What Are You Listening To?

[GoatmasterGeneral]

6 hours ago, CumBloodSucker said:

CBS most played bands according to lastFM 201 - 3000…?

No point in going forward. The list keeps changing too rapidly. But here's one nice picking from the pile.

Archspire. Another band my brother loves a lot and I hate my guts out of it. They should launch that band along with that prog-space shuttle. Might give some speed to save a few hours from that long journey, he he.

---

Yesterday's most played artists. 

Clandestine blaze (30)

Behexen (20)

Incantation (20)

Deströyer 666 (18)

Cadaveric incubator (17)

Doom (16)

Repulsion (14)

Revenge (11)

Goatsblood (8) Sludge

Sick urge (8) hardcore/powerviolence

--

Currently listening some experimental bm aswell

Anubi - Mirties metafora, Lithuania

 

We'll get Archspire on the next tech death shuttle. This one's gonna have to be a bit bigger like Noah's Ark so we can fit them all on there. We'll gather all the tech death bands two by two and blast them into outer space. Large crowds will gather to wave goodbye. We can let the drummers stay here with us on Earth though because they can probably be retrained to play black and death metal. No sense letting perfectly good drummers go to waste.

 

4 hours ago, JamesT said:

"Titans of Creation" is phenomenal!  It's my second favorite Testament album of them all, only behind "The Gathering".

While Overkill is my favorite thrash band of all time, and I've loved every second of every album beginning with "Ironbound" and extending up through "Scorched" (in terms of their modern output), Testament's latest offering (as of right now) is pure genius.  Not better than Overkill, but still very good.

Chuck is still going strong these days, and I can't wait to see how they follow up "Titans of Creation".  Each of these last 4 albums now has been fantastic.  

At least Jimbo understands even if the Ockers don't. Titans might be better than a lot of other things, not saying it's a bad record per se, but it's not better than Overkill. And it's not in the same stratum with some of Testie's older stuff as far as most (not all apparently) of us older guys would be concerned. We all love Chuck, but if you can't hear that his voice is shot at 62 then I don't even know what to tell you.

But naturally we all have our own rankings for things that make perfect sense to each of us and that's cool. Jimbo's young dude perspective rankings where all these bands' newer albums are at the top and their older classics are at the bottom makes sense to him and that's all that matters. To him. But if you really think Testament's last 4 are their best 4 I have to laught at that. I respect you brah, but from this old guy's perspective that's just funny.

Alright Jimbo, now that we've got all the Testie talk out of the way, let's get down to business. From one Overkill Fanboi to another, please explain to me how you think Ironbound and Grinding Wheel and WDA are on the same level with albums chock full of great songs like Wings or Electric, or even Killbox or Bloodletting, much less Horror or TO. Go have a listen if you need to, I'll wait. Take your time, take a few days if you need to. When you're ready let's talk specifics.

I'll start with my assessment: Ironbound, which came right on the heels of two of their absolute worst albums, contained 3 really good standout tracks: The title track, Green & Black and the closer The SRC. All the songs in between were forgettable throwaway cookie-cutter bullshit. IMHO. It's like they were in DD's studio one night watching hockey and drinking beer and someone said ok these songs we've got aren't really that good so maybe if we ratchet up the tempos and play them really super fast people won't notice how bad they suck? Pissed me off when they played Bring Me the Night live last year cuz I fucking hate that song. That's not the Overkill I know and love.

[agamerwholovesmetal]

listening to loudwires 50 best thrash albums

47. Spectrum of death (1989) - morbid saint 

I'm kicking myself for not getting around to this album sooner. it's one of the best death/thrash albums I've heard even if it is technically just a re-released demo. 

[GoatmasterGeneral]

Just now, agamerwholovesmetal said:

Listening to Loudwires 50 best thrash albums

47. Spectrum of Death (1989) - Morbid Saint 

I'm kicking myself for not getting around to this album sooner. It's one of the best death/thrash albums I've heard even if it is technically just a re-released demo. 

Hard to critique a list from the bottom up when we get one album at a time, but Spectrum's a great album and it would seem, like Demo Hammer, that these records would deserve higher spots on the list.

[agamerwholovesmetal]

3 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Hard to critique a list from the bottom up when we get one album at a time, but Spectrum's a great album and it would seem, like Demo Hammer, that these records would deserve higher spots on the list.

yeah sorry about that. im going to try and do 2 or 3 albums from here on and yeah they definitely deserve to be higher

[Nasty_Cabbage]

59 minutes ago, agamerwholovesmetal said:

Listening to loudwires 50 best thrash albums 

48. Forward to termination (1987) - sacrifice 

add this album to the "underrated band from Canada who made one of the best albums in the genre that's sadly overlooked" pile. also, I want to point out the minor typo where they say the album is from 1985, they correct it in the paragraph where they talk about the album but I thought I would mention it anyway.

