Cheech
Integral Poster
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 12:45 pm
Continuation of the metal thread at the old board. Until we get Agent over here, and Gary Floyd takes a break from his thirty-four-albums-a-day binging to post, likely it'll just be me talking to myself
First post is just a placeholder. Content to come later
Posted by: Black Lushus March 29, 2009 12:52 pm
Anything newer out I should be trying, Slayer? I'll need to DL some more stuff soon before my black president sues me.
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 02:14 pm
well, I know you like Devin Townsend, and he's got a new album, Ki, coming out this summer. Also, did you ever check out Ziltoid?
I remember in my metal thread at The Pit II where you told me what you liked and I tossed out some suggestions, but I don't remember what you liked (or if you followed up on that), so let's start from there
Posted by: The Metal Maniac March 29, 2009 02:36 pm
I learned today the the version of Elvenking's "White Willow" that I fell in love with a few years ago is actually the demo version.
This makes me sad. The demo is better then the version on the album (at least, I prefer it) and being a demo makes it rough to find.
That said, Slayer, I need some new stuff to listen to. Gimmie some suggestions on whatever.
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 03:21 pm
tl;dr post ahead. Feel free to skip this one as next post will address recommendations
For referential purposes I went back to the old board to C&P my top ten metal lists from my years there, with some alterations based off later albums I found, and also to eliminate old shames (for example, I refuse to admit that I was ever a fan of a certain band that rhymes with "Pimmu Porgir"). The Top 15 list was the only one I could be bothered to actually number in order, otherwise for the annual compilations I just threw out my ten favorite in alphabetical order. This because I found ordering anything beyond the top 2-3 (most of which are on the all-decade list anyway) to be overwhelming for my lazy ass
All-Decade Top 15 (so far)
1. Paradise Lost - Paradise Lost (2005)
2. Amorphis - Silent Waters (2007)
3. Therion - Lemuria/Sirius B (2004)
4. Circle II Circle - Burden of Truth (2006)
5. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)
6. Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)
7. Dark Tranquility - Damage Done (2002)
8. My Dying Bride - The Dreadful Hours (2001)
9. Dream Theater - Train of Thought (2003)
10. Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (2003)
11. Devin Townsend - Terria (2001)
12. SYL - Alien (2005)
13. Evergrey - In Search of Truth (2001)
14. Onward - Evermoving (2001)
15. Amon Amarth - With Oden on Our Side (2006)
Annual lists (omitting those listed above)
2008
Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God
Draconian - Turning Season Within
Enslaved - Vertebrae
Iced Earth - The Crucible of Man
Moonspell - Night Eternal
Opeth - Watershed
Origin - Antithesis
Pyramaze - Immortal
Testament - The Formation of Damnation
Zimmers Hole - While You Were Shouting...
2007
Candlemass - King of the Grey Islands
Dark Tranquillity - Fiction
Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient
Helloween - Gambling with the Devil
Megadeth - United Abominations
Obituary - Xecutioner's Return
Paradise Lost - In Requiem
Symphony X - Paradise Lost
Therion - Gothic Kabbalah
2006
Amorphis - Eclipse
Cannibal Corpse - Kill
Enslaved - Ruun
Into Eternity - Scattering of Ashes
Kalmah - The Black Waltz
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress
Slayer - Christ Illusion
2005
Candlemass - Candlemass
Dark Tranqullity - Character
Helloween - Seven Keys Legacy
Kamelot - The Black Halo
Kreator - Enemy of God
Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Swallow the Sun - Ghosts of Loss
2004
Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh
Evergrey - The Inner Circle
Into Eternity - Buried in Oblivion
Mastodon - Leviathan
Megadeth - The System Has Failed
Nightwish - Once
Pyramaze - Melancholy Beast
Wintersun - Wintersun
2003
Anthrax - We've Come for You All
Dream Evil - Evilized
Evergrey - Recreation Day
Grave Digger - Rheingold
King Diamond - The Puppet Master
Opeth - Damnation
Rage - Soundchaser
Swallow the Sun - Morning Never Came
Posted by: Vitamin X March 29, 2009 03:34 pm
How do you think this decade compares for metal to the other ones, Slayer?
Posted by: Gary Floyd March 29, 2009 03:37 pm
I mentioned it in the Metal thread at old TSM, but Obscura's Cosmogenesis is fucking incredible. Also, the new Mastodon album Crack the Skye is their proggiest yet, though I'm still trying to have a verdict on it.
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 04:01 pm
QUOTE (The Metal Maniac @ March 29, 2009 12:36 pm)
That said, Slayer, I need some new stuff to listen to. Gimmie some suggestions on whatever.
