BlutAusNerd

Sacramentum - Far Away From the Sun
@Requiem, have you ever heard this? Seems like it would be right up your alley. These guys are the Swedish melodic black metal elite, I think they're even better than Dissection et all.




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I've posted about them a few times here, but I don't see them being discussed much anywhere online.

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I like that feeling, but nothing truly compares to the excitement of pulling cool shit off the shelf at a record store. That feeling is nice by itself, but when you unearth that gem that you've been after for a while, it's just incredible.

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The crossover band from Connecticut, no question.

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Paradise Lost - Shades of God

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Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise

I can feel a PL run coming on...

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Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise

I can feel a PL run coming on...

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Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise

I can feel a PL run coming on...

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Just had a seriously cool metal evening with my kids. My oldest is taking piano lessons, and we did her homework from her last lesson tonight. They were distracted by my Ziltoid: The Omniscient sock puppet, so I put on the album and played with them with the puppet for a bit and they were giggling like crazy. We got back to the homework, and she breezed through it while the youngest strummed on her guitar. After it was done and she played around on the keys for a bit, she picked up her guitar and was playing and singing with her sister. She insisted that I play the piano while they were playing, and I started messing around and stumbled upon the intro from My Dying Bride's Your River. They thought it sounded cool and stopped playing after a while to join me on the keyboard. I asked them if they wanted to hear where it came from, and they said yes. As soon as I hit play on the song, my oldest started dancing to the music. It fit too, this really pretty flowing pattern that she evolved as the song changed, while the youngest just listened intently. They both loved it, and the oldest said that she could feel the music and loved dancing. It was an amazing experience.

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Just had a seriously cool metal evening with my kids. My oldest is taking piano lessons, and we did her homework from her last lesson tonight. They were distracted by my Ziltoid: The Omniscient sock puppet, so I put on the album and played with them with the puppet for a bit and they were giggling like crazy. We got back to the homework, and she breezed through it while the youngest strummed on her guitar. After it was done and she played around on the keys for a bit, she picked up her guitar and was playing and singing with her sister. She insisted that I play the piano while they were playing, and I started messing around and stumbled upon the intro from My Dying Bride's Your River. They thought it sounded cool and stopped playing after a while to join me on the keyboard. I asked them if they wanted to hear where it came from, and they said yes. As soon as I hit play on the song, my oldest started dancing to the music. It fit too, this really pretty flowing pattern that she evolved as the song changed, while the youngest just listened intently. They both loved it, and the oldest said that she could feel the music and loved dancing. It was an amazing experience.

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Images and Words is the classic that many reach for. I would go with that one.

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Whenever I hear the acoustic guitars on My Arms, Your Hearse, I imagine walking on wet leaves surrounded by trees with the rain coming down on my head. It's a stunning album, with the ending of when in particularly being completely transcendental.

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We have a recommendations thread stuck to the top of the doom metal section, it would be a great place to check out all kinds of sludge, funeral doom, and other doom recommendations. Some of my favorite funeral doom bands are Worship, Evoken, Esoteric, Ennui, Krief de Soli, and Skepticism.

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Pure audio sickness.

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Taking inspiration from our friend @True Belief's melodeath run in the "What Are You Listening To?" thread, I felt it would be a good time to add to this often neglected section of our fair forum.
 
