Rolling Metal Thread 2010

It's the new year in Japan -- into the pit once more!

you're always in a rush to start this

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VOTE HERE for ILX METAL ALBUMS OF 2009 !!!!!!!!!!!!! (non-metal thread regulars welcome. Everyones welcome to vote, please join in!) Voting Ends Jan 17.
YOUTUBE companion thread to the Metal Albums of 2009 Poll

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=selfqEH-JnY

is there some sort of metal poll going on?

Ha ha. Awesome. There are some amazing fan videos of the 'Child song, with horses, that like actually change colour and shit.

I have heard fleeting whispers of one in the dark and eldritch passages that man has forgotten, but those who have attempted to explore the arcane mysteries of the poll have all been driven mad... those who made it back at all, that is.

well you didn't like the "british" talk in the other thread.

that song is kinda kickass, makes me wanna ride a motorbike -_-

New Mnemic album, Sons of the System, is vastly superior than the abortion that was their last record. Still sub-Fear Factory rhythmic industrial, but they ditched the nu-metal this time around. Speaking of, has anyone heard the new Fear Factory yet? I'm pretty psyched for that one.

I have the new Fear Factory and new Mnemic albums, but it's hard to get excited about either, their last ones were such colossal disappointments.

Two that I'm really into right now are the new ones by Ihsahn and Shining. Norwegian prog/jazz Shining, not Swedish suicidal black metal Shining. Coincidentally, Jorgen from said Shining plays a very prominent role on the Ihsahn record with some terrific sax solos.

Yeah, that new Ihsahn record is great. Here's my AMG review. I liked the Shining disc okay, but didn't love it.

wow, sax solos. does ihsahn cover "baker street"? or maybe "harden my heart". that would be way cool.

whoa wait the new Shining is nearly out? STOKED! opening track of 'Grindstone' made my top 23 songs of the decade! hopefully this one lives up to it. not sure it's metal tho

Their cover of "20th Century Schizoid Man" is something this band was born to do, I just love it.

And yeah, Ihsahn's record is is strongest to date. Talked to him a couple weeks ago, he's an interesting fella. Nice guy.

Phil, your review makes me wanna hear that Isahn disc.

And now back to 2010--the year of Ludicra!

I'm excited for the Fear Factory because they now have Dino back along with Strapping Young Lad's rhythm section.

I didn't know Hoglan's on the new one...nice!

Hoglan's always looking for the next paycheck, eh?

ian christe has put out a big fat hellhammer/celtic frost book you can buy me:

http://www.bazillionpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/onlydeathisreal.jpg

me wants

Will be buying this to go on my shelf next to his other books.

oh yeah!

holy shit, where can i get that immediately

also AYO NEW YORK DUDES come see me play doom/black metal tomorrow night?? will buy 1 beer for yuns. 2010 is gonna kick so much ass. i just quit my job for the sake of metal btw

oh woops i mean day after tomorrow - that is the 4th. at a place called Lit in downtown manhattan iirc

I'll book your Portland show ;)

ok, when?

Well, if you're going to play in Portland, you have to do an LA date.

none of us do jobs or anything normal anymore so i mean

ma i met "grim kim" of terrorizer and general awesomeness last night, and she was like "oh u know c0smo l33?" and i was like "yeah" and she was like "you know all these critics -- do you know KSP????" it made me lol

lol @ "ma", i was not referring to yall as maternal figures, i meant to say "man", fwiw

For a Portland gig I need 3-5 months notice and a link to your myspace tunes. And if you have an EPK with Sonicbids I will automatically take you less seriously ;)

lol, not in this band

http://www.myspace.com/argentinumastrum

consider this your 3-5 months notice

Man this Ihsahn record is amazing. Hell of a way to kick off 2010.

The guy who did the Axxis album cover from last year strikes again!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_6IxeL1PRYH4/SuumiBSEYiI/AAAAAAAABSs/Gdk6SpGINEc/s400/Heavenly+-+Carpe+Diem+by+Eneas.jpg

I wonder if that chick on the right is the same one that was wielding the flame whip?

xpost - Nice southern sludge Roxy. Pick a date, I'll hold it.

You're playing bass?

J3ff -- I think those are both the same chick, right? I wonder if he's doing a blue-skinned Avatar version of that cover for Japan?

I think they are supposed to be different, but I don't think he's very good at making the faces look different. It's possible that it's the same model. In which case, she's about to make out with herself... which is just kind of weird.

maybe each is a different aspect of the same person and they are reconciling by making lusty tongue faces at each other

Man this Ihsahn record is amazing. Hell of a way to kick off 2010.

― Sonic Bum, Monday, January 4, 2010 8:53 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Yeah I'm feeling this a lot - he has turned into, idk, a metal version of Barry Adamson or something. Walks a v v corny tightrope but is fully upright as far as my ears can tell me

Was there any discussion of the Nokturnal Mortum record "The Voice of Steel" in the '09 thread? (I think it came out late '09; I still can't find a version of the album with English-translated titles, so it may not have worldwide distro yet.) If so, I apologize for bringing it up here, and for any redundancy, but man it is a MONSTER. I resist even using the words "folk-metal" because they totally destroy any of my old associations with that term, but yes, there are strings and synths and Ukranian folk elements. But it's insanely brutal and epic and expansive and even catchy. Can't say enough. Thing absolutely destroys.

whoa, will check that one out. sounds good.

pulled out my copy of DHG supervillian outcast the other night. the rob zombies of black metal. fun!

nate -

yes, bass

ill be in touch

Was just doing some quick research for a preview of the upcoming Behemoth tour and found this hilarious Nergal stalker video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4wBw9pVBo

hahahahaha!!!

also, I guess metal guys have it easier in every conceivable way in europe, huh? not too many metal dudes in the USA w/model gf's I imagine.

I love how the song really kicks in to photos of them running on a beach

Ha, someone at MSN Music must have linked my blog post on the Soundgarden reunion to the main page, because folks were just lining up to call me a dick: Check it out. I love the Internet.

Listening to the new Through The Eyes Of The Dead right now and just not hearing anything new. Borrowed riffs, standard-issue attitude, the same ol' typewriter drums...how is anyone supposed to be excited about this album, this band, this genre? Even when I try to take the standard metal-fan approach of appreciating tiny incremental change within an overall landscape of structural sameness, there's just nothing here for me to grab onto and say, "Okay, this is Through The Eyes Of The Dead's unique little patch of ground that enables me to tell them apart from their peers and appreciate their contribution to the metal gestalt in 2010."

dear phil, im sorry that you couldnt write about a stupid band, like your fav one, Airsupply, or something along that line.

ya burnt

I love this Shining album. I mean, it automatically sounds slightly dated because of the industrial element to it but man alive, it's so exciting.

And the reissue of the three Summer Sessions albums by Causa Sui. Danes in flares on acid.

hey, i finally got around to falling in love with the Avenger album, Feast of Anger, Joy of Despair which J0hn liveblogged on the 2009 thread. Thanks for another great recommendation, dude.

It took a few listens for this album to really sink in, but now that it has, I can't seem to listen to anything else. The first song is flat out amazing - I almost wish it would go on for another minute or two at the end instead of fading out so quickly. it struck me on the train this morning that you could actually dance to a lot of the songs on this album - I don't mean manic mosh pit stuff, but like some kind of actual dance, maybe around a big fire or something. The drummer is great, I will never get sick of slow tempo double-kick style playing, and the kettle drum things, though overbearing at times, really add a lot of atmosphere and uniqueness to their sound. I love the way the vocals sound: blackened with a touch of reverb and delay on them. and then the rhythm guitar playing - maybe I'm high but some of the chord progressions almost remind me of stuff George Lynch might come up with if he were in a black/death band. J0hn is way better at explaining the appeal of this than I am, so if you missed his posts on this, click my link to his post. Did anyone else ever get around to listening to this? I haven't checked the best of 2009 threads, but this should definitely be on there.

oh yeah, I meant to check out that avenger album but promptly forgot!

xpost - Air Supply's best songs are way better than the best Soundgarden tunes.

Listening to the new Through The Eyes Of The Dead right now and just not hearing anything new. Borrowed riffs, standard-issue attitude, the same ol' typewriter drums...how is anyone supposed to be excited about this album, this band, this genre? Even when I try to take the standard metal-fan approach of appreciating tiny incremental change within an overall landscape of structural sameness, there's just nothing here for me to grab onto and say, "Okay, this is Through The Eyes Of The Dead's unique little patch of ground that enables me to tell them apart from their peers and appreciate their contribution to the metal gestalt in 2010."

well, half the time I'm with you on this kinda thought, and the other half I'm like: is it really your position that the point of metal is Make It New a la the Imagists or whoever? like, I dig Coffins. Coffins are breaking exactly zero new ground. But that's cool, because the ground they're working is awesome.

I love Coffins too. But even when they're doing their most old-school-Swedish grinding, I can tell them apart from, say, Grave. Same way I can tell Grave from Unleashed from Entombed even though they're all working off the same template - they do little things that reflect the desire to be recognized as individual creative spirits. But TTEOTD don't do that. They are totally indistinguishable from, say, Whitechapel or Suicide Silence.

I think a lot of it has to do with modern studio techniques, honestly - with digital recording and drum triggers and such it's possible to walk in and tell the producer/engineer "make me sound like Band X" and if you punch in the right codes, you can sound exactly like Band X. When you're working with live instruments in a room and recording to tape with air between you and the microphones, there are too many variables for ultra-precise cloning to take place.

xpost: glad you dig coffins, j0hn. got the impression you weren't much of a fan from some old posts. the other side of blasphemy is such a hugely satisfying listen every time I throw it on.

and yeah, digital recording/drum triggers/etc. - that stuff is easily one of my least favorite things about modern metal. nothing against these techniques per se and I honestly don't know a hell of a lot about it all... but the antiseptic drum sounds, bass mixed down so low that you wonder why they even bothered someone in (tbh this really isn't anything new and is maybe my least favorite thing about metal now that I think about it), coupled with some dude yelling at you for an hour just makes this stuff exhausting to listen to. and not in a br00tal way, either. it's just so tedious.

oh man I am sorry to have given that impression. they kind of slay. I mean, it's fun to point out that they're not reinventing the wheel, but I'll take their brand of derivative over any dozen bedroom black-metallers.

yeah <3 coffins.

and on modern production: meshuggah are one of my favorite bands and you could throw a lot of those same complaints at them too. so, this is something I'm willing to tolerate if I like the material. but it makes the generic bands sound so, so generic. and how awesome would it be if meshuggah put out an album that sounded like mental funeral? man, it would be totally awesome! (but they never will, of course.)

holy shit this avenger album! love when they morph into moonsorrow on the second track.

opening riff on the album is killer. that one-two, strumming up, strumming down one note thing (while one guitar keeps strumming the same note the whole time if I'm hearing this right) is something I'm a sucker for.

love the acoustic build to the riff that kicks off the (awesome) penultimate track.

good news..

New Rosetta record, "A Determinism of Morality", goes to mastering next Monday
http://twitter.com/rosettaband/status/7413450005

Totally agree with Phil on Through the Eyes of the Dead. I've listened to their last one and the new one, and they are about as middle-of-the-road as you get. Competent, thoroughly uninteresting. You don't have to be original to be enjoyable (I really liked the Mr. death record from last year), but mediocrity is mediocrity no matter how you slice it.

Cobalt on Fox News:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jzrTKbEhDE

he's like boyd rice 2.0. a younger more deadly boyd. all that stuff about lions and the overman and excess. and the olde-tyme neo-folk album cover.

just hope he doesn't go on a shooting spree...

Is that a picture of Hemingway on the cover?

oh, probably! i never even noticed.

I always assumed it was, given the inside artwork.

Yes, that's Hemingway in his Red Cross Ambulance Corps uniform.

lol someone needs to make an animated gif of those anchors listening to that Cobalt clip.

Great stuff...they actually did a nice job with the interview.

I interviewed Erik Wunder while McSorley was on a tour of duty in Baghdad and he was rolling stupid fruity swag drunk is what he was.

He was amazing. I only had to do a 500 word piece but I had to interview him for ages because he'd just want to talk about other stuff. I'd ask him about blacked metal and he'd say 'Hey man, do you like 'Empires and Dance' by Simple Minds? I love that record.' Then I'd ask him about war metal and he'd start telling me about how he'd just seen a guy drive a car into the front of his house trying not to hit a fox in the road. And when I asked him what being in Cobalt was about he said: 'Being in Cobalt is about being the kind of man who stays up all night drinking gin, reading Hemmingway, smoking cigarettes and writing stuff on typewriters.' Then he started having an argument with someone about a cigarette lighter and then made me stay on the phone and talk to him about Killing Joke for an hour while he got even more blasted.

What a guy.

Ah, so "cobalt" refers to gun bluing. I don't think shooting spree is as big a danger as suicide pact after erectile dysfunction diagnosis. Death before dishonor, Levitra.

Jeff, I finally got around to hearing the Mnemic album, and you're right, this is so much better than that atrocious last album. This one seems to be more on par with The Audio Injected Soul, which I really dug in 04.

And the new Dillinger is good. My initial reaction was, 'not as great as the last three albums,' but every DEP record needs time to settle in.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second). Absolutely crushing and epic (most songs run 6-8 minutes). Plus it sounds incredible; I'm willing to call Greg Fidelman the best producer in metal right now.

I was like really excited before, now I'm practically frothing at the mouth to hear it!

Anxious for the new Dillinger as well.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second)

is there somebody I can write to to get it? I am in a big High on Fire kick right now

Publicist is Carl Schultz at Action PR - carl at action dash pr dot com.