That might be tough, since I know you're a big power metal guy and my power metal fandom has been waning over the last few years. Have you checked out the last two Helloween albums?
and have you heard any of the following:
Angra
Dream Evil
Hammerfall
Kamelot
Persuader
Sonata Artica
Tierra Santa
Looking through my iTunes power metal list I came across Running Wild, and I remember we discussed them a couple years ago when you found that Scottish pirate metal band. Did you ever check them out any further?
On another note, I remember that Haws By Gawd guy at TSM was pretty big on power metal too. Maybe if we can get him here too
Posted by: Black Lushus March 29, 2009 04:17 pm
Hey, Ziltoid was pretty good...progressive metal eh? Good stuff. Thanks!
Posted by: Gary Floyd March 29, 2009 04:44 pm
QUOTE (Slayer @ March 29, 2009 01:01 pm)
On another note, I remember that Haws By Gawd guy at TSM was pretty big on power metal too. Maybe if we can get him here too
I remember going on chats on Mondays, and me and Brocklock would occasionally chat metal. Maybe I can get him here.
Posted by: The Metal Maniac March 29, 2009 04:45 pm
I did check out Running Wild, not bad.
That said, I'm actually looking for some non-powery stuff, trying to expand a little bit. I tried out that doom stuff Gary Floyd posted somewhat, but I couldn't get into it.
I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but I do know that I've been digging Children of Bodom lately. I want something that's fast and crazy, but a little less on the powery side, you know? As an example, "Touch Like Angel of Death" - I find it still has that sort of epic-ness you get from power metal (especially the live version), but not so much cheese. That's the kinda stuff I'm looking for.
Oh, and shit, what's the band that does...fuck, I can't recall if this is exactly the song title, but I think it was, the Lighthouse at the End of the World? Sound familiar?
Oh, and while I'm here...Gary, that doom metal you posted at TSM...is that what a lot of doom metal is like? Like I said, couldn't get into that stuff you posted - should I just leave it at that, or is it worth digging a bit more to get some gems?
Posted by: Black Lushus March 29, 2009 04:49 pm
Slayer, I like more speed metal type stuff, thrash metal I suppose...nothing too growly...a little growly is OK, but mostly clean, melodic vocals. Townsend is about the perfect blend, just to give you an idea.
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 04:54 pm
QUOTE (Vitamin X @ March 29, 2009 01:34 pm)
How do you think this decade compares for metal to the other ones, Slayer?
Tough question. So far we'd only have... three other decades for comparison, and the 70's were a formative era for the genre so I wouldn't count that one as strongly as the others. Naturally I would still consider the 80's the prime era for metal, although not everything about 80's metal was that grand (see: saturation of hair/party metal bands later in the decade).
As far as the Noughties go, I believe their have been two notable emergences to come about this decade. First is the increase in utilizing prog-elements by bands outside the traditional "prog metal" genre (i.e. Dream Theater and their emulators). Witness the emergence of bands like Opeth and Mastodon. The other one is the proliferation of women in metal. While there have been women in metal going back to Doro Pesch in the 80's and the first few female fronted gothic/opera bands of the mid-late 90's, this decade seems to have seen an explosion in female fronted bands.
Downside of the 00's would be nu-metal (which was half-and-half, IMO) giving way to the likes of deathcore and whiny screamo metal. It almost (almost) makes me pine for the days of Shrimp Bizkit. Also, similar to gothic bands of the 90's falling into the trap of making shitty electronic rock, many of the melodic death bands from early this decade have fallen into the trap of making shitty deathcore/nu-metal (In Flames, Soilwork and Bodom immediately come to mind)
I'd still rank the 90's as the relative worst decade in metal though.
Posted by: Gary Floyd March 29, 2009 04:55 pm
QUOTE (The Metal Maniac @ March 29, 2009 01:45 pm)
IOh, and while I'm here...Gary, that doom metal you posted at TSM...is that what a lot of doom metal is like? Like I said, couldn't get into that stuff you posted - should I just leave it at that, or is it worth digging a bit more to get some gems?
I posted a lot of obscure traditional metal (Iron Man, Paul Chain, Blood Farmers, Unorthodox, Internal Void and Gates of Slumber) and well know traditional Doom (Sleep, Electric Wizard, Pentagram, Saint Vius, The Obssessed, Trouble, Witchfinder General, Cadlemass, and Reverend Bizarre). I also posted some gothic death doom (Paradise Lost's Gothic and Katatonia's Dance of December Souls*, more extreme Doom (Burning Witch and Khanate), Death Doom (Asphyx, Autopsy, diEMBOWELMENT, Winter and Thorr's Hammer) Drone (Sunn 0))) ), and some Sludge (Eyehategod and Acid Bath.) I might try to thow in some Funeral Doom and Epic Doom next time.