Infinitum Obscure - The Luminous Black:
Infinitum Obscure is a band I posted about in the death metal suggestions thread some time ago, but they certainly merit a mention here. Their sound is kind of like a mid-point between The Chasm (not surprisingly, since some members here served some time in that death metal juggernaut's lineup) and Dissection, showcasing a much more melodic side of the introspective death metal formula pioneered by The Chasm. This is the kind of band that I would recommend to fans of melodic black metal that were looking to get into death metal, and one that fans of melodic death metal that's more than just Slaughter of the Soul regurgitation should dig this too.
Malignant Inception - Paths to Repression:
Here's one that I doubt anyone here will have heard of. Malignant Inception was one of the first death metal bands from Utah, and one that never really made it anywhere, with their biggest claim to fame being that Mike Kimball from one of their earlier lineups would go on to join Dying Fetus. However, the band does have some connection to this forum, as our very own @NTNR was once the bass player in this band. Anyway, the music here on their second album is a big step up from their Suffocation/Malevolent Creation styled debut, with a fairly ambitious and progressive take on blackened melodic death metal. I think this could have taken them places if more people had heard it, but not much escapes the grip of Utah it seems. Anyway, hopefully fans of the style here will enjoy it. 
Orphaned Land - El Norra Alila:
Most people know Orphaned Land for their more recent progressive folk metal albums, which I also quite enjoy, and will admit that they're probably the pinnacle of the band's sound. However, while their older work features many of those same tendencies in less developed ways, it's much more rooted in melodic death metal. They were great with this formula too, so the Orphaned Land album I reach for really depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Anyway, if you don't mind some middle-eastern folk or Paradise Lost styled gothicisms in your melodic death metal, give this a listen, it's good stuff.
Sacrilege - Lost in the Beauty you Slay:
Sacrilege was one of the shining stars of the melodic death metal scene in Sweden, with incredible melodies and a sound that was both heavy and accessible, but they split with Daniel Svensson decided to join the more commercially viable In Flames. Sacrilege does bear some resemblance to the best In Flames releases (Subterranean and Jester Race), but they were always more menacing sounding despite also having stronger melodies. This is a name that deserves to be remembered from the fruitful Swedish melodeath scene, and one that every melodeath fan should enjoy.
Sacriphyx - The Western Front:
Sacriphyx is a more recent Australian band with what I feel is a fairly refreshing take on melodic death metal. While they combine mid-paced, triumphant sounding death metal with classic heavy metal melodies in a way that's somewhat reminiscent of Arghoslent, their melodic tendencies also tend to have a lot in common with those found in the classic Greek black metal scene. This has led to many labeling the band as black metal, but I don't really feel that's accurate. Not that it really matters, this is excellent music that fans of both melodic black metal and melodic death metal should enjoy, and is one that may be a good entry point into the sound for those who don't tend to enjoy the more melodic side of death metal with its more raw production and brutal low vocals.
Soilwork - The Chainheart Machine:
Yes, much like In Flames, Arch Enemy, and other big names in melodic death metal, there was a time when Soilwork didn't suck. This does occupy similar sonic territory to the dreaded Slaughter of the Soul, but as with Darkane's early work, I find the melodies and thrashy riffs a lot more compelling here. I'm not sure if it's because it doesn't sound like the band dumbing down their sounding like At the Gates did so the songwriting feels more natural and less forced, or if they're just better at writing this kind of stuff, but it just works. It's by no means the best melodeath from Sweden or anywhere else, but it's certainly worth a listen.
Stormrider - First Battle Won:
Stormrider is a pretty obscure Swedish band with a somewhat blackened and heavier than usual take on melodic death metal, but even though it wasn't really the popular thing to do at the time, I quite enjoy their sound. This must have contributed to their obscurity, as this was the only YouTube video I could even find for the band. Their sound is fairly relentless, but still manages to incorporate awesome melodies that balance out the heaviness. For those who have enjoyed some of the more crushing offerings that I posted previously from bands like Dawn of Relic and Demonoid, this will be right up your alley.
Suidakra - Crógacht:
Suidakra is a long running German folk/melodic death metal act that despite a career of consistently excellent albums, still seem to be fairly obscure. The folk elements are of the Celtic variety, and are tightly woven enough into their sound that they could also fit comfortably into the folk metal category, as they are well ingrained into the vocals, songwriting, and melodic composition. However, I tend to think of them more in a melodic death metal context due to the guitar heavy approach, with excellent punchy riffs and running tremolo sections beset by blast beats and harsh vocals. Whichever context they fit best in your mind, they kick a lot of ass, so drop what you're doing and push play on this link.
Anata - The Infernal Depths of Hatred:
Anata gets a hefty amount of praise here and among many death metal circles due to their incredible and original tech-death formula, which is an endorsement I can wholeheartedly support. So what are they doing here? Well, their debut album is every bit as top shelf as their later technical offerings, but it's a melodic death metal album in the vein of early At the Gates and Crown of Thorns. Seriously, I don't know why this album isn't worshiped by every melodeath fan, it's that fucking good. I don't care if you skip past every other recommendation here, if you ignore this, we are no longer friends. 
Evocation - Apocalyptic:
The recent resurgence in popularity in death metal (particularly the Swedish variety) has brought about many reunions from older bands who called it quits in the heyday of the genre. Evocation are one such band, but they're not the typical one that you read about, because they didn't do much of anything the first time around. Upon reuniting though, they've had quite the fruitful career, releasing several albums in the vein of classic melodic death meta bands from around the time of their demise. While some tracks are closer to standard Swedish death metal, they still have a strong melodic showing, not unlike what you would hear on earlier Dismember albums. However, a lot of their songs are also more akin to Unanimated, Crown of Thorns, mid-period Hypocrisy, and the like. Anyway, it's pretty good stuff, check it out.