That album is incredible. Don't sleep on Torment in Fire either.

NP: Wolftower - The Unholy Embrace of a Vampire

▶︎ The Unholy Embrace of a Vampire | Wolftower (bandcamp.com)

Was always more of a Frankenstein hugger myself.

[GoatmasterGeneral]

4 hours ago, Nasty_Cabbage said:

Interesting to see Ironbound get ragged on a little. I always viewed that one as being one of their strongest among their new output.

Testament is a band I'm always pulling for. They've come so close to putting out something on par with their classics a couple of times now and it always feels like something different is missing. I can tell you who I'd rather see hang it up though: Kreator. I can't recall the last time I was even halfway excited for a new album. I think the last one I really had a go at was Phantom Antichrist, and listening to that was like getting a blowjob from an old lady with dentures: plastic and toothless. I don't really trust Destruction to come back in any meaningful way. I'd put my money Sadus could get it together to put out one more beast of an album even if Out For Blood was a hot mess. Maybe Tankard, Heathen, Exhorder, or Sanctuary, but now I'm just namedropping hoping somebody returns to form.

You're likely not a massive Overkill fanboi so you probably don't understand the depth of their catalog which is 20 deep. I wouldn't put Ironbound in their bottom 5, but it's grossly, unjustly overrated. That was the album that came at a time when they had lost their way for several years and somehow they finally figured out that one thing their fans really wanted was more speed. So they gave them speed. Blazing speed was like that album's gimmick, it's their speed metal album. And I get why people want thrash bands to play fast. My problem is aside from the three tracks previously mentioned, the songwriting on that one (like on the two albums preceeding it) was average at best. At best!

Hate Kreator. I did like them quite a bit at one time, but the last Kreator album I can say I liked unreservedly I believe was called Pleasure to Kill. Destruction was the band from that group that I really wanted to like the most but it seems like almost all of their albums were fraught with problems. In hindsight Sodom ended up being by far the best of that bunch, but who saw that coming?

I'd also say you need to rethink your stance on toothless blowies. Pro tip: have her take her dentures out first and Bob's your uncle.

 

 

38 minutes ago, agamerwholovesmetal said:

Yeah sorry about that. I'm going to try and do 2 or 3 albums from here on, and yeah they definitely deserve to be higher.

Don't apologize, you're good man. I'm enjoying your top 50 thrash albums breakdown. It's a good conversation starter.

I agree that Sacrifice is pretty good, but in this case I'd say they're about where they belong on the list. Because we know there's better stuff yet to come. Hopefully anyway. It's been some time since the link was originally posted so I've forgotten what all was on the list already.

[CumBloodSucker]

Today's top ten bands.

Wulkanaz (23)

Purtenance (22)

Arnaut pavle (18)

Lack of interest (18) powerviolence

My dying bride (18)

Wolfsmond (18)

Förgjord (14)

Anubi (12)

Of feather and bone (12)

Damaar (10) 

 

2 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Hate Kreator. I did like them quite a bit at one time, but the last Kreator album I can say I liked unreservedly I believe was called Pleasure to Kill. Destruction was the band from that group that I really wanted to like the most but it seems like almost all of their albums were fraught with problems. In hindsight Sodom ended up being by far the best of that bunch, but who saw that coming?

I'm not that much into thrash, but I prefer the German thrash more than the American. Exodus, Dark angel, Possessed, Slayer played it tight and with energy, but despite the flaws the German albums have, they feel more barbaric. Raging steel is probably my favorite thrash album right down to cover art.

 Overkill hasn't never sparked in me. Too slow and vocals aren't right. I take Iron angel instead though they sound more speed metal than thrash.

 

[Nasty_Cabbage]

NP: Ekrom - Uten Nådigst Formildelse

▶︎ Uten Nådigst Formildelse | Ekrom | Edged Circle Productions (bandcamp.com)

You're going with a pink cursive font over a black and white picture? Really? Music's kind of average.

[Serpentboi1992]

[GoatmasterGeneral]

1 hour ago, Nasty_Cabbage said:

You're going with a pink cursive font over a black and white picture? Really? Music's kind of average.

They'd originally planned on red cursive but they were offered a discount on the pink that could not be resisted. Either that or they were trying to virtue signal to the alphabet community and now Kid Rock and Ted Nugent will have to make videos of themselves shooting up Ekrom albums and other bands using poseur pink font with their AR-15's. 

