Rolling Metal 2016

do we know if it's a leak of the real thing or like the Metallica St Anger "sounds that sound like but aren't Metallica" type deal that was on Kazaa

I can't imagine that was anyone other then Fenriz singing Mr. Mister at the end

I got a promo email with a Haulix stream, so it's entirely possible someone else ripped those files and put them up for sale.

Which should raise many questions at Bandcamp.

Just got a promo of the new Hammerfall album. First song is called "Bring It!" (punctuation in original). Sold.

bandcamp refunded me for the Darkthrone

I got a promo email with a Haulix stream, so it's entirely possible someone else ripped those files and put them up for sale.

― Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Sunday, 18 September 2016 22:05 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Which should raise many questions at Bandcamp.

― Dominique, Sunday, 18 September 2016 22:58 (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

don't see what they'd be expected to do in that scenario until they were alerted to it

It seems like anyone could do this, and get away with at least a little money. Unless someone at Bandcamp is monitoring every account that gets created, why shouldn't I decide to leak the new Metallica and make a quick thousand bucks before someone caught me?

Darkthrone aren't big enough to send ripples through the industry, but my guess is that at some point soon, there will have to be a validation process before people are able to sell stuff through Bandcamp (or any hosting/streaming service).

seems like the paper trail would lead p easily to anyone doing this unless they went to a degree of effort that the profits might not even make worth it

Seems like it'd be pretty easy to turn up who did it unless they pay in Bitcoin or loaves of cash in unmarked envelopes.

today's happy news is that Dead Congregation announced an upcoming album, entitled Sombre Doom; no info whatsoever, just that they're touring in Europe in Oct and Nov to promote it

Yessssssssssss.

In other metal news I dig this Sumerlands album w/the vocalist of Hour of 13. Proggy metal with a very 80s feel (to my ears), not usually my bag but sounds pretty good.

actually upon rereading that DC announcement, I'm realizing it could be an EP, as it says "release," not "album." Who knows, though.

I really hate the production on that Sumerlands album, and they don't have any songs. I'll stick with Hour of 13, who I liked.

I never thought H13 were super strong on songs, either, tbh. Good riffs though.

re Botanist:

If you're in the yes-I'm-going-to-buy-a-pricey-limited-split-LP-without-hearing-a-note camp

https://verdant-realm-botanist.bandcamp.com/

the other half of the split is Oskoreien -- on the quasi blackgaze/atmospheric melodic BM tip -- actually the split is slightly less pricey at

http://oskoreien.com/album/oskoreien-botanist-deterministic-chaos-green-metal

I got the new Dio set. Does anyone else find the album version of "Caught in the Middle" hard to listen to? There's an awful high-pitched ring on the cymbals which is especially audible in the 2016 remaster. It's like nails on chalkboard.

finally getting around to listening to the new Witch Mountain track, "Burn You Down". it fuckin slays.

can't say enough great things about new vocalist Kayla Dixon - she has phenomenal vocal ability.

this track is atmospheric as hell but reaaaaaaally heavy as well.

she does some sick growls on the song too. Uta was good at em but Kayla's are downright demonic

Suicidal Tendencies has a new song called "Clap Like Ozzy".

what, like...off beat?

it's actually a pretty cool song though

It's about the dangers of sharing groupies.

Lotus Thief
Gramarye
(Prophecy Productions)
Release Date: 9/16/2016

http://en.prophecy.de/out/pictures/generated/product/1/800_600_100/Lotus%20Thief-Gramarye.jpg

http://lotusthief.bandcamp.com/album/gramarye
http://open.spotify.com/album/37aMZKvvzW36w3CZkn8SXd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHOvOMoaQ3k

Speaking of Botanist (which summervillain and a few others di above), Lotus Thief was originally a side project though at the show a couple days ago, the merch guy (also husband of one of the ladies in the group) said they are becoming more of their own thing. Which is great since that meant seeing a West Coast band here in Philly and Rervm was one of my favorite things in 2014.

The live show was phenomenal, as is the new release, which proffers Medieval Post-Black Metal with an ethereal quality from two harmonizing female vocals. I got into a debate with Encyclopedia Metallium as to whether the band was metal or not. They are - there are riffs here that drive the psychedelic murk, almost serving as percussion in that respect - and the website is wrong.

I highly suggest you see this band live but failing that, check out the album if dark, strident, intelligent metal is something you like (and it really should be).

Agree that Lotus Thief is great, and agree that they should count as metal.

I wrote about a really shitty nu-metal band for Stereogum, and now I'm being accused of bullying on Twitter because I mentioned that one of the dudes in the band is fat.

Well, I like their music better than your review, and I like you and hate Nu Metal, so maybe that was one that didn't need to be written...

Kerasphorus compilation on Hell's Headbangers is really good stuff. Helmpkamp/J. Read and some guy named B. Wolaniuk (now out of the band), who brings some spidery discordance that really adds a creeping, sinister vibe to the expected brutality. For fans of that last Adversarial album, I suppose.

