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ANationalAcrobat wrote:

Ah, nice to see this resurrected.

Anyway, this week I have mostly been eating:

Root - The Book. My introduction to Root, and I have to say it's pretty fucking ace! Big Boss's vocals are an acquired taste but I didn't have too much trouble with his weird commanding bellowing. The guitars were very tastefully done and cohesive - there was non of the random separation between the electric and acoustic passages. The cover art is wonderful as well. A difficult album to pigeon-hole but if you need to it's sort of progressive metal (of the incredibly cohesive kind), with an epic feel and a underlying black metal aesthetic.

Dark Quarterer's debut - weird italian prog-metal. Perhaps not in the term's synchronic meaning - but rather that this sounds like a mid point between Sabbath and 70s prog, even though it was released in '87! Very strange stuff, but it works very well. I really like the lo-fi NWOBHM-y production job, too. I may well be tempted to review this one.

Running Wild - Gates to Purgatory straight-up arse kicking heavy metal! Would you really have expected much else from Running Wild, though? A couple of reviews I saw of this made note of a thrashier sound to this, but it's just speed metal. I like the dark aesthetic to 'Black Demon' a lot. I love the amateurish drench-everything-in-reverb production job, it works very well.

Haha, agreed all round. That's my favouritee Running WIld, by far, probably because it's a little differetn from most of what they're more known for nowadays, which I admit I'm not exactly nuts about. Nice description of Root, too .. they're a band that's done little wrong in my eyes and I could recommend any one of their albums almost without reservation. Big Boss still floors me with his vocal delivery, no matter how many times I listen to the albums ... they (he and the band) can get pretty weird at times but it all fits into their atmosphere and you can really feel that black aesthetic even in their most proggy rorks. And, finally, I must iterate that their guitarists are in fact much better than "sexy Alexi".

I'm a huge fan of that Dark Quarterer debut.

...I'll be looking out for your commentary.

I completely disagree with that evaluation of Deathevokation. I found it to be rather sterile and to be frank, really uninteresting. I think there is a marked lack of aggression and darkness which to me spoils any chance of me liking it.

Your opinion on Casting the Stones is in accordance with mine, though. Tempest is perhaps my favorite song from that album, and yeah Battered and Bruised is good too.

I'm interested to hear what you have to say about The Detached and if you've heard it, Kailash (if not, then do so!).

Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade

I just picked this one up this weekend - I'm a fan of WITTR's early work so I was cautiously optimistic. Overall, I was pleased with the release. I don't think that it was as strong as Two Hunters or even Diadem of 12 Stars, but it does a good job of evoking a mood of sadness in a way that is completely unrelated to depressive black metal. I felt "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" was the strongest track on the album but I felt that the album was a bit overlong. Whereas earlier efforts displayed more differentiation between the songs, this album sort of runs together. It's not bad, but by the end it gets a little tiresome.

Root - Black Seal, my second Root album. Though I'm not quite as taken back by just how great this is like I am with The Book I think this is a stunning, cohesive piece. Musically, it's not altogether too dissimilar to The Book but it just has a very different feeling to it, maybe I'll figure out just what it is at some later point. :lol:

Ulver - Nattens Madrigal I just picked this up on a whim. I didn't no what to expect other than the fact it's 'raw' which seems to be the extent of some people's analysis of this record. There's a lot of melody going on and even a notable traditional metal vibe to some of it - though not in the overt "here's an Iron Maiden lick, and now for some screamed vocals". Very interesting stuff, excellent production, too.

Black Seal is more cohesive than The Book in a lot of respects, though it took a while longer for me to get. I've not paid any great attention to the lyrics yet, I will at some point. At the moment I'm just hung up on "Father it's me!" bit. :lol:

I love that. I'll look into The Temple in the Underworld next. I heard something off that and was suitably impressed.

I should play Awake again. LaBrie sounded awesome on it, but the songs didn't have the same amount of feeling that they did on I&W, except for a few of them like "Caught in a Web."

Mortem - [1995] - Demon Tales

What a stellar album, really! This is evil and heavy... perhaps an even better take on the hard-hitting Satanic American-Death metal style that Deicide pioneered, however not quite as rooted in the preceding thrash movements before it. Coming from Peru of all places, this band seems to be a pillar of South American death metal, perhaps their answer to our very own Incantation (not a comparison of style). Their whole catalogue seems rather good, but this one is definitely more of an antediluvian beast whereas the newest full length has a subtle modern touch and a thicker production. The vocals are remarkable, and the front man Fernan Nebiros pulls no punches with the riffs either. Check it out!

rexxz wrote:

I'm going to check this out.

rexxz wrote:

I'm going to check this out.

Kamelot - The Black Halo

I'm...floored, really; this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I always knew it was, but this is really something that gets better over time, that reveals new jewels each time you spin it after an absence of listening. There's just too much here to digest in a few casual listens, and it's a fucking shame that most people won't really get this one. Kamelot have crafted a sound that is dark, compelling and paradoxically accessible, with simple, straightforward melodies stacked on top of each other in a way that becomes complex and moving. Kamelot are just awesome songwriters, crushing the listener underneath a galactic weight of sophistication unlike few others. Full review soon.

