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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: lonestar on November 18, 2022, 09:22:51 PM
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I hinted at it in the top 50 tracker thread, but I figured making an OP will commit me to it. I got the list, and I'll just do write ups on the fly. Guess we'll see how it goes...
So...My last one was in 2012, when I was brand spanking new to DTF and had a whole fucking world of music waiting to be discovered. The last list was heavy on 70s and 80s classics, with a good deal of DT, Marillion, and of course IQ. I had just begun writing for Lady Obscure Music Magazine, so was just getting hit with that tidal wave of albums, and was also testing the waters with band names I kept seeing here over and over. Keep in mind, my days before DTF were very isolated, I didn't even venture on the internet before then and was oblivious to a great deal of music culture...I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
But with a curious nature and a shit ton of free time that came with sobriety (being a drunk is a 24/7 job man, literally), and an endless stream of albums, my musical library expanded exponentially. So for this list, I have a few parameters... all artists were ones I tried around or after my first list was compiled. Secondly, unlike my other list, I am sticking to one album per artist, so this list will be 50 unique artists, though crossover projects do count. (like listing DT and JLB solo for example).
For reference, here is my first list...
50- Pete Townshend- All the Best Cowboys have Chinese Eyes
49- Montrose-Montrose
48- Demon- British Standard Approved
47- The Plimsouls- Everywhere at Once
46- The Kinks- Give the People What They Want
45- Pat Benatar- Crimes of Passion
44- Dream Theater- A Dramatic Turn of Events
43- The Who- Who Are You
42- Rush- Exit Stage Left
41- Blind Melon- Blind Melon
40- Styx- Pieces of Eight
39- Tesla- Five Man Acoustical Jam
38- Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin II
37- The Beatles- Abbey Road
36- The Who- Tommy
35- Triumph- Just a Game
34- Tool- Undertow
33- Fish- Fortunes of War
32- Metallica- Master of Puppets
31- Rush- 2112
30- Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon
29- Mechanical Poet- Woodland Prattlers
28- The Who- Who's Next
27- Marillion- Misplaced Childhood
26- Yes- Relayer
25- Dream Theater- Scenes from a Memory
24- Pink Floyd- Wish you Were Here
23- Pete Townshend- Empty Glass
22- IQ- Frequency
21- Marillion- Brave
20- Peter Gabriel- Us
19- Yes- The Yes Album
18- Rush- Moving Pictures
17- Styx- The Grand Illusion
16- Beyond the Bridge- The Old Man and the Spirit
15- The Grateful Dead- Europe '72
14- Dream Theater- Images and Words
13- IQ- Subterrenea
12- Yes- Yessongs
11- Iron Maiden- Number of the Beast
10- Boston- Boston
9- Rush- Signals
8- The Kinks- One for the Road
7- Triumph- Allied Forces
6- Pink Floyd- The Wall
5- The Who- Quadrophenia
4- Dream Theater- Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
3- Yes-Tales from Topographic Oceans
2- IQ- Ever
1- Marillion- Clutching at Straws
I'll keep track of the new list in the second post. Looking forward to this... I'll get this bad boy started tomorrow...
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The Story So Far...
50- Aeternam- Ruins of Empire
49- Gloryhammer- Tales from the Kingdom of Fife
48- Kaipa- Vittjar
47- Karnya- Coverin' Thoughts
46- Lalu- Reset to Preset
45- Amahiru- Amahiru
44- After Forever- Invisible Circles
43- The Deadstation- Episode 01- Like Peering into the Deepest Ocean Abyss
42- Sun Caged- The Lotus Effect
41- Deadly Circus Fire- The King and the Bishop
40- Asterism- Dawn
39- Bloodywood- Rakshak
38- Shineback- Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed
37- The Omega Experiment- The Omega Experiment
36- Nuclear Power Trio- A Clear and Present Rager
35- Spiritbox- Eternal Blue
34- Thank You Scientist- Stranger Heads Prevail
33- BABYMETAL- Metal Resistance
32- Secret Sphere- Portrait of a Dying Heart
31- Nightwish- Imaginaerum
30- Maestrick- Unpuzzle!
