FatherAlabaster

They're on Bandcamp, though I don't think the new stuff is up yet.

That's ok, buddy, summer is still months away!

Bergtatt rules. Also, Ghouly, if you haven't heard the Dawn album "Slaughtersun" or some of Drudkh's albums, like "Autumn Aurora", they might appeal to you. Or for that matter, Furia - I love their first album, but the later stuff like "Grudzien Za Grudniem" and "Halny" has more of a post-whatever influence. In fact, I'm listening to Slaughtersun now!

Yes... how dare you waste your time studying for a law degree, learning to play music, and training for a competitive sport, when you could actually be doing something productive! ...Honestly, how you feel is how I feel when I'm not involved in some viable artistic project. I've started writing more music and I have some painting ideas, but when I'm not working on something big, I feel like a worthless piece of shit. There's no logic in it, but it's undeniable. I'm glad that I love doing things that are a continual challenge, anyway. To respond a little to what BAN said - like I already mentioned, I've only realized how little my previous job(s) meant to me after a little bit of time away. In its own way, it's been a real boon. It's been a good opportunity for me to figure what I actually do care about. And now I'm filled with a desire to make something out of that, whereas before, I had money coming in, and I couldn't see my way past the daily trials of my job. I didn't know how much it was taking out of me.

Jute Gyte - Isolation

Man, now I want a gyro. Oh well - Bread and cheese. Still a favorite.

Of small stature.

Ghouls - to what BAN said, I'd add that it's normal to want to change your situation when you're dealing with a lot of pressure. You've already made some big changes, and you talk about how good they've made you feel; are they enough? Are they still having the desired effect? Is this just a product of recent events? I know you've said you would love to just run away and travel anyway... I hope you feel better, though I know how useless other people's good wishes can be.

Hi, welcome!

I usually hate the sound, and every band that I've heard classified as "djent" so far makes me grind my teeth. I agree that bad writing and bad , automatic-sounding vocals (by which I mean, they just try to sound like everyone else) characterize a lot of these bands. I suppose that could describe a lot of bands in any genre. I don't like the more overtly "heavy" riffs in the latest Katatonia albums, which is why Night Is The New Day is my least favorite of everything they've done. It sounds forced. I'm happy they moved away from it on Dead End Kings. One thing I've always liked about them is their willingness to be awkward, to actually change their sound and experiment a bit with songwriting - unfortunately I feel like the last time they really did that successfully was The Great Cold Distance. And I still miss the more straightforward, insistent quality of their older stuff. I wouldn't mind hearing them expand their palette again, but embracing the Meshuggah-ripoff cliche would be a bad way to do it.

Nope, that's not what I mean. I'm saying you can't automatically expect age alone to confer a certain level of maturity. Especially in your early 20s. I've seen plenty of people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s do petty, juvenile stuff. And who's to say that you can't be open-minded and an asshole at the same time? Me, too, though in college I made a lot of friends closer to my own age, and I've started getting along with younger people more recently. Lots of younger musicians in the scene here are doing some cool stuff. I also recall that, once my younger brother got a bit older, we started relating a lot better. Gosh... he'll be 30 next year. C3PO suits Relentless. I like it.

That's a good way to put it. There are a lot of sonic and melodic similarities. I always get "The Parting" stuck in my head after listening to this album.

How is there room for TT bars without impaling the other guy?

Jute Gyte - Discontinuities

Frater Ximines is Dead - Missa Brevis Sancti Rosacrucis de Iehovae Odd, necro/industrial black metal. I think this music would have more impact with live drums. Some of the songs are cool, the atmosphere is neat, but overall it's a little lame. They had one song with shrieks that reminded me of that Fleurety EP, the one with the pterodactyl.

I like Draiman's voice, but unfortunately it doesn't save the band for me. I can't get into those guys. I love most of the vocalists Birdy mentioned, but not the Dream Theater guy - he's always put me off. There are lots of skilled vocalists that I can't stand. Steve Perry's stuff in Journey, for instance, made me want to cut my ears off.

Yep, I hear you. I've been really enjoying that Cloudkicker album "Beacons" lately, check it out if you haven't already. Kicks ass.

Honestly - and without wishing to offend JBaker - it does seem like being confined to a wheelchair would be a hard thing for some people to get past. It's such an obvious physical difference. I don't think it's the same as making a "value judgement" about somebody, in the sense that you like or don't like them because of good or bad attributes, but a lot things go through my head when I meet someone who's disabled, like: what happened? Will they need my help? Will they get upset if I offer help, or if I ask about their condition? And of course the worst one - is there anything else wrong that I can't see? I can't stop any of those thoughts from happening; the best I can do is ignore them and move on. Once I've started actually relating to a person it doesn't matter one bit what they look like, but the act of moving beyond those initial thoughts puts its own color on the beginning of a relationship.

I'd make a joke about you being a sociopath, but I don't want for you to get mad at me.

Type O Negative - Dead Again

Banned for posting pictures of Possessed playing on your iPod, instead of redheads with big tits.

@ Iceni: Too analytical. But for what it's worth, I know plenty of people who are either musically omnivorous (not interested in specializing) or just not that interested in music in general. There's nothing wrong with that. I doubt that 98% of the people you meet who name-drop a shitty mainstream band are doing it to slap you in the face with how little they care. For that matter I know some people who are into more mainstream metal, have heard a lot of other (more underground) stuff, and really don't care for it for reasons of production value, dynamics, message, emotional content, whatever. I've said it as a joke before, but I mean it, too - we're the weird ones.