Rolling Metal Thread 2012

Let's do this, apocalypse style.

Tin. It's malleable and cheap. Not flashy but very useful.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

I got some metal cd's for xmas.

That's exciting.

Well, I'm already nuts about the new albums by Alcest (no surprise), Christian Mistress, and Pallbearer. And very pleased at the prospect of a new Katatonia album in the the first half of the year.

First big surprise of the year for me is the Liberteer record. Not usually a grind guy, but for some reason conceptual progressive orchestral grind did it for me.

And by "some reason" I mean "obvious reasons."

Hi.

hey y'all

Yeah, that Liberteer album wasn't bad. I'm also not a huge grind guy, but it hit me right this morning. Only 2012 metal album I've heard so far.

Sidenote, any of you guys know of any outlets looking for writers? I've resolved to write more in 2012 and focus would be a big help.

Downloaded the Liberteer but only made it a song or two in - the vocals were too Muppet-like for my taste. Now that I know it gets orchestral 'n' shit as it goes along, I might put in the effort to get to the end.

Right now the early favorite for 2012 for me would have to be The Devil's Blood - the Thousandfold Epicentre. Really just hits all the right buttons for me – classic rock influences, female vocalist, really catchy songs. That being said, I was just flipping through the decibel Most Anticipated Albums of 2012 list, and there are definitely some upcoming titles that could give it a run for its money.

The Devil's Blood - the Thousandfold Epicentre

that cd is out in europe. i have the cd

Europe doesn't count.

Is that final?

do blogs count?

i resolve to listen to way more stoner metal, folk metal, and mordy metal this year

will be opening voting for the metal poll tomorrow so make sure you all get your noms in

Holy crap, Howard Jones left Killswitch Engage.

Things can only get better

Human nature.

i heard hot topic t-shirt sales were like 30% down -- no wonder the band is falling apart

I hear no one is to blame for the split.

there's no everlasting love on the bands part

He's putting the dream into action.

he's gonna join blink 182

Will he write a new song?

Don't try to live your life in one day.

we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of Killswitch, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward.

Fucking love this quote from their website. Yes, I'd imagine finding a new vocalist would be a good #1 priority at this point.

priority #2: write some sick breakdowns

priority #3: throw off those mental chains
ooh ooh ooh

What do people make of Behold! The Monolith? I always thought they were "hipster metal" or ironic or whatever but there are a few really good tracks on their new album Defender, Redeemer.

The smartest piece of musical analysis you'll read all month. Sergeant D is a fucking genius, and someone should give him a book deal.

Fucking bullshit.

Sorry, that was unnecessarily aggressive.

I didn't enjoy that piece you linked to but thanks anyway.

What didn't you like about it? I think it's pretty important to keep an eye on what people younger than me are listening to, and D is inarguably one of the best people doing it right now. Do you disagree with his conclusions?

who is 誤訳侮辱 ? i cant keep track of posters names!

oh i forgot to post ~~~ VOTING THREAD FOR ILX METAL POLL 2011 - All ilxors or lurkers ballots welcomed (Closes Sunday JAN 15th @ 11.59pm UK Time) here. Had to bring forward it by a week as the big ilm poll is being run the week i planned for.

hmmm

n a nutshell, there is nothing more trendy this year than being tr00. MySpace is long dead, and while some of the bands that flourished on the site are still around, they’re dying along with the scene that surrounds them. Neon merch, generic deathcore and crabcore are out; ‘real hardcore,’ old-school death metal, and djent are in. Yesterday’s scene kid is today’s hipster/metal nerd, and in what should be welcome news to MS readers, it’s cool to be an elitist snob!

http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012.gif

grunge was more fun to me than hair metal or nu-metal shite

not sure the world needs a metal carles but sergeant d can be funny sometimes.

I guess I just don't care much about the music he's into and think it's kind of weird that he's fascinated by attack attack growing up

I did enjoy that chart

^^^ alan n 100% otm w/"metal carles" zing

the one point dude makes, and it's a good one, at the end is the sticking point: assholes like me have been scowling at the shitty non-metal the kids dig for years and goin' "fuckin', Autopsy is way better than this." if the kids then get into Autopsy, purists do not get to go "oh fuck, you're still kids though." But in the actual world of people listening (vs. uninteresting meta-scene analysis, which is boring) I don't see too many old-school dudes grousing when kids like death metal. + Hot Topic ppl already loved Gothenburg melodic death for years, like over a decade, this isn't really a new trend

i dont know who carles is

the hipster runoff dude. sgt d's posting, and especially its end, is very much in the HRO house style.

Ahh ok, never read that either.

I was complaining in the Sandbox how YOB was skipping the entire midwest for their Tool tour. Fortunately they announced some headlining dates, including not only Chicago at the Empty Bottle, but my old hometown Dubuque! Yes, the long-suffering city that somehow gets singled out when someone wants to mention a shitty Midwestern city that no one cares about, most recently in the Love Goes To Buildings On Fire book.

Graveyard are also avoiding the midwest this month, though openers Radio Moscow are coming to Chicago just before the tour.

i noticed that they were playing at the EB later this month, was thinking about going but kinda depends on the day of the week

debating the drive to Austin to finally see YOB.

sorry that was boring and superfluous

let me offer some interesting info

i went to see this (pretty awesome) metal supergroup thing at the MCA a week or so ago, and it was great (aside from the barely credited but integral to the performance female string section), but the real news related to the incident from last year during which it was suggested that i go outside and get some fresh air because my feathers were ruffled due to a tasteless rape joke -- jef/leviathan dude was the designated drummer for this ensemble, and he didn't come out until maybe 2/3 of the way through the song (as planned, i'm sure)

then he started just BANGING on the drums, and the conductor (jr robinson) went over to talk to him like hey cool it dude, and he cooled it a little. then he went right back to banging at top volume. another little talk. then he threw his drumsticks behind him and sulked for the rest of the show.

everyone else was super professional, and the harmonium dude totally stole the show, but this guy came off like a giant baby at an art museum. ha.

alan n 100% otm w/"metal carles" zing

― unlistenable in philly (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, January 5, 2012 5:46 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it's not a zing, he spends a lot of his time actively and by his own admission writing blog posts in 'the Carles voice'

Really good album I totally missed last year: Astrohenge II by Astrohenge. Instrumental, progressive death/doom metal.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-want-Orphaned-Land-to-represent-Israel-at-the-2012-Eurovision/245772765496353

i wish

First spam of the new year! Drunken skate punk classic: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/the-lazarus-pit-gang-greens-another-wasted-night/

One month till my speech in Berlin - time to start seriously overdosing on 80s German thrash. Currently listening to Living Death's Vengeance of Hell, which is OK.

Hellbound has its top Canadian albums of 2011 up. It's always one of my personal favourite polls to participate in. It was a very good year for heavy music here.

http://www.hellbound.ca/2012/01/top-10-canadian-metal-albums-of-2011/

Holy hell, the Liberteer album is awesome.

Shit Simon H... I just came here to say exactly the same thing. I just had a very satisfying first listen to that.

Yeah, that one seems to be the grind record for people who don't normally like grind and also the people that do.

I like it when it gets all orchestral and shit.

holy shit nightwish released an album last year? i have lost track of time

Slayer day of I'll Be Your Mirror in London is looking more and more like the greatest day of a festival ever: SLAYARGH! Wolves In The Throne Room, Melvins, Yob, Sleep. And there's more Yob news coming tomorrow apparently.

you have time to listen to it and vote for it along with lulu and 8 others markers.

as does rockapads if he finds his way here

i listened to so little new metal last year -- i couldn't vote

i thought the same but in the end there were at least 20 metal albums i was able to vote for

they accumulate

and you have til sunday to listen to the spotify playlist and vote

As Adrien mentioned above, the Christian Mistress is great. No curveballs thrown, just more of exactly what they do so well.

Yeah, no real changes, just better produced. "Haunted Hunted" is the one track I keep going back to.

Meanwhile the Wizard Rifle album is a total, indescribable blast.

Wow, the Guardian is embracing metal at the moment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/12/voivod-to-the-death-demo-metal

Quite agree that this group of nobodies has done nothing for contemporary pop music

need to hear the new Christian Mistress

the show I was doing for them in March has apparently been pulled as they're re-routing their tour :(

as no-one's mentioned the awesome Loincloth album yet I hereby break my normal habit and link to my own review of it http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16730/reviews/4144319

Sunday morning new-download audition results: Lyra and I concur that Revilement and Saturnian Mist are, as she put it, "a little bit terrible", although she was into Saturnian Mist until the guy started shouting. Lacuna Coil survived for later listening in its entirety, although "Losing My Religion" didn't impress us much (but it got me trying to explain the concept of losing your religion to a 4.5-year-old when we'd had only half a cup of coffee between us, so that's something). She wasn't much into Syven, but I was. We both provisionally endorse Cardamon, although I'm not as sure as L is that her mother would like them, too.

That concludes the metal portion, as we also have to catch up on the last two Simple Minds albums, as I've discover I forgot about them...

Hey, vote in the damn poll if you haven't already. Phil, Chuck, JD, everybody. What other poll gives you 50 votes?

they didn't but they're all welcome to comment on the albums here
THE ILM METAL POLL 2011 RESULTS (All lurkers/non metalheads welcome to join in!)

hope everyone comes and joins the fun. Everyones welcome to discuss the albums.

only listened to the first first songs in the car so far but on the basis of those first few, fucking A this new one by RAM is tremendous! It sounds kinda like earlier Judas Priest crossed something more proggy - not epic prog just sorta spacey structures - fucking great so far

Okay - immediately on the "Need to listen" list. Thanks!

TRACKLIST
1 Death...
2 ...Comes from the Mouth Beyond

sold!

Hmm, this new Lacuna Coil isn't bad. Some of the songs still have their trademark random-note-progression "melody"-writing style, but at least a few seemed genuinely catchy to me on first listen, like they used to!

But then, you can download the Cardamon album, Sun as Never, from their website for free.

http://www.cardamon.nl/cardamon/Sun_as_Never.html

The Lacuna Coil is better than the last album for sure. But wow, is that Linkin Park-ification of "Losing my Religion" ever awful. It's always neat to see European metal bands unironically cover mainstream pop tunes, something American bands would never do, but they often do it so straight-faced and by the book that they lose all nuance.

This means nothing to me...

aah, vienna!

See, that's a pretty cool cover.

I'm loving the new Woods of Ypres record, and it makes me angry that this is the last work we'll have from David Gold.

