xkcd

by **Brother Maynard** » Tue May 03, 2011 11:45 pm UTC

Or it's just that you're as sensitive as a cat that's been run over a cheese grater and dropped in lemon juice. I'd be pretty surprised by anyone that frilly, male, female, third-gendered, gay, straight, or asexual actually shredding.

by **Midnight** » Wed May 04, 2011 6:16 am UTC

hanecter wrote:It didn't come off as a joke.
Even if it was a joke, that doesn't mean it's not hateful.

zmatt wrote:and it pissed me off that a cross dresser could shred that well. lol.

The "lol" didn't clue ya? and do you have a good view from up there on the ol' high horse? sorry if that offends.

anyways, I been listening to some Black Sabbath again; uncovered some old records. Shit's pretty bangin', but I find it hilarious that songs with flutes and shit were considered 'metal". How the genre has changed, ya know?

by **Saurus33** » Wed May 04, 2011 11:23 am UTC

Has anyone here heard of Shining?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqPCEADNz74
They call it "Blackjazz".

by **zmatt** » Wed May 04, 2011 3:18 pm UTC

Midnight wrote:
hanecter wrote:It didn't come off as a joke.
Even if it was a joke, that doesn't mean it's not hateful.

zmatt wrote:and it pissed me off that a cross dresser could shred that well. lol.

The "lol" didn't clue ya? and do you have a good view from up there on the ol' high horse? sorry if that offends.

anyways, I been listening to some Black Sabbath again; uncovered some old records. Shit's pretty bangin', but I find it hilarious that songs with flutes and shit were considered 'metal". How the genre has changed, ya know?

Thanks for the assist, some people just can't detect humor.

Anyways, on to other things, Mangini is a pretty great drummer. He put a lot of emotion into his audition, yes I watched the youtube videos.

by **Microscopic cog** » Wed May 04, 2011 3:32 pm UTC

Yea. Mangini is ok. I was hoping for Minnemann but hey, I don't mind because I don't actually listen to Dream Theater's music. It was fun to watch though. I hated the soap-format though.

by **zmatt** » Wed May 04, 2011 4:47 pm UTC

Microscopic cog wrote:Yea. Mangini is ok. I was hoping for Minnemann but hey, I don't mind because I don't actually listen to Dream Theater's music. It was fun to watch though. I hated the soap-format though.

Minnemann is cool but I think he is a better fit with Paul Gilbert than DT. DT's music is more srs business guyz, while Paul Gilbert wears a fucking spacesuit on stage.

Anyways, anyone have an recommendations for good modern thrash? I really like old metallica and megadeth etc but you can only listen to the same few albums so many times you know?

by **Midnight** » Thu May 05, 2011 1:09 am UTC

Public Sanitation Department? Municipal Waste?
There's a band along that name that reminded me of old school thrash.

by **hanecter** » Thu May 05, 2011 3:19 am UTC

zmatt wrote:

Anyways, anyone have an recommendations for good modern thrash? I really like old metallica and megadeth etc but you can only listen to the same few albums so many times you know?

Warbringer is great, they're new. Evile was FANTASTIC live and I love their music. Evile's "Enter the Grave" is pretty retro, "Infected Nations" has some prog influences and it's very interesting and good.

Havok is a bit of a local band, but they have a big underground following. I'd recommend both their albums, "Burn" and "Time is Up." Both are fantastic blends of Bay Area and LA thrash, "Time is Up" is a bit more aggressive than "Burn" but I love both equally.

Bonded by Blood is okay. I like their second album more (I don't remember the name and I'm too drunk/lazy to look it up) but their vocalist rubs me the wrong way.

I can dig up more tomorrow if you'd like. Hope that helps. Thrash is my favourite genre so I've got plenty of recommendations.

by **novax6** » Thu May 05, 2011 6:21 am UTC

zmatt wrote:
Anyways, anyone have an recommendations for good modern thrash? I really like old metallica and megadeth etc but you can only listen to the same few albums so many times you know?