 

1 hour ago, CumBloodSucker said:

Today's top ten bands.

Wulkanaz (23)

Purtenance (22)

Arnaut Pavle (18)

Lack of Interest (18) pv

My Dying Bride (18)

Wolfsmond (18)

Förgjord (14)

A (12)

Of Feather and Bone (12)

Damaar (10) 

 

I'm not that much into thrash, but I prefer the German thrash more than the American. Exodus, Dark Angel, Possessed, Slayer played it tight and with energy, but despite the flaws the German albums have, they feel more barbaric. Raging Steel is probably my favorite thrash album right down to cover art.

 Overkill hasn't never sparked in me. Too slow and vocals aren't right. I take Iron Angel instead though they sound more speed metal than thrash.

Another bangin' top 10! I've just never heard of Lack of Interest or Anubi. Or A? Just A? And I've never really gotten heavily into MDB either but I don't hate them or anything. The rest though are all 🤘🐐🤘🐐🤘🐐🤘

As far as my love of Overkill, I just happened to grow up in New York at the exact right time to be there at the very beginning of thrash when bands like Overkill and Anthrax were playing lots of NY shows, in Overkill's case we found them even before they'd gotten any albums out. I had no problem walking away from Anthrax after a few years because I just lost interest after the comic book songs started appearing in their live shows and then the very mediocre Among the Living album in '87 which was their commercial breakthrough, but it was just a bit too mainstream for me. Then the next two Anthrax albums were straight garbage and I basically forgot all about them, but they sold enough to propel them into the Big 4.

Overkill however is in my DNA. Much more to me than just a nostalgia blast from the past, they're the premier (US) 80's thrash band. They've been much too big a part of my personal musical journey for far too long for me to ever be able to simply walk away from them. I can totally understand how younger metalheads born in the 80's and 90's wouldn't feel the same way about them as my tired old ass does. I like their faster stuff, I like their slower stuff, I like the mid-paced stuff, I like the older stuff, the newer stuff, the groove stuff, I like all of it.

Love Iron Angel too, especially their debut, but comparing them to Overkill is like apples to oranges, virkaveli.

 

Ride high! Ride tall! Overkill will never fall
Full moon! Sharp sword! Satan is your Lord
Midnight! Dark sky! Overkill will never die
Blood bath! Die fast! Overkill the Devil's wrath

Overkill - Overkill 1985, kids in the pit would go fucking mental when they played this one.

 

[Thatguy]

6 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

We'll get Archspire on the next tech death shuttle

You lot just hate fun.

[AlSymerz]

 

[GoatmasterGeneral]

12 minutes ago, Thatguy said:

You lot just hate fun.

As our resident thrash and punk hater we could say the same about you. You don't like The Ramones? What about Zeke? Iron Reagan? What's the matter, you hate fun?

For your next project you should do an album of classic punk covers just using samples from the London Philharmonic.

1 minute ago, AlSymerz said:

 

I've heard this before but this is awesome. 

[AlSymerz]

I just wanted to prove to Doc that some of us can have fun

[GoatmasterGeneral]

16 minutes ago, AlSymerz said:

I just wanted to prove to Doc that some of us can have fun

You can't prove anything to Doc. He's already got his mind made up and he's impervious to our Yank/loudmouth and bogan/farmer logic, respectively. 

[AlSymerz]

I like to pretend he's a real metal head and just posts weird stuff to try and make people think he isn't.

[GoatmasterGeneral]

He's clearly not an OG metalhead in the same way some of us are OG metalheads. But that's OK I welcome the good doctor and his droll sense of humor into the metalhead community. He's one of us now even if he wasn't a long-haired, bullet belt wearing, biker-jacketed hardcore metalhead pit-banger 40 years ago like we were.

[navybsn]

Good to see stuff like Morbid Saint and Deathrow showing up here. Without checking out the links, I'm hoping to see some other more obscure stuff show up like Blind Illusion, Paradox, Deathwish, Devastation, Holy Moses, Artillery, Evil Army, Sadus, Hypnosia, Violent Force, Atrophy, Watchtower, Nuclear Assault, Hirax, Rigor Mortis, Wrathchild America, Mortal Sin, Hobb's Angel of Death, and so many others that tend to get criminally overlooked. Most of these bands only had 1-2 really good albums, but they are definitely worthwhile. My musical tastes may have progressed, but old school thrash will always be my first love.

[Thatguy]

Stoically pushing on despite the chatter...

DRUNE - Drown. Rather lovely doom.

THE GORGE - Mechanical Fiction. Hmm, how to describe this? Rather like Adrian Bellow era King Crimson but more metal and harsh vocals. It's fun, chodes.

