ButterLettuss

There are actually some simillarities and if you enjoy the cleans you'd probably get a kick out of it. I think you play guitar right? If so, you will probably really get a kick out of them.

I've just recently discovered "Revocation" after listening to their last two albums "Great is our Sin" and "Deathless". The guitar work is otherworldly, with complex melody and a relentless attack. The only thing I'm still unsure of is the occasional clean vocal here and there. Not that his voice is bad (sounds like Matt Heafy but less monotone), I just think it's unnecessary. Does anyone here like them/dislike them? They're consider melodic death/thrash so I would love to get @RelentlessOblivion's opinion on that

ayyy shoutout to another canuck!

Originally i used the term big 4 to give people a general idea of what i was asking for. I really just wanted to know the most influential bands in a genre youre familiar with. You could argue while metallica didnt invent thrash, they were one of the pioneers and definitely helped to push the genre forward, while also selling a shit ton of albums. Its meant to be a discussion, so you tell me! What are the 4 most influential bands in the genre you like the most?

Couldn't agree with you more! Definitely the best vocals (no offence to Jeff). He did a guitar clinic at a local bar here last winter and we all got to chat/request some tunes. What an awesome dude. That bar has one of his guitars on display and he's a regular Glen Drover was there too which was also awesome.

Annihilator - For The Demented (thrash) came out today. I'm a big Annihilator fan, and they're from/currently reside in my hometown. If you're into thrash and haven't listened to them yet please do, you won't be disappointed. "Never, Neverland" is one of my all time favourite thrash albums.

24!

There certainly does seem to be a lot of high quality music coming out these days! Bahh to those who say we don't live in a golden age of music. I am in much the same boat... my wallet can only bleed so much!

That is an excellent description! I know a lot of people don't love their sound, and to be honest it took me a while to get in to them myself. I checked out both of those albums and love them both, especially Engram of Decline! How do you stay up to date with all of these releases? haha sounds good to me! For the sake of personal exploration, what's your current band of choice?

Both of these bands are excellent, you must be some kind of death metal savant. Dude, I totally see what you mean. It's both brutal and enticing at the same time. Also props to you for learning stuff from that album, it's a piece of art (both guitar and the drums... I'm in awe!).

100% agree. I'm also taking this time to re-listen to slaughter of the soul. I really enjoy that entire album.

Agreed! Also i must thank you (and FatherAllabaster apparently) for suggesting anata as theyre amazing, and for reminding me how much i love arch enemy

Release Date: October 6, 2017 Intro: This is the band's 8th studio release. Some questions have been raised about the replacement of previous lead guitarist Ryan Knight by Brandon Ellis. Additionally, some felt their sound was getting a little too far from there roots, becoming too slow and "easy" for it's own good. The band considers this album a spiritual successor to "Nocturnal", one of their most highly praised works, and a fan favourite. They solidify the link by using the same artist for the cover, and many of the songs seem like they pick up where Nocturnal left off. Does this album stand up? Highlights: Track 1: Widowmakrer. This track opens with an awesome riff and a great scream from Trevor to really set the tone of this short but brutal album. A good riff carries through the verse and the lyrics are an interesting change from the classical fantasy storylines usually heard on death metal albums. Definitely a good strat Track 3: Matriarch. This song is a riff bonanza. From start to finish this one beats the living shit out of you. Trevor's screams match the rhythm really well, and the chorus is particularly catchy. This song also has some of the more brutal lyrics on the album, which are awesome. In my opinion this is where you really start to see Ellis shine. In addition to playing leads, he wrote 4 of the songs on this album and proved he can keep up with the guys who've been in the band for almost 20 years. Track 5: Jars. This is probably the heaviest and least melodic song on the album. It's still a brutal assault with riffs changing all the time, making good use of blast beats on the drums and heavy rhythm guitars over wailing leads. Another song with excellent lyrical content, I really think this entire album has some of the more interesting lyrics of the last few records. Track 7: Catacomb Hectacomb. This song is probably the most melodic on the album, and flows really well. The trem picking riffs throughout keep the song moving, and the constant drums make the song feel frantic. They slow things down during the bridges to give a nice duality to the song. Around the 1:30 mark there is an epic breakdown, followed by a blistering solo. Honestly Brandon Ellis makes a case for being their best guitarist, period. Track 9: The Lonely Deceased. Most reminiscent of previous album, this tune has some of the darker, more depressing overtones on the album that match the title quite well. It's a somber close to the album filled with some great, pounding riffs. A little slower, but as the end track it suits well and closes the album nicely. Final Thoughts: This is probably my favourite TBDM album to date. It definitely picks up on the speed and intensity that some feel the last two albums may have been lacking. Ellis brings creative talent as well as technical ability that makes this a great listen. For fans who had written them off this would be an excellent time to give them another shot, and for new/potential fans I would highly recommend checking this out if you want a sense of what these guys are all about. Rating: 4.5/5.

