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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:16 am
Posts: 14211
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:46 am 
 

stoli_ wrote:
The Erosion Of Sanity

Actually, this week I was listening to the whole Gorguts' discography but this album intrigues me the most. While I do like the riffs and the overall sound on Considered Dead and From Wisdom To Hate, I quite can't get into The Erosion Of Sanity.

You know what? I have to agree with you here. Once I heard Considered Dead, I put on this one, hoping for a small amount of maturity in their sound. I was quite disappointed. It's not a bad album, like you said, but if I had to choose between their two early albums, I'd put on Considered Dead first. From Wisdom To Hate is my favourite of theirs...can't wait for new material!

Four Question Marks - Aleph (2005)

Oh, yes. I've been playing this album once a day, almost every day, since I got it. Sometimes even twice or three times. It's a direct copy of Meshuggah, so that already gives it brownie points, but what separates this is the interesting polyrhythms and the unique use of the snare drum. The drumming is not overly different from Tomas Haake, but the smaller, intricate details here are noticeable enough to my odd ears. The guitars still use the bottom string exclusively, which is enough for other listeners to pull their hair out, but for some reason, I love it.

This whole album is probably the best Meshuggah album they didn't make. It rivals everything they've released, except Catch 33, and I find myself playing this a lot more than most of Meshuggah's material. It's a fantastic, cold, mechanical, rigid, polyrhythmic, calculated, monotonous album.
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pc
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:48 am
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:07 am 
 

Grain is back at it after a bit over a year off. The drummer left the band, but the guys have replaced him with a drummer that is better than the previous one--by a mile! They have played two shows since the middle of May, more are on the horizon. Grain metal music is awesome!!

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suleiman
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 18, 2006 1:51 am
Posts: 553
Location: Pakistan
PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:19 am 
 

I revisited Origin's discography amidst a plethora of tech-brutal-DM releases, and came away with the feeling that the genre kings will never be topped. Let us see where the odyssey goes next : will they venture into spacey progressive tendencies ?

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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 2:26 pm 
 

I've been obsessed with Pest's "Hail the Black Metal Wolves of Belial" since I received it in the mail a few weeks ago. For those unfamiliar this is a side project of Tyrant Werewolf (of Satanic Warmaster fame). It's also about 350% more entertaining than anything he has put out under his flagship band. This is a compilation of demo material, and the closest we'll probably ever get to a full-length, but thats no problem.

The music here is old fucking school, regardless of your personal idea's of what that term encompasses. The production is lo-fi black metal, the vocals are hateful black metal, but the riffs are sublime rock and roll/heavy metal fucking perfection. Actually, the first song doesn't really match up with the rest of it that well, sounding more like Beherit playing a few catchy chuggish riffs. As you can imagine from the description that song is also great, although it doesn't really fit in with the rest. After track 1 is out of the way though, it's purely time for head-banging and satan worship. I can't really express how great (and simple) these riffs are. Tyrant Werewolf seems to have a knack for writing a fairly standard sounding heavy metal riff and twisting it into something so malevolent, and then just jamming on it until the point as been asserted. There is also some very restrained keyboard usage to keep things fresh and interesting. The two highlights of the album by far are the entirety of "Sabbath of Lust" which is just a slow-burning, impossibly catchy stomp. The second highlight is a very entertaining moment in "Possessed Wolves' Howling" that caught me off guard at first but screams PURE FUCKING HEAVY METAL.

If you are a fan of black metal that isn't afraid to "rock out", or if you're a fan of heavy metal that can appreciate a dosage of black metal aesthetic, GET THIS NOW. Do it.
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Abominatrix
Harbinger of Metal

Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:15 pm
Posts: 9311
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 3:06 pm 
 

Jonpo wrote:
I've been obsessed with Pest's "Hail the Black Metal Wolves of Belial" since I received it in the mail a few weeks ago. For those unfamiliar this is a side project of Tyrant Werewolf (of Satanic Warmaster fame). It's also about 350% more entertaining than anything he has put out under his flagship band. This is a compilation of demo material, and the closest we'll probably ever get to a full-length, but thats no problem.

