Rolling Metal Thread 2012

who?

^^^

I can't believe Sabbath played "Under the Sun." Jealous.

Ward's absence wasn't the deal breaker for me. Just too far to go for one show (and I've seen the original lineup before anyway). Badass!

^^^ as did I, on one of the Ozzfests that Sabbath headlined.. they sounded great but I couldn't help but notice some weird stuff going on... like guitars playing while Iommi wasn't.. but nonetheless, the song "Black Sabbath" live was erie as all fuck and was the cornerstone to me looking into more "doomy" stuff..

New Early Graves being mixed now!!!

New Kowloon Walled City being recorded now!!

Only just hearing Stielas Storhett "Expulsé" because his shitty debut six years ago didn't really inspire me to get it, but this is an amazing record! This is a completely different band now, somewhere between the atmospheric/jazzy BM of Shining and the melodic earworms of Katatonia.

Have to admit, that sounds great.

I got to see aero's favorite band Agalloch again last night. I saw them a few years ago but they've improved by leaps and bounds as a live band in the intervening years. "Faustian Echoes" was played in it's entirety and was the centerpiece of their 2-hour set. It was also cool to hear their Sol Invictus cover "Kneel To The Cross" live, with the crowd chanting along to the "Summer is a coming in. Arise! Arise!" intro.

I also have to say local openers Pinkish Black were great.Their synth and drums goth doom sound is overwhelming at high volume. Very cool.

The other band on the bill was Taurus. I was not a fan before seeing them and their show didn't change that at all.

Not sure if Jon is still out there, but if so, he might want to check out the argument where I quit posting on Rolling Metal a half decade ago. Involved the same other poster (who I totally get along with now!), and it is somewhat entertaining in retrospect. (I think this point is where it gets really heated, but if you scroll back several posts, you can view the preliminary jousting as well):

Rolling Metal Thread 2007, Part II

New metal albums I've been liking in recent weeks that I haven't seen mentioned here yet (though maybe I just missed them): Abrahma, Altar Of Oblivion, Kadavar, Eye Of Solitude.

And oh yeah, holy shit, those Coven and Pagan Altar "reissues" of music that barely existed in the first place on Shadow Kingdom (my new favorite label -- they're putting out Altar of Oblivion too. That label likes altars!) Still trying to determine whether those two records (and also the Mekong Delta one, which is all re-recorded songs by a new lineup) should be eligible for any year-end lists/voting I might be lured into. Opinions on the matter welcome.

lol i love that exchange and i think it's a great reminder that arguments about what is and isn't metal can be really compelling even (especially) the raw, hurt kind. it's probably inevitable that genre threads will have splits and breaks about what constitutes that genre. i actually think rolling metal is really good about being inclusive. satan knows we discuss plenty of stuff here (sometimes extensively) that is far from purist metal

And oh yeah, holy shit, those Coven and Pagan Altar "reissues" of music that barely existed in the first place on Shadow Kingdom

Yeah, those are great. That guy really has a good eye/ear for stuff that needs to be reissued. Wish he'd do a little more with liner notes and bonus tracks (when possible), but these days Shadow Kingdom is the only metal label I regularly buy.

BTW anyone else got any 80s heavy/doom/whatever metal bands that mixed death rock or gothic with metal back then? Celtic Frost, Coven, Stillborn...

Good for this guy, seems like a real stand up dude:

Greetings. This is D. Randall Blythe, checking in from my beloved hometown of Richmond, VA, United States of America. I was recently released on bail from Pankrác Prison in Prague, Czech Republic, after over a month of incarceration. Now that I am out for the moment, I would like to say a few things.

1. While in prison, I had minimal knowledge of how my case was viewed anywhere but the Czech Republic. I was told by my attorney that I had a lot support from peers in the music industry, my hometown, fans, and of course my family. I cannot express how emotional it made me upon my release to read about even a fraction of the voices that were raised on my behalf. From legends in my music community, to fans across the world, and even people who were previously unaware of my existence but sympathized with my plight- I am truly humbled. I cannot thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers. I would especially like to thank the people of Richmond, VA, for standing by me. In the 48 hours I have been home, many people I have never met before have stopped me on the street, waved and smiled as I passed by, or said hello in a restaurant. All have said "We are glad you are home, Randy". You all make me proud and grateful that I call Richmond home.

2. I would like state that I suffered no abuse, from either authorities or inmates, during my incarceration in Pankrác. I received no special treatment, and was in general population with everyone else- make no mistake, it was prison, not some celebrity rehab tv show. But I was treated fairly by the guards and kindly by my fellow inmates. People are dying of starvation all over the world. Men and women are losing their lives daily in the Middle East and other war torn regions. I had food, clothes, shelter, and no one was trying to kill me. I cannot complain over a short stay in prison while many people elsewhere fight to survive on a daily basis.

