Metal Thread II: Son of Metal Thread

[MinDonner]

Arcticstoat is also a King's X fan; when he's back next week I will send him this way with some recs.

I heard some Alestorm the other night and can't quite remember when I last heard something so ridiculous. Pirate metal? I suppose so, but the concept is a lot cooler than the reality. Sea shanties are never going to sound good, regardless of how metal you make them...

[Xray the Enforcer]

the concept is a lot cooler than the reality

Agreed. Pirate metal is especially crap, IMHO.

[Exa Inova]

My friend is seeing Porcupine Tree soon (or maybe she just saw them?) and I'll be curious to know how she felt about the show. (She'd be right at home in these threads, BTW, so I think comparing her experience to yours, TL, would be valid.)

King's X -- now there's a blast from the past. Mormont (the mod) is a pretty big King's X fan -- you could hit him up for recs. I think I've listened to Dogman more than their other albums (the ones I own, anyway) combined, so maybe start there?

Huge King's X fan myself. Lost sight of them. Them and all the other bands I like(d). Loved Dogman (their darkest album back when grunge ruled rock) and King's X (the Album)

Im bettering my life here and now with the vow I will buy Alice in Chains' new album 'Black Gives Way To Blue'.

Porcupine Tree fan as well. Last album we bought is Light bulb Sun.

Since Im going to better my ways; who can give me some pointers on good Stoner Rock bands? New and old.

[Xray the Enforcer]

So...Vreid.

If you spend any time whatsoever researching BM bands -- and especially when you've fallen into the tr00 BM abyss -- you're going to run across a few common themes in the music, in the reviews of the music, and in the rare interviews that these bargain-basement misanthropes give. One of those themes is the band's disdain for its listeners and fans. It's part of the aesthetic, so just work with it for a moment. That disdain manifests itself in the absolute shit production values of most kvlt BM albums. It's reflected in the lyrics, in the sound, in the crap musicianship (monotonous tremolo picking FTW!).

And then there's Vreid. Such bullshit quotidienne tactics are simply beneath them. Their records are decently produced, with clear drums and guitars (instead of a muddled mess), and the lyrics are delivered with something other than the standard batscreech. But they still hate their listeners, as I discovered to my utter delight -- they just torture those listeners in a new and totally awesome way.

I was giving I Krig its first listen -- was listening to the first minutes of the first track, in fact. It's got a headbanging vibe and actual chords. Already treading on dangerous ground, there. But there I was, headbouncing my way through "Jarnbyrd" when I heard it.

Cowbell.

The drummer dropped a motherfucking cowbell into the bridge.

I imagined that I could hear the meaty splat of 10,000 kvlt BM fans' heads exploding at that very moment, an idea that filled my blackened heart with glee. And in that very moment, I decided that I LOVED Vreid. I would have loved them even if the rest of that album -- the rest of their discography -- sucked. (It doesn't.)

So, piss off, Famine and all of the other miserable, incompetent dorks who can't get above a Level 2 Misanthrope. With that single inclusion of cowbell, Vreid rolled a straight 20 on the Fuck You scale.

[Yagathai]

Agreed. Pirate metal is especially crap, IMHO.

YOU SHUT YOUR FILTHY FUCKING MOUTH!

[Weak With The Dawn]

So...Vreid.

If you spend any time whatsoever researching BM bands -- and especially when you've fallen into the tr00 BM abyss -- you're going to run across a few common themes in the music, in the reviews of the music, and in the rare interviews that these bargain-basement misanthropes give. One of those themes is the band's disdain for its listeners and fans. It's part of the aesthetic, so just work with it for a moment. That disdain manifests itself in the absolute shit production values of most kvlt BM albums. It's reflected in the lyrics, in the sound, in the crap musicianship (monotonous tremolo picking FTW!).