The music here is old fucking school, regardless of your personal idea's of what that term encompasses. The production is lo-fi black metal, the vocals are hateful black metal, but the riffs are sublime rock and roll/heavy metal fucking perfection. Actually, the first song doesn't really match up with the rest of it that well, sounding more like Beherit playing a few catchy chuggish riffs. As you can imagine from the description that song is also great, although it doesn't really fit in with the rest. After track 1 is out of the way though, it's purely time for head-banging and satan worship. I can't really express how great (and simple) these riffs are. Tyrant Werewolf seems to have a knack for writing a fairly standard sounding heavy metal riff and twisting it into something so malevolent, and then just jamming on it until the point as been asserted. There is also some very restrained keyboard usage to keep things fresh and interesting. The two highlights of the album by far are the entirety of "Sabbath of Lust" which is just a slow-burning, impossibly catchy stomp. The second highlight is a very entertaining moment in "Possessed Wolves' Howling" that caught me off guard at first but screams PURE FUCKING HEAVY METAL.

If you are a fan of black metal that isn't afraid to "rock out", or if you're a fan of heavy metal that can appreciate a dosage of black metal aesthetic, GET THIS NOW. Do it.


Hm, it's been several years since I heard that one. I'm pretty sure my friend has it; I'll have to borrow it from him or get him to bring it over.

And people find "The Erosion of Sanity" to be the "boring album" in Gorguts's catalogue? I can't believe it. "Considered Dead" is cool and all but it's much less twisted and odd-angled than the follow-u. Yet, songs like "Orphans of Sickness" manage to be so incredibly infectious. "Erosion of Sanity" is nearly perfect for what it sets out to achieve in my view and is far and away the Gorguts album I play most.
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Karnstein_Records
Not yet ready for a custom title

Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:32 am
Posts: 1201
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 1:02 pm 
 

Hydrophobia - Human Shredder
Oh my fucking god, this is one of the best death/grind albums I've ever heard. Deserves a 98%, easy. Couple that with the fact that they're Japanese and that the cover is awesome (I want that on a shirt!) this should be a classic in no time. I need to review this asap.

Ground Zero - Deadline
Pretty sick industrial metal. I guess you could call it industrial death metal with a hardcore influence (like Pantera, not deathcore). Consistantly heavy all the way through, never lets up. A bit over long, some of the songs could do with cutting down but otherwise pretty good and well recommended.

Necrobutcher - Rehearsal '89
Oh shit, why don't these guys have complete cult status now? Fast raw black/thrash metal, Brazilian style, but even more black than Sarcofago and Sepultura (not necessarily as good though). The songwriting obviously isn't that great but the overall feel and sound is great, I can see myself listening to this a lot.

Therapy for Pain - Coming Stronger
Man, is this an exhausting listen! It's not really tech, or brutal, but a death metal album with a slight industrial feel and a random rock ballad thrown in the middle that just doesn't seem to rest for a second. There's a lot going on at once and it sounds like the band were testing their own stanima, especially the guitarist. It's actually very heavy due to this but strangely enough is difficult listening. I say that in a good way though, a thoroughly entertaining album, some that I'm gonna have to dedicate some more time to.

Feos - Katastasi
A stunning post-rock/black metal/ambient amalgamation which even has touches of trip hop. I need to listen to this some more but for now I'll say that's it's a nice, atmospheric listen and is recommended to people that like Agalloch and Wolves in the Throne Room and the like.
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Chaosmonger
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:59 pm
Posts: 1451
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:28 pm 
 

Nocturnal Rites - Afterlife

Decent album, good vocal melodies but where the hell are the guitar solos? This one also has some annoying 'modern metal-isms,' i.e. chugging guitars, cheesy guitar effects. Without the solos, you've effectively heard the entire song after the first chorus is through. I still say 'Tales..' is their best album.

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Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:41 pm 
 

This week, let's see:

Sodom - Get What You Deserve. Though hardly the highpoint of Sodom's career I think this is a cool record - the production is raw but it works very much in the album's favour: the guitar is very rough, Andy Brings was never much of a polished guitarist but here it shows even more so. It's a more punk veined Sodom album and I've always thought Angelripper had a great knack for punky songs. My favourite is probably 'Unbury the Hatchet'.

Pagan Altar's debut. I like this one a lot more than their later albums. It's got a very dark, earthy feel to it and - again - that raw production works very much in its favour. It's like something you'd expect to unearth in a cemetery. The songwriting is great, but I don't think it's entirely clicked with me yet - I'm sure it's a grower, though.

