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sunburntkamel
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Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:46 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:36 pm 
 

So, Swallow the Sun has their Horror suite, that's up to 4 parts now, which I love.
Dream theater has their AA/12 step suite, which is also good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_Suite
Rush did it first (I think?) with the Fear series and Cygnus X-1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_series
Mr. Bungle has the Sleep series (Slowly Growing Deaf, Carry Stress in the Jaw, Phlegmatics).

I like sequential story telling like that, and I like artists that have themes that grow with them.

I'm looking for more examples - nb4 Unforgiven - there are a lot of songs like this where an artist tries to rehash their former glory - I'm not sure how to say it doesn't fit the pattern, other than that it just feels wrong (Queensryche had a decade and a bunch of albums in between mindcrime 1 & 2, same with Tourniquet's Skeezix Dilemna 1 & 2). Including multiple albums on the same theme is kind of tedious, and misses the point, e.g. Saviour Machine's Legend I, II, III... etc.: there's not much point in including the specific suites, when the whole albums are meant to be parts of a whole.

So are there other sequential epics out there that I should check out? Or artists with motifs that keep coming back across their career?

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~Guest 82538
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:47 pm 
 

Mark Jansen's "The Embrace That Smothers" saga comes to mind. It's spawn over two different bands and three albums, namely After Forever's Prison Of Desire and Epica's first and third album. It's a recurrent theme about religion and the way it causes more harm than good to the world, religious extremes, and global domination through fear of god and stuff like that. And it's pretty good actually.

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~Guest 293033
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 6:53 pm 
 

Eternal Tears of Sorrow released "Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act 1: Before the Bleeding Sun)" and "Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act 2: Children of the Dark Waters)" on two consecutive albums.

I'll give a special mention to Hangar 18 & Return to Hanger by Megadeth, as well

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Goatfangs
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 7:45 pm 
 

Dragonland did this, The Book of Shadows Part I, II and III were on Starfall while part IV was on Astronomy.

Unmoored had Final State in three parts across three albums.

Then there is the series of songs by Bolt Thrower.

Start with World Eater on Realm of Chaos, then listen to Cenotaph on Warmaster, then Embers on The IVth Crusade, Powder Burns on Mercenary then finally The Killchain on Those Once Loyal.
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~Guest 82538
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 7:55 pm 
 

Goatfangs wrote:
Then there is the series of songs by Bolt Thrower.

Start with World Eater on Realm of Chaos, then listen to Cenotaph on Warmaster, then Embers on The IVth Crusade, Powder Burns on Mercenary then finally The Killchain on Those Once Loyal.

Don't they just share the same riff? Or is there a recurrent thematic and/or story being told on them?

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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:00 pm 
 

androdion wrote:
two different bands and three albums


yes, perfect! thanks! looks like there's another Epica one as well, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Age_Dawns

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~Guest 82538
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:04 pm 
 

sunburntkamel wrote:
androdion wrote:
two different bands and three albums


yes, perfect! thanks! looks like there's another Epica one as well, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Age_Dawns

Ah, true. There's and explanation for that, I've stopped listening to new Epica albums exactly on that 2009 effort. But that's another story for another place. :) I can say though that the parts on Consign To Oblivion are very interesting and so is the concept.

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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:05 pm 
 

Against Such Things wrote:
Eternal Tears of Sorrow released "Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act 1: Before the Bleeding Sun)" and "Angelheart, Ravenheart (Act 2: Children of the Dark Waters)" on two consecutive albums.

I'll give a special mention to Hangar 18 & Return to Hanger by Megadeth, as well


Awesome. Return to the Hangar is a bit like Mindcrime II, though - despite Mustaine having sufficiently revived megadeth's career, it still rings a little hollow.

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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:11 pm 
 

Goatfangs wrote:
Dragonland did this, The Book of Shadows Part I, II and III were on Starfall while part IV was on Astronomy.



Interesting, makes you wonder if there will be a part IV to The Old House On The Hill from Astronomy.

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IanThrash
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:10 pm 
 

Well, Exogenesis Symphony by Muse its a perfect example of this, check it out, you may dig it althought its not metal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEH98_Ha2aA

Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell by Ulver is worth a listen
here´s the full album

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlrW9SUCINo


Also Overkill by Overkill its an obvious example
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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:28 am 
 

IanThrash wrote:
Well, Exogenesis Symphony by Muse its a perfect example of this, check it out, you may dig it althought its not metal
Themes From William Blake's The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell by Ulver is worth a listen
here´s the full album
Also Overkill by Overkill its an obvious example


I'm actually not looking for suites on a single album - those are all over the place, and also fun, but not quite as interesting as things that are interleaved across a longer time period.

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MARSDUDE
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 10:50 am 
 

The prog rock/metal band Riverside had their "Dream" suite that was featured across a few of their albums.

Reality Dream I & II (off the album Out Of Myself)
Reality Dream III (off the album Second Life Syndrome)
Lucid Dream IV (off the album Rapid Eye Movement II)

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vengefulgoat
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:17 am 
 

Kat - Diabelski Dom. Part 1 and 3 were on '666' album, Part 2 (my favourite) on 'Oddech Wymarłych Światów). Devil sounding speed/thrash.

