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Carcass - Torn Arteries. First spin of this one.

On 9/18/2021 at 12:25 AM, JonoBlade said:

New Carcass is on bandcamp so I am giving a listen. 

First impression is that I like it more than Surgical Steel. Hate the drum sound though. It starts with a drum solo that sounds awful. Can't find who produced or mixed it but it sounds like standard Andy Sneap sterility.

First listen for me.  It's not bad.  Look forward to getting my CD version one day (ordered from local record store just to support it)!

As for sterile Sneap sound, yep I'll agree with that.  But sterility is the norm for modern metal.

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3 hours ago, Dead1 said:

Carcass - Torn Arteries. First spin of this one.

First listen for me.  It's not bad.  Look forward to getting my CD version one day (ordered from local record store just to support it)!

As for sterile Sneap sound, yep I'll agree with that.  But sterility is the norm for modern metal.

I can live with a Sneap sound but it is such a missed opportunity to make a record sound great. I have to assume that bands tracking albums in a studio are still getting a decent sound there, only to be homogenised during mixing to meet a "modern" standard.

One of my favourite natural production sounds is Inter Arma. The drums actually sound like you're in a jam room with a pillow stuffed in the bass drum. It's a bit murky but has charm. Too much reverb on the vocals...but again, that is their signature.

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I just discovered last night - and I couldn't help myself so I bought the download - VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - The Charisma Years 1970 - 1978. Stereo and 5.1 remasters of everything they could find - 17 hours and 36 minutes. Probably more than I need but what I have listened to so far of the official albums sounds really good. So much more to hear especially with headphones. I am not optimistic about the live material - what I have previously heard was dirty, noisy and chaotic and I am not sure anyone could clean it up, but we shall see.

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Lamp Of Murmuur - Submission And Slavery   ...second time trying this album, after a few recommendations. I don't think it's for me. Same gripe I've had with several other "it" BM bands in the past few years - some cool parts, good ideas, neat combination of elements, but too much of the actual "black metal" parts sound like placeholders to me.

Kultura Kureniya - Necrophilia, or however you'd spell Некрофилия with the Roman alphabet. This, I like - somewhat depressive Russian BM with post-punk vibes in spots. The clean guitar sections remind me pretty strongly of early Katatonia. 

https://kulturakureniya.bandcamp.com/album/-

 

Blut Aus Nord - 777: Cosmosophy

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10 hours ago, markm said:

Oceans of Grief/Nightfall's Lament

Palace of Worms/The Ladder

Paysage d'Hiver/Im Wald

Judas Priest/The Collection-A Hero, Hero versions from Castle -Hero, Hero was an early compilation of the first two Judas Priest Albums-Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny, released in 1980 and purchased by me in high school. The music was magical to me circa 1982 and was years before I realized that the majority of great songs were from Sad Wings of Destiny....and years later read that metal superstars like  Dave Mustaine and   Mikael Åkerfeldt  consider it one of the best heavy metal albums and finally realized-oh yeah, I have most of those songs. 

Pound for pound, I'd have to rate Judas Priest as my favorite traditional HM band and yet their discography is somewhat maddening. I'm sure I listened to Defenders of the Faith more than any other album when I was in high school. Screaming for Vengeance is up there too-their best mega stadium albums and yet the albums are riddled with  inconsistent songs-like the Rolling Stones of metal-iconic, cliched, oft copied with some great albums but inconsistent albums-the brilliance and the mundane. 

Listening to Defenders of the Faith and Screaming for Vengeance, I note that interestingly both alums begin with 4 songs of metal genius-euphotic music and then drop duds like Love Bites, Pain and Pleasure and Eat Me Alive. A lot of those 80's metal albums are like that-great overdriven songs and then filler. 

All these decades later, it's their earlier albums that bring me back-SWOD, Stained Class and and British Steel. 

 

 

 

 

I'm with you. I go back to the 70's stuff most often with Sad Wings being the most played, but anything from Painkiller back is fair game in my house. Priest Live is probably my second most played in the past year.

For traditional HM, I'd probably go:

1 - Priest

2 - Scorpions

3 - Sabbath

4 - UFO

5 - BOC

6 - Deep Purple

7 - Uriah Heep

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1 hour ago, navybsn said:

I'm with you. I go back to the 70's stuff most often with Sad Wings being the most played, but anything from Painkiller back is fair game in my house. Priest Live is probably my second most played in the past year.

For traditional HM, I'd probably go:

1 - Priest

2 - Scorpions

3 - Sabbath

4 - UFO

5 - BOC

6 - Deep Purple

7 - Uriah Heep

I'm sure we all had the same conversation on a regular basis at Metal-Fi!

I agree about Painkiller and backwards qualifying for regular spins. I don't have any vinyl after Painkiller (except a ridiculous 3LP Nostradamus set which has been played once).

Black Sabbath has the most consistent discog in my opinion. The only real duds are Seventh Star, Forbidden and 13 which just don't have the necessary magic despite being listenable.

Which Blue Oyster Cult and Uriah Heep albums are the most definitive? I have too little patience to actually do a deep dive myself. Would prefer a recommendation on the basis that we all agree Sad Wings is head and shoulders above every other Priest album.

 

 

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46 minutes ago, JonoBlade said:

I'm sure we all had the same conversation on a regular basis at Metal-Fi!

I agree about Painkiller and backwards qualifying for regular spins. I don't have any vinyl after Painkiller (except a ridiculous 3LP Nostradamus set which has been played once).

Black Sabbath has the most consistent discog in my opinion. The only real duds are Seventh Star, Forbidden and 13 which just don't have the necessary magic despite being listenable.

Which Blue Oyster Cult and Uriah Heep albums are the most definitive? I have too little patience to actually do a deep dive myself. Would prefer a recommendation on the basis that we all agree Sad Wings is head and shoulders above every other Priest album.

 

 

The first 3 BOC albums are good (S/T, Tyranny and Mutation, Secret Treaties). Some of Fire of Unknown Origin is really good, but there is a lot of filler on that album IMO. Secret Treaties is my favorite of the 3.

Uriah Heep is decent through Sweet Freedom (first 5 iirc). Sweet Freedom is the only one I spin with any regularity. Demons and Wizards would be second. Both bands are a bit of an acquired taste. It took me longer to get into both of them than any other classic band.

Agreed on Sad Wings.

Sabbath has a truly great discography through Dio. I listen to those 2 albums more than the rest.

And you're right. I'm sure we've had this discussion more than once. Probably a few polls involved as well. I'm sure if we polled it out, Sabbath would come in first.

NP: Celtic Frost - Innocence and Wrath

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