Liege Lord's Master Control as well, but I've already covered that in the heavy metal help thread.
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Karnstein_Records
Not yet ready for a custom title

Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:32 am
Posts: 1201
Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:24 am 
 

Zuckuss - Rancor Rimjob
Well what do you know, this band is actually really good! Great, consistantly heavy and enjoyable deathgrind that I never bothered to check out, presuming that they'd just be a boring gimmick band. Damn my foolishness.
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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:16 am
Posts: 14211
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:48 pm 
 

Abysmal Torment - Omnicide (2009)

Well, what the fuck do we have here? I've not had this long, but I've played it every day since. You see, on paper, Omnicide should blow chunks...tinny production, highlighted by the snare drum, and bree-ing every now and again, which usually sucks. However, I guess two negatives can create a positive, which in turn makes for one awesome journey. Guitars are really downtuned, as you could imagine, but they're inventive enough to not sound repetitive. Vocals are mean as shit, and the drumming is immense, with some of the fastest blast beats this side of Hellfire.

This album has no interludes, if you don't include the intro track (which is basically just an instrumental track, anyway), meaning there is no let-up to the extremity. Sometimes a bad thing, but here, it's good.

Anyone with an interest in brutal death should check this out. Seriously, it's like Suffocation X 100.

1349 - Revelations Of The Black Flame (2009)

Here's an album to polarise fans if there ever was one. For those not in the know, 1349 ditched their insane "blastubation" style shown on Hellfire, and decided to go down the atmospheric, ambient black metal route, not unlike bands such as Blut Aus Nord and The Axis Of Perdition, but even slower. There is some good to be found in this album, but it's counter-balanced by a bit of bad. Frost's drumming has taken a nosedive, and the sluggish nature of the album would not appeal to some.

However, I don't mind it, even if I do prefer Hellfire, and the good is still worthy enough to come back to. I have a feeling that Revelations Of The Black Flame is their first experiment in ambient metal, and they'll more than likely improve on their songwriting on future releases.

I will still say that the opening to the album (screams + ambiance) is one of the most awesome things about it. On some occasions, I'll re-listen to those 3 minutes after the album is completed. :D
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Evil_Johnny_666
Reigning king of the night

Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:54 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:29 pm 
 

ANationalAcrobat wrote:
Sodom - Get What You Deserve. Though hardly the highpoint of Sodom's career I think this is a cool record - the production is raw but it works very much in the album's favour: the guitar is very rough, Andy Brings was never much of a polished guitarist but here it shows even more so. It's a more punk veined Sodom album and I've always thought Angelripper had a great knack for punky songs. My favourite is probably 'Unbury the Hatchet'.


Agreed, I never understood why some people hate it so much when bands like Sodom tries something else. I mean they can't do Agent Orange 10 times, at least it's still thrash. I love their punkish album, I think it suits them well and it adds some freshness to their sound. I'm definitely glad they came through this period. And you must give Atomic Steif credits, his simplistic drumming is really fitting and sounds great (like in Die Sturme Ursel or Jabba the Hut). If you haven't, listen to Masquerade in Blood, it's less punky but better overall, the sound may just be lacking punch. And speaking of Atomic Steif, his drumming on Unwanted Youth is just killer.

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DeathRiderDoom
Pro Sports Warder

Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:17 pm
Posts: 3873
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:42 pm 
 

this week, besides playing stuff as much as i can from my *new folder. i've been listening to a lot of black metal and some nasty old crossover.

Executioner (US) is a badass crossover act. their 1986 debut sounds a lot like british punk riffage (exploited, Discharge) mashed up with some snotty US hardcore like DRI, COC. There's nothing like finding a new, bratty 80's crossover punk band. plenty of cool riffs in this, and aggressive vocals
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OlioTheSmall
Handsome (marsupial) Beast

Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:08 pm
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Location: Squatter's Crog, Australia
PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:51 am 
 

Dred - A Path To Extinction [EP]:

Dred are a tech death band from Sydney, who show quite a bit of promise. Up until this point of their career, they have only released one EP, but a full length (to be released under their new name Ouroboros) is on it's way. I look forward to that full length, because I really like this extended play. Technical death metal is quite a popular genre, now days, and from what I have heard, a lot of it sucks. We have all heard the 'too much wank, not enough depth' argument, so no need state it again in any detail. However, Dred have managed to avoid that problem. Sure the level of musicianship on this release is of a high calibre, but these guys know when to show it off and when to restrain themselves and play ball busting riffs. The riffs in question are very good. There is an abundance of them on here and many of them are quite catchy and go well with headbanging. The production is suitable; very clean but not to the point where the music is rendered sterile and its punch taken away. All the instruments are handled really well and the guitarists display their obvious talent in the array of guitar solos present, that are appropriately placed/played and avoid becoming wanky. Really, the only glaring flaw is the vocalist, who is quite monotonous and bland. A boring performance yes, but it can be overlooked because the music is just so cool.

