Songs About Angels

Listened to it all day!
I like it even more now!

I like Even Angels Die the most so far, but thats just because I never really heard it before. Daughter of God and Lay Down sound awesome!

Finally I recieved by my CD!!! "Songs about Angels by Something Beautiful" Justin & Dale you guys did great...I love the art work and the CD sounds beautiful.

Thanks for sharing your talent!!!!

Its HOT you ROCK!!!

I got my copy monday

I must say, after thorough review, Crimson & Violet is my favorite of all the stellar (and I mean stellar) tracks on the album!

Killer work dudes! The packaging is phenomenal and the music is outstanding.

"Pleasant Dreams" is bad ass! (LOL when I first read the tracks off, the first thing I thought of was Cheech and Chong! But that would technically be "Nice Dreams") I totally dig the stereo beats!

Kick ass!!!

Oops I almost forgot to add something strange to my track list....That just tops it off for me....

SWEET!!!!

Conducting first user submitted Twitter review. Something Beautiful - Songs About Angels. Check them out at www.myspace.com/sobmusic

TRACK 1: WALKING SLOW INTO THE NIGHT - Nice acoustic guitars and great atmosphere. Reminds me of Demians, Anathema, and/or Opeth.

TRACK 2: A VOICE IN THE SHADOWS - Dark and doomy. Interesting clean vocals. Mysterious and dramatic. Good track.

TRACK 3: CRIMSON & VIOLET - Keyboard tones are a little cheesy. They sound dated. Nice guitar solo. I like that the bass is nice and loud!

TRACK 4: PRAY FOR ME - Nice groove during the chorus. Are these drums programmed? I don't see a drummer credited. If so, they sound real.

TRACK 5: TO THOSE WHOSE LOVE OF GOD HAS GONE AWAY - Not feeling the synth strings. Nice dynamic break. I like the acoustic guitars.

TRACK 6: I'LL NEVER TELL - Interesting electronics. I dig. Dark and moody. Very cinematic. Heavy guitars just enter - nice!

TRACK 7: DAUGHTER OF GOD - Sounds like a depressing anthem for a church youth group. WTF? Great solo. Drums are starting to sound fake...

TRACK 8: PLEASANT DREAMS - Nice panning electronics. This is interesting. I wish the whole album expanded on this direction. Very cool.

TRACK 9: LAY OUT - Industrial metal tune with some doom elements. Nice glitchy vocals at the 2:45. The gang vocals get a little distracting

TRACK 10: DREAMS ABOUT YOUR SKIN - 14 minute epic. Nice sitar intro. Song drags a little. More youth group stuff. Is this religious?

TRACK 11: HOLDING ON - Mmm chunky riffing. Urgh, the synths sound as fake as Brent's sheep's orgasms. Nice acoustic guitars. Lame lyrics..

TRACK 12: EVEN ANGELS DIE - Nice toy piano and acoustic guitars. Cool build up. I feel like I'm being lifted up to heaven.

IMPRESSION: The album is OK. Some cool musical moments. They do soft better than heavy. Not feeling the lyrics or synths. Was I just saved?

You know what ... when I was reading this I thought they hit on a lot of my own thoughts about the songs in general.... There is honestly something that you do really well with the softer music. Even on the prior CD I found myself playing back slower songs a lot. I most likely is the way you build them up...they tend to make you focus on the lyrics a lot more. Although we should make note that a soft list of music wouldn't really help in any way because then we wouldn't get the dynamic list that we have now. There is probably something for everyone. My favorite instantly became "Even Angels Die". It fits a part in a game I am working on a script for, I love it.

On the synths I never really paid attention to how real some may sound or not, but I feel they did serve their purpose. I noticed that the synths have a consistent theme that I appreciated. I have some considerations on them but I'm not much of a musician to honestly give a valid technical explanation. I'm not really sure how diff those could sound so I will omit thinking about it too hard. I can say that I have a good ear musically and that when I listen to your melodies they have a good intrinsic ability to drive the mood of a song and the mood of the listener (well to me anyways). It might definitely be one of the strongest devices within your music as well as your ability to tell a story (both CDs).