YES! Can't wait to hear this! Should be getting this in a day or two.

Yeah, it's early in the year but the HoF is AOTY caliber, without a doubt. Better than the new Dillinger. Less prog & acoustic touches, and a lot more gigantic riffs.

Fewer prog and acoustic touches...forgive my murdering the Queen's English.

Oh, you Canadians do love your queen.

Generally DEP are more up my alley than HoF, but I'm stoked at the prospect of both. Then again I thought Ire Works was DEP's best record yet but Communion was a step below Wings.

pretty much nothing is better than blessed black wings imo

^^^true statement. tho you guys are getting me excited because i sincerely want this to be better than communion

I thought Ire Works was DEP's best record yet but Communion was a step below Wings.

Totally agree with both halves of this statement.

I still think Art of Self Defense is their best but I'm more than willing to give the new one consideration after Carl sends it to me. Thanks for the tip Phil! :)

I just think there's no such thing as a bad HoF album. But yeah, the new one does make Communion sound a little inferior.

accidents very much in character, starring Weedeater

http://qcjeph.livejournal.com/112588.html

Parts of this list irritate, but High On Fire is the really hot girl you have sex with occasionally if you're both single and it's always rad and there's never any drama

Dude seems to have forgotten to do an analogy for the Momus one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A43JOxLa5MM

i was hoping someone would post that. rooster rules, better than 90% of willowtip vocalists.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second)

^if this is true, its fucking incredible

whoa. these raves are getting me seriously psyched for this.

It's interesting how everyone seems to have a different favorite HOF. I flip between their 2nd and 4th. Gotta love the cover.

http://action-pr.com/uploads/art/203/HIGH%20ON%20FIRE_Snakes_for_the_Divine_album_cover.jpg

Jan 19 Sigh - Scenes From Hell
Feb 23 High On Fire - Snakes Of The Divine
Mar 23 Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

What else are we excited about with a solidish release date? Some good shows coming too, despite Slayer/Megadeth/Testament being postponed. Pentagram & Gates Of Slumber, Kreator, Voivod & Nachtmystium, Orphaned Land & Indian, Finntroll, Moonsorrow & Swallow the Sun.

Does anyone have any of those Most Anticipated Metal Albums lists that they can post here? I generally crib on them through the year (like from Terrorizer, Decibel, etc) to figure out what to check out.

(Somewhat related: Anyone here an Arsis fan? Just got a copy of Starve for the Devil.)

kinda on the fence about arsis. didn't love "we are the nightmare" but it had its moments. haven't listened to starve for the devil yet but I think that's one of the best album titles I've ever seen.

I'm too sleepy to listen to it now, but I'll tell you guys how I like it tomorrow.

Some people won't be too crazy about Arsis's current hypertechnical/traditional heavy metal direction, but it sure appeals to me.

I find the new Orphaned Land, mentioned a couple posts back, to be a big disappointment, paling in comparison to Mabool.

Hey guys , sorry to go on about it , but its the last couple of days to vote on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VOTE HERE for ILX METAL ALBUMS OF 2009 !!!!!!!!!!!!! (non-metal thread regulars welcome. Everyones welcome to vote, please join in!) Voting Ends Jan 17. so if you're still to vote and wish to do so then please follow the instructions on the thread, lurkers welcome as well as regulars.
Hope to start the results on Sunday night/Monday (uk time)

Also if anyone would like to write some blurbs please email me at the same address as for voting.

could just be the brevity at work, but I really liked arsis' a diamond for disease ep (the one with the alice cooper cover). but nothing else has ever really clicked.

will still give the new one a shot.

The new Orphaned Land leaked? I've been really looking forward to it.

I don't know much about metal beyond Metallica, who used to be my favorite band, but I'd like to get into it more. So far, I've picked up the most recent Mastodon record and a few black metal records after reading some stuff on an ILM thread or two.

To that end, could someone tell me what are considered the "reputable" metal magazines, sites, and blogs? I don't know anything about the critical discourse surrounding the genre, so if someone could tell me what the big publications are, and which of those are the best, that would be very helpful.

Decibel, for sure. Quite a few regulars in these threads write for it. Pretty much the only music magazine that is a must read every issue.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1XqcOYRl1Kc/S1CxJgW1jbI/AAAAAAAAAOc/9O53kRRSAPc/s1600/cover.jpg

We should make a cover thread like those autogoon guys have.

I think Revolver is a terrible magazine, but their site is fairly informative. Blabbermouth is basically a high-volume fire hose of information, but they publish every press release anyone sends them so weeding through it all winds up being a waste of time.

Does anyone have any of those Most Anticipated Metal Albums lists that they can post here? I generally crib on them through the year (like from Terrorizer, Decibel, etc) to figure out what to check out.

This months Terrorizer's 2010 Anticipated albums are :
Eyehategod
Caïna
Atheist
Coffinworm
Watain
Enforcer
Pig Destroyer
Primordial
Centurions Ghost
Turisas
Metsatoll
Leng Tch'e
Enslaved
Rinoa
Trap Them
Toxic Holocaust
Salome
Total Fucking Destruction
Triptykon (tom g warrior)
Hour Of Penance
The Mire
Landmine Marathon
Gorguts
Alcest

I knew you'd come through for me!

xpost

Thanks, jon /via/ chi 2.0! Can't believe a one-year subscription is only ~$20. I'm thinking of subscribing.

And thanks, unperson! I'll check out the Revolver site and Blabbermouth.

There were also some good recommendations in this thread: Metal critics or criticism? Best metal writers?

whoa, new eyehategod! had not even realized that they were playing again.

and decibel is solid. not a bad way to familiarize yourself with the genre.

and if you really want to dive into the deep end, oakenthrone is an awesome zine. very well designed, thoughtful articles. pick up a few back issues if you're curious.

In terms of entertainment hours per dollar spent, a Decibel subscription yields insane ROI.

Seriously, thats what I love about Decibel the most. The monthly articles that usually equate to nothing more than filler in other mags are some of the best, most dependable reads!

true. the "album of the month" thing is always a good read. I just wish that they would axe the 1 page features on bands and have more long articles.

i think oaken throne is done. one of the dudes that did it now has this very odd format thing called rape & honey. i just got the second issue, which is nothing but an 8-page essay on funeral mist. it rules.

whoa, new eyehategod! had not even realized that they were playing again.

They're also touring. They're playing Dublin in April; a good friend of mine is a big fan from way back and I'm sure he'll be propping up the bar for that one.

Also: Bolt Thrower are playing here in May! We've had a live metal shortage here as of late (something to do with some shady promoters screwing over bands that invest a lot of time/money to get here) so this is a good turn-up for the books.

Listening to the AFCGT album from Sub Pop. The label described them as "Drooling Hillbilly Metal, Sea Urchin Psychedelia, Yukon Freak Thrash, and Beatnik Swamp Drone," and that sounded super cool to me. Anyway, I'm kinda digging the album.

Yeah, I lke the AfCGT, tho' other than the tracks with Erin Sullivan's signature *krwrangz* guitar tone, not too metallic or punk. It reminds me a lot of Butthole Surfers and the avant parts of Mothers of Invention. Those heavy tracks are great skronk though.

Following up on the anticipated albums lists, here are Decibel's 25: Anthrax, Atheist, Cretin, Darkthrone, Dillinger, Dimmu Borgir, Down, Electric Wizard, Fear Factory, Genghis Tron, Hate Eternal, High on Fire, Holy Grail, Intronaut, Ludicra, Meshuggah, Nachtmystium, Origin, Pig Destroyer, Salome, the Sword, Torche.

Another Origin album? Unless it's as good as their first, it'll be a snoozefest.

Antithesis was the first of theirs I'd heard and I really liked it, apparently I should go back to the others.

And Adrien, thanks for the e-mail. Much appreciated!

The first Origin is amazing, it's got a real solid groove that's absent from the others to my ears.

Anthrax, Atheist, Cretin, Darkthrone, Dillinger, Dimmu Borgir, Down, Electric Wizard, Fear Factory, Genghis Tron, Hate Eternal, High on Fire, Holy Grail, Intronaut, Ludicra, Meshuggah, Nachtmystium, Origin, Pig Destroyer, Salome, the Sword, Torche

Heard the Dillinger; can't judge it yet. Heard the High on Fire; it's awesome. Got the Fear Factory yesterday; not all that excited, to be frank. Looking forward to Atheist, Dimmu, Intronaut, Meshuggah, Nachtmytsium, Pig Destroyer, the Sword. Don't really expect the Anthrax album to come out.

The new one by Apostle of Solitude sounds fantastic so far. If you like the Gates of Slumber, Candlemass, and Solitude Aeternus, you'll love this. I'd even go as far as to say they have a better sense of melody than Gates.

http://www.myspace.com/apostleofsolitude

Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR (Century Media) Jan 25 Europe [Feb 9 US]

This seems to be quite an event. They're doing a good job promoting it on their site and Myspace at least. Anyone order a signed deluxe copy? Tempting, but it's $30.
http://www.orphaned-land.com/shop.php

Well, considering all their other CDs are $25 without being signed (at least on that link), can't say its too much more.

So excited for that album. Didn't someone on this thread say they've already heard it?

Speaking of Orphaned Land, couple great shows coming to the Bottom Lounge in Chicago this March - Orphaned Land, Indian, and A Storm of Light one night and Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus AD two nights before.

March metal madness!

The Orphaned Land album turned out to be quite a big disappointment, at least for me. It goes through a lot of the same motions as Mabool, but is far too overbearing, and aside from "Sapari" and a couple other tracks, lacks the charm of that record.

Really disappointed that I was feeling sick and had to miss the Behemoth show in Seattle last night. Anyone on the list make it?

I've been listening to the new Rotting Christ album for a review. It's one of those bands that I'm not sure if I should take seriously or not. There's so many silly elements that creep into the mix that I am wont to dismiss it.

I've got a profile of Behemoth in the Cleveland Scene this week; here's the link if you're interested.

Currently listening to Wolvhammer, a quartet from Minnesota who do a noisy, shrieky black-death-punk-thrash thing that's a little bit Hellhammer, a little bit grindcore, and, somewhat more weirdly, a little bit Samhain. You can download both their self-released EPs at wolvhammer.blogspot.com, and they're working with Sanford Parker on a full-length, so that could be something worth hearing.

Whoops; that Behemoth link's no good. Here 'tis.

ok must investigate this wolvhammer thing, i live here and have never heard of them

That Wolvhammer description sounds good, dling the EPs right now.

whoa had a very creeped out phear that they were some sort of NS stuff there (the working class masthead and the logo echoing the h4mm3r sk1n5 insignia) but that can't be right can it?

listening to the stuff on the apostle of solitude myspace. was not into at first but am gradually being won over.

singer reminds me of the dude from only living witness, heh.

and wow, I really hate the cover(s) for their new record:

http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad295/astrocreep_ws6/PLore_Cover_LoRes.jpg
http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad295/astrocreep_ws6/ELS_Cover_LoRes.jpg

more power to ya for not phoning it in w/something like a barbarian cutting an orc in half or whatever... but yuck.

ok pretty sure that the wolvhammer dudes arent racists but jesus they need to change that image because its waaaaaayy too close to something that would be troubling to a whole lot of people (still freaks me out tbh)

ok, I had never heard of the h4mm3r sk1n5. just googled them and yikes. that wolvhammer logo has got to be a reference to the hs logo. right??

that is, logo coupled with the "working class" masthead that you mentioned

on a more positive note, anyone heard this "new" buzzov*en thing? i had no idea it existed until wandering over to the decibel site to check out subscription options and seeing the masthead at the top

No bullshit Satanism or sensationalism, just pure honest hatred for religion, capitalism, politics, sheep mentality and typical human behaviour. We wanted to write simple, memorable, and truly hate-filled metal anthems for ourselves and all the other blue collar, working poor, and generally unsatisfied people who are looking for something raw and classic as soundtrack
to rise up and fight the status quo around them in any way they see fit to do. Whether you decide to speak up or just completely turn your back on the world, this is for us and all the other people out there that know we've been lied too, and no matter what may have been promised, know that we're all still being lied too. There is no hope.

From another blog press release about Wolvhammer. Man, I don't know. There is some subtext in there that could go one of two ways, kinda hesitant to get on board with these guys just yet. Maybe I'm reading more into it than they intend.

anyone heard this "new" buzzov*en thing

Have it, but haven't played it yet.

I'm also reviewing the new Rotting Christ. I'm a fan of their Gothic blackened folk metal, but I could see how you could think that it's cheesy. Sometimes you just have to embrace it, though, especially when it's done this well.

The Rotting Christ album sounds awfully silly at times...I haven't decided whether I actually like it or not.

The new WOLD album, meanwhile, is nuts. Like Metal Machine Music if it was designed as an aural equivalent to William Burroughs' and Brion Gysin's Dreamachine. One thing I always like about WOLD albums is their lyrics, but this is an instrumental record, so there's no eloquent prairie poetry to fall back on. It's an intriguing listen, but also very trying, basically three heavily, heavily, heavily distorted & filtered loops over 35 minutes, the most abrasive stuff I have ever heard them do. The trancelike effect they're going for does kind of work, but wow, there aren't many people who would want to stomach this.

You like it. You know you do.

I mean, when's the last time you heard panpipes on a metal album?

I'd revisit it but I'm in the middle of a 12 minute WOLD track that sounds like a field recording of a fully operational sawmill.

In hell!