*You might like that one Slayer
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 05:05 pm
QUOTE (The Metal Maniac @ March 29, 2009 02:45 pm)
I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but I do know that I've been digging Children of Bodom lately. I want something that's fast and crazy, but a little less on the powery side, you know? As an example, "Touch Like Angel of Death" - I find it still has that sort of epic-ness you get from power metal (especially the live version), but not so much cheese. That's the kinda stuff I'm looking for.
Sounds like you're digging what I've called "blackened power" metal. There's no real official name for that style of metal, but that's the name I think is accurate. If you liked Bodom (at least up to Follow the Reaper and maybe Hate Crew Deathroll) then you might check out
Norther - Dreams of Endless War and Death Unlimited
Ensiferum - Iron
Wintersun - Wintersun
also, if you like those, you might check out melodic death metal
Dark Tranquillity - Haven, Damage Done and Character
In Flames - Jester Race and Colony
Soilwork - Chainheart Machine and Predator's Portrait
Kalmah - The Black Waltz
QUOTE
Oh, and shit, what's the band that does...fuck, I can't recall if this is exactly the song title, but I think it was, the Lighthouse at the End of the World? Sound familiar?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_At_The_End_Of_The_World by My Dying Bride?
Posted by: The Metal Maniac March 29, 2009 05:15 pm
15 seconds into "Dreams of Endless War" and I can already tell you hit the nail right on the head. This is the kind of stuff I'm looking for.
I have some In Flames albums already (Whoracle and something else), so I like seeing them on that list too. Oh, and yes, it as My Dying Bride, thank you. Got that stuck in my head a little while back and couldn't recall who it was by.
Many thanks!
Posted by: Gary Floyd March 29, 2009 05:20 pm
QUOTE (Slayer @ March 29, 2009 01:54 pm)
Downside of the 00's would be nu-metal (which was half-and-half, IMO) giving way to the likes of deathcore and whiny screamo metal. It almost (almost) makes me pine for the days of Shrimp Bizkit. Also, similar to gothic bands of the 90's falling into the trap of making shitty electronic rock, many of the melodic death bands from early this decade have fallen into the trap of making shitty deathcore/nu-metal (In Flames, Soilwork and Bodom immediately come to mind)
Don't forget Cryptopsy's abortion.
Posted by: Slayer March 29, 2009 06:11 pm
QUOTE (Black Lushus @ March 29, 2009 02:49 pm)
Slayer, I like more speed metal type stuff, thrash metal I suppose...nothing too growly...a little growly is OK, but mostly clean, melodic vocals. Townsend is about the perfect blend, just to give you an idea.
Speed metal:
Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse
Helloween - Walls of Jericho
Thrash metal:
1. American thrash outside of the Big Four
Testament - Practice What You Preach
Overkill - Taking Over
Exodus - Bonded by Blood
Metal Church - The Dark
2. German thrash
Kreator - Pleasure to Kill
Destruction - Eternal Devastation
Sodom - Agent Orange
QUOTE (Gary Floyd @ March 29, 2009 02:55 pm)
Katatonia's Dance of December Souls (You might like that one Slayer)
Already got it. I prefer Brave Murder Day, as Akerfeldt is a much better death singer than Renske
QUOTE (The Metal Maniac @ March 29, 2009 03:15 pm)
Oh, and yes, it was My Dying Bride, thank you. Got that stuck in my head a little while back and couldn't recall who it was by.
Did you like the song? I just wonder since you noted you're not a fan of doom metal, though as GF pointed out there's many subgenres. Gothic doom (which includes MDB) is my favorite.
MDB is my second favorite metal band, period, and I'd be glad to toss out some recommendations for them, if you like
Posted by: Hawkius Maximus March 29, 2009 06:58 pm
I'm gonna try some of the recommendations in this thread. I've really fallen out with Metal in the last few years. I used to be very into Power Metal, but not so much anymore. I still follow Blind Guardian, but I've thought the last two albums of Iced Earth even with Barlow coming back were less then ideal.
Perhaps I will find something in this thread that'll get me back into metal. I'll just need to avoid screaming or heavy growling. It's just not my thing. Don't mind growling that almost has a melody to it, but just screaming like many death metal bands I've come across doesn't do anything for me.
Posted by: The Metal Maniac March 29, 2009 08:32 pm
Yeah, I'd be up for checking out more My Dying Bride. I wasn't a fan of what I heard from Floyd (but that was only some Candlemass and Dopesmoker), but I see no reason to write the genre off.
Posted by: Hawkius Maximus March 29, 2009 11:33 pm
I love every single thing about Northern...except for the vocals.
I can't say I've had this happen before. I find myself listening to them, even though the lead singer is quite frankly raping my eardrums.
He's better in some songs then others. Like I found their cover of "Final Countdown" particularly brutal. But on songs like "Darkest Time" and "Endless War" I can stand him. I just don't really enjoy the vocals per say.
