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I, on the other hand, enjoy not massed-produced beer

Stout weather is indeed upon us once again. Not that any weather is not stout weather, it's just no longer pilsner weather.

Katatonia - Brave Murder Day

This was originally posted in another thread on this forum, but I thought it was a travesty that the inventors of gothic metal did not have their own thread. Hopefully some PL fans can come here and talk about what they like and don't like about one of the greatest bands in the world. Here's my list of their studio albums from least favourite to best favourite, as well as a brief outline of my thoughts. Please feel free to contribute etc. 15. Believe in Nothing (2001) This album is terrible. Flat, thin, rock that is presumably a response to the lack of mainstream success 'Host' was supposed to have but never did. From the bees on the cover to the emotionless musical pap throughout, this is what a great band sounds like when they no longer care. The first song is pretty good though. Bees on the album cover. 14. Symbol of Life (2002) This is ok, and the band is clearly trying to get a bit of weight back into their sound after the previous two albums, although they still sound a bit lost in the woods. The first two tracks are cool enough but there's not a lot bringing me back to repeated listenings, except for maybe 'No Celebration' which is a great New Years Eve song. Futuristic looking album artwork which is pretty cool, but not very Paradise Lost. 13. Host (1999) The electronic album. Everyone hated this at the time - I certainly did - but I have to say it's grown on me and I can appreciate it a lot more now. The songs are structured like regular PL tracks but all the beeps and squeaks (and haircuts!) are a bridge too far. I'll put this on sometimes and tell myself it's ok. Album cover matches the music, and it's pretty cool. 12. Medusa (2017) This is still fresh from the factory, but I have to say that I'm a bit empty after listening to this. The sludgy guitar tone is very sludgy, the riffs feel a bit bland and I don't get much of a chill or thrill from any of it. It feels more like a grindy sort of Cathedral album along the lines of 'The Last Spire'. Some of this is cool though, like the title track and the opening and closing songs. Overall though, it's not hitting me like these albums usually do. Maybe it will grow in time? The deliberately retro album cover is also a bit underwhelming. EDIT: This album has grown worse, not better, with time. 11. One Second (1997) This is the album that is personally responsible for the wimping out of Amorphis, Moonspell, My Dying Bride, Theatre of Tragedy and any number of bands who now wanted electronic elements in their sounds and to make 'rock' songs. 'One Second' is a cool album for sure and a huge shift for the gothic metal genre. When this came out after DT my friends and I were into it, but it was something of a disappointment. Mercifully, most of the bands listed here have returned to making quality metal again so all is forgiven. It just goes to show how influential Paradise Lost are. They started the genre then changed it and everyone followed them. Don't believe me, check out the dates of these bands' experimental phases. I'm sure you could probably name more bands who also went down this path at the time. The album cover is a (pretty) good idea but I hate that sickly grey colour. 10. Lost Paradise (1990) The death metal album that started it all. Not sure how much I truly love this or if it's simply because it's a PL album, but there's a lot of feeling for this admittedly rough collection of 'songs'. Nick is death growling, the band are youthful and enthusiastic for death metal but still with hints of what would come. Absolutely wacky album cover of a robot-alien shooting a laser into the sky (I think). Those were the days. 9. Tragic Idol (2012) This is a very good album but sounds quite similar to the two albums released prior to it, and although there are obvious differences I thought at the time, and still do, that they needed to change it up a little. It's good but doesn't really have much in the way of classics as far as songs are concerned. Beautiful box set artwork. 8. The Plague Within (2015) A very good album so late in their career. All the band's trademarks are here with possibly my favourite track of theirs 'Beneath Broken Earth' which gives me chills every time I hear it. There's a sense of darkness and rawness here. Great use of minor orchestration to give the rough songs texture. I have cooled on this a little bit since it first came out, but I still really like it. Amazing album cover. 7. In Requiem (2007) The return to metal! When this came out I was blown away and so overjoyed that they were playing this style again. The songwriting is top notch too - definitely metal but with the rock structures that they had been entrenched in for so many years. Excellent production. They're totally inspired and you can tell. Album cover is great and I've got the shirt somewhere. 6. Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us (2009) Title track is a genre masterpiece and the rest of the songs are emotive and atmospheric. 'Last Regret' is also so emotional and wonderful. This is the best of their recent return to heaviness, and mirrors 'In Requiem' as far as production and overall approach is concerned. It's almost 'In Requiem' part 2. The cover art is pretty cool in a medieval way, but it's not evocative and I actually had to look it up just now as I couldn't remember it. 5. Paradise Lost, otherwise known as X (2005) A beautifully polished album that sits between their heavier material and the more melodic. An amazing production and just great songs. If I'm feeling in between, then this is perfect. Nick sounds smooth and sophisticated, Gregor's guitars sound stunning. This might be a bit 'modern' for the denim and leather set, but the bourgeoisie love it. If they released this instead of 'Host' they would be millionaires by now. Great cover artwork but doesn't feel like it relates to anything apart from looking good (like my wife). 4. Shades of God (1992) Really an in-between album but a full blown classic nonetheless. The songwriting here is brilliant and of course 'As I Die' could well be their greatest song. Production is a touch underdone but that is part of its charm. The wonderful artwork is done by none other than Dave McKean. 3. Gothic (1991) The album that created a genre. For 1991 no one was doing this, with a touch of female vocals and a truly gothic atmosphere through a bit of synth. It sounds a little rough by today's standards but the songs are brilliant and there's something really special about the moment in time when this was created. O brave new world that has such albums in it. Simple yet classic album artwork. 2. Icon (1993) A little more robust in sound than DT, this is the first truly polished gothic metal album from the band. A little more metal. They've finally nailed it after shifting (creating!) genres. For 1993 this is so far ahead of its time. 'Embers Fire' is another song for the ages and should be played at everyone's funerals. Excellent artwork and huge fold out inlay. 1. Draconian Times (1995) The gothic metal masterpiece. Perfect production (the drums) and a beautiful vibe throughout. Songs like 'Enchantment' and 'The Last Time' will remain anthems until the end of time. I got this when I was 15 the year it came out, so it's really shaped me. This is what happens when an inspired band touches something really special in the studio and create a sound that could never really be repeated. I get chills every time I hear those opening piano notes... Best album cover of their careers, too.