Sleep's Holy Mountain:

Obvious classic I know.I ate some mushrooms and listened to it on vinyl while staring at the cover. Never noticed the devil in the bottom right hand corner... That logo was pulsating. There are a ridiculous amount of strange things going on in the production of this album. The dual layered vocals with delays are so subtle at times, I hear new things with each listen.

The lyrics are absolutely vivid as well, which I had never much paid attention to before. If this doesn't paint a picture in your head nothing will:

"Phantasmal specter of two worlds collide,
Planetoid soaked in rays of electric light,
Stoner caravan from deep space arrives,
Rides on the suncraft toward the glowing eye."

This along with the word "anti-moon" in the same song "From Beyond," has me hooked on Sleep.

Author:	Acrobat [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:57 pm ]
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Abominatrix wrote: ANationalAcrobat wrote: Ah, nice to see this resurrected. Anyway, this week I have mostly been eating: Root - The Book. My introduction to Root, and I have to say it's pretty fucking ace! Big Boss's vocals are an acquired taste but I didn't have too much trouble with his weird commanding bellowing. The guitars were very tastefully done and cohesive - there was non of the random separation between the electric and acoustic passages. The cover art is wonderful as well. A difficult album to pigeon-hole but if you need to it's sort of progressive metal (of the incredibly cohesive kind), with an epic feel and a underlying black metal aesthetic. Dark Quarterer's debut - weird italian prog-metal. Perhaps not in the term's synchronic meaning - but rather that this sounds like a mid point between Sabbath and 70s prog, even though it was released in '87! Very strange stuff, but it works very well. I really like the lo-fi NWOBHM-y production job, too. I may well be tempted to review this one. Running Wild - Gates to Purgatory straight-up arse kicking heavy metal! Would you really have expected much else from Running Wild, though? A couple of reviews I saw of this made note of a thrashier sound to this, but it's just speed metal. I like the dark aesthetic to 'Black Demon' a lot. I love the amateurish drench-everything-in-reverb production job, it works very well. Haha, agreed all round. That's my favouritee Running WIld, by far, probably because it's a little differetn from most of what they're more known for nowadays, which I admit I'm not exactly nuts about. Nice description of Root, too .. they're a band that's done little wrong in my eyes and I could recommend any one of their albums almost without reservation. Big Boss still floors me with his vocal delivery, no matter how many times I listen to the albums ... they (he and the band) can get pretty weird at times but it all fits into their atmosphere and you can really feel that black aesthetic even in their most proggy rorks. And, finally, I must iterate that their guitarists are in fact much better than "sexy Alexi". I'm a huge fan of that Dark Quarterer debut. ...I'll be looking out for your commentary. Oh sexy Alexi, man of much make up and no sufficient talent (other than make up application, of course). I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of trouble financially when I have to struggle through their whole discography, but I'm it'll be worth it. There was some really catchy melodic lead work on that album, I didn't really expect that at all, but it worked wonderfully. I really like Gates to Purgatory so far, it's a damn fine album - but I must stress that Death or Glory is a really exciting piece of metal, I can't help but sing, shout and, er, raise my sails when I'm playing that one. By far the best of their 'Pirate' era. It's just so exciting!

Author:	DeathRiderDoom [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:44 pm ]
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hahahha! Running Wild, awesome. that was one of the first albums i got of theirs years ago, along with branded and exiled. thrashed the shit out of them. great albums, although i like the more complex arrangements and switch to full pirate mode available in offerings like Black Hand Inn. of their more recent works i cant get enough of the track "Rogues en Vogue", nop-notch pirate sing-along, that gets stuck in my head all the time.

Author:	brightfield [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:16 pm ]
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Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King - It's been on my wishlist for a long time, but I finally got around to ordering it. Wow, now I know what all the fuss is about. I'm not a huge fan of the genre (power metal? heavy metal? whatever), but when it's done right like this, it's awesome. Devastation (Chicago) - Indispensible Bloodshed - Yeah, I've been carrying on about these guys around here. Still can't figure out why they're not talked about more here or anywhere else I've looked on the interwebs. This was death metal done right, way back in 1987. But it could easily be from 1997 or 2007. I think they were ahead of their time, maybe too far ahead. Anyway, if you haven't heard these guys, but you're a fan of bands like Carnivore, Massacra, Demolition Hammer, etc. check them out. You will not be disappointed.

