Metal thread IX: Metal To The Pedal To The Other Metal

[Killer Angel]

New Blood Incantation seems really good.

[Killer Angel]

annnd…. 1349 it's back!

the infernal pathway

[grimbold]

annnd…. 1349 it's back!

the infernal pathway

That entire record rips. It's insane they have this level of intensity a quarter of a century in...

[Feytalist]

New Alcest is out. It's really really good. I didn't like Kodama all that much, but yeah this is the one I wanted.

Also apparently the new Lacuna Coil isn't too bad? I am surprised.


Oh I recently discovered a label called Cryo Chamber - they have a bunch of dark ambient and atmospheric stuff on there and it's absolutely amazing. It's been my background music for the past couple of weeks and I love it.

[grimbold]

New Alcest is out. It's really really good. I didn't like Kodama all that much, but yeah this is the one I wanted.

Also apparently the new Lacuna Coil isn't too bad? I am surprised.


Oh I recently discovered a label called Cryo Chamber - they have a bunch of dark ambient and atmospheric stuff on there and it's absolutely amazing. It's been my background music for the past couple of weeks and I love it.

I LOVE the new alcest - truly stunning

I will listen to the Lacuna on your recommendation

Also Cryo Chamber is one of my fav ambient labels - so much good stuff to discover there

[Vinyadan]

I am not sure if it is really metal, but I'm doing my first listen of Pitfalls by Leprous and I think it's great.

[Feytalist]

I am not sure if it is really metal, but I'm doing my first listen of Pitfalls by Leprous and I think it's great.

Hell yeah Leprous is the bomb. They are at least tangentially metal thanks to the Ihsahn connection That live video of Contaminate Me with Ihsahn is still one of the coolest things. Haven't heard the new stuff but it's definitely on my list.

[JoshL]

So OM are playing in March, which is awesome since they're the band that got me to reapproach metal as an adult. Playing a good sized indie venue here in Pittsburgh.....with tickets through Ticketmaster, promoted by LiveNation???? That makes me all around sad, particularly since there are plenty of indie promoters who could run it, and plants of other venues with Ticketmaster shows. Stay in your lane! Seriously, this annoys me more than it should.

Goth news, playing a goth holiday show (with NØIR and Seeming!), so prepared a couple appropriate songs to play. If you want some dark holiday music, this is a free download: https://doorsinthelabyrinth.bandcamp...um/cold-winter

[grimbold]

So I think it's time for albums of the year right?

The new Officium Triste just hit my radar and it's upsetting all my lists. SO GOOD and SO SAD

[Feytalist]

The year started off strong and I think it's ending pretty strong, but not a whole lot happened in the middle, at least for music I tend to follow. Just recently we got the new Wilderun, new Obsequiae, and new Avatarium (bleedin' excellent btw).

I'd say Devin Townsend's Empath is one of the highlights of the year; I was absolutely blown away by it. The new Alcest was excellent, and this year's Finsterforst and Ereb Altor and Isole was solid as always, and I was pleasantly surprised by the new Soen's Lotus.

[Vinyadan]

I'd go with Aephanemer's Prokopton and Paladin's Ascension. In less metal things, Nad Sylvan's The Regal Bastard.

In the field of "worst disappointment", I'd like to nominate Sonata Arctica's Talviyö. I liked the single, although it was really understated, but the whole album is like that, and I'm not OK with it.

[Feytalist]

Oh hey I'd totally forgotten about Aephanemer! Yeah I was really pleasantly surprised by Prokopton. It's overall a great record.

[Vinyadan]

Yesterday was an unusually lucky day for me in music. I listened for the first time to Birth of Violence by Chelsea Wolfe, Love out of Darkness by Quayde LaHüe, In the Raw by Tarja, Empath by Devin Townsend, and Extinction Six by Dialith. I really liked all of them. I found Extinction Six exceptionally good. At first I thought that the singing had been recorded as oddly feeble, but it's actually very evocative, and the singer is good (nice voice and control).

To be honest, I also enjoy a female-fronted band without a growling dude. Nowadays, it's become increasingly hard to find a symphonic band without some dude jumping out of nowhere and growling all over the place... at intervals. It's something I didn't like about Epica and that I still don't really get about Crimfall and Frozen Crown (in spite of the fact that they do good music). There's too much disconnect between sections of the same song. I think Macbeth did it right in 1998 with Romantic Tragedy's Crescendo by having the guy growl for the whole duration of the album while the woman sang, so that it was homogeneous. Draconian also sing more or less this way. Interestingly, these two are gothic/doom, rather than symphonic, metal bands.

I also was surprised by how much better and more mature Tarja's album sounds.

[Narmoth]

so, I made a thing:
https://dreamslain.bandcamp.com/trac...rises-in-force

would be happy to hear what you think of it

[thirsting]

Enjoyable. I like it. Keep the singing style, stands apart from the usual growly stuff. :]

[Narmoth]

Enjoyable. I like it. Keep the singing style, stands apart from the usual growly stuff. :]

Thank you. I'm more comfortable with this half growl style than either clean or full on growling (which I usually only do if I sing over blast beat parts)

[Comrade]

So I think it's time for albums of the year right?

I don't think I came across much great metal released this year. Abnormality's new record, I guess. Maybe A Pregnant Light, but that's borderline metal at best.

I did rediscover the greatness of Axis of Advance this year though, so there's that. Forgot how rad they are.