Bleh. Fortress Crookedjaw, you've bitten off more than you can chew this time.

was sippin whiskey and listening to magma when I decided that I wanted something a little slower and lower. so, I threw on some neglected thou splits that I had lying around.

thou / leech cassette - leech side didn't impress. black metal demo city, whatever. thou side rules. two sludgy epics bookended by two effective mood-setters.

mohoram atta / thou lp - had never heard of mohoram atta before but they seem pretty killer. crusty his hero is gone-style metalcore (the good, 90s kind) with a bit of a black metal influence. awesome. thou side kicks off with an up-tempo track about two party system apathy. ("don't vote") kind of a bummer during these dark days of health care reform but the song is great. double bass and even some riffs that bring remission-era mastodon to mind. nice to see them stretch a bit. two sludgy songs follow (the second kinda drags) and their side finishes with a minor threat cover. ("screaming at the wall") apparently thou are also feminists. i'm into this.

I wrote about Wolvhammer on my MSN blog today... http://bit.ly/7aPXhg

I emailed a link to the band's publicist (who's a friend; she used to intern at/write for Metal Maniacs); I told her if the band wants to respond, I'll put that up too. Gotta wait and see.

Dawn of the 4th, The Black Marketeers of World War III...

Maybe they and the hammerskins just really liked "The Wall."

Anyone refusing to buy Cobalt albums because the main guy is in the military? Who have, let's face it, killed a lot more people than Rob Darken or Nokturnal Mortum or even Varg?

(I am guessing the Wolvhammer dudes - who are pretty good on that 2nd ep at least - are probably just edging on fascist imagery because it looks "cool" or whatever.)

Thanks for putting that up there Phil, I'll be curious to see how it unfolds.

I think the dude from Cobalt is a completely different case. He comes from a sense of "duty" (however misguided and weird that may be to me) and not from a place of hatred. Big difference, imho. I see what you are inferring, but if that were the case I'd have to ignore quite a few of my relatives who've fought in various wars, I'm not going to do that. But I'd have no problem ignoring a racist uncle that spouted hateful shit.

Hopefully that makes sense, I'm still a little tired this morning.

I haven't bought any Cobalt albums because Cobalt's music doesn't really do it for me, not because of some anti-military stance - my younger brother is an Army recruiter.

That Thou / Leech cassette just got upgraded to vinyl I believe. Thou have a new tape split with a band called Faeries who I know nothing about. They are one of about four bands out there right now who I buy basically everything by on sight.

What label is the new Wold on Adrian?

He comes from a sense of "duty"

maybe so. but I did read an interview in decibel where the guy was going on about how man's natural place is the battlefield and he's never felt more in touch with himself and I thought, "well, that's kinda fucked up."

That Thou / Leech cassette just got upgraded to vinyl I believe.

yeah, I actually just saw that yesterday. gilead media are a u.s. distro that's stocking it and I just ordered it because I'm a sucker. not sure if it was because of my tape deck or what, but the sound was pretty poor on the cassette, so an upgrade in that dept would be cool.

have to say, I love the thou aesthetic. all those line drawings look badass.

Today's mailbag: new Skullflower 2CD on Neurot (not metal, but probably fun at high volume) and three reissues by 16-17, the greatest noise-jazz-doom trio you never heard.

probably fun at high volume

can confirm this

Maybe they and the hammerskins just really liked "The Wall."

it could be an age difference thing (i have no idea how young these dudes are), but i can guarantee you anybody involved the music scene in MN in the late 80's/early 90's is going to recognize that image immediately. First Avenue was a racist skin vs. anti-racist skin bloodbath most nights back then anytime something heavy came through.

frankly i am hoping to be wrong, but even if i am they are going to want to 86 that logo because i wont be the last dude to have an immediate reaction to it.

ahh, see, i didn't know the context there. i thought the hammerskins were a southern thing, so maybe they were unaware, but i guess not.

three reissues by 16-17, the greatest noise-jazz-doom trio you never heard.

are these the "16-17/hardkore & buffbunker," "when all else fails" and "gyatso" reissues, or are there yet more to come? great fucking band.

are these the "16-17/hardkore & buffbunker," "when all else fails" and "gyatso" reissues

Yep. Ordered 'em from the label a week and a half ago or so, was wondering why it was taking so long and then I get 'em today and the envelope is stamped France. Whoops, my mistake.

Anyway, just got an email from Wolvhammer's publicist who says the band is 100% not racist, that she's contacted them for a response (which I will post on the blog as soon as I get it) and that she'll be issuing a press release herself. She also jabbed me on Twitter. I told her at the very least they need to get a new logo.

Interesting stuff, Phil.

Oh and DJ, WOLD is still on Profound Lore.

glad those dudes aren't racists

I'm glad you approached it this way Phil, I hope no one gives you too much shit for it.

ok thats great, sorry to stir the kettle, and yeah, you dealt with this about as well as anyone could.

is there a place like Boomkat for metal, where I can buy a bunch of new metal records in FLAC?

i doubt the band has a problem with a popular music writer trying to find out more about them

(xposts)

Wolvhammer: officially not racist.

listening to the second demo in celebration

Listening to the demos now that I can without feeling guilty, pretty good. Excited to hear what they bring on the full-length.

Especially liking the ultra slow 9 minute track off the newer EP.

striborg is so good the morning after your country's supreme court completely fucks up democracy forever.

BLACK APPARITIONAL VOID indeed

Which record(s) of Striborg's are the best?

they're all pretty much the same.... ha. but "embittered darkness/isle de morts" is easy to find (on southern lord) and is a good example of his style.

Thank you!

all the thou talk--newish split w/ haarp, another awesome LA band: http://www.omgvinyl.com/2009/12/02/thou-haarp-reincarnation-prayer-7-ep/

thou side is pretty standard thou. haarp side pretty standard haarp. excellent all around. also, cheap and pretty and the packaging is terrific.

Just played ^that, can't argue w/ any of the above (esp cos this is the first time I'm hearing Haarp)

http://www.myspace.com/haarpnola

bands around here don't branch out much but when the basic sludgy formula is so effective why change etc. in other nola metal coverage thou got one of those one-page band feature things in decibel last month.

we're in the top 5 now guys !!!!!!!! ILX METAL ALBUMS of 2009 POLL RESULTS!!!!!! (TOP TEN! LAST CHANCE TO DECRY FALSE METAL m/!)

come posts your thoughts! all non-voters and troo metal warriors welcome!!

Went out to the Nokia Theater tonight.

Mutiny Within were pretty good power metal w/occasional DM vocals, somewhere between Trivium and DragonForce. They were kissing the audience's ass in a big way - "This next song is on our MySpace page, so check it out when you get home!"; "We're gonna be at the merch table all night after our set!" - and it seemed to work; they got a good round of applause despite going on at 7:30.

Arsis' new songs are like a cross between Arch Enemy and early Metallica; their tech-death back catalog stuff didn't fit that comfortably alongside stuff from the new album and We Are The Nightmare, and they only had a half hour anyway, so they didn't do much Willowtip-era material, but they did close with a ferocious version of "The Face of My Innocence." The problem was, their sound was all fucked up; their intro tape was louder than their actual set. The guitars were ridiculously quiet, the bass was inaudible, the background vocals were louder than Malone's vocals, the snare and bass drums sounded like typewriter keys, while the toms were thunderous. But they must have been getting a good monitor mix, because they didn't make any mention of it. So even with all of that, their set was really good, and the crowd dug them.

I left after that, though. I saw Exodus in 1990 and didn't care to see them again, and the prospect of watching Arch Enemy deliver an ultra-slick, totally efficient and professional 70 minutes of melodic death metal for the fourth time (I saw them in 2003, 2005 and 2007) just didn't get my blood pumping.

Heard the new Rob Zombie album last night too. It's shockingly good, and I say that as someone who put Educated Horses in my Top 100 of the decade. It's his most stripped-down, hard-rock album since White Zombie's Make Them Die Slowly. Sure, there are still movie dialogue samples, and keyboards on a couple of tracks, but the techno-metal sound he beat into the ground for a decade is almost totally gone. There are riffs that could have come off a Rose Tattoo album - John 5 is just killing it all over the disc, and the drums are played by a live human being. Know how you can tell? There's a five-minute drum solo at the end of the last song. Some of the songs are a little short, and they're almost always dumb, but his lyrics have always been empty-headed, so who cares? The exception, believe it or not, is "Werewolf, Baby," which isn't just a string of disconnected one-liners like his lyrics usually are - its a Danzig-esque tale of becoming a werewolf. Seriously, if you've written off Rob Zombie as just a clown who's maybe worth seeing live but not listening to at home, this album might change your mind. I thought he was moving to Roadrunner's Loud & Proud sub-label because he was tired of working and just wanted to coast for a few years before announcing his retirement from music, but if this is the album he's making his debut with, I don't know what to think.

New Hey Colossus on Riot Season is brilliant. They've really gone up a couple of gears with their new album Eurogrumble Vol 1.

Ohh i need to hear that.

I was listening to the Rob Zombie album last night as well, and it's not too bad. The organic quality is definitely a change...I don't think all the songs are successes, the latter half tends to drag on, but stuff like "Sick Bubblegum", "Werewolf Baby", and "Burn" are definitely keepers.

i love hey colossus! i wanna hear that. they need to tour here or something. they should be huge in the states.

Hey Colossus sounds like an awesome title for the upcoming Eurovision approved new style Keep of Kalessin album. Quite like the song actually, especially the dub-y bass bits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW3wU2fDc2o

A quick link to the full top 100 and a genre list breakdown!
!!!!!!!! ILX METAL ALBUMS of 2009 POLL RESULTS!!!!!! (TOP TEN! LAST CHANCE TO DECRY FALSE METAL m/!)

http://stereogum.com/img/scionflyer.jpgp

And on the same page, here is Brandon Stosuy's latest interview with Aesop Dekker of Ludicra and Agalloch and Cosmic Hearse BLOG:

http://stereogum.com/archives/haunting_the_chapel/haunting_the_chapel_no_5_110691.html

This post was supposed to come first:

http://stereogum.com/img/scionflyer.jpg

Scion/backpacker metal.

has death metal rooster already gotten the necessary link here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A43JOxLa5MM

he seems so pissed off!

Here's a link to my interview with Ihsahn. The more I listen to his new album, the more I like it, and I am not an Emperor fan (and am not all that fervent about his last two solo discs either, though angL is enjoyable enough). I may have two spots already reserved on my 2010 Top Ten, with this and the new High on Fire.

I hate artwork like this but I bet you all love it

http://www.nwnprod.com/?p=695

What's not to love? Skulls! Reminds me of Prague’s Kutna Hora Bone Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dDr7EN_SR4&feature=player_embedded

Sorry, don't mean to mislead anyone who'd look for it in Prague -- it's actually quite a ways east of Prague, towards the middle of the country.

totally. what do you mean "like this," kerr?

xpost

I'm finishing up my first listen to Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR, and I like it. Good review from Angry Metal Guy: http://www.angrymetalguy.com/?p=1018

I don't like it, I find it a bit of a mess. That narration just grated on me the more I heard it, and aside from three or four tracks, the songs just weren't as good as on the last album.

So I've been listening to new stuff by Swedish band Kongh...epic doom, very similar to YOB without being too much of a rip-off. Needless to say, I like:

http://www.myspace.com/kongh

listening to more Helcaraxe this morning, their 2007 album Triumph and Revenge. This is a seriously great band, I would guess that a lot of rolling metal regulars would dig them. kind of like a more Nordic-inspired Mastadon maybe? epic songs, melodic guitar-slinger progressions, pick-up-change fast parts but broad sweeping slow parts...maybe we already talked about these guys but anyway I got hip to them in December off a split with Father Befouled on Enucleation (which is incredible) and got the rest of their stuff -- I would be really surprised if people didn't dig them. Maybe they're known already I don't know but I had completely missed them and they kind of rule.

streaming this on myspace now...it's pretty good tho i wish i liked the singer better.

btw john my copy of that avenger cd you were on about last year finally showed up from amazon yesterday; holy hell did it sound great blasting in my car last night.

yeah the singing on helcaraxe isn't so inspiring but the riffs overtake it it. stoked you love the avenger album - every time I listen to it I'm like, it's so awesome when a metal album is really like a long voyage someplace

I'm listening to Avenger right now. for some reason this and Ruins of Beverast's Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite have been on nonstop rotation for the last two weeks.

the father befouled side of that split on enucleation rules so hard. i like the helcaraxe too but the father befouled shit is kind of dubby and shambling and fascinating. extra points for band name.

sorry about shambling. terrible word choice.

father befouled is an a+ name

yeah the fb stuff is great too just like you describe - cavernous, weird, "out." you should really check out that '07 helcaraxe record tho, it is just a solid, immersive listen.

def. in the meantime i am all over this enoid 10". swiss, apparently? decently recorded drums go a long way in helping me distinguish one particular tinny buzzing black metal record from all its brothers. don't know if the drumming qua drumming is any shake just that i can actually hear/feel them.

listening now and I'm digging the father befouled myspace tracks. I've been giving the (awesome) cremation (can) flames of an elite age '94 demo a lot of play recently and fb actually square pretty well with them. both def fit the "cavernous, weird, and and 'out' bill. (cremation moreso)

My favorite metal blog just posted the "Worship Black Twilight" comp, which has prompted me to start listening to that all over again. Really loose, crazy stuff. Ashdautas and Volahn stand out in particular, though I think a lot of it is the same pool of musicians in different line-ups.

Enoid sounding pretty damn good right now.

