JonoBlade
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Posts posted by JonoBlade
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On 10/13/2023 at 4:42 PM, GoatmasterGeneral said:
I really liked their first one, but have not been too enamored with subsequent efforts. Have a few friends who rave about these guys though. Guess I have nothing to lose by checking the new one out, it'll only cost 46 minutes of my time. Worst that can happen is I give up and click on something else, right?
Can report 10 minutes in it's not looking like a good bet that I'll finish this or even make it to the halfway point. People in the comments section seem to love it though, praising it as a masterpiece. So maybe it's just me. It's not terrible or anything, just not quite my speed. Seems to lack drive and purpose. But I'm actually 25 minutes in now so maybe I will stay with it til the end. Definitely won't be a purchase though.
To be honest I like Sulphur Aeon more for the atmosphere. It seems to work well as background music during the work day while being sure I get a Lovecraft fix. The albums sound pretty similar to me. This new one might not be as good as the earlier ones but I'm unlikely to listen critically enough to realise. It still fits in the right sonic space.
I only tend to get disappointed if, after a few seconds, you can tell the sound is really off somehow.
Like the new Priest single. The combination of electronic bleeps and seeing a mock up photo of a double LP just made me sad. But, I'll get over it.
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Tyranny of Distance | BEASTWARS (bandcamp.com)
Also released today. I admit to being duped by this one because I love Beastwars so much I bought the pre-order without any investigation. The artwork was awesome.
Turns out its a goddamn covers album! I can get on board with covers (Inter Arma's one is great) but I wouldn't have been in a hurry for it.
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Seven Crowns and Seven Seals | Sulphur Aeon (bandcamp.com)
Released today. These guys are extremely consistent and this one seems to fit in with their catalog just fine.
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18 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:
I am wearing a posture corrector for 20 mins each day. Always had terrible posture and sitting down most of the day to drive or be at my desk does not help. Means standing with correct posture after 40 odd years of not doing so is actually quite a challenge, even for 20 mins a day.
I could look it up but prefer to think of a "posture corrector" as some kind of electrode system that shocks your balls when you stray from perfectly upright.
After 3 years sitting on a rickety Ikea dining room chair in front of a computer every day I shudder to think what condition my posture is in. It shouldn't be too bad but I definitely slouch. I tend to sit barefoot and cross legged like a child being read a story at nursery before afternoon nap.
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7 hours ago, SurgicalBrute said:
Nocturnal Mortuary - Tales From The Cemetery
Is a nocturnal mortuary a pop up mortuary that only opens at night? It seems a rather short sighted business plan.
Many morticians presumably like to keep sociable hours and would prefer to work 9 to 5. At busy times, like during a pandemic, some professionals in that field might have to work the graveyard shift, but buying a Nocturnal Mortuary franchise really limits your options.
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There's a new Beastwars next week, but picked up (sight unseen) today on BC Friday so they get more cash:
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Pre-order
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It's bandcamp Friday!
A few random purchases so far...
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7 hours ago, navybsn said:
I actually do in the garage. 1962 Sylvania console tv combo record player. Belonged to my grandmother. Made from solid oak. Weighs a ton and is absolutely bomb proof. Will easily survive the apocalypse. Planning to restore it one day when I find the time. Well restomod anyway.
Still have a rotary phone at one of our houses too, although we disconnected service 2 years ago. Way easier to use for my wife's elderly parents who could never get the hang of cell phones. Great backups when a hurricane comes and knocked down all the cell towers too. I miss the landline days sometimes. Shit was simpler then and the expectation to be available 24/7 365 didn't exist.
And I bet both made in USA too.
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9 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:
A 'Grand Strategy Game' is one which allows players to employ a nation/empires' resources with a 'grand strategy' - a long term strategy or military tactics in mind. On the other hand, 4X Strategy games involve players controlling nations or empires to 'eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate'. So I believe games like Civilization would be considered 4X games. VI is the current state of the art Civ game, but I prefer V.
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14 hours ago, AlSymerz said:
I didn't realise Ripper was phoning it in on the second album. I remember it being spoken about with the first album. It does make sense that if he's doing it in the US there will be some issues.
As much as the album is 'economical' I still can't figure out why the last three songs just feel like they don't need to be there. Others probably feel different but for me once I get to Keeper Of The Grave I start feeling like the album should be over. Pledge Your Souls and Wash Away Your Sins just aren't memorable to me.
