No, We Aren't Making These Bands Up: ILM Metal Poll 2010 Results Thread

If anyone hasn't heard the Les Discrets album yet, do so immediately.

Agreed

YES! Horseback! Awesome! Nothing to add to this yet other than good show and that I also like USXMAS and Black Tusk but didn't think either were quite good enough to vote for.

would've voted horseback but I voted for it last year already. that'd be weird. but people into repetitive stuff like loop or circle would do well to check it out.

and I do think that it's pretty weird that 10 people voted for hellbeard and the abscess lp wasn't even nominated when I decided to vote for it two days ago. some pretty weird picks on here so far.

not a slight, don't get me wrong. I will prob be checking that one out.

listening to the sigh lp right now - even for sigh this seems pretty over-the-top!

kinda lovin' it so far tbh

Ok, everyone's in bed and I'm working my way down the list with a hot chocolate. Les Discrets are sounding very impressive so far.

I'm listening to U.S. Christmas for the first time right now - pretty good stuff

Er... I skipped them cos the name is stupid.

WTF is up with this Sigh band? They've got like a mariachi chorus in the middle of this death metal maelstrom...

Ah, they're from Japan. I think I like them.

"they're from Japan" really does explain everything, doesn't it?

Hellbeard are sounding alright too, and unlike US Christmas they have an excellent name.

Looks like Les Descrets are my find of the day.

I've just paid money for the album. I'm not going to look up the lyrics in English but rather imagine it's all Sartre quotes.

Don't tell Adrien, but it's actually all covers of obscure yé-yé stuff from the 60s.

Ha!

If you like the US Christmas album, I highly recommend 'Hawkwind Triad', a very cool comp of Hawkwind covers by USXmas, Minsk, and Scott Kelly.

Sorry, not Scott Kelly but Von Till''s Harvestman..

yeah I was hearing some Hawkwind in there; that sounds real cool. I will check that out.

Some of those songs on Sigh's Scenes from Hell remind me of Jello Biafra- not just the tempos and the twangy-for-metal guitars, but also the way the songs shift with bizarre pomp- like a non-musician had directed it.

Voted for the US Christmas too, which is a record I think will grow on me when I'm more in the mood. It's quite a mood it sustains. It feels falling into dry weeds, just like the album art.

That US Christmas felt like less of a metal record than the disqualified Killing Joke one, tho'. Despite their roots, feels much closer to psych band on Tee Pee, like Weird Owl or Entrance or something.

^yeah there's definitely a psych feel to it...it's very long too. Seems like an album I'm going to have to work to get into.

You should try the first one.

80
The Ocean - Anthropocentric (237 Points, 10 Votes)
http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/the-ocean-anthropocentric.jpg

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Ocean

The Ocean Collective (usually referred to as “The Ocean”) is an experimental metal band from Berlin, Germany. Their work combines elements of modern hardcore and technical metal with classical music and electronic soundscapes. The band often describes its sound as “ambient soundtrack doomrock”

http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective

I'll come back and point out something interesting about #80 after we get to #78.

The band often describes its sound as “ambient soundtrack doomrock”

Just listening to them now, that's not very accurate at all. I'd go something like 'melodic prog hardcore'.

gorgeous cover art-- looks more like a starry sky than the ocean, though?

I liked that album better than their first one of the year, but I didn't pick it up until after I voted. Seems like someone on the rolling metal threads (Phil?) really hates these guys though.

the ocean of stars maybe?

Some of those songs on Sigh's Scenes from Hell remind me of Jello Biafra- not just the tempos and the twangy-for-metal guitars, but also the way the songs shift with bizarre pomp- like a non-musician had directed it.

this is dead on.

79
Lantlôs - .neon (237 Points, 11 Votes)
http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/7/1/9/271951.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/1Rj4YOjtU3IM99vL6kQRdD
http://www.last.fm/music/Lantl%C3%B4s

In the end of 2007/early 2008 Herbst started to work on the next album”.neon”, and eventually Neige (Alcest) joined Lantlôs as a permanent vocalist. “.neon” was recorded in February 2009. In March 2010 Lantlôs switched to Prophecy Productions. Again Fursy Teyssier delivered even more breathtaking artwork for “.neon” and the new material was released in May 2010.

I like how all these Alcest-related bands have a similar aesthetic, both in terms of artwork and the kind of thing they're aiming at. I listened to Les Discrets earlier, and enjoyed it, so will be checking out this one too.

Seems like someone on the rolling metal threads (Phil?) really hates these guys though.

I don't hate them, I just think they're wildly overrated and way too convinced of their own brilliance.

I wasn't convinced by the new singer with the clean vox.

Yeah, I wasn't sold on him during Heliocentric, but I found him a lot easier to deal with on Anthropocentric.

78
The Ocean - Heliocentric (240 Points, 8 Votes)
http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/TheOceanHeliocentricFront.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Ocean

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliocentric_%28The_Ocean_Collective_album%29

Heliocentric is the fourth studio album by the German experimental metal band The Ocean, released on April 9, 2010,[1] and marks the recording debut of vocalist Loïc Rossetti.[2] It is the first part of a double album about the critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles, with its companion album, "Anthropocentric" which was released on November 9, 2010 in North America.

