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Franconia

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About Franconia

  • Birthday August 21

core_pfieldgroups_99

  • Biography
    I'm a young adult who likes a lot of music, but listens to mainly metal, hard rock, and prog rock. My favorite subgenres of metal are without a doubt heavy metal-the original style pioneered by Sabbath and a lot of NWOBHM type stuff-, thrash metal (both melodic and aggressive) and alternative metal (it's a broad term but I like stuff like Tool, NIN, Faith No More, etc.). I'm open to most recommendations but find a lot of modern day metal to be vastly overrated and subpar, but I'll give it a listen.
  • Location
    Massachusetts | Washington D.C. (College)
  • Interests
    Weightlifting, studying, I work as a camp counselor

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  1. Most of the metal I like came from the 80s and the 90s was okay for metal... 90s had a lot of alternative metal, some of which I like, some of which I hate, but overall a good decade. The main problem is though, that the good bands often hit commercial success with metal back then and although it was very good it helped inspire countless other bands to aim for commercial success when they were subpar bands. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, etc. all were very good bands with awesome music and they achieved commercial success (hitting the UK Top 100 and the Billboard and whatnot), and other mediocre musicians saw that and decided they could make easy money with their shitty hard rock/metal. So there is some good metal nowadays, don't get me wrong, but the commercial metal you often see in the charts and whatnot is generally pretty lame.
  2. No. It's just normal for every genre to have a good stretch and a bad stretch. Hip hop and electronic pop (not calling today's bullshit synthpop because I quite like 80s synthpop) are dominant genres but eventually they'll become less dominant and another genre will take over the charts. Metal was never intended to be a dominant genre and it was supposed to be a fairly underground genre and that's how it is today. I mean, there is some metal in the charts and when big bands like Maiden, Priest, or Metallica, especially, release something it charts well. But the older and more popular bands often make subpar material and won't be around too much longer, and the newer and popular metal bands like FFDP are often rubbish, so any good new metal is on the underground.
  3. Korn-Life Is Peachy I used to be a fan of the band and today can respect some of their albums and songs but even when i was younger I really found this album disturbing and atrocious. I don't think of many albums as absolutely atrocious but there is nothing redeeming about this pile of shit. Path of Totality used to be my shit but now it's pathetic. Equally as bad as LiP.
  4. This may be a metal forum but I'm willing to bet that a good chunk of this community likes The Beatles, some as much as I do (i fucking love this band). For those who like The Beatles, argue which one is their greatest album. I choose Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, even though I like Revolver and Rubber Soul more. By 1967, there was nothing in the mainstream that was nearly as ambitious, experimental and determined as SPLHCB. It's a completely flawless album-each song is amazing, the transitions and production by Martin is outstanding (just listen to A Day in the Life), and it showed the band at a tripped-out creative peak that very few artists could match, especially back then. I could argue for Revolver but it's more of a collection of songs and not really a concept album, but it's still probably my favorite album of all time. No song is weak and each one is a true 5-star track that I love listening to and shows an immense level of creativity and a second-to-none ability to write songs. Which album from this legendary band do you consider their best and why?
  5. this isn't metal but still an amazing song nonetheless. Moody Blues-Nights in White Satin This was my parent's wedding song and it's one of my favorites... it's so beautiful and perfect. Youtube link is above.
  6. I'm a fan of straightforward heavy metal, as you've probably seen, but I can't help but think that Side B of Heaven and Hell is just lackluster, average heavy metal with no defining characteristics and nothing to hone on. Which sucks, because I really enjoy Side A of it. But I've been relistening to a lot of "classics" recently and decided that a good portion of these "classics" or "essentials" are mediocre and overrated. Agree to disagree, and I can definitely understand why it's a popular album. I still admire Dio greatly.
