Blackstar Odyssey

About Me

Jake Vandrake

Born in the mid 80s, rock music was always playing on the radio in my house. My early days were spent listening to local radio that played the rock hits of the time. Ozzy, Metallica, Guns and Roses, Tom Petty, Bob Segar, ACDC, and many more played continuously on my fathers favorate station. As I grew up throughout the mid to late 90s, I had a few different types of friends and listened to a few different types of of music. However, in my early teen years, with the explosion that was Nu Metal, I was sucked in by the angst filled rebellious nature of the music. Bands like NIN, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, and Marilyn Manson ignited my interest into agressive music. Later bands like Linkin Park, Slipknot, Mudvayne, System of a Down, Rammstein, White Zombie, and Rob Zombie reinforced my love for the genre. International bands such as Soilwork, In Flames, Cradle of Filth, and Children of Bodem opened my eyes to music outside of the states. From then on out I have explored many different types of rock and metal genres, rediscovering old favorites and finding brand new favorites along the way. This Blogs purpose is to show my journey through the music that I love and continue to discover new bands and albums that I can share with you.

A Modern Classic

I came across Countless Skies on bandcamp. I do believe that this album popped up as a recommendation due to my prior purchases of other Melodic Death albums. As I listen to this album, I can make many comparisons to Devin Townsend and his brand of music. Layered song structures, soaring vocals and choruses, deep impactful growls in all the right places, and beautifully crafted melodies through out. Glow is a delight to listen too and stays in my album rotation to this day. Currently only one of two albums that I own two copies of in my physical collection, this says alot about how much I adore Glow by Countless Skies.

Check out the album on Bancamp here

Runtime: 43m 36s

Enter the Realm

I stumbled upon this album around the same time as I found Glow. The Eldritch Realm offers a dynamic and theatrical listening experience. It combines metal’s usual heaviness with a flair for the bizarre, sometimes eerie, sometimes over-the-top, and occasionally silly in a way that feels intentional. It’s a carefully structured album that still manages to have some fun with itself along the way.

Check out the album on Bancamp here

Runtime: 30m

Proponent For Sentience

Allegaeon crafts a dense melodical tech-death album that keeps you hooked all the way to the end. There is enough variety packed into this album that helps it stand out from other offerings within the same genre.

Check out the album on Bancamp here

Runtime: 72m