Vektor is probably my favorite newer Thrash band, but i've always been more partial to the progressive style of thrash, like Coroner or Watchtower.

Overkill's newest album is very good, and really comparable to old-school thrash like megadeth.

by **rat4000** » Sat May 07, 2011 2:29 pm UTC

I just heard this and, um, wow.

Manowar's text and music sung a capella (except for percussion) to a video full of fire and explosions.

I, um. I literally can't think of a way to improve this.

by **T3CHN0CR4T** » Sun May 08, 2011 11:10 am UTC

Lately I've been listening to Trivium - I just can't get enough of that double bass and I've also got a bit of a thing for the mythological concepts behind a lot of their music. Can't wait for their net album.

Favourite Trivium songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5qB1kTmUZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EApnhO2OIrw

by **Malus Rune** » Sun May 08, 2011 6:52 pm UTC

Saurus33 wrote:Has anyone here heard of Shining?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqPCEADNz74
They call it "Blackjazz".

Shining are okay, but they have that problem that besets avant garde in that they're just a bit weird for the sake of weird. Their music is interesting but there's not much I get from it.

Havok is a bit of a local band, but they have a big underground following. I'd recommend both their albums, "Burn" and "Time is Up." Both are fantastic blends of Bay Area and LA thrash, "Time is Up" is a bit more aggressive than "Burn" but I love both equally.

Seconded. "Burn" is a magnificent example of contemporary thrash (haven't heard Time is Up, I need to). The bassist is insanely fast and while talent isn't all about speed, it really adds a lot to the music he's p laying along with.

by **Microscopic cog** » Sun May 08, 2011 7:09 pm UTC

Malus Rune wrote:
Saurus33 wrote:Has anyone here heard of Shining?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqPCEADNz74
They call it "Blackjazz".

Shining are okay, but they have that problem that besets avant garde in that they're just a bit weird for the sake of weird. Their music is interesting but there's not much I get from it.

I get what you're saying but I disagree. I loved their album. Being weird for the sake of being weird is part of the music. They tried to create something unique and weird as well, but I think they're not crossing the line to "Look at us! We so crazy!"

Besides, I think it's a great mix of intense but at times very catchy music.

by **hanecter** » Sun May 08, 2011 8:50 pm UTC

Malus Rune wrote:blends of Bay Area and LA thrash, "Time is Up" is a bit more aggressive than "Burn" but I love both equally.

Seconded. "Burn" is a magnificent example of contemporary thrash (haven't heard Time is Up, I need to). The bassist is insanely fast and while talent is all about speed, it really adds a lot to the music he's p laying along with.[/quote]
Yes, he's great. I love that he doesn't always just follow the guitars. "Morbid Symmetry" live is amazing.

by **Midnight** » Mon May 09, 2011 6:58 am UTC

T3CHN0CR4T wrote:Lately I've been listening to Trivium - I just can't get enough of that double bass and I've also got a bit of a thing for the mythological concepts behind a lot of their music. Can't wait for their net album.

Favourite Trivium songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5qB1kTmUZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EApnhO2OIrw

Yeah, I like Shogun a lot. And those two songs are really great. They have a ton of energy live, which is nice.

by **T3CHN0CR4T** » Mon May 09, 2011 8:07 am UTC

Midnight wrote:
T3CHN0CR4T wrote:Lately I've been listening to Trivium - I just can't get enough of that double bass and I've also got a bit of a thing for the mythological concepts behind a lot of their music. Can't wait for their net album.

Favourite Trivium songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5qB1kTmUZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EApnhO2OIrw

Yeah, I like Shogun a lot. And those two songs are really great. They have a ton of energy live, which is nice.

I wanted to go and see them with Disturbed when they came to Australia but the tickets were over $200! D: If I hadn't just seen Iron Maiden at Soundwave, I probably would have forked out the money :mrgreen:

by **zmatt** » Mon May 09, 2011 4:57 pm UTC

Thanks for all of the recommendations guys. Havok is brutal. \m/

by **Sarr** » Sat May 21, 2011 11:49 pm UTC

rat4000 wrote:I just heard this and, um, wow.

