I've made a decision regarding Orationem...

From the start, I've been against digital distribution for Orationem, mostly because of the bad piracy experience I had with the 2015 Ankou Awaits album "Sobrwydd a Disgyblaeth". (for those not familiar with what happened, when the album was just completed, my brother and the CD pressing company were the only ones that had this album (master) and then all of a sudden 900 different blogs/torrents/etc. were sharing this album inn a matter of two days. The pressing company denies leaking it, but I believe my brother more than them.)

Orationem has done well on CD, well enough that I think its ready for the next step. Plus, as strange as this sounds, I do miss SOME piracy. Its free advertising, which does get the word out, which Orationem deserves to be more well known.

I do not want to take the "buy downloads!" approach through bandcamp, iTunes, Spotify, etc. I want to do something better than just lazily adding the same old MP3s and the same old album art JPG that those aware of Orationem have already seen. The plan is, I will make an official Orationem YouTube channel, monetize this account (which is $5 - $8 per 1,000 views, approximately), and then make organized and detailed LYRIC VIDEOS for EVERY SINGLE full Orationem track. This way, everyone can listen to the music for free, I can get some pocket money if the views do well and pirates (or YouTube alone) will advertise the album, broadening my audience.

This includes all 3 studio albums (self-titled, "Fulfiller Sustainer Preserving Protector" and "Pure Peace and Joy Love and Kindness"), a total of 18 songs.

I'll also upload the not live album, but it won't be a lyric video. I'll try to think of a different video presentation approach for this.

Also, in the coming weeks, when I feel able through this chemotherapy gauntlet, I'll start work on a 4th Orationem album. I've also decided to follow through again with the same approach as "not live", but hybridize its presentation with a studio sound. The newest Orationem had the best production and I hope to expand on the sound and add a bit of rawness to it. (All the black metal I've been listening to very raw and while I still want to progress on the innovative guitar and cello, I want an even better/nastier sound.)

That being said, when this album is done, I won't post a preview video like I have before. Full lyric videos for all the tracks will be on this official channel as well. As far as what the lyric videos will be like, I have a decent video editor that came with Windows 8.1 on my PC, and my new phone records video in 4K so... Lets see what I can do with a decent walk in the woods.

Any questions? I'll answer them the best I can.

Thanks for reading!

What do you use for video editing for lyric videos?  I would like to do a couple with the new blues album.

I am taking a different approach with Amelioration. Up till now I've sold CDs and sold downloads, but I think I will keep the CDs for sale, but may begin making it a free download. I want to expand the reach a bit. I'll be done with my next split soon anyway.

I may start making some of my old Mission Of One stuff a free download, but with the new Big Chris & D'Bare Bones Band, I am going to give this a shot to see if I can at least recoup what I spent on mixing and mastering plus CD costs.

Interesting idea.  Let us know when the YouTube channel goes live.

For myself, I am a CD collector and as finances permit will continue to pay for hard copies of music I like.

Sorry, I'm on the week where chemotherapy hits pretty hard, so I end up resting (and throwing up) more than usual. I'll post videos soon, I hope...

I completed one lyric video Wednesday.

Had a massive amount of rain dump all at once and decided, this was my chance to record some video. I stayed on my property, but I have some decent plants/trees/old house scenery around the outside of my place. Soaked 2 hoodies and a towel shooting 2 scenes... one to be used for the self titled, one to be used for Fulfiller. I want to do something else regarding Pure Peace footage, in actual woods.

Never used the video effects on my program before. Subtitles and JPG's was all I've ever done. I'm using Power Director 10, which came with my PC.

Found a simple effect I liked, that blended text and imagery well. I shot using a monogram filter on my phone. It's darker than sepia in my opinion. This footage is pretty dark and goes well with the music.

Each song will share the same footage per album. I don't have the resources or desire to shoot new footage for every song, but I skew it to match the song length. It may not look different, but a 5 minute song will feel different than an 8 minute one.

Got the channel started - called "OrationemOfficial".
3 videos currently monetized and uploaded.

Here's one to preview - I'll let you search if you want to watch the other ones.
Its a basic lyric video, but I still think its pretty cool - despite me being a novice at video editing.

I'll post more videos after a while. Still not out of the chemo woods yet, so I kind of ran out of steam... I'll get the rest of this album in the next few days, if my health allows.



While those of you on this forum reluctant to black metal, I'm confident that the lyrics will meet your approval.

All the lyric videos for the self titled release are completed and uploaded.
Also managed to do something neat for the "Not Live" recording.  Check it out! 

(For those not familiar or haven't read the other Orationem threads, "Not Live in Central Illinois: A Night of Black Metal for Christ" is an over hour recording featuring 10 songs from the first two full lengths, presented in a live show manner.)



Hey guys, it would make my day of you would subscribe to the Orationem channel. 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuoapwgu-ciCZPriw7Drn0g

I've certainly got more to upload, 2 more released full lengths and the next Orationem album planned for 3rd or 4th quarter 2016.

Thank you,

Finally getting around to uploading another video.  Being sick sucks, but I'm going to push harder to get these other albums up. 

On Friday during my wife and I's second attempt at an anniversary date, we went through the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary, this huge wooded area right in the middle of my state's capitol and I shot some awesome footage to be used for the PPAJ,LAK videos.  We were both destroyed by mosquitoes the 15 minutes we were there, but the footage was still worth it.

