Nasty_Cabbage

Now see, we have completely opposite views on Moonlight Sorcery. Horned Lord... was one of my favorites of last year. As far as the influence I can very much appreciate it being more melodic than normal as long as it's brought into the songs well which I believe Moonlight Sorcery did with flying colors. Just avoid the J-pop anime sounding dogshit and I can dig it. On the vocal front I really don't let it bug me unless they're going for something like Bethlehem that requires a very specific style. And Amott plus whoever's hanging out with him in Arch Enemy these days, was always a little overrated. He can still pull out a nice solo or two, but they're few and far between while the stigma of Gossow fronted AE has been following him since at least Wages Of Sin (and he barely even showed up for Heartwork if we're taking the stories at face value). It's worth mentioning that the first few AE albums before they blew up and got Century Media-ed into the dirt were actually pretty decent. I definitely agree that putting the "blackened" label on any of it is a complete misnomer though. Progressive? Eh, that definition's a little looser even by most prog fans admission, and if they want to call it progressive I have no real genre benchmarks to refute them.

This is not for me. The hip hop cadence of the vocals and one riff verse is kind of grating. You are correct about the instruments, though. The guitar switching to power chords is pretty crisp. Nothing against most joke metal when it's all said and done. The theming evidenced by their name and the outfit of the vocalist for the live footage is almost too narrow and self limiting. If you are going play metal novelty songs you might find out very quickly that there's not as many places to grow into before the joke gets old. Then again if Anal Cunt can build something of a career out of 'sleaze' I can't begrudge these dudes. If you got a good laugh out of it though don't let my conceited opinions stop you.

NP: Faethom - Chaosmorphogoria ▶︎ Chaosmorphogoria | FAETHOM (bandcamp.com) Minor complaint, but I kind of dislike the cover art here. I realize that a ton of hand drawn/painted art is touched up with computers before going to print, but this almost seems lazy by even that standard. It's imitating a hand drawn style you might have seen on concert fliers in the late eighties and early nineties, but the textures are so unblemished it's really disconcerting and unpleasant to look at. Regardless these guys play self-described "blackened progressive" metal, and I can say pretty confidently that if you have even the slightest twinge of a purist streak the blackened part of that description is going to be what you have a gripe with. Occasional harsh vocals do not a blackened album make. If none of that trips your alarm bells though, I'd say you'll probably enjoy this. The songs are well performed and well put together. Instruments are on point. I found it a little weird last year when a bunch of people were trying to throw shade at Moonlight Sorcery for being 'power metal with black metal vocals'. This album better fits that description I think. Again whether you like it or not is going to depend pretty heavily on your tolerance for those genres. Personally I actually like this, but I also like both those genres and have no trouble reconciling their supposed incongruous qualities. It's nice to hear something newer that isn't just unique for uniqueness' sake.

Oh man. I can actually get behind that approach since at the very least it's a personal preference related primarily to how you enjoy consuming your media, and avoids the weird cultivation of nostalgia you see in a lot of entertainment. That part of it, I truly don't understand. I actually have a general preference for physical media in general, but you'll never catch me waxing nostalgic about the tape trading scene from the nineties. Sometimes when I hear people doing that I get a little grumpy. Yes preservation of art in a physical and fixed format that resists future misrepresentations and corruptions is necessary, and it used to be much harder to acquire copies of certain albums that weren't really known in X region of the country. Tape trading was born out of necessity though, and not because of some imagined correlation of obscurity and quality. You both seem to have the right approach though, so kudos. NP: Intricated - Apocalyptic Metamorphosis Apocalyptic Metamorphosis | INTRICATED | INHUMAN ASSAULT (bandcamp.com) Maybe it's because I'll be seeing Dune part 2 in the theater this week, but I've found myself enjoying some brutal death albums over the past few days and Josh Brolin's delivery of the line "They're brutal!" from part one keeps popping into my head. Honestly surprised I haven't heard it sampled yet.

NP: Headless Hunter - The Undertaker ▶︎ The Undertaker | Headless Hunter | Mosher Zero (bandcamp.com) Death thrash from the Netherlands. Somewhat unremarkable, but enjoyable enough to merit an occasional follow up since they've got the chops, the riffs, and the chutzpah you look for in a younger thrash band.