Manowar's text and music sung a capella (except for percussion) to a video full of fire and explosions.

I, um. I literally can't think of a way to improve this.

Van Canto is pretty awesome... as long as they're doing covers. Much as I love the a capella style metal, there's really just something about their songwriting that bugs me. They're trying to be epic, but they fuck it up because of the wording, or something along those lines.

Oh, has anyone heard of Steel Attack? They're a pretty cool power metal band I stumbled on, their songwriting isn't bad (like most of the genre, it's fantasy inspired, but I take no issue with that), and the music itself is pretty good. I think this one of my favorite songs of theirs.

by **Malus Rune** » Sun May 22, 2011 4:14 pm UTC

I'm rather partial to their (Van Canto) song "Last Night of the Kings" but otherwise yeah, I agree. They're great vocalists and they do very nice covers, but their songwriting itself isn't that remarkable. It just doesn't tend to be that interesting, and sometimes trying to make words out of the background music instead of just "dun dun dun" gets cheesy, with the exception made for "BATTÁRY BATTÁRY" ^^

by **rat4000** » Mon May 23, 2011 2:06 pm UTC

Yeah, their lyrics aren't good, but I don't think they care too much - in an interview I read somewhere, one of them said that they just wanted a cool sound and the lyrics were usually an afterthought. I usually just turn off the part of my brain that's trying to understand the words; they become notably better when you do that.

by **SirMustapha** » Mon May 23, 2011 6:38 pm UTC

Saurus33 wrote:Has anyone here heard of Shining?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqPCEADNz74
They call it "Blackjazz".

I'm amazed.

by **BurningLed** » Thu May 26, 2011 10:31 pm UTC

rat4000 wrote:Yeah, their lyrics aren't good, but I don't think they care too much - in an interview I read somewhere, one of them said that they just wanted a cool sound and the lyrics were usually an afterthought. I usually just turn off the part of my brain that's trying to understand the words; they become notably better when you do that.

Honestly, I don't really mind a little cheesiness in my metal. I'm attracted to Symphony X & other Heavy Mithril bands for the same reason - It's got a tongue-in-cheek kind of epicness that's still totally epic and serious, yet somehow silly at the same time. Point being, it's fucking awesome to listen to.

by **Sarr** » Thu May 26, 2011 11:34 pm UTC

BurningLed wrote:Honestly, I don't really mind a little cheesiness in my metal. I'm attracted to Symphony X & other Heavy Mithril bands for the same reason - It's got a tongue-in-cheek kind of epicness that's still totally epic and serious, yet somehow silly at the same time. Point being, it's fucking awesome to listen to.

See, if you look at the top five most played songs on my iTunes, two of the bands in them are Blind Guardian and The Sword. Alestorm, Hammerfall, and Iron Maiden are also up there, as is Dio. Hell, take a listen to that band I linked in the same post. Trust me, I'm a girl who likes her epic Heavy Mithril. It's just that Van Canto tries but doesn't quiiite make it. For example, from their song "Take to the Sky", there's one particularly frustrating bit when the girl is singing that ends her part - "thankful for strong winds to fly really high", that always breaks me out of it when I hear it. The rest of the song is pretty good, and they had the same rhyme setup multiple times earlier in the song, but while the line "Take to the sky" feels epic, "fly really high" just falls flat. And it's by no means the only song where something like that occurs. It just kills it for me.

I will say, though, the stuff on their newest album is better than it was on Hero, so maybe they'll perfect it.

by **BurningLed** » Fri May 27, 2011 3:25 am UTC

I definitely agree with you on the album bit, Tribe of Force kicked it up a notch. Lost Forever definitely shows heavy improvement compared to, say, Starlight; though I have a hard time understanding the words clearly behind the timbre of their voice in the third album, which might be a part of it. Also, is it just me or does the guy who does vocal guitar solos get more badass at it with each album? It's like step-by-step each album with them getting more complex and insane.

