xUpTheIronsx

wow -  Cirith Ungol...brings back sooo many memories of looking at their album covers and geeking out on the fantasy vibe. Old school D&D nerd here as well.!! I remember buying Grim Reapers See You In Hell and CU's King Of The Dead on the same day.
They were pretty bad though. We always joked around about how "unpolished" they were. I could only listen to one or two songs and then had to go to something else for a while. 

Oh yeah...I agree. and i tink this is the main area where sub genres take hold
I also have always been in the camp that does not mind labels. it is natural for humans to categorize things. 
sooo many of my friends in bands hate "being labeled"...they think it is an insult. I feel the opposite. When someone says, "man you guys sound like the best of DRI and Pantera", I am flattered. I am proud to say that I play in a "Crossover/thrash/punk band" Also, in my experiences, I  feel that most of the people who "hate being labeled", are that way because they are not doing anything that is truly original, but can't deal with it. I get this from so many guys in bands who just sound like mainstream schlock....but they want to feel like they are groundbreaking

I think it is harder for genres to appear now...and also it is (falsely) easier. I also think certain "new" genres are just repeats of old genres that the new bands are not aware of having been around.
For me, a genre is like the large "Catch-all" category. then there are variations. And sometimes I think we go overboard with the variations...like "technical gore-grind black death metal core"....really? We don't need to get that detailed I think. Like to me, there is really no huge diffeence between Cephalic Carnage, Dillinger Escape Plan and Meshuggah. There are differences for sure, but not enough to have each warrant it's own genre description. Maybe it is me just not wanting to detail it that much...
in my world, these are the main metal genres:
1st wave (Sabbath; Budgie; Deep Purple etc...); NWOBHM; prog-metal; power metal; death metal; black metal; thrash metal; hair metal; doom metal; stoner metal; crap metal (Nu-Metal or Rap metal); soccer mom metal (stuff like you see at Rock on the Range)
I use mostly musical elements to differentiate them like tempo, harmonic style; phrase arrangement; vocal cadence, as well as sound texture, specific guitar/bass  sounds; use of non guitar effects etc. 
I generally don't classify genre by lyrical content

To me, music in general is a spiritual, mental, metaphysical, purely physical, scientific, emotional journey. So much so that I became a professional musician to learn more about it and delve deeper into it. Music is my main religion for sure
Music definitely moves me in a spiritual sense. Metal music specifically (and punk as well) has taught me much about spirituality, especially views on religion, that has defined my current spiritual state. 
My dad was pagan growing up, and my mom was Lutheran. I always identified with the naturalist.animist side that my dad had,so I ended up leaning more towards that growing up. We are Swedish in heritage, so I also identified with the Norse mythos. As a young'n, I also found a lot of reference to that in the music I loved, so it was a natural fit. I also got into and studied Western Hermetic Magik, as well as Kabbahlism and other esoteric studies - a lot from the imagery and lyrics of heavy metal, and that has shaped my spiritualism as well. Through these studies, I also found Eastern religious viewpoints as well.

48...I am old...BUT...
- I got to see Ozzy with Randy Rhoads
- got to see Metallica with Cliff
- was around when NWOBHM was actually new (my 3rd concert ever was Judas Priest and Iron Maiden on the Screaming For Vengeance/Number of The Beast tour)..so  I also got to see Maiden with Clive Burr...forgot about that
will always be a metal head. Saw sooooo many of my friends "grow up" and grow out of metal, usually to get into other absolutely LAME generes of music...I call it "falseing" out. 

nice to see lots of Fates Warning!!! And I am definitely liking the Revel Chorus!!! Will be adding to my library.
At the annual reunion with the guys in my first band ever (from back in high school) this weekend:
Queensryche - Rage For Order
Helloween - Keeper of the 7 Keys
Ratt - first EP
Accept - Metal Heart
Fates Warning - Specter Within
 - much of the stuff that directly influenced us!!!

Festive Yule to my pagan friends!!! 
Merry Christmas to all the Christians. Happy (late) Hanukkah to all the Jewish 'Bangers!!!; Festive Kwanza to our African moshers.
This is the time of year when we all look deep within our spiritual being and celebrate the birth of it's inception. For those of us in the North, a time to seek warmth and shelter, and to hibernate a bit...to step away from the bustle of life and take time to appreciate, and possibly retouch with core-family and friends...or others who make us feel safe, loved and happy
Hope everyone finds rebirth or new foundations of safety, love, warmth and security in this freaking chaotic world. 
Live in the light of Balder, the Wisdom of Odin, and the Levity of Loki this season! 

while driving around being a capitalist slave (Christmas shopping:
Devin Townshend Project - Transcendence
Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
workout music this week has been Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light

classic, classic list man!!! 

while driving around being a capitalist slave (Christmas shopping:
Devin Townshend Project - Transcendence
Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
workout music this week has been Fates Warning - Darkness in a Different Light

Mayhem, Bathory, Darkthrone, Emperor, Motörhead 
 

Hate Eternal - King of all Kings

damn Natassja...good string of listening choices!!!

GBH - From Here To Reality

Venom - At War With Satan

Kyuss - Sky Valley
Pantera - Fay Beyond Driven

weekend listening was : (to and back from a gig)
Possessed  - 7 Churches
Belphegor - Necrodaemon Terrorsathan
 

In more celebration of the winter cold and  snow:
Kampfar - Mellom Skogkledde Aaser
Thyrfing - Valdr Galga
Mythotin - In The Sign of the Ravens

In more celebration of the winter cold and  snow:
Kampfar - Mellom Skogkledde Aaser
Thyrfing - Valdr Galga
Mythotin - In The Sign of the Ravens

Hells yeah!!! I still have the original mix tape from 1983 that my friends brother gave me with this GBH album, and Discharge on it...it still actually works

In more celebration of the winter cold and  snow:
Kampfar - Mellom Skogkledde Aaser
Thyrfing - Valdr Galga
Mythotin - In The Sign of the Ravens

Hells yeah!!! I still have the original mix tape from 1983 that my friends brother gave me with this GBH album, and Discharge on it...it still actually works

we got our first taste of "real winter" here today, so as I always do on that day, i listened to Immortal: At The Heart Of Winter

yep!!!

48...I am old...BUT...
- I got to see Ozzy with Randy Rhoads
- got to see Metallica with Cliff
- was around when NWOBHM was actually new (my 3rd concert ever was Judas Priest and Iron Maiden on the Screaming For Vengeance/Number of The Beast tour)..so  I also got to see Maiden with Clive Burr...forgot about that
will always be a metal head. Saw sooooo many of my friends "grow up" and grow out of metal, usually to get into other absolutely LAME generes of music...I call it "falseing" out.