Balor

Happy new year!

Youthanasia is probably my favorite Megadeth release for the same reasons that you mention, The atmosphere and emotion of the songs actually worked well with Mustaine's voice on the whole thing.

These are probably Metallica's best songs too. It would be really cool if there were some doom metal covers of them, but I have not come across any.

Merry Christmas everyone! Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

The other point of comparison between Metallica and Megadeth that deserves discussion is their slow songs. Both have done some that are really great (Metallica: "Nothing Else Matters," "Fade to Black"; Megadeth: "À tout le monde," "Poisonous Shadows"). Overall, I would rank Metallica's tracks higher. They have better guitar work, evoke a stronger atmosphere, and convey stronger emotion. Thoughts?

I had no idea that Mayhem performed that track live. I will have to see if there is a video of it online. From what it sounds like, that is exactly what Varg intends to do. Also, I thought that all of Varg's recent albums were meant to be background music. I wouldn't say that they do not warrant any spins. Some tracks on his most recent album were actually really good.

Thanks, I was not aware of this. I will look forward to its release!

Varg has a new album coming out? Where did you hear that?

How do you feel about more dark ambient/dungeon synth intros? Natural sounds can really help to set the tone for an album or track, but only if used in the right way. Samples can easily make a track seem cheap As I think about it, another good intro is on "Dunkelheit" by Burzum. The tone in the first few seconds of the song evoke the trumpet on the album cover.

Welcome. What bands do you enjoy the most?

But the techno/electronic intro was pure genius! It gave a totally unexpected atmosphere to the ep, making it extremely unique. To me, it was one of the highlights of Deathcrush. Another intro that I really like is the acoustic guitar track at the beginning of Drudkh's Autumn Aurora. Mixed with recordings of nature, the repeated, folky/ambient riff captures the essence of the end of summer, and perfectly introduces the season of Autumn (which the album paints a picture of). And the return to the same riff in the final track of the album provides a nice frame for the album as a whole.

I like Mustaine's vocals, but only to a certain point. The "whiny" tinge that @Requiem points out can just become too much at some points. I also would not call Hetfield's vocals bland or generic. In fact, I have yet to find another voice that sounds like his. He is a balanced singer, and can pull off both fast and slow songs better than any of the other major thrash vocalists. To me, he is able to adapt and excel in a variety of musical circumstances, whereas others only sound great within the narrow confines of their typical brand of thrash.

Really? I always though Hetfield's vocals were one of the highlights of Metallica.

Daemon - Mayhem I like this so far. Potentially Attila's best performance with Mayhem thus far.

I managed to write some new guitar riffs today. It has been the first time in a while, as I have been really busy with other things. It feels great to have a little bit of free time again.

The chanted vocals sound really interesting, and your description makes it seem reminiscent of 777 - Cosmosophy. I will make sure to listen to the Mayhem album soon! You seriously didn't like that Blut Aus Nord album? I agree that it probably was not his best, but it did have a pretty cool atmosphere and some interesting riffs.

They also did an ep (I think) this year, but it was not as good as the two I listed. Honestly, this year, I tried to listen to so many things (both old and new) that I never spent any real time with the biggest metal releases. The new Blut Aus Nord has been on my list of stuff to listen to for a while, and I still have not listened to anything beyond the promo track for the new Mayhem album. Luckily, I have some free time coming up, so I should be able to fix this problem. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, I, as usual, failed to listen to any large number of new releases this year. However, there were a few albums that came out that I thought were noteworthy, and very enjoyable. I will add more if I think of any. Here is my list (though it does not reach the desired "top ten"): 1: Reek of the Unzen Gas Fumes - Reek of the Unzen Gas Fumes This band quickly became one of my favorites, so I was extremely excited when I found out that they would be releasing a full length album for the first time. While this ended up being more of a best-of compilation than a full length, I still greatly enjoyed it. It contains some of their best material, and was produced in a beautiful format (nice art design, and a great booklet with lyrics). 2: Racial Superiority - Zyklon SS I don't really understand where the title of this album came from, as the content seems to be more religious than racial (the band is not a ns project). Despite this confusion, the music is awesome. It is dark, atmospheric, and oppressive heavy industrial/power electronics music by one of the best active projects. it has a great use of samples, well-placed vocals, and great cover art. 3: "YSY" - Reek of the Unzen Gas Fumes Yes, another of their releases. This was an interesting single-track ep. While short, I thought it was evocative. The music perfectly matched the underlying concept of kamikaze pilots. Honestly, it is the first case of atmospheric grindcore that I have ever encountered, and for that reason, it is remarkable.

Metallica - Metallica

Strings always seem to break at the worst possible time... on a Floyd no less (replacing the strings on mine was a terrible experience),

Today is a sad day, as I just learned that the man behind the noise/power electronics project Mania has just passed away due to cancer. He was one of the best, and will be missed.

Given the stakes, that sounds horrifying. However, there seems to be a way in which it is also hilarious - perhaps even absurd. Wasn't this what Dr Strangelove was about? Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Do you work in government? Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

I am from Southern California also, and live about 10 miles or so from the coast. It is nice weather here, though I would prefer it to be a little colder!