I skip Domination and Illud. Domination is nowhere near as bad as Illud, but even at its best, it's not good.

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From when they were still worth a shit. I was inspired to post about some legit melodeath yesterday after a post from another user got me in the mood. Nice spin.

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They couldn't even write their own music.

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Taking inspiration from our friend @True Belief's melodeath run in the "What Are You Listening To?" thread, I felt it would be a good time to add to this often neglected section of our fair forum.
 
Infinitum Obscure - The Luminous Black:
Infinitum Obscure is a band I posted about in the death metal suggestions thread some time ago, but they certainly merit a mention here. Their sound is kind of like a mid-point between The Chasm (not surprisingly, since some members here served some time in that death metal juggernaut's lineup) and Dissection, showcasing a much more melodic side of the introspective death metal formula pioneered by The Chasm. This is the kind of band that I would recommend to fans of melodic black metal that were looking to get into death metal, and one that fans of melodic death metal that's more than just Slaughter of the Soul regurgitation should dig this too.
Malignant Inception - Paths to Repression:
Here's one that I doubt anyone here will have heard of. Malignant Inception was one of the first death metal bands from Utah, and one that never really made it anywhere, with their biggest claim to fame being that Mike Kimball from one of their earlier lineups would go on to join Dying Fetus. However, the band does have some connection to this forum, as our very own @NTNR was once the bass player in this band. Anyway, the music here on their second album is a big step up from their Suffocation/Malevolent Creation styled debut, with a fairly ambitious and progressive take on blackened melodic death metal. I think this could have taken them places if more people had heard it, but not much escapes the grip of Utah it seems. Anyway, hopefully fans of the style here will enjoy it. 
Orphaned Land - El Norra Alila:
Most people know Orphaned Land for their more recent progressive folk metal albums, which I also quite enjoy, and will admit that they're probably the pinnacle of the band's sound. However, while their older work features many of those same tendencies in less developed ways, it's much more rooted in melodic death metal. They were great with this formula too, so the Orphaned Land album I reach for really depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Anyway, if you don't mind some middle-eastern folk or Paradise Lost styled gothicisms in your melodic death metal, give this a listen, it's good stuff.
Sacrilege - Lost in the Beauty you Slay:
Sacrilege was one of the shining stars of the melodic death metal scene in Sweden, with incredible melodies and a sound that was both heavy and accessible, but they split with Daniel Svensson decided to join the more commercially viable In Flames. Sacrilege does bear some resemblance to the best In Flames releases (Subterranean and Jester Race), but they were always more menacing sounding despite also having stronger melodies. This is a name that deserves to be remembered from the fruitful Swedish melodeath scene, and one that every melodeath fan should enjoy.
Sacriphyx - The Western Front:
Sacriphyx is a more recent Australian band with what I feel is a fairly refreshing take on melodic death metal. While they combine mid-paced, triumphant sounding death metal with classic heavy metal melodies in a way that's somewhat reminiscent of Arghoslent, their melodic tendencies also tend to have a lot in common with those found in the classic Greek black metal scene. This has led to many labeling the band as black metal, but I don't really feel that's accurate. Not that it really matters, this is excellent music that fans of both melodic black metal and melodic death metal should enjoy, and is one that may be a good entry point into the sound for those who don't tend to enjoy the more melodic side of death metal with its more raw production and brutal low vocals.
Soilwork - The Chainheart Machine:
Yes, much like In Flames, Arch Enemy, and other big names in melodic death metal, there was a time when Soilwork didn't suck. This does occupy similar sonic territory to the dreaded Slaughter of the Soul, but as with Darkane's early work, I find the melodies and thrashy riffs a lot more compelling here. I'm not sure if it's because it doesn't sound like the band dumbing down their sounding like At the Gates did so the songwriting feels more natural and less forced, or if they're just better at writing this kind of stuff, but it just works. It's by no means the best melodeath from Sweden or anywhere else, but it's certainly worth a listen.
Stormrider - First Battle Won:
Stormrider is a pretty obscure Swedish band with a somewhat blackened and heavier than usual take on melodic death metal, but even though it wasn't really the popular thing to do at the time, I quite enjoy their sound. This must have contributed to their obscurity, as this was the only YouTube video I could even find for the band. Their sound is fairly relentless, but still manages to incorporate awesome melodies that balance out the heaviness. For those who have enjoyed some of the more crushing offerings that I posted previously from bands like Dawn of Relic and Demonoid, this will be right up your alley.
Suidakra - Crógacht:
Suidakra is a long running German folk/melodic death metal act that despite a career of consistently excellent albums, still seem to be fairly obscure. The folk elements are of the Celtic variety, and are tightly woven enough into their sound that they could also fit comfortably into the folk metal category, as they are well ingrained into the vocals, songwriting, and melodic composition. However, I tend to think of them more in a melodic death metal context due to the guitar heavy approach, with excellent punchy riffs and running tremolo sections beset by blast beats and harsh vocals. Whichever context they fit best in your mind, they kick a lot of ass, so drop what you're doing and push play on this link.
Anata - The Infernal Depths of Hatred:
Anata gets a hefty amount of praise here and among many death metal circles due to their incredible and original tech-death formula, which is an endorsement I can wholeheartedly support. So what are they doing here? Well, their debut album is every bit as top shelf as their later technical offerings, but it's a melodic death metal album in the vein of early At the Gates and Crown of Thorns. Seriously, I don't know why this album isn't worshiped by every melodeath fan, it's that fucking good. I don't care if you skip past every other recommendation here, if you ignore this, we are no longer friends. 
Evocation - Apocalyptic:
The recent resurgence in popularity in death metal (particularly the Swedish variety) has brought about many reunions from older bands who called it quits in the heyday of the genre. Evocation are one such band, but they're not the typical one that you read about, because they didn't do much of anything the first time around. Upon reuniting though, they've had quite the fruitful career, releasing several albums in the vein of classic melodic death meta bands from around the time of their demise. While some tracks are closer to standard Swedish death metal, they still have a strong melodic showing, not unlike what you would hear on earlier Dismember albums. However, a lot of their songs are also more akin to Unanimated, Crown of Thorns, mid-period Hypocrisy, and the like. Anyway, it's pretty good stuff, check it out.

