Horizontal - River Swans

Advantages: Original, intense, powerful, melodic, epic
Disadvantages: An acquired taste for those who don't like a challenge!

...guitar, and singer Aaron's guttural death-metal vocals accompanying the almost shocking strength and heaviness of the music... before all becomes peaceful again- he abruptly changes vocal style to a what amounts to a plaintive cry of despair. Everything about this album is epic. The song titles say it all- beautiful but haunting names such as "The Songless Bird", "Black God", "The Snow In My Hands", "Your River"... This album is also one of contrasts- between a dark, uncomfortable solitude and sudden fury. "Turn Loose the Swans" showcases My Dying Bride at their very best. If you're a fan of progressive doom-metal, goth-metal or even the older death-metal, your collection deserves this album. (Just adding a bit more!) - the album also stands up very well against the band's other releases- almost of which are great. The band have a sound... Read review

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Advantages: Great live feel, excellent guitar playing, intriguing lyrics
Disadvantages: The enhanced "newer" version includes some not-as-good B-sides, but they're good freebies. Track listing on CD is wrong!

...some listeners into thinking it is a straightforward song. However, being REM lines such as "A birdy in the hand for lifes rich demand, the insurgency began and we missed it" remind the listener that this isn't a simple guitar-rock song. The album then goes into the wonderful These Days, another fast rocking number which emphasises their great youthful energy with "We are young despite the years, we are concern, we are hope despite the times". Two of the albums singles follow, Fall On Me and Cuyahoga. The former is a wonderful desperate tune which was one of REM's first hit singles, and the latter is a song about the mistreatment of American Indians, speaking of their blood running through the rivers. Both are fantastic songs and deserve place on the album. Hyena follows, which is a good song but doesn't live up to the previous 4 tunes... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic tracks
Disadvantages: Does not include "I Can Help"

...In 1976 I was listening to Billy Swan singing "I Just Want to Taste Your Wine" and enjoying a long, hot summer! At the time I bought the original LP (yes, vinyl!) - the one entitled "Billy Swan" with the grey border - and loved every track on it, which was pretty amazing because for me the odds of that are astronomical!! So when I saw this combination CD advertised I decided to indulge my nostalgia and buy it - and no, I was NOT disappointed with the other 10 tracks from the original LP entitled "Four". All together this CD provides a history of what I think is the best period of Billy Swan's career and it certainly takes you back to those lazy days of summer (when it really was hot all the time!).... Read review

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