Waiting three hours for a phoner because the publicist told the manager and me both that it was supposed to happen at 3:30 except I'm in NJ and they're in L.A. So I'm revisiting White Zombie's Make Them Die Slowly. Wow, is it awful. Sure, they're partly to blame for not writing any songs, but this is the worst guitar sound in the history of rock music. I can't believe they didn't straight-up murder Bill Laswell when they heard the playback.

i'm not sure where else to post this question, but what is the best cannibal corpse album, because i loved evisceration plague, but i don't know what else to get by them. Thanks.

http://www.shirtsanddestroy.com/img_model/whitepowderT.png

what is the best cannibal corpse album

Kill is really good, and was produced by Erik Rutan, who produced Evisceration Plague, so it really is more of the same. Beyond that, everybody's got a favorite; most people like earlier stuff like Tomb of the Mutilated.

alright thanks, i'll check both of those out

I love Cannibal's last two with Rutan...as for the earlier stuff I'm partial to The Bleeding and Vile.

I can't believe they didn't straight-up murder Bill Laswell when they heard the playback.

yes indeed. at least "orgasmatron" is distinctive and still powerful, "make them die slowly" is really one of the worst production jobs i've ever heard by an established producer. i like MTDS, believe it or not, but i hope someday they find some well-recorded demos for it.

lol @ that Nachtmystium shirt

i like MTDS, believe it or not, but i hope someday they find some well-recorded demos for it.

The last three songs are pretty good in a second-tier '80s thrash kind of way, but the first four are straight-up awful. And they're all too long. When the WZ 4CD/1DVD set came out I interviewed the four core bandmembers and they said they recorded that album three times, the third of which was the Laswell version. No idea what happened to the other two sets of tapes, but I really wish some enterprising bootlegger would get 'em out there, or even post 'em on a blog.

listening to an old axis of advance album (obey). pretty wild stuff. sounds a bit like a black metal discordance axis. lots of screechy, dissonant guitars, grindy parts, and lots and lots of insane drum fills! love it.

absu + discordance axis, maybe?

so is the Arch Enemy/Exodus/Arsis tour worth going to if its at a club i kind of hate?

started my day off right with the dlx edition of "Storm of the Light's Bane", what a great record. should listen to it more frequently

so is the Arch Enemy/Exodus/Arsis tour worth going to if its at a club i kind of hate?

Yes. I actually saw some video of Arch Enemy's set in NYC (viewable here) and regret having left early.

And speaking of Discordance Axis, I got the new four-song Hayaino Daisuki EP (former DA vocalist Jon Chang's new band that's not GridLink) in today's mail. Sounds about like the last one, maybe a little more melodic. Gotta listen to it more carefully, but I'm spending much of today listening to the 2CD deluxe edition of From Elvis in Memphis.

have to check out that hayaino daisuki - I only vaguely remember the last one. I think I had problems with the production? (but I honestly don't remember what they were)

listening to gridlink ep now. love this thing.

http://kkdowning.net/SpecialReports/logohistory.html

^ What an awesome find!

That's very cool!

When the WZ 4CD/1DVD set came out I interviewed the four core bandmembers and they said they recorded that album three times, the third of which was the Laswell version.

lol 80s budgets

Everyone on DFFD reckons southern lord can fuck right off
and I agree with them
http://www.southernlord.com/subscription.php

$225 AND shipping on top. Greg can get right tae fuck.

Nate can you get me a colour vinyl of the yob? No way am i subscribing to that just to get a colour vinyl.

Haha, wow, do they ever know how to cash in on vinyl nerds.

yeah that's way too much money but if they can get it from ppl good on them.

Noone on DFFD is signing up for it, I cant see anyone outside the USA buying it because they get charged extra AS WELL AS FULL SHIPPING CHARGES ON TOP. I could understand it if the extra charges were for the extra shipping and all shipping charges were the same when you get to checkout, but that isn't the case.

They've put up how much shipping is now

USA

$170.00
+14.20 shipping

Canada
$200.00
+14.35 shipping

Mexico
$200.00
+22.15 shipping

Europe
$225.00
+26.02 shipping

Pacific Rim
$225.00
+26.02 shipping

$250 which is £160 almost

what is dffd and why is what they're doing an indication of anything

DFFD is the old Southern Lord forum that Greg removed because people complained about SL's business methods and wouldn't arselick. So Forever Doomed was formed complete with everyones log-ins by the guy who ran the board.

so it's full of people who would be predisposed to having no interest in a goofy overpriced subscription series? gotcha.

people who obsess about colored vinyl are so weird to me. I have a friend that's into shitty pop punk and will buy five versions of the same me first and the gimmie gimmies 7". 100% crazy person behavior imo.

otm

It's full of people who love the bands on the label but refuse to pay for overpriced mail order (many of whom have ordered from SL and not received their packages ) and will only buy from other distros and local shops.

Being a past customer of SL myself (just the once, mind), I can vouch for the fact that their shipping is SLOOOOOOW. That can be excused if the label is a bedroom business, but Southern Lord is a pretty big independent label at this stage. They should get their shit together.

I think the complainers would rather it was slooooooooooow as opposed to not getting their stuff, zero customer service and the like. I've never had a problem with them, but everytime I order from them, I do worry if it's my turn to to have problems.

Yeah, my one ordering experience from them was slooooooooooooow as hell too.

southern lord once dicked me around for months. when i started demanding my money back they told me "whoops we found your order, it was at the bottom of one page of our spreadsheet and just got lost." fuck them.

The slowness itself is a symptom of big problems in their mail order handling. I know it's not the post - stuff from the US normally gets this side of the pond in a matter of days, not weeks.

"The slowness itself is a symptom of big problems in their mail order handling."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/ST-3-bud.jpg

I can't even imagine ordering from them from overseas, I mean I live in Chicago and my order took damn near a full month to get to me.

yeah that's way too much money but if they can get it from ppl good on them.

Or, you know, fuck them for helping to create this idea that vinyl is "worth a premium price" and that $25+ is an acceptable price for an LP. And feeding into the Pokemon-collector mentality that exists in that scene.

listening to an old axis of advance album (obey). pretty wild stuff.

You should check out sacramentary abolishment (pre-AoA/Rites of Thy Degringolade). Also, Rites of Thy Degringolade.

xxpost Haha Scott yeah, I never actually thought of that, silly me!

i dunno, i think southern lord's made their business strategy extremely clear and if people don't like it they're under no obligation to buy their stuff.

One thing I would say is that if nothing else it removes Anderson (or whoever) of any right to complain about download culture

Yeah, the idea that someone goes 'I've just had a brilliant idea for making loads of money: SunnO))) albums and Ascend T-shirts' is pretty risible. They're worth the money you pay and if you don't like it, well, just do what everyone else does and buy the CD or download it.

XP: DJ Mencap, but they're pretty relaxed about that. They don't make a big thing of going on about it. And let's face it, a lot of metal people do.

You should check out sacramentary abolishment (pre-AoA/Rites of Thy Degringolade). Also, Rites of Thy Degringolade.

I definitely will - thanks!

Friday poll on my MSN metal blog: with all these bands reuniting, should some of them reassemble their 1990-92 tours (Soundgarden/Voivod/Faith No More, Metallica/Guns 'n' Roses/FNM, Megadeth/Slayer/Anthrax/Alice in Chains)?

haha each option has one band i can not stand at this point so thats a tough one

Yeah, get rid of Anthrax in that last tour and you have a hell of a bill.

Anyone who likes death metal at its ugliest should check out Vasaeleth. I'm listening to their Profound Lore debut right now, and it's very strong. Similar suffocating atmosphere as Portal, but nowhere near as impenetrable. Killer artwork, too.

http://www.myspace.com/vasaeleth

Ha ha, I just logged into my MySpace account for the first time in months and discovered two smackdowns from bands that I had reviewed in Decibel. Guess everyone's a critic of critics.

Which bands?

While Heaven Wept and Rusty Eye. Both of whom I gave okay reviews to, but apparently they disagree (and misread what I said). To wit:

Decibel review says images of "sugar skulls and marigolds" are "watered down PG-13 thrillers" and "as scary as off-screen gore". Hello? Dia de Muertos? Why do you think the song is named Nov 2 Day of The Dead?
January 13 at 2:17pm

Gates Of Slumber were solid last night, but wow, Pentagram! They recorded the show for a live album, and they ruled. Liebling is a real character, like a creepy uncle, but great fun. Griffin is amazing to watch.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree with you about Orphaned Land, Adrien. It's definitely too long, but man, there are some great songs -- "Sapari" and "New Jerusalem" are really beautiful. The mixture of Middle Eastern styles and the progressive metal feels much more organic to me this time around.

Wanna read a track-by-track discussion of Rob Zombie's new album, with Rob Zombie? Sure you do.

Jeff, I actually really admire "Sapari" and "New Jerusalem", along with two or three others, but the rest of the album doesn't do anything for me.

On a different note, the new Triptykon tracks sound excellent...looking forward to the rest of the album!

Slept-on 2009 death metal alert: I'm listening to the fourth Lost Soul disc, Immerse in Infinity, right now, and it's totally fucking crushing. It's their fourth album on as many labels (they went Relapse/Metal Mind - Osmose - Earache and are now on Witching Hour Productions), which is probably why nobody pays attention to them. But 2002's Ubermensch (Death of God) and 2005's Chaostream were both awesome, and this one is their best yet. They're the hidden treasure of the Polish death metal scene, easily the equal of Vader and on par with a slightly less over-the-top Decapitated. If you like having your skull blasted into shards, you need this.

great review in decibel AND girly jeff likes it. hmmmm, that might trump adrien's opinion. i loved mabool so much i'd kinda be a bad fan if i didn't at least give the new album a chance. i'm definitely curious.

i loved the - i think - earache album by lost soul. thought it was great. chaosstream! that was the one. yeah, my kinda stuff.

I'm trying to be more manly this year! Today I downloaded a bunch of black metal promos, plus the new album from a cappella metal masters Van Canto (whose "Master of Puppets" cover is certainly, umm, masculine), AND I bought a Manowar record today... hmm. I'm not doing a very good job of making my case here, am I?

Nothing wrong with Manowar!

I was ready to write off the much-hyped Charred Walls of the Damned album tonight, and all of a sudden it clicked and I wound up listening to it five times straight. Didn't expect that at all, but yeah, fun record.

I haven't had an opportunity to listen to it all the way through yet, but what I've listen to so far is pretty fun. Definitely the best Ripper Owens performance I've heard.

Slow beginning to the year, metal-wise, but Madder Mortem's Deadlands was just reissued with a couple bonus tracks, and I'm liking the Ihsahn album. Haven't decided about the new Dark Tranquillity yet; I think I initially want it to be more melodic, maybe as a lingering result of liking the last Amorphis album so much. Things will really kick in for me again, I think, with the new HIM album next week, and Rotting Christ a couple weeks later...

The Dark Tranquillity is the usual stuff, good consistent tunes by one of the most consistent bands out there. Though I really like this one's production a lot more than Fiction.

The year's starting to heat up, just got Alcest, Les Discrets, and Landmine Marathon today.

The Van Canto album is the funniest thing since the first time I saw DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" video. But I gotta give 'em credit for doing it with a straight face.

I just listened to the "Master of Puppets" cover. Oh. My. Goodness.

Did not know these guys; this is kind of astonishing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwNrjvNiYs

forks, go look up their cover of "the trooper." it is all-time.

rumtumtum tumtumtum tumtumtiddatum
this is so clearly up my alley

They're sort of ripping off Dokaka, only tarting it up to a comedic leval as only German power metalers can do.

I reviewed the album for AMG and compared it to Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the group that did the soundtrack to Akira.

when college acapella groups drop out

RON KON KON KON KA TOW!

Band/album name of the day: BESTIAL MOCKERY - "CHRISTCRUSHING HAMMERCHAINSAW"

hey metal folx:

Pentagram (the O.G. 70s stoner/doom/sab type thang) is playing my town in March...are they good live?

Yes.
What's teh big deal about Pentagram, anyway?

Just wanted to say that Feb 2 is CANDLEMASS.

xpost - Pentagram is 50% awesome 50% spinal tap hilarity. 100% worth seeing. Make sure you get First Daze Here comp on Relapse to brush up on their best written and worst recorded material.

The new Alcest album is wonderful. A little more black metal tossed in here and there, a few harsh vox, but hoo boy, if you like Ride and Slowdive, wait till you hear its final third.

excited for that! and my gf, who liked the last one, is gonna freak out at you namechecking slowdive

I thought the last Alcest album sounded massively like Slowdive

(thx y'all i think i will go to pentagram!)

Listening to the new Rob Zombie right now, thanks to all of Phil's enthusing... and really loving it. I like that the industrial influences have been toned down drastically, this is a pretty straightforward hard rock record. Yeah, his basic schtick is still very much in place, but I haven't heard him sound this energetic in awhile. I especially like the two short, punk-y songs.

I can't get enough of the new Vasaeleth album. This comes close to besting Portal, as far as atmospere goes.

I reviewed the Van Canto album for AMG; here's what I said:

Van Canto's gimmick can be summed up in one sentence: they perform a cappella power metal. These Germans have five vocalists -- a male and female lead, and three backup vocalists who make the sounds of the instruments by singing things like "dundundundunrakatakatakatakadundundundun" behind them. Anyone familiar with the harmonies created by barbershop quartets, doo wop groups, or show choirs will understand the principle, even if hearing it applied to power metal -- with all its lyrics about dragons, fire, and glory -- is a little weird. The vocalists are extremely skilled, though, and it winds up not being nearly as laughable as it could be -- it's desperately earnest in a way only German power metal can be, but by the third or fourth song that becomes appealing rather than stupid. Some may argue with their lack of commitment to their stylistic choice, given that they have a real drummer -- and worse yet, Rage guitarist Victor Smolski plays screaming, shred-happy solos on several songs here, which winds up being disappointing, because what the group members can achieve using only their voices is much more impressive than one more whammy-bar-abusing axeman. Some songs, like their cover of Grave Digger's "Rebellion," almost sound like the work of Japanese group Geinoh Yamashirogumi, who recorded the soundtrack to Akira. And their version of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" is just…indescribable.

