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Mini-Review Game https://forum.metal-archives.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=85108 |
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Author: | Abominatrix [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:11 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Sodom: "Bullet in the Head" Wow, I guess I should listen to Tapping the Vein! That was great...lots of fire (but no Blackfire, hah hah) on display here, no sign of the Bad 90s that were apparently killing thrash. I love the brief slow refrain that lasts for just a few seconds and yet manages to bring across this ominous feeling of tension. Then they just speed up again, without any kind of flourish..it almost sounds sloppy, but it works damn well for them. Angelripper snarls the chorus with loads of gusto. The drumming...well I can hardly believe that's not Witchhunter because it sounds endearingly a lot like him (I'll have to look it up, but didn't he leave after Better off Dead?). The solo is nice 'n' wild and even begins with one of those cool down-shifting car noises! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUD7JemXzU |
Author: | Necroticism174 [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:12 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
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Author: | Acrobat [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:28 pm ] |
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Abominatrix wrote: Sodom: "Bullet in the Head" Wow, I guess I should listen to Tapping the Vein! That was great...lots of fire (but no Blackfire, hah hah) on display here, no sign of the Bad 90s that were apparently killing thrash. I love the brief slow refrain that lasts for just a few seconds and yet manages to bring across this ominous feeling of tension. Then they just speed up again, without any kind of flourish..it almost sounds sloppy, but it works damn well for them. Angelripper snarls the chorus with loads of gusto. The drumming...well I can hardly believe that's not Witchhunter because it sounds endearingly a lot like him (I'll have to look it up, but didn't he leave after Better off Dead?). The solo is nice 'n' wild and even begins with one of those cool down-shifting car noises! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUD7JemXzU
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Author: | CrushedRevelation [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:43 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
@ANA
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Abominatrix wrote: Fuck yeah! Straight forward, head-down, no holds barred, furious thrash. This doesn't fuck around from the get go, with a razor sharp neck breaker charging right at you. This has a pretty damn awesome production to it as well, with excellent use of reverb on the quite frankly, angry vocals. The riffs are genius, designed to do nothing but get you to bang your head clean off your neck, thrash style. Everything about this screams of pure energy and dedication, pounding you with heavy riffs and punishing drums. It's not original, nor does it have to be as far as I'm concerned, because with this much conviction it'll have you hooked regardless. The separation of instruments is brilliantly apparent, as the bass hammers home the point, keeping a thumping counterpoint to the energetic drumming, while simultaneously fleshing out the guitar. This is stripped back, frenetic thrash done right, with awesome lead work placed perfectly within the guts of the track. Damn good! On a different tack now... |
Author: | Necroticism174 [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:51 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Obliteration - Nekropsalms Evoke A Frozen Age. The beginning of this track had a strange but interesting Death Metal but with a Black Metal vibe feel. That fell apart when it got faster, but it was a really cool sounding bit. With that said, I really dig that the bass is this prominent and groovy. It kicks ass. The drummer knows when to switch it up and every beat he plays exudes confidence, I love his pingy snare during the blasts. The riffs are nothing too special but they make up for it with variety, switching constantly between doomy crushing and tremolo picked insanity. I tend to prefer their doomier moments. They seem more in their element. The vocals are noteworthy as well in that they are absolutely awesome and don't sound generic in the least. I'm going to give some other songs of this record a shot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsBaTittCEg |
Author: | CrushedRevelation [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 10:59 pm ] |
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Author: | Necroticism174 [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:08 pm ] |
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Author: | CrushedRevelation [ Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:14 pm ] |
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Author: | hakarl [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:07 pm ] |
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Dark Fortress - Despise the "Living" Outward this German bunch is more than merely competent, but the music is seriously plagued by lack of substance. Rather obvious Euronymous styled melodies and minor chords without a shred of the originality or ingenuity of the innovator, or even that of the better copycats. Wholly listenable if not at all interesting, this serves as a standard, conventional black metal affair. There are cool albums with about the same extent of musical substance, but with such sterile, lifeless production, this one fails to be of interest despite the rather good screams. The plodding middle-passage with hackneyed, poor synth is also pretty lame. With great production and not this crappy plastic sound, a few chosen moments in this song might've been nothing short of great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CrQIK018FY
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Author: | Necroticism174 [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:17 pm ] |
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Author: | hakarl [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:25 pm ] |
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Author: | Abominatrix [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:38 pm ] |
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@ Crushed REvelation:
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Author: | tehfoks [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:37 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Horna - Vihan Tie Riff-based Black Metal. This is slowly buy surely turning into one of my favorite music styles. This isn't my first experience with Horna, but I can't say I'm entirely familiar with them either. I've heard a few songs here and there which I liked but haven't listened to an album yet. Looks like that's about to change based on this song. The song: Seven minutes of constant tremolo riffs without a milisecond of respite. Sounds dull and tiring? Well guess again, cause this is awesome. Yes, there's a lack of variation, but the quality of the song makes up for it. Not to say that the tempo is always the same. There are some fast and some slower - relatively slower, still pretty fast - riffs. The placement of the riffs and the transition between them is very well thought out, giving you just enough of each so you won't feel like it was too short, yet not overstaying their welcome, as many BM riffs do. Horna also manage to create a special kind of atmosphere. This isn't some overblown, over-produced 3-layer keyboard and whatever ambient-sounding effects people use these days type of atmosphere. This is sincere. It comes into being by itself, born of the sheer power of the guitars and the soul-tearing vocals. The riff at 1:15 or so, which reappears at around 3:30, is fucking excellent. Overall, this song guaranteed that I'll be getting some Horna CDs pretty soon. Thanks for posting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feYOMD1VRPU
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Author: | Corpsey the Clown [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:47 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
RIOT--Still Your Man I've never heard of Riot, but it sounds like they were a notable metal act back in the 80s with an album called "Thundersteel." One of the members, Mark Reale, recently died. Sounds like pure power metal in the vein of old Helloween or Edguy. The sound seems very faithfully reproduced, with the same kind of anthemic, soaring riffs and high clean vocals. I have a friend who introduced me to power metal, and I kind of introduced him to extreme metal. He would love this. It's good for what it is, even though it's not my style. I wish the drums were higher in the mix, I need something to headbang to today. I like my melodic metal heavier and dirtier, like early Mercenary. Speaking of something I can break my neck on...words can't describe what comes over me when I hear this classic. Hell, this whole album. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkTA0w0Zlpw |
Author: | Zelkiiro [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:49 pm ] |
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Author: | AcidWorm [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:59 pm ] |
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Morbid Angel - Suffocation This is the only Morbid Angel album I own and am familiar with. I love this song. It has a varied tempo that ranges from a fast and frantic thrash pace to a slower groovier one. The guitars are fairly technical and the bass can really be heard. I also like the numerous thrash breaks. The vocals are great raspy growls and the solos are very chaotic. The drumming is also fantastic with some good fills thrown around. This is the way death metal should be and I find it far more brutal than all that sterile brutal stuff found today. This is one of my favorite death metal albums. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fCvaOposI0 |
Author: | hakarl [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:42 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
tehfoks:
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Author: | Amerigo [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:05 pm ] |
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Ritual Sacrifice - This is Your God (Live) Let me start off by saying I really wanted to like this song, because it sounded like they were trying to do something very different with the thrash aesthetic. That thrashy main guitar riff sounded pretty unusual and intrigued me, but alas. There was too much wrong with this song. First of all, the goofy, constipated vocals are utterly grating. Secondly, it sounds like half the time each instrument is playing a completely different song. Out of nowhere solos and drumming that throws off the rhythm of the riffs and vocals. I mean there are instances where everything comes together and it actually sounds pretty cool, but those instances are few and far in between. The only saving grace is the basswork, which comes in a bunch of times to rescue the song with a satisfying twang. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drJ3pRiwFdI |
Author: | Abominatrix [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:21 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Holy Terror: "No Resurrection" I have this on a double CD with their other album, but I rarely listen to it because the remaster is so extremely loud!!! Strange that a youtube link should have a superior sound quality to my CD at home. Well anyway, this is some fairly inventive thrash, kind of complex but sloppy at the same time, if that makes any sense, especially in the vocal department, which are delivered with a kind of punky snarl and sound a bit like Bobby Blitz might if he'd forgotten how to sing, and I mostly mean that in a complimentary way. The solo section is surprisingly lengthy and full of quick flurries, and I think even some wah-wah used to good effect. My attention wandered a bit here and there but while I think the band could (and probably have) done better tunes, I'm also a bit hungover and irritable today, so this maybe didn't do as much for me as it normally would. I may end up listening to them again at home. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnH95rbw6FE |
Author: | hey [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:34 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Thought it'd be fun to try this even though I know close to nothing about music and am probably worse at describing it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BL1V5coPoU |
Author: | HeySharpshooter [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:48 pm ] |
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Armoured Angel- Armoured Angel Not a huge fan of straight up Thrash, but I gave the song a solid listen. Sounded tight and fast, but the vocal reverb was killing me. Pretty straightforward stuff... part of way Thrash doesn't do much for me. Love the bass sound though, easily my favorite part of the track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLhnD8i9qOE |
Author: | Acrobat [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:24 pm ] |
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Author: | Abominatrix [ Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:03 pm ] |
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@ acrobatty...