Really, what we end up with is riff orientated death metal, that knows when and when not to show off. Appropriately produced, professionally packaged and sold for five bucks (which MikeyC paid, anyway) and I have acquired a nice slice of Sydney metal, that shows a good deal of potential.
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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:16 am
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Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:17 am 
 

Carnage - Dark Recollections (1990)

For those that are not aware, this is some very early Swedish death metal with thrashed-up drumming. I've been listening to this a bit the last couple of days, and I have to say it's really good. It's much like early Dismember (a band I have not got any releases of), and contains all the old-school elements that many people salivate over.

I really have very little to say about this, actually. Dark Recollections is just a meaty slab of old-school goodness that stays true to the old Swedish death metal movement of the early 1990's. The riffing is spectacular, only outshined by the drumming. Vocals are vicious themselves, too. It's a tried formula, but Carnage make it sound good. All fans of old-school death metal in the vein of Dismember, and even Entombed circa Left Hand Path should hear this.
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MetalHearted
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:48 pm
Posts: 740
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:36 pm 
 

King Diamond - The Spider's Lullaby

It seems that some of King Diamond/Mercyful Fate's material goes unnoticed under the shadow of the titanic classics the bands have released, and some of these are absolute gems. The Spider's Lullaby is full of incredibly catchy and jaw-dropping singing from the formidable King Diamond, and this album stands among the classics of the KD/MF heap as far as the vocals go. I seriously can't get Dreams and Moonlight out of my head (not a bad thing). There is a lot more melodic singing than on past releases, something I really enjoy. Of course, this album also showcases some quite masterful guitarwork. All of the solo-crafting of past albums is present here, along with some great riffs that go along with Kind Diamond's vocals nicely. Plus, there is the coolest lick on the title track that brings to mind a spider creeping up its web. It goes along with the atmosphere and lyrics of the song masterfully.

As a KD/MF fanatic and fanboy, I won't say anything bad about any of their albums, but this one really is a must.
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Acrobat
Eric Olthwaite

Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:53 am
Posts: 8854
Location: Yorkshire
PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 11:28 am 
 

This week... let's see.

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence. Well, basically I expected to hate this straight-off. Technical, jazzy death metal about nature - not something I'm usually keen on. But I'll be damned if this actually wasn't very good! Despite the busy rhythm section and jazzy touches (I'm not much of a jazz fan, really) this came off really well. I stand impressed by them and it's probably very out of character that a record can feature a fair dose of slap bass and I'll be able to sit through the whole thing. I'll give it a few more listens before I really make my mind up, though.

English Dogs - Forward Into Battle. Now this is clearly more my thing. Savage English (duh) punk/metal. It's cool to hear a punk band play metal rather than the other way around. The only review for this release says "way more punk than metal" - I'd be forced to disagree. In the same way that when a metal band does a punk song, say, Sodom for instance it still comes across more as a metal song. Same case here, there are metal riffs and solos but it's played in a very punk rock fashion. I really like this album, but again, I need more listening time to truly make my mind up.

Bonus certainly not metal album: The Replacements - Hootenanny this is a drunken early album from a band who are fast becoming one of my all-time favourites. It's not really something they've taken seriously (despite it still featuring some really great songs). I love it how one song looks like it's going into a solo with a "Take it, Scotty" and then it's just the sound of a bottle dropping. Man, these guys were drunks. :lol:
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ogmetal
Veteran of the Psychic Wars

Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:22 pm
Posts: 2877
PostPosted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:27 pm 
 

ANationalAcrobat wrote:
This week... let's see.

Atheist - Unquestionable Presence.