RIP metal haven (chicago)
;_; u were loved

Canada's greatest metal record store, Edmonton's Octopus Ink, also closed recently. Going to miss it, I spent a lot of cash there.

Metal Haven closed? No way, I was just there last week, and they didn't say anything. The site is still up...

OK, I just got download links for the new Landmine Marathon, Triptykon and Unleashed albums. It's gonna be a loud weekend...

I had no idea Unleashed had a new one. That'll be fun.

Landmine Marathon's new one is good, but I liked Rusted Eyes Awake so much that I doubt that the new CD can top it, improved production and all.

RIP metal haven (chicago)

awww, this used to be my go-to place when i couldn't find sabbat and root albums anywhere else. i only mailordered from them, but they were a good place.

man it's Friday in the Triangle and I would just like to state for the record how completely awesome it is that Friday nights on WKNC Raleigh they have the metal show. There is something so special about radio, I know it's super-corny to get all emo about radio but really, when there's a guy playing metal and you're part of an audience listening to the live mix it's really so rad. Especially when you're driving home or something. Tonight heading home dude busted out "Raining Blood." Now, at home, he's up on some Nightwish. I am 100% down and seriously thankful for my local metal show!!

That's awesome. What Nightwish was he playing?

Here in atx we have NO CONTROL friday nights on 101x and its my favorite shit on earth featuring "midnight slayer" and "the metalocalypse moment" and stuff from grind to death to prog to a lil folk metals

That's awesome. What Nightwish was he playing?

He played "Bless the Child." So hot! Man Friday night metal radio show is the BUSINESS. just perfect in every way. if you click on this playlist in the next hour or so it'll tell you how my evening's been goin':

http://wknc.org/playlist/

Sweet! I know a bunch of scattered Nightwish songs, but I haven't heard Bless the Child.

And thanks for the link. Since I'll be sitting here for a while, I'll listen in.

http://wknc.org/playlist

Wow, that's exactly the kind of eclectic mix that I like in a metal show, but so rarely hear. Very cool!

oh man they're playing WASP now. man do I ever fucking love hearing some WASP.

This is making my Friday night so much better.

Love Andrew W.K.

Now this is a Nightwish song I've heard many times before! (A bunch of my friends in high school were in a metal band that covered Nightwish, so I ended up getting into a bunch of their songs.)

this is one of the things I love best about wknc metal night - they'll play the same act a few times but not necessarily in a row - it's kind of exactly how my home listening works: "you know what I want to hear now? another maiden song"

yeah, that is awesome!

i'm really enjoying what i've heard of the show so far.

http://www.myspace.com/finntroll

That's interesting, Finntroll prefers Skittles to M&Ms.

On an unrelated note, when did Overkill get so freakin' good? Ironbound is flat-out the best front-to-back album they've ever made. They were always one of the most annoyingly inconsistent bands in metal and their recent stuff was just plain lousy, and I had ZERO expectations when I played this album on a whim, so this comes as a massive surprise.

I admit to not having been a big Immolation fan up until now, but I'm really liking the new one. Not sure it's due to any significant change on their part, I think I'm accepting more and more non-melodic voices that used to turn me off.

anyone have any idea what happened to the Mayhem tour?

Glenn--Immolation is fantastic. Finally finally saw them live about two weeks ago and they lived up to my many years of great expectations.

Rockapads--pretty sure they are just greedy assholes. That cancellation has screwed over hundreds of people, not counting the fans. Ludicra will be touring anyway, and we are scrambling to put that together immediately. Anyone who wants to give shout outs to Ludicra for soldiering on and touring anyway, please drop me a line.

I'm hoping the end result is a longer Ludicra set... not a huge Mayhem fan anyway.

So what's the plan - get the three support acts out on the road on the same dates but maybe in smaller venues?

re: metal haven
i don't think they've closed all the way, but the end is nigh. for now it's deep discounts, etc. until it's all gone, i guess? that's what i read at least.

Yeah, I tend to lose patience quickly with uber-technical death metal where flurries take precendence over rhythm, at one end, and brutal death focused on pounding and bellowing, at the other, but Immolation find a good place in between. Not that their purpose is to suit my particular parameters, obviously.

Also, this new Gamma Ray album sounds a lot better than I expected. But lately the test of Gamma Ray/Helloween albums is whether I can still stand them the third time, so we'll see.

(And this last is not a metal rec, but if your metal tastes segue into Jesu, then over to Mono, then into quieter atmopherics, go look up the Japanese duo Matryoshka...)

It's a good time for old-fashioned doom these days...the new albums by Hour of 13 and Apostle of Solitude are knockouts.

I'm doing some research into NSBM music and I'm curious if, outside listening to the artists on the Resistance Records website, there's a good place to start -- has anyone written about NSBM or other racist/anti-semitic metal movements? Are there other labels/artists that I should be checking out?

Also, loosely related, I'm trying to compile a sizable list of songs/albums/lyrics that deal thematically with concepts of possession, embodiment, exorcism, etc. I'm sure there are tons, but I've only been able to come up with a few (Master of Puppets, maybe?).

There's a book written in German called Unheilige Allianzen, unfortunately untranslated and my German is only good enough to read the German wiki page about the book (barely). I probably couldn't do substantive work in the original (tho maybe this is a good chance to improve my German so I could).

The Encyclopedia Metallum is pretty comprehensive - searches on 'genre' and 'lyrical theme' will give you good starts on either of your questions

http://www.last.fm/tag/the%20pagan%20front

http://www.last.fm/tag/national%20socialist%20black%20metal

http://www.last.fm/tag/nsbm

http://www.last.fm/music/Sieg+Oder+Tod

http://www.last.fm/tag/rac

http://www.last.fm/music/Sons+Of+North

http://www.last.fm/music/Gestapo+666

http://www.last.fm/music/Aryan+Blood

that's just two minutes i spent on the internet. lemme know if you want me to spend three minutes.

Even legendary Canadian Werewolf True Pitch Black Metal band Byzantum is on the Encyclopedia Metallum

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=26983

I think Decibel had an article on this a few years back.

"Orgasmatron"

"So what's the plan - get the three support acts out on the road on the same dates but maybe in smaller venues?"

Essentially, yes. Though Tombs and Krallice want to stick to the east coast. So there will be a host of Ludicra dates with the best local support we can muster.

And on a personal note: my band Witch Mountain (formed in Portland, OR back in 1997) has just finished a new album with producer Billy Anderson. Think Goatsnake with Anne Wilson of Heart on vocals.

I'll be shopping it at Scion fest and Roadburn. But meanwhile, any press folks who are interested in this sort of thing, email me at nanotear AT hotmail and I'll get you the mastered sampler.

And if you know of any radio outlets that handle this sort of music (like Scott Kelly's satellite radio show for instance), please let me know. We ended up with a song under 4 minutes that actually has a chorus.

It took us ten years to make a second album and it feels so so good to have it done once and for all.

Send me one. I will even post an MP3 on my MSN blog if you want.

Done.

Think Goatsnake with Anne Wilson of Heart on vocals.

I'm definitely interested. Will email.

I'm certainly interested in hearing it, but these days I'm not writing for anything beyond my barely browsed blogs.

Finally digging into the Ihsahn, this is fucking fantastic.

Jon, I'm happy to have people hear it who will simply spread the good word. It is a "promotional sampler" after all ;)

Well then. :) E-mail sent.

Just wrapping up my first listen to the new Orphaned Land and, well, I think it'll take some time to fully form an opinion on this thing. It's massive, and honestly, a bit of a slog to get through in one session. There are some really good moments and, unsurprisingly for an album this massive and ambitious, some moments that really don't work well at all. An early favorite is "Disciples of the Sacred Oath II".

Does C0sm0 still post around here? Curious to hear why he thought Phil's exercise was an "unnecessary mess". I thought it was good to see someone try to find out the truth before either a) giving press to a band with questionable beliefs or b) unfairly ignoring a good young band.

http://invisibleoranges.com/2010/02/wolvhammer-eps.html

weird post--it's like he wants to minimize the issue of racism in metal. i think it's perfectly reasonable that folks might want to avoid bands that have those beliefs. but c0sm0 and i have never seen eye-to-eye afaict

weird post--it's like he wants to minimize the issue of racism in metal

Especially when paired with the post below it, where he asks what questions people would like him to ask Varg Vikernes.

lol didn't even see that

Yeah, I thought it was good of Phil to call out the band and forcing them to get that all out in the open, and it was good of the band to respond so quickly. I don't understand what's so wrong with that.

With Varg's people screening each email interview before approving submission, I doubt he'll be giving many interesting answers at all, at least answers to the questions most people want asked.

I got this email yesterday.

This is too good an opportunity to pass up.

So, let's put our heads together.

What questions do you have for Mr. Vikernes?

hahah i don't really know what's so good about this opportunity, both for the reason adrien mentioned and because varg is an upper-level bullshit artist in interviews anyway.

oh also and why give pub/attention to an asshole like varg?

it seems more like people want to make a bigger deal out of the wolvhammer thing than necessary. it didn't really seem like he was "calling them out," more like he was asking a legitimate question that, i would think, they would want to be clear about in the first place.

Varg Vikernes: no. Ville Valo: yes! Yes yes yes new HIM yes yes. Back to sounding like they sounded when I thought they might be my new favorite band. Happy Metal!

awesome! That last record was way too artsy for its own good. I want big hooks from HIM, not weirdness.

Thanks for the Witch Mountain love on the MSN Blog Phil.

http://music.msn.com/superfans/heavy-metal/blog/free-music-witch-mountain-mp3/?silentchk=1&

Forty years ago, Black Sabbath released their debut album

HAIL THE (tr00) BIRTH OF HEAVY METAL, ACCURSED INFIDELS!!!!!!

"Forty years -- what a surprise!" (to the tune of Bowie's 5 years)

Nice Overkill review Adrien. I almost picked that up yesterday when I saw it at Best Buy, but it was fucking $18.99 for the single disc version for some weird reason.

Kinda liking Anima (Serbian rock/metal) and While Heaven Wept (somewhere between Dream Theater and Candlemass). And Gamma Ray and Overkill sound good. But HIM and Rotting Christ and Ihsahn and Immolation are my heavy rotation right now. HIM back to their grandiosity, Rotting Christ taking those arabic flutter-riffs into a new sphere, Ihsahn making sax sound both metal and Metal, and Immolation just stomping on heads. The music year is officially well underway.

Ihsahn is definitely my early favorite of the young year, particularly "Frozen Lakes On Mars" - I can't stop playing that one. The whole thing is really awesome though.

Anyone heard this band?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Otz94ZFcBM/S3fvpgpI7gI/AAAAAAAAAnY/Wa2kZ2_Xo0A/s400/a2adb7c63e05.jpg

http://www.myspace.com/mountaingoatband

http://thewarp.org/blog/images/fortunel_a.jpg

It's amazing how noodle vague has influenced so many ilxors to store images they find to use on ilx one day

i found that in seconds by GISing "copyright police"!

Influences

Clutch. Kyuss. Nirvana. Boris. Black Sabbath. Sleep. Electric Wizard. Down. Queens of the Stone Age. Goatsnake. Probot. Cathedral. The Melvins. Bongzilla. Weedeater. Daniel Lioneye. Tom Morello solos.

hey, there's another goat somewhere in dere.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Otz94ZFcBM/S3fvpgpI7gI/AAAAAAAAAnY/Wa2kZ2_Xo0A/s400/a2adb7c63e05.jpg

she got to keep the bong after the divorce iirc

I like his friendly face and friendly moobs

In other news, I am listening to the Black Breath album on Southern Lord - this is the followup to the EP they released in December - and it owns, in much the same way as the EP owned. Kurt Ballou produced it so it's a bit more, um, produced, but it works for them. Really hope the whole world is sucking their dicks by summer

I loved the Black Breath EP, and having Ballou produce the new one can only be a good thing. Really looking forward to this one!

I liked the EP, but I thought it was a little one-dimensional. Is the album more varied?

Listening to the new Lair of the Minotaur disc, Evil Power. I don't know...I want to love this band, because on the surface they're the ultimate metal band - their name, the fact that their albums have titles like Carnage, The Ultimate Destroyer and War Metal Battle Master, the video for the last album's title track - but I just don't feel like they're living up to their potential. In my opinion, they peaked with The Ultimate Destroyer. This time out, they've brought in bassist/vocalist Nate Olp from Demiricious, a band I think is really underrated, and the songs have titles like "Let's Kill These Motherfuckers," "Hunt and Devour" and "Death March of the Conquerors," but it's just not as awesome as it should be. I'll give it a few more listens and see if it grows on me.

fwiw i always felt similarly about those guys.

So...Just dropping in to say that, though I have next to no use for new metal these days, I do think I like the new Ratt album, new Orphaned Land album, and new Helloween best-of album regardless. That's all.

Same. I have a friend for whom they are one of about three metal groups he likes - to him they embody everything metal is, or should be, about. I find their music boring and their whole shtick kind of goofy.

(xp)

Lair of the Minotaur are a hell of a lot of fun live. I bought this shirt when I saw them:

http://shop.relapse.com/dbimages/sleeves/93612dvd_216.jpg

That being said, I do not own any actual music from them.

in case anyone out of town wondered about metal haven/closing/etc
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/metal-haven-closing-mark-weglarz-ravenswood-music-stores/Content?oid=1418106

I like the new Ratt too. Hate the Orphaned Land. Have never listened to a whole Helloween song.