To be honest, I can't say for sure that Ripper did do the vocals remotely on the second record. However, my guess is that they are on a tight budget and he has his home studio set up for vocal recording anyway. I recall reading in an interview that he is constantly doing guest spots, and this is how he does it. Send him some money and he will record the vocal parts you want to the lyrics provided and send it back. Done.
Many guitarists do things this way too. Send some money and say "put a solo between this and this time marker". They record it and send it back. It is a great way for artists to monetise their skills and notoriety in downtime. You've got to make a living somehow when everyone's listening to your music on Spotify and touring costs are through the roof.
Even KK apparently did a solo on Geoff Tate's Queensryche album before the band settled and kept the name. In fact I think that was the sole musical endeavour he did in nearly 10 years before finally deciding, after he passed 70, to form a new band.
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1 hour ago, RelentlessOblivion said:
If it’s a contest about who is eyes are the worst I think I win Connor who saw that coming? Jokes aside, I know it is a hot take, but I always thought AMoLaD was pretty good, probably cracks my top five Maiden albums, which isn’t saying much, considering I always thought they were inferior to both angel witch and Saxon
After an hour or so I am finally at The Legacy which is the track I was waiting for. It has a nice intro and chorus. My recollection of this album was very positive so I will have to give it more spins. Although I wonder if, as a whole, it's not much more than Maiden flavoured elevator music. Really inoffensive and a perfectly reasonable way to pass the time with old friends.
Sorry about your eyes. Sight is a useful sense.
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I've had to resort to drastic measures and buy some CDs, because I couldn't find a lossless digital download to buy.
Triptykon - Melana Chasmata
Just so rad.
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
Had an urge to hear The Legacy which I remember was a great song, but can't tell you how it goes until I cue it up next.
Still in the mail:
Wedgiedoods - the third one
Goddamn Century Media.
Dark Angel - Time Does Not Heal
After @Arioch posted the other day, I just had to check it out.
The CDs are next to useless to own now I have them. The lyric text in the Maiden album is so small you need a microscope to see it. My ageing eyes just aren't up to it anymore. Triptykon is not much better. A nice presentation with lots of Giger art, but small gold on black text. Damn my eyes!
They will just collect dust in the corner.
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On 10/2/2023 at 8:39 PM, AlSymerz said:
I'm not a fan of Ripper but for the most part he doesn't sound too bad on the new album. I don't think the album itself is anything ground breaking but it is entirely what I expected from KK. There is some good riffs on it and but like the first album I can't hear anything that propels it to excellent.
When Ripper is "on" he's great. I just feel the delivery is a bit samey. I suspect it is down to him recording vocals alone in the US and sending files for inclusion in the mix. There is not much room for feedback and being "produced" in that kind of dynamic. For a classic metal vocalist there needs to be some external input on the delivery. The producer is important.
If you are a death metal grunter the feedback is less critical, so long as it fits in its box.
I also feel I'd like the KK albums more if they had more retro production in general. As it is, it's all very slick and suffers from the same homogeneity we've covered when discussing Andy Sneap.
What KK's Priest has nailed is an economical album length which he and his Priest colleagues have utterly failed at the last few times out. I am looking at you Nostradamus triple album. I suspect a lot of that was KK's fault.
At 52 minutes even Angel of Retribution was too long. I listened to it the other day for the first time in years (since @GoatmasterGeneral makes the rare concession that "it's not all that shit"). It is quite good and has nice pacing/flow. Some of the worst lyrics in a long career of terrible lyrics though. Loch Ness makes Living After Midnight read like Shakespeare.
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On 10/3/2023 at 2:47 AM, JamesT said:
You didn’t misread, my metal brother! I do like “St. Anger” quite a bit and listen to it regularly. I found it to be a refreshing response to the Load/Reload material, which wasn’t even really “metal” to be honest, although I do enjoy a few songs from those albums. The ferocity was back - my only gripe is with the lack of guitar solos, but I think the songs are still really solid. The drums are actually a part of the sound that I appreciate.
Excellent choice! I’ve listened through “The Sinner Rides Again” 3 times today, and it has gotten better with each listen! Well worth the high level of anticipation I had!
I think your neighbour should build a Dyson sphere around your house and harness the high levels of positive energy you emit. It could power a small town on vibes alone.
