Requiem

Windir - 'Arntor' 

Hail Valfar, the true windir. 

Check out 'Arntor' too. 

Amazing album with the best intro ever with that accordian! 

Anorexia Nervosa - 'Redemption Process' 

Forefather - 'Steadfast'

Yes, this is awesome! 

5 hours ago, Natassja said:

Forefather - Ours is the Kingdom

Can I have it ?  

1. That's a great Forefather album. I went through a phase in the early 2000s and bought a few of their albums. I think this is my favourite. Actually, that was when I stopped following the band for some reason, and I see that the next album 'Steadfast' has a huge score on Metal Archives. I'm downloading it now on Apple Music. Let's see how it goes. 

2. Hmmmmmmm no. If you're ever in Australia, I'll show it to you though. 

18 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

I have the proof. Years ago, I had pre-ordered Alpha Noir/Omega White (the edition with the Moonspell pendant), and it arrived on the day of some sort of (rare?) lunar phenomenon. I wish I could remember what it was.

I haven't listened to that release in ages. Thanks for the reminder. 

21 minutes ago, Vampyrique said:

Most listened to bands lately:

1. Cadaveria

2. Symawrath

3. Opera IX

4. The Cure

5. Tiamat

 

I'd love to hear why these bands are floating your emotional boat right now. 

Care to elaborate, thou drinker of deepest rouge vin? (and all of the posters who think that just listing bands makes for interesting reading....). 

Batushka - Litourgiya

Seems legit that these two will stay together for several more albums....

29 minutes ago, Vampyrique said:

There's magic in Moonspell.

There's mystical musical maleficence in Moonspell's melodious mellifluousness. 

34 minutes ago, Vampyrique said:

Very cool release. I've just got the Reaper Records edition CD. I don't remember if it's completely legit or not.

3 minutes ago, Vampyrique said:

My list looks good at gothic glance, but just how accurate is it? Perhaps this weekend I shall re-visit all of the albums listed and those contending albums not listed. 

But I've always had a difficult time choosing a favourite album from bands like Tiamat or Paradise Lost. These questions daunt me, press me, and continue to haunt me, even after years of listening. Perhaps Clouds and Gothic? Just now, I remembered about Ancient's much maligned Mad Grandiose Bloodfiends; but I don't know if that would even make it.

 

Tiamat - 'Judas Christ'

Paradise Lost - 'Draconian Times'

Done. 

Morbid - 'December Moon'

1987 was an amazing year for early black metal. This, Mayhem's 'Deathcrush', Bathory's 'Under the Sign of the Black Mark' and Sarcofago's 'INRI' all came out during 87. So not just the best year for hair metal, but also for first wave black metal. 

I've got a beautifully presented re-release of this, apparently limited to 666 copies, but there is no information/logo regarding who put this together at all. Metal Archives says 'Independent'.

It contains the full demo with Per Ohlin (Dead) doing what he does best, plus all the songs again from a rehearsal tape and two songs that aren't on the official release. It's amazing music. A young Uffe Cederlund on guitar, who would go on to form Entombed. 

The packaging is beautiful, not just in design, but in physicality. There isn't a single mark or blemish on inlay or jewel case. I don't know, it's a beautiful thing. Lyrics and liner notes are present. 

There's a hidden track too, with (presumably) Dead saying "You're all dead" as well as some other things. Quite haunting. 

@FatherAlabaster, I'm trying to send you a personal message but it's telling me you can't receive them. Can you please enable messages so that I can get in touch? It's a matter of life or death!!1one

Also on my mind is that it's nearly the weekend, and I'm all alone in Castle R. Family returns for good on Sunday and we resume normal programming. Metal in the living room? Check. Bottomless alcohol? Czech. 

On 1/20/2020 at 5:40 PM, Vampyrique said:

 

Bands like Anathema, Evenfall, Paradise Lost, Tiamat, and Type O Negative will have to battle for the final spot.

 

Yeah, well plug one in. I'm not happy with only 9 in a top 10 list!

On 1/21/2020 at 6:14 PM, RelentlessOblivion said:

That's metal naming conventions for you. Almost as common as random unconnected words in Black Metal album titles like Enthrone Darkness Triumphant or Scarlet Evil Witching Black.

'Enthrone Darkness Triumphant' is a grammatical sentence with a pretty clear meaning behind it. Darkness is to be enthroned in triumph over its petty opposition. 

I was more demonstrating a linguistic quirk whereby compound words were predominating in power metal band names. 

But yeah, I get your meaning. 