That's an interesting take. I love that album and have from the first second I heard it. Maybe part of the reason it's seen so favorably these days is that nobody has any faith in Azagthoth to really bring the Altars of Madness type of material back. This is also one of those where I feel like sometimes internet underlings spend too much time dwelling on the concept and supposed plot that's said to exist in the lyrics. I've never really taken the time to look through the lyrics, and honestly I don't really care to do so. It has always been about what's on display musically for me, and in that respect it holds it's own even all these years later. NP: House of Atreus - Orations ▶︎ House of Atreus - Orations | Iron Bonehead Productions (bandcamp.com) I am unabashedly going to be 'that guy' and note that listing 'shakespearean' on your MA profile under the "themes" section makes you sound like a drooling cretin. They're from Minnesota as well so they have no excuse for that kind of gaffe. It just needed to be said. Getting back to the music though something about the way they come out of the gate fast and keep everything clear and crisp using folksy black metal tunefulness as a way of resolving their melodies really brings me back to the days when Scandinavian folk was the 'it' thing. Some of these licks would feel right at home on an Ensiferum album from that era. Then as they move along and the folk takes a back seat they change up to a more stark but still energetic mode. Then they keep it up adjusting to whatever style seems to fit the song showing adaptability and intelligence all the way to the Running Wild cover to close things out. Consider me intrigued. I think I'll find one of their full lengths to try and see where they're coming from.

You know, I've always been meaning to check out more Abigor, but for one reason or another they always seem to slip through the cracks with me, which is odd because I really do enjoy the one album I have (channeling the quintessence of satan.) Might be time to get on to the rest of their stuff. NP: Bufihimat - I ▶︎ I | Bufihimat (bandcamp.com) Very rhythm focused tech death from Russia. This is excellent. It's pretty obvious they approach songwriting from a percussive-first perspective, which is definitely the way to go. A strong lead guitar is good, but even the best soloists will usually tell there's almost no substitute for a truly tight and disciplined rhythm section.

NP: Adramelch - Broken History Gave this another spin today. Kind of underrated in the power arena. My only complaint is that there's far too many instrumental orchestra tracks that just don't add much.

NP: Lord Dying - Clandestine Transcendence ▶︎ Clandestine Transcendence | Lord Dying (bandcamp.com) Ummm... Beg pardon Mr. Dying sir, but what the hell is this? The vocal cadence and tone is a dead ringer for Randall Blythe, there's pop-rock hooks all over the place, drumming that reminds me of those dark days on the radio punk plateau when people were pretending that Alkaline Trio and The Distillers weren't just a slightly upbeat form of pop with all traces of punk outside of imagery scrubbed clean. There's experimental vocal effects that flirt with goth rock, and in parts it's even out of key unfortunately. The more tracks I hear the more I reject this. It's like what happened to Mastodon with that Crack The Skye nonsense. No. Nope. I hate this. I hate this so much, and at every corner I feel like they're one truly violent burst away from giving me actual decent metal. I'm disappointed every time. I will not be digging into their back catalogue. The reviews I read were wrong; there's not a damn thing "sludge" about this. What a waste. Oh god, the organ just kicked in, and of course it's like every infantile 'I saw the broadway musical of Phantom of the Opera one time and now I think I like opera' horse shit. I should have seen that coming. Stay away. This is awful.

NP: Yatra - All Is Lost ▶︎ All Is Lost | Yatra | Grimoire Records (bandcamp.com) Well I guess it says "stoner doom" in the description. It's not bad, but I find myself wishing they didn't go back to the well of bluesy doom so much. There's a lot of promise with some of this stuff, but they use the mid-paced blues as a crutch.

I don't mind Gojira. The sound they use just became far too prevalent far too quickly. Like a lot of things, that stuff is best in small doses. Whispers fall flat more often than not, for me. Actually, prior to my pituitary gland settling down into a more even temperament I used to rail and rave about whole albums being ruined by spoken passages. It's a cliche like the waifish whispery narrator carrying the exposition of a sci-fi or fantasy film (Think David Lynch's Dune). It's really hard to get right and not sound comical. The one major exception I grant on this is Mayhem's Grand Declaration of War album which I've always felt was really underrated. It just doesn't quite work without the spoken passages in a weird but forceful Scandinavian accent. If anything ruins that album it's the electronica track, but the less said about that the better. NP: LVME - Of Sinful Nature. ▶︎ Of Sinful Nature | LVME (bandcamp.com) This is outright Deathspell Omega worship plain as day. I like good Deathspell to varying degrees, and don't really have the patience for bad Deathspell (my God that last album was some low effort junk). If Deathspell were to release this today I'd file it under the 'good' category, so I guess that's something. It's tough to judge worship albums like this when they're capable, just know what you're getting.