Why not both!?

Gave a few a shot today. Kampfar - Til Klovers Takt - yup. Definitely a purchase. Dream Unending - Song of Salvation - I dunno. I dig most of it, but not an instant purchase. Now it's on to some classics: Def Leppard - first 2 Mercyful Fate - first 2 Paradise Lost - Icon Sumerlands - Sumerlands

I'm enjoying an Oyster City Red Right Return Amber ale at the moment. Seasonal release of a great beer you can usually only get in a growler at the brewery, but a nice stout or tasty bourbon is on the way as soon as these ribeyes get done.

CRUZ - Confines de la cordura Since Whitenoise was talking it, thought I'd give it a go

Voivod - Synchro Anarachy

RAWHIDE - Murder One PLASMATICS - Masterplan

I would have thought no Australian, (or any one with an IQ over 3) would believe a $2500 coffee machine was required for the home, but several of our 'leading' boxed retail stores seem to think differently.

I only eat white bread too but it rarely influences what alcohol I drink.

I like Jefferson quite a bit-expensive, and a splurge. Since I'm a white bread suburban metal boujee, I will spend more than $35-40 on a bottle but still consider myself cautious with dropping big coin. $70ish for me is sort of a cut off and I drink a lot of the more economical bourbons with Old Fashions or for an evening pour during the week here and there. I'm less of a connoisseur, still relatively new to whiskies all things considered (a COVID gentrification nasty habit) and honestly get confused between all the options of single/double barrel, various finishes, small batch, and all the rest. I couldn't explain the difference in taste profiles generically between small batch and and single barrel for instance. All that stuff's kind of smoke and mirrors to me. I mean, I know what they are in terms of definition, but don't have a great handle on how they relate to taste. Jefferson's marquee aged at sea is a nice wallet crunching splurge but really good from memory-smooth with complexity. Their basic Jefferson reserve is much more affordable and I've enjoyed many pours but clearly not as high end a pour. A little harsher I guess, but fine neat. Still a weekend pour, though and something I look forward to-just not as refined perhaps. This rye finished in cognac casks has more bite than the last one I had from what I recall. This one is a also store pick. I'd call it fairly complex, the sweetness matches the spice of the rye which is quite potent at 94 proof-not like one of those sweeter desert sipping whiskey options-the heat comes on strong and has a long finish. I like a little sweetness-this one hits a good spot for me in that there is some honey but I don't feel like I'm drinking a desert. It's quite spicy and has kick-wouldn't be my first choice for a newbie. I feel the same way with a lot of the holiday pumpkin, coffee, milk, chocolate stouts, etc.-I feel like I'm drinking a cappuccino or something and that's not how I enjoy beer, really. Plus, my go to coffee drinks are either a strong black French roast coffee shop dark coffee no sugar or cream or an Americano with just a wee bit of hazelnut or occasionally a flat white....I have a sweet tooth but not a big fan of sweet drinks. I think this Jefferson rye finished in cognac barrels, overpriced perhaps, finds a good mix of sweetness married with spice and heat as compared to some bourbons I've tried like some of the Old Forrester picks I've tried which are sometimes too sweet without enough punch. It's funny, though how much variety their can be between individual bottles of the same whiskey especially from different years even if aged the same number of years or in different batch numbers or whatnot....like, I bought Old Forrester's 1897 Bottled in Bond which was a bit too sweet last time I picked it up, but good enough to try another bottle and this one fared much better-like the Jefferson, it also had a pretty good ratio of sweetness and heat-100 proof so I guess that helps give it some bite. Same with their 1920-big fan of that one.

