Featured Artist - 10:13
One of the best things about the underground music scene, especially when it comes to genres like black metal and it's related sub genres is the diversity and creativity of the artists making music. There will always be the purists who go out of their way to make sure that every aspect of their sound stays firmly on that raw, dark, gloomy path laid down by the founding fathers of black metal. Then there are those who are a bit more adventurous blending a couple of safe themes together to create the nu-metal, 2nd or 3rd wave, (insert trendy label here) style of hybrid metal that somebody is sure to bitch about on the internet... and then there are the rare few who go above and beyond the archetypal tropes of a genre and create something truly unique unto itself. They blend themes and atmosphere that aren't typically found within the genre and somehow using a special brand of demonic sorcery make a one of a kind experience that is true to the genre yet stepping outside the confines and dare I say limitations far enough to almost defy classification. Standing on the outside of the swirling abyss of atmospheric, instrumental black metal and looking in you will find 10:13. Not because 10:13 doesn't belong in the chaos but because in many ways 10:13 has transcended the limits of that genre and is clearly forging it's own hellish path.
There will always be those "puritanical" zealots who are so set in their ways that they refuse to hear anything outside their comfort zone. They would listen to something like 10:13 and argue that it isn't "true" atmospheric black metal (whatever the fuck that is...) because the combination of styles/themes/instruments don't fit into the box they have constructed. What they fail to realize however is that without stepping beyond those confines we limit ourselves and our creativity. It doesn't make it any less atmospheric, doom, black or metal it simply forces us to redefine what we consider "true" and gives us a chance to discover new facets of a genre that can be (lets be honest) a bit monotonous after a while.
I want to take a moment and point out the fact that 10:13 is the creation of one man. Neil Carter who is responsible for all of 10:13's instrumentation. Yes, those incredible blast beats you are hearing on every track are the real deal unlike other one man projects. Likewise the guitar, bass, keyboard and vocals are all Neil as well.
Neil started playing the drums in 94 and started working on music for 10:13 in 2014. Two major influences in his style are Striborg (Australia) and Deinonychus (Netherlands) but Neil isn't just copying what these artists have done he is really blazing his own trail. Neil's approach is to let the instruments take the lead in his music and he intentionally avoids anything that remotely sounds like a happy or uplifting progression. He also avoids falling into the typical verse/chorus/bridge, rinse and repeat cycle that many other artists get trapped in.
I asked Neil about a general theme that runs throughout 10:13's music and the answer he gave was every bit as complex and dark as the music he creates...
"The theme accompanying the music focuses on a range of issues rooted in the belief that upon the invention of iron, man has used it in increasing ways to destroy himself. Through the Iron Age up to the present nano technology, mans disregard for the planet and his quest to take up airs with nothing [else] to truly offer."
Just as interesting was his take on the current underground music scene and it's influence on musicians today.
"I feel that the underground took an unrecoverable hit from the internet and I would really like to get back to the early to mid 90's approach regarding metal."
This depth and personal philosophy really stands out in the music of 10:13 and it's one of the reasons I found it so enjoyable. But by now you are probably asking yourself, "What about the freaking music?" and so without further ado lets dig into the music shall we?
When I first sat down and listened to 10:13 I wasn't sure what to think. There was literally a cacophony of sounds that assaulted my ears and it took me a few minutes to pick it apart. That's not to say I didn't enjoy what I was hearing it just wasn't what I had come to expect from atmospheric black metal. I was expecting the traditional keyboards and slower gloomy tones all filtered and distorted fitting very neatly within the confines of what I had come to expect from the atmospheric/instrumental genre. What I got was something infinitely more interesting. 10:13 was ripping away the dead flesh of the genre and pushing it to the absolute breaking point. It was at this point I realized I was hearing something truly unique and began to really pay attention to the subtle nuances presented in each song.
While I enjoyed every track on the promo album there were two songs that stood out above and beyond as embodying everything awesome about 10:13 and the music Neil creates. The first song that really caught my attention was Nashiteric.
Atmospheric music should transport the listener to a different place or at the very least convey a certain mood. Most atmospheric black metal tends to have a similar theme and you envision all manner of dark environs. With Nashiteric there was something different about the mood it was setting. It wasn't the traditional dark forest, brooding castle or tortured landscape that are so familiar to this style. For a few moments I couldn't figure out what it was and then I realized... a carnival.... a full blown Something Wicked This Way Comes dark traveling carnival complete with calliope, rides and the faint scent of popcorn, cotton candy and death in the air. As soon as the track was over I immediately played it again just to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Nope... It was right there at about the 30 second mark I could hear the carnival music. I don't know if this was what Neil was trying to achieved but that was what I got out of it and I was completely blown away.
Then with the track, In The Black Book Of Death, I was once again surprised to hear something that seemed out of place yet somehow made to feel completely natural in the song, a fucking harmonica... I shit you not... and it's absolutely brilliant. Somehow amidst the distortion and blast beats and screaming vocals the last thing you would expect to hear is a harmonica yet there it is and it totally works, like a train whistle from hell it works!
