2004-2009 Music (RIP Heath Ledger)

[Valeyard]

It read more like it was a scheme.

 

[Brocklock]

04-09 was great for indie rock. I wish I didn't waste so much time around my friends listening to a ton of subgenres with the words scene or core in them.

I'm relistening to a lot of those Scene/Core bands from the mid to late 00's and they still rule. I remember my first concert being Number 12 Looks Like You in 2006 and the intensity in that little coffee shop was off the charts. Horse The Band is another core band that is a lot of fun with the video game music influence. Genghis Tron blends it with techno to create a fun sound. Say, what you will about their music, but the scene core bands back then were taking some odd risks to create new sounds.

Love Mathcore and Dillinger Escape Plan rule. Some of those mainstream metalcore bands hold up too. I still like the first couple Lamb Of God, God Forbid, and Shadows Fall albums. And, You Fail Me by Converge is from this era and one of my favorites of their's.

 

[Gary]

I'm relistening to a lot of those Scene/Core bands from the mid to late 00's and they still rule. I remember my first concert being Number 12 Looks Like You in 2006 and the intensity in that little coffee shop was off the charts. Horse The Band is another core band that is a lot of fun with the video game music influence. Genghis Tron blends it with techno to create a fun sound. Say, what you will about their music, but the scene core bands back then were taking some odd risks to create new sounds.

Love Mathcore and Dillinger Escape Plan rule. Some of those mainstream metalcore bands hold up too. I still like the first couple Lamb Of God, God Forbid, and Shadows Fall albums. And, You Fail Me by Converge is from this era and one of my favorites of their's.

"You Fail Me" is their best IMO.

Getting to 2008, and I'll likely do a metal albums another time. Notable albums from that period

-Portishead - Third
-Have a Nice Life - Deathconciousness
-Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
-Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak
-Erykah Badu -New Amerykah Part One
-Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lions Skull
-Lil Wayne - The Carter III
-Q-Tip - The Renaissance
-Crystal Castles - Self Titled
-Vampire Weekend - Self Titled
-MGMT - Oracle Spectacular
-Causa Sai - Summer Sessions Vol 1
-Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors
-Coil - The New Backwards
-Uyama Hiroto - A Son of the Sun

I'm not a fan of all of these, but there's no denying how big some of this stuff was at the time. "808s" is a perfect winter album, That Q-Tip album is really underrated, and Causa Sai's album is some great, laid back Stoner Rock.

edit: I already did a 2008 post, but this one's better

 

[Brocklock]

Jane Doe is such an important album for me as a youth that I have to list it as my favorite Converge album. I also think When Forever Comes Crashing and All We Love We Leave Behind are up there.

2008 also had Dear Science by TV On The Radio. I loved that band for a while and then they pretty much disappeared. Also, Dig Lazurus Dig by Nick Cave is great, and the Fleet Foxes self titled was also huge. I remember enjoying that at the time.

 

[Valeyard]

TV On The Radio were excellent but I knew so many people who hated them.

Turned several people onto Nick Cave thanks to Lazarus, of all things. That video is great.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Converge is, was, and always will be garbage.

 

[Brocklock]

Big lebowski that's like your opinion.gif

Cool, but I love Converge and that's cool too. I'm sure you love some bands I think are dogshit. I'm not that big of a fan of Gwar, but I respect them, and understand why they have a big fan base without dismissing them as garbage. I try not to shit on bands openly too much anymore unless I have to. There's so many threads where bands I dislike are getting praised, and I just ignore them. I remember my shitting on some classic rock bands like AC/DC got backlash, so I stopped because it doesn't add much, and usually derails the discussion.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

You didn't grow up in Converge's backyard. I also hate DKM for similar reasons.

 

[Fall of Epic]

He's probably a Poison the Well fan...

 

[Brocklock]

He's probably a Poison the Well fan...

I'm not, but Converge is legit my favorite band ever. I knew Laz hates them, so I was kind of regretting posting my love and dreading his response. I have a hard time with stuff like that, and avoid posting about bands I love in fear of the comments I'll receive. Converge brought me through a lot of dark moments, and introduced me to so many other bands. They are a special band for me. I'll never forget hearing "Heaven In Her Arms" off Jane Doe for the first time.

