Yeah, Tinnitus Sanctus isn't bad, but I think what's disappointing is that they seemed like they were on the verge of becoming (Hysteria-era) Def Leppard with their last album, and instead opted to go the road more traveled.
― Vulgar Display of Flowers (J3ff T.), Sunday, 1 March 2009 18:41 (fifteen years ago) link
The new Edguy album feels like they're going through the motions. "Ministry of Saints" is really good, but it's all downhill from there. Several of the tracks feel like Avantasia rejects, and the others either try to sound too clever, or just lack the pure catchy fun of the last two records. It just feels sloppy overall.
And yeah, the singles CD is just a quickly-assembled collection of EPs. But it has two of their best singles (the hilarious "Lavatory Love Machine" and the poppy Superheroes"), and "The Life and Times of a Bonus Track" is worth a larf.
― A. Begrand, Sunday, 1 March 2009 18:58 (fifteen years ago) link
The Wolves in the Throne Room is as good as you'd expect, as usual the songs really take off during the extended passages after the vocals. Pretty much on top of their game, but I'm already thinking I prefer the previous two albums, there was a little more diversity to them.
― A. Begrand, Sunday, 1 March 2009 23:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Wittr is great, as is the new Kylesa album.
― Pfunkboy in blood drenched rabbit suit jamming in the woods (Herman G. Neuname), Sunday, 1 March 2009 23:32 (fifteen years ago) link
"Crystal Ammunition" is where the WITTR album really starts to get great, in my opinion. Pity it's the last track. Good stuff overall, though.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 01:04 (fifteen years ago) link
Meanwhile, this just came down the PR pike:
---
NACHTMYSTIUM Booted From The Scion Rock Fest Bill
In a statement made on Friday, February 27, 2009: "NACHTMYSTIUM has sad news today with a once-again recurring issue surfacing from the wake of our past. We've been forced, at the request of the promoters and the folks at Scion / Toyota, to pull out of the Scion Rock Fest, scheduled for Saturday, February 28. This news came to us just this past Tuesday and was very disheartening to say the least. A troubling, and unjustly-applied notion that we are, or ever have been, in any way, a 'Nazi' band or a political band on any level, is completely absurd and we are disgusted that there is someone out there who really believes we are of this ilk. It made it as far as the sponsors of this event's desks, and now we are forced to pull out of it after some political threatening on the part of these ridiculously uneducated person/people who have caused this ruckus.
"We'd like to make light of at least one aspect of this situation and use the opportunity to once again clear the air — we are, IN NO WAY, a 'Nazi' band. We do NOT support such groups, political beliefs or bands that are affiliated with that world. We have canceled tours in the past and dodged working with bands and people BECAUSE they had these ideologies and we never wanted to be affiliated with it. Yet, here we are, a metal band whose members are more like hippies than your typical leather-clad metal maniacs, and we're being falsely accused of this association once again. We will be taking legal action against the people who slandered us in this situation, and in the future will file defamation / slander charges against any person or organization who attempts to prevent us from performing anywhere, especially in the United States. We are as offended by this as someone might be at the notion of a Nazi band playing a big corporate-sponsored festival. So — let it be known loud and clear for the LAST TIME, we ARE NOT a Nazi band, ARE NOT political, are certainly NOT racists and DO NOT support that world or any band, person or business affiliated with it.
"My deepest apologies to all of our friends, fans and people who have worked on and supported us being a part of this festival, we are sorry for these awful circumstances and you can be certain this will not defeat us." - Blake Judd
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 2 March 2009 18:50 (fifteen years ago) link
Mastodon/Kylesa/Intronaut on the best metal tour of the spring. Cannot wait to see it.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 18:55 (fifteen years ago) link
xp - Jesus. freakin' black metal. Just when you think it can't get worse than NSBM... you lift up the rotting wood, and what is crawling underneath? Pot smokin' hippies.
― fwiw (rockapads), Monday, 2 March 2009 19:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Guess they shouldn't have taken the Nazis' money back in '02, huh?
― unperson, Monday, 2 March 2009 19:46 (fifteen years ago) link
One thing I wasn't aware of until digging around a couple of weeks ago, is how few degrees of separation there are between Alcest and NSBM. :(
― fwiw (rockapads), Monday, 2 March 2009 19:59 (fifteen years ago) link
Oh, brother. Linked how so, curiously?