Re: Darke Complex -

If I read that bit with my "presume good intent" lenses on, what I think you implied, w/o being too direct about it, is that the band is trying to portray an image of diversity/inclusion, but it's false or dishonest because the band itself is an inorganic (labe)l construct (and musicians who don't contribute to the desired image are excised). Arguably you even hinted this image of inclusivity was also bogus because it excludes half of all people. So, ok, in that context "fat" is still maybe not the most sensitive word, but maybe I don't have to infer a value judgment from it.

)But, on the other hand, you pretty much trashed an entire genre, or the very least the current practice of it, that a lot of people love (or get catharsis from or whatever.

So I think it's pretty unrealistic to expect folks not to bristle, and then they're not going to be in "presume good intent" mode. Maybe even the opposite - ascribe worst possible intent.

And with that viewpoint I don't think it's surprising people react negatively to words like "fat" or "bondage" ("why are you trying to quash my free exploration of sexuality h8r") or, uh, the other one.

(just $0.02 from someone whose blood pressure was once raised by the Spin review that trashed a Warren Zevon album coz he had recorded with folks who had worked with Jackson Browne and The Eagles. Not to mention all those "punk died in 19XX" articles.)

re: Lotus Thief

How the Shazzbot did I miss this?!

Video for the new Asphyx tune:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFaiGiWcyY8

If I read that bit with my "presume good intent" lenses on, what I think you implied, w/o being too direct about it, is that the band is trying to portray an image of diversity/inclusion, but it's false or dishonest because the band itself is an inorganic (label) construct (and musicians who don't contribute to the desired image are excised). Arguably you even hinted this image of inclusivity was also bogus because it excludes half of all people. So, ok, in that context "fat" is still maybe not the most sensitive word, but maybe I don't have to infer a value judgment from it.

I was not implying any of that. I don't care about any of that. My only point with that paragraph was "these guys look silly." I only described the black guy as black because, other than the safety glasses, there was absolutely nothing notable about him. With that said, I could have skipped calling the fat guy fat and just made fun of his hair and his satin jacket and his Elton John glasses (all of which I did, in fact, make fun of). So when the editor took out the word "fat" in response to complaints, I was fine with it.

Being off-handedly described as fat isn't fun, ime, but people are sensitive about it to different degrees. I try not to do it, since it's not something I liked having done to me.

In more traditional metal news, I finally got copies of the remastered Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning CDs (just the single disc versions, not the box sets), and the deluxe version of Vader's XXV (a 2CD set of re-recordings of old songs, released in 2008; this version comes with a DVD full of live clips going back as far as 1986).

new 40 Watt Sun sounding good

http://clrvynt.com/40-watt-sun-pictures-debut/

that darke complex song isn't nearly as hideous as the attila song upthread

Apparently that dickhead from Lamb of God is going to be fronting Eyehategod on their upcoming tour. Get your refunds now.

ew. hearing Eyehategod w/out Williams' vocals = no thanks

lol Phil did vocals for them recently? even bigger ew.

way bigger eww in terms of, like, basic humanity.

yeah this is supposed to be a genre about hating and killing everybody, getting picky about races is offensive and bad or something

anyway, Pantera were never very good but Phil's a fine singer and a cool dude and he if he doesn't fit a slow+dirty+working class southern metal band, nobody does
The Lamb of God guy, not so much

if the band was like Down, maybe. plus he was in bad vocal shape last time I saw him (which wasn't even a full year ago)

Phil Anselmo hasn't had a singing voice worthy of the name in 15 years, maybe longer. Blythe has never been a conventionally good singer, but he can bark and growl well enough, and I bet he can offer a convincing imitation of Williams' slurry yowling. I might go to that NYC show, if I can find someone to pay me to be there.

I might go to that NYC show, if I can find someone to pay me to be there.

one for the tour poster

yeah this is supposed to be a genre about hating and killing everybody, getting picky about races is offensive and bad or something

Is this a serious point? General misanthropy definitely is not bad in the way that racism is bad.

metal misanthropy is usually unified hate against a common enemy. Phil basically takes on people in his own damn audience

when I saw him with Superjoint last year I wasn't convinced that he hadn't drank a jimson weed cocktail beforehand

yeah this is supposed to be a genre about hating and killing everybody, getting picky about races is offensive and bad or something

Interesting heel turn

idk he may have a point, Agalloch's Fuck and Eat Everybody Twice is my fav

New Usurpress is up, $3 if you're a downloader.

http://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-regal-tribe

They're more of a retro blues-rock band than a metal band, but anyway: Graveyard have broken up and cancelled all tour dates.

Band statement:

Dark clouds above the graveyard today.

Due to the all so classic reason “differences within the band” the Graveyard is as of today officially closed. This is the unfortunate final decision we’ve had to make after going through a period of struggling n juggling with personal issues. Things have gone out of hand and now our energy is very low. As a direct result of this we’re sorry to say that all scheduled touring is cancelled.

Graveyard have always been more about the music than the talking and that approach is the way we intend to deal with this situation also. What we can say is that we don’t know if and when the Graveyard will re-open and return in full force.

Stay tuned, stay awesome & No endless night in sight.

Joakim, Axel, Truls, Jonatan