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15 hours ago, JamesT said:
Haha I can definitely understand the sentiment! I really like Metallica, but I wouldn't say I love them these days. I do think their most recent 3 albums have all been really good. But in general, I'm not crazy about the direction they took with the Black Album and then Load/Reload. I really like "St. Anger", and then they've been back on much better ground since then as well. I don't mind the song lengths, honestly. Metallica are very good songwriters, so they can keep things interesting over the course of longer songs, although that's certainly not the case for everyone!
Very cool that you pre-ordered "The Sinner Rides Again"! Man, I'm thoroughly enjoying the heavy metal ride! KK still has plenty of chops, and Ripper has turned in one of his best vocal performances in years - which is saying something for me, because I love everything the guy has done. Can't wait to continue spinning this new terrific slab of goodness!
Wait up. It sounded like you said: "I really like "St. Anger"" I must have misread, because that string of words is not compatible. It's like saying "spaghetti fog sad engine," individually the words have meaning but there is no synergy when combined.
I've listened to KK the last few days quite a few times. It is definitely a heavy metal band. I can't say it has really landed for me but it's nice and short.
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9 minutes ago, Arioch said:
Now I buy my albums on Bandcamp. Unless I have them on CD. As my CDs are out of reach at the moment and I only listen to music via a portable music player (lack of space, I don't live at home), I manage to complete my CD collection in other ways.
Bandcamp has been sold again! This time to Songtradr. Whatever that is. Epic Games still seems to be involved but I do fear for the integrity of bandcamp.
BANDCAMP Acquired By SONGTRADR - BLABBERMOUTH.NET
Bandcamp does take quite a cut when you add in the transaction fees...but I guess that is the price of business. A band should still clear more than 60% or so on a downloaded album.
Throwing all my IP ideas out there (which is ironic for a patent attorney), there is a gap in the market for an app that is both a direct-to-artist marketplace, social page (way to post info about tours etc and interact with fans) and somewhere to curate your own collection (e.g. ripped from CDs) in one place just as a music player and file manager. Mind you, I guess you don't need it if you download all your bandcamp purchases to FLAC for a home server....except for a facebook style socials page.
Which reminds me.... does anyone use something like this?
All-in-One Desktop HD DTS Decoding and Ear Mafer-FiiO R7
It seems to tick all the boxes for a lossless DAP which can plug directly into studio monitors. You can't put it in your pocket but out and about I have a phone or a Fiio x3 as a back up.
I feel its one of those things I could easily do without but it would set me up for years to come.
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8 hours ago, Dead1 said:
Also not metal, but the track Heaven On Their Minds from Jesus Christ Superstar. Just that build up and when the singer hits the high notes...
Oh yeah. That one does it.
"My mind is clearer now ...."
Judas is metal as fuck.
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1 hour ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:
What?!? I wish they'd put their energies into suing to get the rights to their masters instead of pursuing this re-recording nonsense, which never ever works out well. It always sounds worse. If any metal band has ever re-recorded an album of theirs that came out sounding even half as good as the original I'm certainly not aware of it.
I happen to really love that album just the way it is, so I will definitely not be listening to any re-recording nonsense. I got the vinyl when it first came out and at some point a decade later I also bought it on CD. Not my fault the band signed away their rights and didn't/don't make any money off the sales of Icon.
Not to go off on a tangent or anything....but that's who you should be directing your ire at Jon boy, the predatory labels who actively fucked over these naive bands and saddled them with these unfair shitty contracts. Not the Spotify people who use it as the modern day equivalent of the free radio I grew up with as my only way to hear new music as a kid. Except that these days they get to choose their own content because we have the technology to do that now.
I don't use any of the music streaming services myself, but I don't think we should demonize or shame those who do. They're not trying to fuck anyone over. As a band leader and shot caller if you don't like their 44 million plays to make 87 cents business model then you don't have to have your music available on their service, right? If labels are making package deals with streaming services which make certain bands' music available on streaming services without their knowledge or against their will, for pennies, again that's on the labels.
Icon was on Music for Nations which went bust. The rights got transferred somewhere in the bankruptcy but are a mess. I completely understand that you'd never want to hear a new version. I am in the unusual position of knowing I liked the album but don't have it burned into my conscience (like Shades of God). I could just buy the Icon CD off eBay but I like the idea of giving the band money today.