3. If it is deemed necessary for me to do so, I WILL return to Prague to stand trial. While I maintain my innocence 100%, and will do so steadfastly, I will NOT hide in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution. As I write this, the family of a fan of my band suffers through the indescribably tragic loss of their child. They have to deal with constantly varying media reports about the circumstances surrounding his death. I am charged with maliciously causing severe bodily harm to this young man, resulting in his death. While I consider the charge leveled against me ludicrous and without qualification, my opinion makes no difference in this matter. The charge exists, and for the family of this young man, questions remain. The worst possible pain remains. It is fairly common knowledge amongst fans of my band that I once lost a child as well. I, unfortunately, am intimately familiar with what their pain is like. Therefore, I know all too well that in their time of grief, this family needs and deserves some real answers, not a media explosion followed by the accused killer of their son hiding like a coward thousands of miles away while they suffer. I am a man. I was raised to face my problems head on, not run from them like a petulant child. I hope that justice is done, and the family of Daniel N. will receive the closure they undoubtably need to facilitate healing. I feel VERY STRONGLY that as an adult, it would be both irresponsible and immoral for me not to return to Prague if I am summoned. This is not about bail money. This is about a young man who lost his life. I will act with honor, and I will fight to clear my good name in this matter. Thank you for reading this, and I wish you all peace.

Good statement

Please may I take this opportunity to ask you all to participate in nominating in our poll Pfunkboy, Viceroy & emil.y Productions presents : Nominations for an 80s Albums That Rock Poll(inc indie/Alt,punk,metal,heavy/glam etc) but with some exceptions..(ie no indiepop or U2 type)

ALL Metal is eligible. So please could you all nominate as much as you can so it's well represented. (and nominate other faves from other genres that meet the criteria)

We need more talk about this amazing Pinkish Black record. Adrien tipped me off to them and after seeing them live it's pretty much the only thing I want to listen to. Everyone needs synth goth Swanish doom in their lives.

Yeah, Pinkish Black is looking like a top tenner for me right now. Crazy Suicide-goes-metal jams on that record.

Man, that statement from Blythe is pretty serious. I always thought he was kind of a douche, but if he's gonna stand up like that, respect. Serious respect.

Let's hope he has some good counsel.

I was away for the weekend, but I'm back now! I missed you guys. Here's some early 80s female power trio HEAVY-METAL ROCK 'N ROLL for you: http://www.decibelmagazine.com/featured/the-lazarus-pit-rock-goddesss-rock-goddess/

I think that album is totally Hall of Fame-worthy. That first album got it right on every level.

There are still a couple crossover and post-hardcore acts they haven't inducted yet, I'm sure they'll get back to inducting actual heavy metal when they're done with those.

The first thing you need to now about Pinkish Black is that 50% of the band is Jon Teague, formerly of the sadly overlooked Yeti and more recently The Great Tyrant.

What's the second thing?

he is super gracious and a pleasure to talk to.

Thirdly, he is not a tall man, which is not immediately apparent as he plays the drums sitting down, as is common.

That's Yeti the prog-rock band?

So th pentagram doc streaming on Netflix right now is a+++ (last days here?)

it's like that anvil doc, but not shitty.

Ok that's not fair, but unlike the anvil doc they never turn liebling into a cartoon. Which is why I didn't like the anvil doc at all. Whatever, watch it, it's good.

I wasn't as overwhelmed as I'd hoped by my first listen to the new Evoken, but now that I know what it sounds like, maybe the second time will be magical.

In the meantime, my latest addition to the year's astounding roster of good albums by vaguely-gothic female-led bands is the Hungarian band Dharma, whose regrettably titled new album Dharmageddon is sort of a gothic-metal/hard-rock/electro hybrid, maybe closer to Asrai than anything else I can readily think of. They use a lot of doubled lead vocals, and the singing style is more rock than opera, but there are synths and drum-machine-y beats. More Paradise Lost than Christian Mistress, for example. I wouldn't have identified them as Hungarian just from listening, but they definitely give me that sense that some old things feel new to them, which I get disproportionately from bands that live in non-traditional-metal-power countries.

Just finished Wag's prog metal book Mean Deviation, which I purchased from the Decibel table at MDFX. Time for a new toilet tome!

Okay you guys I've been listening to some awesome music and I wanted to tell you about it.

Arkhamin Kirjasto - Torches Ablaze: I don't know, I think this involves one of the guys from Circle or something, but it's super God damn awesome NWOBHM as filtered through Finnish death metal with killer grooves and a song,"When the Light Is Dead and Gone," that sounds like a Judas Priest cover but ISN'T but is still good enough to be a Judas Priest song!

Seremonia - Seremonia: Female-fronted throw back occult doom, super fuzzy with a pretty lady singing in a language I don't understand and with lots of psychedelic flavor that sounds like it could be from the early 70s but ISN'T, but not in a derivative way like The Devil's Blood.

NWOFHM!

Bless you.

I'm listening on bandcamp to the Arkhamin Kirjasto and the vocals suck but the band is hot shit. Can't have everything, I guess. Gonna look for some tracks from the Seremonia.

Okay, Seremonia is pretty fun. They have a video!

