MVMn

P.P.S. Actually maybe Simplefixty will be closer to what you're looking for

Not sure if I know any metal techno hybrids. There was one band I don't remember the name of that basically played metal songs with electronic sounds, but that wasn't techno. Maybe Riikira "M027" - that's like chiptune plays metal, but not with actual guitars. But there are some cyber-metal bands, and trance-metal crossovers. Thee Maldoror Kollective "New Era Viral Order", T3chn0ph0b1a "Grave New World", 2 Times Terror "Equals One Sudden Death" for the first category. Blood Stain Child "Epsilon" (highly recommended!), Silent Descent "Turn to Grey" - for the second one. Also there is stuff like Margin of Error "Destroy.Create.Repeat." Not sure how to classify. I'm not mentioning Sybreed, Neurotech, ...And Oceans "Cypher" and similar stuff - it's not close to any techno. Oh wait, I just mentioned them. P.S. Oh yeah, also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sax-BlhYHus

Well, people still listen to tapes and vynil - so who's to say. Phonograph cylinders aren't exactly all the rage anymore, but there is still a company that makes and sells new ones - https://www.vulcanrecords.com/shop/ So yeah, future is unpredictable.

Murkrat

Inspired by Ruthless Metal quizzes (which have too much emphasis on 80th stuff IMO), I've recently created a couple of metal related quizzes of my own on Sporcle. Who's brave enough to try? https://www.sporcle.com/games/Saur/saurs-metal-quiz-1-1 https://www.sporcle.com/games/Saur/saurs-metal-quiz-2--level-medium-hard Also if you want to try those Ruthless Metal quizzes - here they are: https://www.sporcle.com/user/RuthlessMetal/

Yeah, minidisc is dead. M-DISC is a different thing though. Minidisc had a fatal flaw - lossy compression due to small storage size. So yeah, we're all on streaming services now, iTunes stores etc, owning nothing essentially. Best case - buying FLAC from Bandcamp. But again, this means we're no longer owners of anything. All the rights we have are non-transferable, there will be nothing left after us. So some people still buy CDs, Vynil records or even cassette tapes instead. Just to have that physical copy which you actually own. With CDs I do that and then rip them into FLAC and use that in my laptop and smartphone. So yeah, no significant downsides. I have to do the rip (once) and maintain copies, but for the latter you can still upload files to the cloud if you wish. But it's not complicated. However, CDs don't last that long. Unlike Vynil records - given proper maintenance of course (ideally, don't play and don't touch). But Vynil are analog! Also I think they wear out during usage - that needle still takes out some material from the grooves on each pass. So to have that one perfect physical medium: M-DISC, which lasts basically forever, in MiniDisk form factor with cartridge casing = ideal physical medium for music IMO. It lasts forever, it's protected from scratches and wear, and it's digital. Unfortunately, something like this doesn't exist now. M-DISC at the moment exists in a CD-like format (well, blue-ray DVD is probably closer to it than a CD, but whatever - form-factor wise it's the same thing). Though even for this form factor, I remember magneto-optical drives which had those discs in casings, 5.25 inch. These were widely used for data archival.

Does it? I see this: "The debt holders subsequently started a new company, Yours.co, to sell M-DISCs and related services" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-DISC Or am I missing something?

Well, I guess there are still a ton of tape players available. But yes, I don't understand it either. The booklet is even smaller than the one on CD I would really like for all this to get replaced with M-Disc (AKA Millennial Disc) - this one has 1000 years durability or so. The only downside I see is the form-factor - same as CD. In my opinion, MiniDisk did it better - the small size is doable in terms of data storage amount, and the casing (or cartridge, or call it whatever - a box) will make it last. If you have a disc that lasts for 1000 years if untouched - but can get scratched on day 1 of usage - this kinda defeats the purpose.

Physically it's doable of course, but legally? If you check user agreement - for services like iTunes store the rights are non-transferable. E.g. if you buy some album in iTunes store - only YOU get the right to listen to it. You can copy the files to whomever you want, but this is not legal. It is against the agreement, and thus can be treated as piracy.

I rip all my CDs to FLAC. I also buy FLAC from Bandcamp. Other lossless formats would also work. The only concern I have about the lack of physical medium is that if I ever have children they cannot inherit the digital files AFAIK. For physical medium CDs have only 3 flaws - expire over time, too big in size to comfortably carry around and use in walkman-style players, and don't have a casing to protect them from scratches and other damage. M-Disc in mini-disk format and casing would solve the problem - but such a thing doesn't exist , and creating and popularizing one nowadays just wouldn't work. If it has to by physical and popular - it's ubiquitous CD, or something with big printed pictures (looking at you Vinyls).

