Dark Castle's Radular Top 50 V. Skeletonwitch Booty Shorts Feel Great

[Dark Castle]

Hello everybody, and welcome to my Top 50!
I don't really have much to say, but I hope you enjoy my list, maybe see some albums that peak your interest, and some that you love!
OKAY, HERE WE GO.

50. Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve

To start off my list, Meshuggah comes in at Number 50.  I got this album at my local used record store because a lot of people I knew really liked these guys, and I always thought "Shit, I should check them out" but never actually did, so when I saw this on the shelf I picked it up without a second thought, and popped it in on the ride home.  I ended up just driving around listening to the entire record.  It is a beast of a record.  The vocals are visceral, the guitars twisted, and the drumming behemoth.  I wish I'd known about these guys earlier, because they're quite a fantastic band, and they helped to open up a path into more music that I now enjoy immensely.  This is kind of short, but it's only number 50 and the write ups will hopefully only get better!
Favorite Tracks: Future Breed Machine, Inside What's Within Behind, Vanished

[jingle.boy]

First!  Never really given Meshuggah a chance. Might have to sometime. They're one of those bands that gets mentioned here a lot that I just haven't prioritized the time to investigate.

[Dr. DTVT]

Following.  Can you compare to the only Meshuggah album I'm familiar with, Ozben?

[Dark Castle]

Following.  Can you compare to the only Meshuggah album I'm familiar with, Ozben?

Funnily enough, I've only heard Destoy Erase Improve in full along with Koloss, although my friends on the road trip to St. Paul yesterday played a lot of Obzen yesterday.  From what I paid attention to, it seems to be in the vein of Destroy Erase Improve, but much more visceral, everything is, but it's got a lot more groove, daresay bounciness.  I'll have to give it a better listen tonight, as I really liked what I heard.  Number 49 should be up within 20 minutes!

[Dark Castle]

49. The Wretched End - Ominous

I'm sure a few of you know who Samoth is, was the drummer for the highly regarded Black Metal band Emperor.  ANYWAYS, this is his most current project, a Death/Thrash Metal outfit in which he plays guitar.  I read about them in an issue of Metal Hammer and was extremely interested, upon reading what they described their sound as, and how fucking Norwegian and evil they looked 
So I scoured Youtube for any song, anything to claw at and feast upon, and I found Fleshbomb.  Song blew me away, I had goosebumps after listening to it, and immediately knew what I wanted for Christmas.  What amazes me about this album is how seamlessly they meld Thrash and Death into a driving force of Radularitude.  The guitars are heavy, razor sharp and focused, the vocals remind me of Ihsahn current day, but less of the high end, and don't get me started on the drumming, simply said, it's amazing.  If you're a fan of current day Exodus or bands in similar vein I urge you to check The Wretched End out, they even have a new album coming out this year, and I hope it just gets better.  Hopefully you'll see like I do, that the album's crushing attacks are amazing.
Favorite Tracks: Of Wolves And Men, Fleshbomb, Numbered Days

[Dark Castle]

48. Red Fang - Murder The Mountains.


Red Fang, what I would call a grungy/hipster/rock/metal hybrid of a beast roll in at 48 to murder your ears with radularness.  I don't remember quite how I discovered them, but rest assured this album is quite a beast.  Their guitar tones are thick and fuzzy, which reminds me of grunge, but the music itself isn't down trodden.  The drums are energetic, reminiscent of Brann Dailor's style from Mastodon, and the vocals howl, yet keep a singing quality to them rather than just bellowing.  The songs flow together, and feel natural instead of disjointed tracks with nothing in common, in short term it's a focused album, intent on delivering great tunes and it definitely pans out on that.  Another great thing about this band is their music videos, they're hilarious. These guys seem to be jokesters at heart, and seem like really nice fellows, so it's nice to see my money helping out nice guys instead of cranky, technical wanksters just out of highschool.  If you're a fan of Soundgarden, Mastodon, or Baroness, you should check these guys out, because they're proudly continuing the tradition of not giving a damn, drinking a shit ton of beer, and having a good rocking time.
Favorite Tracks: Wires, Throw Up, Number 13, Painted Parade.

[ReaperKK]

I've never listened to Meshuggah but I should give them a chance, as for the other two, well I haven't heard of them until now.

[Nekov]

This is kind of DTVT v2. I don't know any of these bands 

[Dark Castle]

That actually makes me feel good, I was worried you guys might know all these bands x)
There will definitely be some that you all know, but hopefully I can show you guys a lot of new music.

[Elite]

This is kind of DTVT v2. I don't know any of these bands 

Meshuggah you must have heard of.

Following.

