Metal Thread II: Son of Metal Thread

[lessthanluke]

I saw Black Dahlia Murder once and couldn't stand it :/. I know a lot of people who like them, but I guess I'm just not of the same taste.

I'm a big fan. I saw them earlier this year and I thought they were excellent live.

[Durckad]

I don't get the Slayer love. I guess I am the only person here who doesn't like them.

Slayer's.... okay I guess.

I can listen to one or two of their songs every once in a while, but I get bored if I listen to them nonstop.

[Xray the Enforcer]

1) Slayer -- fun. I'm not the biggest fan of pure thrash, tbh, but sometimes it's the only thing that seems appropriate.

2) Moar albums to review.

For the dumbest of reasons (I bought them at the same time), I am always going to associate Darkane and Anata in my head. Even though they have little in common save for living under the general "metal" tent, being from Sweden, and having "death" somewhere in their subgenre categorization.

Darkane play a hybrid of melodic death and thrash metal. Melodies, heavy riffage, interesting switches, and two vocal styles. I have 2002's Expanding Senses disc, and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm not sure why -- I don't think I could point to a specific song or riff and say "yeah, that's why I like this," but I hope that this will come with more listens. In any case, I would say that those who got tired of In Flames and their ilk for becoming so goddamned boring, but who still occasionally enjoy a melody or three, would probably enjoy a listen of this one, and might end up liking it.

Anata, on the other hand, are straight-up technical death metal. And technical death metal done right, IMHO. I have The Conductor's Departure, but I'm going to get its predecessor Under A Stone With No Inscription as well. I like the band that much. Anyway, this is very organic tech death -- which I know sounds like an oxymoron but isn't. Yes, there's a shitload of technicality in there, but the riffs are heavy and meaty and the drums are crushing. Instead of being stand-offish and sterile (the typical criticism of tech death), this band just reaches out with its music and gives you a big, sweaty bear hug. I might revise this opinion later, but I was really reminded of Blotted Science and its spazz-metal, ultra-technical predecessor band, Behold...The Arctopus! when I listened to this. Anyway, I strongly recommend this for anyone who has a passing interest in the fringes of death metal.

[Rexor]

So...Rhapsody of Fire is pretty ridiculous...

It really is some of the dorkiest metal I've ever heard...and I freaking love it.

I had to check because it sounded like Sir Christopher Lee was narrating on some of their songs...sure enough...it was. So awesome.

[devotee]

Anata, on the other hand, are straight-up technical death metal. And technical death metal done right, IMHO. I have The Conductor's Departure, but I'm going to get its predecessor Under A Stone With No Inscription as well. I like the band that much. Anyway, this is very organic tech death -- which I know sounds like an oxymoron but isn't. Yes, there's a shitload of technicality in there, but the riffs are heavy and meaty and the drums are crushing. Instead of being stand-offish and sterile (the typical criticism of tech death), this band just reaches out with its music and gives you a big, sweaty bear hug. I might revise this opinion later, but I was really reminded of Blotted Science and its spazz-metal, ultra-technical predecessor band, Behold...The Arctopus! when I listened to this. Anyway, I strongly recommend this for anyone who has a passing interest in the fringes of death metal.

Make a blog. I just realized I frequent this thread just to read your posts. Behold... The Arctopus! and Anata has been given a chance, but I must say Empyrean Sky struck me most from the first round of youtube-listening. Damn it, I can see myself repeating your opinions of these bands as my own, over a crate of beers, in a very near future.

Previously, I have tried to contribute, but I have now realized my opinions are unnecessary and that you in your endeavors have left no band unheard. Going back to my whiskey now. :cheers:

[Xray the Enforcer]

:blush:

I am merely standing on the shoulders of giants (e.g. Tsavong Lah and, well, everyone else in this thread -- they've all taught me something about metal at one point or another), although I guess I have branched out to encompass my own specific tastes.

It's funny you mention blogs, though. I was thinking of starting one that would meld two (possibly three) hobbies: metal, birding and (possibly) beer. I just haven't gotten around to launching it yet.