Spotify is not the modern day equivalent of radio. Radio plays singles and that is absolutely fine. It is a great promotional tool. I use You Tube in this way. Watch a new promo video or old gig footage, but spotify makes entire catalogs available for a pittance.
It's very true that it's a free market and each artist/label has the right to choose. But artists are not rocket scientists and frequently make bad choices. Getting your stuff OFF spotify is a pain in the ass and they charge you to do it. Far more than they ever would pay out for it to be there in the first place.
Everyone (managers/labels/venues) has tried to screw over artists since the beginning of time. I only rail against it for the sake of awareness. Anyone who pays a subscription to Spotify to listen to albums day in day out is a piece of shit. If they think they are actually contributing somehow, they are a delusional piece of shit. If they're just fair weather music fans wanting to line up a playlist of feel good modern hit singles, fine. That is radio. Listening to your favourite bands' albums and discovering new whole albums to listen to over and over is not radio.
"They're not trying to fuck anyone over." It is hard to know whether whoever created Spotify is actually the devil. Was there an intent to devalue music in the way they do? Possibly not. It is not active fuck-overy in the way a manager or a record label operated, but it is still bad.
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13 minutes ago, Sheol said:
It's all personal preference as you said, but I think that by purchasing music/merch you support a douchbag person, and in effect makes it easier for him to continue spreading bullshit. It's not the same as endorsing an ideology, but it is supporting the person backing the ideology. I def. have some stuff in my collection that I bought without knowing who was behind it, but now that I know buying a new record from the bands make me feel a bit uneasy. It doesn't make a difference in the big picture as you say, but on a personal level it would feel wrong to wear a Arghoslent or Clandestine Blaze shirt. In Aspas case you know that at least some of the money he makes from his music and label most likely goes into funding neo-nazis.
This is my take too. There is just so much music out there that you can afford to pass over bands that appear dodgy. Of course, if you listen on Spotify they're not getting paid anyway - so have at it.
Buying merch is a step beyond buying music I reckon. You are proudly representing and endorsing a band by wearing a t-shirt, whereas having a few MP3s on your phone is just your dirty little secret.
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16 hours ago, Nasty_Cabbage said:
Rhythm sections are almost always underrated. I am not going to look up Phil Rudd. That'll just make me sad if he really is looking that poorly, and of course the fate of Malcom Young is well documented. Time is cruel indeed. I'm glad they all made it to the age where they could successfully dodge the moralizing "well that's where the hard party lifestyle leads you" crowd over their sugarless cornflakes.
Perhaps I described this poorly. Phil looks pretty rough but he still played on the last AC/DC record and sounds great. He had his problems with drugs which means he can't tour now, so he screwed himself big time with that, but he's still active. His life choices make him a bit of a vegetable, but he is a legend among drummers.
Not like poor Malcolm. Pretty much the cruellest way to go imaginable. He was a visionary band leader that took little more than a pub rock band with a gimmicky lead guitarist and made it the biggest band on the planet - and ended up a diminished shadow of himself. Mercifully dementia took him quite quickly as these things go.
He wasn't that old when he died. His hard drinking and smoking lifestyle quite likely played a part in his decline (it can't have helped) and left us with only Angus, having to sift through old cassette tapes to put together albums from Malcom's riffs. Although I actually prefer the last few albums to the latter ones where Mal was still involved.
In honour of our friend, the nicest guy in the universe, James T "let Spock handle it" Kirk, I am on my second pass through:
The Sinner Rides Again | KK Downing / KK's Priest (bandcamp.com)
It's nice. And short!
But I doubt we'll hear from James today as he's in trad metal ecstasy.
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1 hour ago, Arioch said:
Dark Angel - Time does not Heal (1991)
The production of the first two Sabbats isn't great, I agree. But I wouldn't want a remastered version with a different sound for anything in the world.
Their production is part of their identity and bears witness to a time when you could recognise an album, or even a band, from the first few seconds you listened to it.
Shamefully I have never even heard Dark Angel's output after Darkness Descends. I had that one on CD but I think it got stolen 25 years ago and I never replaced it. I remember a live VHS of We Have Arrived (with Rineheart on vocals) which was great.