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 20:02 (fifteen years ago) link
via Peste Noire, who I've seen described as NSBM, and at best plays cute with the whole Nationalist thing. They have had members linked to other more blatant groups, though I can't actually find the article where I read that. Not saying Alcest shares any of those viewpoints or anything.
― fwiw (rockapads), Monday, 2 March 2009 20:14 (fifteen years ago) link
peste noire's 1st demo was called "aryan supremacy" & their band logo is built skull & crossbones shield lifted directly from the white aryan resistance logo. (afik...) they've since distanced themselves from NSBM, much like nachtmystium
― That's not just me saying that, that's the Pentagon. (contenderizer), Monday, 2 March 2009 21:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, there's absolutely nothing in Alcest that would hint at such nonsense.
Still, though, as the Nachtmystium story indicates, one little link, whether accurate or not, can haunt a band for a long time.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 21:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Switching subjects for a sec, the six-panel fold-out artwork inside the new Lord Mantis album is spectacular. It's like a cross between Pushead, John Baizley, and Bruegel.
Good album, too.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 21:12 (fifteen years ago) link
So anyway, I definitely think the new Edguy album is a lot better than people here are giving it credit for, but I need some time to formulate a concrete and coherent defense of it.
Meanwhile, received over the transom; let me know if you want this fellow's email address:
Dear guys
My name is Sérgio Martins and I am a brazilian journalist. I am sending this email because I am writing a piece about heavy metal and I would like to know from some privileged minds why this musical genre is still so popular. At least here, in Brazil, where bands like Iron Maiden play to at least 60 000 people by concert. Why metal is so popular? Is there something to do with the beat, the sound, the lyrics? Or is its “macho” attitude?
Thanks a lot.
Best,
Sérgio Martins
― xhuxk, Monday, 2 March 2009 21:35 (fifteen years ago) link
I just ordered the new Cobalt cd from profoundlore. Hope its good.
― Pfunkboy in blood drenched rabbit suit jamming in the woods (Herman G. Neuname), Monday, 2 March 2009 22:26 (fifteen years ago) link
Oh, it is.
― A. Begrand, Monday, 2 March 2009 22:26 (fifteen years ago) link
What percentage of metal albums would you say you guys listen to because the album looks cool? This week I listened to this, and while it wasn't great (it wasn't awful, either), I love the cover:
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_c5e4de82cd9141e4bdc01ed706febdc7.jpg
― Mordy, Tuesday, 3 March 2009 23:09 (fifteen years ago) link
I also checked out these guys:
http://mediaportal.ru/uploads/posts/2009-03/1236012452_front.jpg
The cover made them look like steampunk metal. Alas, just normal technical death metal. Both these bands, btw, are Polish.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 3 March 2009 23:19 (fifteen years ago) link
For anyone experiencing number-crunching withdrawal after the poll season, I just updated the data behind my Encyclopaedia Metallum-based metal-band similarity analysis again, and in the process also added a leaderboard for ranking major bands by their EM ratings.
index: http://furia.com/em/index.htmlstats: http://furia.com/em/stats.html
― glenn mcdonald, Wednesday, 4 March 2009 23:09 (fifteen years ago) link
Jeez, I go on tour for ONE WEEK and find this page has slid off the front.
Anyway, saw a killer new SF band called Prizehog last week. Aquarius is all over them. Great folks and heavy tunes.
― Nate Carson, Friday, 6 March 2009 04:51 (fifteen years ago) link
I heard the new Papa Roach album....
― Mordy, Friday, 6 March 2009 05:08 (fifteen years ago) link
Did it cut your life into pieces? Was it your last resort?
― Vulgar Display of Flowers (J3ff T.), Friday, 6 March 2009 05:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Neither, alas.
― Mordy, Friday, 6 March 2009 05:23 (fifteen years ago) link
I've been listening to Serpentcult all day. Not much to that album, basically Electric Wizard with a girl singer, but has a few really, really good moments. Also, it's cool to hear "New World Order" getting strong airplay on Sirius.
― A. Begrand, Friday, 6 March 2009 05:36 (fifteen years ago) link
I really, really like the femme singer on the WITTR. I want her to make big metal.
― i, grey, Friday, 6 March 2009 07:13 (fifteen years ago) link
WITTR were awesome at the Scion Rock Fest. When they turned down the lights and kicked off their set, it was like watching the nice hacky-sack dudes from the organic co-op turn lycanthropic. Really kind of scary, in the best possible way.
― Brad C., Friday, 6 March 2009 14:49 (fifteen years ago) link
Have any of you heard the new Mastodon yet?