"Heliocentric" continues where the "Proterozoic" half of Precambrian left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. The vocals are the biggest departure from previous albums; they are mostly "clean," and more soulful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropocentric_%28The_Ocean_album%29

Anthropocentric is the 5th studio album by German post metal band The Ocean Collective. It is the second album in a 2 album series, following Heliocentric. 'Anthropocentric' continues the critique of Christianity as in its companion album Heliocentric. The album was released in North America on November 9, 2010.

While Heliocentric was "continues where the "Proterozoic" half of Precambrian left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations.", 'Anthropocentric' "is going to be a bit more straight forward rocking and technical, whilst still tapping the full range of dynamic."[3] The band's comments on the albums reveal things about the music of the album: "Musically, the album feels somehow heavier than Heliocentric. "The sound is more dense and maybe a tad more raw, which suits the songs perfectly, comments guitar player Jonathan Nido. The album covers a similar sonic and dynamic range as Heliocentric, also including a number of calm, acoustic moments but these are for the most part orchestrated with guitars, and not so much with piano and string section. The focus is on the heavy songs: "The album is a pretty big production, and still has a very earthy, organic feel to it, comments guitarist Robin Staps. "We have spent a great deal of time on the basic sound this time around, drums, bass, guitars and vocals... and at this stage I am pretty confident that this will pay off in the end!"[4]

Of the four pairs of albums (including Triptykon's EP) by a single artist in the poll, the Ocean had the highest-placing second album, beating Shatter on points even though it got fewer votes. Even weirder that Heliocentric beat Anthropocentric on points, despite getting 2 fewer votes!

But this brings me to Heliocentric's other distinction: an Enthusiasm (average points/vote) score of 30! There are only 6 albums in the whole poll with an Enthusiasm score of 30 or more, and the other 5 are #s 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6!

that is interesting!

I think all 8 voters of Heliocentric voted for Anthropocentric, but 2 Anthropocentric didn't vote for Heliocentric.

Is enthusiasm calculated on "high" votes, regardless of the total number of votes cast?

There are only 6 albums in the whole poll with an Enthusiasm score of 30 or more, and the other 5 are #s 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6!

it may be too early to begin publicly guessing the top 10, but i have ideas ^______^

77
Le Kraken - Exalt (243 Points, 13 Votes)
http://northernbitch.september12doom.com/_home/D7i/itemjpg/item69.jpg
http://www.last.fm/music/Le+Kraken
http://www.myspace.com/krakenrockmusic

The first full length album from French Canadian crushers Kraken has more of the apocalyptic doom/crust/epic rock that they delivered on their EP, while moving further into their own brand of sludgy majesty. Playing that sort of heavy epic progressive-minded hardcore that’s all over the place now, Kraken stand out just for sheer power, injecting plenty of furious crusty heaviness and bleak atmosphere into their doomed riffing and slow-building eruptions of metallic moodiness. French Canadian, but sounding much more like their French brethren across the pond (Omega Massif, Year Of No Light, Overmars), they’ve got all of the massive melodic passages and exploding epic riffage, gruff ferocious roaring vocals (with all of the lyrics in French), pounding mid-tempo hardcore dirges and droning riffs, and some strategically placed eruptions of gloom-heavy thrash and D-beat to satisfy addicts of this sort of sound. It’s equal parts epic crustmetal a la Buried Inside, Tragedy, and From Ashes Rise, and the imposing crush of Isis. There’s a lot of soaring delayed guitar as well, hints of Mono or Explosions In The Sky mixed in with the metallic crush, and the riffs are amazing, memorable and dramatic; each time I listen to this, it keeps reminding me more and more of a much more ferocious and thrashy Year Of No Light. Recommended!
http://www.roboticempire.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4879

Enthusiasm is the average points awarded per vote. So if an album got points of 40, 30, 20 and 10, its Enthusiasm would be 25.

Thanks!

I looked at the Hellbeard myspace and there's some bullshit petition thing to get on Roadrunner records. If i were them i'd forget about that shite and send their album to Profoundlore or 20 Buck Spin or even Paradigm-Recordings as I think their album would fit those labels aesthetics far more than Roadrunner and would likely get the attention it deserves from them.

otm

lol can't believe a band called 'Hellbeard' would have some dumb ideas about how to present their music

76
Ramesses - Take the Curse (252 Points, 11 Votes)
http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Ramesses-Take-The-Curse1.jpg
http://open.spotify.com/album/4nKxJcsXhH5dxnpqlJWYmj
http://www.last.fm/music/Ramesses

Spawned in the bleak woodland of Dorset, England, this three-piece has been disfiguring the innards of its army of devoted listeners since 2003 when original Electric Wizard drummer Mark Greening and guitarist Tim Bagshaw hooked up with Adam Richardson (bass + vox), formerly of Lord of Putrefaction, Spirmyard and hexed