New music

Today was my last day of Math-143, so I spent a large chunk of it biking around in the near 90 degree heat wearing a black button up shirt and a vest. I looked classy for about 2 minutes, and then I developed a sheen of sweat across my entire body.
Still, I made it downtown to visit Rachelle at her work - the newly opened Parselys, a Mediterranean grille. And it was super delicious. And not wildly expensive.
Whilst waiting for Rachelle to get done with her shift, I jaunted on over to Vertigo and picked up Celtic Frost's "Monotheist" and Devin Townsend's "Ki". Two albums that could not be more different.
Celtic Frost is a mix of black and doom (with perhaps a dash of thrash in there) metal. Dark in an oppressive, rage filled way. Lyrically, it is mostly Satanic (Celtic Frost is one of the metal bands that I listen to that actually does fit the stereotype of metalheads being Satanists), but musically it is pretty good. "A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh" is by far the strongest track on the album, but from the tracks I've listened to (so far about the first 5), there hasn't been a bad one.
Devin Townsend's "Ki", on the other hand, is subdued prog. rock with splashes of metal aggression. So far, it seems as though it is best when it is restrained/soft with the metal parts being kind of "meh" (although I've only listened to the first 6 or so tracks). Lyrically, it seems to be a rather personal/introspective album about Devin's quitting drugs, growing up, and finding direction in life. I was sold by the 1:43 opener "A Monday", and while the next few tracks didn't blow my mind, they were definitely solid.

Reading through the lyrics, I'm impressed at Devin's subtle, yet moving, way of phrasing. The man is quite possibly one of the best musicians out there right now.

Days alone, never felt like this
The lights of home, a year away
And it's too late to fight it all, just drive.
And the streets...glow...and the night...
The night is soft

So we fall on warm silence
I know we all go away.