Best record out of the four 2012 releases I've heard thus far.

I love the album, it's so much more cohesive than Woods IV, which was pretty great in its own right. David's lyrics could be corny as hell, but they had a way of getting to me, and some of the sadder songs here pack a bigger punch now unfortunately.

I'm trying to see if I can post the full unexpurgated interview I did in December at MSN. It just might have been his last, and it's pretty revealing.

I'd love to read it so I hope you get the right permissions to make it happen.

It'll either go up at MSN or Terrorizer. I'm sort of waiting for the Terrorizer issue to come out, just to be polite.

Saw Thou, The Body and Kowloon Walled City last night... epic heavy destruction.
Still can't figure out what the hell the guitarist/singer from The Body was playing through but it rattled my bowels a bit it was so low and thick...

sean is back! (you didnt vote in the poll you swine!)

xp that's a sweet show man

yeah, I've been out of the loop, yo..I'm weak.. lol!
I would've voted Trap Them, Weekend Nachos, Battalis, Rotten Sound, Will Haven, Rwake, Cave In, Lantlos, Deafheaven, Wolves in the Throne Room for my top 10 of the year..

trap them record is fabulous

Batillus.. I meant.
See, out of it! lol

^ didn't vote either did you?
xp

no i don't listen to enough metal to feel good about submitting a ballot

but i will be watching the results

I'm really dissapointed its so low on the list.. I was litening to other stuff this year and nothing had the fire that that had IMO

oh well make sure you guys post on the thread and give your comments (i think the poll haters on this thread dont want their sanctuary ruined)

xp yeah i'm a sucker for hardcore-influenced metal to begin with and i thought they really nailed the good points of that sound

wrod.. I got a real soft spot for that too, its just a better hybrid of stuff.. you get that raw rooted DIY in your face attitude with good metal riffing and hardcore fury.. its perfect!! lol!

and Chris Maggio from Coliseum joining Trap Them is fucking epic... he definitly breathed new life into that already crushing band

Speaking of hardcore influenced metal, going to be checking out the album from St. Louis' Everything Went Black later tonight. Press says influences like Black Flag and Entombed, which means it could be fantastic or swing very much in the opposite direction.

hmm... sounds good, or maybe not. lol!

Everything Went Black sound fine, pretty much straight down the middle dirty hardcore a la Trap Them or Cursed. I like that sound, but I think it's hitting the point where they need to start doing something new/interesting with it.

oh you just namechecked cursed, now i need to check out e.w.b.

Yeah, EWB's okay. But with a new Black Breath album coming soon, it's going to be overshadowed pretty quickly.

Good news, love Black Breath!

I can't wait for the new Black Breath...

Why did I think Lantlos was Mexican? WHY? LOL!

What do you guys think of Sam Dunn's series, Metal Evolution?

I think it's very well done. Every metal fan will have their own gripes with what was left out, but Dunn's doing a great job offering a good, lucid history of metal for neophytes. Except for the unironic phonetic pronunciation of NWOBHM, his constant "nawobbum"-ing cracked me up.

Hope this comes out on DVD!

I agree.. He's adoing a pretty good job. There is never gonna be an absolute stardard to where bands fit into the different sub genres, and there a few things here and there that made me go, huh?.. but for the most part its done pretty damn well. I've liked all his docs actually..

The only thing that really got me in a twist was in the Thrash episode, he goes to Soundwave Studios where at the time of that taping, Death Angel, Exodus, Testament and Skinlab were all rehearsing there and he talks about how it was a place he wanted to visit cuz of the history of these bands all reheasing there over the years.. When they show the building it has a caption of San Francisco, but Soundwave is in OAkland. For whatever reason I was like, you fucking dumming! lol!

I know in the history of thrash the SF bay are is super important,(I've seen with my own eyes living here all my life) but very few members of any of those bands ever lived in SF.. nit picky on my part, but whatevs! lol!

I also know about some dirt as to why Machine Head nor Vio-Lence wasn't mentioned any where in the thing, even though Flynn was interviewed for it..

I've only seen a couple of episodes and it's cool, but kinda weird to interview Randy Holden about Blue Cheer... and not even mention "Population II," one of the metallest albums of the 70s.

Except for the unironic phonetic pronunciation of NWOBHM, his constant "nawobbum"-ing cracked me up.

I used to do that! Most of my nerdier metal buds did.

yeah, ther nawobbum thing was wierd.. I've never heard anyone do that... I blame Cananda!

I say nerwobbum. Don't tell me I'M SUPPOSED TO BE SAYING EACH AND EVERYONE OF THE LETTERS?

lol! I guess there no other way to shorten than up, I'd just never thought to do it..

Used to call it phonetically back when it was happening & I was going to the gigs & buying the records, & still do. Same with most of my friends who were into it.

There is a track from the new Worm Ouroboros streaming on Pitchfork and it's a real corker. This is the first record with Aesop on drums and it's a huge improvement.

Yeah, it's a great record. Really gets under your skin, depression-wise, after a while. I was glad when I was done writing the review, not because it was a bad album, but because it was seriously affecting my mental outlook.

Yeah, it's indeed excellent. I was a big fan of the debut and the new one is even more low-key.

Just got sent the new Monarch record, which I'm really excited about.

Yeah, I got sent that as well. Why should I be excited for it? (Not sarcasm, just unfamiliar with their work)

because they're awesome

Monarch's monstrously heavy French doom, and the new one sounds great so far. Three songs, 35 minutes. Dead Men Tell No Tales turned me on to them back in 2007.

Nice to see the site back up and running! Happy new year y'all. :)

Happy New Year Nate!

nate your band got in our poll!

Much appreciated sirs! It was a great year for us, and we are looking forward to a bigger and better year now.

Went off that Liberteer album spectacularly quickly to be honest. The new Cannibal Corpse on the other hand is a fucking belter...

My favorite metal-related things so far this year are not themselves actually metal:

- I'm really loving Andy Julia's darkwave band Soror Dolorosa. Recommended if you liked the Sound or the gloomier bits of the Icicle Works, or if Interpol made you nostalgic for the original New Wave.

- I was a big fan of the Gathering circa Mandylion, but they kind of lost me after that, and I wasn't much into Anneke's solo work. Until now. This new album, Everything Is Changing is fabulous high-energy alt-pop.

Holy hell, the new Napalm Death is fucking fantastic. I'm pretty sure the guest saxophone on the third track is by John Zorn, and there are probably some guest vocalists, too, but I don't have a press release, just a download, so I can't be sure yet.

Holy shit, sounds fantastic.

Hey Nevermore fans, did you know that there was a precursor to that band? You can find out about it in this week's spam: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/the-lazarus-pit-sanctuarys-into-the-mirror-black/

At the risk of being laughed off of here am I the only one looking forward to the new Iron Maiden live DVD/CD? Yeah, I kinda thought so.

I've seen Maiden live five times since 2003, and they're fucking killer, but I'm not sure any of their live records from the 2000s sums up their recent output the way Live After Death encapsulates their early peak.

I agree. I saw the Live After Death tour in person and love the DVD but I'm still a sucker for them. 2003 was the last time I saw them so I guess I look at it as a cheap way to catch the highlights of the most recent tour.

Of course I'm looking forward to the new Maiden DVD!

No, you can't top Live After Death, but they're still tremendous live, and their DVDs are always great fun. Plus the last album was their best since 1988, so it'll be great to hear the new stuff. Last time I saw them they only played "El Dorado".

"A new Burzum album, titled "Umskiptar" (Metamorphoses), is scheduled for release in May 2012 on Byelobog Productions. "Umskiptar" consists of 65 minutes of skaldic metal, recorded in Grieghallen Studio in Bergen in September 2011. The lyrics on "Umskiptar" are all taken from a Norse poem, Völuspá. For an English translation of the lyrics see the book "Sorcery And Religion In Ancient Scandinavia". The original Norse lyrics for "Umskiptar" can be found http://www.burzum.org/eng/discography/official/2012_umskiptar.shtml "

Howdy - not really following this thread, but here are samples of the new Drudkh, out Feb 24th

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006T3MB86/ref=dm_sp_alb/276-8287266-9656466

Just to elaborate on the Anneke thing, I relistened to her other solo records last week, and saying I was not much into them is being kind. Yeek. Maudlin, lifeless, blech. The new one, on the other hand, is still not metal, but it sounds like a record whose author was once in a metal band, and isn't trying to convince anybody that she wouldn't ever be in one again.

I can't say too much about it just yet, 'cause we haven't even officially announced the project, let alone given it a street date, but I brought home the "Mikael & Steven" album this weekend, and it's fucking fantastic. Is it metal? Hell no. To me, it sounds like a cross between Kid A, the first two Peter Gabriel solo albums, and some other dark '70s prog stuff like Univers Zero or Van der Graaf Generator. But it's beautiful, too.

Brought home the new Soulfly, too, but haven't really dipped into that one yet. Personally, I prefer Cavalera Conspiracy. Still, it's supposed to be their most aggressive one yet, and with the bassist from Static-X and Asesino, and the drummer from Borknagar, I'm ready to believe it.

I'm not a big Steven Wilson fan, but that looks interesting.

Meanwhile, the new Meshuggah album is great. Where Obzen felt like an amalgamation of everything the band had done up until then, Koloss returns to challenging listeners more, throwing some interesting curveballs. And there are no"djent" riffs to be found; they leave that to all the kiddie bands imitating them these days. Easily their best since Nothing. I'll have an interview with Haake up at MSN around Feb. 1st.

Excited to hear that Meshuggah!

In catching up with 2011 releases news, what the hell happened to Maylene and the Sons of Disaster? I know they've never been exactly a brilliant band, but their particular brand of southern fried metalcore was a guilty pleasure. But now, wow are they awful. IV might as well be a Shinedown album or something. This is terrible.

oh man, really want to hear that new meshuggah album!

Yeah, that Maylene record was a pretty big disaster. My guess is, their previous albums didn't do as well as people had hoped and so this was a last-ditch effort to find that elusive success by going for rock radio. Unfortunately, I guess nobody realized that rock radio isn't really a path to success for anybody anymore (except maybe Five Finger Death Punch).

I was just handed the new DragonForce album. There was some mild dismay at the fact that while there is a song with "Storm" in the title, and one with "Sword" in its title, there is no song with "Fire" or "Flames" in its title.

More seriously, this is a more aggressive, and more concise, album from them. There's only one song that's more than six minutes long, plus you get an acoustic version of one song (presumably this will be a bonus track on the deluxe edition, or something). I like it, but I've always liked DragonForce.