Don't blame me man, the Devil made me do it! You'll have to take that up with Satan himself. Lemme know if you need me to make an appointment for ya. I like my stoner punked up a bit. 2 Headed Dogs - The Engine is On, went through a phase with this one when it was new last year, played the shit out of it.

Lifelong coffee drinker-black and strong like my.....never mind.

Oh you just had go and kill my buzz didn't you? Damn!

AI - I like it and may buy it BC etc - never heard of them Drudkh = do yourself a favour and listen

Belenos - Errances Oniriques

Hot coffee is the juice of life.

WARHAWK - Live In Studio Berserk

I've been in love with coffee since I was a teenager, but strangely no one in my inner circle has ever been a big coffee drinker. I think my daughter has gotta be the only one I can think of who shares my love of coffee. Growing up my dad would sometimes have a small cup in the morning before mom drove him to the train station but he'd drink instant because mom couldn't be bothered to brew coffee at 6:30am, even though she did get up to make us all a full breakfast every single day 365 days a year rain or shine. I guess she really took that breakfast is the most important meal of the day shit seriously. But now as an adult I don't even eat breakfast, unless I have it for dinner, and I've developed a very strong coffee habit. I could get one of those come and take it flags rednecks like to display defiantly in their windows and just put a picture of a coffeepot on there instead of the rifle.

Never really developed a taste for coffee when I was younger, so I never got into the habit of drinking it. These days, some of the beers I drink have made the taste more palatable, but it's still not something I'll seek out unless it's offered. Funny enough, though, my dad practically lived off of the stuff for 60+ years, so I do have a number of fond memories associated with the smell of brewing coffee. My wife was like that too, but honestly it made her so hyper I nearly buried her in the crawlspace under the house. Fortunately she's managed to ween herself off of it

I do enjoy a cup of coffee now and then, but I can also take it or leave it. My wife on the other hand would have to be institutionalized if she had to give up coffee.

There are so many good bands in metal that it's hard to make a list. It all depends on your preferences in Metal, 707. In the main references of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal : AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, DIO, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Saxon, Scorpions, ... If you want names of Thrash, Death, Black, Doom bands, we'll give you tons and tons 😁

Decent shit that is a bit hard to come by where I am. My wife's favorite for old fashioneds. She doesn't know it, but I fill the bottle up with Jim Beam most of the time. My personal favorite from that distillery is Eagle Rare. Not sure if you guys get that in Aussieland, but if you see it definitely grab a bottle or 3. Tonight, my 4th or 5th Oyster City Hooter Brown. Lost count after a few Jameson/Ginger ales during today's golfing activities. Whoa! I gotta find that.