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Dave_o_rama
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:05 am 
 

Sacramentum did that with the two parts of Black Destiny.
Black Destiny (off The Coming of Chaos)
Death Obsession (Black Destiny Part II) (off Thy Black Destiny)

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grauer_mausling
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:21 am 
 

storywise Bal Sagoth have epic stories going on which are strewn across various albums of them:

The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire
Featured on the albums Starfire Burning... (Pt. I), Battle Magic (Pt. II), and Atlantis Ascendant (Pt. III).

The Obsidian Crown Saga
Featured on the albums Starfire Burning... and The Chthonic Chronicles.

The Guardians of the Astral Gate
Featured on the albums Atlantis Ascendant, and The Chthonic Chronicles.
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AcidWorm
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:22 pm 
 

Does it count that Metallica has "The Unforgiven" on the Black Album and "The Unforgiven 2" on Reload? Or am I just misunderstanding the thread?
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sunburntkamel
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Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:46 pm
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:55 pm 
 

AcidWorm wrote:
Does it count that Metallica has "The Unforgiven" on the Black Album and "The Unforgiven 2" on Reload? Or am I just misunderstanding the thread?


I mentioned that in the post - there's also part III on Death Magnetic.
It kinda counts, but it's kinda also just trying to reclaim former glory - which there's plenty of examples of, and I don't find quite as interesting, but it's hard to explain the difference.

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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 1:03 pm 
 

grauer_mausling wrote:
storywise Bal Sagoth have epic stories going on which are strewn across various albums of them:

The Splendour of a Thousand Swords Gleaming Beneath the Blazon of the Hyperborean Empire
Featured on the albums Starfire Burning... (Pt. I), Battle Magic (Pt. II), and Atlantis Ascendant (Pt. III).

The Obsidian Crown Saga
Featured on the albums Starfire Burning... and The Chthonic Chronicles.

The Guardians of the Astral Gate
Featured on the albums Atlantis Ascendant, and The Chthonic Chronicles.


Awesome - can you point out which songs belong to which epic? I can't figure it out from the titles...

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PengPeng
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Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 8:55 am
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 1:40 pm 
 

since grauer_mausling hasn't responded yet... I am too lazy to make a real list but have a look at this glossary from Bal Sagoth:

http://www.bal-sagoth.freeserve.co.uk/glossary.html

and Byron (vocals + lyrics) also has some parts of their "world" transferred into pictures etc:
http://www.bal-sagoth.net/
http://byronbalsagoth.wordpress.com/the-lexicon/
http://byronbalsagoth.wordpress.com/band-news/

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sunburntkamel
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Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:46 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:07 pm 
 

PengPeng wrote:
since grauer_mausling hasn't responded yet... I am too lazy to make a real list but have a look at this glossary from Bal Sagoth:

http://www.bal-sagoth.freeserve.co.uk/glossary.html

and Byron (vocals + lyrics) also has some parts of their "world" transferred into pictures etc:
http://www.bal-sagoth.net/
http://byronbalsagoth.wordpress.com/the-lexicon/
http://byronbalsagoth.wordpress.com/band-news/


I guess my question is a little foolish, they're a little more like Coheed & Cambria, with all their albums describing one fantasy universe, and all the songs being somewhat thematically entangled?

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PengPeng
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 6:06 pm 
 

since I know C and C only by their name I can't really tell you. All I can say is: listen to Bal Sagoth, they are unique and absolutely awesome ;) (the only exception for me being their debut but since "Starfire..." they only released fantastic works)

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Jophelerx
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 08, 2012 8:16 pm 
 

Skullview do this with their first three albums (The Gleam of the Skull). The first part is quite enjoyable, the other two are decent.

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Poisonfume
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 11:51 am 
 

Leviathan did this with the 'Blood Red and True' songs.
Also, Engorged has made 'Death Metal Attack' 1-3.
Know more but I can't think of them at the moment.
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GTog
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:03 pm 
 

Amon Amarth has done Hermod's Ride to Hel - Loke's Treachery Part I, off With Oden on Our Side, then Töck's Taunt - Loke's Treachery Part II off Surtur Rising.

Earliest example I can think of is Overkill, Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues), and Overkill III (Under the Influence) off Overkill's first three full lengths.

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~Guest 82538
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:29 pm 
 

Not really a matter of "Part 1, Part 2, etc." but I have the distinctive feeling that The Angelic Process have something going on with their songs that start with "Mouvement". A few melodic and rhythmic lines are repeated on a few of those songs that appear on different albums, like a recurring pattern. My guess is that all the "parts" are meant to be somehow related.

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MARSDUDE
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:26 pm 
 

GTog wrote:
Earliest example I can think of is Overkill, Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues), and Overkill III (Under the Influence) off Overkill's first three full lengths.


Don't forget Overkill IV (Evil Never Dies) and Overkill V (The Brand)

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sunburntkamel
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:12 pm 
 

GTog wrote:
Amon Amarth has done Hermod's Ride to Hel - Loke's Treachery Part I, off With Oden on Our Side, then Töck's Taunt - Loke's Treachery Part II off Surtur Rising.

Earliest example I can think of is Overkill, Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues), and Overkill III (Under the Influence) off Overkill's first three full lengths.


man, I've had Töck's Taunt stuck in my head for a week, dunno why I didn't think of that one.

supposedly E.vil N.ever D.ies off Years of Decay is part IV of Overkill, part V not appearing until immortalis

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GTog
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:31 pm 
 

Well, I stopped listening after Under the Influence. :)

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MARSDUDE
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:26 am 
 

Years Of Decay rules. Missing out, man.

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