Author:	OlioTheSmall [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:31 pm ]
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I'm gonna write about a favourite album of mine, that I haven't seen mentioned here in the forum at all. The album is Ad Hominem's Climax of Hatred and by gum it's good. Is it ground breaking in any way? Not really. Is it highly original? Can't say it is. Does the album display any outstanding musicianship? It wouldn't be that hard to play. What does it do? Desecrates you with an onslaught of thrashing riffs and blitzkrieg speeds. Ad Hominem are are listed as a black metal band, but I must say, I hear little black metal in this record. Other than the vocals, this album sounds like a particularly extreme and hateful thrash album. That's my take on it, anyway. In my metal listening experience, admittedly limited in comparison with a lot of the folks here at MA, I have yet to hear much music come close to the aggression that is displayed through this album. Every riff is a winner, the vocals are clearly not being sung by a very loving man and the drums (session drummer I believe) are precise and do their job to really drive the music at full speeds and ground it at slower ones. I do recommend this for anyone into the more extreme side of the thrash spectrum. While is may not be a pure thrash album, Climax of Hatred boasts many of the qualities of a good thrasher. Agree or disagree with me as you will.

Author:	unclevladistav [ Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:52 pm ]
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Falkenbach- Purchases both "Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty" and "...En Their Medh Riki Fara..." this week. Have listened to most of Ok Nefna..., and am really enjoying the combined folk/black/viking influences. Songs can get a bit repetitive, but the fact that they are pretty short helps. En Their Medh... seems to have a much more pronounced black metal influence, a bit more Summoning -esque, but I've only listened to a couple tracks off here so maybe my first impression was wrong. Vratyas Vakyas deserves alot of credit on Ok Nefna..., for maintaing it as a solo project, yet having session musicians. There are too many projects out there where someone is too proud to give instrumental duties to another, and the end result suffers for it.

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Weekly Metal Analysis (read and understand original post!) https://forum.metal-archives.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45318	Page 6 of 19

Author:	MikeyC [ Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:41 am ]
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Antigama - Warning (2009) I've been listening to this album a lot in the last week or two. At first, I found it to be poorer than their previous effort Resonance. While I still think the mentioned album is superior, Warning is really starting to come up closer. Maybe it's the unrelenting intensity. Maybe it's the addition of chaos that was not present (in these doses) in Resonance. Maybe it's the terrible sound of the snare drum! Whatever it is, it's coming across as a really awesome album. There are some faults, of course, with the most puzzling being the filler track "Paganini Meets Barbapapex," which slices the album flow into pieces. Then there's the closer "Black Planet," while not bad, I would've preferred a couple more death/grind tracks. Still, these faults can be overlooked by the unbelievable skill on hand (check out the song "You Have The Right To Remain Violent" and the spastic snare work) and the organised mayhem within. For those that love some awesome death/grind music, I'd pick this up along with Resonance, and you're sure as hell won't be disappointed. This may well be in my top 5 of 2009.

Author:	MacMoney [ Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:27 am ]
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Slugathor: Just recently heard both of their full-lengths and I was very positively surprised to hear such a band coming from Finland in these days and practically next door to me. This kind of mid-paced, very heavy and slightly brutal death metal that learns but doesn't directly ape the old guard is what appeals to me very much. Throw in the low vocals and I am sold. I realize this is nothing new or groundbreaking, but these two albums are both very entertaining and executed with a lot of flair in a style that isn't very common. Or I'm being kept in the dark. It's just too bad that I missed them AND Dead Congregation on tour here in Finland. Not that surprising though, they threw concerts at two rather small towns instead of the big cities.

Author:	rexxz [ Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:35 pm ]
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Anubis Gate - [2009] - The Detached Well, this is something I've been looking forward to ever since the announcement that the band was working on this album came about. After spending a couple of weeks listening to it, I believe I have come to a conclusion on where this stands in relation to their other albums, and the progressive metal genre as a whole. It's a very ambitious effort, more elaborate than perhaps even Andromeda Unchained. It is not as heavy as its predecessor, however. I could write an entire full-length review discussing what the album sounds like, so I won't do that here. It's definitely a great album though, and something of a grower. There is only one immediate 'stand-out' track on this release, but what it lacks in flair it makes up with gravitas and style. --- Hubi Meisel - [2006] - Kailash I got turned on to this album because of Vivien Lalu's involvement. It's no secret here that I am one of Lalu's biggest fans, so anything he touches I always will give a chance. Kailash is an incredible album, but with a few shortcomings. The vocalist (Hubi Meisel himself, of course) has a rather... unorthodox style of singing. It's very soulful, melodramatic and emotive. On the other hand, he often places too much emphasis on trying to seem like an artisan-philosopher. I fully believe that the biggest complaint that anyone would have towards this album is his vocals. So you either will like it or you won't, I think. This album is a cool journey through south and east Asian philosophy and religion, rather cool and unique for metal. I really enjoy the compositions and as always Vivien Lalu knows how to work the orchestration like a champion. This thread is now stickied! Hopefully that will bring more activity here, as I believe this is a rather fine basis for users to discuss and evaluate what they've been listening to on a more in depth scale than what generally goes on in threads like the Free-For-All.