Theatre of Tragedy had a huge impact on me in my late teens and is probably the archetypal band that sums up gothic metal for me. Their use of beauty and the beast vocals just blew me away back in the 1990s, and to this day their first three albums are some of my favourites of all time. It hasn't all been roses and Shakespeare, though. Let's take a look at their output: Requiem's Ranking of Theatre of Tragedy Albums from Poor to Great 7. Assembly (2002) This band, in my opinion, has more mediocre and poor albums than they do good, and here's as good a place to start as any. Their second album in the 'modern' style, with more beeps and squeaks than R2D2, songs about boardrooms and cities (probably), lyrics about god know's what but they certainly aren't poetic. Opening track 'Automatic Lover' will put you off any further exploration of the 'songs' here. The final album with Liv Kristine, and it's a credit to her that she held on long enough to record this tripe. Terrible post-modern future world cover 'art'. 6. Forever is the World (2009) Liv's replacement Nell Sigland is a good singer, but she just doesn't have the same vibe. Strange production on this, the band's final album. The songs are not terrible, and it has some elegance buried amongst the plastic mastering, but it's not particularly exciting and hard to listen to for any great length of time. Bland. Pretty cool and elegant album cover. 5. Storm (2006) The first song - the title track - is a great rock anthem, and is the only thing that really puts this album over 'Forever is the World'. Nell's first album. Bloody Raymond's vocals still come through this electronic vocaliser thing. What the hell was he thinking with it? Anyway, the song is great, the album is bland. Let's leave it at that. Nice faux leather album cover. 4. Musique (2000) I could write a whole thesis on the negative impact this album had on my friends and I when it was released, as a heap of gothic and doom bands went electronic, but I'll spare you. Once I got over the shock, the electronic ultra-modern songs are actually quite enjoyable, particularly the fantastic pop anthem 'Image' and the ode to train passengers everywhere in 'Commute'. Liv is great. Raymond sounds like a robot. Modern style album cover is ok and I don't hate it. But damn, this album ruined my life when it first came out. 3. Theatre of Tragedy (1995) The debut is a milestone in true Norwegian gothic metal. Genre jokes aside, this really set the template in many ways, with its renaissance feel, piano, beauty and the beast vocals and early modern English lyrics. Songs like 'A Hamlet for a Slothful Vassal' are archetypal. 'Sweet Art Though' is so damn amazing - listen to it and you feel like you're at a castle woeing a sexy damsel. Great album cover depicting two roses. 2. Velvet Darkness They Fear (1997) An all time classic, this is really the pinnacle of gothic metal in many ways. Stunning medieval/renaissance atmospheres, beautiful lyrics that are sometimes in the form of plays, other times poems, weaving an interplay between male and female protagonists like the bard himself. The music is melodic, organic and has some spine-tingling moments, like the harpsichord part in the middle of 'Fair and Guiling Copesmate Death'. For many, their last great album. Saucy semi-naked woman draped across purple silk makes for a fitting album cover. 1. Aegis (1998) Number 1. This is one of my all time favourite albums, and for many years I was going around telling people it was my second favourite from any genre. To this day it's mesmerising. The metal has been stripped back and Raymond speaks rather than growls, but the early modern lyrics remain, as do Liv Kristine's beautiful, lilting, Ophelia-like voice. The songs are repetitive, soft and often based around a verse/chorus structure, and just nails musical perfection for my personal taste, like in 'Cassandra' and 'Lorelei'. Great rose/fire album cover. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this pretty divisive band. Any opinions?

I decided to put a few links to recordings of Tristania's concerts from Vibeke here. There are not many recordings with good quality. Beautiful concert video Widow's Tour has definitely the best quality. There are only two songs on this recording from Hamburg, but the quality is also good On this recording from Mexico unfortunately the quality of sound and video is really low but there are songs from Beyond The Veil. Not only from Widow's Weeds. I almost forgot about these concerts! There is only sound on the following recordings. There is no video. Somehow the sound is a bit better than on the recording from a concert from Mexico.

I wanted to start a thread where people could post about a specific gothic metal album that they really love. It would be really good to hear from people about albums that mean a lot to them, and act as a bit of a recommendations thread as well. Basically it's an opportunity to talk about great albums in the genre. Posts wouldn't have to be long (like mine below...) but just a couple of lines to kickstart (my heart) a conversation. One of my favourite gothic metal albums is Tristania - Widow's Weeds Tristania is one of the most important gothic metal bands in the world, and 'Widow's Weed' is a brilliant example of the genre. It was their first album, released in 1998, and even though there were plenty of great examples of this style of music already out there (Theatre of Tragedy), Tristania really seemed to push the envelope. The choirs all over the album blew me away when I first heard it. Just like My Dying Bride's use of the violin was cool and original, Tristania's use of choirs on 'Widow's Weeds' really impressed me. Basically the more bombastic the better for me back then, and this album nailed it. From the iconic cover of a bleak stone manor house, these are Poe-esque tracks of love and loss without the later need for experimentation or innovation. Tracks like 'Evenfall', 'Angellore' and 'Midwintertears' are phenomenal. I'd be really interested to hear from anyone who followed Tristania closely after Morten Veland left the band, because for me, once he left after their next album 'Beyond the Veil' I really thought the band lost a really important part of their essence. Here he is a god, writing the lyrics, singing and writing a lot of the music. He went on to do Sirenia who are cool, but I don't think either Morten nor the rest of the band ever reached the heights of 'Widow's Weeds' and 'Beyond the Veil'. Anyway, I really hope others post something about albums they really like - even if it's just a couple of lines to get a discussion started. Pour yourself a glass of absinthe and kick back to a track from 'Widow's Weeds':

