Jump to content

What Are You Listening To?


khaos

Recommended Posts

On 11/25/2021 at 1:00 AM, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Listened to that whole Swallow the Sun album. What happened to those guys? I was so completely head over heels in love with them back when Hope came out, that and the debut are absolute masterpieces in my book. This new one is good, I would never say anything they do is not good, but it's just so god damned gentle and pretty and tame most of the time punctuated with a few much too brief bursts of the heaavier stuff with the harsh vox. So frustrating for me because the heavy parts are amazing and I want more of them. Saw them live at the Gramercy Theatre in 2009 with Moonsorrow and it was a great show but I stopped buying their records after Emerald Forest 10 years ago. Guess I must sound like one of those Opeth fans aka whiners that just can't get over the fact that Mike doesn't growl and they don't play death metal anymore.

 

Morguiliath - Occult Sins, New Unholy Dimension, French black metal. Kinda looks like Marilyn Manson might have been on a first name basis with this dude's mom.

 

 

Black/death, war metal are not your favorite flavors I get that. Just like you know CoL sounds like ass to me. And if someone asked me would I rather listen to an Emma Ruth Rundle album or cut my little finger off I'd have to think about it for a sec. But yeah man this is what striking gold sounds like for me. I'm a sucker for anything with an Archgoat or Blasphemy vibe. I could have told you that you would hate it and saved you the trouble.

Fair, and not to be overly contentious the day after Thanksgiving, but to make my implicit point explicit, of the few war/bestial  album I am familiar with (Weregoat, Teitanblood, Profane Order) and the larger number of so called goat black/death which have grown in number substantially since we've met , I was expecting hours of searching the internet to produce something not so run of the mill, sausage grinder mix and match, spin the wheel on  the war metal....but hey....war is in the eye of the beholder I spose. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you likely expect more out of your black/death than I do Marky Mark. I just want a couple of cool riffs to bang my head to and for it to sound sufficiently filthy & evil. That's it, I'm a very simple man. If it checks those boxes I'm happy. I wouldn't put Satanism on the same level as Teitanblood or Profane Order and the very best that genre has to offer, but those 2 solid little sausage grinder EP's were at least as good as Weregoat. And in my favorite sub-genre that's rife with lackluster sub-par acts that's good enough for me. Sorry you didn't dig 'em.

 

Nice to see you back hanging around a bit more Marky Mark. I had been missing you. I hope you had a lovely turkey day with your family and are enjoying these few days off from work.

Nice to see Navy pop by as well. I hadn't seen him in many weeks so I shot him a text and he replied that he wasn't abandoning us or anything, he had just been super busy lately. And that happens to all of us from time to time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Uncle, I never can really get a rise out of you-haha-you take a punch. I do think that mathematically, given a larger number of albums (think you say about 300) with a narrow focus produces lower quality control over all. That Satanism release on Bancamp was enjoyable enough. Alternately, that Stormkeep album everybody seems to be raving about is just goofy IMO. Guess I like my black metal with a a little more dark mystery and slight of hand and less Blind Guardian. 

Yeah, great to see our boy Navy back.

On a personal level, the switch from virtual to in-person learning in the high expectations school district I work for has placed high demands teachers as we've transitioned to face to face instruction. Ask any special education teacher what the downside of their job is, likely they'll say the paperwork and it is at a fevered pitch now providing compensatory recovery services due to the shutdowns. I really haven't had the time to investigate a lot of new stuff this year.  

Just now, markm said:

Uncle, Goat-Noise, I never can really get a rise out of you-haha-you take a punch. I do think that mathematically, given a larger number of albums (think you say about 300) with a narrow focus produces lower quality control over all. That Satanism release on Bancamp was enjoyable enough. Alternately, that Stormkeep album everybody seems to be raving about is just goofy IMO. Guess I like my black metal with a a little more dark mystery and slight of hand and less Blind Guardian. 

Yeah, great to see our boy Navy back.

On a personal level, the switch from virtual to in-person learning in the high expectations school district I work for has placed high demands teachers as we've transitioned to face to face instruction. Ask any special education teacher what the downside of their job is, likely they'll say the paperwork and it is at a fevered pitch now providing compensatory recovery services due to the shutdowns. I really haven't had the time to investigate a lot of new stuff this year.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At The Gates - The Nightmare Of Being

As a longtime fan who fell out with "Slaughter Of The Soul" after my teenage years and felt consistently let down since the reunion by their placeholder riffs, simplistic songwriting, and seeming lack of effort, this album is a real pleasure. Not a gamechanger, not "showing every other melodic death metal band on the planet how it's done" or any of the fanboy/marketing twaddle I've seen around, but finally something inventive and fun that takes advantage of its own strengths. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Join Metal Forum

    joinus-home.jpg

  • Our picks

    • Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments.  "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears.  A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years.  2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co.  A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

      Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean.  Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto.  'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough.  The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper.  Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.


      There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover).  I don't like Phil's vocals.  I never had if I am being honest.  The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'.  When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch.  Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear.  For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

      Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening".  It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears.  Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough.  Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

      3/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 10 replies
    • I
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
      • Reputation Points

      • 3 replies

    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • Full length number 19 from overkill certainly makes a splash in the energy stakes, I mean there's some modern thrash bands that are a good two decades younger than Overkill who can only hope to achieve the levels of spunk that New Jersey's finest produce here.  That in itself is an achievement, for a band of Overkill's stature and reputation to be able to still sound relevant four decades into their career is no mean feat.  Even in the albums weaker moments it never gets redundant and the energy levels remain high.  There's a real sense of a band in a state of some renewed vigour, helped in no small part by the addition of Jason Bittner on drums.  The former Flotsam & Jetsam skinsman is nothing short of superb throughout "The Wings of War" and seems to have squeezed a little extra out of the rest of his peers.

      The album kicks of with a great build to opening track "Last Man Standing" and for the first 4 tracks of the album the Overkill crew stomp, bash and groove their way to a solid level of consistency.  The lead work is of particular note and Blitz sounds as sneery and scathing as ever.  The album is well produced and mixed too with all parts of the thrash machine audible as the five piece hammer away at your skull with the usual blend of chugging riffs and infectious anthems.  


      There are weak moments as mentioned but they are more a victim of how good the strong tracks are.  In it's own right "Distortion" is a solid enough - if not slightly varied a journey from the last offering - but it just doesn't stand up well against a "Bat Shit Crazy" or a "Head of a Pin".  As the album draws to a close you get the increasing impression that the last few tracks are rescued really by some great solos and stomping skin work which is a shame because trimming of a couple of tracks may have made this less obvious. 

      4/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 4 replies
×
×
  • Create New...