I hope that a lot of people get to listen to these tracks though, I feel if they did they would catch on to a lot of the music in the list. I can tell you off the bat with everything you guys make is getting better and better. So I am definitely a fan . Hope to talk with you soon, I will continue to shamelessly plug you guys as much as I can, and hope that I can help in the future in some way! So I will definitely think of ways I can help because I really believe in the Talent you guys possess. Maybe the creation of a Music video.....huh dale.....huh Justin....

I think it would be cool, and you could YouTube it....all we got to do is storyboard that bad boy.
Anyway this may be my longest post ever LOL

Talk to you all later!

See you soon! RELEASE PARTY!!!

Walking Slow Into The Night - A very pretty acoustic piece that I feel is a perfect way to start a story. When I hear this song, I get a "Once upon a time..." type feeling. From the first time I heard this song I loved the "Frightened mind can not find a way" reference to the lyric from 'A Statement of Being". I later found out that lyric in 'A Statement of Being' was actually referencing this song.

A Voice In The Shadows - This song is in my opinion the most straight-forward story-telling song on the CD. It comes right out and tells you what is going on in this story. I love the very start of the song with the train approaching mixed with those crushing chords. One of my favorite things about this CD is how it all ties together lyrically as well and musically. The first time I heard the lyric, "We danced in the dark with the devil himself, we danced and we sang about angels" I immediately fell in love with this song. I loved the tie in to the CD title. The song ends with a beastly riff and then a powerful "bend" solo. Overall a really great song that begins this story.

Crimson and Violet - I love the intro to this song. Also the bass sounds amazing on this song. The verse rhythm has a nice pattern to it that blends nicely with the strings. Love real growly vocals before the solo. One of my favorite solos on the CD.

Pray For Me - I really like the new intro to the song. The way I'm used to hearing it starts at like 11sec into the song. Very heavy song with some very tight rhythms and great mood setting string sections. The chorus really grabs you and you already want to sing along. A great solo by Dale and then Justin comes in with his amazing bass solo that reminds me of a John Myung bass solo. Then the harmonize solo between Dale and Justin really adds some ambiance to the song and then another solo by Dale which leads back into the vocals. A slow but heavy crushing ending with a string part that really stands out and adds some more heaviness to the end of this song.

To Those Whose Love of God Has Gone Away - I really like the way this starts off so heavy with vocal breaks which leads into another heavy part, and then it goes quiet. Even though the lyrics and Dale's voice are fantastic in this verse part, I sometimes find myself humming the bass line behind the vocals. That adds so much atmosphere to the song. That jazzy/funky clean electric part comes in and stands out so much. When I think of this song, that is what immediately comes to mind. I got used to hearing this song without a solo, then when I heard the solo that was added it fit right in. I immediately accepted it as a part of the song. The second thing that comes to my mind when I think of this song is Justin's bass fills in this song behind the parts "She has her peace" and "Do you pray for me". Then the somber prayer part with a nice cymbal lead in to a more positive upbeat part. Then back into a heavy part again with that great bass fill again. Then after 7 and a half minutes the title of the song comes in. Then another heavy part to end up this great song.

I'll Never Tell - I have a hard time listening to this song in my car because I have the bass up so high, and it drowns out the intro vocals a little. I guess I could just turn it down a bit. I think that's my only complaint on this CD, and it isn't that big of a deal. This song in my opinion really brings a great ambiance and texture to the CD as a whole. The synth parts really bring out the goth part of the band's style. Then the lead into the heavy part with a bang... literally! The "frightened mind" part makes its return to further tie this record together as a whole.

Something Strange - I'm really sad that this song didn't make it to the actual CD, but I'm glad that it was still released to further the story of this CD. Another song that uses the strings to set the tone and mood of this song. Dale's vocals really shine on this song showing his vocal range and the range of styles he is capable of.