Have you given Piece of Time a shot yet? A lot of those elements you dislike are not present on that album. It's my favorite Atheist album.
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somefella
Veteran

Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:57 pm
Posts: 3134
Location: Singapore
PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:20 am 
 

Anyone here own a copy of Triumvirate:Coalition Of The Despised? I was told there are only 50 worldwide releases. It's a 3 way split. I very much enjoyed all 3, Helvette's stuff being more ambient, later Burzum-esque shit.

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MercyfulSatyr
Coelacanthine Cadaver

Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:22 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 2:01 pm 
 

Yeah, ANA, I'd go for Piece of Time, especially "Room With a View." I love its insane opening guitar scream, its venomous vocal delivery of the intelligently pessimistic lyrics, and the overall atmosphere and frenetic pace of the song.

As for myself, I've recently taken a liking to:

Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells. I downloaded it on a whim after reading through the Microcosmos thread, and have been listening to it at least twice a day ever since. I enjoy the traditionally Ukranian intros to songs such as "When the Flame Turns to Ashes" a lot, as well as the great sense of heritage the album pulls off. It actually makes me want to go outside and take a walk while listening even though I'm typically sedentary, proving the power of its evocation of nature. I also like Drudkh's impeccable sense of dynamics and the songs' multi-sectioned composition, filled with alternating tempos as well as subtle soloing. I feel inclined to end my drought of reviews and rave about it. However, even after repeated listens I always manage to discover new things in the album, and I feel I should hold off writing a review until I discover as much as I can. That's the enormous appeal of Drudkh's music.
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DeathForBlitzkrieg
A Dead Man's Robe

Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:23 pm
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Location: Pannonia
PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:18 pm 
 

Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon

The Grand Leveller was a huge step-up from their debut, but with the third full-length release they further refined their sound, approaching death metal perfection. Riffs upon riffs, pounding rhythms and Dave Ingram's powerful growls which never let go. 'Transcend the Rubicon' is relentless and doesn't change its basic formula throughout, yet nifty tempo changes and transitions as well as the occasional lead or solo make it a fairly riveting and compelling listen.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:21 am 
 

Sonata Arctica - Unia

People not liking this baffles me. I mean, what, are you that afraid of bizarre music? This is a complex, dark, intricate musical drama of fantastic proportions. This is a band doing what they want to do and creating a tangible, wondrous atmosphere. There are just so many things going on here, every one of them intriguing and magical. It's almost impossible to tear your attention away from Unia. Stop your silly complaints about mallcore and your silly fears of downtuned guitars and just listen to this. Purely baffling, purely great.
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LouFerrigno
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:47 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 2:47 am 
 

DeathForBlitzkrieg wrote:
Benediction - Transcend the Rubicon

The Grand Leveller was a huge step-up from their debut, but with the third full-length release they further refined their sound, approaching death metal perfection. Riffs upon riffs, pounding rhythms and Dave Ingram's powerful growls which never let go. 'Transcend the Rubicon' is relentless and doesn't change its basic formula throughout, yet nifty tempo changes and transitions as well as the occasional lead or solo make it a fairly riveting and compelling listen.


:headbang:
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FleshMonolith
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:02 am
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Location: fuck city
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:47 am 
 

After listening to all of Eyehategod's discography last night and passing out to it, only to reawaken during Take as Need For Pain, i decided to start my day right today.

Coffins & The Arm and Sword of a Bastard God Split

Coffins needs no introduction here. They absolutely slay on this split, the first track can be found on Buried Death, but this version has a cooler production and vibe to it. While I always expect the best from Coffins, it's TAASOABG that i'm always surprised by. These guys excel at a heavy and violent style of sludge in the same vein as Eyehategod. This split is great and really captures that heavy as fuck sound that few bands match. This split makes me giddy all over and shouldn't be missed by fans of the slower and heavier genres. Awesome Pungent Stench cover on Coffin's side as well.

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cov_mosh_squad
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:40 pm
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Location: United Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:52 pm 
 

This is my first post, so here goes!

This week, I have been listening to Cystic Dysentery: Demo 2008

and Shortbus Pileup: Putrid Pelvis Prolapse.

Top fucking job.

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MetalHearted
Metalhead

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PostPosted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:11 pm 
 

cov_mosh_squad wrote:
This is my first post, so here goes!

This week, I have been listening to Cystic Dysentery: Demo 2008

and Shortbus Pileup: Putrid Pelvis Prolapse.