[Dark Castle]

47. BLOOD STAIN CHILD - Epsilon


Lets see, I'm going to let you all know, Decibel the magazine has had a huge role in showing me new bands to love, and this one band was a band I found in the pages of Decibel.  They were described as a completely insane, shouldn't work mixture of rave, pop, and melodic death metal that somehow meshed together into something amazing that was from Japan.  That alone right there peaked my interest immensely so I sought them out on the youtube.  Decibel was right, I'd pulled up the song Stargazer, and was met with Electronic beats, synth, meshed with guitar and a commendable drummer; and placed on top was the adorable vocalist Sophia    ( Japan somehow spawns the craziest bands, and they're usually awesome like so)
Something that I love about this album is how passionate it is, and how everything just goes together so well.  Electronic beats compliment the drumming, and synths aid guitars.  Another great thing is that the musicians don't rely on the electronica parts to make the song, they're all fantastic musicians, and they let it show.  The guitar solos are heartfelt, and don't get boring when they do show up, the drummer isn't the AC/DC type of drummer who plays the same beat every song, he makes it fit the song.  My favorite thing about this band though has to be the vocalist.  Her voice is just amazing, and she's incredibly cute so that's a plus heheh.  But seriously her voice shines throughout the record, and the growly vocals are placed in just the right places throughout the album.  If you liked Devin Townsend's Addicted, you should check this out, I mean stylistically they're not very similar, but this album draws that album to mind.
Favorite Tracks: Sirius  VI, Stargazer, Dedicated to Violator.

[Elite]

And you're worried people will know everything?

Anyway, this sounds interesting, checking it out.

[Dark Castle]

46.  Gojira - The Way Of All Flesh


OKAY, most of you should know who these guys are at least lol.  Gojira is a band from France, and they lay down crushing grooves about nature and shit.  Alright, lets get into this one.  Like a lot of bands I learn of, I read about them on various sites and magazines and went to check what the buzz was all about, and ran into Vacuity, which is a dismal pit of crushing groove and agonized vocals, something I immediately loved.  I probably listened to that song 5 times a day at least, it was engraved in my head, so when I saw the album at Best Buy for a decent price I snatched it from the rack and paid for it.  The atmosphere of this album is incredble, it's so heavy, and organic.  A lot of the songs have incredibly heavy guitar riffage, so heavy you think it would overbear the other instruments, but that's the great part, it never really does; The drums are phenomenal and I think the only thing that would make this any better would be a  more present bass, but that's only a minor problem, as already the songs feel full.  Something more on the music is that all the songs have a great groove to them, in that they just flow so well, and although they're not overly technical, Gojira easily write much better songs than a lot of tech metal bands out there, and sound so diverse compared to any other band I could name.  I don't think I could name a band similar to Gojira, they're kind of leading their own thing, and they do so very well.
Favorite Tracks: Vacuity, Oroborus, Wolf Down The Earth

[Dr. DTVT]

Gojira = 

[adace]

Listening to that Blood Stain Child album right now. Awesome stuff! 

[black_biff_stadler]

This may be the first top 50 I actually end up following based on our history of musical compatability. Looking forward to many new bands to check out.

[The King in Crimson]

Gojira = 

[skydivingninja]

I saw Red Fang open for Mastodon and wasn't too impressed. :/  Gojira is a pretty cool guy though.

[Dr. DTVT]

This may be the first top 50 I actually end up following based on our history of musical compatability. Looking forward to many new bands to check out.

Thanks a lot asshole 

[black_biff_stadler]

Look kid, I'll still suck yo dick, aight, but you'd better bring some cool tunes like Cynic, Barry Manilow, Spiral Architect, and Ace of Base.

[Nekov]

This is kind of DTVT v2. I don't know any of these bands 

Meshuggah you must have heard of.

Following.

Yeah, Meshuggah and Gojira I have heard of but never listenend to anything from those bands.

[Kosmo]

47. BLOOD STAIN CHILD - Epsilon

Thank you for this, right up my alley.

[Ravenheart]

47. BLOOD STAIN CHILD - Epsilon

Thank you for this, right up my alley.

Came here to say this. I heard of them a long time ago but wasn't familiar with their sound. Definitely sounds like something I'd like, though.

[Dr. DTVT]

Look kid, I'll still suck yo dick, aight, but you'd better bring some cool tunes like Cynic, Barry Manilow, Spiral Architect, and Ace of Base.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31324.msg1250733#msg1250733

Note that this was before your post.

[Dark Castle]

45. The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual


This is a band that some people like to say are posers or whatever, but they're pretty dumb IMO if people actually believe that, because these guys have the chops and talent of a fantastic Death Metal band.  Ritual came out around October last year, and every time I listen to it, it just gets better and better.  A Shrine To Madness has to be one of my favorite album openers ever.  It's vicious, and doesn't ever stop to breath, much like the rest of the album.  TBDM keep you on your feet, and lay down fast, memorable songs about raping the undead, werewolves and whatever else they fuckin feel like   This past year they also aquired a new guitarist and bassist who bring a lot more to the table.  In previous records, guitar was usually the weakest link, but now it's a driving force, and the bassist is a pretty nice guy live and plays his parts well so yeah heh.  Trevor is such a good death metal vocalist it's scary.  The way he goes from a deep growl from the pits of hell to a high piercing banshee shriek is incredible, more so by the fact that he never falters live.  And one of the best things about this record is Shannon Lucas's drumming.  He's willing to be just the support for the rest, or shine through and dazzle.  I really hope these guys continue on this path, as Ritual is bound to be a regarded record in Death Metal archives, and they really are amazing musicians.
Favorite Tracks: A Shrine To Madness, Moonlight Equilibrium, Conspiring With The Damned, Den Of The Picquerist