Eh, tbh, if I'm going to listen to DragonForce, I want long songs! Only one song over six minutes isn't really a selling point for me.

Well, the other songs are all in the 4-5 minute range, and the new singer is much better than ZP was, at least to my ear.

Sounds promising. I can't ever not like DragonForce.

I'm about halfway through the album now, and while it still sounds every bit a DragonForce album, there are a lot of different sounds on it (more human-ish guitar playing, weirder synth tones, occasional slow drumming) and it's really, genuinely heavy at times. I'm liking this a lot.

Oh I'm definitely going to check it out, I've just always liked the longer epics.

I also like DragonForce.

Wolves in the Throne room plyed in SF tonight and I didn't go... for fucks sake I'm getting old!

i continue to be shocked by people enjoying meshuggah. however considering i have gotten a few calls about ordering the new ibanez $5000 meshuggah signature, i support them from a business perspective. go meshuggah, you terrible terrible band!

btw i just did the sabermetrics on our sales of metal guitars last year and we sold more 7/8 strings than 6 strings. which is insane, and thats w/o counting baritones.

7-string guitars are still a thing? damn.

Of all the bands to single out as "terrible terrible", Meshuggah strikes me as a weird one.

They're not terrible, but unless I hear something really revelatory on this album, I'm probably gonna shrug them off.

Yeah I'd say Meshuggah is mediocre at worst.

crazy

I like to think of them as the powerman 5000 of tech metal.

I'm not even sure what that means but yeah basically I think they are awful

You're meshuggina, John.

jjj actually likes powerman 5000 so just ignore him.

A big ol' Fenriz interview:

http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/fenriz-isengard-darkthrone-interviewed/

that reads really weirdly, like part email interview part telephone

still cool tho

Yeah, it also kind of just dives right into the commentary track question with no setup or anything, sort of confusing without some sort of context via an introductory paragraph. Anyway, minor quibbles, its a cool interview.

Decibel's Feb issue has the Top 25 most anticipated albums and a pretty thorough release schedule. I'm surprised they didn't include the Electric Wizard and Ufomammut releases in their top 25, but otherwise was a cool feature. These stand out for me:

Ancestors - In Dreams And Time (Tee Pee) Apr
Bible of the Devil - For the Love of Thugs and Fools (Cruz Del Sur) May 8
Christian Mistress - Possession (Relapse) Feb 28
Corrosion Of Conformity (Candlelight) Feb 28
Death - Vivus (Relapse) Feb 28
Drudkh - Eternal Turn Of The Wheel (Season Of Mist) Feb 24
Napalm Death - Utilitarian (Century Media) Feb 28
Orange Goblin – A Eulogy For The Damned (Candlelight) Feb 14
Sigh - In Somniphobia (Candlelight) Mar 20
Ufomammut - Oro: Opus Primum (Neurot) Apr
Van Halen - A Different Kind Of Truth (Interscope) Feb 7

Also coming: Ancestors, Baroness, Black Math Horseman, Black Sabbath, Church Of Misery, Cobalt, The Darkness, Electric Wizard, Ghost, Gojira, Gozu, Graveyard, Greenleaf, Gypsyhawk, High On Fire, Horisont, Kylesa, Kyuss, The Mars Volta, Neurosis, Om, Queens Of The Stone Age, Saint Vitus, Shrinebuilder, Sons Of Otis, Tool, Torche, Truckfighters, Wight, Witch Mountain.

Anyone heard anything?

ugh ghost show is tonight and i am really stuffed head sick do i go

buddy of mine on fb had a blast when they were here

I've heard one cut from the Christian Mistress and it was great. Word from on high is that it is consistently good.

It is!

This is only Ghost's second tour, correct? They're in Mpls tonight, I believe. I was sick as a dog for Slayer/Megadeth over a year ago, and I just loaded up on cold meds. Glad I went. I was at the Ghost show last night, and it was awesome. So great to see a band committed to costumes and stage show, not to mention the anonymity. An Anonymous Ghoul addresses that in an interview:

Offstage, do you guys like to get wild and party or are you pretty straitlaced?
We have this anonymity bond. We don't regularly get invites because nobody really knows who we are. I wouldn't say that we are a hundred percent clean in every aspect, but we are quite innocent in comparison to a lot of other groups that would jump at every opportunity to go nuts. We're here for something else. Some of the single guys in the band might think it's a drag, but those of us who aren't are pretty happy.

One of the strangest/greatest moments of the show was when they launched into a pretty straight, and quite pretty, version of "Here Comes The Sun." It was oddly moving, the spell not even completely broken in the end when someone inevitably shouts, "SATAN!!!"

A dude was wearing a Repugnant t-shirt. I guess Papa Emeritus is supposedly Tobias Forge of Repugnant/Subvision. It's hard to tell listening to Repugnant's Epitome Of Darkness. It would be just as well if it's unconfirmed, as it would be more fun if they maintain the mystery.

Blood Ceremony were great too. I feel like their sound (especially the thick Sabbathy drum sound!) and musicianship was better, but Ghost still put on a more exciting show. But they're very different kinds of bands, despite the common occult interests.

Christian Mistress is probably my second favorite album of 2012 (I'm counting The Devil's Blood as 2012 because screw Europe). It is METAL.

Also, John: yes. Are you going to let tiny germs overcome METAL?

Christian Mistress is probably my second favorite album of 2012 (I'm counting The Devil's Blood as 2012 because screw Europe). It is METAL.

Haha, this is my case exactly as of right now.

I would also like to nominate Iron Savior's "Heavy Metal Never Dies" for inclusion in the pantheon of super awesome/cheesy European power metal anthems about heavy metal alongside Primal Fear's "Metal Is Forever" and Dream Evil's "the Book of Heavy Metal."

heard Christian Mistress and CoC once each so far

the former is sounding on point and the latter respectably solid, if not a candidate for 'old folx showing younguns how it's done' status

Christian Mistress is probably my second favorite album of 2012 (I'm counting The Devil's Blood as 2012 because screw Europe). It is METAL.

Agreed, very stellar. Will be reviewing it for the AMG.

can someone explain to me Ghost? I'm mean I get it, but I don't don'tget why everyone is digging them.. they're terrible.

Do you hate Blue Oyster Cult too?

Super-catchy Blue Oyster Cult-inspired hard rock about Satan with fun imagery? What's not to love?

Yeah, digging the COC, it's more a return to the Blind sound than the Animosity sound, but considering how good Blind is, I'm okay with that.

maybe thats exactly why I don't like it..

:O You don't like Blue Oyster Cult?!

BOC are great; maybe Ghost will be, but that first record isn't.

only listened to "black to gold" and "haunted hunted" but !!! re christian mistress

Not really. but I only know the crap I hear on the radio and it never did anything for me, so I never bothered to look any further.

Get thee copies of Secret Treaties, Agents of Fortune, Spectres, and Fire of Unknown Origin, stat!

tbh my main motivation for going to the ghost show (which is looking less likely with every wave of headcrushing pain) is to see blood ceremony

I'd love to see Blood Ceremony. Alas, no southern swing on this tour.

Headcrushing pain is metal.

Bummed I couldn't make it to the Ghost/Blood Ceremony show last night.

Man, Sean, I used to feel the same way about BOC, but hearing Secret Treaties really opened my eyes - there is so much more to love about BOC than what classic rock radio would have you believe.

I have a soft spot for Spectres.

Fastnbulbous: You don't have release dates for the rest of that Decibel list do you?

Ok against all good judgement I am going to go and patient zero this show. Because, yknow, horns

Sorry guys.. BOC is dudsville.. its a little before my time, so I guess I can't put into perspective, and I have a hard time calling it metal... Hard rock for sure, but the organ wipping through it, or their brand of big anthem rock type shit just doesn't dop it for me. its not dangerous, and I can't imagine it being dangerous even for the time. Maybe thats why I'm not feeling Ghost or Blood Ceremony.. its overthought Camero Rock at best. I'll take Thin Lizzy anyday over that shit.

^drummer

Stop that Kerr... lol!!

I was 8 units short of a BA in Music, sir. I know a thing or three! lol!

short of a picnic? ;)

BOC are the Steely Dan of 70s hard rock. For me, that's a good thing, though I will admit their softer material leaves me ultra cold. I like them at their most snarling and misanthropic. When they get pretty, I hit Skip.

I like Steely Dan, but BOC just doesn't strike that chord with me.

And I like picnics, too! lol!

Skip is Phil's kitten

Get thee copies of Secret Treaties, Agents of Fortune, Spectres, and Fire of Unknown Origin

Not Tyranny And Mutation??? Kids these days are so weird.

Mark Reale has died, Riot just confirmed it via Facebook.

http://youtu.be/nI_tDv5MBso

I'm sorry to hear that news. Fire Down Under is an all-timer.

Abigail Williams are some trend hopping motherfuckers, but they actually do a not awful job of it. They're like the metal Ween without the sense of humor at this point.

ok so show report: 1st band was whose name i have already forgotten but it has VV in it to make a W was mediocre, blood ceremony became tiresome quickly but oh man. Ghost live is like juggernaut level pummelingly heavy, totally surprising vs the album (which I like!) but i fear that the record fell victim to clever old schooly production which did nothing to prepare me for the full on badassery on display. fucking fantastic, do not miss them if you get the chance to see them.

People were singing along like crazy for Ghost. I love that its all the scary metal imagery with such an uplifting, romantic sound http://i.imgur.com/zi7hd.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8oFlXnnwKI

just wanna weigh in to say that like every other heavy metal fan ever I love the fuck outta BOC

ya see, none of my friends, most of which, severe metalheads, have ever gotten into BOC..

What is this heresy?!

Despite (or perhaps because of) JJ's hate for them, I agree with Adrien that the new Meshuggah is monstrous. It kind of feels like what would happen if Sanford Parker produced a Meshuggah record.

I had never heard of these guys Amulet until an hour ago but they make the best tipsy proto-metal-into-NWOBHM ish I've heard in 2012 this side of the Christian Mistress album

they're from London

idk how I fucked that URL up but www.facebook.com/amuletmetal

...and you all know how to cut and paste

Please explain.

Despite (or perhaps because of) JJ's hate for them, I agree with Adrien that the new Meshuggah is monstrous.

depending on how you mean monstrous i might agree with you

Well played, sir. I'm still suggest banning you.