You make a strong point about production being part of the identity. It's a tough call. I think you could utilise some modern studio capability without losing the spirit of the original. In Sneap's case he would be tempted to sample replace every drum hit, which would be a bad idea, but the production could be tidied up a bit. A lot of 80s albums are damaged by the drum production that was en vogue at the time. Damn you Phil Collins!
The main problem with modern masters is that they just brickwall the earlier CD master from the 90s. That takes no effort and damages the music. A tasteful remix and dynamic master could add value to the original recordings.
Re-recording outright however is fraught as a potentially pointless task. Twisted Sister rerecorded Stay Hungry supposedly so it would be "as we always intended" but it sounded even more shit and wasn't the original magic so had no nostalgia to carry it. In reality it was because they fell out with the record label and wanted to have a replacement out there which actually paid them. I bet they made about $40 bucks from the whole debacle.
The upcoming rerecording of Paradise Lost Icon will be an interesting exercise. They've done it because they have no rights to the original masters and wanted to celebrate its 30 year anniversary. I really liked that album but haven't heard it in so long because I only had it on cassette! Therefore, I could get the new one and enjoy it on its own merits.
That is my plan.
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43 minutes ago, Arioch said:
Forbidden - Twisted into Form (1990)
I love this band! And I'm HAPPY to see them back in action, even if Russ Anderson is unfortunately not with them (the new singer is doing very well).
And on Twisted, Forbidden have mastered their art perfectly. It's a less crazy album than Forbidden Evil but I find it more homogeneous. Everything I love about them is even more pronounced, with riffs you can't hear anywhere else. It's all good! A real treat!
Plus one. Twisted into Form is a thrash standard, pretty much perfect.
I saw a clip of the new singer and he seemed to do well. Those are big shoes to fill, and an even bigger t-shirt.
8 hours ago, Dead1 said:I found the vocals in Spill The Blood off putting at times. They're disjointed and sound atonal in context of the song. I love rest of South of Heaven.
It was something much discussed at the time. Spill the Blood is like South of Heaven reprised because the riff is pretty similar. But it works. Jeff at his best.
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53 minutes ago, Arioch said:
I totally agree with what you say about Andy Sneap.
I love what he did in the first two Sabbat, but as a producer, he's a shit.
The same sound applied to every band that comes into his studio, a sound that's clean and powerful but where you rarely hear the cymbals on the drums.
You get the impression that he has a default setting for his equipment and when a band arrives, all he has to do is say: come and welcome! Come on, plug in your instruments, we're recording!
In his defence, I'd just say that the bands he produces don't particularly want to have a personalised sound. Do they come to him because of the prices? His potential reputation?
PS: I have both versions of Nevermore's Enemies of Reality and I too prefer the original edition.
Due to Andy's association with Sabbat I could never not like the guy. Ironically, the production on those Sabbat albums is not great in my opinion and maybe he could even do a good remix if he kept the spirit of the original.
Methinks labels do send work to producers who are a safe pair of hands. Sneap sure has done his time and dedicated his life to metal. But yeah, that samey production is not a selling point, it is just something you live with.
I would love to work with him one day and try and steer things in a different direction but doubt I can afford his rates!
I've worked with another name producer Jaime Gomez Arellano, who did the last 4 or 5 Paradise Lost records (recorded, mixed, mastered) and he is the consummate professional, but he definitely has a "house sound" especially for drums which are just on the wrong side of too polished for my tastes. But others must love it or they wouldn't go to him.
What's on your mind?
in Forum Games
Posted
By "malaise" do you mean stagnant or apathetic? The Attlee government came in in 1945 which was an unusual situation where the population actually voted for its universal best interests. Churchill had just won the war, yet lost the election.
The policies at that time were quite radical and served the greater good. I wouldn't call that stagnant.
"Most historians argue that the main domestic policies (except nationalisation of steel) reflected a broad bipartisan consensus. The post-war consensus is a historians' model of political agreement from 1945 to the late-1970s. In 1979 newly elected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher rejected and reversed it."
I blame TV and advertising....for everything.
It's only with watching the Rugby World Cup on ITV that my 13 year old daughter has been exposed for the first time to mass advertising and the brain melting intellect vacuum that is reality TV. Otherwise, we only ever watched streaming services and BBC from time to time. BBC still has no advertising.
I find television in Australia and New Zealand to be utterly unwatchable. I also once turned on a TV in a hotel room in Detroit and threw up into the waste basket.