What Are You Listening To?

[markm]

A couple of snow days for many school systems in Maryland:

Panopticon-Rime of Memory

Mizmor-Prosaic

Afsky- OM HUNDREDE ÅR

Ken Mode-Void

Phobocosm-Foreordained

Vastum-Onward to Gethsemane 

Ragana-Desolations Flower

Big|Brave -Nature Morte

cruciamentum- Obsidian Refractions

[Thatguy]

20 minutes ago, markm said:

A couple of snow days for many school systems in Maryland:

Sunny after a lot of rain here, and that is a really nice playlist.

NP - FOUR TET - Live at Alexandra Palace, 24th May 2023

[RelentlessOblivion]

Carcass - Necroticism

[Arioch]

11 hours ago, AlSymerz said:

I agree with Sabbat and Forbidden but I can't give you Dark Angel because it should be Leave Scars. So as much as you are right I'm righter!!

If it weren't for the soporific instrumental and the Led Zeppelin cover, I'd agree with you, because Leave Scars has a terribly effective, unhealthy edge.

[AlSymerz]

16 minutes ago, Arioch said:

If it weren't for the soporific instrumental and the Led Zeppelin cover, I'd agree with you, because Leave Scars has a terribly effective, unhealthy edge.

I actually think the Zep cover is one of the best Zep covers done, but I like being abnormal

[Arioch]

11 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

I guess this means the time has finally come for me to dive in and listen to these two albums so I can weigh in on this dispute. I know it must be hard to believe, but I've never messed with the UK Sabbat, I only have listening experience with the Japanese black metal Sabbat. I've seen your UK Sabbat come up in conversations countless times over years. But when I hear Andy Sneap and "concept album" I think no that's not something I'd enjoy. "Concept album" just makes me think of like Queensryche or some lame shit and that's not something I want to waste any time on. I'd rather just keep on scrolling. But here goes nuthin', I guess I'll start with Weaver. 

Alright well that was anti-climactic. It wasn't a bad album or anything, I thought it was pretty good. But the way people talk about these Sabbat albums I was expecting a real show-stopper. I was expecting Reign in Blood, Ride the Lightning, Taking Over and The New Order all rolled into one game-changing opus. But could be I set my expectations a bit too high.

It is impossible to experience a 35 year old album for the first time the same way as if it were 1989 again. But beyond that incontrovertible fact, I mean there weren't even really any particular standout songs or riffs, it all just sorta blended together, and the whole thing got a bit tedious by the end of the 44 minutes tbh.

Alrighty then, on to History of a Time to Come. More of the same, I don't hear much difference from this to the other album. A tad faster in spots maybe? Yeah, as the record goes on I think I'll have to choose this one over the other one, it's just the slightest bit more vicious.

I just realized that History was the first album and I played them out of order, so that could be why Weaver sounds maybe just a touch more refined to me. Not refined as in plastic sounding like Mr. Sneap would become known for in later years as a producer, just relative to the debut.

Alright well at least now I've got that out of the way, I've been meaning to listen to these two Sabbat albums for years. 

Not that anyone cares, but for the record, my old goat vote still goes to PtK for best Euro-thrash album ever, even though I can't stand anything else Kreator has ever done since then. Once Mille started singing on every track they've been dead to me.

We'll see who's righter. Looks like my next task will be to listen to these 3 Dark Angel albums back to back to back and deliver my verdict. I've owned Darkness Descends since the 80's and have it in my library so I'll start with that one. Pretty sure I've heard at least some of the other two before but it's been some years. Nobody's chosen We Have Arrived as their fave so I can safely skip that one at least. 

I admit (because it happens to me regularly) that discovering an album 30 or 40 years after its release doesn't give the same pleasure as discovering it at the time of its release. All the more so in this case as both Sabbat albums have dated production and are not modern at all (fortunately: fuck modernity in music!).

When I discovered Sabbat with Dreamweaver in 1989, I was initially captivated by the artwork, especially when I got my hands on the LP. As a fantasy fan, I couldn't help but be won over. Then, the first time you meet the elfin Martin Walkyier, you're surprised by his vocal delivery and the rage in his voice, the way he rolls the r's at the end of his sentences. That was an added bonus.

Then I loved the riffs, all of them, without exception. That's rare for me on an album.

And that muffled sound that clearly lets you know you're not listening to a heavy metal record.

I remember an interview with the band at the time in which Andy Sneap was pictured assisting with the mixing of the album. Thank God he wasn't the producer!

Indeed, as much as I adore Andy for his participation in bands like Sabbat and more recently Hell, I loathe him as a producer. He makes all the albums he produces sound exactly the same, no matter who the artist is. And he doesn't know how to make cymbals sound good. On some albums, it's simple: they're non-existent.

Nevermore's album Enemies of Reality was first released with a borderline demo sound, under the direction of a certain Kelly Gray. The album's reception was lukewarm and it was decided to have it remixed... By Andy Sneap.

Well, I prefer the Gray version to the Sneap version. I have both albums. On the first, you've got a sound that's borderline demo and lacks depth and perhaps power (although...) whereas on the second, it's sorely lacking in personality.