Author:	Empyreal [ Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:08 pm ]
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Jag Panzer - Casting the Stones This album is good. There, I said it. I like this album. It's a very good natured, epic romp in the True Metal style done up with some modern prog stuff that I just dig. It's amazingly catchy, too. No Ample Destruction, but this is certainly a very competent work. Standouts include "Battered and Bruised," "Legion Immortal," "Achilles" and "Feast or Famine." But anything on here will do as a standout. Deathevokation - The Chalice of Ages Holy mother of fuck, this is awesome. Deathevokation play Death Metal in a style that is not exactly old school, but not modernized, either - this is music untainted by any notion of age or time, a winding catacomb of deathly growls and huge, epic guitar riffs and leads that ends up being something to rival even The Chasm's best work. This will still need quite a lot of time for me to fully take in, as it is very dense, strange and esoteric, but I can tell you right now, some of the stuff on here is just superlative. Most notable is the last song "As My Soul Gazes Skyward," which is a ten minute epic with acoustic guitars and slow, beautiful melodies seamlessly intertwined with the heavier bits. And I also like how every song more or less fits together, with no real break in between them - hell, they even do this for the cover song!

Author:	rexxz [ Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:12 pm ]
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I completely disagree with that evaluation of Deathevokation. I found it to be rather sterile and to be frank, really uninteresting. I think there is a marked lack of aggression and darkness which to me spoils any chance of me liking it. Your opinion on Casting the Stones is in accordance with mine, though. Tempest is perhaps my favorite song from that album, and yeah Battered and Bruised is good too. I'm interested to hear what you have to say about The Detached and if you've heard it, Kailash (if not, then do so!).

Author:	Empyreal [ Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:17 pm ]
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rexxz wrote: I completely disagree with that evaluation of Deathevokation. I found it to be rather sterile and to be frank, really uninteresting. I think there is a marked lack of aggression and darkness which to me spoils any chance of me liking it. Your opinion on Casting the Stones is in accordance with mine, though. Tempest is perhaps my favorite song from that album, and yeah Battered and Bruised is good too. I'm interested to hear what you have to say about The Detached and if you've heard it, Kailash (if not, then do so!). Yeah, I was actually really surprised at "Battered and Bruised." All those tempo changes from fast to slow in one song, and not a really long length one, either. Probably the most complex song I've heard out of these guys yet. Hell, the instrumental work on the whole album reminds me of Symphony X, even. These guys have truly come a long way, musically. I DO still wish they'd get a better guitar tone though. More meaty and crunchy, maybe. That'd rule. I've heard The Detached, but I want to give it some more plays before I say anything too definitive about it. It is very good, very dense. I have not heard A Perfect Forever, but I'd say the stuff on here is amongst the most progressive they've ever done. If Andromeda Unchained was their break-out album, this one will catapult them straight to the cosmos.

Author:	rexxz [ Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:20 pm ]
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Yeah I waited about a few weeks of listening to The Detached before I made up my mind. It's rather complex and interesting; I think it will stand the test of time. Anubis Gate probably won't ever be remembered for their contributions to the prog metal genre like Dream Theater or Symphony X will be, but they've already put out two very outstanding albums that will stand up to any other album in the genre.

Author:	Itheus [ Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:00 pm ]
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Seventh Void - "Heaven is Gone" I don't do reviews, so bare with me. However, being a Type O Negative (referred to as TON from here on out) fanboy, I've been waiting for this album for years. They've been around since 2003, and just last week released their first album. For those not familiar with Seventh Void, it feature TON's Kenny Hickey on guitar and vocals, and TON's Johnny Kelly on drums. First impressions have been generally positive. I find Kenny to actually be a great vocalist (he actually does quite a bit for TON), at times I think he sounds like Chris Cornell, but not quite as much range. Like TON, the songs are are a slower pace - Kenny has joked in an interview that he cannot play over 2 beats per second - but more traditional song structures with guitar solos and standard length (no 12 minute songs here). You will not find technical brilliance with Seventh Void, however in my opinion they make up for with their song writing. Catchy grooves and solos, solid vocals, and drugged out anti-christian lyrical content (wonder how that sits with Pete?). EDIT: First single / video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GirIhasAScY

Author:	thomash [ Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:51 pm ]
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Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade I just picked this one up this weekend - I'm a fan of WITTR's early work so I was cautiously optimistic. Overall, I was pleased with the release. I don't think that it was as strong as Two Hunters or even Diadem of 12 Stars, but it does a good job of evoking a mood of sadness in a way that is completely unrelated to depressive black metal. I felt "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" was the strongest track on the album but I felt that the album was a bit overlong. Whereas earlier efforts displayed more differentiation between the songs, this album sort of runs together. It's not bad, but by the end it gets a little tiresome. Watain - Casus Luciferi I finally bought this album over the weekend although I've wanted it ever since I first heard it. It's easily Watain's strongest album - the riffs are catchy, the sound is aggressive and evil, and the songs develop distinct identities from each other. I'd say that Watain's career was made on this album since the rest of their discography is just not as impressive. Anyway, I've been heartily enjoying it recently. Bonus Non-Metal Review Throbbing Gristle - The Third Mind Movements This is a great album. It's very difficult to describe Throbbing Gristle's music and, therefore, to review it but it's great nonetheless. The album is extremely avant-garde; strange noises, jerky piano melodies, and extensive repetition combine to develop a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere. This music isn't anything to rock out to, but it's definitely worth hearing if you're interested in industrial analogs to jarring, atmospheric black metal a la Abruptum even though the mood is quite distinct from anything you'd hear in metal.