None taken. For the record, it was MacabreEternal who had lost some one or seemed about to. I was just piggybacking of Navy's comments about 'getting to choose' not to endure the pangs of the later years. I personally am not one to stand on ceremony either, but these things come with their own load of complications from a lot of different sources, and for a lot of people sort of build funeral preparations into their grieving process. The absolute worst I think is when you have family members who don't like each other and may choose to bring their personal feelings for one another into the funeral arrangements. It becomes an absolute nightmare very quickly. I've seen enough of it to know. My dad for some reason seems petrified that my siblings and I will fight over some foolish thing he wants to leave us, and I have to reassure him from time to time that a.) after all these years we're just not the type of people to do that, and b.) Even though I value what my parents intend to leave me, I would sooner see it all go elsewhere than destroy my relationship with my siblings. I am simply not wired to behave in any other manner. But I absolutely understand not wanting to attend or become heavily involved in the ritual side of things, and, like you, my grief process is private and conducted in solitude. I do get a little frustrated on occasion when I might tell this to somebody and I see the alarm bells going off in their head. If I say I'm fine or I will be fine it would be really nice if people took that as my word. I just have to keep in mind that the intention is correct, even if the result can be bothersome.

Seconded. As far as manner of death goes, I'd refer you to my prior post regarding the Rhino at the zoo. In all honesty though one thing you learn with funeral arrangements is that it's the domain of the living. I've been to so many open casket funerals where I knew the deceased had wanted (and in a few cases gotten in writing) a closed casket. People need to be given a chance to say goodbye even if it's only to the shell of a former animal turned current object. If a display like that seems an indignity prior to death, just understand that we are undignified creatures, and bear that indignity (for yourself or some one you knew and loved) with the same humility that earned yourself or them the love of others in the first place.

NP: Neurectomy - Overwrought ▶︎ Overwrought | Neurectomy (bandcamp.com) Good stuff. I'd love to see them on tour with Origin or something similar. They inject what's essentially brutal death metal with a much needed mid-neck (The guitar neck, not the human neck. Brutal death has always had that one covered) dynamic. It gives them a little more room to play than say Wormed or the like. Rhythmically it's actually a little behind the curve their contemporaries have set, but they sound young. They sound like they're having a blast, and they've got more than enough musical space to explore and till for ideas. I like it. Closest comparison I would say is Decrepit Birth.

Quiet day around here. NP: Oniricous - Los Cultos Del Ghoul ▶︎ Los Cultos del Ghoul | Oniricous | BlackSeed Productions (bandcamp.com) Reminds me of Necrowretch who I enjoy. The solos are nifty as well. Not flashy, but get the job done. Good headphones music for me to spend entirely too much time building up a new Elden Ring character that I'm comfortable taking into the dlc when it drops since my old character is apparently lost to the ether.

Torture Chain - Reign of Deimos ▶︎ The Reign Of Deimos | Torture Chain | Hospital Productions (bandcamp.com) I strongly suspect these drums are programmed. They're almost too precise in the actual length of each individual beat. I'm fully aware that blasts can often create that effect though, so if they are real they're probably the most technically impressive part of the album. Maybe not on the level of Proscriptor, but then who is. The rest of what matters is actually right in the sweet spot for me. Dual guitar lines that pair and separate and keep the sense of each track being a journey through winding musical states that don't necessarily resolve where you'd think. Any time wasted on atmospheric buildup is kept to a minimum and to the point directly. The vocals are capable and they stay largely out of the way. I like it.

I realize it's been said many times before by many others, but God I hate this album cover. It's existence and publication is a justification for firing any and all artists and simply using AI. NP: Fissure of Riddles - The Marble Realm ▶︎ The Marble Realm | Fissure of Riddles (bandcamp.com) An English band called Fissure of Riddles that labels themselves as progressive sludge post-metal? Made me feel like this is was either going to be the best or the worst thing I hear all week. Instead it's just kind of toothless and unremarkable. I don't know. The progressive element blended with the sludge is fine. You'd think there'd be some fertile musical ground there, but for some reason it just feels a little lifeless. Sludge isn't exactly a genre that uses a ton of hooks, and post-metal seems to actively delight in avoiding them. It just sorta stops any momentum dead in it's tracks.