I think The Sins of Thy Beloved debut album Lake of Sorrow despite the fact that is little-known deserves on a name of classic gothic metal album. Dark, melancholy, sad atmosphere, great vocals, lyrics about death, betrayal, hate and unattainaboe love and nice length of compositions. They released two lp, one demo, one ep and one concert video. Unfortunately they split up in 2013.

Moonspell - Irrelgious Moonspell from Portugal are another great gothic metal band who are still going strong. Back in 1996 they released this amazing album, contributing to my favourite year of music releases. It's catchy, atmospheric and contains many of the gothic rock hallmarks that were in vogue at the time and would also turn out to be so influential over the next few years. The keyboards, the deep male vocals, the female guest vocals, the melodies - it's all here except done to a 10/10 quality. I was listening to this album and their follow-up 'Sin/Pecado' while living on campus at University back in 1998, walking around at night with my sunglasses on telling everyone that Moonspell made me do it. Good times. The sound is a product of Woodhouse Studios and this is another great Century Media release. They would go on after this to use more electronic elements (thanks again Paradise Lost... not) , culminating in 1999's 'The Butterfly Effect' with its strong, boring, industrial tinges, before returning to form with the almighty 'Memorial' album in 2006 (again just after Paradise Lost and Amorphis returned to / moved on to their heavier style). Highlights in 'Irreligious' for me include 'Awake', 'Ruin and Misery' and the mighty closer 'Full Moon Madness' which still closes most of their live shows today. But it's the great song 'Opium' that wins for me and is an outright gothic metal anthem. Many late 90s parties were rocking to 'Opium' let me tell you. Hail Lusitanian metal.

Saturnus - Martyre Saturnus from Denmark released their first album, the fantastic 'Paradise Belongs to You' in 1997, and this post could easily be about that beautiful album, but instead I'm going with 1999's 'Martyre'. Yes there's doom here, plenty of it, and a bit of death, but as we are an equal opportunity thread I'm going to include this as gothic metal, and I think anyone who hears the album is going to see why. This is a special album for so many reasons. It's the last with founder and main songwriter Kim Larsen (they'll never be the same again). The opening choral piece '7' is haunting and perfect. The production is crisp yet warm. The vocals - in three styles by the almighty Thomas AG Jensen who speaks, moans and growls - are second to none in the doom/gothic scene. The spoken word vocals are just incredible. Evocative of some romantic era poet speaking odes to lost loves by haunted European lakes. The sense of quiet solitude and loneliness that pervades the album is so tangible you can taste it. Tracks like 'A Poem (written in moonlight)', 'Lost my Way' and the upbeat 'Empty Handed' are doom/gothic classics for the ages. A line from 'Empty Handed', "She's the lie I live by" really encapsulates the aura of unrequited love and obsession that pervades the album. With an iconic cover by Paul Delaroche which is actually a painting currently in the Louvre, the visual element of the release is also close to perfect. Here are the two first tracks, '7' and 'Inflame Thy Heart'. Check out the piano outro on 'Inflame the Heart' that complements the entire song.