Guitarists from Testament and Death Angel filling in for Scott Ian who has taken ill, and Gene Hoglan filling in for Benante while is at his sick mothers bedside... Pulling together to help out and keep the fans happy, or unable to afford to stop this tour for financial reasons? Maybe a little of both, yeah?

Either way that's a really cool show of solidarity, and I bet it's making for some fun shows right now.

Sean--just get Secret Treaties by BOC. You might not like any of their other stuff, but that album is really perfect in the way that early Scorps and Priest and ZZ Top is perfect.

I don't know, man...

Its lost on me..

Sean, don't fear the reaper.

Went to Gigantour last night. First time seeing Lacuna Coil; they played five songs in 20 minutes or so and were pretty good. Cristina and the dude wore matching outfits (red button-down shirt, black vest), which made them look like waiters at a chain restaurant. Second time seeing Volbeat (they opened for Metallica at MSG), and they played at least three or four too many songs, but they had Hank Shermann of Mercyful Fate on guest guitar and he got three or four killer solos, so that much was cool as hell. Sixth time seeing Motörhead; the set list was heavy on oldies ("Bomber," "Damage Case," "Killed By Death," "Going to Brazil," "The One to Sing the Blues" and of course "Ace of Spades" and "Overkill" - the only new song was "I Know How to Die") but they fucking rocked it, as always. Fifth time seeing Megadeth, and probably the most impressive, even though Mustaine's vocals got lost more than a few times. They played three new songs in a row - "Public Enemy No. 1," "Guns, Drugs & Money" and "Whose Life Is It Anyways?" - and the crowd knew all three, which was impressive. They really rip it up on the super-thrashy, super-techy stuff, though; watching him and Chris Broderick trade solos on "Hangar 18" was genuinely thrilling. It was Mustaine's daughter's birthday, and he brought her onstage. She didn't seem embarrassed by her dad, despite being 14. Overall, a fun night.

Oh, and I shot a video interview with Mustaine pre-show which will be on Roadrunner's website later this week.

Lacuna Coil were a whole lot better when they were touring off of good albums.

That's probably true for most bands, though.

Fastnbulbous--were we really on Decibel's list or were we on your addendum?

In other news: YOB played in front of 16,000 people last night. Fuck yeah.

Kind of amazing brutal WITTR live review in SF Weekly. Worth a read!

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2012/01/live_review_12312_wolves_in_the_throne_room.php

I find myself feeling rather unenthusiastic about attending live performances at the moment. Maybe I'm just burnt out on it?

I'm psyched to see Ghost/Blood Ceremony on Tuesday.

idk that guy just sounds really cranky, i've seen wittr live and they're pretty good.

i've also seen worm ouroboros live and until they play a venue with seats they're going to have problems with people talking over them. this is because metal crowds contain assholes and also because of their music.

Ugh, I gave up after the paragraph where he brought up illegible band logos for the third time. Also, its not the fault of the band if the venue's "cheery" intercom announcements ruined the mood.

good work leading in with a class-based zing there, it's about time someone remembered black metal's strictly proletarian roots

the sad thing is, wittr haters will probably think its a great article purely cuz its a negative review.

i can think of a board where some halfwits would think its a great article

at least WITTR's matching skintight sleeveless sweaters look good though.

Yes, it's uninformed and wrong in so many ways. But I did chuckle.

It amazes me why someone would review a show if they clearly don't like the genre of music. If you don't like it, you're not gonna know the nuances that appeal to those that like it, and if you do know it, and don;t like it, its those nuances that will be the things you slag.. I'm bummed I missed this show, but I probably would've been dissapointed by the fog machine.

Listening to the new album by Australia's I Exist, II: The Broken Passage. Apparently they started out as more of a hardcore band, but this album sounds pretty sludgy to me. Reminds me on a more playful Kylesa at times.

I was playing that yesterday, it pushed buttons pretty well on a limited level but not revelatory... the most interesting thing that struck me abt it was that I could see it finding the same quasi-mall metal audience that say Cancer Bats have now

Yeah, its definitely nowhere as good as Kylesa, but they kept popping to mind while I listened. I'm pretty generous when it comes to Southern sludge sounding stuff.

on spotify?

The one stoner/sludge album I love right now is Giant King's Dismal Hollow. They're like The Four Horsemen, but sing about the Civil War instead of the fact that rawkin' is their bidness.

Sounds interesting. I got sent a promo for the I Exist album, so I'm not sure if its out yet or on Spotify.

Surprisingly impressed with this new Behold! The Monolith recording. I'm generally not interested in new bands with growly vox (I like growly vox but I'm sick of them) -- but the songs on this record just keep throwing creative curve balls and high energy twists. It's gonna be infectious if I let it.

Yeah, the riffs on that album are impressive. Plus the cover art is great.

it the world of band vs band drama... being played out on facebook as we speak (sort of) the upset rambling of one Chris Kontos, drummer for Attitude Adjustment, (former drummer of Machine Head) upset that he recieved a nasty email from Donny Paycheck, drummer for Zeke, who books a club in Tacoma, Washington where Kontos had to cancel a show due to not being able to line all the bands up he wanted for a tour stop their. Kontos insists he was very apologetic about having to a cancel, but yet Donny was shitty about it.. Now there is tough guy stuff going on(I'm makin calls, he'll get his) and the response of, has anyone ever even heard of Attitude Adjustment?
I simply reminded Kontos via facebook, that he needs to remeber that he's dealing with a band(Zeke) who blew the advance of their first record on Harleys and crank..

Isn't punk rock great!! such a community of brotherhood and love!!

Zeke might be the worst band ever.

Come on man, Limp Bizkit exist.

Fastnbulbous--were we really on Decibel's list or were we on your addendum?

Yes, it's listed under summer releases.

Witch Mountain, TBA [Profound Lore]

Signed to Profound Lore, nice. Can't wait to hear the new stuff!

Martyrdod fucking crush!
www.thesleepingshaman.com/news/martyrdod-dark-lords-of-swedish-crust-sign-with-southern-lord/

Thanks Fastnbulbous. That's flattering! Good thing we are rehearsing every day right now. We will deliver!

BTW, Ghost + Blood Ceremony was great last night. I could go on and on, but hands down it's a FUN show. And based on the turnout, I will not be surprised if Ghost gets REALLY big soon. Especially with the just announced support tour they're doing with Opeth & Mastodon. Satan is very happy right now.

but is he laughing and spreading his wings like in the days of olde??????

So excited for that Mastodon, Opeth, Ghost tour. Although, a small part of me wishes the Chicago show was an Opeth headline since I've never seen them before and I've seen Mastodon 4 times now.

Opeth were amazing on their fall tour with Katatonia. I'm tempted because the stop here is them headlining, but I'm not a big fan of the others. Though I'm sure live I'd enjoy them more than I do on record.

i don't know anything about opeth but ghost & mastodon sounds like it could be cool

Of course I'm going to this.

I would go if Opeth still played metal. I'm all for bands "growing up," but I felt burned by their last show here. And Mastodon--ugh.

At this point, I would only go to see Ghost, and I just saw them two nights ago.

I want to thank aero, J3ff, and anyone else who was praising the new RAM album, Death, within my earshot. I liked the one song they had streaming (and said so above somewhere), but it didn't prepare me for the onslaught of awesome that is the record. Great start to 2012.

Ooh, I still need to hear that one.

Adrien was right about that King Giant record, its really good. So many bands would sound like they were playing dress up when singing out Appalachian hollows and moonshine, but these dudes sell every word.

RAM is preparing me for the arrival of my Judas Priest box set this afternoon. Rifftastic.

Hey Nate, would you agree that ghost is much much heavier live than on record? Because it seemed pretty notably different to me. Also lead dude sings better live imo.

New issue of Chips & Beer The Magazine out this month. Interviews with Morbus Chron, Halsey “Halseycaust” Swain, Mentors,Deceased, Midnight, Ian Christe of Bazillion Points, King Diamond (nearly 30 pages of interview, primer, timeline, illustrations), Obsequiae, Ola Larsson (Disma cover artist), Thrones, and Twisted Tower Dire. Plus comic and reviews. 120pgs. Preview and order at http://www.20buckspin.com

Okay, this Chaos In Tejas festival has the weirdest lineup. Saint Vitus! Winter! Municipal Waste! Church Of Misery! Ted Leo? The Clean? Best Coast? Thou! Loss!

Goofy.

ok, that is hilarious.

wait just one minute... winter reformed!??

So it would seem.

Love how many bands on that have 'UK' appended to their logos.

and JP and NZ too. Worst trademarks ever.

Yeah, Winter were awesome when I saw them at the Power of the Riff festival.

Holy crap, that might be better than spending the Bank Holiday weekend here.

Haha, I'd like to see Saint Vitus and then Best Coast, quite frankly.

wow that lineup is reading my mind

Am always so jealous of Chaos In Tejas, every year has a fantastic lineup

It's not that I'm disliking the Nightwish album, exactly, but my favorite gothic-metal thing of the moment is Memento Mori, by Lunar Path. First album after some demos and singles. Stripped-down compared to Nightwish, but with a melodic swoopiness that seems more in Nightwish's vein than, say, Lacuna Coil's. Also, their Facebook bio is a game attempt at second-language overwriting. "They're clearly out to kick ass and take names, no compromise." Nothing pisses me off more than compromised name-taking. Just first names, I guess. Or maybe asking for both names but only writing down the initials? Anyway, good to have none of that with Lunar Path. Helps the live shows run smoothly, too, when you don't have to take attendance.

wait what is the clean doing there?
that sounds like a pretty awesome weekend even though i freely admit that i don't know most of those bands.

Xeno & Oaklander seems even more incongruous than Best Coast or The Clean tbh

Death metal with vocals that sound like that one episode of Animaniacs where Wakko belches the ABCs! Plus you can download the whole thing free from the band's website via the link at the bottom of the article: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/the-lazarus-pit-demilichs-nespithe/

Ghost sounded better than the record because it was live in a big hall with pro-sound. Otherwise, I was surprised how much it was produced to sound like the album.

I look at that album now as a soundtrack to the live show. You can't fully "get" Ghost until you've seen them. The music is only part of what they're doing. It's theater, and it works.

favorite gothic-metal thing of the moment is Memento Mori, by Lunar Path.

Ha -- Same title as the second Flyleaf album.

Just got my ticket for the Mastodon/Opeth/Ghost tour, super excited. Sick of ridiculous fees though, the fees were 41% of the face value of the ticket.