Some more stuff to review (some from two or three months ago), but I went drinking with Mr. X and Moose tonight and I'm a bit loopy. Tomorrow I'll see if I have something interesting to say about Amaseffer, 1349, Belphegor or Absu.

[Yagathai]

What do y'all think of Mastodon's Crack the Skye? I hear it's a new direction for them, and they've gone all Dream Theatery.

[Tsavong Lah]

What do y'all think of Mastodon's Crack the Skye? I hear it's a new direction for them, and they've gone all Dream Theatery.

I found it to be really boring. Of course, I'm not really a fan of Mastodon. I thought Leviathan was okay and didn't really care for Blood Mountain (which many people thought was absolutely awesome).

X-Ray,

of those four bands I've only listened to Belphegor and Absu. Belphegor can be fun and have some good albums, but isn't groundbreaking. And I've only listened to Absu's most recent album, the self-titled one, which I liked but haven't gotten around to their older stuff yet. Looking forward to your reviews.

I haven't listened to much new stuff recently as I've been insanely busy on the farm, but now that harvest is over I feel the need to really start digging for more great music.

[Weak With The Dawn]

What do y'all think of Mastodon's Crack the Skye? I hear it's a new direction for them, and they've gone all Dream Theatery.

I previously had no particular interest in Mastodon, though I did have their discography, and Dream Theater is not my cup of tea, but I thought Crack the Skye was masterful. Especially the lyrical content, there are a few songs where I zone out and miss some major bits, but for the most part I think it's a fantastic album.

X-Ray, the only thing I consistently like about Belphegor is the Goat Mask and the crazy facial expressions. I don't think can actually listen to them because I just laugh every time. 1349 and Absu are both pretty good, the later is better then the former imo but 1349 has a lot of fan boys (read: douchbags who show up to their live events).

[Xray the Enforcer]

1) Crack the Skye -- as my trainer once put it, "A lot of pills went into that album." I'm not crazy about it, but it made for an AMAZING live show. We saw Mastodon perform the whole album live back in May (first set was Crack the Skye, second set was a bunch of stuff from the back catalog in reverse chronological order) and it increased my appreciation of the recorded disc. What feels flat really came alive and engaging. Maybe I can blame the contact high? :drunk:

2) I can see how 1349 would get annoying fanboys, kind of like Lifelover. ;)

[Rane]

I found it to be really boring. Of course, I'm not really a fan of Mastodon. I thought Leviathan was okay and didn't really care for Blood Mountain (which many people thought was absolutely awesome).

Thought the same thing. I gave it a try after several people said it was a masterpiece, but I thought it was worse than Blood Mountain (which I don't like all that much).

[Rexor]

What do y'all think of Mastodon's Crack the Skye? I hear it's a new direction for them, and they've gone all Dream Theatery.

It's not my style. I get it and can understand people's appreciation for it...but, it just bores me. To me, things just drone on and on...like, I said...it's just not my bag.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Absu. This one's easy, because there's only one word you really need to know: Proscriptor. OK, maybe there's more you should know, like that it's black/thrash metal that explores (no surprise) Celtic, Mesopotamian and Sumerian mythologies. They come from Texas, but absolutely sound like they're from Norway (or at least Scandinavia). The music is brutal, precise, varied and interesting. But fuck it -- Proscriptor on drums (he was the drummer for Melechesh for 6 years as well) is what puts this band apart. If you're not into insanely fast drumming and ridiculous fills; if you're not into the harsh black metal vocals; if you're not into a dense, chaotic sound -- you might hate this band. But for those who like Melechesh and their ilk (although this stuff is much closer to early Melechesh than Emissaries-era Melechesh), you might want to check it out. I have The Sun of Tiphareth and Tara, and will be getting the rest of their catalog as well. I'd probably go with tSoT first -- it's a bit easier to get into. Tara is great but between the weird production and the density, it's probably more off-putting to the uninitiated.

