps you to better appreciate and empathize with the problems of others.

Your Next Step:

If it’s hard to use these tips, then you might want to read one of these articles to get a different perspective on your situation: The Best Gift You Can Give? Make Yourself a Top Priority

Are You Depressed? Hidden Signs to Look for

If you can easily use these tips and want a bigger challenge for your love life, take my quiz to see whether you are being your own Brand of Sexy.

The post 5 Critical Tips to Strengthen Yourself When You Feel Like Giving Up appeared first on Be Your Own Brand of Sexy.

Published at Sat, 06 Mar 2021 15:03:40 +0000

The Who‘s Roger Daltrey has admitted that he is reluctant to record another album with the band, because there isn’t a “record market anymore”.

The British band returned in 2019 with ‘Who’, their first record in 13 years, but Daltrey says he’s not sure that a follow-up will materialise.

• READ MORE: The Who – ‘WHO’ review: 13 years since their last album, this stands up alongside their classics

He told Uncut: “Will there be another Who album? I don’t know. There’s no record market any more. Everybody talks about streaming, but have you seen what artists get from that? It’s a joke.

“It was great to get an album out there, something that the fans liked, and I was really proud of it. But far too much money was spent making it.”

The Who (Picture: Getty)

In contrast, his bandmate Pete Townshend recently admitted that he’s ready to record a new album with the band post-lockdown.

“There’s pages and pages of draft lyrics,” he told Uncut, adding: “If the moment comes, I’ll go in and start.”

Last month also saw The Who calling off their UK and Ireland tour.

The 10-date jaunt, which was due to kick off in Dublin on March 5 and end in Manchester on March 29, will no longer go ahead due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The band previously postponed the original tour from last March to March 2021 when the pandemic originally caused hundreds of acts to cancel their shows.

The post Roger Daltrey says he’s reluctant to make another album with The Who: “There’s no record market any more” appeared first on NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.

Published at Mon, 08 Mar 2021 08:50:22 +0000

Bruno Mars has spoken out about the cultural appropriation claims he has faced during his career in a new interview.

The musician – who is of Filipino, Puerto Rican and Ashkenazi Jewish descent – has been accused of appropriating Black music through his work.

During an appearance on New York radio show The Breakfast Club last week (March 5), Mars defended himself against those allegations. “I would say you can’t find an interview where I am not talking about the entertainers that have come before me,” he said. “The only reason why I’m here is because of James Brown, Prince, Michael [Jackson] – that’s the only reason why I’m here.

“I’m growing up as a kid watching Bobby Brown, saying, ‘OK, if that’s what it takes to make it then I gotta do the running man, I gotta learn how to do the moonwalk’. That’s it. This music comes from love and if you can’t hear that, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

He added: “What’s the point if we, as musicians, can’t learn from the guys who came before us? Why did they do it? I hope later on down the road there’s gonna be a band that’s taking what we did and flipping that and freaking that and putting their own spin on it, because if they don’t then what was the point of us doing this?”

Mars recently launched a new group, Silk Sonic, with Anderson .Paak, releasing their debut single ‘Leave The Door Open’ last week. The track will feature on the pair’s upcoming collaborative album ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’.

The project follows the two artists touring together on Mars’ 24K Magic world tour in 2017, while the album will mark Mars’ first studio album since the 2016 record that tour was named after.

The post Bruno Mars speaks about cultural appropriation accusations: “This music comes from love” appeared first on NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.

Published at Sun, 07 Mar 2021 23:23:10 +0000