And then there's Vreid. Such bullshit quotidienne tactics are simply beneath them. Their records are decently produced, with clear drums and guitars (instead of a muddled mess), and the lyrics are delivered with something other than the standard batscreech. But they still hate their listeners, as I discovered to my utter delight -- they just torture those listeners in a new and totally awesome way.

I was giving I Krig its first listen -- was listening to the first minutes of the first track, in fact. It's got a headbanging vibe and actual chords. Already treading on dangerous ground, there. But there I was, headbouncing my way through "Jarnbyrd" when I heard it.

Cowbell.

The drummer dropped a motherfucking cowbell into the bridge.

I imagined that I could hear the meaty splat of 10,000 kvlt BM fans' heads exploding at that very moment, an idea that filled my blackened heart with glee. And in that very moment, I decided that I LOVED Vreid. I would have loved them even if the rest of that album -- the rest of their discography -- sucked. (It doesn't.)

So, piss off, Famine and all of the other miserable, incompetent dorks who can't get above a Level 2 Misanthrope. With that single inclusion of cowbell, Vreid rolled a straight 20 on the Fuck You scale.

Surprisingly, Vreid can get away with whatever they want. Half of the members are ex-Windir members, and if you have never listened to Windir DO IT NOW! Those guys were fan-fuckingtastic! The creator and major inspiration, Valfar died the most grim and frostbitten death ever, walking home in a Norwegian blizzard.

Seriously though, that band was the shit. When Valfar died they split into two bands, Vreid and Cor Scorpii. Vreid is imo vastly superior, but Cor Scorpii is good shit too. Neither hold a candle to Windir though...

Also, I may be heading to Porcupine Tree tonight (if I procure a ticket while at work) so you may get a first hand account of the show.

*fingers crossed*

[Weak With The Dawn]

Since Im going to better my ways; who can give me some pointers on good Stoner Rock bands? New and old.

Orange Goblin, Kyuss and Down are the first three that come to mind, I'd give you more but my Zune is out of comission until I get new headphones...so I left it at home :thumbsdown:

[Xray the Enforcer]

YOU SHUT YOUR FILTHY FUCKING MOUTH!

Think of it this way: Tim Powers has never written a kick-ass book about metalheads (at least none that I know of), so in a very tangible way, pirates have an edge. Just not in the metal genre. :P

Re: Windir. I was listening to them this weekend, in fact. It is readily apparent that the two bands are connected -- all the basics for Vreid are in Windir -- and I really enjoy both bands. I've heard Cor Scorpii but don't own any, so I'm not super-familiar with their work.

[Yagathai]

You're talking to the guy with a Running Wild patch on his denim vest.

[Tsavong Lah]

I enjoy Alestorm purely for the absurdity of it. It is so ridiculous that I can't help but smile when listening to it. Yes, it gets old and repetitive after just a short while, but there are definitely times when you want to just shout along with songs like Keelhauled.

[hnv]

Orange Goblin, Kyuss and Down are the first three that come to mind, I'd give you more but my Zune is out of comission until I get new headphones...so I left it at home :thumbsdown:

Sleep

High On Fire

[igoraki]

Artillery have new album and its really good,also saw them live few days ago,it was amazing,sound was great and they got very positive reactions from the crowd...check Myspace if you want to hear some new tracks

More old thrash bends have released new albums,Faith or Fear,Sacrifice,Whiplash...if somebody have hear any of them,please post some comments

As for doomsters,Count Raven released new album and so far am hearing only positive reactions,so will try to get my hands on that one asap

[AndyBelfast]

Agreed. Pirate metal is especially crap, IMHO.

oi! my best mates are in Alestorm!

[Durckad]

Since Im going to better my ways; who can give me some pointers on good Stoner Rock bands? New and old.

Clutch is fantastic. At least their three newest albums are, haven't heard much from their earlier days. EDIT: Damn, guess I haven't heard their newest one yet though.

Monster Magnet maybe. Not a big fan of theirs personally, you may like them though.

Queens of the Stone Age I guess.

Kyuss is quite good, better than Queens of the Stone Age, IMO.

