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At the Gates - 'At War With Reality' 

Let me tell you why this album isn't as good as 'Slaughter of the Soul'. Because it really could be - the music has great melodies and some of those gut wrenching melodic moments. Check out the riff from about 2:40 on 'The Circular Ruins'. Oh my god. 

No, it's not the music. It's because of the lyrics. On 'Slaughter', Tomas is singing about "22 years of pain" and when I was 22 listening to that, it was the coolest thing ever. Most of the lyrics on 'Slaughter' are really upfront and 'real'. The anguished delivery translates to identifiable anguish in our lives. Then check out the lyrics to 'At War With Reality'. All the lyrics are so obscure and symbolic. Even the huge choruses, they're just indecipherable nonsense.

Tomas is singing his guts out, I feel the pain, I feel the angst, then I look up the lyrics in my booklet and he's saying things like, "Deep in the hive of the serpent, we shed the disguises we have worn, a curtain of madmen, we are the illusions we have torn." Um, what? It used to be that he could feel the walls closing in after 22 years of pain, and I could feel them closing in too, but now I'm trying to figure out if serpents even live in hives and what a curtain of madmen might look like. It's just annoying. 

So well done At the Gates for producing a really cool album. Well done to Tomas for singing like all of our souls depend on it. But damn Tomas, write some honest lyrics and stop hiding behind symbols and nonsense. It sucks. You won't look uncool. You look cooler doing it real. 

Also @FatherAlabaster, I'll have no, "They were better with Alf" nonsense from you thank you very much, although I acknowledge there is a large, and valid, fanbase that feels that way. 

By the way, would it kill people who post in this thread to say a word or two about their feelings for the albums they are 'Now Playing'? These random posts that just name bands and albums add nothing to nobody never.  

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6 minutes ago, Requiem said:

At the Gates - 'At War With Reality' 

Let me tell you why this album isn't as good as 'Slaughter of the Soul'. Because it really could be - the music has great melodies and some of those gut wrenching melodic moments. Check out the riff from about 2:40 on 'The Circular Ruins'. Oh my god. 

No, it's not the music. It's because of the lyrics. On 'Slaughter', Tomas is singing about "22 years of pain" and when I was 22 listening to that, it was the coolest thing ever. Most of the lyrics on 'Slaughter' are really upfront and 'real'. The anguished delivery translates to identifiable anguish in our lives. Then check out the lyrics to 'At War With Reality'. All the lyrics are so obscure and symbolic. Even the huge choruses, they're just indecipherable nonsense.

Tomas is singing his guts out, I feel the pain, I feel the angst, then I look up the lyrics in my booklet and he's saying things like, "Deep in the hive of the serpent, we shed the disguises we have worn, a curtain of madmen, we are the illusions we have torn." Um, what? It used to be that he could feel the walls closing in after 22 years of pain, and I could feel them closing in too, but now I'm trying to figure out if serpents even live in hives and what a curtain of madmen might look like. It's just annoying. 

So well done At the Gates for producing a really cool album. Well done to Tomas for singing like all of our souls depend on it. But damn Tomas, write some honest lyrics and stop hiding behind symbols and nonsense. It sucks. You won't look uncool. You look cooler doing it real. 

Also @FatherAlabaster, I'll have no, "They were better with Alf" nonsense from you thank you very much, although I acknowledge there is a large, and valid, fanbase that feels that way. 

By the way, would it kill people who post in this thread to say a word or two about their feelings for the albums they are 'Now Playing'? These random posts that just name bands and albums add nothing to nobody never.  

They were better with Alf.

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Wintersun - 'The Forest Seasons'

This is an amazing album that continues the trend of improvements in Wintersun's discography. This album is seriously amazing. Buy the album and read the lyrics, it just works so well. 

Also, if you get the chance to see Wintersun live, do it. I was a hater, just like you, then I heard this album and saw them live. If Jari wants a swimming pool in his newly built studio, I'll scoop out the leaves. 

Great artwork and band member photos too by the way. 

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12 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Spasme - Deep Inside   ...Mathieu Marcotte's band before Augury. Somewhat technical Canadian DM with a moody, mid-paced overall vibe. @Iceni, maybe you'd like it, maybe not off-the-wall enough?

 

I'll give it a shot. Don't remember liking Augury but I might have warmed up to them. Hell, I don't even hate Khanate any more, it's worth a try.

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9 hours ago, Iceni said:

I'll give it a shot. Don't remember liking Augury but I might have warmed up to them. Hell, I don't even hate Khanate any more, it's worth a try.

The Augury album "Fragmentary Evidence" is really, really good, if you're in the mood for tech death with melody. I'd recommend that before Spasme, honestly.

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I've just recently discovered "Revocation" after listening to their last two albums "Great is our Sin" and "Deathless".  The guitar work is otherworldly, with complex melody and a relentless attack.  The only thing I'm still unsure of is the occasional clean vocal here and there.  Not that his voice is bad (sounds like Matt Heafy but less monotone), I just think it's unnecessary. Does anyone here like them/dislike them?  They're consider melodic death/thrash so I would love to get @RelentlessOblivion's opinion on that ;)

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Can´t help it, Forest of shadows is my new "favourite band".. sad, melodic, gloomy, atmospheric.. absolutely everything i look from my music these days.. It´s not too complicated, but it just gives me what i need currently.. 

 

 

On 06/11/2017 at 4:06 PM, Requiem said:

Wintersun - 'The Forest Seasons'

This is an amazing album that continues the trend of improvements in Wintersun's discography. This album is seriously amazing. Buy the album and read the lyrics, it just works so well. 

Also, if you get the chance to see Wintersun live, do it. I was a hater, just like you, then I heard this album and saw them live. If Jari wants a swimming pool in his newly built studio, I'll scoop out the leaves. 

Great artwork and band member photos too by the way. 

I must agree.. it´s not even my usual genre.. but seems the old and new Wintersun just stays on my playlist year after year.. 

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2 hours ago, ButterLettuss said:

I've just recently discovered "Revocation" after listening to their last two albums "Great is our Sin" and "Deathless".  The guitar work is otherworldly, with complex melody and a relentless attack.  The only thing I'm still unsure of is the occasional clean vocal here and there.  Not that his voice is bad (sounds like Matt Heafy but less monotone), I just think it's unnecessary. Does anyone here like them/dislike them?  They're consider melodic death/thrash so I would love to get @RelentlessOblivion's opinion on that ;)

I'll be honest I haven't heard them. Melodeath/thrash though reminds me of Deceased whose 'Supernatural Addiction' album is fantastic technical melodeath/thrash.

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6 minutes ago, RelentlessOblivion said:

I'll be honest I haven't heard them. Melodeath/thrash though reminds me of Deceased whose 'Supernatural Addiction' album is fantastic technical melodeath/thrash.

There are actually some simillarities and if you enjoy the cleans you'd probably get a kick out of it.  I think you play guitar right?  If so, you will probably really get a kick out of them.

 

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