:O

I was tempted to go, but just saw both Ghost and Mastodon. It's at the Riviera again, and the sound sucked there for Mastodon. The clincher is that Devil's Blood and In Solitude are playing that same night at Bottom Lounge. I'm definitely doing that!

I'm also gonna see Van Halen with my cousin at United Center. He also wanted to see Guns 'n' Roses at House of Blues. However tix are $125 + fees, kind of insulting given the state of the band. We flipped a coin and VH with Diamond Dave it is! Listening to the new VH today and it's kind of awesome! It's definitely better than Diver Down, and possibly even 1984.

Yeah, the sound at the Riv sucks, but I've missed out on Ghost before and I've never seen Opeth.

Yeah, I'm pretty fucking impressed by the new VH. "Tattoo" sucks dead dog ass, but every other song I've heard (I've only made it a little past the halfway mark) has a power and fury I've rarely heard from them. Hell, some of these songs are easily among the fastest and heaviest they've ever recorded, going back all the way to the earliest days. I'm extremely pleasantly surprised.

Wow, guess I'm going to have to give that album the time of day after all. "Tattoo" was so awful that I was all prepared to ignore the whole thing.

No, the rest of the record is shockingly good.

In other news, in case I haven't mentioned it before, I'm going to be giving a talk on 80s German thrash next Sunday at Centrum Berlin, and anyone who's gonna be in the neighborhood is more than welcome to stop by. It's free and will run about two hours. I'll be giving a sort of general overview of the history, talking about stylistic tropes and political overtones, and playing music by Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Holy Moses, Iron Angel, Grave Digger, Accept, Running Wild, Deathrow, Rage, Living Death, Erosion, Paradox and maybe even Tankard.

I really can't be arsed going to see Mastodon later, but I kind of want to see DEP and Red Fang so I need to get it in gear. I can always leave early.

I know they placed decently on the metal poll, but man it seems like everyone is pretty down on Mastodon around here these days.

my mate, who didn't care much for recent albums, went to see them in Zurich and really enjoyed it.

As is the case with most bands, I find myself liking Mastodon's earlier stuff than the later,...

Actually, Unsane is probably one of the only bands where I can say I like the new stuff better..

I'm actually looking forward to hearing the newer Mastodon stuff, it seems they've been working at sharpening up the live performances of those songs, which vocally left a lot to be desired.

Pretty stoked. I got hired to write an article on Black Sabbath, and another on Star Wars. Good weekend.

Well, they appear to have regressed to the point where they're an entry-level metal band - the sort you might go and see when you don't want to turn round at a Foo Fighters show and see your parents or your teacher. There's been what seems like a conscious attempt to mould everything down to 3-4 minute territory and it just doesn't work. It seems hard to believe just three years ago I was watching them covering 'The Bit' and now they'd be more likely to cover 'No-one Knows'.

A couple of points to note - Bill has tried to go full-on for the Josh Homme look he's played with for a couple of years now, but is carrying a few touring pounds and actually looks like Dylan Carlson. Secondly, I'd swear that there was some miming going on. If nobody's mouth is open and there's still singing over the PA... Plus the guitar tech inadvertently revealed while setting up that some of the guitar parts are on tape.

I couldn't stick it out and left before the hour mark.

^ When you go mainstream, people expect perfection (hence the taped parts, lipsyncing, etc).

This is a bad example, but didn't Creed get sued years ago by some concertgoer who complained that their show didn't sound like the album?

Friends of Metal - I'm interviewing a nameless ghoul tonight, can anyone who has seen Ghost live on the recent tour give me any pointers for questions? Does it really look like they're going to blow up in the states? I've read some pretty breathless reports. Is there anything about the shows I should know about having not seen them live myself? Cheers.

Pretty stoked. I got hired to write an article on Black Sabbath, and another on Star Wars. Good weekend.

That's awesome! What a great weekend!

I've seen Mastodon four times now and enjoyed every one, but that recent Aragon live album was a little disappointing. I guess I'm surprised to see a lot of people, not so much in here, backpedal from them now that they've hit this level of success.

Mastodon were real bad the last time I saw them, on the tail end of the Crack the Skye touring cycle. There seemed to be a lot of tension within the band itself, and they seemed really tired of playing that album from front to back. Hopefully they've rekindled their love for the material in the intervening time, because they had always been great before that show.

the 2 times i saw them way back at leviathan time they were fantastic

I saw them once Leviathan era, twice Blood Mountain era and once right at the start of the Crack the Skye tour cycle.

the first time i saw them was in a tiny club (glasgow cathouse) and it was like sardines. Leviathan ccouldn't have been out that long. Awesome gig. set was from remission and leviathan. Awesome stuff

Doran - There were a ton of people at the Ghost show I saw, and I bet you every single one of them will go see them again next time.

There are the bands (like Pentagram) who people want to check off the list and say "I was there." Ghost is so god damn entertaining that it's an infectious experience you'd want to have again. They're the Disneyland of Satanic metal.

Thanks. Talking to a ghoul right this instant...

Okay, Ghost was really good, but there's a bit of hyperbole happening here. I think the costumes and props are throwing off peoples' perspectives. Pentagram were more dynamic, expressive and fun. I would choose Pentagram over Ghost live at this point, at least until Ghost start touring on their next album. They have plenty of room for improvement, and then maybe they'll start to be as great as people are now claiming.

I'd swear that there was some miming going on. If nobody's mouth is open and there's still singing over the PA

That is a steaming load of B.S. I've seen Mastodon several times and have seen no such thing. They're just so tight you were hallucinating.

Haha, yeah, I forgot to mention upthread that the last time I saw them they were definitely singing live otherwise they'd be a little embarrassed about the quality of the pre-recorded tracks.

I only noticed it on the one song, and it was the very first one (Blasteroid, I think?). A Brent song with a very tuneful vocal. I didn't think it was likely, but I'm sure what I saw and I had a good view.

It has come out that Sharon Osbourne fired Bill Ward... the hits keep on coming.. what a miserable Cunt!

So...if you're gonna be in Berlin this weekend, come hear me talk about German thrash!

https://www.facebook.com/events/164126797035079/

If that Bill Ward rumour is true, it'll hardly be a surprise.

And Phil, I would if I could! Best of luck with all that.

Its not a surprise, but fucking shameful and I wish people would boycott their tour. <---- so not gonna happen, but man, it really bums me out

I can't for the life of me imagine why anybody who cares about the music of Black Sabbath in any way would go see Black Sabbath in 2012 - it's like saying "I don't care about their music, I just want to say I was in the same building as the guys who once made good music"

I think they have it in them to make great music still, look at that second Heaven & Hell record.. awesome songs on that record. I just think that doing it without Bill Ward is totally disrespectful, in the same way Van Halen was disrespectful to Micheal Anthony, and that new record is great!! but would've been perfect with MA.. its just a sad reminder that its the music business..

Well, as someone who's lived in places that have had no hope in hell of having the original Black Sabbath play there, if I had the chance I would absolutely go in a heartbeat, Bill Ward or no Bill Ward, teleprompter Ozzy, whatever. Same reason I'm going to see Deep Purple Mark VIII next week. Never had the chance before. Do now. Love the band's music. Bought my ticket.

100 times out of 100 I'd sooner go and watch Bolt Thrower.

I saw Sabbath the last time they headlined Ozzfest - what was that, 2005? Were they the same band as the Paris footage from 1970 that you can see on YouTube? Hell, no. Were they even the same band as the California Jam footage? No. Were they still great in a magisterial, old-kings kind of way? Fuck yes. And yes, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were still a crushing rhythm team. I don't know how much damage seven more years and lymphoma has done to them - I suspect at this point Ozzy might well be the healthiest one of 'em, which is a frankly bizarre concept. But he's become quite a good performer lately - his 2010 tour was astonishing. Still, no Ward, no interest from this corner. Not in the album, and certainly not in the tour. And frankly, even if he does wind up coming back, I don't think I'll listen then, because it'll feel like he got crowbar'ed into it.

I can't for the life of me imagine why anybody who cares about the music of Black Sabbath in any way would go see Black Sabbath in 2012 - it's like saying "I don't care about their music, I just want to say I was in the same building as the guys who once made good music"

Explain that to the band. Their appropriate response would likely be, "Go fuck yourself, mate."

Given that the band and Rubin intend to tap into the sound of their early albums, I'm excited. Chances are, it won't suck and it won't rival their best work, but I think it could be good.

Regarding Bill Ward, from his statement at http://www.billward.com/, he never says exactly what he was asking for in his contract. Maybe he was asking for more money than Geezer and Tony. We really don't know the details. Tony is willing to work while going through treatment for cancer. Kind of makes Bill's issue seem a bit petty.

I saw Dio & the guys as Heaven & Hell a couple years back because I loved their first couple albums. The fact that their new album was actually pretty decent was a bonus. I'm glad I got to see Dio before he passed. If I had turned my nose up at the opportunity, I'd feel like a real asshole right now.

I doubt Sabbath will be touring this year, with Tony's illness. Let's just hope he recovers and he can eventually play, and we can count ourselves lucky to see the man perform once again.

Given that the band and Rubin intend to tap into the sound of their early albums

lol and there was me expecting an earnest attempt at a 'Headless Cross' redux

XP: You may be right about Bill Ward but it seems highly fucking unlikely that he was asking for anything other than 25%. He did so in a very reasonable, un-shit-talking way. He's got every right to bail out on this, if they're going to start arguing some incontinent drunk who doesn't know the words to any of the songs deserves a bigger cut than him.

I can't for the life of me imagine why anybody who cares about the music of Black Sabbath in any way would go see Black Sabbath in 2012 - it's like saying "I don't care about their music, I just want to say I was in the same building as the guys who once made good music"

I have always had trouble with this line of thinking, because we aren't all able to see every artist performing at their peak until time machines come around and then, damn will those shows be packed. I'd rather see Black Sabbath 2012 than to not ever experience them live.

yeah I guess I just differ there - I think plenty of rock acts can be good many years into their careers (I'd go see a John Cale solo set in a minute & the first time I saw him play solo was, like, twenty years ago, and he'd already been doing it for 10+ years) but I don't think of Sabbath as one of them. I'll ride for Gillan-era Sabs even but I can't imagine enjoying watching Ozzy in his present condition.

I can't imagine enjoying watching Ozzy in his present condition.

I'm telling you straight, as someone who saw him play a two-hours-plus concert in 2010, he is not in the condition you think he's in.

