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The Official Black Metal Recommendations Thread


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7 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Not to nitpick but I would have to dispute whether Thulcandra does it better. 

Fair enough. Not sure why I lumped them in with Dawn as I wouldn't normally consider them in the same "league".

4 hours ago, Daiena said:

Hi. I listened a bit to them, and i think i need give it more time and please correct me if im wrong so i can learn better, i miss a little the feeling i get from example Satanic Warmaster and Sargeist among other i have in my library, is this mix with black metal and other genre or i am wrong? The ones i react with this question was Dissection, Moonsorŕow and Drudkh i missed some special sound like i get from the others i have? Almost remind me of when i tried listen to death metal but i dont know...

Also i thinking much why i have hard to listen to Darkthorne, Mayhem, Emporer and Immortal, i see almost everyone likes them i just dont know why i feel like i clicked much better with Burzum, Satanic Warmaster, Behexen and Sargeist?

Only thing is with some songs Burzum have it chocked me because it totally changes from his music to slow calm music, for example Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Saule Der Singularit, so when this comes i have to skip song because it ruins all for me. The album Thulean Mysteries only this type of songs. The Ways of Yore also same. Why is this?

 

Those bands you stated you prefer (with the exception of Burzum) are all Finnish and have a distinct flavor if you will. They also have in common with Burzum a link to NSBM tendencies (although that's a topic hotly debated around the interwebs). Of those, Burzum's discography varies the most sound wise. Thulean Mysteries is completely different from Filosofem or Aske. So you have to examine what it is you like about those bands (lyrics, production, vocals, etc) to guess at what you might also find enjoyable. Based on the choices you listed, I'd say check out those bands @Sheol mentioned, specifically Clandestine Blaze and Goatmoon. @SurgicalBrute's recommendation of Sielunviholinen is also excellent. You might also like Drowning the Light from Australia. A good way to find bands similiar to those you like is to check out their metallum page Satanic Warmaster - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com) and check the similar artists tab. Also recommend the book The Devil's Cradle to learn more about the development of the Finnish scene and the links/interdependencies of many of those bands.

In the end, it's just like food. You have to personally try out different things to determine what you like and what you don't. A lot will depend on your background, location in the world, your age and experience, and a myriad of other factors. That however is part of the fun, exploring and trying to find things we enjoy.

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4 hours ago, Daiena said:

Hi. I listened a bit to them, and i think i need give it more time and please correct me if im wrong so i can learn better, i miss a little the feeling i get from example Satanic Warmaster and Sargeist among other i have in my library, is this mix with black metal and other genre or i am wrong? The ones i react with this question was Dissection, Moonsorŕow and Drudkh i missed some special sound like i get from the others i have? Almost remind me of when i tried listen to death metal but i dont know...

Also i thinking much why i have hard to listen to Darkthorne, Mayhem, Emporer and Immortal, i see almost everyone likes them i just dont know why i feel like i clicked much better with Burzum, Satanic Warmaster, Behexen and Sargeist?

Only thing is with some songs Burzum have it chocked me because it totally changes from his music to slow calm music, for example Rundgang Um Die Transzendentale Saule Der Singularit, so when this comes i have to skip song because it ruins all for me. The album Thulean Mysteries only this type of songs. The Ways of Yore also same. Why is this?

 

You don't have to listen to Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, or Immortal or any other band if you don't click with them just because they're popular well known bands that many others recommend. I love Darkthrone, but I rarely listen to either of those other 3 because I'm not clicking with them as much either.

I hear what you're saying, you like the shrieky black metal vocals that you hear in Behexen and Sargeist and don't like bands that use the lower register vocals as much which sound more like death metal to you. You were right, Dissection for instance is a blackened death metal band, they're a hybrid, not straight black metal. You seem to have latched onto a particular vocal style which is one I happen to love as well, so I will refer you back to my original list that I gave you on your tips or songs thread you made 3 days ago. Let me find it...

"...more Finnish bands: Azaghal, Baptism, Horna, Sargeist, Havukruunu, Sielunvihollinen, Hautakammio, Malum, Marras, Aegrus, Oath, Lathspell, Forgjord"

There are bands from other countries that have similar vocals to these as well but we haven't gotten to that yet. Feel free to explore whatever you'd like though.

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23 minutes ago, navybsn said:

Fair enough. Not sure why I lumped them in with Dawn as I wouldn't normally consider them in the same "league".