29- BAND-MAID- Unseen World
28- Absolute Priority- Hunter
27- Periphery- Periphery III- Select Difficulty
26- Mystery- Dear Someone
25- Between the Buried and Me- Automata I,II
24- Thoughts Factory- Lost
23- Pyramid Theorem- Pyramid Theorem
22- Frost*- Milliontown
21- Destrage- Are You Kidding Me? No.
20- Orphaned Land- Mabool: The Story of the Three Sons of Seven
19- Headspace- I Am Anonymous
18- Senri Kawaguchi- Dynamogenic
17- Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet
16- Amorphis- Queen of Time
15- Kingcrow- In Crescendo
14- Silent Memorial- Retrospective
13- Ostura- The Room
12- Caligula's Horse- In Contact
11- Voices from the Fuselage- Odyssey: The Destroyer of Worlds
10- Anciients- Voice of the Void
9- Gacharic Spin- Gacharic Spin
8- Flaming Row- Elinoire
7- Steven Wilson- The Raven that Refused to Sing (And Other Stories)
6- Anathema- Weather Systems
5- TesseracT- Altered State
4- Speaking to Stones- Elements
3- Allegaeon- Apoptosis
2- Nemophila- Revive
1- Haken- The Mountain
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#50 Aeternam- Ruins of Empire (2017)
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0073153297_10.jpg)
This is one of those bands I actually discovered by seeing them open for someone else, Orphaned Land to be specific. It was a four band bill, they were the first, and man did they floor me. A symphonic folk metal outfit out of Quebec, I'd say they sound a good deal like Amorphis, but with a great deal more flare and fun. They definitely don't take themselves too seriously, but beneath the boisterous exterior is some serious musical chops. The strong folk vibes are paired with solid guitar leads and a vibrant rhythm section. The lead singer specifically has some serious talent, seamlessly flowing from soaring clean vox to intense growls. Ruins of Empire is a great display of their work beginning to end, with really no skippable moments. Also, these guys have the best album art, I was so bummed they were sold out of shirts when I saw them (it was the last show of the tour, even the Orphaned land shirt I got was the display one)
Top songs- Damascus Gate, The Keeper of Shangri-La, Fallen is the Simulcrum of Bel, Praetor of Mercury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUS5FIZYuc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUS5FIZYuc)
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That first list is invalid due to the absence of Marbles. :corn
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Oh man, Ruins of Empires is easily a 9/10 album for me. Fastasic Melodic Death Metal with some prog and Arabic folk music mixed in.
Great start to the list! :metal
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That first list is invalid due to the absence of Marbles. :corn
I think Marbles would be like my #4 or #5 H era album, I just am not totally blown away by it like everyone else is. For me it'd be Brave- FEAR- This Strange Engine and then going into a dogpile of Sounds/Hour Before/Marbles Etc...
Oh man, Ruins of Empires is easily a 9/10 album for me. Fastasic Melodic Death Metal with some prog and Arabic folk music mixed in.
Great start to the list! :metal
Yeah, you can imagine my reaction going to see Orphaned Land and getting my money's worth out of the opener. Granted, Orphaned Land kicked all sorts of ass, the show even made my best concerts list, and a good deal of that was because of Aeternam's performance.
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The first two Aeternam albums are my favorite, at least partially just because I've spent a lot more time with them, but the later ones are all excellent as well. I'd never really thought of the Amorphis comparison, I'll have to ponder that one. Aeternam is much faster, more technical, more symphonic, and leans more heavily on the eastern influences, but they do have some of the other genre mixture and contrast elements going on.
I didn't even venture on the internet before then and was oblivious to a great deal of music culture...I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
Poor guy, nowhere is safe. :lol
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I think Amorphis is just a starting point for peeps to think of, as you said, Aeternam scratches a few different itches for sure. Amorphis will probably be making an appearance later in the list, love that band.
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The first two Aeternam albums are my favorite, at least partially just because I've spent a lot more time with them, but the later ones are all excellent as well. I'd never really thought of the Amorphis comparison, I'll have to ponder that one. Aeternam is much faster, more technical, more symphonic, and leans more heavily on the eastern influences, but they do have some of the other genre mixture and contrast elements going on.
Yeah, I'd say Moongod is just a tad better, but they are both amazing albums. I haven't had a chance to listen to the one that was just released a couple months ago, but I'm sure it will be good too.
