The Circle Pit Started in Seattle – Billy Bio at Club Sur

Review by UMUR — “Symphony of Death” is a collaboration album project by Russian technical death metal act Buicide and the Olympic Symphony Orchestra. The album was independently released in December 2020. “Symphony of Death” is a live album recorded May the 4th, 2019 at the Opera Concert Club in Saint Petersburg. All material on the 7 track, 36:14 minutes long album are cover tracks of influential Florida death metal act Death. The album´s release date was deliberately chosen to coincide with the 19th anniversary of Death founder Chuck Schuldiner’s death. “Symphony of Death” is available in both audio format and a DVD video format.

This is obviously a tribute album enterpreting Death´s music with the addition of a symphony orchestra. Honestly when I first heard about the project, I didn´t expect much, but I´ve been pleasantly surprised, and the combination of the technical death metal and the symphony orchestra works really well. It should be mentioned right away, that “Symphony of Death” is fully intrumental, and that the vocal melodies/lines are handled by the orchestra. Again it works like a charm. I like the fact that it´s audible that this is a live recording with audience noise, yet the sound production is still clear, detailed, and powerful. Buicide are well playing and do the songs great justice, and Olympic Symphony Orchestra manage to add some intriguing symphonic arrangements to the tracks.

There is a wealth of great material to chose from in the Death catalogue, and 7 tracks aren´t much, but I think they´ve picked some great tracks for the album in “Voice of the Soul”, “Crystal Mountain”, “Zero Tolerance”, “Scavenger Of Human Sorrow”, “Spirit Crusher”, “Destiny”, and “Pull the Plug”.

“Symphony of Death” is the kind of project which could easily have failed badly, but DeathOrchestra manage to present intricate versions of the original material and “Symphony of Death” is ultimately a great tribute to Schuldiner and I´m sure he would be proud of- and grateful for the gesture, had he still been alive. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

Published at Sun, 07 Mar 2021 07:40:35 +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

All products featured on NME Recommends are curated by our editorial team. NME may earn a small commission when you buy through our links.

MIDI controller keyboards are an essential piece of kit in any music maker’s arsenal. Controllers give you access to all the music-making tools you need at your fingertips, improving your workflow and feeding you more ideas. Gone are the days of having to furiously click your mouse or trackpad.

Novation’s answer to that, the Launchkey Mini MK3, is a 25-key MIDI controller which plugs in straight to your laptop and works seamlessly with your digital audio workstation (DAW) of choice. And it’s now going for $109 down from $139 on Amazon – that’s a 21 per cent discount.

• READ MORE: The best entry-level turntables and record players on a budget
• READ MORE: These are the best budget stereo amplifiers under $500

Our sister site MusicTech gave the Launchkey Mini MK3 a 9/10 review, saying it “punches well above its weight” and has “loads more functionality and control than you might think from a small unit”.

Despite its slightly slimmer form factor compared to the previous version, the MK3 has enhanced the features we love. These include the addition of the “Play” and “Record” buttons to aid in the ease of music making. Intuitive touch strips have been added to allow for expressive control of modulation and pitch. And the drum pads are more sensitive as compared to earlier editions of the controller.

Credit: Amazon

The MK3 also boasts two new functions: Fixed Chord mode and an arpeggiator. Both features enable users to compose melodies in no time – the former allows you to trigger chords by just playing single notes, while the latter generates different sequences of notes that can serve as riffs or melodies.

The MK3 still comes with all the previous features users know and love. This unit works seamlessly with Ableton Live, and comes with Ableton Live 10 Lite – Ableton’s flagship DAW. It is also compatible with most other DAWs such as Pro Tools, Studio One and Logic Pro. Plus, it also includes software plugin packs to get you going.

BUY NOW: $109.99

The post This Novation MIDI controller, a music-making essential, is now going for 20 per cent off appeared first on NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News.

Published at Mon, 08 Mar 2021 06:56:21 +0000

Published at Sat, 27 Jul 2019 02:20:38 +0000