So what makes the harmonica so interesting? Well aside from the fact that it's not what most people would consider a traditional black metal instrument it does something else that I feel only accentuates what Neil is doing with 10:13... The harmonica is "typically" used in blues, country and jazz music which are firmly rooted in American culture while black metal on the other hand was pioneered in the Nordic countries where the foundation of what makes black metal were established. For whatever reason this has created the mindset that everyone should basically sound the same creating a similar style of music using the same instruments all the time without question. Doing anything other than that is almost considered heresy by some. But as I said in the beginning of this feature, 10:13 is hell bent on pushing the limits of the genre and by adding something as simple as a harmonic to his music Neil has put his personal stamp on his sound by blending two "traditional" sounds flawlessly.
The only "critique" I have regarding 10:13 is the use of sampling. This is just a personal thing I have and it doesn't in any way detract from my overall enjoyment of the music. I just don't care for sampled clips from movies or other sources. But again this isn't a deal breaker for me and in some respects they were used in such a way that I didn't mind them at all. All in all it's a small matter in the end and like I said definitely not a deal breaker.
Well I should probably wrap this up since it went a little longer than I expected, (yet another example of just how impressed I am with 10:13 and the music Neil Carter is creating). If you get nothing else from this article I hope that it has opened your eyes (and ears) to something outside your comfort zone and made you think a little bit more about the sounds, styles and moods that artists like Neil endeavor to create. Rules are made to be broken and the entire genre of black metal was created to break the rules, crush dogma and destroy what was considered acceptable in metal music. I personally think 10:13 is exactly the kind of music that is needed in the underground scene... Hell in the metal scene in general. We don't need "another" Mayhem or Burzum or Striborg... we need the NEXT version of this music. Artists who are pioneers willing to take chances and go beyond the dark realms we already know and storm into the black unknown that lurks within the darkest corners of their creativity. In the end that's what makes music interesting and keeps a genre alive.
Be sure to connect with 10:13 and be on the lookout for the forthcoming 10 song full length album set to release sometime in 2017. If you are in the Orange County CA. area check out a 10:13 live show as well... One of the only one man black metal shows featuring all live drumming.
http://1013.bandcamp.com
http://soundcloud.com/1013neilcarter
http://www.reverbnation.com/nc1013
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCEPG2MBH0rnlwztGeyrPxA
Then with the track, In The Black Book Of Death, I was once again surprised to hear something that seemed out of place yet somehow made to feel completely natural in the song, a fucking harmonica... I shit you not... and it's absolutely brilliant. Somehow amidst the distortion and blast beats and screaming vocals the last thing you would expect to hear is a harmonica yet there it is and it totally works, like a train whistle from hell it works!
So what makes the harmonica so interesting? Well aside from the fact that it's not what most people would consider a traditional black metal instrument it does something else that I feel only accentuates what Neil is doing with 10:13... The harmonica is "typically" used in blues, country and jazz music which are firmly rooted in American culture while black metal on the other hand was pioneered in the Nordic countries where the foundation of what makes black metal were established. For whatever reason this has created the mindset that everyone should basically sound the same creating a similar style of music using the same instruments all the time without question. Doing anything other than that is almost considered heresy by some. But as I said in the beginning of this feature, 10:13 is hell bent on pushing the limits of the genre and by adding something as simple as a harmonic to his music Neil has put his personal stamp on his sound by blending two "traditional" sounds flawlessly.
The only "critique" I have regarding 10:13 is the use of sampling. This is just a personal thing I have and it doesn't in any way detract from my overall enjoyment of the music. I just don't care for sampled clips from movies or other sources. But again this isn't a deal breaker for me and in some respects they were used in such a way that I didn't mind them at all. All in all it's a small matter in the end and like I said definitely not a deal breaker.
Well I should probably wrap this up since it went a little longer than I expected, (yet another example of just how impressed I am with 10:13 and the music Neil Carter is creating). If you get nothing else from this article I hope that it has opened your eyes (and ears) to something outside your comfort zone and made you think a little bit more about the sounds, styles and moods that artists like Neil endeavor to create. Rules are made to be broken and the entire genre of black metal was created to break the rules, crush dogma and destroy what was considered acceptable in metal music. I personally think 10:13 is exactly the kind of music that is needed in the underground scene... Hell in the metal scene in general. We don't need "another" Mayhem or Burzum or Striborg... we need the NEXT version of this music. Artists who are pioneers willing to take chances and go beyond the dark realms we already know and storm into the black unknown that lurks within the darkest corners of their creativity. In the end that's what makes music interesting and keeps a genre alive.
Be sure to connect with 10:13 and be on the lookout for the forthcoming 10 song full length album set to release sometime in 2017. If you are in the Orange County CA. area check out a 10:13 live show as well... One of the only one man black metal shows featuring all live drumming.
http://1013.bandcamp.com
http://soundcloud.com/1013neilcarter
http://www.reverbnation.com/nc1013
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCEPG2MBH0rnlwztGeyrPxA
Comments
Post a Comment