Author:	Woolie_Wool [ Fri May 08, 2009 11:22 pm ]
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Lost Horizon - 2001 - Awakening the World If Lost Horizon's sophomore effort A Flame to the Ground Beneath inspires pensive self-reflection, this inspires thrashing your head, pumping your fist, grinning from ear to ear, and getting arrested for disturbing the peace. This is the very essence of what power metal ought to be about, making you feel ten feet tall and smacking you upside the head with enough energy to knock over the Eiffel Tower and keep on going. It's bold, it's powerful, and it's fucking manly as hell. I love it.

Author:	OlioTheSmall [ Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:28 am ]
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thomash wrote: Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade I just picked this one up this weekend - I'm a fan of WITTR's early work so I was cautiously optimistic. Overall, I was pleased with the release. I don't think that it was as strong as Two Hunters or even Diadem of 12 Stars, but it does a good job of evoking a mood of sadness in a way that is completely unrelated to depressive black metal. I felt "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" was the strongest track on the album but I felt that the album was a bit overlong. Whereas earlier efforts displayed more differentiation between the songs, this album sort of runs together. It's not bad, but by the end it gets a little tiresome. I'm a huge fan of Two Hunters, with it being one of my most listened to black metal releases, in my collection. Up until a few months ago, it was the only WITTR release I'd heard and I was very enthusiastic about the up-coming full length. Then, my mate gave me the recently released EP, Malevolent Grain, which I was thoroughly disappointed with, considering the quality of Two Hunters. Listening to that EP basically killed all the enthusiasm I had for the new album and I haven't been motivated enough to check it out, despite my lasting love for the previously mentioned record. Basically, I'd just like to ask you how the album sounds, not only in regards to quality, but in likeness to the other releases. Does it move very far from what was present on Two Hunters, or is it as I feared and the new album follow in the same steps as the EP, Malevolent Grain. That question is addressed to you, assuming you've heard the EP. If you haven't just try and answer the question in relation to Two Hunters. Thanks very much, in advance. Edit: Despite the question already being answered, I just realised I screwed up with the names of the releases at one point.

Author:	thomash [ Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:51 am ]
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Unfortunately, I haven't heard the EP as I heard very bad things about it. However, I can say that the new album's sound is easily recognizable from the two albums that preceded it. The main difference is that Black Cascade spends a bit more time developing a 'traditional' black metal style than Two Hunters; while their earlier albums would progress into ambient parts and some extended melodic segments, Black Cascade tends to stick to riff progressions at the more aggressive end of the WITTR sound's spectrum. Hence, the album develops a somewhat different atmosphere from Two Hunters; the sound is more mournful than naturalistic. Overall, I would suggest that you check it out if you've liked their previous albums and are interested in hearing a 'blacker' WITTR.

Author:	OlioTheSmall [ Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:47 am ]
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Thanks very much, thomash. I'm definitely going to check out the new album from that recommendation. And yes, the idea of a 'blacker' WITTR does excite me.

Author:	Empyreal [ Sat May 02, 2009 12:31 pm ]
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Dream Theater - Octavarium Such a strange and moody album, maybe Dream Theater's most organic and heartfelt to date. Yes, the instrumental proficiency still exists here, as do the long song lengths, but they aren't the main focus of the music so much as the passionate and evocative emotions expressed here. The songwriting is just ace, varying from the more commercial songs like "I Walk Beside You" to progressive monsters like "Panic Attack." This album is not as long as some of these guys' albums are, so it's easy to listen to and immediately captivating - right from those first few dark piano notes on "The Root of All Evil" to James LaBrie's manic screams on the title track at the end. There really aren't any bad songs here, with even the weaker ones like "Never Enough" still being interesting and pleasant to listen to. An intricately woven little prog metal puzzle, Octavarium will definitely be up your alley if you like challenging, melodic music.

Author:	Acrobat [ Sun May 03, 2009 1:00 pm ]
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Root - Black Seal, my second Root album. Though I'm not quite as taken back by just how great this is like I am with The Book I think this is a stunning, cohesive piece. Musically, it's not altogether too dissimilar to The Book but it just has a very different feeling to it, maybe I'll figure out just what it is at some later point. Ulver - Nattens Madrigal I just picked this up on a whim. I didn't no what to expect other than the fact it's 'raw' which seems to be the extent of some people's analysis of this record. There's a lot of melody going on and even a notable traditional metal vibe to some of it - though not in the overt "here's an Iron Maiden lick, and now for some screamed vocals". Very interesting stuff, excellent production, too.

