Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives

Message board

* FAQ    * Register   * Login 



Reply to topic
Author Message Previous topic | Next topic
Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:59 pm 
 

Most people seem to love Down Among the Deadmen best, but I've never really been one of them. It has a lot of killer riffs and high-flying hooks but there's just something about the whole thing that feels a little cartoony where it should have been more serious. Whereas an album like Hardworlder sounds like a comic book and it fits PERFECTLY with the songs. I think Atavism would also be a really sensible starting point as there are a lot of great songs and the whole thing is fairly short and concise.

Depending on your personal tastes you may, like me, prefer their newer material where they've taken on kind of an older sound, mixing in some Thin Lizzy-esque rocking moments among all the heavy/power goodness. The Animal Spirits would probably make a fine point to dip your toe in amongst the newer material. Ape Uprising! is a really strong album in my opinion, with only the opening track lagging behind the others in terms of quality. Simian Manifesto may be my all-time favorite song of theirs actually, that ending riff is the best thing Lizzy never wrote.

Okay so short answer: Go with Down Among the Deadmen if you're looking for purely heavy/power metal that's kind of bright and super catchy. Check out the two most recent releases if you're interested in a more gritty approach with some nods to 70s classics.
_________________
I'm livin' for givin' the Devil his due...

Top
 Profile  
Aydross
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:21 pm
Posts: 552
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:16 pm 
 

Thanks jonpo. I'll check that album.
_________________
...Don't turn out the lights
Cause there's demons in the night
And they prey on the fears in us all...

Top
 Profile  
Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
Posts: 7721
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:58 pm 
 

Trick question.

All Slough Feg albums are great, and you should get them all. :V
_________________
I've written a fantasy novel. It's 145,000 157,586 184,899 words long!
It's also going to be the first part of a trilogy!
Currently seeking an agent willing to touch this massive doorstop.

Top
 Profile  
Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:01 pm 
 

I think Twilight of the Idols, Traveller and Atavism are kinda boring. But I really like The Animal Spirits and Down Among the Dead Men.
_________________
Uncolored wrote:
non 80's wodos members are enemies of teutonic beatles hairstyle thrash

Top
 Profile  
Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
Posts: 7721
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:09 pm 
 

ANationalAcrobat wrote:
I think Twilight of the Idols, Traveller and Atavism are kinda boring.

HERESY, HERESY, and okay yeah, maybe sometimes.
_________________
I've written a fantasy novel. It's 145,000 157,586 184,899 words long!
It's also going to be the first part of a trilogy!
Currently seeking an agent willing to touch this massive doorstop.

Top
 Profile  
Aydross
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:21 pm
Posts: 552
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:10 pm 
 

From what I've heard, they fucking rule. Definitely my kind of metal, so yeah, I'll probably end up listening to them all :).
_________________
...Don't turn out the lights
Cause there's demons in the night
And they prey on the fears in us all...


Last edited by Aydross on Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top
 Profile  
Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35140
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:11 pm 
 

My favorite three are DATD, Hardworlder and The Animal Spirits, though all their stuff is at least good. The first half of DATD is just unstoppably good, god-tier heavy metal. I just love the non-stop riffs as well as the character they always have even despite changing lineups every album. Traveller hasn't aged as well, but it's still better than what a lot of other bands put out.
_________________
Cinema Freaks latest reviews: Black Roses
Fictional Works - if you hated my reviews over the years then pay me back by reviewing my own stuff
Official Website

Top
 Profile  
Metantoine
Slave to Santa

Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:00 pm
Posts: 12030
Location: Montréal
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:16 pm 
 

Traveller is my favorite, Acrobat simply hates good stuff! But yeah, all of their albums are great, stellar band.
_________________
caspian about CHAIRTHROWER wrote:
?????????