[saint777]

Since Im going to better my ways; who can give me some pointers on good Stoner Rock bands? New and old.

Some great ones already mentioned: Kyuss, Sleep, High On Fire etc. My favorite "stoner rock" album would be Dopethrone by Electric Wizard.

By the way I found some perfect Halloween music: Acid Witch: Witchtanic Hellucinations. Hilarious doom/death/psychedelic/stoner mash.

[Rane]

Clutch is fantastic. At least their three newest albums are, haven't heard much from their earlier days. EDIT: Damn, guess I haven't heard their newest one yet though.

Pretty much everything they made is awesome. Their 3rd album (The Elephant Riders) is my favorite. The new one is good too, but I prefer their older albums.

Also, in a unrelated note, I just picked up The Ocean Collective and it's positively one of the best bands I came cross recently. I was looking for something like Burst, and last.fm made my day :thumbsup:. It's not as agressive as Burst, and has a lot more post-metal to it, but it's incredibly good, especially Precambrian.

[Tsavong Lah]

And then there's Vreid. Such bullshit quotidienne tactics are simply beneath them. Their records are decently produced, with clear drums and guitars (instead of a muddled mess), and the lyrics are delivered with something other than the standard batscreech. But they still hate their listeners, as I discovered to my utter delight -- they just torture those listeners in a new and totally awesome way.

I was giving I Krig its first listen -- was listening to the first minutes of the first track, in fact. It's got a headbanging vibe and actual chords. Already treading on dangerous ground, there. But there I was, headbouncing my way through "Jarnbyrd" when I heard it.

Cowbell.

The drummer dropped a motherfucking cowbell into the bridge.

So I downloaded some Vreid the other day and while I was fiddling around on stuff today I had my "recently added" playlist from itunes running in the background, not very loud. I wasn't even paying attention, and then all of a sudden I freeze and actually say out loud "did I just hear some fucking cowbell?" It was, of course, "Jarnbyrd" by Vreid. So it just goes to show you don't even have to be paying attention and the cowbell will still get you.

Other new stuff I got include the new Megadeth (which seems okay so far), the new Diablo Swing Orchestra (I'm starting to think that what I liked from this band was more the exception than the rule), a promo from a band called Shrinebuilder, Hellwitch, and Eternal Tears of Sorrow. Not a lot of opinions on the latter stuff.

[Caligula_K]

So, the new Megadeth album, Endgame, is actually quite good! The past few have had a few good tracks but then a lot of filler and crap- this one thankfully is consistent from beginning to end. The thrashing is well done, the solos come from all over the place, just like they should in Megadeth, and even the mid-paced songs are good, a first since Youthanasia. Good job, Dave and co.

This year has been pretty good for old thrash bands, actually. Artillery's comeback album, When Death Comes, is fantastic, and Hordes of Chaos is the best Kreator since Coma of Souls. And Death Magnetic is mediocre instead of complete shit, so that can be counted as a win too.

I'll have to check out the New Eternal Tears of Sorrow. I highly recommend the new Ensiferum, which is a return to form after the disappointing Victory Songs, and my album of the year is still Slough Feg's Ape Uprising. Most looked forward to is Heathen's comeback album, released October 30th, which has been delayed for something like four or five years now- the demo they released is seriously promising.

[Durckad]

Pretty much everything they made is awesome. Their 3rd album (The Elephant Riders) is my favorite. The new one is good too, but I prefer their older albums.

I've always been a bit partial to Blast Tyrant, but I'll have to give some of their earlier stuff a try then. I do remember hearing some stuff off of their first (or second?) album and not caring for Neil's singing style on it.

[MinDonner]

Not so impressed with new Megadeth, myself. I mean, it's OK, and it has the proper classic Megadeth sound with widdliness and solos and whatnot, but the lack of any memorable tunes or riffs is a real downside. The only track that stands out is the one they released for advance download anyway, so buying the whole album was a bit of a nonevent.