Graveland - 'Impaler's Wolves' EP

This is one of Graveland's greatest releases due to the fact that it consists of two re-recorded songs from the high quality debut 'Carpathian Wolves', and created during the dawn of the almighty viking metal era for the band in 1999. 

The clearer and more epic production allows these two songs ('Impaler of Wallachia' and 'In the Northern Carpathians') to really become the anthems they've deserved to be. 

The inclusion of those church bell sounds in time with the music just destroys me too. Nothing could sound more 15th century Eastern European than that. 

On 1/21/2020 at 7:55 PM, Abronsius said:

My Dying Bride: A Doomed Lover

Sentenced: End of the Road

Couple of great calls there Abronsius. 

Manowar - 'Kings of Metal'

While 'The Crown and the Ring' is the greatest piece of music ever pressed to vinyl, the rest of this is a great album that really leans into what viking metal would one day come to be (at least in sentiment). 

1 hour ago, Abronsius said:

I'm waiting for the next Raymond E Feist book! Although he has gone off the boil a bit.......

I just googled and he's 74 years old! No wonder he's not as sharp as he used to be. Same deal with poor old Bernard Cornwell, who has completely lost the plot (literally!) now that he's in his 70s too. The once great Saxon novels are so terrible now, it's really sad. 

I used to love Feist as a teenager back in the 90s. 'Magician' through to 'Rage of a Demon King' was an amazing ride. 

Mayhem - 'Grand Declaration of War' (original version)

I started off by playing a couple of tracks from the remastered CD but again turned it off, only to be amazed once again by the quality of the original on a good stereo. 

I've analysed the hell out of the remastered version in the Mayhem forum, so I won't go over old ground here, but it just amazes me how good the original sounds in the first place. 

51 minutes ago, Vampyrique said:

After Judas Christ, I listened to Prey. Both are great albums that I hadn't given much attention to or fully appreciated. I give the edge to Judas Christ though. Next, I'll re-visit Amanethes. 

'Amanethes' is a brilliant album too, and probably my second favourite Tiamat album. 

Fun fact: I listened to the track 'Via Dolorosa' while actually walking along the Via Dolorosa in the old city in Jerusalem, patches of snow on the ground, practically deserted. One of the more incredible experiences of my life. 

On 1/20/2020 at 11:38 AM, Vampyrique said:

True. I've always thought My Dying Bride, given the nature of their music, might be a difficult band to sit through live, no matter what they play. Perhaps their first album would sound great in its entirety live due to its death metal energy. 

 

 

I’ve seen MDB live once and I can’t remember a single thing about it.

Also, I can’t say their ‘Voice of the Wretched’ (unpoetic title) CD gets much airtime on Radio Requiem. 

There’s an energy and atmosphere in Moonspell that just translates well live. 

9 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

Tiamat - Judas Christ

Love this album. This is my favourite Tiamat album. ‘Love’s as Good as Soma’... I like a bit of Huxley in my emotional music. 

NP: Tool playlist is on at the metal pub. Not a huge fan but sounds good on nice speakers.

On 1/20/2020 at 8:03 PM, basstorch said:

Pat O'brien has the sickest V guitar set ups for one, and Alex Webster is perfection to me with his bass playing. I love 18V pickups and speed ramps. The growl, groove, and speed. My favourite albums by Cannibal Corpse are in this order, Kill 2006... because of The Time To Kill Is Now and Make Them Suffer back to back, 1 and 2, just sets the whole album up perfectly. Then comes Gallery of Suicide... 1998... I Will Kill You and Gallery of Suicide are just phenomenal pieces of musical art. Followed by Butchered At Birth, I feel like that album is a complete masterpiece, from the artwork to being produced by Scott Burns...my favourite song off that album is Covered With Sores and is one of my top 3 Corpse songs. It is so fantastic, it still gives me goosebumbs after all these years. Tomb Of The Muitilated 1992....Entrails Ripped From a Virgin's Cunt and Hammer Smashed Face are the other two of my all time favourite Corpse songs. Follwing that and in this order, Eaten Back To Live 1990, The Bleeding 1994 (track number 3 please), Vile 1996, Bloodthirst 1999, Gore Obsessed 2002, The Wretched Spawn 2004, Evisceration Plaque 2009, Torture 2012, and finally, A Skeletal Domain 2014.

I know what you mean about the first two songs on 'Kill' - it's a great opening to the album. 

Nice overview of the albums. 

It was a Sunday worthy of mention. 

The dark god True Belief and I went to a suburban venue that was showing the Conor McGregor v Cowboy Cerrone UFC match.

We thought it could go either way really, and of course couldn't believe it when McGregor won in 40 seconds! Just amazing. 

Incredible!