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Following just because of the jab at Tim in the second paragraph of the OP! :lol
I don't know this band.
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Keep in mind, my days before DTF were very isolated, I didn't even venture on the internet before then and was oblivious to a great deal of music culture...I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
This was me for a long time as well. I didn't read music magazines, didn't have many friends, and the ones I did liked different music, and while I got on the internet fairly early, it was a long time before I used it as a tool to explore and expand my musical horizons.
Nice to See Quadrophenia so high on the 2012 list.
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I don't know this band.
You'd probably dig this band.
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Great to see a new Top 50 thread. I read so many of these threads when I first joined DTF, it helped give me a real understanding of people's tastes. It seems like it's been years since there's been one!
I always wanted to finish one (I did start one 4 years ago :blush ). Maybe after my roulette I'll revise my list and get back to it.
Never heard of this band/album, but I'll give it a spin.
:corn
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I don't know this band.
You'd probably dig this band.
I will sample.
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I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
:spitcoffee:
I'll do my part, and at least sample the songs you offer up - this could be your last chance to convert me on growls :biggrin:
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I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
:spitcoffee:
I'll do my part, and at least sample the songs you offer up - this could be your last chance to convert me on growls :biggrin:
I'm gonna gather you're very familiar with at least half the list already.
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#49 Gloryhammer- Tales from the Kingdom of Fife (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273b4251c7b0c01a10fe2ad5f0b)
First day of vacation, and my ass is still up at 4am...guess it's time for an update.
Now I'm not a huge power metal fan, it always seemed to cheesy for me, so it's definitely a great irony that the absolutely most cheesy of them all, British band Gloryhammer, would make an appearance on the list. I initially received this album for review at Lady Obscure, and will be the case for a good deal of the list, and it didn't click with me (I actually believe another author reviewed it, but I had the files in my library). It wasn't till a few years later, when I was doing a full library listen, that I revisited it, and man did it click. There's nothing about this band that screams talent, they aren't gonna challenge anyone for technical awards or start new genres, but fuck me if this isn't one of the funnest albums out there. I'd say for that year, probably 2016 or something, when it did click, this ended up being in the top spots on my Spotify, and that for me is definitely an indicator that it should be on this list. I can't count the times I had the opening track absolutely cranking in my car, me singing at the top of my lungs. This was cemented by seeing them live opening for Alestorm, holy shit what a blast that show was. The only time I did, and ever will, see someone dressed up as a gnome crowd singing and crowd surfing. (here is video of the gnome singing... https://www.facebook.com/oskirules/videos/1734351669996266 (https://www.facebook.com/oskirules/videos/1734351669996266) )
Favorite songs- The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee, Amulet of Justice, The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlhQZFTvAn4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlhQZFTvAn4)
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I'm usually into anything you recommend, lonestar. But, I couldn't make it through 20 seconds of that link. I wondered who could write such music, then I looked up images of the band. :lol
Holy shit, they look like a highspeed cosplay accident!
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I'm usually into anything you recommend, lonestar. But, I couldn't make it through 20 seconds of that link. I wondered who could write such music, then I looked up images of the band. :lol
Holy shit, they look like a highspeed cosplay accident!
:lol
Yeah, they're definitely not my usual flavor, but damn did this one own me for a spell.
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2 I've never listened to.
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I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
:spitcoffee:
I'll do my part, and at least sample the songs you offer up - this could be your last chance to convert me on growls :biggrin:
I'm gonna gather you're very familiar with at least half the list already.
So, that Aeternam track was mucho bueno ... 'cept for the growls. Shockingly, I'm not much of a Gloryhammer fan, but will drop the needle on this one too.
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Gloryhammer was very thick with the Viking/Fantasy/Cheese Power metal ... as was to be expected. I dug that album - not sure how much I'll come back to it, but it was up my alley. If I gave it enough time, I'm sure it would be up there with Rhapsody/Dawn of Veeektooorrreeeeeee!
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I keep remembering albums, which speaks to my level of organization and to the amount of artists I'm dealing with. It's not bad when it's a lower level one, but out of the blue remembering a top ten album is something else.