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Author: | MacMoney [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:14 am ] |
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@ Abo:
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Author: | Dave_o_rama [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:38 am ] |
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Charon - Solution... Averse... Tenebrous... Answer: Nothingness / ‡‡ - Immediately I'm greeted with a full-on outburst of blisteringly fast thrash, then the song seems to go into black metal mode, and it works pretty well here. The guitar is the main driving force behind the song, which is a good thing because they guitar players know how to play their instruments. They can definitely play fast and well, but I feel they shine during the slower parts as well, where they rely on actual riffs (and good ones at that). The drumming in this song consists mostly of blasts and double bass, which may not be so creative for some, but I'm not complaining. The bass can be heard, but it's not very audible. But from what I was able to pick out, it just trudges along with the guitar, delivering a lower sound. As far as the vocals go, they're pretty varied. The main type of vocals used here are your standard black metal rasps with clear delivery, but we're also treated to some lower rasps and some spoken word at about the halfway point. You'll even hear death growls thoughout the song, which is a nice change of pace. All in all, this is some good stuff and I'll have to look more into these guys... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDJWJxMnNcA |
Author: | ~Guest 282118 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:52 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Ketzer - A Requiem for Beauty Black/thrash with quite a bit of a Middle Eastern twist in it's riffing and overall aesthetic. Gotta say it; this is some very fun stuff, with tons of headbang-worthy, gritty riffs, shredding, spiralling solos, very charismatic drumming (I actually get sort of a punky feel from it) and a raw yet intelligible production. The vocals could use some work though, as they're too monotone and hoarse for their own good, but beyond that I don't have any real complaints. I must seriously compliment the songwriting here, as it's intricacy, attention to detail and slick transitions are brilliant, for the song has many different parts during it's almost six minute length yet never feels overlong or compartmentalized. And that atmosphere! It's like being trapped in a bloody sandstorm while sorrounded by Arabian mercenaries hell bent on your destruction. This record should definitely get a spin from me. Here's some more Middle Eastern sounding stuff. |
Author: | hakarl [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:01 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Aeternam - Disciples of the Unseen Started with a cool death/thrash riff, and though overly sterily production hurt it, it was pretty cool. The opening riff has a vague middle-eastern feel, though hardly to any exceptional extent. A detrimental factor is the band's tendency to hold tight to this scheme whereas another approach in some parts would've been much more preferable. The song structure is uninventive and the music sounding so sterile it becomes stale quite soon due to being so incredibly linear. The obligatory bridge passage starts off disappointingly, and consists mainly of throwaway material, but there are better parts aswell. I'd say this is better than Septic Flesh, which is musically the Dimmu Borgir of death metal, but not by a long way. This would rank among the few higher-than-average quality moments among Dimmu's mid-era. Wholly listenable with some highly rewarding parts, but in part ruined by crap production and in part due to lack of great riffs. It did have great moments, but too few for a song of six minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYB7le7Ahyo |
Author: | Necroticism174 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:02 pm ] |
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Author: | hakarl [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:07 pm ] |
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Author: | ~Guest 282118 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:09 pm ] |
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Author: | Necroticism174 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:11 pm ] |
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Walknut - Motherland Ostenvegr I remember hearing these guys a long time ago and writing them off as Burzum clone number 483474 but with twice as much distortion because fuck the listener. Listening now, I couldn't have been more wrong. I've grown tired of Burzum over time, and this is much better. The overall sound and production is very much a wall of all encompassing sound, except for the drums, which always stand out. I don't think they blast a single time during the entire ten minutes. It's all very much about building an atmosphere. There are maybe 4 riffs, stretched out to infinite, distorted beyond reason, mournful, and distant. Sound cool? It is. But this dosen't sound like Xasthur or anything, it's still more intelligible, and the vocals are less retarded. They're actually great. I recommend it. Edit: None so Vile kicks ass, and I forgot to post a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU-zaF0LXD4 |
Author: | hakarl [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:14 pm ] |
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Author: | ~Guest 282118 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:16 pm ] |
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Author: | Necroticism174 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:20 pm ] |
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Author: | ~Guest 282118 [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:26 pm ] |
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Author: | Dave_o_rama [ Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:36 pm ] |
