markm

I used to spin Watain on the reg....would call them a gateway...wouldn't kill me to listen to their new one. Seemed everybody was listening to them at one point. Spect, I should prolly listen to Phobophillic also as I've seen that named bandied about a fair amount. Chasm is saved on my BC to listen to also. I think some of the reviews nail Undeath-it's not revolutionary but accessible and downright catchy for grimey DM and something people sometimes undervalue in extreme metal-fun!

I remember from the day that Ferday is a huge Watain fan and he's somewhat of a influencer over there. I'd have to check, but I'll bet he have it an 8. In the Satanic Christmas spirit of being generous, equanimous, and objective, I should probably give Archenspire another gander and Artificial Brain even though they are not in the MarkM Hark the Heretic Sings Satan Night love zone.

40 Watt Sun-Perfect Light Eight Bells-Legacy of Ruin Bjork-Fossora-Bjork's music has never clicked with me except for today with her new one-her weird abstract avant pop makes sense to my brain this morning.

An Abstract Illusion-Woe

Metalcore gets a bad rap because the associations of the genre but in a literal sense, metalcore just means fusing metal with hardcore that started eons ego with bands like Cro-Magss and Discharge. A few years, I wanted to investigate heavier hardcore at another forum. One of the guys was a serious punk audiophile and turned me onto some great bands. He pointed out to me that in the 90's, metalcore as a term didn't have the negative connotations it does now. He gave me a bunch of music files-The Unbroken, Mean Season, Catharsis. I teach a high school program. I work in a community college now but I was in a high school for several years in the aughts and I remember seeing kids walking around with T-shirts with bands like Avenged Sevenfold, As I lie Dying, etc. Bands I have no interest in. I've sampled some of it. It's very accessible. It sounds commercial-almost pop. I think of that kind of metalcore as metal for people that aren't really interested in heavy music. Now, when you hear "metalcore" you tend to think of high school kids listening to mallcore-metal that feels like it's been dumbed down. It's become a dirty word like Nu Metal. I don't hate everything under the metalcore banner. It's just not what most of us are into. Most of us here aren't teenagers.

Grimma-Frostbitten (2022)-might need this in my life

Decided to checkout the current 2022 Vortex list 1 Wormrot 2 Messa 3 Immolation 4 Imperial Triumphant 5 The Antichrist Imperium 6 Desolate Shrine 7 Worm 8 Daeva 9 Aeviterne 10 Artificial Brain 11 JID 12 Phobophilic 12 Billy Woods 14 Tomb Mold 15 Undeath 16 Sigh 17 Veilburner 18 Old Nick 18 Silurian 20 Mournful Congregation 20 Ancient Death 22 Blut aus Nord 23 Watain 24 Altars 25 Falls of Rauros 26 Tchornobog / Abyssal 27 Dysgnostic 28 Doldrum 29 Kendrick Lamar 29 Darkest Era 31 Rejoice! The Light Has Come 32 Sonic Assault 33 Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean 34 Critical Defiance 35 Cosmic Putrefaction 36 Miscreance 36 Cloud Rat 36 Suppression 36 Scarcity 40 The Chasm 41 Aenaon 42 Septicflesh 43 Hammers of Misfortune 43 Autopsy 43 Defect Designer 46 The Spirit 46 Full of Hell

Misþyrming - Með hamri -blasted this on my stereo today and it sounds huge out of my speakers-good balance between extremity and melodicism/atmosphere. Antichrist Imperium-Vol. III MJ LInderman-Boat Songs

I've been enjoying SpiritWorld quite a bit.

Me too. My time with Voivod is limited having never even heard their early records. I find this album consistently engaging with a good mix of quirky prog and chunky thrash.

Daeva/Through sheer will and black magic-Was it Navy who first alerted me to this album? I'm not sure, but it's definitely one of the tops of my 2022 extremity listening. Ken Mode/Null Voivod/Synchro Anarchy An Abstract Illusion-Woe-Sheol speaks and I listen, recalling bands like The Faceless. The Smile/A Light for Attracting Attention Born/Birth

I have a small family-wife, 23 year old only child, Mom, brother sister and two aunts. It's not like in the old days, where people would save all year and finally treat themselves to a big gift around the holidays. Now if you want something, you click and it's delivered to your house. None of us really need anything and if we do it's a hobby interest that none of us are going to subsidize. Last few years, we all agreed to donate to charities that we each pick and get together for a nice meal. I might buy a book or CD for family members. My brother, Mom and wife and I still give gifts to our daughter as she's the only "kid" in the family but it's in reason. We got her through school. She's holding down her first nursing job at Hopkins in Baltimore, making enough coin to live with her girlfriends and pay her bills. Were not dropping any big bucks.

Thing for me is, I end up buy so much at the end of the year, there's no way I can rank them with any honesty until I spend some honest to goodness time with the albums. My buddy at Nine Circles just gave this one a big shout out. https://ninecircles.co/2022/12/21/best-of-2022-chriss-honorable-mentions/

Chat Pile/God's Country Dream Unending/Song of Salvation Black Country New Road/Ants from Up there

Yea, I might have said later period Dylan rather than his 60's purely folk stuff. You might give Kurt Vile a go. He's over 40 now. One of better current gen rock guitarists but on the laid back slacker side-with stoner (I.e.-not very) good vocals like if the front dude from Fu Manchu decided to play in a mellow slowcore classic rock band with stream of consciousness lyrics as he piddles around the house, drinks a beer, muses about life.

Fingers crossed for you guys in the north east and mid west.

It's really not a departure, but something about it really works for me. Kevin Morby/Photograph- indie folk blues rocker I've been following for a few years put out his best album in 2022. Beautiful Dylanesque album. Black Country New Road/Ants from Up there-just discovering from from AOTY rock reviews-making quite the impression on the big platforms-challenging post punk/post rock, experimental, almost avant garde....lot to dig into to say the least. Gonna spend some time with this one.

Spirit World-Deathwestern Misþyrming-Með hamri-Pretty good for a first run through Worm Rot/Hiss-not feeling this Non metal 2022 streams: The Beths/Experts in a Dying Field Wet Leg S/T Kurt Vile/Watch My Moves-been listening to this guy for a few years now-dig his new one-super melo old school laconic rocker

Sigh-Shiki

Blut Aus Nord-Undreamable Abysses

Great Gods.

When did Jeopardy come to Oz?

Fing Jeopardy? Really? What is this, 1986?

Man, I miss record stores. Of course since I don't have a vinyl rig, it would be CD's. When I first moved to MD in 2000, I used to go to Record and Tape Traders that had several stores in and around Baltimore and all the way to Frederick MD which is a about 60 miles away. I used to go to one in Westminster. Now, for most of you those names won't mean anything but depending where I was in the area, I'd haunt R&TT in Frederick, Westminster or in Towson which is in Baltimore County. They all closed sometime between 2015-2018. I'm sure Surge must have picked up music from Record and Tape Traders. Their metal section was limited, but they had some stuff. Actually had a decent selection of the big names-that's where I bought my first black and death-all kinds of great albums-the basic classic mid 2000's death, black, melodeth, and doom. Bought a ton of CDs from that franchise. I feel sad for all the young fans that never had the experience of browsing through that 20th century phenomenon-a thing called a record store.

OK, so I've never been a big sports fan, and tbh, I don't know when I've ever watched a televised soccer game in its entirety, but the World Cup final today was quite a game.