Those bands you stated you prefer (with the exception of Burzum) are all Finnish and have a distinct flavor if you will. They also have in common with Burzum a link to NSBM tendencies (although that's a topic hotly debated around the interwebs). Of those, Burzum's discography varies the most sound wise. Thulean Mysteries is completely different from Filosofem or Aske. So you have to examine what it is you like about those bands (lyrics, production, vocals, etc) to guess at what you might also find enjoyable. Based on the choices you listed, I'd say check out those bands @Sheol mentioned, specifically Clandestine Blaze and Goatmoon. @SurgicalBrute's recommendation of Sielunviholinen is also excellent. You might also like Drowning the Light from Australia. A good way to find bands similiar to those you like is to check out their metallum page Satanic Warmaster - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com) and check the similar artists tab. Also recommend the book The Devil's Cradle to learn more about the development of the Finnish scene and the links/interdependencies of many of those bands.

In the end, it's just like food. You have to personally try out different things to determine what you like and what you don't. A lot will depend on your background, location in the world, your age and experience, and a myriad of other factors. That however is part of the fun, exploring and trying to find things we enjoy.

What is this distinct flavor you mean?

I maybe do this wrong, but i everyday go to death metal on my spotify only to see what i like and what is the difference. And when i force me to listen death metal i feel always so relived feeling when i stop and go back listen to black metal. So i no like and i dont know why. Also Iron Maiden and Metallica and those i also cant listen. Or i can of course listen but i dont like it at all beacuse connect with me and my thinking not at all.

Goatmoon i really must have found wrong artist i hope? I find with song Desert ville and one Dark love but my god this cant be metal. It sounds horrible like country music or something. This cant be right lol.

So just like food okey then i want something most people hate and cant eat and i want the food to be about hate. Because i want this to be food for my soul and i feel not little angry or irritated or anything, i just feel worst black hate for all society and people. So if it feels like pure hate, then its my music. I cant stand people, i not talk about here in the forum because you nice to me, but in real life outside when i see them, i cant with words enough say how much i hate society because i hate not enough words for all what i feel, this is why i think this music have connected with me, to speak from my soul what i cant with words. You know how i mean? And this i feel with screams of hate in the music and if its low like i just read cookie monster song, for me i stop and close all music rather than hear that low tone of growl.

I live in europe im sorry i feel not good to say yet where, and im a girl and im 19 (20 this year in october) and my experience with people like i say i hate them and i feel nothing what they do if they have bad luck or harm themself it doesnt touch me at all. So i always am with myself and i dont feel bad about that at all, if i wanted friends i could make because i look normal and can talk normal to people. If i could not do this, then i would be 100% myself and then the world would hate me or put my in prison. So im not dumb i take care of myself nobody else than me do this, and im not easy gonna give myself to society for lock me inside somewhere, this is why hold myself from doing bad things. So this how important music for me.

35 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

You don't have to listen to Darkthrone, Mayhem, Emperor, or Immortal or any other band if you don't click with them just because they're popular well known bands that many others recommend. I love Darkthrone, but I rarely listen to either of those other 3 because I'm not clicking with them as much either.

I hear what you're saying, you like the shrieky black metal vocals that you hear in Behexen and Sargeist and don't like bands that use the lower register vocals as much which sound more like death metal to you. You were right, Dissection for instance is a blackened death metal band, they're a hybrid, not straight black metal. You seem to have latched onto a particular vocal style which is one I happen to love as well, so I will refer you back to my original list that I gave you on your tips or songs thread you made 3 days ago. Let me find it...

"...more Finnish bands: Azaghal, Baptism, Horna, Sargeist, Havukruunu, Sielunvihollinen, Hautakammio, Malum, Marras, Aegrus, Oath, Lathspell, Forgjord"

There are bands from other countries that have similar vocals to these as well but we haven't gotten to that yet. Feel free to explore whatever you'd like though.

Thank you for understand what i mean and my example, i think nobody would understand.

Is this particular vocal style that you also love call anything? I read on internet some talk about raw black metal or pure or purist what i not understand, but this has nothing to do with this vocal style?

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2 hours ago, Daiena said:

What is this distinct flavor you mean?