Daughter of God - One of my favorite songs on this CD. I don't think even if I tried I could find fault with anything in this song. The stunning production on this song really stands out and the time and effort that was put into this song really shows. The intro guitar parts fits in perfectly as a clean or distorted riff. It's very moving as a clean riff, and super heavy as a distorted part. Another solo that stands out and makes you want to hum along with the notes. Then there is the build up to the actual "Daughter of God" part. The first time you hear that part you think wow that was amazing, and then after a nice interlude it comes back again with even more feeling and emotion. Then the string part right before the ending mixed with the drums, bass, vocals, and guitar is just maddening! I love this song

Pleasant Dreams - Another song along the lines of 'I'll Never Tell' and "Where Dust Belongs' off of the 'States of Being CD'. This is a song I hadn't heard in demo form. The first time I heard it was after it was mixed. I was immediately grabbed by the haunting lyrics and the toy piano/music box sound in the chorus section just before the "Do you dream of me" part. This song is a different kind of heavy. Dale's voice makes this song heavy with his voice and lyrics.

Lay Down - A very heavy song with many layers and a lot going on. This sounds to me like what it would sound like in a crazy killers head. Lots of different voices all at once. I like the Egyptian style solo. I like how the tension of the song builds up into a frenzy and then it goes back into the main part of the song again. I enjoy the sound of the bells and drums all together at the end.

Dreams About Your Skin - I do like the sitar part at the beginning and that cool bass sound behind it. This song really shows off the progressive metal side of the band. Where Heresies and Blasphemies was originally called Tool on an old demo tape, this song could be called Dream Theater. It has that heavy and technical feel to it that really blows me away. I watched this song grow from a six minute song to an eight minute song into this 15 minute masterpiece. The strings really add a lot of depth and layers to this song. The solo at 6:16 is the best solo on the CD. In one of the recent podcasts Dale mention his usual way of soloing and this is the complete opposite from the solos that he normally does. I am yet again blown away by Justin's bass playing in that unison solo. The last 5 min of this song really ties the whole CD together. The re-occurring themes really all come together here which as I mentioned before is one of the many things I really like about the CD. At 9:30 from Daughter of God(she steals my dreams and makes them red...hum it to yourself), at 10:20 the string part from Pray For Me (Not even death), the solo that follows at 10:48 has parts of the solo from Daughter of God. The last verse is very pretty, and leads right into a riff from 'Holding On' at 13:26. This part is really heavy and leads into more solos and heavy riff after heavy riff. Then it stops briefly and comes right back in. Overall a great song!

Holding On - This was the first song that I heard from Something Beautiful and it hooked me right away. In fact I bought States of Being for this song... haha little did I know! It was worth the wait though. The bass sounds really heavy and crushing in the verses and super fast during the chorus. Another amazing job on bass by Justin. Really not much else I can say about this song other than it is my favorite song on the CD, and there is a reason this song is a fan favorite. Also during the clean part in the middle there is some awesome clean guitar tones!

Even Angels Die - Where some songs on this demonstrate the goth, or progressive style of the band, this song is really something beautiful. This is such a moving and emotional song. Dale's voice is fantastic in this song. Some lyrics and themes repeated here to tie everything up into one unified story. This song is easily becoming a favorite of mine the more I hear it. Such a pretty song to end this CD.

Yes I'm a bit biased, but overall this is an amazing CD, and the hard work and thought really went into making it really shows. Not only is the music amazing but the artwork throughout this package is phenomenal. If I could only take 5 CDs with me to a desert island, this honestly would be one of them.

After many sleepless days and nights, I must say that I am very pleased with the finished product, pimp.

FullMetalJustin wrote:

Conducting first user submitted Twitter review. Something Beautiful - Songs About Angels. Check them out at www.myspace.com/sobmusic

TRACK 9: LAY OUT - Industrial metal tune with some doom elements. Nice glitchy vocals at the 2:45. The gang vocals get a little distracting

Distracting my ass!! The gang vocals are vocalined. Plus, it's the only thing that happens in the chorus, except for when Dale comes in clear as a fucking bell. It's all rhythm guitars and whatnot. Those gang vocals kick ass!!

By the way, I have recorded The Lord's Prayer three times. Once from a woman who was a famous reverend, and once from a gangsta rapper who was also a pimp.

Yes the gang vocals are awesome. Justin sounds great hahha

Come on, now. Ambience is very important.