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Epic cheese for #49 eh? I've never listened to Gloryhammer, but I am aware of them. I believe their keyboard player is also the vocalist of Alestorm.
I'll give this album a spin.
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I'll prob not recognize most stuff here but I'll follow anyway :corn
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Epic cheese for #49 eh? I've never listened to Gloryhammer, but I am aware of them. I believe their keyboard player is also the vocalist of Alestorm.
I'll give this album a spin.
Yes he is, I think he started Gloryhammer cause Alestorm wasn't cheesy enough :lol
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So I checked my Last.fm and I listened to a few Gloryhammer albums back in 2019 (including thos one). I don't really remember much about but I'll give it another spin and report back.
I feel like I'm a bit like you. I find power metal to be really cheesy (duh) and outside of my entry level bands/albums I don't listen to a great deal. When it hits right though, it really does hit. I have found a few power metal albums I like recently though, like Angel of Salvation by Galneryus and Infinite by Stratovarius :metal
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I think I got 3 more that would fall in the power metal blast radius, but Gloryhammer is definitely the purest of the batch.
Jingle is well familiar with all 3...
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Nice! I'll stay tuned.
Out of interest did anyone see the controversy over Alestorm/Gloryhammer members last year, relating the leak of some of their group chats?
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Nice! I'll stay tuned.
Out of interest did anyone see the controversy over Alestorm/Gloryhammer members last year, relating the leak of some of their group chats?
I caught waves of it, with Thomas the singer being ousted from the group. Wasn't too sure of details, but it must've been pretty bad
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I don't know this band.
You'd probably dig this band.
I will sample.
Yeah, this is pretty damn good.
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Gloryhammer are pretty decent. I have one if their albums and it's a solid outing.
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I'll have to admit that I've mostly pre-written off Gloryhammer. Most of the power metal I've liked in the last couple decades has been of the darker and heavier variety, and Gloryhammer has a reputation for being of the lighter, cheesier, sing-songy type. But I'll give a few tracks a spin and see how it goes.
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I have previously sampled a couple of albums from Aeternam (not this one yet). I think it was the one that came out this year, and the one prior...My impression was that they were super-talented, but there wasn't a ton that truly stuck with me. Probably requires some more investment of time listening...
Gloryhammer I have seen mentioned quite frequently, but I haven't explored them yet. I don't mind some cheese from time to time, I might try soon :biggrin:
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Keep in mind, my days before DTF were very isolated, I didn't even venture on the internet before then and was oblivious to a great deal of music culture...I was like a musical version of Tim if that makes sense, just dense in all aspects.
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/l4q8gHsCDRGTR0MfK/giphy.gif)
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I think I got 3 more that would fall in the power metal blast radius, but Gloryhammer is definitely the purest of the batch.
Jingle is well familiar with all 3...
hhhhmmm... I'm pretty sure I can guess two of them off the top of my head. Those Italians make some great power metal. Now, what might the third be ?? ??
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Just finishing up the Aeternam. This was alright. Nothing particularly groundbreaking but I'll save it on a playlist to revist. I can totally see them supporting Orphaned Land, that makes perfect sense. I don't fully hear Amorphis in their sound, but kinda see where you are coming from. I fully agree about the album artwork, this has a really cool cover.
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I actually Saved the Aeternam in my Spotify library when it came out. It's quite tasty.
Gloryhammer? Did The Walrus rejoin DTF??
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I actually Saved the Aeternam in my Spotify library when it came out. It's quite tasty.
Gloryhammer? Did The Walrus rejoin DTF??
We can only wish! Most of my more recent power metal sampling was due to his top 50. If I could bring back anyone to this forum...
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I think I got 3 more that would fall in the power metal blast radius, but Gloryhammer is definitely the purest of the batch.
Jingle is well familiar with all 3...
hhhhmmm... I'm pretty sure I can guess two of them off the top of my head. Those Italians make some great power metal. Now, what might the third be ?? ??
You probably nailed the two, the third is more international in flavor
Just finishing up the Aeternam. This was alright. Nothing particularly groundbreaking but I'll save it on a playlist to revist. I can totally see them supporting Orphaned Land, that makes perfect sense. I don't fully hear Amorphis in their sound, but kinda see where you are coming from. I fully agree about the album artwork, this has a really cool cover.