Not even all 13 glorious minutes of "Halloween", Phil? Pre-1988 Helloween is so great. After that, not so much.

I like Lair of the Minotaur, but it seems they never go as over the top as they should with this kind of battle metal or what have you. I'll be giving the new album a listen later.

Meanwhile, the new Landmine Marathon album isn't really growing on me much. It's good, but it doesn't feel like the big leap you'd expect from a band expected to get a lot of hype in 2010. I just like their previous stuff better, I think.

What do you hate about the Orphaned Land?

helloween (yeah the old stuff) is great, get tarnished with the silly brush a little too often so a lot of dudes i know wont listen to them, but i think it holds up

yeah, i too liked the Orphaned Land quite a bit on first hearing. come to think of it, that alone may well be definitive proof that it does indeed suck.

Despite being probably way too long, it's the first "real" metal album I've made it all the way through, painlessly, on first sitting, in ages.

Helloween best-of sounded way lighter and catchier (even almost "new wave" now and then) than I expected. Which I'm sure will bother some people, but fuck 'em.

Of course I was just playing both of them in the background; maybe on closer inspection, they'll wind up boring me. But I hope not.

Currently listening to the new Armored Saint, which is really good. Not metal exactly; heavy in a Wino/Trouble sort of way, with Mellotron and classic hard rock guitar sounds. Plus John Bush's vocals, of course, which are terrific.

The Orphaned Land album is just...too much. Too long, too overbearing with the Middle Eastern instrumentation, too boring ("Bereft in the Abyss"), and not heavy enough. No thanks. I'll stick with Melechesh.

what i have heard of Orphaned Land has not impressed me very much

I'm glad I'm not the only one less than impressed with the Orphaned Land CD. Tries way too hard, whereas Mabool was totally charming.

Oh, and thanks, jon, for the Overkill comment upthread. What a great album Ironbound is! I was totally floored when I heard "The Green and Black".

i dunno, for me Mabool sounded really primitive/tentative in comparison to the new one's all out, head-long dive into the "cultural" abyss. the more middle-eastern flavor they let seep into their more or less standard, by-the-numbers extreme metal tunes the better, i say. eclecticism is not always a negative trait, y'know.

eclecticism is not always a negative trait, y'know.

Before I took over Metal Edge I spent two years editing a world music magazine. I'm very familiar with sonic eclecticism and the combining of rock with other musical forms, in both directions. Their eclecticism isn't enough to make Orphaned Land good.

I've never heard anyone do it better than Melechesh.

http://pitchfork.com/news/37924-xasthur-and-marissa-nadler-collaborate-on-new-album/

he reminds me of humorless goth dudes of the 90s.

kshighway isn't a goth is he?

am i?

not sure if you're joking or not, but I meant Xasthur.

xp

i think he's joking

oops - meta goes over my head O_o

The last time I met Marissa Nadler, like three years ago, I asked her what she'd been up to recently and she said she'd been thinking about drowning herself in a bath. I'm not saying, I'm just saying

She's a funny gal.

where is L0uis so I can give him shit about this

he is on birthday/exam leave iirc

things you dont expect to see - darrahmac on the metal thread. Welcome!

Listening to the Barren Earth album, Curse of the Red River, right now. Do you like Opeth? 'Cause these guys do - a lot. Mellotron, acoustic guitar interludes, death growls 'n' clean crooning...seriously, Mikael Åkerfeldt should file a cease and desist letter.

most badass track I've heard in 2010. ride for revenge, "no savior no return":
http://chronicyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/03-no-savior-no-return.mp3

sounds kind of like coffins-style death/doom with some tom g. warrior grunting and growling on top. but just bass and drums and plus some throbbing gristle weirdness thrown in for good measure throughout the album. rules.

there's no quicker way into my heart than a drummer playing the same drum beat over ever track. provided it's a cool drum beat.

also been listening to the bastard noise/endless blockade split. been anticipating this one since I heard about the new bastard noise lineup with live drums and bass + electronics. their side of the split basically sounds like man is the bastard with a production job with a little more oomph. it's really cool. endless blockade side is the first I've heard of them but I like it too.

also keep listening to the cremation demos I mentioned upthread. nuclear war now just collected most of them for a comp called black death cult.

RFR are pretty awesome. they need a guitarist making flipper-style noise though.

hahaha I was thinking the same thing last night while listening

one of the many reasons I love corrupted too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqQVP81ab9s

also, I think my "coffins-style death/doom" description above might be a bit misleading, now that I think of it. RFR swing more than that. just listen to the track!

new Cathedral out 10 May, this is my #1 most anticipated

^I hope to be able to listen to that in a few days (when back on a PC where I can stream promos), may report back

Gonna pick up the BN/Endless Blockade split asap also

Listening to the Barren Earth album, Curse of the Red River, right now. Do you like Opeth? 'Cause these guys do - a lot. Mellotron, acoustic guitar interludes, death growls 'n' clean crooning...seriously, Mikael Åkerfeldt should file a cease and desist letter.

I've been enjoying that one a lot. Their EP from late last year is good, too.

Just played the Ov Hell album for the first time, and at least initially it seems more varied and interesting than the last Gorgoroth album. Looks stupid, though.

so fuckin excited i'm gonna see Krisiun/Nile/immolation on friday. and immolation are selling advance copies of their new albm at the shows!

Hey, y'all - I'm part of a new zine called Burning Ambulance. The first issue is out now. It's only available through Lulu.com, and features mostly avant-garde jazz, but also includes a long and fascinating story on Orthodox, and me reviewing a bunch of punk- and metal-related books including Precious Metal, Joe Carducci's Enter Naomi and Daniel Ekeroth's Swedish Death Metal, among others. You can buy it ($5 for a download, $10 for a physical copy) at this link. I really hope you'll consider doing so. This is a total labor of love.

cool!

Contributing writers: Matt Cibula, Philip Freeman, Kurt Gottschalk, Stephen Haynes, and Phil Nugent.

done.

"new Cathedral out 10 May, this is my #1 most anticipated

Halfway through it now and it is amazing.

!!

also, I haven't listened to overkill since I hear black but the praise on this thread got me curious. listening to the stuff on their myspace page and loving it!

*Whistles* bootvids.blogspot.com/

I agree on the new Cathedral. Really strong album by them, which is good to see because they are either great or drab. I absolutely love the track 'Funeral Of Dreams.' So unexpected in composition but it really works.

The Overkill is a nice surprise too, Can't remember the last time I really enjoyed one of their albums. I think it was decades ago.

Yay, gonna see Orphaned Land in NY in March.

The Overkill is a nice surprise too, Can't remember the last time I really enjoyed one of their albums. I think it was decades ago.

Same here. Last one I liked at all was Under the Influence, and even that one had its mediocre moments. I always found them to be a horribly inconsistent band, but did they ever get it right on the new one.

bootvids.blogspot.com/

Uh, wow. GORE live! FEAR OF GOD live! Wow wow wow.

I was beginning to think noone was going to check that link out!

Also, I don't think I'd ever paid much attention to Dark Fortress (possibly even confusing them with Dark Funeral), but this new album Ylem is pretty good. "Melodic Black Metal", EM says, but this is the kind of thing that makes me not quite understand the boundaries between Black and Death Metal. It's "dark", anyway, with stretches of both stomping and twitching, and a variety of vocal styles (all percussive). Heavier than creepy, though.

whoa, i'm really kinda surprised to be digging the new Rotting Christ album as much as i am here. lotsa interesting shit goin' on--love their use of mid-eastern/arabic scales/modes/etc.--that ain't just part and parcel of yer standard BM offerings. cool.

So apparently Burzum leaked -- anyone heard yet?

It's pretty darn good.

I've never dug deep into Rotting Christ before either, but the new album really is good.

What's it like in comparison to A Dead Poem? didn't like that one at all...

Never heard A Dead Poem. But the new one has Diamanda Galás on the last track, so the new one wins.

HAHA totally gotta listen now

yeah, what Phil said. (her accent is pretty funny when she sings in Greek tho--WAY worse than mine.)

Krisiun/Nile/Immolation was wtf amazing

btw check out Dreaming Dead. Female fronted death metal band that touches on melodic death, doom, traditional death, and heavy metal. This isn't a chick novelty act or a group where the ladies are ornaments - they are the guitar players and one of them does lead vocals and they're tight.

Apparently you can't buy a physical copy of their cd right now but check it out on ITunes.

I liked them when they were called Manslaughter. Haven't seen them live yet though since I timed it right to just catch Immolation.

Liz is a total sweetheart. A very earnest metal chick who slays on guitar and roars like a demon. Hope they blow up. It's the drummer from Exhausted Prayer, no?

I'm not sure but whomever he was, he was a beast on the kit. and I have tremendous respect for someone who drums and does vocals at the same time. that's gotta be real hard coordination wise. There's a second girl in the band on lead guitar but she isn't listed on their facebook page but I'm not sure who she is. Amazing player though.

Their set made me realize a lot of metal sensibility. I mean, metal is still very 'sexist' to a degree. Yea, females have a larger presence than they ever used to be, but I mean often times in these bands they get stuck in the ancillary roles (ie, bass, or 'opera' vocals for a goth metal group). It's still a boy's game.

And this set had the potential to draw ire from the fans. They hadn't totally embraced the first opening act, and Liz put her purse on top of the amp gear for the entire show. I'm sure people that didn't know them already didn't know what to expect. Then the lead guitar chick did some crazy insane lead for soundcheck and people starting paying attention. and then they launchedi nto this Sabbathy doom riff to open the song and for the next 30 mins, the floor was crowded and mosh pits broke out. everyone loved em.

bummer that they had no cds to sell - guessing they are sold out and don't have anymore pressed. I bought it on ITunes though.

now, off to see Deicide on 3/12. I'll preface that I haven't liked half of their albums (including the last two that for some reason got critical praise, even though I loathed them). but hearing the classics will be fun, plus....Glen Benton has the worst stage banter ever. It's unintentionally hilarious at times - I'm going for that reason too.

also did anybody think Suffocation's "Blood Oath" was overrated? I've liked Suffocation since their reunion (liked Souls to Deny and the s/t) but the group seems to lack a lot of the dynamics they had in the past. The songs seem to be at the same tempo, thus negating tempo changes, breakdowns, and the riffs don't seem to have the characteristic Suffocation stamp on them.

I think it'd be a solid album for any other DM band but just pale for Suffocation.

Wardruna were amazing in Oslo on Saturday night. One of the best post BM things I've seen in a long time. Still on a Norwegian tip Altaar slayed as well. And Shining were stunning. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to do Blackjazz live or not. But they can. (Jorgen from the Shining, ex-Jaga Jazzist had what he called a more traditional jazz group playing Chrome Hill but they had definable post punk, BM and Earth influences.)

Haha, reviews for the new Wold on iTunes:

"This is not music whatsoever. All three songs sound the same and the album costs $9.99 for 3 s****y songs"

"All this is is noise. It has no musical value whatsoever. DO NOT BUY"

"You can't help but feel sorry for all the money the label is about to lose..."

"Ok, I'm not against any music genre (except rap maybe) and I know how many different metal subgenres there are, but what is this? How could you categorize it? It sounds like black metal when you first listen to it, but black metal is still very technical, so no. All I know is that this is not very good..."

An interesting idea, but not the best Wold album by a long shot.

What a disaster for Profound Lore

ok Immolation's newie (Majesty and Decay) is amazing. not that it aws any surprise. some of it harkened back to Close to a World Below, tho, which is surprising as they really haven't touched on that sound much since.

Music to my ears Ballistic.

Ok, finally getting to The Guessing Game...wow. Just wow. Incredible.

Best Buy is selling a version of the new High On Fire album with three extra songs (one studio, two live) for $7.99 and free shipping. I just ordered mine.

my local store is apparently going to have it for 5.99!!

$5.99 around here too. I'd pay twice as much for a different mix.

$7.99 on Amazon too, fwiw.

"Ok, finally getting to The Guessing Game...wow. Just wow. Incredible."

Yeah. Aside from the purist doom of Forest of Equilibrium and to a less degree Endtyme, this is hitting me as their best and most innovative album. Finally a weirdo Cathedral album that I can love. They sound like the utter veterans that they are on this one. My album of the year so far in just one listen.

I keep waiting for that album to surface on the Nuclear Blast ipool. Have to hear it!

My album of the year so far in just one listen.

^^^ ksh are you listening 'cause the truth just came flyin at you my friend

just ordered the latest Festered album. STILL waiting on my goddamn Necrophagist cd from my half.com order. wtf did I pay for expedited shipping for if it takes almost two weeks?

OK, I'm downloading the Cathedral thing now, but before I even listen to it, I have a question: This thing is almost 85 minutes long, but the website doesn't list it as being a two-CD set. How do they make that work?

no idea, I got mine from the press pool.

I am listening to it again this evening. I find it just breathtaking - I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because over the years they've always been capable of awesome & different looks, but I guess I would have expected a move toward more titanic sludge like Endtyme (which I also love) instead of this really crazy weird psychedelic folk-tinged THING.

so rad.

According to the label, it is in fact a double disc. Tracks 1-7 are Disc 1, Tracks 8-13 are Disc 2.

Curious to hear that, sounds pretty epic. Also looking forward to hearing the High On Fire finally.

Meanwhile, the new Helloween "best-of" that xhuxk mentioned a while back upthread is one of the biggest metal trainwrecks I have ever heard. Gospel choirs, Sanborn-style sax, attempts at Americana...it's impossible to keep a straight face listening to this stuff. Yikes.

oh guys, this ihsahn record is SO GOOD

i mean most of you already know that, but holy shit.