  7. Who would expect that in 2018, Nine Inch Nails would release a hit album that not only ranks as one of the best in their entire discography, but one of the best albums of the year? Certainly not me, as I have disregarded most of their work after Year Zero simply because it wasn't particularly innovating or exciting. So this is a surprisingly great album.It's also a bit of an odd one at first glance. This is barely over 30 minutes and it's still a full-length album. For Nine Inch Nails, who have made very, very long albums (see The Fragile or Ghosts I-IV), a 30-minute release that's not an EP is quite shocking. I think the album would benefit from one or two more songs but what we're given with is still great."Shit Mirror" opens up the album, sounding like a vintage NIN song-it's abrasive, loud, with a good beat and the usual soft-loud dynamics. It's straightforward industrial rock sounding like a more refined song off of With Teeth. That abrupt dynamic shift from distorted guitars to complete silence, at around 1:55, is pretty cool and it opens up to a good closer. The transition into "Ahead of Ourselves" is really well orchestrated, and it's another great track. This song has a great beat that's memorable and well composed, and Trent Reznor utilizes these soft/loud dynamics frequently. I mean, especially in the chorus, with "Obsolete, insignificant" in an abrasive manner, right back to the soft beat, then jumping right back to "Antiquated, irrelevant" and so-on. It's a good song that's similar to "Shit Mirror", an abrasive vintage NIN song. "Play the Goddamned Part" is the first of two instrumental songs on this album and it's pretty good, utilizing ambient noises mixed with jazz elements-the saxophone and horn-to create an interesting contrast, between a more abrasive industrial production with one of the most comforting and relaxing musical genres. It creates a false sense of comfort while simultaneously creating a sense of inevitable dread and gloom coming and gives off a very urban/metropolitian vibe to it. It sounds like it would be a track that would play during a video game when the main character has to run through a subway station or the city streets at night. That's the image I get in my head. Nonetheless, it's a very good instrumental, and it showcases Reznor's second-to-none ability to compose some of the oddest yet greatest ambient instrumentals."God Break Down the Door" follows, immediately starting with fast drumming, a good techno beat, a saxophone, contrasted with more soothing, slow, and carefree vocals to create an interesting atmosphere. This song definitely has influences in the later work of David Bowie, most notably the superstar's final work, ★ [Blackstar]. This is a good thing and even with the influence, it's not blatant and it's still a very creative and original composition. But I still feel as Reznor could've done more with it and it seems a bit aimless, but it's good nonetheless. "I'm Not from This World" is the album's 2nd instrumental and it's quite interesting. It starts off ambient, sounding like one of his film scores but also a bit like the soundtrack to the video game Quake. The mental image it creates for me is definitely like I'm in a game like that. There's no real beat to this until 4:50, if you could call it that, and it's definitely the most experimental and vintage track on here. I don't think it really deserves to almost be 7 minutes long but for what it is, it's a great song and it's cool to run to, as experienced this morning."Over and Out" is the longest song here and it finishes off the album but it's honestly my least favorite here. It starts slow and mellow with a simple beat, a bit like the previous track but less dark and apprehensive. For the first few minutes, it's just this simple beat, background distortion, some piano and some saxophone. While it's not a bad concept to use as a song introduction, I can't help but criticize the song for starting off too slow. If it takes over 3 minutes for a song to get going and it's not a progressive composition, there's a lot of ruined potential. Even when the vocals start to come and break the whole ambient/instrumental intro, it doesn't really take off and explore. It's almost 8 minutes of just an atmospheric song with simple, slow beats and vocals repeated to no end and doesn't do anything to make it more engaging or interesting. Really, the album could be rated higher if the closing song was more exciting, which brings me back to my earlier point that the album could benefit from some additional tracks. It's a disappointing closing song. I can give it credit for creating a good, spacey, almost psychedelic atmosphere, but it's just too repetitive and never truly takes off. I guess it's relaxing though, but it still pales in comparison to the previous instrumental and the other 4 good songs. But still okay.Overall, this is probably my favorite release in 2018 so far and one of the few released albums that actually has merit to it. Reznor will never be able to create music like he did in the 90s', in his golden years of production, but this is still a strong release and one of his best works in the 21st century thus far. 4/5 stars; on a scale of 10 it would probably be 8-8.5. Note: This review comes from my account on RateYourMusic. For more of my reviews and hot takes, click here.