Someone recently made that same comment of not wanting to check out older acts in regards to Van Halen, not wanting to see a drunken spandexed Roth rolling around the stage not singing the songs very well.. How and why do people get these twisted notions of what these older guys are doing?

I'd see Van Halen tho I gather the weak link there is Eddie half the time. I'd also see Wire. There's a ton of older acts that seem worth seeing, I'm not making a sweeping condemnation, I'm saying Sabbath live seems like a sure miss to me

for me basically "at least I can say I saw them" isn't ever going to be a priority for me with any act

I saw those 4 guys on the '98/'99 Reunion and they were fucking great--except for Ozzy. But I believe that he might be in better for now.

Also, Bill Ward probably didn't even want 20%. I bet he just wanted more than 6% or whatever they offered him. The problem of course is that the other 3 guys would rather keep the money and spend a lot less on a session drummer who is a lot healthier and more reliable.

It's sad as I'd prefer to see Ward. But if I was the other guys, I'd want a pro who is currently in working order.

Ultimately, I'll listen to whatever they produce and judge it then and there.

Ozzy was pretty much winded by the end of the half-hour set I saw him do it the Sunset Strip Music Festival a few years back. I'm pretty skeptical that he's in better shape these days.

Um… YES.

http://184.173.71.130//14004/PromoImage.jpg

Liking the Priest-ish cover there...

\m/

love those guys

lawl was just limbering up to post that to noteworthy covers thread

only halfway through the actual album as I type but the intro to 'Endless Corpse' is a motherfucker

Nice! So release date in March sometime?

http://vimeo.com/13091222

What a great cover that is!

it's like something out of a dario argento film!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

sean come in the metal room in spotify! viceroy and i are in there. everyone come play some quality metal until we all go into outloud later.
http://open.soundrop.fm/s/VjWCayQ8GaB04GHI

http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/02/10/oh-cmon-guys-the-new-in-flames-album-wasnt-that-bad/

As you may be aware, In Flames and Trivium are in the midst of a co-headlining tour. But last night’s show in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Meth capital of the world!!!) apparently ended prematurely… due to a bomb threat.

In Flames guitarist Niclas Engelin said on his Facebook page, “What the fuck is going on!! We just had to cancel our show due to bomb threat…we are over here to entertain!”, and posted the below photo:

http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/426672_10150561438927530_655432529_8914102_1781495405_n.jpg

We have no additional details right now, although given that there have been no reports of a venue in New Mexico exploding, it would seem that authorities either located the bomb in time, or the whole thing was a prank by some idiot fifteen year-old. I would wager it was the latter. That kid is a dick, and probably a Winds of Plague fan to boot.

We’ll let you know if we get any more info on what went down. In the meantime, the tour resumes tonight in Denver.

yeah, went in there Kerr.. easily confused me..lol!

are you still in there?

I don't know.. lol!

Enjoying a bottle of Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel and listening to the Christian Mistress - Agony And Opium for the first time in a year. Forgot how kickass it is. Can't wait to hear the new one!

I'm still listening to the Abscess album from 2010

Christ almighty that's a crushing fuckin record

yes, it is!

"dead haze" http://forums.hockeyinformer.com/images/smilies/headbang.gif

Mercyful Fate and Death are always being played in the spotify/soundrop metal room and I've been really digging it. I need to hear more. Where's the best place to start?

oh man dude those are two of my favorite bands ever. the first two Mercyful Fate albums, Melissa and Don't Break the Oath, are absolute metal canon in my book. People's mileage varies with later stuff but to me In the Shadows is totally in the same class as those earlier two and Time is pretty fucking great; the first two songs on it are among my favorite MF songs ever, especially "Angel of Light," all-time jam right there.

According to me every Death album is worth getting but which ones you like best will vary according to what it is you like about them. Human was the first proper death metal album I ever heard so that was my entry; it's when they're starting to get really proggy/tech-y. Still love that and Symbolic best I think. But the earlier ones, Spiritual Healing, Leprosy, and Scream Bloody Gore, those are all good, too - there's more audible bridges between those & thrash imo, whereas when you get to Human, they're becoming a band who are sort of off in their own world, which is how Chuck's been described to me by people who were in the Tampa scene at the time - he just did his own thing, was sort of apart from the scene.

really good rundown on the Death discography at the band's website - explains the various lineups. Human is basically Chuck S. & the guys from Cynic, which at that time in metal history is to my ears a pretty perfect meeting of minds

quite proggy then?

yeah, pretty breakneck prog though - the speed never lets up. the next one, individual thought patterns, features Andy LaRoque - guitarist from the King Diamond band! Do read that linked rundown, it's really a great concise history.

but do get those first two Mercyful Fate albums without delay, they're the business

(I should be clear, when I say prog I'm thinking of progressive death, which is kind of its own genre - it owes clear debts to 70s prog but doesn't really sound like it at all)

yeah i get what you mean. prog but not flashy for the hell of it stuff?

but do get those first two Mercyful Fate albums without delay, they're the business

Absolutely, it simply doesn't get any better than those two albums. Don't Break the Oath has some of the most insane riffing you will ever hear.

is the high pitched stuff constant or just now and again?

King's voice is all over the place on those records, but yeah, you'd have to get used to the high-pitched stuff. He times those moments brilliantly.

yeah, don't break the oath really is one of the best metal albums there is. and the riffs will prob hook you but you'll grow to love king diamond's vox, AG.

plus, it's on spotify. not much to lose here. listen to it!

Hey also check out the Mercyful Fate EP (included on "The Beginning") too cause that's got some classic jams. When I didn't really care for King's voice that was the record that kind of eased me into their style.

Finally got to see Yob last night. Well worth the wait of years for Nate to book a date on a weekend within 200 miles of me.

I think the biggest surprise to me was not how incredibly heavy they got on occasion, but how often they grooved like hell as they amped up from the glacial segments. The rhythm section doesn't exactly swing, but the have a fine lock groove that isn't as apparent on record. Mike was also in fine voice, effortlessly going from a growl to a screeching howl to a clean melodic tone.

If they weren't the best live band I've seen in recent years it's only because Ludicra were so damn good.

the lock grooves are my favorite parts on the records!

They're so much more prevalent live. Almost vamping.

Everybody needs some YOB in their life!

And absolutely the first two Mercyful Fates as well. Meeeeeliiiiissssaaaa!!!

pfunkboy -

I wrote a long review of Death's Human a few months ago - here's a link.

I just discovered Mercyful Fate this past weekend; I found Don't Break the Oath on vinyl and took a chance. HOLY SHIT. How did I live without this band?! The guitar work blows my face off. I've listened to the record about five times since I picked it up.

Coincidentally I listened to "Melissa" for the first time the other day too. It was good, I need to re-listen to it!

Did Ghost play I'm A Marionette by ABBA on their recent US tour?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

http://www.cmdistro.com/images/xlarge/36569.jpg

Holy shit. I saw Vektor for the first time last night. Hands down one of the best metal bands out there. They are gonna be (deservedly) huge.

Here's footage from the show, at a tiny bar on a Monday night. Packed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI2t8nELDM4&feature=youtu.be

that's exciting! i really like 'outer isolation' and was wondering whether they could pull that sort of thing off live. (similiar sorta incredulity as to when i first heard absu) seems like they can. hope they come to the uk soon.

no ABBA songs at the ghost show i went to - just the full album + the here comes the sun cover

So Maiden's touring again this summer. Skipping my part of the world, but I'm fully prepared to go elsewhere to see this one. I missed the '88 Canadian tour (with GNR opening) for the same reason, so it'd be nice to see them revisiting that chapter in the band's history.

Yeah, I'm very excited about this tour. It'll be my sixth time seeing them, but I'm very much looking forward to hearing this particular set of songs. I like Seventh Son a fair amount.

the next one, individual thought patterns, features Andy LaRoque - guitarist from the King Diamond band!

Thanks jjjusten.

I'm watching Mayhem for the first time in Oslo on Saturday night.

Alice Cooper and Kvelertak are holding the flag for metal at Bonnaroo this year. (Honorary mention to Bad Brains and Battles) And that's about it.

Isn't Danzig playing too?

Japanese sludge! I know you guys are into that: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/the-lazarus-pit-greenmachines-d-a-m-n/

My first Rhapsody metal roundup of 2012. (Caveats: [1] I only really "recommend" the top three; [2] two albums technically came out in 2011; [3] six reviews were written by other people.)

http://www.rhapsody.com/blog/2012/02/metal

Otherwise, have been totally immersing myself in Small Stone Records stuff from the past few years. Surprised by how much I'm liking a lot of it.

Also, fwiw, I like the Devil's Blood album as much as any of those, but Rhapsody doesn't seem to be carrying it (at least not yet), and I like Christian Mistress even more than Devil's Blood but it's not out yet. Iron Fire and Steel Wing, both of which I actually reviewed, would have been in the Top 5 of that roundup if I was allowed to include them, but they're for-sale-only (no streaming), which makes them off-limits for Roundups/Staff Picks/etc. And Orange Goblin would've been in the top 5, too, but it came out too late; will save that for next time.

I'm at by:larm in Oslo. As well as a very enjoyable death metal group called Execration, I just saw an awesome grindcore band called Beaten To Death - so good live.

I had the greatest time at by:larm. Be sure to visit Neseblod Records! I miss Oslo dearly.

I've already been this year! Picked up Execration on vinyl... I was going to get a Dark Throne hoodie but everything only goes up to L; skinny, good looking Norwegian bastards. (I love going to Norway and I'm getting to round the trip off with Nekromantheon, Arabrot and Mayhem tomorrow - good times.)

I am listening to the new Emmure album. It's good. Better than their last one, maybe, and I put that one on my Pazz & Jop ballot for 2011.

Great line up coming up tonight in Oslo: Beaten To Death, Arabrot, Necromantheon, Mayhem and then Lindstrom.

fav metal album from last year finally getting a vinyl release

http://babel-label.bandcamp.com/album/i-vi

FUCK YES THERE'S A NEW JEFF LOOMIS ON THE WAY.

Been going in the metal room with frobisher viceroy and sean wayne during the day (when noones in outloud) and its kinda funny seeing what the almost real world listens to. Kids especially think metal should be fast otherwise its 'not metal'. Not 'not my think' or 'crap' but 'not metal. But the same kids listen to bullet for my valentine ,Avenged sevenfold , emmure or trivium, one of whom said while Mercyful Fate was on 'this isn't metal'. And smithy,it was the few people into Isis and Boris who were the ones who sprung to the kings defence!