Rock 'n' Rollin Maailma

[I hate embeds in big rolling threads]

Alcohol in a Pepto-Bismol bottle, that's a new one to me.

I'm going to assume from all the vowels that the language that they are singing in that I don't understand is Suomi.

re xpost Rolling 07 what is metal, the earliest use of the term I've seen re music is in '70 Metal Mike coverage of Humble Pie, Of course for the heavy part, there was the phrase Bob Segerm by his own account, lifted from a Deeetroit DJ and got into trouble cos Seger went into this "Deeepah, deeeepah" and some other DJs thought it suggestive. Speaking of the 70s, here's the Hype Of The Last Half-Hour, at least! This fucker better be like it says:
Status Quo, Budgie and Black Sabbath albums are piled on top of the hi-fi; torn centrefolds from Playbirds and Whitehouse are Sellotaped to the walls; Richard Allen's Suedehead, William Burroughs' Junkie and Francis King's Sexuality, Magic & Perversion tumble from the window sill; crushed Courage Light Ale cans and Players No 6 packets form a tower in the corner; filthy, tight-fitting T-shirts and patched-up denim bell bottoms are strewn all over the floor. And there, in the centre, like a Biblical king surveying his domain, is the music lover – a stick-thin, back street Jesus, engrossed in the rolling of his last spliff, flowing hair all but obscuring his chops, the opening bars of The Groundhogs' 'Cherry Red' blowing from the speakers around him like a sucker-punch from Heaven.

Get the picture? Good. The Shovell, as their friends and fans know them, belong spiritually to a time and place we'd all like to believe still exists somewhere – maybe that's why their no-nonsense take on the progressive metal sound of the early-mid '70s is so damn accessible. You don't need a degree in doom-rock or a Masters in metal for their incorrigible clatter to strike a (power) chord – you just need ears, feet and some appreciation of what makes bands and music GOOD.

Some statistics: the Shovell are named after a 17th century English naval commander; Bill Darlington plays drums and is too thin, Louis Comfort-Wiggett plays bass without his glasses falling off and Johnny Gorilla plays guitar and shouts, both loudly; they have been together as a band since 2008 and mates for donkey's years; their lineage includes more neo-psych, garage, freakbeat and powerpop combos than you could shake a stick at; there are people in Catalunya, Spain still recovering from the Shovell's May 2009 tour there; their 2011 Rise Above 7", 'Return To Zero'/'Day After Day', sold out instantly and now commands up to £100 a copy; their debut long-player will tear your face off and put it back on inside out, using spit.

OK, so that last bit may be open to conjecture but make no mistake – Don't Hear It… Fear It! finds the Hastings threesome delivering the kind of greasy hard-rock thrills rarely heard in this climate of blind nostalgia and misjudged authenticity. It's hard 'n' heavy, without the marshmallow; it's old-fashioned yet so NOW that it hurts; it has three songs on side one and four on side two; it has yer actual Tony McPhee off of the aforementioned Groundhogs on it – it's a rock 'n' roll album made by people who give two shits and who've earned just a little "me" time in the company of your ears. OK?

Yeah, I just got that thing in my inbox, probably not going to live up to the hype, but it is on Rise above, and those guys are pretty good curators.

Seger...lifted "Heavy Music", sorry Bob

That 7" is pretty great, regardless of the £100 value wish I'd bought one.

So th pentagram doc streaming on Netflix right now is a+++ (last days here?)

I'm ten minutes it and finding this really hard to watch. The Anvil doc left me happy, and happy for them. Is this thing going to kill my soul?

Wow, so glad I stuck it out, but I don't have the heart to do any "where are they now?" research.

they had a (crap) new album out recently and Bobby is still clean and touring.

Yeah, the Pentagram doc is like 80 min. of the dude self-destructing followed by 10 min. of him getting himself together, it's a rough watch.

Last Rites is the best Pentagram album. Their canonical albums are so overrated it's not even funny.

I don't think they were ever really an "album" band. More of a "rehearsal demo" band. Those Relapse collections are untouchably awesome.

I watched the Pentagram doc last night but can't join in on the recommendations in this thread. It's another junkie asshole cleans up and becomes slightly less of an asshole story. Good for him, as he seemed to be in a much better place at the end. Glad to hear he's doing okay still. I'm just tired of junkie stories as they're all basically the same. Having gone through it with a friend I have plenty of sympathy for those around him but little for Liebling himself.

But take my opinion with a large grain of salt, as I've never been a Pentagram fan though I really like some of the bands they've inspired.

Well, I got more of it out of that. If anything, I see a parallel to your alluded to experience, which is how important it is for friends to stick by addict friends if the addict friend is trying to get clean. This guy wasn't hurting people, or robbing and stealing, or really even being an asshole. He was self destructive, a lifetime user, but unlike many junkies had people who still loved him and believed in him. Most junkies -that is, the junkie stories that are "all the same" - don't have that going for them at all, which is no doubt what leads to the "all the same" element. You know, dying, or taking people down with them. This guy ends up clean, married, with a kid and his band back. That seems to be the opposite of most junkie stories. No?