Top fucking job.


You may try reading the OP. If you get in the habit it will help in the long run.
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MaDTransilvanian
Caravan Beyond Redemption

Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:56 pm
Posts: 3789
Location: Romania
PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:34 am 
 

Amorphis - Skyforger

About a week into my listening experience with this album, I feel I've listened to it enough to form an opinion on its contents and their standing in the band's discography. Most easily compared with the two previous efforts, Skyforger is stylistically very close to its predecessor, Silent Waters, in being a gloomy, somewhat sad even, album with this one feature being prevalent throughout. It explores themes such as love and loneliness through intricate yet very catchy songs which are quite varied. Tomi's vocals are easily on par with what he's previously done, and I'd even say that he surpasses his previous efforts here on some occasions (Growls in Sampo and Silver Bride, clean choruses in those two tracks as well as From The Heaven of My Heart). The more death metal-oriented track Majestic Beast is also a definite standout, especially for anyone who thinks the band's too mellow these days.

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Acrobat
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 6:45 am 
 

Crimson Glory - Transcendence. Well, of course, if you're a power metal fan you have to give this one a listen this week. It's not really an instant album and it did take me a while to get Midnight's vocals (which I now find totally excellent). It's just a massive step up from their debut in all respects - the writing is confident and every melody has a grand, powerful feeling to it (dare I say regal! It's early enough in the morning for me to be pretentious). I actually prefer the softer tracks like 'Painted Skies' to the faster, heavier numbers such as 'Red Sharks' (even if the band can pull off both). I wish this album had a better snare sound though; that's the only downside I can find.

Adramelch - Irae Melanox - I can tell I like what's going on here, there's certainly some really cool stuff going on and the singer is just fantastic. But it does feature some of the most inappropriate production ever! That piss-weak guitar tone is rather annoying at times and the acoustic guitars actually sound a great deal fuller. Perhaps they should have recorded solely on acoustics? :lol: This is clearly a very good album it's just I expect to be fighting with that production for quite a while now.

Artillery - By Inheritance just when I thought I wasn't listening to metal that wasn't over the top enough, I found this: Danes thrashing whilst singing about Egypt. The intro to this album was so cheesy I expected to just laugh and then turn it off when it began. But no, though it took a while to get used to this is fun, melodic thrash. Generally a cohesive album, too, apart from that Nazareth cover which fucking sucks. I wish they'd gone for a more Egyptology themed cover, too, ala Powerslave.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:49 am 
 

Acrobat, I pretty much agree on all of those, although I still don't mind Adramelch's guitar sound. It's so nice and old sounding, it's perfect. :p

Transcendence is just a beast of a record though. It's really hard to deny Crimson Glory's complete mastery of the genre - never seen a negative comment about them ever.
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mornox
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:36 pm 
 

Kampfar - Fra Underverdenen

One of a number of modern Norwegian black metal bands that makes typical Norse metal that still has its own voice. I like pretty much everything these guys have done, but this album must rank as their magnum opus. The high energy, the fantastic playing, the utterly mesmerizing and neck-breaking riffs and enough mythic pagan atmosphere to drown in, this album has got it all. Also interesting is how they somehow marry the typical grimness to the uplifting sound of most pagan metal. It'll make pump your fist and also grimace like a grumpy troll, while flailing your hair and breaking furniture. It's fucking metal!

Ragnarok - Diabolical Age

Sticking with lesser known Norwegians, these guys started out making fuzzy, true black metal with some occasional keyboards in the vein of early Satyricon and Gehenna, providing two pretty cool albums. Like many of their country mates, they started upping the brutality and head-banginess around the turn of the millennium. This third album sits somewhere between the two extremes of ghostly true black metal and hard and heavy extreme metal and the results are pretty damn awesome. It still maintains the great melodies and dark atmosphere of the earlier work, but puts that in a framework of energetic riffwork and larger-than-life drumming, delivering cool riff upon cool riff in a musical framework that is still narrative and linear. An underrated classic if ever there was one.