As for Sabbat nipon, I've known it by name for years but never really got into it.

[RelentlessOblivion]

1 hour ago, Arioch said:

I admit (because it happens to me regularly) that discovering an album 30 or 40 years after its release doesn't give the same pleasure as discovering it at the time of its release. All the more so in this case as both Sabbat albums have dated production and are not modern at all (fortunately: fuck modernity in music!).

When I discovered Sabbat with Dreamweaver in 1989, I was initially captivated by the artwork, especially when I got my hands on the LP. As a fantasy fan, I couldn't help but be won over. Then, the first time you meet the elfin Martin Walkyier, you're surprised by his vocal delivery and the rage in his voice, the way he rolls the r's at the end of his sentences. That was an added bonus.

Then I loved the riffs, all of them, without exception. That's rare for me on an album.

And that muffled sound that clearly lets you know you're not listening to a heavy metal record.

I remember an interview with the band at the time in which Andy Sneap was pictured assisting with the mixing of the album. Thank God he wasn't the producer!

Indeed, as much as I adore Andy for his participation in bands like Sabbat and more recently Hell, I loathe him as a producer. He makes all the albums he produces sound exactly the same, no matter who the artist is. And he doesn't know how to make cymbals sound good. On some albums, it's simple: they're non-existent.

Nevermore's album Enemies of Reality was first released with a borderline demo sound, under the direction of a certain Kelly Gray. The album's reception was lukewarm and it was decided to have it remixed... By Andy Sneap.

Well, I prefer the Gray version to the Sneap version. I have both albums. On the first, you've got a sound that's borderline demo and lacks depth and perhaps power (although...) whereas on the second, it's sorely lacking in personality.

As for Sabbat nipon, I've known it by name for years but never really got into it.

That’s interesting, and while I do agree that discovering an album years if not decades, after it was originally recorded, doesn’t give you the same feeling as being there in the moment it doesn’t stop me from being struck by some Albums that I’ve found after the fact. Actually, mine could be a somewhat unique case as my metal journey essentially started with the 70s and 80s, hard rock or traditional metal bands uncovering  thrash several he is later, then stumbling onto the extreme metal side of things further down the line. And even then I started with the early death and black metal scenes before progressing into the 90s, and beyond, almost like I started at the beginning of the heavy music timeline and progressed through in a linear fashion. 

[Arioch]

Slasher Dave - Cannibal Death Gods (2023)

 

[Arioch]

Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)

 

[FatherAlabaster]

Abigor - Taphonomia Aeternitatis   

[JamesT]

28 minutes ago, Arioch said:

Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)

 

My favorite doom metal band!  What an incredible debut - absolutely timeless. 

[Arioch]

Marduk - Opus Nocturne (1994)

 

[JonoBlade]

8 hours ago, Arioch said:

I admit (because it happens to me regularly) that discovering an album 30 or 40 years after its release doesn't give the same pleasure as discovering it at the time of its release. All the more so in this case as both Sabbat albums have dated production and are not modern at all (fortunately: fuck modernity in music!).

When I discovered Sabbat with Dreamweaver in 1989, I was initially captivated by the artwork, especially when I got my hands on the LP. As a fantasy fan, I couldn't help but be won over. Then, the first time you meet the elfin Martin Walkyier, you're surprised by his vocal delivery and the rage in his voice, the way he rolls the r's at the end of his sentences. That was an added bonus.

Then I loved the riffs, all of them, without exception. That's rare for me on an album.

And that muffled sound that clearly lets you know you're not listening to a heavy metal record.

I remember an interview with the band at the time in which Andy Sneap was pictured assisting with the mixing of the album. Thank God he wasn't the producer!

Indeed, as much as I adore Andy for his participation in bands like Sabbat and more recently Hell, I loathe him as a producer. He makes all the albums he produces sound exactly the same, no matter who the artist is. And he doesn't know how to make cymbals sound good. On some albums, it's simple: they're non-existent.

Nevermore's album Enemies of Reality was first released with a borderline demo sound, under the direction of a certain Kelly Gray. The album's reception was lukewarm and it was decided to have it remixed... By Andy Sneap.

Well, I prefer the Gray version to the Sneap version. I have both albums. On the first, you've got a sound that's borderline demo and lacks depth and perhaps power (although...) whereas on the second, it's sorely lacking in personality.

As for Sabbat nipon, I've known it by name for years but never really got into it.

Despite loving HoaTtC from the first moment I heard Hosanna in Excelsis, I didn't hear Dreamweaver until about 2 years ago when I paid 50 squid for it on LP. I don't regret it and it's a cool album but I didn't recapture my 18 year old self and bounce around the living room.

I don't personally loathe Sneap production on its own merits (except for agreeing cymbals are a joke) but the homogeneity makes it a turn off.