I guess I might not have clarified this well enough. But the story synopsis went with all CDs going out for review. For those of you who want it and don't feel like transcribing the podcast. It follows:

‘Songs About Angels’ is a concept album, a brief synopsis of the story line follows:

‘Songs About Angels’ opens with the main character, a nameless wanderer, coming into an agreement with what appears to be an angel, that he commits murder in exchange for admittance into paradise. As he goes about fulfilling his part of the bargain, he is met by a priest, who, fascinated and disgusted with the killings, transforms into everything he has ever preached against, while the wanderer discovers the implications of what he has done.

NecroWeb review in German...

Anybody know anyone that can translate this?

Translated

Google Translate should give us the gist of it.

That helped somewhatengüessen!

"Surprised this already, so it goes in "Lay Down" too unusual"

At least it's positive...I think....

"According to the booklet is now "Something Strange". But this song is only represented through his lyrics and the way was not on the CD. Who these antesten still want him on the band's website to download and thus can also benefit from guest vocalist Niki Hush. "

Wait, did this guy just compliment my singing???? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Mario's Metal Mania

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL – Songs About Angels (CD) USA September 2009 Frans Neelen
Style: Prog-Goth Metal Running time: 72.48 (Tracks: 12)

Something Beautiful comes from Chicago and delivers us a very ambitious, epic concept album which handles about "a nameless wanderer coming into an agreement with an angel, that he commits murder in exchange for admittance into paradise. As he goes about fulfilling his part of the bargain, he is met by a priest, who, fascinated and disgusted by the killing, transforms into everything he has ever preached against, while the wanderer discovers the implications of what he has done." Well, that's enough interesting material for telling a story. The band consisting of two members, Dale Tippit Jr.( guitar & vocals) and Justin Smith (bass & vocals) play a doomy and modern kind of goth music. The vocals and guitar work sound okay, as well as the production, but the "computerized" stuff like the drums are beginning to irritate during the album. That is a pity, because album opener "A Voice in the Shadows" for instance is very good and breaths the atmosphere of a fine Candlemass song. Further on they succeed in putting variation and melody but always a bit in the same style. When a band produces a storytelling concept album, mostly all the tracks have that same sphere hanging around. Well, that's what strikes me the most. The first nine tracks I am feeling comfortable with this stuff but during "Dreams about your Skin", which unfortunately clocks 15 minutes, a highly irritation (especially caused by the constantly repeating computer drums) comes over me and the rest of the album doesn't seem to end. But hey, this album clocks almost 73 minutes and that wasn't even enough considering to their website where you can download one song that was left off due to the run-time restraints of cd's. To make an album that gets your attention for this long …., well there are only a little few who are able to manage that. So, to my opinion it would have been probably better if they recorded two separate cd's. Coming to a judgement of this product, I must say the band has succeeded in telling the story very adequate. If you like a doomy, bit dark variation of goth full with melancholy brought with clean, drama vocals this could be something for you. Despite of the good songs in the beginning, I am here to judge the whole album and because of the fact the album can't keep it's high starting level it doesn't reach much higher than this.

Visit their website: http://www.denythepain.com
Recordlabel: http://www.last.fm/music/something+beautiful
MySpace: http:// www.myspace.com/sobmusic

67/100

Anybody seen Purple Rain? If you haven't, you should. These reviews are reminding me of an interaction between Prince and a club-owner who is threatening to take the Revolution off the band roster. He says "You're just like your old man, nobody gets your music but you!"

I think they play "when doves cry" after that. That song is awesome.

Or maybe it was "computer blue". Also really good.


I love the german revue. The bad google translation brings to mind poorly translated opera. I'm gonna have to figure out what he means by "spherical sound carpet" and try to get him to say it again, if he reviews any new stuff.

I wonder how mad these guys are gonna get at me when they find out that i'm currently trying to write a song thet clocks in at over an hour...

I've seen purple rain, dale. I've seen that movie many time. it's a pretty cool movie. my brother has the soundtrack to purple rain on vinyl.

Hell yeah, Purple Rain fucking rocked!