[Vinyadan]

Looking back for a 2019 top-10 (in no particular order, not all strictly metal, and based on my tastes)

Dialith -- Extinction Six (North American symphonic metal that does its own thing. Nice themes too)
Aephanemer -- Prokopton (French folk death symphonic melodic growling woman. It was re-released towards the end of the year.)
Paladin -- Ascension (on a power metal quest. Since I don't like thrash, it must be really good)
Krypto -- Afterburner (heavy metal)
Avantasia -- Moonglow (rock opera German Meat Loaf Spirit)
Nad Sylvan -- The Regal Bastard (just rock)
Otoboke Beaver -- Itekoma Hits (punk/hardcore, of which I only managed to find a song, but it left quite an impression)
Pristine -- Road Back to Ruin (hard rock)
Embrace of Disharmony -- De Rervm Natvra (avant-garde orchestral metal with some Latin text from the ancient poem De Rerum Natura)
Galley Beggar – Heathen Hymns (folk metal)

The good part, I think, is that some of these are debut albums.

Also, a throwback: High Spirits -- Motivator, a 30 min hard rock album from 2016.

[grimbold]

Here's my list thought I posted earlier: https://metalinjection.net/lists/bes...albums-of-2019


Vinyadan - that Paladin record is great, don't know the rest but will check it !

[Narmoth]

Pristine -- Road Back to Ruin (hard rock).

I have the impression that Pristine has gotten softer on this album than on the previous ones. less blues rock and more poprock?

[Comrade]

Here's my list thought I posted earlier: https://metalinjection.net/lists/bes...albums-of-2019

How am I only now discovering that Obsequiae released a new record last year?

[JoshL]

So funny story I think the other musicians around here would appreciate.* I played this show on saturday; three local bands at a dive bar, nothing special but a lot of fun.* Because it's a low-pressure gig I try out something a little different.* I wrote a piece for Silber Records' Droneuary series (which is awesome and I'd highly recommend.* A new drone-based piece every day, last year went until March).* I figure I'll write some lyrics and try it out live.* Section A (about 5 minutes) is primarily synth drones and sparse drum machines, so I sing over backing tracks for that, then pick up my guitar and slowly build into a heavy drone (am I now Stoner Goth?* Doomwave?)* Not sure how one live guitar over the backing tracks will work for that, also about 5 minutes long, but we'll give it a shot.* The tricky bit is the transition, after the last beat, I need to give it a couple measures and then hold the rhythm so I'm not off when the next instrument comes in.

Part A goes fine, a little off vocally, but fine for a dive bar.* I pick up my guitar and get ready to count.* At which point a guy comes up with a fistfull of dollars.* I appreciate the gesture, but I'm trying to play and this is the part I need to concentrate on, so smile and nod and get back to focusing.* Then he starts throwing bills at me.* Then he starts tucking bills into my guitar strap, and trying to get them in the pouches on the side of my kilt.* I was a moment away from punching him when he walked away.* I mean, I know I'm in makeup and a kilt, but you're not at a strip club dude.* Anyway, I was unsurprisingly thrown off by that, but everyone there was also weirded out by that guy (and surprised that I didn't punch him) so I think I got away with a little sloppy playing.* Someone with an actual camera said they got my whole set, but I managed to grab most of the song with my crappy camera (forgot to wipe the card, so didn't get the whole set), the weirdness starts at 5:40
https://youtu.be/QMLZY-UMdB0

[Vinyadan]

@JoshL, weird man aside, I found the music very enjoyable.

[grimbold]

How am I only now discovering that Obsequiae released a new record last year?

Dude... its insane

What do y'all think of the new Elder song?

[Vinyadan]

Well, there's a new Nightwish single out, and the new album will be out on the 10th of this month.

I don't have much of an opinion on the single. However, I was surprised to hear an Auri (Holopainen's side-project) sound in the new Night Flight Orchestra album.

[Vinyadan]

Three doom metal albums I recommend:

• The Radiant Dark by The Drowning: UK death/doom
• Upon a Pale Horse by Below: SWE heavy/doom
• The Crowning of the Fire King by Sorcerer: SWE heavy/doom

[grimbold]

Three doom metal albums I recommend:

• The Radiant Dark by The Drowning: UK death/doom
• Upon a Pale Horse by Below: SWE heavy/doom
• The Crowning of the Fire King by Sorcerer: SWE heavy/doom

Below is still around? I dig that band a lot!
How is everyone holding up in quarantine?

Thoughts on the new Black Dahlia?

[Vinyadan]

Below is still around? I dig that band a lot!
How is everyone holding up in quarantine?

I have things to keep myself occupied with, but I think that it must be terrible for professional musicians, on both mind and wallet.

Thoughts on the new Black Dahlia?

The two released songs sound very lively and kickassy, although they aren't really my cup of tea.

EDIT: I forgot to recommend another doomish album: Mana by Idle Hands -- US gothic/hard'n'heavy.

[WhamBamSam]

I'm just realizing how long I've been lurking in this thread. I don't think I even posted year end lists here for the past few years.

Crowning of the Fire King and Mana are great albums. I didn't think Mana would stick with me as much as it did, but it's just so catchy. There's a new record from Sorcerer coming out the end of next month, which I'm looking forward to.

[Narmoth]

I'm just realizing how long I've been lurking in this thread. I don't think I even posted year end lists here for the past few years.

Welcome! It's never too late to go from lurking to active posting!