Author:	Wet Pussy [ Sun May 03, 2009 11:44 pm ]
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rexxz wrote: I completely disagree with that evaluation of Deathevokation. I found it to be rather sterile and to be frank, really uninteresting. I think there is a marked lack of aggression and darkness which to me spoils any chance of me liking it. I actually agree with you here. I do like the solos, however, but the music is pretty boring overall. Intestine Baalism - Ultimate Instinct I didn't really like their previous work but this album just blew me away. The guitar tone is fucking heavy, like Grave's Into the Grave brought into the modern age. The riffs themselves are pretty crushing and there's a good mix of melody and brutality, especially in the solos. The solos sound epic but have this ear raping vibe to them, just plain awesome. The vocals are improved as well and they don't go all hiss hiss like on Banquet in the Darkness. Fucking awesome album, I can't believe I delayed giving this a listen for 4 months.

Author:	Abominatrix [ Mon May 04, 2009 10:42 am ]
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ANationalAcrobat wrote: Root - Black Seal, my second Root album. Though I'm not quite as taken back by just how great this is like I am with The Book I think this is a stunning, cohesive piece. Musically, it's not altogether too dissimilar to The Book but it just has a very different feeling to it, maybe I'll figure out just what it is at some later point. You should read the lyrics while you listen to the album. I promise that it heightens the experience greatly. "The Black Seal" is one of my favourite ROot albums .. I actually prefer it to "The Book", though that's certainly a subjective judgment and both albums are fine pieces of work. I just feel that "The Black Seal" is a work with a motive and a mood .. it really is like a grimoire of sorts, and, like the necronomicon is supposed to do, contains warnings as well as exhortations, cautions as well as formulae that will grant great power or immortality! Quote: Ulver - Nattens Madrigal I just picked this up on a whim. I didn't no what to expect other than the fact it's 'raw' which seems to be the extent of some people's analysis of this record. There's a lot of melody going on and even a notable traditional metal vibe to some of it - though not in the overt "here's an Iron Maiden lick, and now for some screamed vocals". Very interesting stuff, excellent production, too. Yeah .. I'm not really a fan of this band but I like this album a lot. That's one of the coolest guitar tones I've ever heard, and it cracks me up that people always go on about how raw it is and miss the fact that the music is so damned tuneful.

Author:	Acrobat [ Mon May 04, 2009 11:09 am ]
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Black Seal is more cohesive than The Book in a lot of respects, though it took a while longer for me to get. I've not paid any great attention to the lyrics yet, I will at some point. At the moment I'm just hung up on "Father it's me!" bit. I love that. I'll look into The Temple in the Underworld next. I heard something off that and was suitably impressed. I do like Ulver a lot, I've had Bergtatt for quite a while and always found it a very enjoyable listen. I'd not heard anything off Natterns Madrigal before purchasing it, all I expected was raw in a sort of Transylvanian Hunger way... and so I was rightfully pleasantly surprised with the amount of tunefulness. I love the way the second guitar just jumps out at you on the first song. Now, that's pretty fucking raw! One more for the road? Yeah. I've been listening to The Obsessed's debut a lot recently, a very cool record from pre-Vitus Wino. It's very laid back and rocky for the most part. A relaxing album - but by no means background music! You can hear a fair few 70s rock bands in there - I hear a bit of ZZ Top and The Dictators in Wino's guitar playing.

Author:	somefella [ Thu May 07, 2009 7:30 am ]
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Speaking of Wino, Punctuated Equilibrium is really good. I never was a mega fan of that guy but I enjoyed that album very much.

Author:	mornox [ Sat May 09, 2009 7:18 pm ]
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ANationalAcrobat wrote: Black Seal is more cohesive than The Book in a lot of respects, though it took a while longer for me to get. I've not paid any great attention to the lyrics yet, I will at some point. At the moment I'm just hung up on "Father it's me!" bit. I love that. I'll look into The Temple in the Underworld next. I heard something off that and was suitably impressed. The Book is probably my least favourite Root album, not because it has bad songs, but that it seems to lack a unifying theme. It's really all over the place, while every other album I have of them (all but the current one, which is goddamnend impossible to find anywhere) feels more like a complete album instead of a collection of songs to me. Still, it has some of my favourite Root songs on it like the title track, The Birth, Lykorian and The Message of the Time. Black Seal is awesome from start to, well not exactly finish but close to it anyway (according to an interview with Big Boss I've read he thought it was funny to extend the last track by about fifteen minutes repeating the same phrase and wondered if anyone would be patient enough to listen to the whole thing while thinking there must be some additional music afterwards which there bloody well wasn't! That's evil man ). Definitely get Temple in the Underworld, it's probably the Root album I like the most. It's where they really started experimenting, but still having that black/death metal edge to it. Some absolutely amazing riffs in there.