All their artwork is that cool. I may break down and just order a shirt online to have it.
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Gloryhammer...
(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e9/cc/4c/e9cc4cb7690bbb54a3332d2dc902f925--always-sunny-meme-its-always.jpg)
This is certainly some power metal
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I'm kind of digging "Magic Dragon". Some old 90s Stratovarius vibes, sort of "Black Diamond"-esque.
Edit: Hah, and pausing it briefly to cue that up next for nostalgia, I managed to stop it in a spot where it does that thing where it sounds like the beat is reversed, with the snare on the downbeat. Fun for a moment, and then the instrument pause for the vocals to bring in the final chorus switched it back around in my ears.
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1/2 so far for me. It's been a while since I listened to Gloryhammer, but I had this album on repeat a lot back when I first discovered them. Really fun stuff.
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#48 Kaipa- Vittjar (2012)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BWj3bDWXL._SY580_.jpg)
This one I got as a submission for review, one of many situations where I went into the album completely blind, the only name connected with it that I recognized was Per Nilsson. Kaipa is full on prog rock, as proggy as they come. The album is a buffet of instrumental noodling, pretentiously deep lyrics, and all the other trappings that we nerds love about prog that normal society ridicules us for. It's all there, and done very, very well. I think the difference between Kaipa and other prog bands is that there's a certain playfullness about what they do, they're having so much fun creating their music, and it shows so well in the final product. Per's guitar work is by far the highlight of this album, it's loaded with brilliance beginning to end. The other highlight is Aleena Gibson's vocals, she brings that playful element to the album, and really makes the work stand out. For anyone heavy into prog, it's worth checking out, unfortunately, this specific album only has the opening track available on Youtube. Their subequent album Sattyg is on Spotify, but it just didn't shine as brightly as Vittjar.
Favorite tracks- Our Silent Ballroom Band, Treasure House, Light Blue and Green
Here's the opening track, it shows some of what I'm talking about, and displays a bit of Per's playing as well...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFiG-pv-8s&ab_channel=thehillcefis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFiG-pv-8s&ab_channel=thehillcefis)
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Such an incredible guitar player. What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.
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I'm pretty sure you pimped Our Silent Ballroom Band on me in a roulette (just checked .. yup, and it ranked #2 in the round you gave it to me). Great track. I probably never checked them further if they weren't on Spotify - while a great tune, I wasn't wow'd enough to make it an instant purchase. They've got more than a few albums on Spotify, but as you said, not this one :sadpanda:
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Such an incredible guitar player. What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.
He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though. I got some offerings way more up your alley coming up bud, #45 in particular should make you pretty happy me thinks.
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#47 Karnya- Coverin' Thoughts (2013)
(https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/v4/7f/7a/d8/7f7ad8ac-4c75-4bf8-89dc-3a5422968782/887845424549.jpg/1200x1200bf-60.jpg)
Ok Kade, this should be more your flavor me thinks....My first offering from a wave of Italian prog/power metal bands that took over a good deal of my listening time in the early parts of the last decade, this album was another blind submission for review to the webzine. Upon receiving, I think this one held me rapt for a good 3 months, and still gets revisited from time to time, though I don't feel it has the strength it once did, it's still quite excellent. The strength is the relentless riffage, deep and hard, but still holding a proggy edge to it. Vocals are powerful, though they do have that Italian power metal band accent to them. Overall, an outstanding album, and a shame the band never followed through with anything else. This one is also not on Spotify, but a few tracks are on YouTube, and it is on Apple Music, though I have no fucking clue how that works :lol
Favorite tracks- this one is pretty strong beginning to end, but these stand out...Flooding Blood, Where the Silence Remains, A Paraphreniac Menticide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94VD2mzXhA&ab_channel=karnyaband (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F94VD2mzXhA&ab_channel=karnyaband)
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So far nothing I've heard before but I'm going to start chipping away at these albums tomorrow.
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So far nothing I've heard before but I'm going to start chipping away at these albums tomorrow.
I think because I'm not using any bands from my first list, and actually going with bands I discovered after 2010ish, nothing pre-that era will be on the list. This is more focusing on what I've learned lately as opposed to what I grew up with. Granted, some DTF heavyweights will be showing up, but there's a few of one and done bands like Karnya, and bands that were blind submission or purchases that really kicked my ass.
