To be fair that was the point of my post. Has anyone else noticed this though? I'm not sure how to feel about it.

Only one of my university friends listens to black metal, but it's not his favourite sort of stuff. Haven't exactly notice everyone start listening to black metal, then again most of the people I know listen to the charts, so it wouldn't be a normal leap. My housemate listens to -core and pop-punk and doesn't really like extreme metal, which is fair.

Re: thrash, I usually only find myself liking it when it's blended with other influences, as found in bands like Absu or Merciless. In its undiluted form it tends to ring pretty hollow and for that reason I more or less avoid it entirely. Something like Darkness Descends is fine, but I wouldn't reach for it over anything decent from any other subgenre. Frog, you might check out Merciless' The Awakening... nice filthy, charred, old-school death/thrash that hits quite a few pleasure buttons.

Dungeon synth is great when done well, been digging it quite a bit myself for a couple years now. Though, to be honest, the amount of releases that are actually worth spending much time on couldn't number more than maybe a couple dozen. It's still a pretty obscure little niche in the closed service wing of the metal library.

Dude, this is incredible. First time I hear something that truly sounds like a marriage of old school prog rock and thrash. Thanks for posting it!

At first I was like:

Then the song got stuck at that one simple riff for far too long, though, which was a bit . Thankfully it got better again with an awesome thrashy riff.

Wesley Willis is amazing and anyone just learning about the man now is way behind in the game. Greatest homeless psychotic artist ever discovered by Jello Biafra. "Michael Jackson" or "I Whupped Batman's Ass" are his magnum opus.

Aye. Here in this town that is certainly the case as I know only one person who listens to it... but man. Back home it's gotten kind of crazy. I even saw a jugallo wearing a Burzum shirt at the park downtown.

Well in general in Cantebury there tend to be a fair few metalheads about, (compared to slough where there are next to none) but I wouldn't say it's gotten more so since I moved here two years ago.

Dark Angel do have a good share of death metal in them though. Maybe "pure thrash" sounds hollow because thrash metal is a style rather than a genre (one that originated in speed metal, used in the eighties before the extreme genres developed their own techniques), but you need something, a basic idea or direction that you can apply to this set of techniques. One could use thrash to make black metal (Bathory) or death metal (Slayer) etc. but it doesn't stand on it's own. Maybe what people call "pure thrash" is just, I dunno, speed metal that lacks a good sense of melody (unlike early Metallica, Flotsam & Jetsam, Nuclear Assault, to name a few) ... I still haven't heard a band that I could classify as "pure thrash metal", so pointing me towards one would disprove me of course.

Tired of clearing leaves up every fall?

Cut half the tree down in your yard!

I pick up approximately 50% less leaves now

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruning

Just took a drug test to be hired at Wal-Mart, so I guess I'm officially a worker there.

I'll be mostly working the electronics desk. Taking all bets on how long I'll last before slapping someone.

East Freedom store? If so, you'll probably be seeing me once a week in the store with a scanner.

Nope, Altoona store.

Then you'll still see me doing the same thing. Of course if I am near the electronics section, it's only going to be near printer ink and flash drives since those are the only electronic things I need to scan (most of that other shit is on the produce side), otherwise if I'm in electronics then I'm killing time. I just make sure they're there and the shelf label is there.

Keep an eye out for the fat ugly motherfucker with shoulder-length hair, glasses, and a goatee. That's me.

Keep an eye out for the thin asshole with the polo shirt, short hair, iPod, and an HP Mini being wheeled around in a shopping cart. That's me.

Ah yes, Hawkwind. I'm pretty sure it was an absolutely loony old radio DJ who got me to listen to them. He called himself The Mouth, yelled spastically about dangerous things in the medicine cabinet and played a really eclectic mix of stuff starting at around 2 AM on Saturdays. Pretty sure that's where I first heard King Crimson's "Red", too...

Doremi is probably my favourite Hawkwind album, but I really love a lot of their stuff, even some of the 80s albums. DOn't shirk the Bob Calvert-fronted period; I think Quark, Strangeness and Charm is one hell of an underrated album. Warrior on the Edge of Time will always be extremely special to me, too...that album also has the original version of "MOtorhead".

Edit: And Genocrush Ferox is a pretty cool and unique bandname...don't see what's so awful about it. It sounds like the name of some cybernetic post-apocalyptic warlord who watches exploitation movies in his spare time.

If for some reason I can't choose Space Ritual then yeah, I'd also have to pick Doremi as my favorite. It just seems to have the best balance of the extended jamming mixed with Lemmy's dozering bass grooves.

I think Hall of the Mountain Grill is a really special album though. It sees them moving away from the extended improv/jams and actually writing focused and direct songs. Count_Venereal and myself have also decided that the general vibe/atmosphere is a lot more mysitcal than it is spaced out also. I haven't heard Warrior on the Edge of Time yet (I'm planning on using amazon gift cards to overpay for a copy after xmas) but I've been told its in a somewhat similar vein with less extended songs/jamming and more focused songwriting.

