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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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15 minutes ago, Requiem said:

These guys are one of my favourite bands and I own all their albums, but I'd have to say that this is actually my least favourite release by them. It's really thin and confused, especially after the epic debut in 'Mystic Places of Dawn'. 

 

That's how I feel about The Ophidian Wheel. It was my first album of theirs but I've never been really enthusiastic about it. I like Esoptron; it's not 100% but it's got a lot to offer. It sounds like a logical successor to Mystic Places even if it doesn't reach the same heights.

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

BlutAusNerd

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These guys are one of my favourite bands and I own all their albums, but I'd have to say that this is actually my least favourite release by them. It's really thin and confused, especially after the epic debut in 'Mystic Places of Dawn'. 
 
I'm with you on this one. Mystic Places of Dawn is massive, and perfectly juxtaposes death metal brutality with beautiful and dreamy melodies in a way that few others ever have. Ophidian Wheel is a bit lighter than Esoptron and also more gothic, but it feels a lot more confident and concise too. Not that Esoptron is at all bad, it's just sandwiched between two amazing albums, and it gets lost in that space for me.

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deathstorm Newbie

deathstorm

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5 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Amorphis - Under The Red Cloud   ...I like this a lot, but I find myself pretending it's not Amorphis when I listen to it. The vocal melodies remind me favorably of Vintersorg's singing with Borknagar. Nifty.

Alabaster  you like that album check out their new song the bee  

Another vovager song these guys are good 

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MattCantina Newbie

MattCantina

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6 hours ago, BlutAusNerd said:

I'm with you on this one. Mystic Places of Dawn is massive, and perfectly juxtaposes death metal brutality with beautiful and dreamy melodies in a way that few others ever have. Ophidian Wheel is a bit lighter than Esoptron and also more gothic, but it feels a lot more confident and concise too. Not that Esoptron is at all bad, it's just sandwiched between two amazing albums, and it gets lost in that space for me.

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8 hours ago, Requiem said:

 

These guys are one of my favourite bands and I own all their albums, but I'd have to say that this is actually my least favourite release by them. It's really thin and confused, especially after the epic debut in 'Mystic Places of Dawn'. 

 

Esoptron is my least favorite out of their trilogy too, but it's still a great album. I don't know if you guys care about their later works though. 

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

BlutAusNerd

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Esoptron is my least favorite out of their trilogy too, but it's still a great album. I don't know if you guys care about their later works though. 
I love A Fallen Temple, and I enjoy Sumerian Daemons and the newer symphonic albums, just not as much as the early stuff. Communion is probably the best of their newer stuff, but that's the one I don't have.

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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Just now, MattCantina said:

 

Esoptron is my least favorite out of their trilogy too, but it's still a great album. I don't know if you guys care about their later works though. 

I'm a little surprised everyone else seems to prefer The Ophidian Wheel to Esoptron. I enjoy the majority of their later stuff when I'm in the mood, but I don't like how slick it sounds, it comes off to me as a bit shallow. Titan in particular really impressed me when I first heard it. The new one has a bunch of cool parts, but I can't get into it, seems too much like a retread.

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MattCantina Newbie

MattCantina

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Just now, BlutAusNerd said:

I love A Fallen Temple, and I enjoy Sumerian Daemons and the newer symphonic albums, just not as much as the early stuff. Communion is probably the best of their newer stuff, but that's the one I don't have.

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That's great. I share similar thoughts for Rotting Christ as well. I believe Non Serviam was probably their last completely essential album, but I enjoy the rest of the discography quite a lot. The Hellenic scene is fascinating

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

BlutAusNerd

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That's great. I share similar thoughts for Rotting Christ as well. I believe Non Serviam was probably their last completely essential album, but I enjoy the rest of the discography quite a lot. The Hellenic scene is fascinating
I don't know enough about Rotting Christ's releases after Non Serviam to comment, but I do like everything I've heard from them to one degree or another. Hellenic black metal is excellent, I like it more the more that I uncover. The same goes for their death metal scene, I just know very little about it. Speaking of which, Zemial will be playing in my fair city with Proscriptor of Absu on vocals, adding to the excellent spread of shows we'll be getting here over the next 3 months.

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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1 hour ago, MattCantina said:

That's great. I share similar thoughts for Rotting Christ as well. I believe Non Serviam was probably their last completely essential album, but I enjoy the rest of the discography quite a lot. The Hellenic scene is fascinating

 

1 hour ago, BlutAusNerd said:

I don't know enough about Rotting Christ's releases after Non Serviam to comment, but I do like everything I've heard from them to one degree or another. 

Do either of you get into Triarchy? That one was huge for me as a teenager and is still my favorite of theirs.

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

BlutAusNerd

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Do either of you get into Triarchy? That one was huge for me as a teenager and is still my favorite of theirs.
I honestly haven't heard it. I have most of their early stuff, Passage to Arcturo, Dawn of the Iconoclast, Thy Mighty Contract, Non Serviam, but nothing else besides Theogonia. I guess I should try to fill in the gaps...

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FatherAlabaster Grand Master

FatherAlabaster

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5 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

I honestly haven't heard it. I have most of their early stuff, Passage to Arcturo, Dawn of the Iconoclast, Thy Mighty Contract, Non Serviam, but nothing else besides Theogonia. I guess I should try to fill in the gaps...

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It was the right album at the right time for me when it came out, and it's been a favorite since then, so I'm not objective. It's not as aggressive as Non Serviam - it's more mid-paced and melody-driven, and the sound is cleaner. Lots of tasty guitar harmonies. It gets more interesting after the first two tracks IMO. See what you think.

 

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Requiem Newbie

Requiem

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3 hours ago, MattCantina said:

 

Esoptron is my least favorite out of their trilogy too, but it's still a great album. I don't know if you guys care about their later works though. 

I love their later works. It’s the later works that propel the band into my all time top five.

‘Communion’ is an all time favourite, as is ‘Titan’. The first three tracks on ‘The Great Mass’ are incredible but I feel that the album has some less effective songs later on, but still great. 

‘Codex Omega’ is my least favourite of their modern era releases. It’s ok but seems to lack some of those spine chilling moments on previous releases. The lyrics are also a bit bland, with fewer “woah” moments. 

As for Rotting Christ, they’ve always been good to my ears but they’ve moved into greatness just recently. ‘Sanctos Diavolos’ (which is obviously older now) is brilliant, but for me it’s ‘Rituals’ and ‘Kata...’ that really set the standard. That epic ancient ritual stuff with the gruff chanting vocals just blows my mind. 

Septicflesh and Rotting Christ are two of the best bands in the world for me. 

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BlutAusNerd Newbie

BlutAusNerd

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It was the right album at the right time for me when it came out, and it's been a favorite since then, so I'm not objective. It's not as aggressive as Non Serviam - it's more mid-paced and melody-driven, and the sound is cleaner. Lots of tasty guitar harmonies. It gets more interesting after the first two tracks IMO. See what you think.
 
3 songs in, and fuck yes, this is stellar. I never put off listening to it for any reason, but this needs to be in my life. Damn, those melodies were incredible.

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