Author:	Andromeda_Unchained [ Sun May 10, 2009 6:17 pm ]
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This week; Dream Theater - Awake With the release of Black Clouds & Silver Linings on the horizon I thought it a good time to dust off my DT collection. Forever living in the shadow of it's predecessor I had a deep look into Awake. One of the darker DT releases Kevin Moore almost single handedly takes credit with his sublime keyboard and piano work. IMO I believe Awake took in all that was wrong with the metal/rock scene circa 1994, turning it all on its head. A close contender to Images & Words and arguably James LaBries best performance. Emperor - Anthems To The Welkin At Dush I've only recently began to start giving black metal a chance, the bad production was always the main offender in keeping me away. However with age my minds been beginning to open up and since I'd heard good thing about Emperor I thought this would be the best place to start. Hand on my heart I have to admit this is pretty good. An awesome apocalyptic sound intertwined with melodic leads is something I can get used to - and the only major niggle I have with the production is Ihsahn's vocals are a little too low in the mix. None-the-less really cool stuff and I'm really open to suggestions as to where I should look next?

Author:	Empyreal [ Sun May 10, 2009 6:29 pm ]
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I should play Awake again. LaBrie sounded awesome on it, but the songs didn't have the same amount of feeling that they did on I&W, except for a few of them like "Caught in a Web."

Author:	mornox [ Mon May 11, 2009 5:42 pm ]
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Well, it's not exactly the end of the week, but it's close enough to it and this cool thread needs more attention. Fanisk - Noontide: I've had this for about two months now and I've already played it almost to death. This is symphonic black metal of the absolute highest pinnacle. Varied, structurally sound, genuinely neo-classical black metal that doesn't skimp on the guitars. Sounding alternately threatening and triumphant, this album instils the feeling of wanting to take over the planet, which fits perfectly with its, shall we say, less than politically correct ideology. At one point this extremely oppressive marching part starts up in the third track with heavy chugging riffs and apocalyptic synth-scapes and you instantly grow a curled moustache to twirl around your finger while your iron-shod boot steps on the face of humanity for all time. It's awesome, and it's a shame this album and band aren't mentioned more. Blut aus Nord: Memoria Vetusta II: This is one stellar return to the roots album, which simultaneously progresses their earlier sound. While I love The Work... it doesn't really stand up to the first two full lengths and interesting as their later experiments were, they weren't all that compelling in the long run, so I'm very glad they've picked up their old style again, and so successful at that. There's some truly stellar riffs on here and it is one of those albums with an atmosphere which I can only describe as transcendent, as if just listening to it your mind instantly disengages from the material world and takes off for astral realms of spirit. Definitely an early contender for album of the year.

Author:	rexxz [ Mon May 11, 2009 6:52 pm ]
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Mortem - [1995] - Demon Tales What a stellar album, really! This is evil and heavy... perhaps an even better take on the hard-hitting Satanic American-Death metal style that Deicide pioneered, however not quite as rooted in the preceding thrash movements before it. Coming from Peru of all places, this band seems to be a pillar of South American death metal, perhaps their answer to our very own Incantation (not a comparison of style). Their whole catalogue seems rather good, but this one is definitely more of an antediluvian beast whereas the newest full length has a subtle modern touch and a thicker production. The vocals are remarkable, and the front man Fernan Nebiros pulls no punches with the riffs either. Check it out!

Author:	Evil_Johnny_666 [ Mon May 11, 2009 10:26 pm ]
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Coffins - Mortuary in Darkness Wow. Now that's something dark, filthy and unsettling. It's like your lost in a cavern with some huge, slow monstrosity running after you. Well, walking cause it's so huge and slow, but you just can't run and get away, your like moving back on your ass to a wall and can't do anything about it 'cause you're terrified. SO, it's mostly some kind of doom/death with more upbeat, crusty sections and more sludgy ones too, all flowing really well together. Coffins is really just some filthy death metal, something you want to listen to when you're a little tired of your job or other bad things happening in our beautiful planet, when you just feel the need to go in some kind of cavern far from normal life.

Author:	Empyreal [ Mon May 11, 2009 10:35 pm ]
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rexxz wrote: Mortem - [1995] - Demon Tales What a stellar album, really! This is evil and heavy... perhaps an even better take on the hard-hitting Satanic American-Death metal style that Deicide pioneered, however not quite as rooted in the preceding thrash movements before it. Coming from Peru of all places, this band seems to be a pillar of South American death metal, perhaps their answer to our very own Incantation (not a comparison of style). Their whole catalogue seems rather good, but this one is definitely more of an antediluvian beast whereas the newest full length has a subtle modern touch and a thicker production. The vocals are remarkable, and the front man Fernan Nebiros pulls no punches with the riffs either. Check it out! I'm going to check this out. Kamelot - The Black Halo I'm...floored, really; this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I always knew it was, but this is really something that gets better over time, that reveals new jewels each time you spin it after an absence of listening. There's just too much here to digest in a few casual listens, and it's a fucking shame that most people won't really get this one. Kamelot have crafted a sound that is dark, compelling and paradoxically accessible, with simple, straightforward melodies stacked on top of each other in a way that becomes complex and moving. Kamelot are just awesome songwriters, crushing the listener underneath a galactic weight of sophistication unlike few others. Full review soon.

