Unaspected

Used to smoke skunk habitually. Quit around 2006. Had a little taste around 2011 and found that it was no longer addictive to me - probably because I've got stuff to do. Hehe.

Still a stoner at heart and happy to smoke with anyone any time.

On 6/14/2018 at 6:08 PM, MaxFaust said:

Aye. I am. Which is probably why all those black metal boys like me so much.

There's nothing admireable about the human race. We're basically just stupid monkeys, not even smart enough to recognise the good shit that we've got. So we fuck it up and turn it all to worthless crap. Again and again, with the idiot dance of "success" and sieg heil to the industry and corporate mindlessness.

The human body is more stupid than monkeys and many other animals. Our brains cannot process information nearly as quick as they can - doesn't have the sampling rate or even the bandwidth. I don't know how we came to be but I don't see human beings as superior to other animals. This is very much their planet. They often look at us like aliens and that tells me all I need to know. I'm neither prey nor predator, Just here. Don't know why.

I don't view this as negative though. If you want to put emotional stock into things, sure, it's probably quite disparaging. It's positive in the manner that it is functional. It can allow us to assess things and when taken to the extreme, will simplify life in some areas. So these thoughts are good because they can be used.

No offense to anyone. We're all shit and we're all brilliant stars at the same time.

I don't dislike the humans, though I won't pretend to understand most of them.

Certainly, in the brief period of time that I've been here, I've made a couple of interesting connections that should result in good things happening.

And believe or not - I consider myself an optimist. I'm just honest and realistic at the same time; Whilst being romantic and fantastic.

On 6/14/2018 at 6:08 PM, MaxFaust said:

BTW ... the word "occult" means hidden. As in hidden from sight, from the obviousity of rational thought and logic. In many ways, sex is occult ... because it's a thing that's hidden and feared, something that everybody has to figure out for themselves, what it means and how they wish to relate to it, but it's an important thing to most people so it will not be denied.

Depends on how and where you're doing it. Sex hasn't always been occulted for me. Some of the best sex in my life has been very public. Can't say anyone took a picture but I'm sure hotel security has some interesting CCTV tapes.

For me, negative is a lack of action. A detraction from something. Darkness is not inherently negative. As MaxFaust has highlighted: It is occult. The dark and the unseen can tickle our fears but can also be used in a variety of ways. Desensitisation to fear of the dark is one positive aspect of dark metal. If it feels empowering - If it stirs the imagination - If it encourages action: Then it is positive.

There is complex joy in black metal for me. It is an expression of vitality in the recognition of our ultimate destination and exploration of our magickal powers.

"What can cure, can curse". It's how you use it and how you relate to it that matters.

All music can be transformative. Mostly, I find metal to be motivational. It is positive, active music. Very masculine energies, which are great for endeavours which require physical exertion and getting things done. Metal is probably the most passionate music genre I can think of.

I can't imagine Tool or many of Maynard's project without humour.

One of my friends is forming a band in New Zealand and is worrying because his lyrics are too humorous. From what I've heard, they are really creative and that's all that matters. That they capture the imagination and are entertaining is most important.

So I think there is plenty of room for humour in all music.

I tend to prefer tone and feeling in a song, though I appreciate the technical engineering aspects of audio productions.

Guitar wank is a turn off when overdone. If you have to, just shuffle a little one out and make it tasteful. Somehow.

Well. I never wondered until now. If there is an acapella of the main vocal then it would be easy enough to remove that from the backing. If that isn't available somewhere then making it mono might help with intelligibility - as it seems to be autopanned. Not sure, might simply be double tracked.

I'm intrigued. Usually, when I hear something, I can at least come up with some nonsense. I'm getting "pick up a" somewhere in there but can't be sure.

I'll see how much I can isolate it and have another go later.

This doesn't help directly but it's the closest I could find to an acapella without searching deeply:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED8IL4Es_sQ

I don't really remember. I do recall liking Iron Maiden when I was a little kid - and, of course, I loved "Eddie". It probably wasn't until my teens (90s) that I really started to become more interested in metal. My tastes developed over time from being quite exclusive to broadly inclusive of most musical genres and metal sub-genres. Right now I'm into black, ambient, doomy dirges - though I guess that, overall, stoner and industrial sounds have influenced me the most.

Sounds like being murdered by power-tools. Brutal stuff.

I like this a lot. The mood, vibe, power, disorientation and sense of horror are right on point.

Quite a unique style. Impressive work.

Some great tones in there. Anxiety: Despair is quite the journey.

I quite enjoyed this. Especially, Decay.

On 2/21/2019 at 7:38 PM, Vampyrique said:

If you want to experience a calm, focused clarity along with mental energy, then take something Theanine with your coffee. For the last few months I've increased my coffee intake to eight cups a day without issue.

That's great advice. Theanine is good stuff - lowers anxiety, helps the immune system and has some pleasant drug interactions.

Though I rarely take caffeine these days.

Back around 2002, my neighbours had an outdoor party during the summer and played an ABBA album on loop all night. I don't know what the album was but I can't stand ABBA and that was my own little slice of hell.

On 8/2/2019 at 4:34 PM, FatherAlabaster said:

For sure, it's almost certainly some kind of semi-conscious mental prep. My body's been reminding me that I'm not in my 20s more and more frequently over the past few years, too. Weeks go by in a blur, even months kind of blend together. Seasons feel like months used to. I imagine it's what you suggest -- a natural human tendency to attach more significance to the new or unusual things, and less to the mundane -- that gathers most of my waking moments into little balls of non-eventhood, at least in retrospect. It's funny how months can seem to go by so quickly, but hours can still drag on...

It's always a kind of neat thought experiment to try and see things from my son's perspective, and remember how a week used to feel like an eternity, and how excited I got about little things. And really frustrating sometimes trying to explain things that don't fit in his frame yet. I'm naturally impatient, and it runs in the family...

My girlfriend suffers with impatience as well. Whereas I seem to experience time like an Ent. I've sat doing nothing on 8 hour flights before and they seemed to pass in just over an hour. Mind you, once I was sat next to a schizophrenic and whilst she was perfectly affable, her swearing at the air stewardesses made the flight somewhat uncomfortable - especially as they initially thought we were together.

22 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Time

Makes sense.

Though I have found local time to be variable enough also. This might be because I have meditated on and off throughout my life.

3 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

I'll be turning 40 in about three months and I find myself thinking I already am. I wonder how my grandma does with this, she's 98 and she tells me time never stops feeling like it's getting faster.

98 is quite an age to achieve! Certainly, I've noticed things get faster. I can't say I noticed the process of things speeding up - only that a week is over before I know it these days. Maybe something has happened to our sampling rates - or maybe it's because our brains have learned enough that we fill in the blanks for anything mundane and repetitive to conserve our energy.

40 sounds a little scary, though it is calling me too. I guess you've been preparing yourself for it mentally. No prep here. I'm just going to wake up in a mid-life crisis.

Horror has always been a favourite movie genre for me. I remember watching Hellraiser when I was about 14 and being enthralled by the imagery. Anything with witches in is also good.

I forgot I was 39 this year. Thought I was still 38 for a bit. That'll happen.

I'm an SAE trained mix engineer searching for metal bands to mix and thought that signing up here would be a good idea.

Right now I am especially interested in black metal and heavy, slow, doomy sounds.

If you have an act and are looking for a mix engineer - message me.