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MortalScum
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:01 am 
 

Root - The Book (1999)

I'm surprised this band doesn't get more recognition, this is probably the most atmospheric, and epic heavy metal album of the last two decades. Jirí "Big Boss" Walter gives an excellent vocal performance on this album and Blackie's guitar parts are very memorable too. I encourage any King Diamond fans to look into this cause this is definitely something I should have checked out a long time ago.
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Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions (2009)

I think the thing that people don't really get about drone is that the band's ONLY goal is atmosphere (in most cases at least) and this album has plenty of it. Its truly something you can lose yourself in, it has an immense sound yet its so simple. Definately the duo's best work.
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Rottenrectum
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:13 pm 
 

Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion

This didn't click for me the first time I tried it (a couple of weeks ago) but now I was in a wave of simple, headbangable and blackened metal and this time I thought it was amazing. Tons of great riffs (both doomy and thrashing) and angry vocals.

Bathory - Blood Fire Death

This is probably the simplest album I've ever heard. Simple riffs repeated with mechanical drumming does sound like boredom but together with Bathorys incredible atmosphere makes for a great album you easily get lost in. Worth adding is this a very heavy album.

Hellhammer - Demon Entrails

Demo compilation. Sounds like a dirtier and rawer Celtic Frost. This is to me the ancestor to all extreme metal, considering it was recorded in 83. This is very headbangable stuff although at times it can be a bit too raw.
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OlioTheSmall
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:08 pm 
 

Rottenrectum wrote:
Hellhammer - Demon Entrails

Demo compilation. Sounds like a dirtier and rawer Celtic Frost. This is to me the ancestor to all extreme metal, considering it was recorded in 83. This is very headbangable stuff although at times it can be a bit too raw.

I also have that compilation and consider it one of my much better purchases. Hellhammer certainly do deliver ugly and dirty metal, although I'm interested in hearing (if you can name any) specific examples of songs of sections of songs that you consider 'too raw'. I personally never made that conclusion when listening to the CDs.
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Rottenrectum
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:36 pm 
 

OlioTheSmall wrote:
Rottenrectum wrote:
Hellhammer - Demon Entrails

Demo compilation. Sounds like a dirtier and rawer Celtic Frost. This is to me the ancestor to all extreme metal, considering it was recorded in 83. This is very headbangable stuff although at times it can be a bit too raw.

I also have that compilation and consider it one of my much better purchases. Hellhammer certainly do deliver ugly and dirty metal, although I'm interested in hearing (if you can name any) specific examples of songs of sections of songs that you consider 'too raw'. I personally never made that conclusion when listening to the CDs.

What is "too raw" is of course subjective but I think songs like Maniac (not the re-recorded one) can be a bit too raw for me sometimes. A little bit too much garage-rehearsal sometimes.
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OlioTheSmall
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:51 am 
 

Rottenrectum wrote:
OlioTheSmall wrote:
Rottenrectum wrote:
Hellhammer - Demon Entrails

Demo compilation. Sounds like a dirtier and rawer Celtic Frost. This is to me the ancestor to all extreme metal, considering it was recorded in 83. This is very headbangable stuff although at times it can be a bit too raw.

I also have that compilation and consider it one of my much better purchases. Hellhammer certainly do deliver ugly and dirty metal, although I'm interested in hearing (if you can name any) specific examples of songs of sections of songs that you consider 'too raw'. I personally never made that conclusion when listening to the CDs.

What is "too raw" is of course subjective but I think songs like Maniac (not the re-recorded one) can be a bit too raw for me sometimes. A little bit too much garage-rehearsal sometimes.

Of course what is "too raw" is a subjective concept, but I was just curious to see what songs you thought fitted the category.
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ontheyslay
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:27 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:10 pm 
 

Ephel Duath - Pain Necessary to Know

I was in the car and looking through my CDs earlier this week and found this one, so I popped it in. I love this CD, but I'm not really sure why. There isn't a redeeming note on the entire album, except perhaps some of the cleaner jazz sections. I find that after listening to this album so much in the past, and coming back to it now, I don't really listen to the music, but rather try to understand how each instrument relates to the other, and how the band came up with something so, at least on the surface, chaotic, but deep down be something very cohesive and really quite incredible.

You really have to let all your preconceived notions of what music should sound like, and just let it take you. That's why I appreciate this album, it's a challenging listen.

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MikeyC
Official Greeter of Broken Hills

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PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:17 pm 
 

I agree. It's too bad their latest one sucks (dogs) balls.
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Rottenrectum
Metalhead

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PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:46 am 
 

Mörk Gryning - Tusen År Har Gått...