He's back.

http://www.thelefthandpath.com/lefthandpath/index.cfm/event/read/entry/High_on_Fire_Snakes_for_the_Divine

What a goddamned awful High on Fire record. There’s nothing to like about this fifth full-length, Snakes for the Divine, not even the two-bit fanto cover art. What remains is Matt Pike’s tiresome Lemmy impression, front and center, illuminated by a complete inability to convey anything but passing-a-Mini-Cooper-through-his-shitter pathos. Every song swathed in the same schema: Ball-aching growls “compete” with drummer Des Kensel’s yawning mid-paced blah.

The program's obvious intent -- huffin’ it over mountains to swipe marauder gold from ice caverns rife with Githyanki and Frost Giants -- never materializes. Try to erase the stubborn picture of group therapy sessions full of tatted, steel-haired guys smoking Pall Malls and sipping Folgers, chatting up how long they’ve stuck it out with the methadone. No, I never liked “reality” television.

What a moody, cantankerous blast of ennui... Songs take far too long to get their bearing and then flail about listlessly, content with grand declarations of emotional quagmire received in wholly disconnected and unfounded ways – sorta like a dog flipping through a Time magazine photo special on the Haiti earthquake devastation.

The greatest crime here is Pike’s guitar. Long his most appealing weapon, the axe is blunted, inexcusably dressed down by an indifferent and destructive mix. Propulsive, fanged riffs gone fruity is a disease I never figured this guy to present. But the world’s rife with disappointment. Aint it? People predisposed to praise this transformation likely cower from Albini’s fist-to-the-nuts production style – and Blessed Black Wings’ (exquisite) brand of tunes. That’s fine. Most folks need another underachieving bullshit band whose total artistic ambition consists in “playing epic tunes, brah.”

Stewart Voegtlin

WHY DO PEOPLE EMPLOY THIS GUY?

Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls

His review of the Devil's Blood album (which isn't great) is amazingly bullshit.

The Devil's Blood - The Time of No Time Evermore

Ahem. Those into a weekender “occult” band fronted by an R. Crumb illustration covered in stage blood who whips her band of merry men into able lockstep aping of the impossibly dreary latter half of Blue Oyster Cult’s catalog will find the quasi-Poe titled, and logically impossible The Time of No Time Evermore a pulsing vibe on the clit of aesthetic eureka. Myself? I prefer early BOC, and legitimately rocking, uncool lifer “roots rock” bands such as Witch. Even if The Devil’s Blood somehow managed to wrangle the limitless drumming talents of J. Mascis into its fold, they’d still be just another inoffensive crit darling playing Praise-Hell-Satan to other weekender skeez in fresh-from-the-biker-trunk leather vests. To quote the venerable Slim Pickens, don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Coming soon to a Pitchfork Media column near you.

I guess they didn't return his emails.

legitimately rocking, uncool lifer “roots rock” bands such as Witch

hahaha OK buddy

hah check this guys OK, is this the worst piece of music writing ever?

I don't like The Devil's Blood half as much as a lot of ppl, I don't think, but as far as I can see they have no particular critical cachet to speak of

okay, THIS is a great album title though:

"a pulsing vibe on the clit of aesthetic eureka"

and a great username for someone. any takers?

nah

the guys from witch are pretty cool. and they ARE just rock dudes. they have bought records from me here and its always, like, moxy and godz records that they buy. (70's biker godz, not e.s.p. godz) haven't met dinosaur dude though.

you guys are gonna make me a fan of this guy! didn't know his stuff at all. very entertaining.

Kinda used to like The Left Hand path when it was just a column, but ever since they became a website the writing has got more & more irritating.

Won't disagree The Devil's Blood album isn't great, but saw them live last week & they were very fine indeed.

were all these witchcraft/sabbath/coven 70's blood ritual bands actually swing bands 5 years ago. that's what i want to know. or were they ska bands?

retro-satanic heavy rock's leaving a shitstain across the 00s

My album of the year so far in just one listen.

^^^ ksh are you listening 'cause the truth just came flyin at you my friend

― Lee Dorrian Gray (J0hn D.)

:-) The store opens in a mere hour. . .

yeah but the new Cathedral won't be in stores til April

Stereogum just updated, and now you can get the Haunting the Chapel column as a standalone RSS feed, which I don't think you could do before:

http://stereogum.com/category/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/feed/

thanks for the heads up!

Okay absolutely love the High On Fire! I don't really have any problems with the production. Fantastic fucking record. Think it is just barely pushing past Ihsahn as me favorite of the young year.

^^^word.

WHY DO PEOPLE EMPLOY THIS GUY?

Presumably because he has the balls to make a call without worrying what the fanboys will think?

Oh, on the contrary; I think he's obsessed with what "fanboys" think. Otherwise he'd just state his own opinion without feeling the need to bolster it by caricaturing others who disagree.

haha Please everyone welcome my good friend Piotr (aka Helmut Was A Krautrocker). He did post a few times years ago under that name but clearly he's bored with DFFD and has come back!

Hey, speaking of which, I'm not registered on DFFD but I think some of the folks there would be interested in reading about Orthodox in Burning Ambulance. Can someone who's a regular poster there email me with the goal of starting a discussion of the mag over there? I'll provide all relevant links to include, etc.

ahoy hoy, piotr.

so, I listened to the new HOF yesterday and really wasn't feeling it at all. I actually liked how prominent the bass and drums were in the mix but the songs weren't really doing it for me. not much stuck.

vox were probably too high in the mix, yeah.

have to listen again.

and I want to hear that new cathedral album real bad. supremely jealous of you guys.

Now then Piotr,

I've got to say that constantly harping on in reviews about how everyone bar you has got it wrong (even if you're right) is deeply unpleasant. The odd occasion I've caught myself doing it I've been thoroughly ashamed. You just can't confidently state why a group of people, maybe numbering in the tens of thousands love a record for the wrong reasons.

It amazes me that so many people like Saxon. I don't think they're doing it because of peer pressure though. And (despite my gut feeling to the contrary) I know people actually genuinely love stuff like Girls and Wavves and Andrew WK and Manowar. It's not my job to state that they don't unless I've got some kind of proof.

Plus going on about how great your taste is and how everyone else bar you and your mates are wrong is the review equivalent of going "LOL@USERNAME^" - nothing outrageous about it. It's just, well, uncouth and ever so slightly lame.

I'm pretty sure Piotr disliked Mr Voegtlin on the old SL board even though he doesn't like Mastodon,Torche etc.

Sorry that was a Hello Piotr.

And then me ranting in general. Too much coffee. Back to work.

Oh hi!

I went and read some more Voegtlin, and Doran, you are correct... dude's a bit caustic in a sneering, everyone-but-me-is-wrong kind of way. I guess I just got sick of hearing how the new HoF is awesome and it was refreshing to see someone not feeling it like I don't feel it.

Who was this dude on the old SL board?

Everyone loves it? Everything I've read (bar here) has been how shitty the production is.

I forget his username, but he got pissed off because people liked Baroness,Mastodon and Torche and he thought it was fake metal and how people shouldn't listen to fake metal and how everyone who liked them were hipsters and republicans. And he just ranted constantly all the time about them (he still does in his reviews as covered in previous rolling metal threads here).
He was no warpig.

^^^sounds like a true blue Chuck Eddy fan to me. ;)

I went and read some more Voegtlin, and Doran, you are correct... dude's a bit caustic in a sneering, everyone-but-me-is-wrong kind of way. I guess I just got sick of hearing how the new HoF is awesome and it was refreshing to see someone not feeling it like I don't feel it.

I don't mind him not liking the album, I'm all for critical discourse. The problem with that review, is that it reads like he's railing against the same things he's always disliked about the band (the drumming, Pike's singing). There is really very little to tell me why THIS particular album isn't good. He's just bitching about a band he already hated, which doesn't strike me as good criticism when reviewing an album.

That's all he does. But funny that on the OK, is this the worst piece of music writing ever? people actually liked his writing. I hate flowery reviews, but typical of ilx to stand up for it.

his writing ain't so bad usually, and even occasionally fun to read; it's his "IDEAS" that suck!!!!!!

I also kinda hate critics that throw themselves into the "true metal" pissing match. That's one that no one is ever going to win, so why bother?

"but typical of ilx to stand up for it."

it's not horribly written and its fairly distinctive! he's one up on 90% of everyone else who writes music reviews right there.

Xiu Xiu. It's been driving me mental all day trying to remember which band it is.

I cannot for the life of me imagine anyone ever actually extracting any pleasure whatsoever from listening to Xiu Xiu. If you extraordinarily renditioned me to Mordor and then waterboarded me with Phil Anselmo's septic arse broth for 24 hours solid I would still not be able to convincingly tell you that I believed that anyone sane got anything other than deep displeasure from listening to this bunch of twits.

But logic (and the trace remnants of human decency) tells me otherwise. It's not for me to say how people consume and enjoy music.

I think I once fell into the massive wanker pit of describing someone (probably coldplay) as music for people who hate music but I hope I've become a less shit writer since then because there's just no such thing. If you read the way Douglas Adams writes about Dire Straits you can tell he had a very deep, almost profound, love for that band. You just can't infer anything about a person (in this sense at least) - especially not their love for music - by what music they listen to.

I kind of feel sorry for this clown, wanking himself to sleep every night over his original Tank vinyl.

Nigel and proud. That's me.

Of course none of this applies to people who like Sting or The Police.

They're just cretins.

that Xiu Xiu paragraph is quality writing I can get behind!

Jeff Gilbert of Guitar World was the best reviewer ever.

like his review of Grave's Extremely Rotten Live: "Yes, it is."

wait that stewart dude wrote that about xiu xiu or what did i miss?

nah

if he did he will have wittered on about how mastodon and torche fans are republican voting hipster scum who read vice.

ok whoa guys this high on fire is fucking amazing

i might give it the nod over blessed black wings also o_O

no complaints over the vocals too high in mix?

have only had a chance to listen to it in the car so far, so i reserve my vote on that until i listen to it on an actual stereo. didnt notice it yet tho

"but typical of ilx to stand up for it."

ilx" saying "what exactly is your criticism of this?" doesn't seem all that hive-mind to me dude, given that your sole criticism seemed to be "I hate him and so do ppl on metal boards, so that settles it"

no complaints over the vocals too high in mix?

I love it. Can't get enough of that gurgly voice.

Nope, still hate High on Fire. And haven't heard Cathedral yet (but happy to know there are still "insiders" who have some privileges). And am deliberately waiting on Tryptik Frost until I can hear the whole thing.

But in the meantime:

- Eluveitie+Acoustic is good, but Eluveitie+Metal is magnificent.
- HIM+Acoustic is good, but HIM+Metal would be my #1 if I had to pick one today. Anti-Nihilist Metal.
- Watching my 2yo daughter bopping to Immolation while eating a bowl of Peanut Butter Pows is a great way to start a morning.
- The Rotting Christ album is so good that the Diamanda Galas collaboration at the end is an anticlimax.
- Dark: Dark Fortress vs Dark Tranquillity; Dark Fortress in a walkover.
- Ov: Ov Hell vs Overkill; Ov Hell, but it's closer.
- Juliana Hatfield: Best album since-- oh, wait, wrong thread.

That Eluveitie album isn't doing anything for me at all. Maybe it needs more spins, but it sure hasn't grabbed me like their past stuff.

xpost

wazzap with the dig at dire straits? "sultans of swing" is one of the best tracks of all time!!

ilx" saying "what exactly is your criticism of this?" doesn't seem all that hive-mind to me dude, given that your sole criticism seemed to be "I hate him and so do ppl on metal boards, so that settles it"

pfunk's vitriol towards some random writer dude IS a little o_O but in his defense, I took that comment more like "lots of people on ilx are music journos, so they may be more into flowery music reviews than most"

i haven't seen any evidence that ilm likes any kind of critical writing more than any other

haha now that I think of it, ilm probably hates flowery music reviews more than most!

but that's just how I read the comment.

off-topic but this is immediately what I thought of when I saw "worst piece of music writing ever":

http://www.autostraddle.com/why-taylor-swift-offends-little-monsters-feminists-and-weirdos-31525

Listen up; if I ever get my life together enough to reproduce other life forms, they will not be joining Taylor Nation – they will be brave, creative, inventive, envelope-pushing little monsters who will find a pretty, skinny white blonde girl in a white peasant shirt strolling through nature-themed screensaver-esque fantasylands singing about how “when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you’re gonna believe them” not only sappy, but also insulting to their inevitable brilliance.

I'm sorry. carry on.

yeah that thing was awful

and i think she had a valid point or two but the whole time i was just like "i would hate you if i met you"

but also insulting to their inevitable brilliance.

Seriously, fuck you. I hope your theoretical daughters grow up to be dumb sluts.

I'm really biased and pro-swift/anti-gaga anyway but I just felt like the one or two valid points in there are just absolutely buried under the many, many desperate leaps she's taking to prop up gaga.

x-post

it's an awful, terrible, nonsensical false dichotomy that would only be raised by someone who essentially doesn't understand pop music

totally.

plus, I just hate this clever but not really "bloggy" type of writing that just comes across as someone completely in love with the sound of their own voice blabbing on and on.

and I ESPECIALLY hate people that write this way in office emails, let me tell you what!

not slandering all blogs btw. just ones that are written like... that.

lol i work with software engineers and can barely get a complete sentence out of 'em which is annoying, but yeah emails in the self-regarding blog voice would be much worse

lolz I am familiar with that as well

I'm gonna watch some homicide episodes and pass out. sorry about bringing swift vs. gaga into this metal dudes

I am anti-swift and pro-gaga. I am also anti-Perry and pro-Allen.