  8. This is easily Black Sabbath's most overrated album, without a doubt, and it's one of the weaker albums that Ronnie James Dio appeared on. I used to think of this as a masterpiece and a 4.5/5 star album but after some relistens, it reeks of typical 80s' cheesiness and inconsistency. Now, I do think it's a good album, but not great, and just slightly above average. I mean, it is one of the better heavy metal albums to come out of the 1980s, but still not excellent. Side A is actually great and is the highlight of the album. The 4 songs are great, consistent, and awesome. "Neon Knights" kicks off the album with heavy and fast riffs and it's an energetic tune that I'm fond of. "Children of the Sea" is a psuedo-ballad that's typical of any album Dio appears on, and the lyrics are cheesy as shit but it's a great composition and pretty great. His vocals are great on that. "Lady Evil" is a memorable and catchy song with a legitimately groovy and thick riff, and although kind of cheesy it's pretty fun. Of course, the title track is the highlight of the album and one of the band's greatest songs. That song alone can make buying the album worth it. Iommi's heavy and smothering riff is iconic and great and overall, it's an amazing song that I've always loved. And Side B is lackluster in comparison. Now, a lot of the more commercially-driven metal albums that arose in the early 80s followed this pattern-they stack Side A, or the first half with CDs, with strong and remarkable songs and then they add a bunch of filler to Side B with maybe one or two songs with actual merit. It's not stacked like some other albums, where the first few songs and last song or two are very strong but the middle part of the album is unremarkable. The only song I enjoy off of this side is "Lonely Is the Word" and I don't love it. It's pretty good and overlooked in the band's mammoth discography but nothing too special. "Wishing Well", "Die Young" and "Walk Away" are lackluster filler with nothing remarkable about them. They're not memorable, they don't have interesting riffs or lyrical themes and they're just boring to sit through. Luckily it's only 13 minutes of those songs but still, the band missed the opportunity to create an interesting second side. Juxtaposing the title track with "Wishing Well" as you flip over the record is just offensive to that oh-so-amazing title track. So yes, overrated. I can definitely see why it's so acclaimed though. The first few songs kick off with great energy and make it seem fun, and once the audience starts to pay less attention to each individual track after "Heaven and Hell", they don't pay much attention and assume it's good. I mean, I've probably listened to this 15-20 times and used to love it and praise it as one of the band's greatest, but after paying attention it's pretty clear. Dio's vocals are great in this but vocals are never enough to carry a metal album. Iommi is a legendary guitarist but his guitar work isn't super impressive in this album, especially compared to his previous work. He lays down some good riffs, like on the title track, "Neon Knights" and "Lady Evil", but he doesn't really do many extraordinary solos or riffs outside those songs. This is one of the weaker albums Dio has been on. Dio's overlooked solo albums, outside of Holy Diver are more interesting and innovative than this, same with most of Rainbow's albums. I'll take Dream Evilor Long Live Rock 'n' Roll over this any day. Also, for Black Sabbath's albums, this is super inconsistent and only has one song that's actually a 5-star song-the title track, of course. I'm not super fond of Sabotage but hell, that had 2 or 3 masterpiece songs on it. So yeah, overrated, cheesy, lackluster, inconsistent. Mob Rules is better than this and it's very underappreciated. I would only listen to 4 songs off of this and that's it. 3 stars out of 5, rounded. On a 10 point scale, it would probably fall between 6 and 6.5. Note: this reviews come from my profile on RateYourMusic and was written February 28, 2018. Feel free to read my other reviews here.
  9. I'd rather spend 87 minutes listening to Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You Black Emperor! than relisten to The Book of Souls. As much as I have disdain for post-rock and hipster bullshit at least the ambient can get interesting at points, unlike the album we're talking about here.
  10. Danzig 4 is one of my all time favorite metal albums and by far their greatest album. I don't mind the first 2 but they're not consistent and don't stand out as a whole, but have some pretty great individual songs.
  11. I'm late to the party but I disagree. I found the album to be very weak and boring at points. Not even at points, but throughout most of the album. I've tried it 6 times and literally only two songs stand out and are at least partially memorable-"If Eternity Shall Fail" and "The Speed of Light". It's over an hour and a half, it's way too wanky and lackluster to warrant even 30 minutes. They're not the band for 13 and 18 minute long songs anymore-they released a masterpiece with longer songs in Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son but don't have the creativity to make long compositions interesting anymore. The guitar sound is so thin and makes their 80s work sound like sludge metal compared to it.