Any thoughts? Is there a band like Northern but...without the screaming? It's quite the dilemma. Everything else is so great that I'm forcing myself to endure it.
Posted by: Gary Floyd March 29, 2009 11:58 pm
I just remembered, the new Wolves in the Throne Room comes out Tuesday.
Posted by: Slayer March 30, 2009 12:00 am
Well, for the most part, stuff like Norther and older Bodom is just power metal (which you already said you were a fan of) with harsh vocals.
Way back in the late 90's I had a hard time getting into harsh vocal metal... then my g/f dumped me and it was like a switch, as I needed the anger outlet that such metal provided, so maybe you just need a similar catalyst of your own!
but seriously... after having listened to such bands for so long I don't even give harsh vocals a second thought (though this doesn't mean I'm accepting of all vocals. There are plenty I've found that I can't stand), but I do understand for others that this can be difficult to get into.
Posted by: Hawkius Maximus March 30, 2009 12:16 am
I checked out Wintersun as well, but I found that even harder to listen to then Northern.
Perhaps I can make myself like it if I try hard enough...
Anything like this, but with clearer vocals I'd be more then interested in knowing about. This is damn good music.
Posted by: Corey_Lazarus March 30, 2009 12:53 pm
Modern Exodus is good shit to check out. Tempo of the Damned, Shovel Headed Kill Machine, and Atrocity Exhibition - Exhibit A are all tight fucking thrash metal albums released in the last 5 years, and Shovel and Atrocity have some nice moments of build-up and decently thought-out songs. Kick the shit out of everything released by the big four (Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax) in the last decade, and these guys were their direct contemporaries!
Municipal Waste is a good, fun listen if you can get past Tony's hardcore/punk vocal style (which should be easy, considering it adds to the fun of the music, and the music itself is good enough to just chill back and lsiten to). Dave Witte is a fucking tight-ass drummer, and the pairing of Ryan Waste and LandPhil (guitars and bass, respectively) is oddly reminiscent of Dave Murray and Steve Harris (only faster and much more punk-ish). Along similar lines are SSS out of England, although the vocals are admittedly much harder to look beyond. Ditto Send More Paramedics, who ran into the "this gimmick can't be pushed too far" wall on their debut LP, and whose vocalist (B'Hellmouth) is jarring if you're not used to him.
S.O.D. are legendary. Download/steal/buy a copy of Speak English Or Die as soon as fucking possible. Every song after "United Forces" bleeds into one another, but those opening 6 tunes are all great thrash metal anthems. Bigger Than The Devil is dece, but outside of S.E.O.D. the only album really worth getting is Live At Budokan, which is worth it for the random covers they do (including a pair of Ministry tunes, a FEAR classic, and even a Nirvana song that they immediately make 100x better than the original).
Melodic shit, though...eh. Disillusion's debut, Back to the Times of Splendor, is brilliant. I don't care for prog metal too much, but it's just so near-perfect (which is, to say, that it single-handedly shits all over the basic formula Opeth's followed since Akerfeldt put the band together and improves upon each aspect) that I love it.
Oh, and click on the link in my sig to hear my band's shit, if you haven't already, or just wait a little while until our EP is done and get that since the production will be better, and so will the two songs we have available on our 'Space.
Posted by: Gary Floyd April 02, 2009 01:37 pm
So, I've finally warmed up to Crack the Skye. I don't like it as much as I do Leviathan, but I'd say it's just as good as Blood Mountain, so it's now my fave metal album of the year thus far. Also, "The Czar" is fucking incredible.
The new Wolves in the Throne Room is a let down.
Posted by: Agent of Oblivion April 03, 2009 08:48 am
Have we had the Leviathan debate yet? I think it's their worst one by far. Side B of that one is really directionless, I think.
Posted by: Vitamin X April 03, 2009 12:08 pm
I think I'd also argue Leviathan's not really that good of an album. At least, I certainly didn't like it much and it kind of turned me off from Mastodon for a while.
Posted by: Incandenza April 03, 2009 01:00 pm
"Blood and Thunder" is one of my favorite Mastodon songs, but yeah, Leviathan is pretty lame.
Posted by: Corey_Lazarus April 03, 2009 03:34 pm
As a whole album? Yeah. It's pretty weak, especially compared to Remissions and Blood Mountain. But it's a good starter. "Blood and Thunder" is one of their best songs, easily, but the rest of the album never truly lives up to it. I still love it, though.
Posted by: jimmy no nose April 03, 2009 06:34 pm
I just found out last week that one of my old favorites Believer have jumped on the early 90's metal reunion bandwagon. I got their new album and it's pretty good stuff aside from the song they do with the singer from Killswitch Engage. They lost all the opera singers and sound effects from their last album and decided to just put out a technical metal album. I've only listened to it a couple times so far.
Next on the comeback album train is Atheist. That's the one I'm most looking forward to.
