Rolling Metal Thread 2010

Listening to the new Through The Eyes Of The Dead right now and just not hearing anything new. Borrowed riffs, standard-issue attitude, the same ol' typewriter drums...how is anyone supposed to be excited about this album, this band, this genre? Even when I try to take the standard metal-fan approach of appreciating tiny incremental change within an overall landscape of structural sameness, there's just nothing here for me to grab onto and say, "Okay, this is Through The Eyes Of The Dead's unique little patch of ground that enables me to tell them apart from their peers and appreciate their contribution to the metal gestalt in 2010."

well, half the time I'm with you on this kinda thought, and the other half I'm like: is it really your position that the point of metal is Make It New a la the Imagists or whoever? like, I dig Coffins. Coffins are breaking exactly zero new ground. But that's cool, because the ground they're working is awesome.

I love Coffins too. But even when they're doing their most old-school-Swedish grinding, I can tell them apart from, say, Grave. Same way I can tell Grave from Unleashed from Entombed even though they're all working off the same template - they do little things that reflect the desire to be recognized as individual creative spirits. But TTEOTD don't do that. They are totally indistinguishable from, say, Whitechapel or Suicide Silence.

I think a lot of it has to do with modern studio techniques, honestly - with digital recording and drum triggers and such it's possible to walk in and tell the producer/engineer "make me sound like Band X" and if you punch in the right codes, you can sound exactly like Band X. When you're working with live instruments in a room and recording to tape with air between you and the microphones, there are too many variables for ultra-precise cloning to take place.

xpost: glad you dig coffins, j0hn. got the impression you weren't much of a fan from some old posts. the other side of blasphemy is such a hugely satisfying listen every time I throw it on.

and yeah, digital recording/drum triggers/etc. - that stuff is easily one of my least favorite things about modern metal. nothing against these techniques per se and I honestly don't know a hell of a lot about it all... but the antiseptic drum sounds, bass mixed down so low that you wonder why they even bothered someone in (tbh this really isn't anything new and is maybe my least favorite thing about metal now that I think about it), coupled with some dude yelling at you for an hour just makes this stuff exhausting to listen to. and not in a br00tal way, either. it's just so tedious.

oh man I am sorry to have given that impression. they kind of slay. I mean, it's fun to point out that they're not reinventing the wheel, but I'll take their brand of derivative over any dozen bedroom black-metallers.

yeah <3 coffins.

and on modern production: meshuggah are one of my favorite bands and you could throw a lot of those same complaints at them too. so, this is something I'm willing to tolerate if I like the material. but it makes the generic bands sound so, so generic. and how awesome would it be if meshuggah put out an album that sounded like mental funeral? man, it would be totally awesome! (but they never will, of course.)

holy shit this avenger album! love when they morph into moonsorrow on the second track.

opening riff on the album is killer. that one-two, strumming up, strumming down one note thing (while one guitar keeps strumming the same note the whole time if I'm hearing this right) is something I'm a sucker for.

love the acoustic build to the riff that kicks off the (awesome) penultimate track.

good news..

New Rosetta record, "A Determinism of Morality", goes to mastering next Monday
http://twitter.com/rosettaband/status/7413450005

Totally agree with Phil on Through the Eyes of the Dead. I've listened to their last one and the new one, and they are about as middle-of-the-road as you get. Competent, thoroughly uninteresting. You don't have to be original to be enjoyable (I really liked the Mr. death record from last year), but mediocrity is mediocrity no matter how you slice it.

Cobalt on Fox News:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jzrTKbEhDE

he's like boyd rice 2.0. a younger more deadly boyd. all that stuff about lions and the overman and excess. and the olde-tyme neo-folk album cover.

just hope he doesn't go on a shooting spree...

Is that a picture of Hemingway on the cover?

oh, probably! i never even noticed.

I always assumed it was, given the inside artwork.

Yes, that's Hemingway in his Red Cross Ambulance Corps uniform.

lol someone needs to make an animated gif of those anchors listening to that Cobalt clip.

Great stuff...they actually did a nice job with the interview.

I interviewed Erik Wunder while McSorley was on a tour of duty in Baghdad and he was rolling stupid fruity swag drunk is what he was.

He was amazing. I only had to do a 500 word piece but I had to interview him for ages because he'd just want to talk about other stuff. I'd ask him about blacked metal and he'd say 'Hey man, do you like 'Empires and Dance' by Simple Minds? I love that record.' Then I'd ask him about war metal and he'd start telling me about how he'd just seen a guy drive a car into the front of his house trying not to hit a fox in the road. And when I asked him what being in Cobalt was about he said: 'Being in Cobalt is about being the kind of man who stays up all night drinking gin, reading Hemmingway, smoking cigarettes and writing stuff on typewriters.' Then he started having an argument with someone about a cigarette lighter and then made me stay on the phone and talk to him about Killing Joke for an hour while he got even more blasted.