Author:	rexxz [ Mon May 11, 2009 10:47 pm ]
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Empyreal wrote: rexxz wrote: Mortem - [1995] - Demon Tales What a stellar album, really! This is evil and heavy... perhaps an even better take on the hard-hitting Satanic American-Death metal style that Deicide pioneered, however not quite as rooted in the preceding thrash movements before it. Coming from Peru of all places, this band seems to be a pillar of South American death metal, perhaps their answer to our very own Incantation (not a comparison of style). Their whole catalogue seems rather good, but this one is definitely more of an antediluvian beast whereas the newest full length has a subtle modern touch and a thicker production. The vocals are remarkable, and the front man Fernan Nebiros pulls no punches with the riffs either. Check it out! I'm going to check this out. Do so! It's really something else, I bought the first two full lengths from FMP last week, they just arrived. I've already been spinning it a lot.

Author:	Zexx [ Thu May 14, 2009 1:10 am ]
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Empyreal wrote: rexxz wrote: Mortem - [1995] - Demon Tales What a stellar album, really! This is evil and heavy... perhaps an even better take on the hard-hitting Satanic American-Death metal style that Deicide pioneered, however not quite as rooted in the preceding thrash movements before it. Coming from Peru of all places, this band seems to be a pillar of South American death metal, perhaps their answer to our very own Incantation (not a comparison of style). Their whole catalogue seems rather good, but this one is definitely more of an antediluvian beast whereas the newest full length has a subtle modern touch and a thicker production. The vocals are remarkable, and the front man Fernan Nebiros pulls no punches with the riffs either. Check it out! I'm going to check this out. Kamelot - The Black Halo I'm...floored, really; this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. I always knew it was, but this is really something that gets better over time, that reveals new jewels each time you spin it after an absence of listening. There's just too much here to digest in a few casual listens, and it's a fucking shame that most people won't really get this one. Kamelot have crafted a sound that is dark, compelling and paradoxically accessible, with simple, straightforward melodies stacked on top of each other in a way that becomes complex and moving. Kamelot are just awesome songwriters, crushing the listener underneath a galactic weight of sophistication unlike few others. Full review soon. It's good that you took your time with it. It took me about a month to appreciate every song and not only the first few (they were too badass and only after picking it up about a year later to find how unsurpassingly mezmerizing it really is.

Author:	Mezentus [ Thu May 21, 2009 11:41 am ]
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Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 Being a big fan of Nachtmystium, I was quite fond of this release when I first heard it, but after giving it a few listens over the past two or three days... I'm not sure how I feel about it anymore. To add to that, I've been listening to Pink Floyd's "Meddle" for a few days too, and to say the least, I'm not quite impressed with what Nachtmystium has done. Too much "experimentation" with the bleeping, echo, reverb, and wind sounds.. and the drumming is nothing but bland and repetitive. Tony Laureano.. c'mon!! Blake Judd's vocals are very raspy, and sounds like he has been smoking way too many cigarettes to be doing vocals for this album. Onto the guitarwork, the tone is certainly different. There is too much of a clean-yet-ambient sound to the guitars, and sounds just like noise. The riffing.. well, in some songs, it sounds like typical black metal riffing but with more of a rock edge, however, songs like "Code Negative" and the Seasick trilogy sound great, a shit ton of atmosphere that really has a trippy mood to it. In the Seasick trilogy, everything is quite creative, whether it's the Gilmoure-esque soloing, the very audible bass, the drumming, and even a Saxophone in there. Needless to say, "Code Negative" and "Seasick 1-3" are the best, and most interesting, of the albuim. Hopefully their "Part 2" will be much better and more thought out..

Author:	Krelgen [ Sun May 24, 2009 11:09 pm ]
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Been listening to three main albums over the past week, all of them have been in my collection for some time but were never given proper listens until now. DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage During the first couple listens I didn't think the album would get anywhere. Each song seemed to drag on forever with complete randomness, lacking any sense of melody whatsoever. This baffled me since I had read a few reviews describing it as melodic and catchy. I was pleasantly surprised when it grew on me. The weird sound effects didn't bother me like I thought they would. There were a few isolated parts with certain choruses or short instrumental tunes that stood out, but the solos were forgettable and too random for enjoyment. I'm usually a fan of long tracks but this was probably their biggest weakness, the good moments were spread too thin over filler material. Trail of Broken Hearts is easily my favorite track, nothing else warrants a listen. Hibria - Defying the Rules Back then I thought every song was completely forgettable. Now that I've given it a proper listen, the album definitely has its strengths. The instrumental work is varied and the vocals are much more powerful than the usual stuff I listen to, reminding me of Iron Savior in that regard. It's cool to listen to, but definitely not the catchiest stuff out there. Even now I'm having difficulty remembering what any of it sounded like. It deserves a few more listens, I haven't reached a full conclusion yet. Eluveitie - Slania The vocals were probably what turned me away at first. I don't mind the vocals anymore, and a few tracks are intense enough but not overly so. The folk elements were a nice bonus, but didn't hold much attention. A few tracks were surprisingly catchy, but the rest was forgettable. A greater number of individually good songs place this above DragonForce, but falls below Hibria in terms of consistency.