Released in 1995 and sounds similar to another classic album released around that time, namely Storm Of The Lights Bane. Which is good for me, because I absolutely love that album and this got me hooked instantly. Very melodic and atmospheric and pretty straightforward so it's easy to get into. Surprised to see this album hasn't got that much attention (compared to said Dissection album). Another surprising thing is the production quality. Maybe I've got hold of some re-mastered version but this has a clear and powerful sound and not as raw and dirty as much of the early black metal.
This is definitely a gem I will keep listening to.
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Oddeye
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:34 pm 
 

MikeyC wrote:

1349 - Revelations Of The Black Flame (2009)

Here's an album to polarise fans if there ever was one. For those not in the know, 1349 ditched their insane "blastubation" style shown on Hellfire, and decided to go down the atmospheric, ambient black metal route, not unlike bands such as Blut Aus Nord and The Axis Of Perdition, but even slower. There is some good to be found in this album, but it's counter-balanced by a bit of bad. Frost's drumming has taken a nosedive, and the sluggish nature of the album would not appeal to some.

However, I don't mind it, even if I do prefer Hellfire, and the good is still worthy enough to come back to. I have a feeling that Revelations Of The Black Flame is their first experiment in ambient metal, and they'll more than likely improve on their songwriting on future releases.

I will still say that the opening to the album (screams + ambiance) is one of the most awesome things about it. On some occasions, I'll re-listen to those 3 minutes after the album is completed. :D


I've actually also listened to this album alot this past week and I feel like I'm the only one who digs it. I love the dark atmosphere and the more straight forward songs like Maggot Featus... Teeth Like Horns sound really evil. I also think that the Pink Floyd cover is nothing short of awesome. I mean, Hellfire was a good and raw BM album but in my opinion Revelations of the Black Flame is so much more interesting. This is for sure an album I'm proud to own. Oh and I agree, the opening screams are horrifying and cool as fuck.

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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:39 am 
 

Chaosmonger wrote:
Nocturnal Rites - Afterlife

Decent album, good vocal melodies but where the hell are the guitar solos? This one also has some annoying 'modern metal-isms,' i.e. chugging guitars, cheesy guitar effects. Without the solos, you've effectively heard the entire song after the first chorus is through. I still say 'Tales..' is their best album.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-ASCUz5Sdc

SPEED METAL RIFFS! The most insanely catchy vocals ever! What album are you listening to?
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orionmetalhead
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Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 9:54 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 4:21 pm 
 

Ahhh, glad to see that this was given a sticky. Hopefully people remember that its not just an elitist version of the now playing thread...

Aeternus - ...And So The Night Became

This week's major player for me has been Aeternus' .... And So The Night Became. Compared to their first album, still my favorite of course with incredible black metal tracks such as "Vind" and "Sworn Revenge," ... And So The Night Became is an interesting follow up and progression. One of the clearest changes is the tone of the album. Ares' guitar tone has always been a bit odd but it's usage on this particular album seems to work for it's style more than say, Ascension of Terror which, in my opinion, had a similar guitar tone. In retrospect, the meatiness and uniqueness of the tone works much better as the backdrop for a black metal album than a death metal album. I also notice that while there were subtle traces of Celtic melody and themes on Beyond The Wandering Moon, they are much more prevalent on ...And So The Night Became, prime examples being "Warrior of the Crescent Moon" and my personal favorite "Ild Dans." What I miss from Beyond The Wandering Moon that never seems to materialize on ...And So The Night Became - at least to my ears - is the sense of atmosphere. The album just sounds more aggressive than mystical. Still, the album does create images and moods just not to the extent of allowing you to really escape what you are doing or where you are. Morrigan's bass playing and Vrolok's drumming are excellent by my standards. Vrolok's style falls somewhere between straight forward black metal and an aboriginal, tribal bludgeoning. Morrigan also adds all the keyboard / piano parts to the album which play a minor role but do occasionally add to the album's variety and complexity. They are mixed well, keeping in mind that this is a black metal album and not Nightwish, or Dream Theater or something like that. Ultimately, for finding this used for four dollars in FYE, it is a rather excellent find and actually completes my Aeternus discography in-so-far as full lengths are concerned. The album does have dissappointing album art compared to the original version. Since I happened to have found the Candlelight / Karmageddon reissue, however, I will have to live with it.
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