[agamerwholovesmetal]

 

[MarkhantonioYeatts]

GREIA - Human Supremacy

TITUBA - Tituba

 

[markm]

My peeps at Nine Circles are still pumping out their lists and giving me much to listen to. I've been going through my old friend Zyklonius' list. As Metal-Fi renegades no doubt remember, Zyclonius would come in at the end of the year and share his lists. He and I actually met about 10 years ago on a metal forum at Head-Fi. Real nice dude. When I was putting together a classic DM list with notable help from GG, I remember Zyk gifted me the Entombed classic,  Wolverine Blues which he claimed changed his life as a teenager. Ya see, I kind of bailed on metal for a while there and missed the early 90's death/black explosion.

Zyklonius is an interesting guy....very smart Finnish feller who lives (or used to) in Brooklyn NY and worked for the U.N. I believe. Anyways, Zyk has gone pretty hard prog and technical it seems and I've been perusing his faves. He always did like experimental stuff and prog/tech death and black and post stuff, as I do as well. He's the one that hipped me to that  Rannoch album, completely oblivious that my main man here, F.A. did the artwork-six degrees of Satanic separations Yo! So yeah, Zyklonius' list is keeping my happy today-

https://ninecircles.co/2024/01/10/best-of-2023-zykloniuss-list/#more-106349

Today's listening: man I put all this shit in my Bandcamp wishlist and then forget where I got the recommendation from...getting old LOL. I wish they had a notes app on their wishlist so I could remember the source of these odd albums. 

Today working on report cards with my replaced Periodic Elements Be IEMs that are great with rock and metal:

Olde Throne/In the Land of the Ghosts-a kind of folksy but somewhat raw sounding BM band..Google tells me that AMG did a things you might have missed from 2023 write up...maybe that's where I got it from with their comparison to Afsky who I do know and like pretty well. Definitely raw, folksy atmoblack...I've heard worse. 

Trespasser/ἈΠΟΚΆΛΥΨΙΣ-OK, now say that title three times fast why dontchya....in fact, please say it once so I can pronounce this mother fucker. Anyway, this one came from my boy Zyk's list....BM and I do like this one on a first listen. Yep, this is pretty aight w/ me. 

[RelentlessOblivion]

A/Oratos - Ecclesia Gnostica (2024) {France}

Black Metal with the melodic sensibility you’d expect. I think this would be better without some of the out of place clean/spoken word sections.

[GoatmasterGeneral]

4 hours ago, markm said:

Olde Throne/In the Land of the Ghosts-a kind of folksy but somewhat raw sounding BM band...

If it's on my list it's gonna be "somewhat raw" because otherwise it's not really black metal to me. All the best shit is raw. The rawness is what attracted me to genres like black metal and punk to begin with. 

 

8 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

I didn't recapture my 18 year old self and bounce around the living room.

I always picture you bouncing around the living room with your guitar strapped on screaming at the top of your lungs. I guess because in your M-works videos you seemed rather energetic. But you were probably a lot younger then.

[JamesT]

Saxon - "Solid Ball of Rock"

Saxon - "Forever Free"

Saxon - "Dogs of War"

I only made it halfway through the catalog prior to the big day tomorrow, thanks to time constraints.  Passing out early tonight so tomorrow morning will come even quicker!  Getting up at 5:45 a.m. sharp to hit the gym, and I'll most definitely have the brand new monster blaring!

[Nasty_Cabbage]

NP: Engulf - The Dying Planet Weeps

▶︎ The Dying Planet Weeps | Engulf | Everlasting Spew Records (bandcamp.com)

Brutal death metal with surprisingly audible vocals and a drum sound that's uncharacteristically crisp and precise. We all know the drill with this stuff by now. Doesn't mean it's bad, but I guess I'm being a little snobby by saying I miss the muck and dirt a little bit. The songwriting's pretty good with some nice slow downs.

[AlSymerz]

Sovereign - Altered Realities

[Arioch]

Le Chant Noir - Ars Arcanvm Vodvm (2017)

[Nasty_Cabbage]

NP: Ephel Duath - The Painter's Palette

The Painter's Palette | Ephel Duath (bandcamp.com)

Ever since I listened to that Kobold album that came out a month or so ago I've been trying figure out who the vocalist was reminding me of. I finally racked my brain enough to remember it was these guys, and it made me decide to dig this album out from it's long forgotten tomb just to see if my reaction to it would be any different from when I first heard it a long time ago and it's... still weird. Maybe not enjoyable, but definitely interesting in like a drug fueled brawl at the Union of Mall Santa Clauses convention kind of way. Even taking into account the massive impact The Dillinger Escape Plan had on the musical landscape this one was way out there on the fringe of things and it plays like a schizoaffective assault against the listener's comfort. Because of that most who liked them reacted with a kind of limited admiration. The people who didn't like it, however, were moved to such vehement baleful venomous hatred that it kind of got lost in the wash. Can't say I'd recommend it to anybody here, but listening with the benefit of hindsight has been interesting.

[Arioch]

Immortal - Battles in the North (1995)

 

[JonoBlade]

https://insideoutmusic.bandcamp.com/album/empath-deluxe-edition

I've been fairly behind on the Dev since I went mostly digital and none of his stuff was on bandcamp. Now Inside Out and Century Media seem to have embraced it.

I think this might become my go to Devin Townsend album. Can't believe I waited this long to hear it after seeing the tour in 2019.