Deathstorm is on to something here. I hope you don't mind if I elaborate on your great call! Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses Released in 1993, this is another amazing album that pretty much came out of nowhere. Who would have thought that one of the greatest gothic metal albums of all time would come out of Brooklyn? Songs like 'Christian Woman' and 'Black Number 1' are classics, but so too are lesser discussed songs like 'Too Late: Frozen' and 'Summer Breeze'. They are melodic, elegant and long, with nothing rushed and nothing deliberately commercial. The original version of the album contained several less than serious tracks, but a later Roadrunner Records digipak edition was released (this time featuring the two girls on the cover kissing!) that had the joke 'songs' removed and the track order rearranged somewhat - and being the miserable old geezer that I am, it is the digipak version of the album that I find is the best representation of what is going on here. This may be anathema (pardon the pun) to some traditionalists, however. Long, gothic songs. Layers of keyboards. Peter Steele's inimitable deep and smooth vocals. Songs about sex and religion. If you like gothic metal check this album out. It's haunting, beautiful and erotic. Amazing fact: it actually went on to sell over a million copies! Here's 'Christian Woman':

I whould put type o negative's bloody kisses up there as a great gothic record it has spawn two their biggest hits on that record black no 1 and christain woman I'm sure alabaster whould agree on my choice

Usher? Ouch. My wife apparently has our little guy listening to Taylor Swift on Pandora now. But! As a gift to myself, I got him headphones for Christmas! For me, you can't have a discussion of Gothic metal without acknowledging Celtic Frost's "Into The Pandemonium". I can understand how this bizarre mashup of sounds might not click for everybody - a trip through oddly inflected rock, dark symphonic elements, industrial, and the boneheaded, angular riffing style they'd used to good effect on previous records. "To Mega Therion" does feature female vocals and symphonic instruments, but on "Into The Pandemonium", they're not just supporting characters; they're integral to the experience. Tracks like "Mesmerized", "Rex Irae", and "Tristesses De La Lune" set the stage for a decade's worth of further developments. It's twenty years since I first heard this album and nearly thirty years since it was released, and I still love it every time I put it on.

Paradise Lost - Icon To put this album into context you have to understand what was happening in 1993. The answer is, not much when it comes to doom and gothic metal. It's the same year as My Dying Bride's immortal 'Turn Loose the Swans' and Anathema's first album, the awesome yet rustic 'Serenades', and in many ways a momentous year. But when you think of what is to come in the mid to late 90s, no one had any idea how huge this would all be. My Dying Bride and Anathema released absolute classics, but they were (beautifully) naive albums, and in many ways they struck it lucky. Paradise Lost, however, already had two albums out when they produced one of the greatest gothic metal albums of all time, 'Icon'. They were the first to bring a more rock orientated style into their sound which would become standard in three or four years across the globe. Songs like 'Embers Fire' and 'True Belief' are gothic metal classics with a great sense of melody and 'song'. They really set the path that would take quite esoteric metal bands into a more mainstream rock zone. Artwork is amazing, with a huge fold-out inlay that features a very young looking band on one side and the lyrics on the other. The stone statue images and green/yellow colour tone looks great, and the eye is drawn to all parts of the 12 panel fold-out. If you've ever wondered where the European gothic metal style and sound came from, it came from this northern British band in 1993. Name one gothic/doom band who was doing this in 1993:

Cradle of Filth - Dusk and Her Embrace Firstly, this album by Cradle is about as black metal as my grandmother's church scones. I'm not trying to be a genre fascist but if anyone thinks Cradle of Filth is a black metal band they need to go and listen to some *insert actual black metal release here*. This album came out in 1996 when I was an impressionable 16 year old, and at that point my friends and I had only heard bits and pieces of Cradle's 'Vempire' EP which we loved, but this album blew us away. The high pitched screams were genuinely intriguing in 1996, and the keyboards and production in general were just next level. Yes, Dani Filth sometimes seems a little more Lars Ulrich than we might desire, and his band(s) has released some albums admittedly better than others. But 'Dusk and Her Embrace' is an incredible release. It's epic, beautiful, haunting and with some of the greatest gothic themed lyrics you will ever hear/read in a metal band (or any other). Coming out prior to the internet's proper germination, I know all the lyrics to this album - test me if we ever meet - after years of booklet reading. The artwork is also one of my favourite of all time and the booklet is a thing of true gothic beauty. The cover with the (haunted) house up on the hill and the river in the foreground pretty much nails the aesthetic I love so much. Think of them what you will, but back in 1996 Cradle of Filth pushed the envelope and amazed a huge portion of the metal community. Check out this lyrics version of 'A Gothic Romance':

I have a real soft spot for Dokken, for one thing, and I own several Tesla CD's, recently I've been listening to an L. A. Gunns CD I bought about a month ago, and love the song Crystal Eyes. I just did glam stuff period, especially T-Rex. I think it's fun, even if it's soft commercial stuff. "What ever happened to fun?"