Had an idea for something else regarding this YouTube channels.  After I complete this next planned album, I was going to give Orationem albums a rest.  Instead, I (Orationem) would work on a series of videos called "black metal prayers".  This wouldn't be so much additional songs, as it would be an awesome riff or two, lyrically including a short devotional type prayer.  The video footage would be me playing all the parts.  I'm pretty sure my video software provides a way to divide the screen so you could see me do everything simultaneously.

Well, I got all the Fulfiller, Sustainer, Preserving Protector tracks uploaded as lyric videos.  That makes the first two albums being done.
Subscribers, thank you.

Before I upload the third one with that awesome footage from the woods, I wanted to take a slight detour.  Along with the idea I mentioned in the above post, instead of just brand new riffs, I was going to also do remixes/variations of prior tracks.  ...and I was going to try to get one done tomorrow.

The reasons being:
1) the curiosity of what one of these "black metal prayer" sessions will be like w/ the 4 parts view (drums, vocals, 2 guitars)
2) I'm dying to hear what the main fulfiller track 3 doomy riff sounds like with blistering drums and different lyrics

WOO!  Got that split video done.  It was a cluster to sync all the tracks, but it successfully captures me playing all the parts.  (drums, 2 guitars and vocals)  I had subtitles with lyrics, but their placement by the video software blocks some of the guitar fretwork so I decided to leave them out and just put the lyrics in the comments.

What do you guys think?  Please let me know!

That video got a decent number of views. No feedback?

I'm sure someone has a criticism that would help me!

While talented you are, that just isn't my cup of tea at all.

I get that. I don't think there's much of a black metal crowd here.

Really?  I got the impression for a while that the CMR had been overridden by black metal fans.  I wish there were more classic metal fans and even more good bands coming out with albums in those classic styles.

Grass looks greener on the other side I guess?

ThomasEversole wrote:Grass looks greener on the other side I guess?

Yep!  That's why the neighbors put up the fence in the first place! 

Hey you, get off my lawn!


Thomas, been busy and haven't had a chance to really watch these videos you've done, but I'm hoping to soon and will give you some feedback.

I'd appreciate it!

My favorite definition of discipline is doing something I have (or want) to do, before I have (or want) to do it.
Toting around my chemo pump (something you can see the IV of in the mic track) I got another black metal prayer session done.

Its another remix/variation, more of the slow groove variety.  (there's no way I have the energy for a fast track today while I've got a steady stream of 5FU poison being injected into me)

Took a little less time than the first track, but that's no surprise considering I don't have the same trial and error that I did the first track.

ThomasEversole wrote:That video got a decent number of views. No feedback?

I'm sure someone has a criticism that would help me!

Well, when I was watching it I wondered why the drum screen didn't have some of the cymbal hits in their right place. I though you had perhaps played the drums on a playback track.

Then just before the video ended I realized I had the video playing both in this forum and on Youtube, so there were two videos playing at a same time with the other one playing a bit later than the other. And I never noticed anything! I just thought this sounds very raw and cool

For some the fact that this can happen could be exactly the reason why they can't stand music like this, but for some that is exactly why it's awesome

Haha! Awesome!

The diversity is exactly what I like about The CMR.  I like a variety ranging from black metal to Phil Keaggy.

For some reason I haven't checked out your stuff before Thomas (more music out there than money or time I guess), but I like what I've heard so far.  No feedback yet because I haven't heard enough yet to comment.  This is a problem for me with most "Review Album X" threads.  By the time I've digested it, it's old news.

Man, its been a busy week away from my computer.  Finally started the videos for the 2016 album, with that footage I was proud of, despite mosquitoes destroying me in the process of taking it.  Hoping to get them all done this upcoming week.

I felt good today and decided to do another black metal prayer.  Tried some more intensive fretwork.  These are 2 remixed riffs from prior Orationem albums and why not - lets close the song with a Breviarium riff. (for those not familiar, that's my Christian death/black project from 2003)

Today marks a milestone for the Orationem YouTube channel. All the lyric videos are complete and 100% of Orationem music has been uploaded to the channel. I reviewed a few of my uploaded videos, and I'm a bit annoyed that some of the fade transfer effects didn't survive production, but in my opinion - its good enough. The music is there, the footage is there and so are the lyrics. ...just some lyrics don't "fade" away so much as they SOMETIMES appear or disappear.
___________________________

Regarding Orationem itself, I've been mauling over a few things in my head. For one, I've had some thoughts with not even doing a 4th album, just putting some new stuff together for the black metal prayers. I've had some thoughts of following through with the 4th album, but not pursuing the "not live" elements. I haven't entirely decided...

This goes against more recent reviews and what CW reviewed, but I think the direction the "Pure Peace..." album took, is not the direction I want to go with Orationem. What's strange is that 1 week working on the self titled, 2 weeks working on Pure Peace.... the pinnicle/apex of Orationem feels to me to be at the Fulfiller album, which took 3 days. The riffs/songs are more memorable to me than the other albums for some reason.

New music, like the prayers, I'd like to focus more on the original/older 2-guitar style. ..."more" not "entirely". I think the cello either needs to make more or less of an appearance, and I think the music needs to be more RAW and dirty sounding...