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Exmortus - In Hatred's Flame This is awesome. We get a great headbanging riff to open up the song, which leads into some serious thrashing fury. The entire song goes at this consistently fast speed, and won't let the listener catch their breath for even an instant. The guitar work is seriously fast, yet melodic, which is just how I like it. The solos are also just like it, except somehow even more chaotic, which I can't seem to get my head around. The drumwork here it's just all blasts and double bass, as this drummer can play some nice fills as well as go at ludicrous speed. Vocals are a monotone, but still working Vader-esque growl, which could use a bit more variety, but all in all still good. Bass is inaudible, so not much to say there. These guys kind of remind me of a heavier Arsis, and if that sounds at all appealing to you, you need to check these guys out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQPdSi5sO8 |
Author: | LegendMaker [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:11 am ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
I'll see what I can do to mass-reply the million of comments I missed out on recently, but for now, let's just get back on the horse once more... Dave_o_rama wrote: I'm greeted by one of those frantically evil-sounding, joyfully desperate, mildly disturbing riffs that say "death metal, baby!"; always a good start. There's a considerable amount of thrashing involved, as well as a clinical precision in both the guitar work itself, and the subtly compressed, very precise guitar sound: you can hear every minute detail of the picking, and it's not overwhelming at all. In general, this is a very good modern production job (I was actually surprised to see this came from a demo!); well-balanced, clean and powerful without giving in to any loudness war/boost-dat-bass,-bitch! bullshit. The tempo is very driving, and for its medium length, this song flows perfectly; good riffs, excellent transitions, highly enjoyable solos and embellishments. The vocals are very, very old school thrash/death, in a good way, albeit maybe a tad too discreet. If there's one thing I can say against this song, it's that this isn't a standout number on an emotional level, songwriting wise; what I'm getting at is that this is a very potent thrash/death song, I'm into my 4th or 5th listening and still nodding into a semi-headbanging to it, but it's not a song that blows me away from the inside. To put it simply, it's more a "Die by the Sword" than it is a "Crionics". Still a very good introduction to this band, which I hear I should check. Alright, haven't kept tabs as thoroughly as I wished, so I hope this hasn't been posted yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5sCSjSXvjU I've known this song for forever, and always loved it, but for some reason, having had the band's whole discography as my playlist at work for the past couple of weeks, this one song's pedestal has kept rising higher and higher above the rest with each listen; I've been listening to it maybe 10 times a day for a few days, now. You tell me why. |
Author: | Necroticism174 [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:07 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
Helstar - Winds of War. Another band I've heard quite a bit about but never checked out due to already being swamped with infinite music, and them having a pretty shitty name. This starts with some nice acoustics with some strong vocals. Then, predictably, epic distorted guitars kick in after a minute. I knew exactly what to expect with this, but it's still effective. There are a bunch of quality leads and riffs in this song. I'm in love with the vocals too, this guy has got quite a set of powerful pipes. He goes for the Dickinson style, not going for super high notes very often. The solo's are air guitar worthy. As is a general plus for this style, the bass guitar is audible and abuses triplets, and the drums do that beat Maiden always does. Oh shit, I'm only halfway through the song! The entire outro part with the going back to acoustic and piano and the scream at 4:57 followed by even more leads is the icing on the cake. Is the rest of this bands material this good? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN3icV4YIhw |
Author: | ~Guest 282118 [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:12 pm ] |
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Helstar - Winds of War What to say about these guys? They exemplify ballsy, pounding USPM, and this song is no exception to their formula. A calm, soothing intro which draws some parallels with Crimson Glory's Heart of Steel leads into a very melodic and fast riff, which makes you think of Iron Maiden if they played speed metal (in other words; it's awesome). This frantic section composes the bulk of the song (and it includes one of the best solos I've ever heard in all of heavy metal), but from the 4 minute mark and onwards we go back to the peaceful acoustics, although rather than staying like that, the song finishes with a very heartfelt, bursting lead and some delicate keyboards. That's pretty much the song structure, but what about the performances? They're badass, of course. For starters, no mention of Helstar can go without saying how great James Rivera is. The man has an unbelievable set of pipes; clear, powerful, and with a great range. He hits every note perfectly and with passion, his high notes being something to write home about. The rest of the band, of course, doesn't hold back, because as said before, the guitar playing in this track is nothing short of stunning, and the rhythm section accomplishes it's purpose with flying colours. So, in conclusion; beautiful, mighty USPM with a nack for detail. Goddamnit, I gotta listen to A Distant Thunder more..... Now, let's go for something completely different..... Edit: Fuck, this is the second time this happens with you Necro. Sorry buddy. |
Author: | Necroticism174 [ Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:13 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: Mini-Review Game |
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