Main stuff played in there is Slayer/slipknot/maiden/ozzy/sabbath/pantera/lamb of god/opeth/meshuggah/Death/Carcass/machine head/sepultura and Megadeth. plus the underground stuff but the main acts i mentioned get played and the same tracks get voted up as soon as theyve finished. Mainstream metal songs seem to be a small gene pool in there.
As i said metalcore gets played but is frowned upon. But there really is a big gap between the 16 year olds into metalcore/deathcore and the actual metalheads (there's no hipster metallers in there apart from us 3 ilxors!! haha).

Anyway irl do you guys come across kids into just the same stuff as i mentioned or do any listen to black/death/doom/grind/thrash? or even what you term as hipster metal?

Not 'not my thing'

when i say mainstream metal gene pool is small i mean the choices of bands/songs not the actual metallers, they are the largest amount obviously

The thing that most surprises me is that mainstream metallers, who are not kids, but guys in their 20s , don't listen to either a) a varied amount of genres and b) a lot of bands instead they listen to the same dozen or so that everyone else does. I thought with the internet and choice they would be devouring more music but it doesn't seem to be the case. And many of them say they only listen to metal - modern mainstream and classic (ie slayer,metallica,megadeth and 90s - yes 90s is classic era now). So it's not like they are listening to other music so have less time for other metal bands.

Anyway if this should be a thread of it's own rather than here i shall start it

if i could think of a good title

What happened to Cannibal Corpse cover art? I continue to be really disappointed with it since Kill.

The song titles aren't as creative, either – there are a few good ones like "Intestinal Crank" and "Followed Home Then Killed," but nothing nearly as gut churning as the classic stuff.

I was listening to the Christian Mistress album this weekend and discussing it with my wife (who is not particularly into metal, though she'll put up with certain bands), and the more I listen to it the more it seems symptomatic of lowered standards on metal bloggers' part. The obvious hook with CM is their "classicism," i.e. they sound like a band from the late '70s or early '80s, but here's the thing: they don't sound like a good band from the late '70s or early '80s. They sound like a third-tier act of that era, destined to permanent opening-act status and wholly unlikely to get signed and get the polishing-up that Judas Priest or Iron Maiden underwent. And yet in 2012, they not only got signed, they're getting the big push...this also-ran band is what everyone's panting over at the moment. Shouldn't we demand better? Isn't it about more than having the right amps and pedals? Shouldn't we want bands to be able to write a decent song, or put across a vocal with real power? The CM singer just isn't that good - her voice is basically a flat bark with a tiny dash of bluesy grit. Fine, you don't like tech-death or deathcore or djent or whatever other ultra-cyborgy thing seems dominant at the moment. But overpraising every retro thing that comes along doesn't help. And yes, I admit I liked them for a little while. But their album was just one of dozens, across multiple genres (metal, jazz, electronic stuff) I checked out in the course of a given week, and diminishing returns set in hard after the third or fourth listen.

I respectfully disagree with your thesis. At least to my ears, I've discovered more pockets of awesomeness in the record the more I listened to it.

yet in 2012, they not only got signed, they're getting the big push

well they got signed to an indie metal label, one which afaic has about the same relationship with the mainstream as the labels which put out the quote-unquote third-tier acts 30 years ago

..some of which were more interesting (or at least seem more interesting, in retrospect) than first-tier acts of 30 years ago. Or maybe the idea that they were third-tier acts means they were dead ends that didn't have to be dead ends, and are worth exploring to see paths that weren't quite taken the first time around. I also can't think of many new metal singers lately I've liked more than Christine Davis. I wish she put more words over, to be honest, but I kind of love the grain of her voice. I didn't think the songs on the first album actually clicked as songs -- it seemed too much like a demo to me, way too underproduced -- but on the new one a few definitely do, more than on most metal albums I hear. (My favorite is the title track, probably, then maybe "There Is Nowhere," "Black To Gold," and "Pentagon And Crucifix.") Not a great record, probably, but a really good one.

i think it does matter whether something is happening now or whether it happened back when.

sometimes there does seem to be something off about christine davis' singing, and yet it's very compelling to listen to.

I love Christine's voice, it's unique. Plus the band really steps up with some very good songs on the new album. They're far from also-rans.

If you want power, Phil, just wait until you hear the new Accept. It blows the last album away, it's focused, it's aggressive, it's in keeping with the classic Accept aesthetic. At least I think so. You'll probably say, "meh."

to expand on what Kerr was asking.. I've noticed, at least here in the bay area, the younger kids, if they do not play in bands, or play instruments at all, usually don't know "whats up".. one of tghe kids I give drum lessons to has a great tech death metal band called Logestic Slaughter.. he's 19, and everytime I've mentioned an old band as a reference, he's either heard of em, digs em and has there stuff.. and a wide range of stuff too, its great! and he says him and his friends always check out old stuff to know thier roots!! so I have faith in the younger gen, if they get exposed to the goods..

so I have faith in the younger gen, if they get exposed to the goods..

ilm journos its up to you!

I think the kids are just into what their friends are into, and often don't venture out into other stuff.. I went saw Animals as Leaders awhiler back cuz Intronaut was playing.. but a shit ton of youngsters were there to see AAL, and they knew the songs and were going pretty ape shit.. But I was like, had they never heard of Yngwie? Od Vai, or any other super shredder that makes that guy look silly.. lol

well, we need to make sure kids are playing, and not just their playstations..

Anyway irl do you guys come across kids into just the same stuff as i mentioned or do any listen to black/death/doom/grind/thrash? or even what you term as hipster metal?

my contact w/IRL ppl is extremely limited & pretty much all the metal enthusiasts I know work for Decibel or post here

^^^^

I wish I knew more irl people into metal.

hello

i had a student who liked lamb of god (and another one this semester listed it as her (!) favorite i think). he thought most of the things i liked were waaaaay too slow.

haha thats why I said "more" , not like I don't know any

Right now I just wish I had more time to go see shows.

i know ;)

metal kid in my class was into lots of different genres of metal, but i think he was kind of an anomaly. he did seem to be amused by my agalloch tshirt when i pooched it above my sweater. (i can only wear it under sweaters because like most tshirts it's TOO BIG)

I'm kind of astonished how little a lot of the people at my job know about the larger metal scene. There's one dude who's really into grind, but a lot of my fellow metal record label employees spend their days listening to old Hellcat punk, or 90s hip-hop, or jazz, or ultra-mainstream rock and pop. (I have heard the current Jason Mraz single roaring at arena volume from one particular guy's office something like 5-6 times a day for a couple of weeks now.)

people been saying that about ro@drunner for years!

To be fair, Mraz guy isn't actually an RR employee - he works for Atlantic and just shares our office space. But seriously, the only people who are deep into metal, I think, are the A&R staff.

I would have thought it would be a prerequisite

hey, there are hospital employees who don't give a rat's ass about health.

And teachers that don't give a shit about educating students.

(Obviously not anyone around these parts, just sayin'.)

and the question is why?

Well, the argument could be made that RR hasn't been a purely metal label since the 1990s - that the roster's been diverse pretty much all along, and maybe now it's more diverse than it's ever been, and some of the non-metal acts are doing the biggest business (like Nickelback, obviously, but also Young the Giant). So, you know, you can work here - as one of the two primary publicists does - and never have anything to do with the metal side of things.

yeah that's true.

you just do the metal side then?

No, I run the website for the entire label. I interview and write about all our bands.

Hard to say as it still has the advantage of being new and exciting to me, but after six listens to the Christian Mistress, I'd take it over Judas Priest's British Steel, and any Saxon or Accept albums.

I see that Christian Mistress isn't even listed in Metacritic's Upcoming Release Calendar. None of the major metal releases are.

I posted this on my FB to sort of rally metalheads to give 'em a poke:

Of releases by Orange Goblin, Goatwhore, Pilgrim, Pallbearer, Drudkh, Christian Mistress, Corrosion Of Conformity, Napalm Death, Sigh, Black Breath and Ancestors, guess how many are covered by Metacritic or at least included in the upcoming releases list? None. They really need a better representation of metal reviews other than Revolver and Kerrang! Write 'em and encourage them to step up their abysmal metal coverage by including major magazines Decibel, Terrorizer and Rock-A-Rolla. Even if you don't care about using Metacritic, it would give the bands better exposure.
http://metacritic.custhelp.com/app/ask/session/L2F2LzIvdGltZS8xMzI5ODYwNjE1L3NpZC9ZUjYxaGhSaw==/sno/0

I'd love to think it's better than Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law or Demin and Leather but excuse me if I don't believe you.

Depends on what your preferences are, but I think it's safe to say Christine Davis at least has better range than Biff Byford.

hey, there are hospital employees who don't give a rat's ass about health.

I literally laughed out loud..

must be republicans

For me, Christian Mistress's power is on stage. I like both records, but don't think they've really hit their stride in the studio yet. Live, they are a force to be reckoned with.

I wasn't impressed by Christian Mistress before, but I liked the new album pretty well on first listen.

I know very few other metal fans IRL. But at my new job one of the interns complimented me on my Agalloch hoody, so that's something. And while I'm the only person who ever puts non-classic metal on the communal Sonos system, nobody makes me turn it off, either.

I'm on a pretty serious gothic-metal kick at the moment: Nightwish, Xandria, Lunar Path, Liv Moon, Ideas, Amaranthe. And, um, 80s Franco Battiato records.

hahaha a 15 year old boy in just now. Says bullet for my valentine are proper metal because "by definition metal is a change in the rythm in the 8th 16th or 32th notes and bullet does that!" and can at least scream better than the tracks playing (deicide/emperor/burzum/death)

sean is trying to get him to introduce him to other stuff

sean is the teacher of metal. Dr Hellbeard.

by definition

btw he came in and added 40 odd bfmv songs hence the reaction he got.

but yeah hes a kid. but sean is trying. no point in putting mercyful fate or judas priest on, he hates high pitched screams. He prefers five finger death punch and avenged sevenfold.

if anyones around, what recent stuff would you guys recommend to him? Obv doom and BM type stuff are out.

he seems to like this Coalesce track. Maybe recommend DEP?

of course, Converge!

he says hes heard some DEP and hes heard of Slayer. Anything else kinda popular and importantly recent?

oh he's heard of Leviathan and likes a few songs. wasn't expecting that. Phil/Smithy/Adrien you guys around?