Metantoine's Magickal Realm

Top
 Profile  
failsafeman
Digital Dictator

Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:45 am
Posts: 11852
Location: In the Arena
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:30 pm 
 

Jonpo wrote:
Most people seem to love Down Among the Deadmen best, but I've never really been one of them. It has a lot of killer riffs and high-flying hooks but there's just something about the whole thing that feels a little cartoony where it should have been more serious. Whereas an album like Hardworlder sounds like a comic book and it fits PERFECTLY with the songs.

Wait, so feeling cartoony is bad but sounding like a comic book is good? I don't follow you.
_________________
MorbidBlood wrote:
So the winner is Destruction and Infernal Overkill is the motherfucking skullcrushing poserkilling satan-worshiping 666 FUCK YOU greatest german thrash record.

Top
 Profile  
Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:41 pm 
 

I definitely could have worded that better. I shouldn't have said "..the whole thing that feels a little cartoony". In fact there are just a few songs that sound completely Disney to me, and throw the whole thing off. Heavy Metal Monk being the worst offender (this song seriously makes me recoil in abject terror) and Troll Pack being another one.

Whereas Hardworlder, to me, sounds like a comic book from the first note to the last, so although it comes off as super lighthearted it doesn't deter my enjoyment at all, because every song fits the atmosphere.
_________________
I'm livin' for givin' the Devil his due...

Top
 Profile  
SolstafirAquilaria
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2009 6:40 am
Posts: 333
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:03 pm 
 

This conversation reminds me of how I showed Fergus Mac Roich to one of my friends and he said that it sounded like the intro to a Saturday morning cartoon - as if that was a bad thing! :lol:

All of Slough Feg's albums are worth checking out, though. Opinions on favorites tend to differ wildly, as is evident. I'd probably call Traveller my favorite if only for the consistency - the other albums tend to have some songs that I really don't want to hear, and Traveller avoids that for me.

On a related note, and I'm not sure if it was mentioned here before, but their next album is going to be on Metal Blade from what Scalzi said in some interview from earlier this year. I do wonder if they'll suddenly gain popularity (or exposure, at the very least) because of that. They sure as hell would deserve it.

Top
 Profile  
Jophelerx
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:22 pm
Posts: 1460
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:09 pm 
 

For some reason, Holland's Martyr is a band I often tend to overlook, and thus it's been several months since I heard them. Spun their second album this morning, and it's a hell of a lot better than I remembered. The slightly open, layered sound also reminds me a hell of a lot of Sweden's Defender. Anyone else hear the connection? I realize they're both pretty obscure bands, so not everyone has heard them, but it's pretty uncanny. At any rate, I'm definitely going to have to put their first two albums back into my regular rotation, excellent stuff! Real the only good Dutch PM I can think of, actually - Emerald, Angus, Vault, and Valkyrie are good heavy metal, but Martyr pretty much have a monopoly on good Dutch PM. Well, at least they gave us one excellent band!

I've also been listening to Militia's Fiend of Misery comp, anyone else heard that one? Some excellent underappreciated USPM/thrash.

Top
 Profile  
The_Erlking
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:56 am
Posts: 1403
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:18 pm 
 

I'm puzzled about the general concensus of Traveller being their greatest album. There must be something that everyone else hears and recognises and which I don't. To me it's all kind of ok but lacking something... hooks maybe? Perhaps I should listen to it more then? My three favourites are Down Among the Deadmen, Hardworlder and Twilight of the Idols.
_________________
Napero wrote:
I'd love to blast a bit of Voivod and make a better-looking gun turret to glue on the tortoise's shell to make it look like Killing Technology, but the wife won't let me. I think I'll get an Emperor penguin instead.