Certain countries around the world are known for playing certain styles of metal in a way that the country kind of becomes associated with a particular sound. Swedish black metal tends to be melodic and sound cleaner, Norwegian black metal tends to sound rougher, and likes to use blast beats (That's a particular type of very rapid drum beat). Among other things, Finnish black metal kind of combines the melody of Swedish black metal with the rougher sound of the Norwegian black metal.

 

2 hours ago, Daiena said:

Is this particular vocal style that you also love call anything? I read on internet some talk about raw black metal or pure or purist what i not understand, but this has nothing to do with this vocal style?

It doesn't have a name, it's usually just down the particular vocalist and their singing style...

Raw Black Metal is basically black metal that strips away the production values on the music...it will have a thin, very rough, almost sounding like noise, quality to the music. Like, compare these two bands, and see if you can hear a difference

 

Hear how much rougher, and fuzzy the first band sounds compared to the second band...that's raw black metal vs black metal. It's all about the albums production.

Most of the early bands playing black metal were young and didn't have a ton of money, so they couldn't afford high-quality recording equipment to make their albums. The result was music that sounded very rough and fuzzy, but many fans actually enjoyed that fact because they felt it added a lot of atmosphere to the music. Now, with people being able to access good recording equipment without having to spend a lot of money, many black metal bands have improved their sound quality. In some ways, this has opened the music up to new fans who didn't like the rough sound, but a lot of fans, particularly long-time fans of black metal, prefer the rough sound, believing it to be a necessary part of the music. This has created a whole new area of black metal called raw black metal where bands intentionally record their music to sound really fuzzy and rough

And just to chime in, you don't have to like anything you don't want to. If you don't like death metal or traditional bands like Iron Maiden, then that's perfectly fine. If Darkthrone or Emperor isn't for you, then don't worry about it. It's your music taste, the only one who needs to be happy is you. I think sometimes it's worth going back and checking things out again, only because my own experience was that a lot of time, stuff I didn't like when I was first getting into metal became stuff I really ended up liking...it just took awhile for my ear to adjust to what i was hearing. That doesn't mean it will be the same for you though, and that's fine

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@Daiena  Regarding the emotional isolation, alienation, anger, etc. - I've definitely felt that way a lot in the past, still feel it sometimes now. Music that speaks to those feelings can really help me process it and keep it from being destructive. There are days when only the most aggressive shit will do. I like to try to step back from my own emotional reactions to music when I talk about it,  but that's what drew me to more extreme metal when I was a kid and it still works. I think I remember telling my parents (as a teenager) that I liked it because it "sounded like I felt"... Lame but hard to argue with, I guess. Best wishes.

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27 minutes ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Certain countries around the world are known for playing certain styles of metal in a way that the country kind of becomes associated with a particular sound. Swedish black metal tends to be melodic and sound cleaner, Norwegian black metal tends to sound rougher, and likes to use blast beats (That's a particular type of very rapid drum beat). Among other things, Finnish black metal kind of combines the melody of Swedish black metal with the rougher sound of the Norwegian black metal.

 

It doesn't have a name, it's usually just down the particular vocalist and their singing style...

Raw Black Metal is basically black metal that strips away the production values on the music...it will have a thin, very rough, almost sounding like noise, quality to the music. Like, compare these two bands, and see if you can hear a difference

 

Hear how much rougher, and fuzzy the first band sounds compared to the second band...that's raw black metal vs black metal. It's all about the albums production.

Most of the early bands playing black metal were young and didn't have a ton of money, so they couldn't afford high-quality recording equipment to make their albums. The result was music that sounded very rough and fuzzy, but many fans actually enjoyed that fact because they felt it added a lot of atmosphere to the music. Now, with people being able to access good recording equipment without having to spend a lot of money, many black metal bands have improved their sound quality. In some ways, this has opened the music up to new fans who didn't like the rough sound, but a lot of fans, particularly long-time fans of black metal, prefer the rough sound, believing it to be a necessary part of the music. This has created a whole new area of black metal called raw black metal where bands intentionally record their music to sound really fuzzy and rough

And just to chime in, you don't have to like anything you don't want to. If you don't like death metal or traditional bands like Iron Maiden, then that's perfectly fine. If Darkthrone or Emperor isn't for you, then don't worry about it. It's your music taste, the only one who needs to be happy is you. I think sometimes it's worth going back and checking things out again, only because my own experience was that a lot of time, stuff I didn't like when I was first getting into metal became stuff I really ended up liking...it just took awhile for my ear to adjust to what i was hearing

I learn so much from this and weird that i become interested in music but it happened so maybe for some reason i dont know.

