Rolling Metal 2016

I haven't heard them, but will check out. The vocals seem like the most normal thing about them, because they sound a lot like Tom g Warrior to me, though the music more doom oriented than Celtic Frost (and yeah, doom in a 70s way)

First album came out on Ajna Offensive, definitely worth a listen.

Hell's Headbangers has a new Profanatica track on their Bandcamp (worst cover art yet! but nice stuff if you like the USOSBM style), one by Nuke (detroit gutter-scum metal, crazy vocals) and they're reissuing Arphaxat's demo on vinyl, which is quality French black bass metal (no guitars at all) with an occult tinge.

Just looking at the lineup for this year's Ragnard Rock festival, and they've really upped the ante here - this has to be pretty much the best event ever organised if you're into the whole viking/folk/black metal thing. It has Moonsorrow, Nokturnal Mortum, Kroda, Nargaroth, Belphegor, Skyforger, Månegarm, Khors, Graveland (who I think have never even done liveshows before?), Rotting Christ, Heidevolk, Aeternus, Cruachan, Tengger Cavalry (yes the Mongolian band!). That's got to be worth putting up with a bunch of LARPing French dudes pretending to be vikings.

Anyway, on the new Nokturnal Mortum - only two new tracks is a bit frustrating after a five year wait but it's very good, especially B Кайданах Часу - I just love how the band effortlessly locks into this nice head-nodding groove for minutes on end and patiently cycles through a sequence of verses and meandering guitar lines and keyboard melodies. It's a bit like oldschool Katatonia played by better musicians. Can't think of any other band that does this kind of stuff right now - comparable bands like Moonsorrow and Finsterforst all work so hard to be 110% awesome epic all the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyn_3Mt2dzg

It looks like Graveland actually are a band now and just played their first ever live show at the beginning of April. Also I note that their Metal Archives page doesn't mention NS anymore, wonder if he's trying to do a Nokturnal Mortum and turn towards acceptability?

Ah it looks like he's been backing off of that stuff for quite a while, I guess I stopped paying attention!

Graveland never really had explicit nazi stuff on the records, unless you consider songs about medieval battles of brave Slavs against Ottoman armies as coded dog-whistle anti-Muslim propaganda.

To be honest I've lost interest in Graveland, there has been zero developments in his sound or approach in almost twenty years. In theory the new members could help him get out of his rut but these two new tracks on the split are really fucking boring and don't point to any real change. They're also (pointlessly) reissuing old material with re-recorded drums and keyboards by the new members, which again in theory is a nice way to integrate them into the bands discography, but I have almost zero interest in hearing possibly slightly less limp versions of those boring ass Dawn Of The Iron Blades songs.

it's kind of delicious that these Nazi bands, in middle age, realize that they could be making actual money if they'll just renounce their Nazi ways

If only the real nazis had done that.

Blind Guardian/Grave Digger tour dates:

09/09/2016 The Orpheum – Tampa, FL
09/10/2016 Revolution – Fort Lauderdale, FL
09/12/2016 Ziggy's By The Sea – Wilmington, NC
09/13/2016 Cats Cradle – Chapel Hill, NC
09/15/2016 Webster Hall – New York, NY
09/16/2016 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
09/19/2016 London Music Hall – London, ON CANADA
09/20/2016 The Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
09/22/2016 Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE
09/23/2016 The Rave II – Milwaukee, WI
09/24/2016 Pierre’s Entertainment Center – Fort Wayne, IN
09/26/2016 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
09/27/2016 Gas Monkey Live – Dallas, TX
09/29/2016 The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
09/30/2016 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
10/01/2016 House Of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
10/02/2016 Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA
10/04/2016 The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles
10/05/2016 The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

Vektor are insane. I'm going to be playing "Recharging the Void" non-stop.

New Gorguts (1 track, 33 minutes): http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/2016/4/29/gorguts-premiere-pleaides-dust

I've listened a couple of times today. There's a lot there.

i gots it pre-ordered.....think I'll just wait. but excited nonetheless.

Grave Miasma is sweet

Dunno about the Gorguts - after the new Slice The Cake had me bowling over with laughter I don't know if I can take more "progressive" death metal.

this gorguts is great and a breath of fresh air in what has been a boring year for metal so far imo but then i hate metal as you're all aware

I've avoided listening to any of the excerpts from the Gorguts EP, I think I might wait til I actually get it though I'm really tempted by the stream. I've also read some good things about a band called Scammasch but I think I need to be in the right mood to tackle a 100 minute black metal album.