/just-discovered-cool-concept-and-getting-all-fanboyish-about-it

On the other hand, Alestorm was one of those bands that seemed incredibly awesome to me when I heard about them ("Pirate metal? Oh fuck yes, I have to see this!") but didn't seem to do it for me in practice. Maybe it's the lead keytar, maybe it's the tonality of their instruments, I don't know but it doesn't seem to do it for me. Not that I don't like heavy pirate songs -- Flogging Molly's Cruel Mistress & Salty Dog are definitely epic, as is Iron Maiden's take on Rime of the Ancient Mariner. But an entire band based on the idea just doesn't click with me for some reason. I will say that I enjoy listening to them, but the cheesiness isn't something I can take in stride as I could with, say, Kamelot or Blind Guardian. I think I have a similar problem here as you do with Van Canto.

Edit: And now to the secret bonus band rant! I checked out the Steel Attack video. Reminds me really strongly of Symphony X, but with more focus on the "stream" of sound, they never really drop or slow the beat unless it's precedes a really epic moment. They also remind me of Dragonforce except done properly (i.e. without computers faking all of the hard parts).

They're also Swedish, which only further convinces me that the Swedes have a vice grip on this corner of heavy metal.

by **rat4000** » Fri May 27, 2011 8:19 am UTC

While we're talking about Van Canto & weird metal, their drummer has a band where there are no guitars but there's a piano instead. He's also a really good singer.

by **Sarr** » Fri May 27, 2011 6:36 pm UTC

BurningLed wrote:I definitely agree with you on the album bit, Tribe of Force kicked it up a notch. Lost Forever definitely shows heavy improvement compared to, say, Starlight; though I have a hard time understanding the words clearly behind the timbre of their voice in the third album, which might be a part of it. Also, is it just me or does the guy who does vocal guitar solos get more badass at it with each album? It's like step-by-step each album with them getting more complex and insane.

/just-discovered-cool-concept-and-getting-all-fanboyish-about-it

On the other hand, Alestorm was one of those bands that seemed incredibly awesome to me when I heard about them ("Pirate metal? Oh fuck yes, I have to see this!") but didn't seem to do it for me in practice. Maybe it's the lead keytar, maybe it's the tonality of their instruments, I don't know but it doesn't seem to do it for me. Not that I don't like heavy pirate songs -- Flogging Molly's Cruel Mistress & Salty Dog are definitely epic, as is Iron Maiden's take on Rime of the Ancient Mariner. But an entire band based on the idea just doesn't click with me for some reason. I will say that I enjoy listening to them, but the cheesiness isn't something I can take in stride as I could with, say, Kamelot or Blind Guardian. I think I have a similar problem here as you do with Van Canto.

Edit: And now to the secret bonus band rant! I checked out the Steel Attack video. Reminds me really strongly of Symphony X, but with more focus on the "stream" of sound, they never really drop or slow the beat unless it's precedes a really epic moment. They also remind me of Dragonforce except done properly (i.e. without computers faking all of the hard parts).

They're also Swedish, which only further convinces me that the Swedes have a vice grip on this corner of heavy metal.

Yeah, I agree about the guitar solos. The first time I heard some of the stuff on Tribe of Force, I couldn't believe that it was someone's voice doing it. It's impressive.

Interestingly, I've met people who have the same problem with Alestorm that you do. Iunno, there are a number of their songs I just don't listen to because I don't think they feel piratical enough, but the others I have no problem getting into, so I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

See, I've never actually listened to Symphony X. They're just one of those bands I've heard about but never bothered to go investigate. Now that you've mentioned them, I'm curious - could you point me out some of their good stuff? And while yes, Steel Attack is rather like Dragonforce, they have the advantage of not having the whole album sound like the first song

. The Swedes have some damn good metal, it's true, but I'm not counting out Germany (Blind Guardian, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Van Canto) or Finland (Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius) either.

by **BurningLed** » Fri May 27, 2011 10:37 pm UTC

Sarr wrote:See, I've never actually listened to Symphony X. They're just one of those bands I've heard about but never bothered to go investigate. Now that you've mentioned them, I'm curious - could you point me out some of their good stuff?