Belphegor. Gods, what to say about Belphegor? First, they are ridiculous. They play decent, if not at all imaginative, blackened death metal. Their song titles make me proud to be a metalhead because no matter how socially acceptable bands like Sunn O))) become, I can still bring out tracks like "Goatreich-Fleshcult" and "The Crucifixus -- Anus Dei" and upset the plebes. Thank you, Belphegor, for keeping butt-based blasphemy alive. I'd call Belphegor a guilty pleasure, except that I can't remember any actual enjoyment of their music BUT I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO IT. It makes no sense. There's nothing new in this music, and yet there I am on the F train, mindlessly headbanging away to this absurd crap. I have Goatreich-Fleshcult and am probably not going to bother getting any more. That said, I can't seem to quit this shit, no matter how I try.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Quick follow-up on Absu -- their earlier work is a fair bit different from the 2009 s/t album (which I don't own and have only heard once). New stuff is much heavier on the melody, whereas the older stuff is all about beating the crap out of yo' brain.

[Morrigan]

The new Absu s/t is fucking amazing as well. Possibly the album of the year for me. I'm glad I had a the chance to see them live. There was like 150 people max, but it was intense (we even got a second encore, the rest of the tour didn't at that time, if we can take Proscriptor's word for it :D).

[Durckad]

What do y'all think of Mastodon's Crack the Skye? I hear it's a new direction for them, and they've gone all Dream Theatery.

Awesome.

Blood Mountain was absolutely boring to me and I've never listened to Leviathan, which from what I hear, is basically like Blood Mountain in many ways. That said, Crack the Skye is interesting. Some clean vocals (which I prefer) mixed with screaming/growling, interesting song structures, and weird lyrics. I dig it and I can't stop putting it back into my CD player.

[Tsavong Lah]

3 Inches of Blood live tonight. Should be a small, fun show, as its in a bar in Sioux Falls. It'll be surprising to see how many 3IoB fans there are within driving distance of Sioux Falls. It's about 90 minutes for me, which is the closest there has ever been a concert of a band I wanted to see, so its no big deal.

[Xray the Enforcer]

OI! Happy Birthday Tsavong Lah!! (I think I remember you saying you were seeing 3IB on your birthday).

Have a great one! :cheers:

[Morrigan]

NO! :(

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermo...wsitemID=130598

Awful news. Poor Dio. I hope he gets better quickly!

[Xray the Enforcer]

That really sucks about Dio. May he have a speedy recovery. :(

On to more music.

Amaseffer. My friend picked this up a ProgPower USA this year. Imagine, if you will, an awful hybrid of Orphaned Land and Ayreon, and you'll get a sense of this record. There are about 7 instances of metal sprinkled throughout some of the most self-satisfied, precious, "middle-eastern" prog rock I've had the misfortune to hear. Guest vocalists abound (always a bad sign). There are those awful sound effects -- like that sparkly sound you always hear when somebody sprinkles pixie dust in a movie? Yeah, that shit shows up in this record, too. Basically, it melds the most horrific, trite and annoying elements of Disney, Ayreon and World Music into one shitty package. I am sure someone in this thread -- someone with a stronger stomach than I -- will like/appreciate this album, but this is really not for everyone, or even most. You have been warned.

1349. Black metal. That's what this is about. No embellishments, no modifiers -- that is, no "progressive" or "symphonic" or even "kvlt" -- in this music, and that's totally fine by me. 1349 play competent, brutal and engaging black metal in the same vein as Marduk. I only have 2005's Hellfire, and apparently they've morphed their sound a bit for their latest offering, so I can't really speak to that. But Hellfire is an honest and worthy effort. They kind of fall into the trap of sounding too consistent, in that after song #3 you kind of lose track where the hell you are in the album, and because the music is so dense, it's almost too much in one sitting. But those first three tracks are fucking great, especially "Sculptor of Flesh." Embarrassingly, I have to admit that the breakdown (yes, breakdown) in that song totally gets me. *hands in cred* *dies* *dies again* But, really, it's just a great track all around, as are "I Am Abomination," "Nathicana," Celestial Destruction" and "From the Deeps."