Move Forward Until You are Dead -- Calgary metal band, The Unravelling Apr 28 '10    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line Support independent music! It will save our ears, hearts and minds from the massacre that is today's music industry. In person, Steve Moore is a small and unassuming man. He has the build of an athlete, with wiry muscles that don't betray the potential for chaos and fits of violent movement onstage. Not yet 30, he has created music under the names of four different projects since 2001: Inner Surge, Free Form, Post Death Soundtrack, and finally (finally!) The Unravelling, who are releasing their first CD on May 13. Watching Moore live is an intense experience. He transforms under the spotlight, quivering with frenetic energy when he's still and losing himself completely to the music when it gets heavy, moshing with his entire body while never losing a beat in his savage, unforgiving, hypnotic vocals. For anyone in the Calgary area, you can catch the latest shows on May 21 at The Distillery and May 28 at Vern's, doors at 9:00. As a project, The Unravelling came to life in 2008, with only two men running the show: Steve Moore (all vocals and lyrics) and Gustavo De Beauville (all instruments and composition). De Beauville came over to Canada from Barbados and brought his love of heavy music with him in 2006. The studio production of their break-out album, 13 Arcane Hymns, saw the inclusion of Casey Lewis on drums and mixing/mastering. Their live sets will be filled out with Scott Taylor on additional guitar, Bryan Sandau on drums, and Osea Colati on bass. Taylor and Sandau are former band mates of Moore's from Inner Surge, and are currently creating their own mayhem as two thirds of the metal trio Truck. With over a year of effort and passion, The Unravelling brings us an album that will redefine the stagnant genre of metal while introducing a new generation to the elusive concept album. The last time a concept album this powerful emerged was in 1994, with Nine Inch Nails' the downward spiral. The overriding themes are those of being buried alive and left for dead, but struggling out and constantly moving forward... "until you are dead." 13 Arcane Hymns is filled with fire and dirt and claustrophobia, self-empowerment and righteousness and inspiration. The music defies typical classification; metal is the closest pre-defined term. The guitar goes from heavy and hard (like Metallica in their glory days) to intricate, fast and unforgiving (think Dragonforce on a few less uppers) to lush, luxuriant and sombre (reminiscent of The Cure in a fit of 1980s' desperation). There is an overriding Eastern flavour to the entire album, especially in Moore's tight harmonies and the penultimate song, Arjuna (surprisingly, opened with a Didjeridu, native to Australia). Keep in mind when listening that most of the mind-blowing soundscape of instruments was recorded by one man, De Beauville. The vocals are just as varied as the instrumentation. Moore has a middle-ranged voice, almost baritone. When he sings straight, it is overwhelmingly hypnotic. It takes you and leads you deeper into the music, lulling you into a false sense of security right before exploding. When he screams, it is both terrifying and empowering. There are no shock tactics to The Unravelling; every line that is screamed is unforgiving and important. During the more bitter songs (Last Rights Protest), his voice takes on a sardonic, mocking edge. There are even moments of feral, deep-chest growling (Where Will it End?). Moore also seems to fetishize the megaphone; the moments of vocal distortion are usually a case of megaphone usage. Perhaps the most powerful example of Moore's vocal aptitude is in the song Firebreather, an easy standalone three tracks in. It is only spoken and screamed, beginning with a lilting, derisive voice worthy of Nivek Ogre (Skinny Puppy/Ohgr), building up to ragged, merciless screams. This song has been gaining popularity on YouTube with a video backdrop of the fight for Tibetan freedom--including the graphic image of a monk self-immolating--which you can see at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck5lqARh-7M. The song was written as a personal introspection, not a political point, but the ideas mesh disturbingly well. My interest in modern music has been flagging since we left the last century behind. Everything is starting to blend together and cheapen itself in an effort to gain mass audiences. Steve Moore and Gus De Beauville helped me, like the phoenix in the closing Victory Song, rise from the ashes of my doubt and revel in the music this new century is offering. If you are a fan of metal, industrial, goth or any other dark-alternative genre, do yourself a favour and buy The Unravelling's 13 Arcane Hymns (http://www.theunravellingmusic.com) without delay. If you pre-order it soon enough, you may even get it before the official release date.

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