I can only really point out the ones I like, and the first seems to conflict with other fans I've met --
Evolution
Set The World on Fire

For that second one, be warned of one of the most hilariously garish and cheesy music videos ever. Doesn't make the song less epic though.

Sarr wrote:The Swedes have some damn good metal, it's true, but I'm not counting out Germany (Blind Guardian, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Van Canto) or Finland (Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius) either.

We'll say Northern Europe then. Which is odd, because this is also roughly the area that has a lock on techno and trance. That seems kind of illogical.

Edit: I just gave Alestorm another listen, and it hit me what I don't like. The singing. The instrumentals sound epic, but he just tries too hard to get the pirate-flavored edge in. Keelhauled does sound better to me than it did a couple of months ago though, so maybe my tastes have changed since then.

by **Harry Manback** » Sat May 28, 2011 7:37 pm UTC

Given the particular type of metal being discussed, I'm quite surprised Turisas hasn't been mentioned. They pretty much own that subgenre, imo.

by **Malus Rune** » Sat May 28, 2011 8:23 pm UTC

Regardin' Alestorm, I sometimes find their lyrics a little offputting. Admittedly that's an odd thing to say about a band that embraces comedic cheese, but I tend to find the best comedic cheese bands administer their comedic cheese cleverly- rhymes, amusingly phrased or melodramatic similes, whatever. I quite like them, but I don't adore them.

Having said that, they're an absolutely awesome live band. They perform really well on stage and they have a great sense of humour (which comes across in interview as much as on stage- I see them more as a comedic act than anything else, especially as at the time I saw them I only knew three of their songs). And I rather like the voice, although mostly because I love accents in singing, and the Scottish accent has always been one close to my heart =P

Regardin' Turisas, they've certainly contributed some of the best songs of the subgenre to the game (I still hold their cover of Rasputin to be the best cover I've ever heard- it's neither a desperate copy of the original nor a cheap novelty value knock off, it really feels like their own interpretation of the song), but they aren't really that consistent. My favourite folk metal band is Agalloch, although what with the all the avante garde and black metal esoteric it's hard to really compare them to bands like Turisas and Alestorm. I dunno, I guess with regards to really lighthearted folk, I tend to have less one individual favourite band as I do various individual songs by bands. It's not music I take seriously enough for there to be one artist I devote myself to.

And regardin' Symphony X, I always found them exceedingly bland. I dunno, I don't tend to like the places where power metal crosses prog metal (except arguably Sonata Arctica, but there are usually exceptions to these things), it seems to bring out the worst of both genres- the power metal aspect ends up over technical and soulless while the prog aspect ends up self absorbed and cheesy. I've also never found SX's singer to be as amazing- he has a nice range, but so little real expression- and the vocals were always the core of power metal to me.

While we're talking about Van Canto & weird metal, their drummer has a band where there are no guitars but there's a piano instead. He's also a really good singer.

That was rather nice, from what I heard- although while his voice has a lovely sound to it, I wish he'd vary the pitch a little more. It sounds a little anticlimactic around the choruses.

by **Sarr** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:14 pm UTC

Harry Manback wrote:Given the particular type of metal being discussed, I'm quite surprised Turisas hasn't been mentioned. They pretty much own that subgenre, imo.

Having given them a listen, I wouldn't put them in Power Metal. Folk Metal certainly, but they're a very different style of metal than Blind Guardian or Van Canto.

As for Symphony X, they're not bad, but I'm not a big prog-metal fan, and there's a little too much of it in their music for my taste.

by **rat4000** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:35 pm UTC

Malus Rune wrote:
While we're talking about Van Canto & weird metal, their drummer has a band where there are no guitars but there's a piano instead. He's also a really good singer.
That was rather nice, from what I heard- although while his voice has a lovely sound to it, I wish he'd vary the pitch a little more. It sounds a little anticlimactic around the choruses.