On a more metal note, complaining about the prominent vocals on hof seems crazy to me.

If you hate on this HOF album, you deserve to have the motorhead back-patch torn from your denim jacket and burned before you.

btw (and this is my measure for great rocking party time awesome metal) this cd makes my dog flip out and run around and want to play tug of war. last time he got this nutzoid was for slough feg, so its obvious that the animal has great taste.

I am also anti-Perry

oh oh, what did Dan do to you now?

xp

HOF rules (vox-mix sounds fine to me)! fuck the haterz!

Yeah I'm really confused by the haters on this. I guess I can hear that the vocals are high in the mix, but to me thats part of why its so fucking great. His vocals sound just right to me. I just unequivocally loved it from first listen and am surprised that this would be the album to really split opinion on them.

i might give it the nod over blessed black wings also o_O

― THEY HAVE CREATED ANOTHER (jjjusten), Wednesday, February 24, 2010 9:33 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Oh man if this is true. I havent heard it yet, cant wait.

ok so I guess I have to listen to the new HOF when I'm not working and doin thangs

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/42/107031291_c015acf0ee_o.jpg

^^^thangs I was doin during my first listen to the new HOF

Got my copy of the Best Buy version w/three bonus tracks (two live ones, but one extra new studio song) in today's mail.

This might be obscure for many of you but Tommy Atkins from incredible prog/doomsters The Great Tyrant (formerly Yeti) died yesterday. RIP :(

Did he die fighting in the first world war?

I don't know how many ILMers are gonna be at SXSW, but I'm gonna be attending for the first time ever, because my friend Wes Orshoski, who directed the documentary Lemmy, has asked me to come down and interview Lemmy for an hour, live on stage. So if you're gonna be in town anyway, stop on by.

that's awesome phil!

btw i went to the store yesterday to pick up the high on fire and some other stuff and spent a minute looking around for the more expensive super-special edition with a dvd or a 5.1 mix or whatever. only this morning did i realize they're no longer on relapse!

This might be obscure for many of you but Tommy Atkins from incredible prog/doomsters The Great Tyrant (formerly Yeti) died yesterday. RIP :(

awww, man. bummer news. yeti were a totally cool band but I never checked out the great tyrant. probably should.

I love the single-sided 12" with the yes-styled logo. and didn't someone in yeti die at an early age too? :-/

Oh happy day:

The Eve Of UFOMAMMUT's Finest Day...

Eve - the eagerly awaited new studio album from Italy's most cerebral and mammoth doom act UFOMMAMUT - has been completed, and is eagerly awaiting release onto the masses. Appropriately titled, Eve is the fifth official album from the obliterating trio. The album - comprised of one 45-minute atmospheric track, divided into five distinct movements - acts as a living homage to the first woman on Earth, and the rebellion to her creator for bringing knowledge to Mankind.

Recorded at Locomotore Studio in Roma, Italy by Lorenzo Stecconi (who also acted as sound lord on the band's 2007 epic Idolum), Eve is a new step in the sonic adventure of UFOMAMMUT; another level in the band's research. Rounding out at an incredibly action-packed 44:44, the album passes through the same massive atmospheres as Idolum, layered with mastodonic riffage as heard on the band's Snailking release, yet also bears some of the apparition-like passages the band displayed so well on their Lucifer Songs LP, while still formulating a forward-thinking approach to the release. Check out a video montage of the making of this monstrosity here: http://www.youtube.com/EarsplitPR#p/f/7/F3vvDBZDyOw.

UFOMAMMUT's status as one of the most potent, powerful and artistic contemporary doom artists in existence continues to captivate the masses, and the band's worldwide grasp grows wider with each release. With continual appearances at Roadburn and other notable Euro fests under their belt, and intermittent regional European touring already something the band is used to, the band are set on more widespread actions in 2010. UFOMAMMUT made their American live debut in 2009, when they undertook a west coast mini-tour, coinciding with an art tour bearing works born of the trio's own world famous Malleus Rock Art Lab. More live plans for both continents are imminent throughout the year.

To be released worldwide on May 5th via Malleus' own Supernatural Cat Records, Eve is an undeniably infectious and utterly devastating piece of doom metal art that shall surely be a major player for the year. Watch for more announcements on the band throughout the year.

finally listened to that new EP by acrassicauda. that iraqi band from the documentary. they really like old metallica albums. which is cool. so do i. gotta give it up to Vice Records. they gave these dudes a handsome package to sell.

I didn't expect the Acrassicauda to be that good, but yeah, Skolnick has molded these guys into a very promising band. A far cry from playing "The Final Countdown" in a hotel in Baghdad.

And congrats on the Lemmy gig, Phil! Wish I was going to sxsw.

How long are the songs on that EP? Just curious because the pre-order on iTunes has it priced as a full-length album.

They're average length; it's about 20 minutes of music all together.

Get it from Amazon; it's $3.96 for MP3s or $6.99 for a physical disc. (The new Hayaino Daisuki is a real ripoff - $9.99 for a 12-minute CD. Maybe it comes in a DVD case like the Discordance Axis albums did, though.)

Thanks for the info. I'd taken to buying most EPs via iTunes lately, just because it usually seems to be the cheaper route - not in this case apparently.

no complaints over the vocals too high in mix?

― Pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Wednesday, February 24, 2010 9:36 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I just got my copy of the new HOF. Am I missing something on these complaints about the production? This thing sounds awesome to me, no complaints at all. This is a fantastic album, much better than Communion, even though I liked that one.

Holy shit: Fire Flood and Plague.

theyre great songs, i just dislike the vocal mix, but if it sounds better on cd (or in my case vinyl) then that's great to know!

it will prob be my album of 2010 but the mix i heard i didnt like the vocal production, so it couldve been even better.

vocal mix isn't the problem with this (i just got to it today btw)--it's that there's no top end unless a guitar lead is happening and the drums have been COMPLETELY NEUTERED. like the opening to the 7th track should be majestic and awesome but really kinda isn't cause the snare and cymbals are so fuckin weak.

too bad, there's a lot to like: i actually really dig pike playing up the vocal performance, he seems to be having a lot of fun with it. and there's more bass on here than any other hof record. songwriting seems really sharp on once pass; more so than death is this communion which meandered a lot. but i think this is always going to sound a little caged to me.

in other words there's always gonna be a feeling "it could've been even better"

yeah--as of now i mean i like it, i'm gonna listen to it a good amount, but it might well be fatally flawed for me

finally listening to Necrophagist's Onset of Putrefaction after the tool who I bought it from on half.com lost my package....amazon to the rescue....

On first listen, man programmed drums really take away but the guitar makes up for it. still tho drums are a heavy part of what i love about death metal and programmed drums just dont' do it.

ok so the one song on the HOF that isnt doing it for me at all is "How Dark We Pray"

In case you haven't picked up the Best Buy version with the three bonus tracks (which are awesome)...

thx man!

not available in the uk cheers!

um wtf is a .sitx?

You just need a stuffit extracting thing. Like WinRar and all that, easy stuff.

Thanks, by the way! No Best Buy where I am.

nothing i have will extract it argh

got it using stuffit

New Alcest and Apostle Of Solitude albums are very good.

Jeff and I agreeing on something should shock you all.

I still can't believe HoF did a fuckin' Best Buy exclusive.

i assume it's because they now record for noted trashy label "e1 music" aka koch records

New Alcest and Apostle Of Solitude albums are very good.

Indeed. The Alcest is just unreal, I think. I don't know if it'll ever have the same emotional resonance with me as the last one did (long story), but there are big improvements on all fronts on this one.

New Alcest and Apostle Of Solitude albums are very good.

Indeed. The Alcest is just unreal, I think. I don't know if it'll ever have the same emotional resonance with me as the last one did (long story), but there are big improvements on all fronts on this one.

― A. Begrand

Never listened to Alcest before today, but I just bought Souvenirs... on iTunes because of this thread, and it's so good. Man, thanks!

Life is short, therefore I try to stay disciplined about ignoring new music by bands I already know I don't like.

Try, and often fail. You people here are to blame as often as anybody. No, damn it, I still hate High on Fire, no matter how much anybody raves about it. Why did you make me listen again to prove it? And I will not fall for cheap bait like "The Alcest is just unreal". No way. I didn't like the other Alcest album very much, so there's no way "big improvements on all fronts" could convert something I didn't like very much into something I like. Not that I can actually remember why I didn't like the other Alcest record. I probably gave it a few weeks of carefully studied attention, and then reluctantly concluded, in full cognizance of its virtues and flaws, that the latter outweighed the former in my personal listening life. Either that or I listened to the first 5 seconds of each of 3 :30 samples on iTunes and none of them was what I happened to be in the mood for at that specific moment. But, you know, close enough.

Oh, crap, OK already, I'll download the damn new Alcest one and listen to one song all the way through, while I'm playing Scramble or something. OK, two songs. OK, the whole album, but only because I'm having a good Scramble run and can't be bothered to think about what else to listen to. Oh, crap, OK already, it's fantastic. Much better than that shitty first album, how could I have been expected to know that? His fault for lowballing the debut, obviously. I mean, if you're going to make a crap record and then a fantastic record, what the hell are people supposed to do? I mean, here, I'll show you what I mean. Lemme download the first one again, obviously I deleted it after those weeks of careful study I mentioned. Now see, listen to how lame this first song is. Oh, actually the first one is great, but it all falls apart on the second one. Third one, I mean. Second half of the record totally blows, I mean.

Oh hell, I don't remember any of this, and it's seriously great. Maybe I was confusing Alcest with Ulver or something.

[Nobody start on Ulver. Seriously, I don't have the time.]

Did a little bit of shopping to perk up a gray Monday:

Corrupted - Paso Inferior (the clerk was uber-stoked that I was buying this, kept gushing about how awesome it is)
Nachtmysitum - Instinct: Decay

and shit, just noticed they put the fucking wrong Lair of the Minotaur disc in the package. Supposed to be Carnage, but they gave me the disc for War Metal Battle Master which I already have. Fuuuuuuck. Now I have to make a 2 hour round trip train tip to return it. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

sweet, my Festered cd came in the mail today! and immolation's dawn of possession. as much as a fanboy as I've been, never owned this!

Supposed to be Carnage, but they gave me the disc for War Metal Battle Master which I already have. Fuuuuuuck. Now I have to make a 2 hour round trip train tip to return it. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

demand a house call!

Haha, I wish! Maybe that was bit of an overreaction earlier, but lesson learned - always check to make sure you get what you paid for when you leave a shop that is really inconvenient to go back to!

true tho I can't say I always do. and sometimes it's hard to tell if yr not familiar with the design on the cd (altho I guess you were since you owned it, lol).

It was one of those stores where they keep just the sleeves out front and the jewel cases and discs back in the shelves behind the counter (which I'm generally a fan of for ease in flipping through!) the dude just slipped the sleeve into the latter LotM case. I mean, I glimpsed at it but saw "Lair of the Minotuar" and figured I was fine. Didn't notice til I was actually looking at the track names and was like.... "wait a minute...".

Anyway. Any thoughts on the Corrupted disc that the clerk was enthusing about? Curious to hear what you guys think. I won't get to listen to it until tomorrow, because I want to make sure I have the whole 40 minutes for my undivided attention.

Corrupted only have a few full-lengths, and they're all good. That one's one of their least experimental, as I recall - it's just straight crushing heaviness from front to back. They display their softer side on El Mundo Frio and the second disc of the two-disc Se Hace Por Los Sueños Asesinos (my personal favorite of their discography).

My mistake; the double disc is Llenandose de Gusanos (which is apparently out of print now).

llenandose is my fave as well.

but yeah, I agree. all corrupted is worthwhile. wouldn't put paso inferior in the top tier but it's still cool.

nadie is probably my favorite of the readily available stuff but you should poke around for mp3s of their singles. lots of amazing stuff out there that is frustratingly out of print. (though rumors of a singles collection have been going around for years.)

love this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqQVP81ab9s

Sounds like I have some exploring to do.

If you're feeling lazy...

Why I just may be feeling a little bit lazy tonight. Thanks.

I've never dug deep into Rotting Christ before either, but the new album really is good.

― neither good nor bad, just a kid like you (unperson), Friday, February 19, 2010 3:48 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

i'm late to the party, but this ^

It was one of those stores where they keep just the sleeves out front and the jewel cases and discs back in the shelves behind the counter (which I'm generally a fan of for ease in flipping through!) the dude just slipped the sleeve into the latter LotM case.

Haha, that happened to me in 1988, the clerk gave me Helloween's Keeper of the Seven Keys Part One instead of Part Two. I was so pumped for that album, so I was quite irate when I found out at home. Plus I had to go back and like a total nerdy idiot explain that there were two parts to this silly power metal thing.

And I agree, the new Rotting Christ is really good, better than Theogonia, which is a strong record in its own right. It would have been good without the Diamanda Galas track, but the performance winds up knocking that album out of the park.

Plus I had to go back and like a total nerdy idiot explain that there were two parts to this silly power metal thing.

lol

so Belus is worth checking out?

i'm not familiar with burzum at all.

I think so. But if you're not familiar, its a good idea to hear Filosofem and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss first.

sveet. thanks!

By the way, Adrien, love to hear you expound on your FB status from earlier about the new Ratt album.

Unless you will be reviewing it for somewhere and I'll wait patiently.

It feels like a total return to their 80s form, it nails the same feel of Dancin' Undercover. Very upbeat and hooky with those sharp DeMartini riffs. It sounds like a band that's learned to embrace what made them so great 25 years ago instead of trying to keep up with the times.

Huh, well I'm certainly going to move that from my 'totally uninterested' pile to the 'worth a listen' pile.