  12. Sad Wings of Destiny is really an amazing album that is easily one of the greatest and most influential albums in the history of heavy metal. In the late 70s, Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple were all fading away and declining and there weren’t many contenders to revive metal. Judas Priest, for the most part, abandoned their blues and progressive roots displayed on their first album, in exchange for faster and more lean metal that still hit hard. Just because this is the beginning of metal’s transition between heavy, blues-ridden rock with progressive tints into faster and slicker music doesn’t make this light at all.“Victim of Changes” opens up the album and it’s a phenomenal song, easily one of the greatest metal songs in history. Between the monstrous lead riff, the fantastic rhythm section, Halford’s vocals, and the guitar solos, this song kicks ass and is the main reason why I bothered to keep listen to SWOD. “The Ripper”, another classic from Priest, follows and it’s outstanding; Rob’s vocals don’t follow the guitar structure and they embody the lyrical nature, often sounding genuinely vicious like Jack the Ripper. “Dream Deceiver” is a light introduction to “Deceiver”, one of the heaviest songs Priest made. I don’t think the intro track was absolutely necessary but I’m not complaining.However, “Prelude” isn’t needed as an intro to “Tyrant”, and to an extent it drags the album down. Of course, it’s not bad but just rather unnecessary. “Tyrant”, on the contrary, is an amazing song and another exceptional song. Lyrically, it’s really great and has one of the best choruses. Instrumentally, it still kicks ass and has a great riff and an exceptional solo. “Genocide” is a good following song and has some great riffs, especially during the “Swipe to the left...” section. “Epitaph” doesn’t do anything for me, it’s not rock nor metal and is like when Sabbath did “Changes” on Vol. 4. Similarly, both songs are factors in why the albums aren’t rated 5-stars. Once again, not bad but just aimless filler. “Island of Domination” is a great closing song, although probably the weakest metal song on here. Overall, this could be a 5-Star album if 3 of the songs weren’t either intros (Dreamer Deceiver, Prelude) or just piano ballads (Epitaph), but this is a metal classic. While I like “Stained Class” more, this is where Priest got their start in actual heavy metal and some of the greatest songs of all time come out of here. Plus, it inspired Dave Mustaine to enter heavy metal, which had some great results. While this doesn’t sound much like Priest in their British Steel/Screaming for Vengeance era, nor during Painkiller, it’s an album any metal fan and any Priest fan should listen to. This came from my review on RateYourMusic, which I wrote March 2, 2018. Click here to see my other reviews.
  13. Ah, Crimson Glory. How can I possibly enjoy this? It's a relatively underground metal album with barely over a thousand ratings and a high average. The band's name is 'Crimson Glory', for God's sake. It sounds cheesy as hell before even looking at the names of the songs. "Dragon Lady"? "Valhalla"? "Queen of the Masquerade"? Really? How can it possibly be good? It's described as progressive metal and power metal with epic, mythological, and fantasy lyrics. The album cover looks like a ripoff of Stained Class, which is one of my favorite albums of all time. Oh, alright, I'll check it out I guess.Yeah, that's pretty much what went through my head before I decided to click the "Play" button a few months ago. Before I start actually reviewing, I'd like to talk about its genre. I don't know why progressive metal and power metal are secondary genres. There's nothing remotely progressive about this music in terms of structure and composition and nothing resembles power metal. The most prog metal-esque aspect is Midnight's vocals, but nothing about this music really progresses. This is a near-perfect album that absolutely warrants a 5-star rating. Each song is simply amazing, packed with energetic melodies, thick riffs and great guitar solos. No song is that similar to the previous one and they manage to pack in 8 songs in 39 minutes that don't drag in the slightest and provide fresh blood each time around. Now, I've listened to a different version of the album from the primary one here, with a different tracklist and 2 bonus tracks, so I'm going to narrate from that perspective but ignore the 2 bonus tracks. I can't find the version I listened to on this site."Mayday" is one of the greatest album openers and it's a killer hook on the audience. I mean, the chorus is fun as hell to sing along to and it's memorable, and it's got a rapid and phenomenal riff. Midnight showcases his vocal abilities to the audience, with his wide range and his ability to hit any high note easily. It's extremely energetic and a perfect song. Following up on that energetic atmosphere is "Queen of the Masquerade", which is one of the band's most well-known songs. It's perfect and has one of the most memorable choruses, and a pretty distinct riff. "Valhalla" is one of the 'weaker' songs on here, but it's still excellent and continues this energy and heavy riffage. And then "Azrael" closes the first side up in one of the greatest ways possible. It starts off gloomy and kind of like a longer song by Iron Maiden during the same time period, but it suddenly disrupts into a heavy riff with loaded energy to kill that gloomy