 

[Fall of Epic]

I was saying that about Laz. I really like Converge (echo the love for You Fail Me). Always thought PTW were a store brand version of them.

 

[Valeyard]

I'm not, but Converge is legit my favorite band ever. I knew Laz hates them, so I was kind of regretting posting my love and dreading his response. I have a hard time with stuff like that, and avoid posting about bands I love in fear of the comments I'll receive. Converge brought me through a lot of dark moments, and introduced me to so many other bands. They are a special band for me. I'll never forget hearing "Heaven In Her Arms" off Jane Doe for the first time.

Laz gonna Laz, but since I know precious little of Converge I'm now interested. Just in general I think bands or acts or whatever people are passionate about are always worth investigating, just because even if I don't dig them it's really interesting to see what matters to someone else.

Also, had a Vampire Weekend conversation with a coworker. Apparently I was wrong to give up on them after "Oxford Comma."

 

[Brocklock]

That's how I am with some fandoms. I'm going through yet another listen through of The Deftones just to try to get them. I really can't stand Chino's moaning singing vocals, but I love his screaming. I've always found them dull, but so many people are passionate about them. Once again, the vocals are too much, but I continue to go on because so many people get something from that band, and I want to see if they can finally click.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I'm not, but Converge is legit my favorite band ever. I knew Laz hates them, so I was kind of regretting posting my love and dreading his response. I have a hard time with stuff like that, and avoid posting about bands I love in fear of the comments I'll receive. Converge brought me through a lot of dark moments, and introduced me to so many other bands. They are a special band for me. I'll never forget hearing "Heaven In Her Arms" off Jane Doe for the first time.

Not trying to yuck your yum, buddy. I know that at least half the bands I enjoy are probably considered dogshit by most everyone else here, and that portion grows outside of this circle.

I just really, really dislike Converge. There were better bands in the same scene from the same era that didn't get half the acclaim and whose members weren't pompous dices. It doesn't help that all of the scenester douchebags all worshipped them.

I also haven't thought about Poison the Well for 20something years. Only band of that era and scene I'd give another try to would probably be From Autumn to Ashes, but that's strictly because I like the dueling vocals dynamic, particularly when each voice has its own color.

...come to think of it, the only core band of any similarity I enjoy like that would be Shai Hulud. And, even then, the better version of Shai Hulud is their side project, my beloved Zombie Apocalypse.

 

[Gary]

Now for posts only I care about-notable metal from 2008 (heads up this is a long list)

Opeth - Watershed
Gojira - The Way of All Flesh
Enslaved - Vertabrae
Cynic - Traced in Air
Meshuggah - oBzen
Virus - The Black Flux
Leviathan - Massive Conspiracy Against All Life
Dead Congregation - Graves of the Archangels
Darkspace - Darkspace III
Esoteric - The Maniacal Veil
Intestine Ballism - Ultimate Instinct
Septic Flesh - Communiom
Amenra - Mass III
Draconian - Turning Season Within
Cult of Luna - Eternal Kingdom
Ufomammut - Idolum
Boris - Smile
Grand Magus - Iron Will
Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Menace Ruine - The Die is Cast
Coffins - Buried Death
Skepticism - Alloy
Gridlink - Amber Grey
The Gates of Slumber - Conquerer
Burst - The Lazarus Bird
Russian Circles - Stations
Ihsahn - angL
Origin - Antithesis
Intronaut - Prehistoricisms
Krallice - Self Titled
Genghis Tron - Board Up the House


As I said, long list. Some of these I consider these bands best (Opeth, Leviathan, Origin and Coffins) and a great year for Progressive Metal too.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I mean no disrespect by this in any way, but it's a very Gary take to prefer Watershed over Blackwater Park AND Deliverance.