I am so fucking confused by what just happened.

oh nevermind.

http://open.soundrop.fm/s/VjWCayQ8GaB04GHI if you really want to know. its the metal room on spotify. come add some stuff

Oh I thought you were like liveblogging some kid irl coming into a record store.

we were talking about it upthread and about how the metal we listen to here is very different to kids in the real world.

if you have spotify come in (the kids gone btw)

Someone played this in the room. I feel like i lost 99% of my IQ level after hearing it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYM2KmdRmrQ

Can any of you watch the whole of that?

No thanks, I used to actually own their first terrible album.

I'm having an exciting evening in which I'm finally realizing just how crushingly brilliant Celtic Frost's Into the Pandemonium is.

lol

http://v2.ztmag.com/blog/news/files/2012/02/huntressband.jpg

Working on a review of the new Terrorizer for BurningAmbulance.com. How much you like it will depend entirely on how much you like Resistant Culture, as they're half the band now (vocalist Anthony Rezhawk and guitarist Katina Culture). On the other hand, the rhythm section is Morbid Angel—David Vincent on bass and drummer Pete Sandoval on drums. I think it's a pretty great record, even if it's got basically nothing to do with the group that recorded World Downfall, sonically or lyrically.

I like to imagine the Huntress singer went swimming straight after the camera went click

ok im beginning to like some of the classic old skool DM, stuff i never liked at the time but somehow sounds great now (just like what happened to me 7 or 8 years ago with some BM). The stuff that just doesnt just go wwwwwwaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhh anyway. The vox aren't as bad as i remembered. Even obituary - slowly we rot vox are fine. Oh well its great, lotsa good stuff to check out !

i always liked entombed as you guys know, so finding vox like that seems to be the key. Also, its not too extreme y'know?

not to keen on deicide or most gothenburg stuff btw. I do like Death,Obituary, Atheist,Cynic stuff like that. Infact think i'll start a thread asking for some recommendations

You need to check out some early Autopsy dude. Severed Survival/Mental Funeral especially. I really liked the weird pre-blastbeats period where death metal had some doom elements added in.

also xp: Figured she was going to Comic Con as Vampirella.

oh yeah i like the autopsy i heard.

please post your recs here
Recommend 100 Old Skool DM or Tech-DM for ilxors wanting to discover the classics

the doom elements are obviously welcome!

Has anyone else been listening to this remastered Diamond Head album? It's amazing!
http://open.spotify.com/album/5Zf6AmEtLYps5wwkhtjGV7

sadly, not available in the States.

ah sorry. My first listen to this record, it's really excellent.

interestingly reminding me of Zeppelin, vocally at least.

The record is great and would love to hear a decent remaster. Glad you're enjoying!

have to admit the Onion AV Club's rather good article on NWOBHM prompted me to look for it:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/new-wave-of-british-heavy-metal,69758/

Next up: Angel Witch!

I'd love to discover those bands anew! Enjoy Angel Witch too.

Fuck, I'm really into this new Spawn of Possession album. As much as I've loved the Obscura stuff of late, I think this one totally raises the tech-death bar.

http://i.imgur.com/nUyCn.jpg

World renowned hard rock band High On Fire will release its new studio album De Vermis Mysteriis on April 3 via eOne Music. Recorded in Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity studios with producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou, the 10 song effort -- touted as "direct, eye-opening and powerfully supernatural" -- is the band's sixth studio recording and the follow up to 2010's Snakes for the Divine which debuted at #62 on the Billboard Top 200 and has been called "wonderful" by The New York Times and "an exhilarating rush" by The Chicago Tribune.

De Vermis Mysteriis (or "Mysteries of the Worm") takes its title from a fictional grimoire created by Psycho author Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos (Lovecraft mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man"). The album carries a deeply mystical undercurrent, incorporating fantastical themes and lyrics detailing, among other things, time travel, a serum called liao that is made out of a black lotus and "a Jesus twin who can see the past through his ancestors' eyes." And that's just scratching the surface!

Musically, De Vermis Mysteriis is absolutely explosive, showcasing the California power trio's thundering roar and expanded harmonic and rhythmic palettes while the songs move confidently through multiple riffs and movements. High On Fire construct tough, burly stoner metal that is at once devastatingly epic and mercilessly metallic as superstar guitarist Matt Pike's sizzling ax and avenging-angel riffs fuse with Des Kensel's double-kick-drum onslaught and Jeff Matz's concrete crushing, Burton-esque bass guitar. Over the course of forty-five minutes, High On Fire have created an amalgamation of fantastical lyrical ideas and brute force musicianship anchored in an endlessly captivating, punkishly frantic sound. Simply put, the band generates awesome on demand and has a virtual chokehold on monolithic-sounding, masterfully crafted epic music. High On Fire is a savage bull in the china shop of modern metal.

When asked for comment on De Vermis Mysteriis, Pike somewhat cryptically replied, "Prepare for your dark journey."

The track listing for High On Fire's De Vermis Mysteriis is as follows:

01. Serums of Liao
02. Bloody Knuckles
03. Fertile Green
04. Madness of an Architect
05. Interlude
06. Spiritual Rites
07. King of Days
08. De Vermis Mysteriis
09. Romulus and Remus
10. Warhorn

aw yeah

there's some talk about in the High On Fire thread.

that's pretty hideous but these guys always bring it, so whatever

i thought the last one was basically unlistenable from a recording standpoint so hopefully ballou does right by them.

03. Fertile Green

man i hate it when metal tracks start with acoustic intros and shit

so hopefully that one is about weed

i thought the last one was basically unlistenable from a recording standpoint so hopefully ballou does right by them.

― call all destroyer

I agree whole-heartedly. Though after seeing them live I don't know if I give a rat's ace anymore.

not good live?

i saw 'em in '05 and they shredded but that was a while ago now

They were crushingly good live; tight and powerful and mixed wonderfully (unlike the last record).

My problem was that Matt was calling out to the meatheads to get more violent and get a real pit going in a relatively small crowd. Egging on the worst part of the crowd when most everyone was into it and head-banging and listening and singing along rubbed me the wrong way. He got his wish, and the lunkheads who had skipped the two opening bands gamely started charging into people and swinging their arms like truncheons.

At which point I ducked to the back, waited for the break between songs when things might calm down a bit, but Matt said, "that's more like it!" or something to that effect and I left shaking my head.

ugh

It appears we talked about it on Rolling Metal 2010.

hahaha -- i was going to say "ugh dnw" but apparently i said that a year and a half ago

i'm relatively little and i got bumped around at the eyehategod show i went to earlier this year. it sucked.

― The Great Jumanji, (La Lechera), Friday, October 22, 2010 1:33 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

It was a good discussion overall. I thought about it the other day because Adrien tweeted this link:

Death To Mosh Pits!

I've never seen this karate moshing thing IRL, I don't think we have it here. I just think of that jpg with the gurning woman that was always on the Noize Borad.

moshing here = pogoing tho ocassionally you do get small pits

Guys this Spawn of Possession is really good.

the new christian mistress makes me feel like beavis and/or butthead every time a riff locks in for more than, like, one bar

endorse

abyssal-home.bandcamp.com

There's yet another remaster of Lightning To The Nations? You'd think there'd be remasters for the first two Def Lep albums by now.

Speaking of NWOBHM, or NRWOTHM, these two new releases share those roots.

RAM - Death (Metal Blade)
Pharaoh - Bury The Light (Cruz Del Sur)

I believe both are on their third albums. Swedish band RAM's Lightbringer (2008) and Philadelphia-based Pharaoh's Be Gone (2008) are also good. Still loving Christian Mistress' album the best by far though!

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/02/announcing_the_1.html

Killing SXSW line up.. I wish Iwas going just for this shwocase...

NRWOTHM

Huh??

"New retro wave of traditional heavy metal"? Never heard of that before.

I like the Ram album a lot, but I've been enjoying the new Pharaoh even more.

Finally got to hear the new Christian Mistress in it's entirety and it's... solid? Not a disappointment exactly, as there are a couple of songs that really blew me away ("Black TO Gold" and "Haunted Hunted"), but it doesn't hold a candle to their live show. It's a bit too restrained or something. I'm with Nate in that they absolutely killed me live, but for some reason this record doesn't. I'm sure I'll listen to it a bunch through the year but maybe my expectations were too high.

i found that it got a bit more involving the louder i played it (duh, big surprise). the low end filled out more too. the interplay is more exciting than it sounds like at first when all you can hear is davis and the leads wheedely-wheedelying.

Got my package from Profound Lore today with the Pallbearer and the Witch Mountain reish, ready to dig in!

Heard the new Meshuggah this morning. Really impressed on first listen. Denser than obZen and not as Tool-damaged, and/but it's not Chaosphere 2 or anything like that. In fact, it might be their most human album to date - there are drum tracks on a few songs that actually sound like drums, in a room, being hit with actual sticks by a living drummer. I made it all the way through on the first try, and definitely want to hear it again soon - that's a first for me with Meshuggah. I've always kind of admired them from a distance and only rarely felt the need to actually push through a whole record. (That said, they were ferocious live when I saw them around the time of Catch 33.

Spotify using metallers! Come and join me and Herman for metal tuneage and aimless banter!
http://open.soundrop.fm/s/VjWCayQ8GaB04GHI

oh man, really getting excited for the new meshuggah.... (xpost)

I got this last year from a publicist I assume but didn't get to it til now. Trad 80s metal which I am fucking loving, I'm going to take some glucosamine for my knees and then get the fuck down to this

http://www.widowusa.com/images/splash/lb_cover.gif

Yeah, I've long liked Widow, and the new one's a blast, I reviewed it for Terrorizer a couple months ago.

Not a bad time for doom, really enjoying both the Pallbearer and Pilgrim debuts.

has j3ff said what he thinks yet about

http://plotn08.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/1324408060_fcland2.jpg

I kind of like the Freedom Call album.

Meanwhile the new High on Fire track sounds great:

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/13243-fertile-green/

That's a huge step up from Snakes. Nice mix.

that sounds really good!

Windhand just released their album on purple vinyl. So I guess it wasn't officially released last year? I just ordered the CD. They're touring the East Coast and South Feb. 29 to Mar. 10.

http://windhandva.bandcamp.com/

Regarding Huntress, looks like they're opening for the PaganFest tour with Turisas, Alestorm and Arkona. I'll find out which leaves a stronger impression, Jill Janus' Julliard-trained opera pipes or her silicone-enhanced outfits.

Pharaoh is pulling ahead of RAM to my ears. It probably helps that I'm also impressed with After The Fire (2003) and The Longest Night (2006).

That Huntress album is unbearable.

i bet it gets lots of attention