atmosphere. They took inspiration from Iron Maiden, among others, but made very original and creative songs. But yeah, it's the most Maiden-esque track on here by far. It's still an amazing song and probably my 2nd favorite on the album. Side B is very consistent and doesn't even hint at deterioration and weakness. All 4 songs are excellent and this energetic and epic-not a word I enjoy describing music that I like-atmosphere flows effortlessly. "Dragon Lady" is another weaker song but still enjoyable and remarkable nonetheless, it just stands weak juxtaposed with "Lost Reflection" and coming off of the epic "Azrael". Kind of like that track, it starts off moody and slow with just acoustic guitars and some symphonic effects. It goes like that for a while before breaking out into rapid riffage and harmonies out of the blue, in a transition even less smooth and more urgent than "Azrael". This is another amazing song but my biggest complaint is that it stays in this acoustic section for too long and even with that rapid riffage, it doesn't branch out like it has the opportunity to, but it's still one of the best songs on here. "Heart of Steel" is pretty good and I don't get why people undermine it, it's not weak in any way and excellent. "Angels of War" is my favorite off of this album and has been one of my favorites of the band for a while. It's perfect, carried with superb riffage, perfect harmonies, and an amazing solo. It's sad that it's the final track on that version because after experiencing that, you crave more but it ends.The album's strong parts come from the great, and I mean great, harmonies and songwriting from the band. This was just their debut album and Crimson Glory already displayed a level of craftmanship, between writing new, innovative, and juicy riffs, great solos (although the pinch harmonics could've been used a tad bit less), and excellent compositions that constantly engaged the audience and never once dragged, that the vast majority of metal bands haven't came close to mastering, even with decades under their belts. It's a shame the band never reached a higher level after this, although Transcendence was pretty good, because this level of energy, genuine passion for music, and creativity could've landed them above vastly overrated and overhyped progressive metal and power metal bands like Dream Theater and Blind Guardian in the 1990s. This is easily one of the greatest heavy metal albums out there and, although not thrash by any stretch of the means, one of the best metal albums to come out of 1986. This comes from my review on RateYourMusic, written June 15th, 2018. Click here to see my other reviews.
  14. Oh and also, I do listen to a lot of music outside of metal. I use RYM to talk about non-metal a lot but if anyone wants to talk with me on here, that's cool too. I like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, The Doors, David Bowie (yeah the profile pic gives it away), Nirvana, Soundgarden, some Pearl Jam, Beck, early Green Day, Bob Dylan, the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, The Eagles, The Cure, Jethro Tull, Tom Petty, Alice Cooper, The Kinks, The Zombies, early pre-disco Bee Gees, Thin Lizzy, Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Santana, and more. And, with hopes I don't get exiled here, there is some hip hop of merit that I do enjoy, but it's none of this trap shit. I mean, I like them and I've given Hell Awaits and Seasons of the Abyss 5-star ratings, even though they're at the borderline between 4.5 and 5. Their contribution to extreme metal is obviously huge and I'm not undermining that, but their music itself is often repetitive and drags a bit on each 'classic'. Show No Mercy is very overhyped though but has some great songs.
  15. Hey MetalForum community, this is Franconia. If you browse both this website and RateYourMusic (RYM) frequently, you may recognize me as Franconia. I use that website frequently but it has only one metal board in its forums and it's less active than I would like. Anyways, I primarily want music recommendations and to post both fresh review of albums and reviews already made on RYM (by me, of course). My favorite metal bands are Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Coroner, Testament, 80s' Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer (even though i think they're overrated), Crimson Glory, Sabbat, Manilla Road, Mercyful Fate, Diamond Head, Death, Saxon, Dio, Raven, Satan, Alice in Chains, Candlemass, Danzig (although I'm more of a songs fan as they only have one album I really thoroughly enjoy), Mayhem, Kreator, Selpultra, Entombed, Ozzy Osbourne, Budgie, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Voivod, Stormtroopers of Death, Bathory, Venom, Pentagram, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Rainbow, Motorhead, any many more. I've already made a list of the 500 greatest metal songs of all time on RYM and if it isn't violating the policies of this website I'd like to share it, and I'm almost done with a list of my favorite 100 metal albums based on mathematical averages from track ratings. I have like 15-20 more albums I'd like to revisit before completion but I'd also like to share that so I can get new recommendations. Anyways, based on those bands listed above, feel free to leave any recommendations and I'll check 'em out if I haven't yet or I'll share my honest opinion about 'em.
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