Favorite metal releases of 2008, huh...
Brain Drill - Apocalyptic Feasting
Warbringer - War Without End
Zimmer's Hole - When You Were Shouting at the Devil...
Firewind - The Premonition
Korpiklaani - Korven Kuningas
Warrel Dane - Praises to the War Machine
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. I
Krisiun - Southern Storm
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
Unearth - The March
Pig Destroyer - Natasha EP
Misery Index - Traitors

A lot of albums I remember being released in 2008 were actually released in 2007 or 2009/2010. This was right around the time I stopped partying so fucking hard, to be fair.

 

[Mickey Massuco]

I'm not, but Converge is legit my favorite band ever. I knew Laz hates them, so I was kind of regretting posting my love and dreading his response. I have a hard time with stuff like that, and avoid posting about bands I love in fear of the comments I'll receive. Converge brought me through a lot of dark moments, and introduced me to so many other bands. They are a special band for me. I'll never forget hearing "Heaven In Her Arms" off Jane Doe for the first time.

Don’t let the haters bring you down bro. Chat used to shit on me all the time for liking KISS and I was annoyed for a moment but sometimes you gotta LICK IT UP

 

[Fall of Epic]

If liking KISS is wrong then I sure as hell don't wanna be right.

 

[Gary]

I mean no disrespect by this in any way, but it's a very Gary take to prefer Watershed over Blackwater Park AND Deliverance.

Those are great, but "Watershed" has all of Opeth's styles from that period, and has their best songs ("The Lotus Eater" and especially "Hessian Peel"). Plus, it's their last Metal album, as they have since gone on to make full on Prog Rock albums of varying quality.

Also, can't believe I forgot that Nachmystium album. Metallica...I tend to look at their post "St Anger" work* as hit and miss. There's some great songs, but the albums don't need to be so long and have a few duds IMO.

*not counting "Lulu" because that's more of a Lou Reed album IMO.

 

[Valeyard]

Lulu is a freak and should be either equally judged or omitted from either side.

 

[Brocklock]

If Death Magnetic had better production, it would probably be thought of as being as good if not better than The Black Album tbh. The songs were well written and more progressive than they've done since Justice, but the production makes everything seem flatter. I thought Hardwired had much better production, but the songs weren't as interesting outside of "Spit Out The Bone" and a few others. Their latest album was a complete slog though, and back to Reload levels of boring.

I can't fuck with Lulu, but that's totally a Lou Reed album with Metallica as the backup band.

 

[Brocklock]

That's how I am with some fandoms. I'm going through yet another listen through of The Deftones just to try to get them. I really can't stand Chino's moaning singing vocals, but I love his screaming. I've always found them dull, but so many people are passionate about them. Once again, the vocals are too much, but I continue to go on because so many people get something from that band, and I want to see if they can finally click.

Update, they finally clicked for me. But, it wasn't White Pony, which I still find slightly dull. It was 2006's (Hey it fits the thread) Saturday Night Wrist. Chino's vocals matured and his screams got more Black Metal like. Every subsequent album has been really good. And their last album Ohms is one of their best imo. It took a while, but their sound got really good in the mid 00's for me. Production seems to keep getting better on the later albums too.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

It's funny that you prefer his screaming voice over the haunting moan, because the only Deftones songs I like are the ones where Chino sings and doesn't scream.

 

[Brocklock]

It's funny that you prefer his screaming voice over the haunting moan, because the only Deftones songs I like are the ones where Chino sings and doesn't scream.

It's weird, generally whiny vocals don't bother me. I love Robert Smith, and think Corgan does a great job on the early Pumpkins records. But, for some reason the moany vocals really take me out of it. Moreso early on. I thought he adapted well as he got older.

 

[Valeyard]

Deftones are from my neck of the woods and I think the only band I haven't seen by accident, or at least not the whole band. How I can see !!! like five times but not them is kinda weird.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I live in the other Portland and I have seen the Deftones. Or at least a few songs. I had free tickets to see the Taste of Chaos Tour (short lived “Winter Warped Tour”) in ‘06/‘07ish and they headlined. It was right around the time nu-metal was starting to bottom in terms of coolness and my ears were tired from all of the screamo and mallcore that preceded it. Sorry fellas.