Yes i hear the first video had not good quality and i understand they didnt have money so it makes it more good that they did it as best they could.

But about different bands i feel strange if a person say oh i listen to black metal and then not like all the bands everyone talk about, Emperor and Darkthrone and Mayhem and some more i forgot.

7 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

@Daiena  Regarding the emotional isolation, alienation, anger, etc. - I've definitely felt that way a lot in the past, still feel it sometimes now. Music that speaks to those feelings can really help me process it and keep it from being destructive. There are days when only the most aggressive shit will do. I like to try to step back from my own emotional reactions to music when I talk about it,  but that's what drew me to more extreme metal when I was a kid and it still works. I think I remember telling my parents (as a teenager) that I liked it because it "sounded like I felt"... Lame but hard to argue with, I guess. Best wishes.

Same exactly i feel i know i hope also it will help not being destructive.

You know for me i take care only for myself not nobody helps me nothing so i must be strong in life because only who are strong get something. I always sit by myself and are quiet so those people who pushy takes all they can.

 

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17 minutes ago, Daiena said:

But about different bands i feel strange if a person say oh i listen to black metal and then not like all the bands everyone talk about, Emperor and Darkthrone and Mayhem and some more i forgot.

Black metal has been around for close to 40 years, it would be weirder if you did like everything other people brought up.

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5 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Black metal has been around for close to 40 years, it would be weirder if you did like everything other people brought up.

Black metal has been around for close to 40 years, it would be weirder if you did like everything other people brought up.

40 years omg this is a long time and i didnt think about it but those songs from Hellhammer i think was from 1984

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1 minute ago, Daiena said:

But about different bands i feel strange if a person say oh i listen to black metal and then not like all the bands everyone talk about, Emperor and Darkthrone and Mayhem and some more i forgot.

Trust me...especially when it comes to black metal, you don't have to worry about what everyone else likes. Black metal covers a wide variety of music and the fans have a, in some ways, very well deserved reputation for being very elitist in their outlook on things. Put two black metal fans in a room, and they'll probably disagree on about 90% of the bands out there. No ones required to like anything specific...I like Darkthrone and Immortal myself, never really cared too much about Emperor or Mayhem though. I'd say, as long as you're willing to acknowledge those bands place in the history of black metal and what they mean for the genre, no ones going to hold it against you for not liking them on a personal level

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12 minutes ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Trust me...especially when it comes to black metal, you don't have to worry about what everyone else likes. Black metal covers a wide variety of music and the fans have a, in some ways, very well deserved reputation for being very elitist in their outlook on things. Put two black metal fans in a room, and they'll probably disagree on about 90% of the bands out there. No ones required to like anything specific...I like Darkthrone and Immortal myself, never really cared too much about Emperor or Mayhem though. I'd say, as long as you're willing to acknowledge those bands place in the history of black metal and what they mean for the genre, no ones going to hold it against you for not liking them on a personal level

Okay thats good to hear. You know i discover so much all days and nights and i found a band that nobody have mentioned yet called Pagan Ritual that is really good. I dont know where they from or nothing but i like, only thing is on spotify 4 songs only. If i cant find music there i maybe change to something else. There are 3 bands or more that i cant find there, one is Satanic Warmaster and one called Hate Forest and now this one i found Pagan Ritual. If they too small to be on spotify then its okey but if spotify delete them because they choose what people can listen to and not, then i leave them directly 👿

 

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4 minutes ago, Daiena said:

Okay thats good to hear. You know i discover so much all days and nights and i found a band that nobody have mentioned yet called Pagan Ritual that is really good. I dont know where they from or nothing but i like, only thing is on spotify 4 songs only. If i cant find music there i maybe change to something else. There are 3 bands or more that i cant find there, one is Satanic Warmaster and one called Hate Forest and now this one i found Pagan Ritual. If they too small to be on spotify then its okey but if spotify delete them because they choose what people can listen to and not, then i leave them directly 👿

 

Pagan Ritual is probably too small to be on Spotify...looks like they broke up after only releasing a demo in 2007 and an EP in 2009. They started a new band though, called Hexenklad. Slightly different style though, since they mix folk music and black metal.