I am glad you find these conversations as refreshing as I do Okay that is actually really funny. That's like saying SUVs don't exist, just trucks and cars. I appreciate that! I'm glad you enjoyed the show when you saw them, I find seeing any competent band live makes them a lot more appealing, even if they aren't your thing. My friends are sick of me talking to them about music 24/7, so discussion is what I am after!

To be fair, Miasma is one of their earliest records and their sound has expanded a lot since then. I know what you're saying with influences not dictating current sound, but they definitely dictate direction if nothing else. It's funny because I listened to both of these bands and honestly there are a lot of similarities between TBDM 09-current and both of these songs. I bet you won't agree but I can definitely sense a similarity and stand by their genre. Maybe they don't fit the exact mould for a melodic death metal band but you could say that about a lot of bands in their respective genres. From what I can tell they have a lot more in common with this than with deathcore. Haha fuck yeah. That's what I'm going to tell people when they ask if I can play the music I listen to.

I think my favourite thing about sludge might be the band names. I know what you mean though, transitions take forever and unless you're invested in the genre as a statement it can be a little much

Indeed it is. Thank you for having the discussion though! Conversations like these are why I'm here in the first place, and I hope you didn't take offence to anything I said.

That is fair, however they are themselves a self-proclaimed melodic death metal band, and are listed as such under multiple online sources. I mean their influences range from necrophaghist to At The Gates. I would say at this point it's a difference in the tastes of the listener rather than genres itself. I would argue increased polish makes for a clearer recording which for me is a welcome thing as I enjoy being able to pick up the nuances in instrumentation. However I know others who prefer absolutely zero production on their albums, and both have their place. I may be the outlier but I have enjoyed Killswitch Engage for over ten years. That being said I would never consider them anything close to death metal. They are metalcore through and through, as is bfmv. I agree with you though, subgenre confusion is a point of contention for me as I find people use genres they don't enjoy to dismiss music they don't personally like, not that you are doing that now... but we all know it does happen from time to time

I hope people don't think of it as record sales. I'm looking for what someone would consider the originators or major influences for their genre of choice.

OH right... Sludge. Well, someones got to like it right? It's not my thing at all but I don't want to dump on a genre that's already pretty niche haha. You're allowed to come down on bands I like if you would like haha! I hope it's cool if I jump to their defense I would be hard pressed to consider them anything other than melodeath though. Seeing as they're listed as that in encyclopedia metallum, and they describe themselves as melodic death metal. I've also never heard a deathcore band that had guitar solos, or one that didn't do breakdowns. Their influences are Carcass, Morbid Angel, Necrophagist, Malevolent Creation, and At The Gates. Out of curiosity, what did you listen to when you decided they were deathcore?

Can you define the genre scientifically? I mean metal encompasses basically any tempo, any time signature and any vocal style, just played loud. Well I mean you're entitled to your opinion, and that's what discussion is all about Can I ask why, in your opinion, do they suck? TBDM specifically, I am aware of metalcore being considered a suckfest haha

You could get some people arguing cannibal corpse could be in there, but it's hard to argue with Death being at the top The subjectivity is the best part!

Fair enough! I mean a lot of people have not especially if you're not in to melodeath Thanks! Looking forward to it

I mean for a melodic death metal band they are probably the biggest in North America. They definitely deserve the abbreviation Definitely not everyone's thing though haha I know my girlfriend sure as hell doesn't enjoy it one bit. To be honest, I don't see the Epica comparison at all...but I do see the Sadist conenction a bit. Also I've really been listening to their more recent stuff which has got a lot more musical depth. Their rhythm guitarist is doing some pretty awesome stuff and their lead players keep getting better and better. Everyone has their thing though and metal is amazing no matter the genre

Obviously we all know the Big 4 of thrash. Just curious what people think of as the equivalent bands of other styles of metal. As an example, here are my metalcore "Big 4" (in no particular order): 1. Killswitch Engage 2. Unearth 3. August Burns Red 4. All That Remains Love to hear what everybody thinks!