The link returns "not found" Anyhow, I've recently created a couple of metal related quizzes on Sporcle - after I saw Ruthless Metal doing that. Who's brave enough to try? https://www.sporcle.com/games/Saur/saurs-metal-quiz-1-1 https://www.sporcle.com/games/Saur/saurs-metal-quiz-2--level-medium-hard

The original list is pretty good, though I'd switch an album here and there (e.g. Wolfheart instead of Irreligious for Moonspell, Cuelty and the Beast for Cradle of Filth, debut for Sirenia etc). The list I'd make though would depend A LOT on how strict we go about defining gothic metal - e.g. do we include gothic doom metal and gothic black metal etc, or just the "pure" gothic metal. And even then we have 2 options - the one that's an "intelligent" kind of metal rooted in western classical music (stuff like Estatic Fear "A Sombre Dance"), and a heavier sounding gothic rock (e.g. Type'o'Negative). Though most of the bands combine those things in various proportions (heck, even Paradise Lost at their supposedly doom metal albums like Gothic had tracks like Shattered, Eternal that with some adjustments to the sound could be made very close to Sisters of Mercy stuff - though one would be hard-pressed to say PL wasn't metal enough back then). So let me try to do kinda 2 lists - the more "pure gothic metal" (which is impossible to get right, I guess) and the more "gothic metal and around" stuff like most of the lists above. So, for that "pure gothic metal": 1. Silentium "Altum" - underrated band, early releases up to Sufferion (including) are a great example of gothic metal, with some more doom influences at demos (Illacrimo and Camene Misera - great ones... if you manage to find them) - as it used to be for many others. 2. On Thorns I Lay "Crystal Tears" - absolute gem of an album that is made to be such by the use of Viola. It's kinda similar to Aegis in a way, though very different at the same time. Criminally underrated. 3. Theatre of Tragedy "Aegis" - need I say more? 4. Avrigus "A Secret Kingdom" - Amazing album from a relatively unknown band. A little bit short (if you exclude all the ambient intros and interludes), but very diverse - though consistent as an album. Great stuff. 5. Enslavement of Beauty "Traces o' Red" - this one comes from sort of a melodic black/death/heavy metal area, but it's definitely not black or death or heavy metal itself, unique stuff, and surprisingly almost no gothic rock influences (unlike subsequent albums), the guitar moves are much closer to some "neoclassic" stuff. Very unique in general and also very little known, I think. So again, criminally underrated. 6. To Cast a Shadow "All Alone" - just a very solid well-made album that fits the genre. 7. Funeral "In Fields of Pestilent Grief" - interestingly sounding more doom-rooted originally (with their brilliant "Tragedies"), but definitely into gothic metal area on this release. 8. The Hourglass "Through Darkness and Light" - the vocalist is on par with Tarja Turunen, but the music is more gothic metal with less pop or goth rock influences than say "Angels fall first" or "Wishmaster", and no power metal unlike "Oceanborn". 9. Madrigal "I Die, You Soar" - rather little known album, but a good one, with less "gothic metal" cliches like soprano female vocals, or gothic rock ones - like typical 1 and 3 beat and deep(ish) male vocals. 10. Lacrimas Profundere "Memorandum" - used to be pretty well known back in the day, worthy of bringing back now. 11. Estatic Fear "A Sombre Dance" - a classic. Not as good as "Somnium Obmutum", but that one was more a gothic doom album genre-wise. This one is a pure gothic metal to be, the one with western classical music base and without the gothic rock influences. It's 11-th, but it deserves a mention. For the gothic influenced stuff that isn't "pure gothic metal": 1. My Dying Bride "The Angel and the Dark River" - a classic 2. Paradise Lost "Draconian Times" - same 3. Rotting Christ "Sleep of the Angels" - some angry reviewer complained it was too close to Sisters of Mercy or something, but that's the whole point! 4. Theatre of Tragedy "Theatre of Tragedy" - this album was overshadowed by the popularity of the two others that came after. But I would argue that "Theatre of Tragedy" is on par with "Velvet Darkness they Fear", and "Aegis" was already a different kind of music. 5. Trail of Tears "A New Dimension of Might" - heavy as f, 6. Tristania "Beyond the Veil" - a classic that needs not much intros. Shifted more into melodic death metal meets gothic metal rather than doom-rooted debut (which is also a great album though). 7. Moonspell "Wolfheart" - another classic that doesn't need much introducing. Tracks like Trebraruna or Alma Mater are probably not exactly Gothic Metal, but the rest fits the definition just perfect. Midnight rides, vampires and some erotic alchemy - what more can one ask for? 8. Sadness "Danteferno" - not a happy listen, but a great album. And "Aphrodite's thorns" is in a genre of it's own. 9. Artrosis "W Imie Nocy" - polish competitors to Theatre of Tragedy. This is probably their best release. 10. Darzamat "In the Opium of Black Veil" - amazing though short EP (which is it's only downside), rooted in symphoblack. It's a pity the band has changed direction since then. 11. Draconian "Where Lovers Mourn" - a classic. Period. 12. Ava Inferi "Burdens" - also a classic. Very nice atmosphere and unique sound. 13. Mystic Circle "The Great Beast" - honorary mention. Other albums by this band don't sound interesting to me at all TBH. But this one... it is just perfect in it's sound. It is like Dark Tranquility "Haven" merged with gothic metal (remember when DT got that groove metal influence, slowed down, had lower vocals, punchier though simpler songs/riffs? Yeah, I love that album - and this is that plus gothic metal, though probably with weaker songwriting).