Slayer is Slayer. Kerry King's a little overrated as a soloist, but still serves his purpose in that band well. They're all a little old now, with some band members being deceased it doesn't surprise me if they don't really want to go back to doing long hard road warrior tours. NP: Ruyyn - Chapter II: The Flames, The Fallen, The Fury Chapter II: The Flames, The Fallen, The Fury | RüYYn | Les Acteurs de L'Ombre Productions (bandcamp.com) Little long winded from song to song. The atmosphere is there, but there's just not much in the way of ideas.

I'm in agreement that truly excellent horror films are far rarer than they should be. Don't know about lumping Blair Witch and it's insufferable characters with no payoff as being quality though. Scream was also really clearly the precursor to meta-horror like Cabin In The Woods and Tucker and Dale, but that self aware trope thing is wearing really thin with me. Then there's Hollywood's awful tendency to try and remake and adapt anything where they happened to find a nickel on the ground the day of filming. Seriously a remake of Straw Dogs? Who in the hell was asking for that? They clearly don't know what they're doing anymore. I'd definitely say we've got it a little better now than we had in the nineties and aughts. I enjoyed Hereditary as I said, and we've had a few flawed, but interesting attempts to test the waters with the audience. The Witch was almost certainly the most well crafted of these from a technical perspective. I had major issues with Midsomer, but I get why some people would like it, and it certainly makes a mockery of that stupid Wicker Man remake that was attempted (again Hollywood, who's idea was that? Fire them yesterday). Overall though I don't really see American horror films getting anywhere near the big three in the foreseeable future (The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Shining). There are diamonds in the rough, but goddamn is there a lot of rough.

NP: Kaskaskia - Autumnal Fleecian Spirit ▶︎ Autumnal Fleecian Spirit | Kaskaskia | Canti Eretici (bandcamp.com) Short little EP. Recording is of course clearly not a concern for them, and the fairly minimalist melodic and atmospheric lines are really simple and distinguishable even with the molded shag carpet their mic is stuck under, so eh. It's just not that good and not particularly creative.

NP: Kobold - Chaos Head I posted the link and cover a while back so I'll spare that, but I've been coming back to this album a lot lately. That intro to Medieval Cam-Whore Punk has got to have one of the weirdest lead ins I've heard in years, and when that guitar chug actually kicks even though it's slightly more in the background than some of the higher notes it still has the heft to cave in some sternums. Thing is the whole album is sorta like that. There's no mistaking this group for a different band for sure. Of course it's not in the league of something like Bonded By Blood but I mean it when I say every single track has something interesting to show. What a unique band.

Are you more of a true crime/serial killer guy? I ask because I gravitate toward the supernatural in my horror films, and Hereditary definitely hit the right notes for me, but I know people who simply can't stand make-believe in horror, and that was their problem with the film. They usually enjoy movies like Fincher's Zodiac and it's ilk, and I definitely respect the craftsmanship of those films, they just don't really work for me on a horror level. It's sort of like talking to the "hard" sci-fi guys who will carefully discuss and dissect the details of terraforming down to a granular level, but absolutely hate the twist in Event Horizon because it doesn't work for them on an objective and practical level.

Not a tone, but definitely a musically defined style. This happens every so often, and in most cases a lot of the bickering comes from a corner of the metal world that typically rejects and dislikes whatever style their talking about. Just a few weeks ago I nearly had an aneurysm when I saw bands being referred to as "pizza thrash". It cuts both ways though. For the most part I really don't think "groove" is a very apt sound description, and the argument could possibly be made that the term djent, though somewhat nebulous, at least has an onomatopoeian aspect in it's function that could apply as a general catch-all for sound description. That said though, I have no problems leaving the term behind and just going with Meshuggah-esque or some such. It's really not a hill worth dying on.

NP: Ingested - Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering ▶︎ Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering | Ingested | Unique Leader Records (bandcamp.com) Wow. For a brutal/slam band whose first full length came in 2009 this album seemingly has a ton of defenders who regard this album as a classic. Every once in a while I'll go in for this type of thing. Devourment or Skinless are usually my go-to in that case. Weird I hadn't heard this one.

NP: Dream Death - Journey Into Mystery