Top
 Profile  
The_Apex_of_Collapse
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:29 pm
Posts: 1684
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 2:47 pm 
 

Strikers new album just blew my mind. This album is nothing but back to back winners. I can't believe I didn't hear about this till now :nono:
_________________
Resident Speedmetal, and Metalpunk warrior

Top
 Profile  
Slag
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 12:56 am
Posts: 2304
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 8:34 pm 
 

The_Apex_of_Collapse wrote:
Strikers new album just blew my mind. This album is nothing but back to back winners. I can't believe I didn't hear about this till now :nono:

Hell yeah! Armed To The Teeth kills. I had been looking forward to it for forever, but I forgot it's release and eventually picked it up in August. No complaints upon hearing it, when I did eventually get it. I agree with you, it is just great from start to finish.
_________________
Leify wrote:
My grandfather always said, if you can't fix a problem, just systematically blow shit up.

Top
 Profile  
Dandelo
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:08 am
Posts: 1096
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:11 pm 
 

The_Erlking wrote:
I'm puzzled about the general concensus of Traveller being their greatest album. There must be something that everyone else hears and recognises and which I don't. To me it's all kind of ok but lacking something... hooks maybe? Perhaps I should listen to it more then? My three favourites are Down Among the Deadmen, Hardworlder and Twilight of the Idols.


Traveller is one of my favourite albums of all time. The riffs, the way the songs are constructed, the lyrics, all great. The first line uttered by Scalzi on this album still captures my imagination. And there are several lines throughout the album that I just love (Overlapping nucleotides, double helix is genocide!) It's very good escapism, I really love that in my music.

To this day, I still do not know the song names on the album, when I play it, I listen to the whole thing. That is extremely rare.

Top
 Profile  
Aeonblade
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:11 pm
Posts: 1450
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:51 pm 
 

Bill Tsamis' solo keyboard album is finally getting a CD release. Not sure how many people here wanna hear an instrumental keyboard album, but it's pretty cool stuff. Very majestic sounding. Bill has a great ear for melody.
_________________
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

Top
 Profile  
Temple Of Blood
Old Man Yells at Cloud

Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2011 8:16 am
Posts: 3118
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:58 pm 
 

Aeonblade wrote:
Bill Tsamis' solo keyboard album is finally getting a CD release. Not sure how many people here wanna hear an instrumental keyboard album, but it's pretty cool stuff. Very majestic sounding. Bill has a great ear for melody.


samples?
_________________
TEMPLE OF BLOOD: Intense PowerThrash Metal
Facebook / Bandcamp - (now featuring our newly remastered & greatly improved version of "Overlord") / Merch / Homepage

Top
 Profile  
Aeonblade
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:11 pm
Posts: 1450
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 8:15 pm 
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF6hKJnMPPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJobTYaN ... re=related

The synth sounds a little cheap, but fans of old school RPG music might like it.
_________________
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

Top
 Profile  
Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
Posts: 4577
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:02 am 
 

I just looked at the KIT lineup. Fuck you, Germany. I don't even want to know that this festival exists.

/wrists
_________________
and we are born
from the same womb
and hewn from
the same stone - Primordial, "Heathen Tribes"

Top
 Profile  
Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35140
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:02 am 
 

Dandelo wrote:
The_Erlking wrote:
I'm puzzled about the general concensus of Traveller being their greatest album. There must be something that everyone else hears and recognises and which I don't. To me it's all kind of ok but lacking something... hooks maybe? Perhaps I should listen to it more then? My three favourites are Down Among the Deadmen, Hardworlder and Twilight of the Idols.


Traveller is one of my favourite albums of all time. The riffs, the way the songs are constructed, the lyrics, all great. The first line uttered by Scalzi on this album still captures my imagination. And there are several lines throughout the album that I just love (Overlapping nucleotides, double helix is genocide!) It's very good escapism, I really love that in my music.

To this day, I still do not know the song names on the album, when I play it, I listen to the whole thing. That is extremely rare.