[Dark Castle]

44. Holy Grail - Crisis In Utopia


Have you heard of White Wizzard?  Well back when WW's bassist John Leon said "Do things my way or split"  Luna and the others split from WW and started Holy Grail, a hybrid of Thrash, Power Metal, and Radularness.  Quite a different beast than WW altogether, Holy Grail's Crisis In Utopia is a modern day gem.  And it's just their debut.  Each song is a top notch blend of thrashy power metal that exudes skill, talent, and bombast.  Things start of at blistering speed with My Last Attack, and immediately you notice that there really isn't a weak link in the band.  Everyone performs at their best.  James-Paul Luna is set to be Metal's next Rob Halford, his range is astounding and the force behind his voice is tremendous.  The guitarists go hand in hand and throw out some beautiful melodies and riffage.  If you like Judas Priest, Death Angel, and bands along those lines, then I think you'd love Holy Grail.  They even have a new album coming out within the next few months, so it will be exciting to see where they go from here!
Favorite Tracks: My Last Attack, The Blackest Night, Hollow Ground

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Gojira and Meshuggah

[glaurung]

I saw Red Fang open for Mastodon and wasn't too impressed. :/  Gojira is a pretty cool guy though.

Really? I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them. As far as strait forward metal goes it was really good.

[black_biff_stadler]

Look kid, I'll still suck yo dick, aight, but you'd better bring some cool tunes like Cynic, Barry Manilow, Spiral Architect, and Ace of Base.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=31324.msg1250733#msg1250733

Note that this was before your post.

*Reluctantly readies mouth*

[contest_sanity]

Radular story bro; following.

EDIT: really liking Red Fang.  Got some great riffs.

[Dark Castle]

43. Indian - Guiltless


Indian is described as a Black Metal/ Doom Metal band from Chicago, and the title fits very well.
Brutal, relentless, Guiltess is both of those and much more.  Indian was a band I found through Decibel, I liked the description, and the artwork, so I checked them out.  Work was very unproductive the rest of the day to say the least, and I eagerly awaited getting this album.  Immediately this album knocks you down, the vocalist's howls scared the crap out of me the first time I popped the cd in, the guitars are thick in tone monolithic, and the drummer I assume is in an abusive relationship with his drums, as he wails on them unrelentingly.  No Grace kicks things off extremely well, and track 2 is a dissonant, depressing affair, and the rest of the album follows suit in depressing, crushing tunes.  Going more in depth on the music, the drummer really knows how to keep things interesting, a problem which a lot of Doom Metal drummers have doing, and aside from the instrumental(which is melancholy as well heh) each song is at least four minutes long, the longest track being three seconds over nine minutes, so it's remarkable that they're able to keep things going on and not making you think the song could have ended three minutes ago.  For fans of bands such as Cough, Winter, Dark Castle
Favorite Tracks: No Grace, Guiltless, Banality
 

[Elite]

Damn, that shit is heavy. Listening to 'No Grace' as I'm typing this.

[Dr. DTVT]

I promise after I defend and get some free time I'm going to check out the bands I don't know.  I've been getting into more extreme metal the past year so I've been looking forward to your list.

[Dark Castle]

Glad to hear that!  I should round off the 40's by the end of today, so keep tuned!  Hopefully Kinghts Of The Old Republic doesn't suck up to much time, that game is such a classic.

[Dark Castle]

42. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell


By just a hair my favorite Pantera album Cowboys From Hell, barely nudging out Vulgar Display Of Power, places in at 42.  This was the second album with Phil Anselmo, and by the time this album was recorded, his underground extreme metal tastes and influences had started to seep into the band.  A HUGE step from Power Metal, Cowboys From Hell is an album chock full of classic tracks, and favorites of mine.  Phil Anselmo was recruited for his Halford-esque wails, but brought a gruff, tough vocal style to the band, and he employs both all over this album, Halford-esque rising up especially in Cemetery Gates, and Cowboys From Hell employing his growls that I love.  Dimebag Darrell had one of the best tones in Metal and it still is one of the best tones ever, and he really dazzles on this album, from album opener Cowboys From Hell to the beautiful playing and solo of The Sleep.  His tone was almost indescribable, but it was like a drill, boring into your ear, leaving a permanent reminder of how awesome it was.  Vinnie Paul isn't really extraordinary, and I don't really like him as a person, but his drumming is like Lars Ulrich, it gets the job done and works for the band.  Something that sets this from the rest of their albums in my opinion is that while it set them in the direction they went onto in the 90's, there's still flashbacks to their glam metal days, but instead of being groanworthy glam, they meld it flawlessly with their new style and the songs just work.  I know for a lot, either Vulgar Display of Power and Far Beyond Driven are considered their best, and while I love them, Cowboys From Hell just has something that the others don't to me.
Favorite Tracks: Cowboys From Hell, Cemetary Gates, The Sleep, Primal Concrete Sledge