"Has a really good voice" would have been more correct, yes.

Also, Agalloch are absolutely wonderful.

by **eigengirl** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 7:49 pm UTC

I would like to leave a link here to the first song to be released from the upcoming Machine Head album.
I think it's rather good, I like that they've gone in a slightly slower, heavier direction. This has made me really excited for the new album - shame it's not out until September.

by **Microscopic cog** » Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:00 pm UTC

Never really liked Machine Head, but I dig this. The drums and the vocals especially. The vocals are aggresive but not really growled. Not really clean either. Not sure, but I like them. I'll keep an eye out for the release

Also; thoughts on the upcoming The Black Dahlia Murder album? As far as I've heard it's supposed to be the greatest thing ever, but the tracks that got released didn't really appeal to me.

Edit: Also2; Apparently, Metallica is making an album with Lou Reed

by **TheAmazingRando** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:45 am UTC

Haven't seen Liturgy mentioned here. They're getting a lot of shit for being "hipster black metal" and for the fact that the singer is arrogant as hell (which isn't really that unusual for black metal), and their songs have a more positive vibe to them which is unusual given the genre, but I think they're worth checking out.

There's a music video for their song Returner, which is considerably more melodic and less meandering that most of the tracks off their latest album, so it makes a pretty good single.

by **novax6** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:31 am UTC

TheAmazingRando wrote:Haven't seen Liturgy mentioned here. They're getting a lot of shit for being "hipster black metal" and for the fact that the singer is arrogant as hell (which isn't really that unusual for black metal), and their songs have a more positive vibe to them which is unusual given the genre, but I think they're worth checking out.

I don't really care about all the dumb politics and genre nitpicking (also I don't understand how a band picks up labels like 'hipster [blank]', just doesn't make any sense to me), but TBH, they sound like a boring version of Krallice, who are themselves interesting, but not really something I listen to that often anyways. But maybe that's just me.

Anyways, I came in here to say that I stumbled across a band called Castle the other day, and was instantly captivated. If you like traditional rocking heavy and doom metal with some excellent female vocals, you should definitely check em out. Check these tunes out here and here.

Also the new Unexpect album is another slice of insane brilliance, which I might even like better then their last. Just check this crazy shit out. They also kill live, which makes their chaotic and mind-blowingly bizarre style even more impressive, because they can totally pull all of it off.

by **rat4000** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:25 pm UTC

Both Castle and Unexpected are cool in entirely different ways - one band just does the classical thing really damn well, the other does something else entirely. Thanks for the recommendations!

By the way, Trivium have released something new. Sounds much like everything else I've heard from them - honest to God thrash, pretty good at that.

by **Microscopic cog** » Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:04 pm UTC

I don't like Trivium at all, but the album art for their upcoming album is gorgeous. And the video for In Waves is great as well.

by **WaterToFire** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:59 pm UTC

A song from Dream Theater's new album, A Dramatic Turn of Events, was released today. On the Backs of Angels. Take a listen. It's very good compared to most of the music they've put out in the last ten years or so.

by **Cathode Ray Sunshine** » Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:33 am UTC

Yeah, I really like the new song, and I'm not much of a fan. I think they addressed my biggest complaints about their music, which was that it wasn't cohesive, and they always tried to cram as much solos as possible with every instrument. This is just one song but I hope the rest of the album is in the same vein. Mangini definitely fits the band.

by **Malus Rune** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:18 pm UTC

I'm still not quite sure of my opinions on Unexpect. They do have some really great moments in their music- especially their album intros, the opening to "In a Flesh Aquarium" was a great bit of scene setting- but their music seems to lack any overall purpose to it. They don't quite seem to be able to reign in the weirdness for the sake of actually saying something, which is a bit of a put off. I've quite liked what I've heard of the new album, but I guess their stuff runs a bit tiresome for me after a bit, so I don't know if I'd actually pay money for it.

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