Scalzi himself says Traveler is one of his least favorite albums (in an interview posted sometime over last summer), and that he suspects many people like it most because it's the most mainstream "metal" sounding record they ever did. Which is kind of true when you think about it. It's the one with the least forays into non-metal territory like hard rock, folky Celtic stuff, etc. and it has the most streamlined songwriting. It's still pretty damn awesome though.
_________________
Cinema Freaks latest reviews: Black Roses
Fictional Works - if you hated my reviews over the years then pay me back by reviewing my own stuff
Official Website

Top
 Profile  
The_Erlking
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:56 am
Posts: 1403
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:30 am 
 

Nahsil wrote:
I just looked at the KIT lineup. Fuck you, Germany. I don't even want to know that this festival exists.

/wrists


Haha these are my feelings every year
_________________
Napero wrote:
I'd love to blast a bit of Voivod and make a better-looking gun turret to glue on the tortoise's shell to make it look like Killing Technology, but the wife won't let me. I think I'll get an Emperor penguin instead.

Top
 Profile  
Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:39 am 
 

Well, you could travel. That's what I'm doing. :D
_________________
Uncolored wrote:
non 80's wodos members are enemies of teutonic beatles hairstyle thrash

Top
 Profile  
Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
Posts: 4577
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:15 pm 
 

I don't even know if I can afford travelling to Maryland Deathfest, much less outta the country. :(

Traveller has never been my favorite. Twilight of the Idols was my first so it's got a special place, but still not the best. Down Among the Deadmen might be my favorite. I'd maybe say...

Down Among the Deadmen > Twilight of the Idols = Traveller > Ape Uprising = Atavism > Hardworlder > The Animal Spirits (couldn't get into this one much at all)

Not sure about the s/t, haven't listened enough. I don't rank Ape Uprising and Atavism much bellow TotI/Traveller. They're all four pretty quality, even if Atavism is skimpy in places.
_________________
and we are born
from the same womb
and hewn from
the same stone - Primordial, "Heathen Tribes"

Top
 Profile  
Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:45 am 
 

I feel for ya, Nahsil. MDF looks fucking awesome this year, too.

Rage's Soundchaser is actually really good. Great hooks and a really spirited performance from Peavy. I don't really like modern power metal all that much, but this album is cool. This last two part song is definitely one of the band's best. Victor's leads are perhaps a bit too shred for me, but I think his rhythm playing is certainly interesting.
_________________
Uncolored wrote:
non 80's wodos members are enemies of teutonic beatles hairstyle thrash

Top
 Profile  
uzilover
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:28 pm
Posts: 248
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:51 am 
 

Yeah, don't start with Traveller: from what I've heard of it it's not representative of their sound. Down Among the Dead, Animal Spirits and Hardworlder are the best places to begin with.

Don't start with Atavism either: too much of that album is comprised of instrumentals that don't go anywhere.

Top
 Profile  
Dandelo
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:08 am
Posts: 1096
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:00 pm 
 

Soundchaser is pretty tight. The first few songs are very catchy. I really like the guitar playing on that album, he knows when to reign it back a notch when needed.

Top
 Profile  
TheStormIRide
Certified Poser

Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:45 pm
Posts: 1842
Location: Brazildonesia
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:44 pm 
 

ANationalAcrobat wrote:
Rage's Soundchaser is actually really good. Great hooks and a really spirited performance from Peavy. I don't really like modern power metal all that much, but this album is cool. This last two part song is definitely one of the band's best. Victor's leads are perhaps a bit too shred for me, but I think his rhythm playing is certainly interesting.


This is by far my favorite Rage album. It stays away from the gimmicky, cliche lyrics more than the rest. Everyone is at the top of their game on that one too.
_________________
POZERKILLER wrote:
damn I think ive already heard everything

Top
 Profile  
intothesarlaccpit
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:59 am
Posts: 198
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:18 pm 
 

Soundchaser is amazing. I also own Unity but don't enjoy it nearly as much, it's not even close. Which other Rage albums are up to par with Soundchaser?
_________________
Dragunov wrote:
A world without genuine Tony Iommi riffage is a world that I don't care to be a part of!