Satanic Warmaster and Hate Forest aren't on Spotify because both bands are associated with the NSBM scene (National Socialist Black Metal). The more you dig around the black metal scene the more you're going to come across the debate about black metal and Nazis/Skinheads who are part of the scene. I'm not going to tell you how to deal with it, that's up to you. Just be aware that they are out there, some of them do make pretty decent black metal despite the fact that they're dirtbags, and depending on who you're talking to about black metal, you may get some very strong negative reactions if you mention you like those bands

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10 minutes ago, SurgicalBrute said:

Pagan Ritual is probably too small to be on Spotify...looks like they broke up after only releasing a demo in 2007 and an EP in 2009. They started a new band though, called Hexenklad. Slightly different style though, since they mix folk music and black metal.

Satanic Warmaster and Hate Forest aren't on Spotify because both bands are associated with the NSBM scene (National Socialist Black Metal). The more you dig around the black metal scene the more you're going to come across the debate about black metal and Nazis/Skinheads who are part of the scene. I'm not going to tell you how to deal with it, that's up to you. Just be aware that they are out there, some of them do make pretty decent black metal despite the fact that they're dirtbags, and depending on who you're talking to about black metal, you may get some very strong negative reactions if you mention you like those bands

Its okey for me if it sounds good and maybe many people already dont like this music because they say its satanism music. Me i dont care so much what other thinks. I usually provoke everyone in my life i meet anyway and sometimes when im angry i say really bad things to people. You know satyricon everyone who i read like black metal likes them, but i have not connect at all with them this is weird. I listen to Gorgoroth right now but i think i have to search every band i find on internet to see if they are nsbm or not beacuse i never thought about this and for me its impossible to know who is who. Me im not nazi but i think some days i could play nazi music if i feel to do it only for provoke my neighbor who live next to me.

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55 minutes ago, Daiena said:

Its okey for me if it sounds good and maybe many people already dont like this music because they say its satanism music. Me i dont care so much what other thinks. I usually provoke everyone in my life i meet anyway and sometimes when im angry i say really bad things to people. You know satyricon everyone who i read like black metal likes them, but i have not connect at all with them this is weird. I listen to Gorgoroth right now but i think i have to search every band i find on internet to see if they are nsbm or not beacuse i never thought about this and for me its impossible to know who is who. Me im not nazi but i think some days i could play nazi music if i feel to do it only for provoke my neighbor who live next to me.

 

In regards to NSBM, don't let it make you crazy trying to constantly look up bands to make sure they're "safe". That's a quick trip to crazy town. Just be aware they're out there, and sometimes you're going to stumble onto one without realizing it...it happens. You don't want to go looking for that shit, but don't beat yourself up over it if you find yourself liking an NS band's music before you knew they were an NS band.

A lot of people seem to like Satyricon...For example, I think Mark on here enjoys them, but they're not what you would call universally accepted. They really made their name with the first 2 or 3 albums "Dark Medieval Times", "The Shadowthrone", and "Nemisis Divina". After that, they kind of lose their appeal for most traditional black metal fans.

You'll find that a lot...a band will put out 2 or 3 well regarded albums, then they kind of coast on their name recognition rather than their album quality. I'd say Gorgoroth is like that too. The albums they did well...are really damn good, but the bad albums are pretty damn bad

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6 minutes ago, SurgicalBrute said:

 

In regards to NSBM, don't let it make you crazy trying to constantly look up bands to make sure they're "safe". That's a quick trip to crazy town. Just be aware they're out there, and sometimes you're going to stumble onto one without realizing it...it happens. You don't want to go looking for that shit, but don't beat yourself up over it if you find yourself liking an NS band's music before you knew they were an NS band.

A lot of people seem to like Satyricon...For example, I think Mark on here enjoys them, but they're not what you would call universally accepted. They really made their name with the first 2 or 3 albums "Dark Medieval Times", "The Shadowthrone", and "Nemisis Divina". After that, they kind of lose their appeal for most traditional black metal fans.

You'll find that a lot...a band will put out 2 or 3 well regarded albums, then they kind of coast on their name recognition rather than their album quality. I'd say Gorgoroth is like that too. The albums they did well...are really damn good, but the bad albums are pretty damn bad

Maybe i be same picky with this as with food because i eat only like very limited food.

When i read about bands then i think automatic that if you are into black metal you also like all those bands but i see i think wrong haha

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9 minutes ago, Daiena said:

Maybe i be same picky with this as with food because i eat only like very limited food.