^ True melodeath run spotted!

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One of the guys I worked with at the record store looked a lot like Mortiis, and mind you that I'm making the comparison to Mortiis with the mask. His girlfriend was even more hideous, and her personality was just as unpleasant as her looks. I hadn't thought about them in years, now I have their awful faces in my mind.

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^ True melodeath run spotted!

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Welcome.

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I'm sure that some people are drawn to them for their history and antics, like fans of GG Allin that are just listening to the music as another dimension of fascination with their grotesque personal lives, but the music is more than enough to stand on its own. It's cool if you're not into them, but they're not just some novelty band.

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That's a hell of a Swedish black metal one-two punch.

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As I'm sure everyone knows by now, I'm all about the physical format. There are multiple reasons that have already been stated here, all I can do is reinforce them. The best sound quality, a professional package, something tangible, it all adds up to the best way to listen and experience the album. Even without reading the lyrics much, I still value the booklet for the extended artwork, liner notes, and the interesting little tidbits of info they contain. The few times I have downloaded something, I lose track of it. I'm never at the computer for long, all of my online activity is on my phone, so they don't do me much good. Phone speakers suck, and when you're busy with kids, it's tough to put on headphones and be in any way effective as a parent. I don't get much time to myself to listen to music, but when I do, I want the full experience, ritual included.

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