It's interesting that the debut has been your favorite so far. I consider myself a fairly big Hawkwind fan and I have a difficult time sitting all the way through that one. The part where they repeat "Be...your...self" over and over just irritates the shit out of me.

yeah, I too find the debut a bit...underdone, and even derivative compared with later stuff. But it is actually the favourite of many, including my buddies in the new and amazing Galaxies in the River (LP coming soon! haha)

yeah, i don't know why I always leave Hall out of discussions, because it is really good, and, as you say, a lot more focussed. Guess I always preferred Warrior a little bit, but "Psychedelic Warlords" and, particularly, "You Better Believe it"..wow, those are brilliant tunes!

About thrash: There's a certain itch that only pure thrash can scratch for me, and I suspect for others as well. While it is a little bit limiting I almost wouldn't have it any other way, and there's still room for slight tempo variations, simple or challenging playing techniques, and so on. The lack of dynamics basically means there are some days that go by where I couldn't imagine listening to any thrash at all, but I don't really understand metalheads who simply say they don't like it.

Thanks for the Hawkwind recs guys, I'll be sure to check 'em out.

This is pretty interesting, residents in over half of American states have filed petitions for sessesion:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/1 ... ide=307399

I'm sure the numbers of people signing are pretty small compared to the actual population of the states (for example the Texas one had 60,000 signatures). Still an interesting development, although kind of silly as Obama is really a centrist (even slightly right wing on some issues) at heart. It kind of goes into that old cliche "people try to change the system and the system ends up changing them".

Won't happen. Secession is (from what I've heard) considered treason ever since the American Civil War, and none of those stages can support themselves on their own. The best though is North Dakota trying to boot out New York. What the hell?

Speaking of right wing, I've been noticing practically every black metal band out of Ukraine is immediately labeled as NSBM for some reason, even clearly nonpolitical bands (Drudkh, Hate Forest, Astrofaes, Kroda, Khors). What the hell?

Also, how does one pronounce "Drudkh"? "Drud-kuh"?

It may have something to do with that the members of Drudkh and Hate Forest are in fact right wing nationalists. Don't know about the other bands.

I don't see how they count as NS if there's no trace of it in the music. I mean, Naer Mataron isn't considered NSBM and yet Kaiadas is in the Golden Dawn party

My summary on the last page and a half:

1) Children is overrated and bores me shitless
2) I'm proposing a moratorium on prog rock talk. Surely I'm not the only one who loves watching the conversation come to a screeching halt as we watch the same five people circle jerk each other for two solid pages every fucking time.

It's not as though there aren't dozens of other topics that come up here that basically elicit the same sorts of responses, but from a different group of people. I know you weren't being completely serious, but, basically, chill..or just tell another crazy story if you want to change the subject...it usually works!

This is something I would really like to know, too.

I just listened to that Children song which was posted earlier, and it was pretty interesting! Don't hear much prog rock in there at all though, except that intro is totally going for a "2112" feel.. Some cool riffs though and a nice, live sound. Made me think of Metallica around 1986...

Both points denied. Sorry. You can tell a story about the time you had explosive diarrhea again, I'm sure it will be way more relevant and interesting! Prog rock is awesome, you just don't get it!

Voivod

My summary of this post:

Anyway that Children track was really cool...except for the stupid vocals. Seriously, what are metalcore/hardcore vocals doing with melodic thrash/rock riffs? They need someone like Bobby Blitz. Also...Children. Children. They really couldn't think of a better name than that?

I thought they were going for more of a James Hetfield approach, myself, witht he gruff yet somewhat melodious delivery, but I agree, Blitzism would make it about ten times better!

I haven't heard the song in question but I bought Children's debut album used awhile back. I haven't listened to it in years. I remember thinking it was kind of neat, but it just never really got it's hooks in me. I also didn't find it very "prog" in any sense of my understanding of the word. I was way more into "pure" thrash back then so maybe I'd have a better taste for it now. May try to dig it out of the dusty pile.

They did have a great low budget music video though...here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK7bDO4Da9Y

I'm jamming Scorn Defeat for the first time in a long time. I know everyone is way into Sigh and all their OTT-ness these days but man...I wouldn't mind a few more albums in this "stripped down" vein from them. Just Bathory/Frost influence and a really tasteful use of keys and organs. Really powerful album.

And both of you keep an eye for the bald guy wearing a Juniata College sweatshirt, dragging a screaming three year old away from the toy section...

If you set targets and work really hard, you might get promoted to work the electric chair soon. Thumbs up!

I bought that Children album almost 2 years ago and thought it was pretty cool. Didn't listen to it too much though, dunno why. I think the vocals fit the music well but I must admit that they'd sound interesting with Blitz.

About Sigh, I'm listening to 'Infidel Art' right now. Orgasmic.

^ Great album though some of the songs are kind overlong, Suicidogenic is one of my favorite songs from them. That album needs to be reissued.

I'm pretty sure Drudkh is pronounced "drood"

Isn't Drudkh some type of Sanskrit word? I know there are a few linguists floating around the suggestions and complaints forum. Maybe check there?

I agree with you Veracs; they should definitely reissue it. I'm not bothered by the song lengths though.

Someone told me how Drudkh is pronounced once but I can't remember now, unfortunately.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/classic-Brando- ... m_sbs_ap_1

Opinions? buy or not? always wanted one...ive never had one so im a bit of a leather noob

It'll certainly keep you warm!