When i read about bands then i think automatic that if you are into black metal you also like all those bands but i see i think wrong haha

Oh yeah...it's definitely not an "either or" situation. "Black metal" is a term that covers a lot of very different sounding bands, and no one embraces them all. Hell, a lot of black metal is just flat-out garbage anyway. Don't overthink it....It's just like any other music genre, keep the stuff you like, leave the rest behind

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I can’t sleep and it’s morning now. So I read a lot about how Gorgoroth and Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir and many more are just posers fake and harsh things. This person have like a blog and recommend the ones they believe is authentic black metal and totally mocking others. They write about how Darkthrone, Emperor, Mayhem and some others are true black metal. Is this true? I mean they write and explain about this so it feels that they have some knowledges?

https://demonecromancy.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/is-gorgoroth-even-black-metal/

 

 

 

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Honestly, the only attention dudes like that deserve is the kind where you laugh at them. I know it's new and seems kind of mysterious, so you're maybe worried about doing it right, but really...it's just music. Guys like that dude you found are making way more out of it then any healthy person should.

Yes, there are some bands that get more respect than others, but don't let that kind of shit determine what you like. It's not some kind of club where you're required to listen to certain bands and blow off others...listen to what ever you connect with...

...unless it's Deafheaven...if it's Deafheaven I'm washing my hands of this whole process 😁

 

Edit #1 - That dude on the blog is weirdly obsessive about Erik Danielsson, like in a "It puts the lotion in the basket" sort of way

Edit #2 Dude also slagged on Archgoat...opinion immediately discarded

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 I quite enjoy Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times and Nemesis Davina, but I'm certainly not a super fan. Black metal is a fairly marginal part of my listening, but I enjoy it  I do tend to like the mix of folk and black metal and "weirdness" when done effectively. I enjoy a reasonable amount of black metal especially the second wave, traditional and avant stuff. 

That said, I'm a middle aged guy with a wife and college kid and don't have unbridled hatred for all mankind-lol. Guess I'm fairly invested in the continuation of the human race.

I don't have the depth of knowledge of black metal as many of the guys here. What I do know is that black metal is one of the most malleable forms of metal that can be adapted to a wide variety of influences and strains. Just  look at the word, "blackened". Blackened this or blackened that. By the way, I'm a big fan of blackened fish tacos. 

But I love the way black metal touches a mystical, pagan, tribal dark part of my subconscious. Lots of great BM out there to enjoy. 

 

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Fortunately, we are all free to disregard all the silly politics of metal and just enjoy the music on our own terms if we so choose. I get what this guy's saying, that this dude Infernus is a rapist and he should get what's coming to him even though he was found not guilty. But mainstream black metal has always been full of these types of controversies since the very beginning 30 years ago and at some point right or wrong or whatever I just don't want to listen to all the noise anymore so I tune it all out. Which is a big part of why I never go on any of these mainstream metal sites besides the fact that I don't really care about or listen to very much mainstream metal. Sure, I don't particularly care for Gorgoroth or Watain or Dimmu's music either but I don't want to waste a lot of time thinking about these bands that I don't like. I'll give my opinion when asked or if they come up in convo but I don't feel the need to go out of my way to bash these bands and/or their fans over and over on a regular basis. I just look for and think about the ones I do like and carry on doing my own thing.

If a band sounds good to you then I reckon that oughta be 'true' enough. Especially since I think most of us listen to our music in solitude most of the time, it seems even doubly pointless to me to worry about what anyone else might think about what we're listening to. Why should we care what anyone else thinks? Maybe it's easier for me to think this way being older, I don't have to hang out with a group of judgemental teens who are going to dissect and critique and criticize my every decision. But then even as a teen I didn't care, when the overwhelming majority of my peers were either into disco dance music or The Dead/The Band I was the hard rocker, punk rock loving dude that simply didn't care about trends and did my own thing. Don't let other people's opinions influence what you like and don't like. Think for yourself. The only one you need to be true to is you.

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25 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

I get what this guy's saying, that this dude Infernus is a rapist and he should get what's coming to him even though he was found not guilty

That's not what he's saying. He's just using that in a "...and here's another reason they suck " fashion. That whole weird, serial killer, rant seems to be more about him picking sides between one group of bands who whined about another group of bands

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    • 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
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      • 10 replies
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    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
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    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
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    • 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
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