― Mordy, Friday, 6 March 2009 14:54 (fifteen years ago) link
I've not heard a single second of it, so at this point I'm just going to keep it that way until I can go out and buy my copy.
― ban everyone imho (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 6 March 2009 14:56 (fifteen years ago) link
march 23'd, eh?
― juan (Ioannis), Friday, 6 March 2009 15:18 (fifteen years ago) link
I've heard the new Mastodon, and the new Papa Roach. I like one better than the other.
― unperson, Friday, 6 March 2009 16:39 (fifteen years ago) link
oh, you tease.
― juan (Ioannis), Friday, 6 March 2009 16:49 (fifteen years ago) link
We were discussing it earlier on this thread, but to sum up my thoughts: "mellow" for Mastodon, very 70s prog, better than Blood Mountain.
― Vulgar Display of Flowers (J3ff T.), Friday, 6 March 2009 17:09 (fifteen years ago) link
Sounded kinda stoner'y to me.
― Mordy, Friday, 6 March 2009 17:13 (fifteen years ago) link
(In a good way, mind you. I really liked it.)
I was pretty shocked at the direction of the new Mastodon. Those massive riffs are nowhere to be found, but they've made incredible strides in the vocal department. Certainly a bold album...needs a few more listens to sink in, though.
That said, "The Czar" is an amazing track, one of their best ever.
― A. Begrand, Friday, 6 March 2009 18:34 (fifteen years ago) link
i really need to hear this since i'm deciding whether to see them and now understand that they're going to be playing this entire record at all their upcoming dates. very classic-rock move or something.
― He grew in Pussyville. Population: him. (call all destroyer), Friday, 6 March 2009 18:41 (fifteen years ago) link
You need to see them only because Kylesa and Intronaut are opening for them! Great package.
― legendary North American forest ape (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 6 March 2009 18:41 (fifteen years ago) link
"mellow" for Mastodon, very 70s prog, better than Blood Mountain.
Exactly. I wrote 500 words about it for the now-final issue of Metal Edge, and this kinda sums it up.
― unperson, Friday, 6 March 2009 18:42 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't hate Papa Roach, by the way. The album's not awful. But it's not all that exciting, either.
― unperson, Friday, 6 March 2009 18:43 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah i like kylesa a lot and an somewhat down w/intronaut.
― He grew in Pussyville. Population: him. (call all destroyer), Friday, 6 March 2009 18:47 (fifteen years ago) link
Helps that the new Kylesa is so damned good. I'm hoping I can score a ticket for this show when they go on sale tomorrow. I've had horrible luck getting tickets for really popular shows at the Metro.
― legendary North American forest ape (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 6 March 2009 18:54 (fifteen years ago) link
I wrote 500 words about it for the now-final issue of Metal Edge, and this kinda sums it up.
Coincidentally, said final issue arrived in my mail today. Congrats again to Phil and the rest of the ME crew (especially you ilxors!) for a job well done. I had the best time writing for that mag.
Nice Mastodon write-up too, Phil.
― A. Begrand, Friday, 6 March 2009 20:37 (fifteen years ago) link
About halfway through, the Serpentcult record dives deep into the sludge and wows the heck out of me. "Awaken the Kraken" plumbs some serious bathymetry.
Dead Man's "Rest in Peace" is a great song too. Like the whole disk, but that track in particular gets fits all the good bits of early-70s prog into a pretty brief span. Damn me for just realizing the were in town a month ago, playing to a no-doubt empty house.
― bendy, Friday, 6 March 2009 23:18 (fifteen years ago) link
considering going to see pentagram tonight
― eman, Saturday, 7 March 2009 17:01 (fifteen years ago) link
i missed them last night. with the devil's blood. i suck.
― WEREWOLF CONGRESS (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 7 March 2009 17:09 (fifteen years ago) link
That Angelreich album has one or two pretty songs on it, btw. The really metal stuff on it sounds pretty generic and boring to me, but when they do more electronica-melodic-metal, it's enjoyable.
― Mordy, Saturday, 7 March 2009 17:55 (fifteen years ago) link
Got the Cobalt pre-order in the mail today.
― Pfunkboy in blood drenched rabbit suit jamming in the woods (Herman G. Neuname), Saturday, 7 March 2009 21:54 (fifteen years ago) link
Got a ticket for the Mastodon/Kylesa/Intronaut show in April, very fucking excited for that line-up.
― legendary North American forest ape (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Sunday, 8 March 2009 19:33 (fifteen years ago) link