 

[Nasty_Cabbage]

2 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

They'd originally planned on red cursive but they were offered a discount on the pink that could not be resisted. Either that or they were trying to virtue signal to the alphabet community and now Kid Rock and Ted Nugent will have to make videos of themselves shooting up Ekrom albums and other bands using poseur pink font with their AR-15's. 

 

I figured it was somebody's daughter whose goth phase lasted just long enough to select the picture and watch a single viewing of The Craft. By the time she was choosing a font we were back to pink cursive and princesses. I'll bet by next week she'll be into Wes Anderson movies and Thora Birch.

NP: Appalooza - The Shining Son

▶︎ The Shining Son | Appalooza | Ripple Music (bandcamp.com)

 

[AlSymerz]

1 hour ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

He's clearly not an OG metalhead in the same way some of us are OG metalheads. But that's OK I welcome the good doctor and his droll sense of humor into the metalhead community. He's one of us now even if he wasn't a long-haired, bullet belt wearing, biker-jacketed hardcore metalhead pit-banger 40 years ago like we were.

If someone has a decent photo of him we could make him a long haired bullet belt wearing biker jacketed hardcore metalhead pit banger

 

1 hour ago, navybsn said:

Good to see stuff like Morbid Saint and Deathrow showing up here. Without checking out the links, I'm hoping to see some other more obscure stuff show up like Blind Illusion, Paradox, Deathwish, Devastation, Holy Moses, Artillery, Evil Army, Sadus, Hypnosia, Violent Force, Atrophy, Watchtower, Nuclear Assault, Hirax, Rigor Mortis, Wrathchild America, Mortal Sin, Hobb's Angel of Death, and so many others that tend to get criminally overlooked. Most of these bands only had 1-2 really good albums, but they are definitely worthwhile. My musical tastes may have progressed, but old school thrash will always be my first love.

I've posted more than half of those bands here, but I recently went on a hunt for more obscure shit from the 80's and 90's. Of course some of it turns out to be not that obscure and some of it turns out to be shit.

[Dead1]

2 hours ago, AlSymerz said:

I just wanted to prove to Doc that some of us can have fun

This'll learn him!  About as much fun as you can possibly have.  Death to the patriarchy!

 

 

17 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

 

I do think maybe you need to listen to some of the newer Overkill albums a little closer. Particularly Wings of War and Electric Age. They're no Horrorscope or Taking Over but they're lot better than Ironbound, and a lot better than this. Which is not to say I think this is terrible, I thought that Ishtar's Gate song was pretty good. And it's still a lot better and more listenable than contemporary Megadeth or what any of the 'big 4' or any other 80's bay area bands I can think of are doing. I guess it's roughly on par with Exodus, but I haven't heard but a few seconds of their latest. I think for many of us it really comes down to which vocalist we prefer. In his prime Chuck Billy was better than all of them. Now I think Blitz is the only one who still has 'it' and he's the oldest one out of all of them at 64.

I sold Electric Age after owning it for several years.  It bored me.   Same with all Overkill post Ironbound.  They're too stuck in a formula.  Incidentally if I had heard Electric Age or Wings of War first, I probably would prefer them over Ironbound.

 

Basically modern Overkill albums are interchangeable.  IMO they exemplify the Nuclear Blast approach - find a formula that sells (in this case Ironbound) and then stick with it. 

Production doesn't help - it's typical sterile Nuclear Blast 101.  Testament use it too but the density of their music helps make it less irritating. 

I also think Overkill's modern stuff lack in the killer riffs department.  In fact I'd argue the loss of Bobby Gustafson and then removing Rob Canavino from song writing post Horrorscope were massively damaging to their writing output.

It's basically been the DD Verni show since 1992 and I don't think he has the writing chops.  Occasionally he writes a memorable banger but they're rare.

 

Now up to and including Horrorscope, Overkill are one bad arse band and wrote and played some of the best thrash imaginable.

[Dead1]

13 hours ago, Nasty_Cabbage said:

I can tell you who I'd rather see hang it up though: Kreator. I can't recall the last time I was even halfway excited for a new album. I think the last one I really had a go at was Phantom Antichrist, and listening to that was like getting a blowjob from an old lady with dentures: plastic and toothless.

 

Totally agree.  Kreator have been artistically bankrupt for ages now

They sound almost like Arch Enemy these days and that's not a compliment.  Essentially water down plastic sounding melodic thrash/power metal with "extreme" vocals.

 

[AlSymerz]

Witchburner - Blasphemic Assault

[Dead1]

Integrity - Seasons in the Size of Days