Actually you know I'm going to be grossly self-indulgent and list the "interesting" metal releases that I've dug this year

Ecferus - Pangaea
Ehnahre - Douve
Geryon - The Wound and the Bow
Howls of Ebb - Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows
Krallice - Hyperion
Oranssi Pazuzu - Värähtelijä
Palace of Worms - The Ladder
Temisto - Temisto
Wormed - Krighsu
Zealotry - The Last Witness

Also I admit the latest The Body album is worth a bash if you want something truly different, the only problem is I haaaated it.

Vektor will be hard to beat this year. It's an incredible album, especially this final track. They're going to need huge pyrotechnics for the climax when they take it on stage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C71_QwZt69A

Yeah, that was great.

Bought the new Vektor and Novembre today - both are different metal-epic fun listens and will get lots of spins this weekend. I expected Vektor to be great and that last track is indeed the stand-out. I hadn't ever heard Novembre - this has such a great prog atmosphere - really glad I tried this out.

I've also read some good things about a band called Scammasch but I think I need to be in the right mood to tackle a 100 minute black metal album.

It's really good and, handily/annoyingly, broken into 3 discs. Doing 2 at a time seems to work best. I feel like their last one (a double disc) was a bit ponderous and wanted to be Triptykon a bit too much, Triangle is excellent proggy/atmospheric/avant black metal. 100 minutes is too much, though.

All hail Vektor! I still prefer Outer Isolation so far - this is an exhausting listen - but damn it is a mighty fine thing to have them back.

SO
MANY
RIFFS

Yeah, wow, this Vektor album is fantastic. The Schammasch thing is really interesting, too.

Lots of interesting things on this metal list in particular:

https://open.spotify.com/user/particledetector/playlist/4gWxVKO4msK8uMaJ6jj1z8

didn't know there was a new Zealotry, those guys are good I should check that out

gah they're throwing Horrendous on at 3:00 - 3:30 on the Friday at MDF. now meaning I gotta try to check in early, or dump my shit at the hotel and check in later to avoid missing them

Man, only 30 minutes? Thought those dudes were kind of cresting a wave right now.

yeah I'm bummed about the length too :(

I enjoy Anareta more every listen

god "Cygnus Terminal" off of the new Vektor is fucking gorgeous

Alright, Alastair Rintoul from Begrime Exemious is my Metal Dude Of The Week.

http://i63.tinypic.com/2qsrxts.jpg

"Collapse" is turning into one of my favourites from the Vektor album. I didn't initially like the overdubbed singing-screaming section, but I dunno, it's a weird idea that somehow completely works.

If anything I think the album could have used a couple more "breather" sections like that.

don't think anyone has posted this yet:

http://cdn.theobelisk.net/obelisk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/psycho-las-vegas.jpg

holy sheep shit

Made a playlist for that.

https://open.spotify.com/user/glennpmcdonald/playlist/1l3ELOu54bjK0xPYyjNEQx

think i'm going. stooooked.

I am going. :D

I'm gonna make another attempt to like Morbid Angel.

Two things: Pleiades' Dust is brilliant and I'm enjoying the Vektor album a lot more than I thought I would (I'm just not that big on thrash)

I have tried so much to appreciate Morbid Angel, but to this day I cannot remember how any of their songs go. Can't tell them apart. Except for the ones on that hilarious album a few years ago.

So this is happening in my backyard...

http://dinv6bnu2wkbe.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Rock-Allegiance-5.6-website.jpg

A mixture of things I like with things I abhor.
My 13-year old son wants to go!

I still regret missing the Psycho Cali in May 2015 so yeah, I'm going to Vegas baby. Finally get to see Colour Haze!

"gourmet man food"

Buried deep in that Psycho Vegas lineup is UK psych prog band Family. That could be interesting!

Wonder how his voice holds up now

I'm gonna make another attempt to like Morbid Angel.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Tuesday, May 10, 2016 6:22 AM (5 hours ago)

i do not like morbid angel. of course i'd never admit it. i do like the new vektor. and that weird buzzy orange pazuzu thing and chtheilist not that i can spell it plus howls of ebb. i've also been lurking due to slacking on music basically but hugs & hails to mtl ppl.

http://erinhunter.katecary.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/kitten-hugs.jpg

OK this Sxuperion album is pretty cool, violent black metal with a vaguely cosmic feel and death metalish vocals:

http://bloodymountainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-void

I want to compare it to Zemial but that isn't really accurate. Super monotonous/trance-inducing guitars, almost-almost qualifies for the Branca-metal thread.

also vampire (swe) had an EP out late last year that i failed to notice. it's good! more of the same, but good-same.

i do like the new vektor. and that weird buzzy orange pazuzu thing and chtheilist not that i can spell it plus howls of ebb.

^ I wholeheartedly concur with all of this, and also (especially) the kittens.

I came here to say that I can't not hear Vektor's 'Pillars of Sand' as Christina Milian's AM to PM, which slightly enhances it for me, if anything.