What a guy.

Ah, so "cobalt" refers to gun bluing. I don't think shooting spree is as big a danger as suicide pact after erectile dysfunction diagnosis. Death before dishonor, Levitra.

Jeff, I finally got around to hearing the Mnemic album, and you're right, this is so much better than that atrocious last album. This one seems to be more on par with The Audio Injected Soul, which I really dug in 04.

And the new Dillinger is good. My initial reaction was, 'not as great as the last three albums,' but every DEP record needs time to settle in.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second). Absolutely crushing and epic (most songs run 6-8 minutes). Plus it sounds incredible; I'm willing to call Greg Fidelman the best producer in metal right now.

I was like really excited before, now I'm practically frothing at the mouth to hear it!

Anxious for the new Dillinger as well.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second)

is there somebody I can write to to get it? I am in a big High on Fire kick right now

Publicist is Carl Schultz at Action PR - carl at action dash pr dot com.

YES! Can't wait to hear this! Should be getting this in a day or two.

Yeah, it's early in the year but the HoF is AOTY caliber, without a doubt. Better than the new Dillinger. Less prog & acoustic touches, and a lot more gigantic riffs.

Fewer prog and acoustic touches...forgive my murdering the Queen's English.

Oh, you Canadians do love your queen.

Generally DEP are more up my alley than HoF, but I'm stoked at the prospect of both. Then again I thought Ire Works was DEP's best record yet but Communion was a step below Wings.

pretty much nothing is better than blessed black wings imo

^^^true statement. tho you guys are getting me excited because i sincerely want this to be better than communion

I thought Ire Works was DEP's best record yet but Communion was a step below Wings.

Totally agree with both halves of this statement.

I still think Art of Self Defense is their best but I'm more than willing to give the new one consideration after Carl sends it to me. Thanks for the tip Phil! :)

I just think there's no such thing as a bad HoF album. But yeah, the new one does make Communion sound a little inferior.

accidents very much in character, starring Weedeater

http://qcjeph.livejournal.com/112588.html

Parts of this list irritate, but High On Fire is the really hot girl you have sex with occasionally if you're both single and it's always rad and there's never any drama

Dude seems to have forgotten to do an analogy for the Momus one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A43JOxLa5MM

i was hoping someone would post that. rooster rules, better than 90% of willowtip vocalists.

Holy fucking shit folks, this new High On Fire album is their masterpiece (Blessed Black Wings comes in a close second)

^if this is true, its fucking incredible

whoa. these raves are getting me seriously psyched for this.

It's interesting how everyone seems to have a different favorite HOF. I flip between their 2nd and 4th. Gotta love the cover.

http://action-pr.com/uploads/art/203/HIGH%20ON%20FIRE_Snakes_for_the_Divine_album_cover.jpg

Jan 19 Sigh - Scenes From Hell
Feb 23 High On Fire - Snakes Of The Divine
Mar 23 Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

What else are we excited about with a solidish release date? Some good shows coming too, despite Slayer/Megadeth/Testament being postponed. Pentagram & Gates Of Slumber, Kreator, Voivod & Nachtmystium, Orphaned Land & Indian, Finntroll, Moonsorrow & Swallow the Sun.

Does anyone have any of those Most Anticipated Metal Albums lists that they can post here? I generally crib on them through the year (like from Terrorizer, Decibel, etc) to figure out what to check out.

(Somewhat related: Anyone here an Arsis fan? Just got a copy of Starve for the Devil.)

kinda on the fence about arsis. didn't love "we are the nightmare" but it had its moments. haven't listened to starve for the devil yet but I think that's one of the best album titles I've ever seen.

I'm too sleepy to listen to it now, but I'll tell you guys how I like it tomorrow.

Some people won't be too crazy about Arsis's current hypertechnical/traditional heavy metal direction, but it sure appeals to me.

I find the new Orphaned Land, mentioned a couple posts back, to be a big disappointment, paling in comparison to Mabool.

Hey guys , sorry to go on about it , but its the last couple of days to vote on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VOTE HERE for ILX METAL ALBUMS OF 2009 !!!!!!!!!!!!! (non-metal thread regulars welcome. Everyones welcome to vote, please join in!) Voting Ends Jan 17. so if you're still to vote and wish to do so then please follow the instructions on the thread, lurkers welcome as well as regulars.
Hope to start the results on Sunday night/Monday (uk time)

Also if anyone would like to write some blurbs please email me at the same address as for voting.