Top
 Profile  
The_Apex_of_Collapse
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:29 pm
Posts: 1684
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:30 pm 
 

Menace, The band who put out the Quake metal EP in 2003, which was a killer slab of Heavy/speed I must say, just released a new album last month and it sounds very good from this sample http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfHyPAN6rtk Nice and aggressive speedmetal.

I am going to have to pick this up asap.
_________________
Resident Speedmetal, and Metalpunk warrior

Top
 Profile  
Metallic Shock
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:01 pm
Posts: 756
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:20 pm 
 

So apparently Angra have a new singer and will be playing 70000 tons of metal with him(/her?) but they aren't telling us who it is. :ugh:
_________________
Shadow Thoughts (Progressive Metal/Rock): https://shadowthoughts.bandcamp.com/

Top
 Profile  
Metantoine
Slave to Santa

Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 5:00 pm
Posts: 12030
Location: Montréal
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:29 pm 
 

It's Anette Olzon!
_________________
caspian about CHAIRTHROWER wrote:
?????????

Metantoine's Magickal Realm

Top
 Profile  
~Guest 282118
Argentinian Asado Supremacy

Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:16 pm
Posts: 8300
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:40 pm 
 

Don't joke with that Tony. It's not funny.

Top
 Profile  
Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35140
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:41 pm 
 

Tim "Ripper" Owens?
_________________
Cinema Freaks latest reviews: Black Roses
Fictional Works - if you hated my reviews over the years then pay me back by reviewing my own stuff
Official Website

Top
 Profile  
failsafeman
Digital Dictator

Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 8:45 am
Posts: 11852
Location: In the Arena
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:13 pm 
 

John Cyriis!
_________________
MorbidBlood wrote:
So the winner is Destruction and Infernal Overkill is the motherfucking skullcrushing poserkilling satan-worshiping 666 FUCK YOU greatest german thrash record.

Top
 Profile  
~Guest 282118
Argentinian Asado Supremacy

Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:16 pm
Posts: 8300
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:20 pm 
 

Okay, I'll join in; Daniel Heiman?

Top
 Profile  
Aydross
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 9:21 pm
Posts: 552
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:57 pm 
 

Xlxlx wrote:
Okay, I'll join in; Daniel Heiman?

That would be awesome.
_________________
...Don't turn out the lights
Cause there's demons in the night
And they prey on the fears in us all...

Top
 Profile  
garthmargengi
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:16 am
Posts: 482
Location: Argentina
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 3:18 pm 
 

I kind of hope not, from what I've heard on his work with Lost Horizon his voice gets kind of boring, always the same tone and approach to everything.
Whoever it ends up being should be able to put some serious interpretative work into Bittencourt's lyrics, Heiman sounds too monotone to me.

On the other side... Finally, now time to go record another album!
Although knowing late Angra's story of releasing one masterpiece followed by a mediocre album, I'm kind of rather looking forward to the album that will come after this one.
_________________
Hellige: black/doom metal

Top
 Profile  
Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35140
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:17 pm 
 

Their last two albums have easily been the best of their career. Well Rebirth was really good. But the two more recent ones take more steps into originality and deliver more daring, adventurous material, so they're better overall. Temple of Shadows and the earlier Matos stuff is all pretty overrated...
_________________
Cinema Freaks latest reviews: Black Roses
Fictional Works - if you hated my reviews over the years then pay me back by reviewing my own stuff
Official Website

Top
 Profile  
Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:57 pm 
 

I've only heard the debut. It's not bad for Brazilian Euro-power (ha!), but it's not particularly good either.
_________________
Uncolored wrote:
non 80's wodos members are enemies of teutonic beatles hairstyle thrash

Top
 Profile  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic Go to page Previous  1 ... 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363 ... 624  Next


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

 
Jump to:  

Back to the Encyclopaedia Metallum


Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group