Balor

Wasn't the Big Four the name of a tour that Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax all took part in? Perhaps @EmeraldDark is trying to say that they were given the name because of their participation on the tour rather than for being at the forefront of the genre (in other words, being the four biggest thrash bands).

It is weird that they would play so poorly with Hanneman. I always hear about how they became bad after he died (they certainly went downhill), but were good while he was still playing with them. Slayer is a band better suited for the studio I guess.

You must admit, though, that the patch looks pretty cool. However, I do not have it either.

Was this the guy that Noisy did a video about a few weeks ago?

They were really that bad?

I have never seen them live either. I almost bought tickets to see them on their final tour, but the high price stopped me from following through. In time, I will likely regret it.

Welcome!

Honestly, I need to listen to more of the early stuff. I never thought that his growls sounded forced though.

However, from what I have heard of their early material, I think that Nergal's voice suites the black/death style more. Definitely some good riffs on their early material though.

"Long Lost Relics of Power" - Oldenhelm "Advaitic Songs" - Om

5/10 Really great guitar tone. I like how deep and heavy it sounds. The riffs and solo are also solidly executed. However, I dislike the vocalist. His voice seems too detached from the rest of the song. Whereas the guitar is dark and heavy, his vocals sound too bright (almost excited/happy) and a bit high for the song.

"Why Dost Thou Hide Thyself in Clouds" - Sunn O)))

fire

Thanks for the recommendation! "In Solitary Ruin" - Evoken "Lay Your Woes Upon the Ground and Know that the End Will Soon Swallow You" - Cavernlight "Constructing a Spire to Pierce and Poison the Infinite" - Cavernlight "Wander, Part II" - Cavernlight After listening to a few tracks, I must say that this band is awesome. Great drones and atmosphere. Thanks @FatherAlabaster!

5/10 I did not particularly like the guitar. The main riff was a bit uninteresting to me, though I did enjoy the acoustic portions and the solo. For me, however, the vocalist was the star of the song. His clean vocals sounded as good as one could hope to find in metal music, and they fit the folkish vibe of the music perfectly.

"Dueil Angoisseus" - Peste Noire "State of Non-Return" - Om "Meditation is the Practice of Death" - Om "Addis" - Om There were some cool riffs on that one, though the sound seemed a little echoy and strange. I will definitely have to explore some of the darker parts of Doom Metal. Any recommendations for specific albums to start with?

Thanks for the recommendation! That song was cool, I will have to check out more of their work.

I think that I still believe in spirits and so forth (at least I want to believe). I used to be into this stuff a lot as a kid. Now, however, I am trying to be as critical of it as I possibly can. I want truth, not confirmation bias.

"Kansojen Hävittäjä" - Goatmoon "Vääräoppisen Tuhovärssy" - Goatmoon

7/10 I really do not care for the sound of the vocalist's voice. I think that it sounds a little to high for my taste. The second singer at the end was a nice touch though. The guitar work is pretty good, especially the acoustic interludes (which provide an interesting counterpoint to the strummed riffs). The riffs themselves seem a bit typical, but they are competently rendered. The tone of the guitars and drums are pretty good as well - deep-sounding and solid. I like also that the bass adds to the melody in the portions where the guitars take a more backseat role. Overall, I think that it was a pretty decent song.

Metal!

Welcome! Metallica got me into metal as well.

"Oration of Ruin" - Xasthur "Black Necrotic Paleness" - Xasthur "A Curse for the Lifeless" - Xasthur "The Eerie Bliss of Torture (and Solitude)" - Xasthur "Walker of Dissonant Worlds" - Xasthur "Pesta Kommer" - Erebos

I actually liked it quite a bit. It was drawn out, atmospheric, and almost droning. It reminded me a bit of Paysage d'Hiver. I don't usually listen to doom metal (there is no real reason - I just tend not to), but from the songs that I have come across, I really need to look into it more.

I realized that it was the wrong title to share. I had just copy and pasted it from the bandcamp page. I had actually just been listening to one of the songs on a bandcamp article that had linked to Evoken, so listing the album title was a mistake on my part.