Venus Blue's November Promo

Who the hell is Venus Blue? The short answer would be a bizarre, up and coming metal band from Texas whose material is free and, in this reviewer's opinion, well worth your time. The long answer, unsurprisingly, will take a bit longer to say.

But first, you should know that Sean Carroll, main man of Venus Blue, is one of my close friends.

Pimping one's friends is generally considered bad form, the purview of desperate self published authors, spammers, and other pushers of dubious products. There's some truth to that. After all, it's difficult to give an objective opinion to someone you know personally, let alone to publish such an opinion.

And yet I did not start listening to Venus Blue because I was Sean's friend. I met Sean a few years back through internet music forums, and we've stayed in contact in part because of how much I enjoyed his work. This is not a case of listening to someone's work to appease their feelings but rather the opposite, a friendship established due to the strength of said work.

So now that we've gotten through the disclaimer I'm given the task of discussing, perhaps even classifying, Venus Blue. But pinning down a genre is difficult here. Venus Blue is a synthesis of disparate influences, a project equal parts Acid Bath and Tom Waits, Manowar and Pentagram, the music itself a mixture of demented and furious metal, melancholy acoustic pieces, and outspoken stoner-style charm.

So, regardless of what they are, why should you be interested? Well, two reasons. First, I'm assuming that you readers of this blog are interested in both powerful uses of language and also the fantastic. Venus Blue is a damn good provider of both. Sean Carroll's lyrics can all be found at his blog. To give you a few samples, there's the first verse of Moonlight:

I feel the screaming cynicism of a brain-cell as it pops
An angel in a syringe that I'm powerless to stop
Nothing rhymes with suicide
Meaningless morning tears
I knew this day would come
For I've dreamt of it for years

Or, if you're more inclined, take the overpowering imagery of The Troupe's opening:

Star-born courtesan
taste the sun-side on your tongue
Sun-flavored courtesan
Taste the star-side and carry on
The witch curses the skies
Somewhere someone's lover dies
The Death Jester softly cries
The harlequin dances on and on

The second reason Venus Blue's worth your time is less specific to this blog. Simply put, Venus Blue makes great music. Of course, the November Promo in question is over an hour and a half of music, and a huge variety of styles, and it can be a bit overwhelming to start with. So, if you just want a taste, I'll say some of my favorites.

Dawn Over Moscow would likely be my pick for best song of the bunch. Red Death Blues is the band at its most crazed. Feast For the God of Ashes is likely my favorite of the acoustic numbers. Finally, Phobos Anomaly is, once it gets going, a warhammer-esque, groovy number that is ludicrous amounts of fun.

If you're interested, the November Promo can be hard in all its sultry glory right here.