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I'm not familiar with Karnya, so I'll have to investigate them.
Such an incredible guitar player. What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.
He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though.
He has an argument for my favorite guitarist. Incredible that the same guy can play in both Kaipa and in Meshuggah. It's astonishing that he can balance the Holdsworth soloing style perfectly between technicality and catchiness, with immaculate phrasing. And Kaipa is one of my favorite prog rock bands, both their new and old material. He really elevates the albums in the past decade and a half.
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I'm not familiar with Karnya, so I'll have to investigate them.
Such an incredible guitar player. What I've heard from this band ain't really my thing though.
He truly is amazing. Definitely is a niche band though.
He has an argument for my favorite guitarist. Incredible that the same guy can play in both Kaipa and in Meshuggah. It's astonishing that he can balance the Holdsworth soloing style perfectly between technicality and catchiness, with immaculate phrasing. And Kaipa is one of my favorite prog rock bands, both their new and old material. He really elevates the albums in the past decade and a half.
I was about to say Per Nilsson isn't in Meshuggah, but I forgot that he played live with them for a while. He is also amazing in Scar Symmetry. :metal
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Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
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I never knew he did time with Meshuggah, I'll have to dig into that.
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That Karnya album is outstanding! :metal
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Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!
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Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!
I got tons of spare time right now... Looking to do 2 a day while on vacation
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Listening to Vittjar now. Bloody hell, you're not wasting any time with this thread are you!
I got tons of spare time right now... Looking to do 2 a day while on vacation
Well I'm trying to keep up with all the albums, and post my opinions. If you could post some I already know, that'd be great! :lol
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The only band I’ve heard so far is Kaipa, and that only the 70s stuff with Roine (Solo is a really good album).
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The only band I’ve heard so far is Kaipa, and that only the 70s stuff with Roine (Solo is a really good album).
I thought I'd heard Kaipa, turns out I was thinking of Kauan :facepalm:
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That's almost as bad as confusing Opeth and Otep. :p
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:lol
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
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Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time. Just incredible.
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Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time. Just incredible.
Agreed :metal
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Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time. Just incredible.
Agreed :metal
It's the only Scar Symmetry album I know, but hot damn it's great.
It's bookended by the two best tracks, Deus Ex Machina being the best. It's a thing of beauty.
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My favorites from it have kind of leveled out over time, and at this point over half the tracks on it have arguments as my favorite. The title track is nuts, easily the proggiest thing they'd done to that point.
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My favorites from it have kind of leveled out over time, and at this point over half the tracks on it have arguments as my favorite. The title track is nuts, easily the proggiest thing they'd done to that point.
Guess I'll be listening to the album tomorrow!
For those participating in my roulette, and are looking to send songs with great solos (which can really sell a song to me) the solo in Deus Ex Machina, that starts at like 3:53, is a great example! It starts all slow and melodic and builds to a shred fest :metal Kade, you tried sending that song I think, so I know you know what you're about...
(https://media.tenor.com/H0gVDPNWSbgAAAAC/hat-tip.gif)
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I mean, I sent you a song with Per soloing on it, but you weren't blown away. And it's the same guy. :P Maybe I picked too restrained a track.
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I mean, I sent you a song with Per soloing on it, but you weren't blown away. And it's the same guy. :P Maybe I picked too restrained a track.
You've probably picked up on this dude, but my problem is really my inability to fully explain why I like something :lol it makes it harder for you guys, I know.
I can say whether I like or don't like something but know I am terrible at explaining why. It's easily the thing I find hardest about roulettes. Making time to listen, and scoring is easy, it's making sense of that in a damn write up.
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The thing about a roulette round is that any song in a vacuum can hit the spot, and sometimes, it comes out of nowhere, not necessarily aligned with your tastes.
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The thing about a roulette round is that any song in a vacuum can hit the spot, and sometimes, it comes out of nowhere, not necessarily aligned with your tastes.
Yup...and lots of what sounds good on a few spins loses flavor in the long run.
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My favorites from it have kind of leveled out over time, and at this point over half the tracks on it have arguments as my favorite. The title track is nuts, easily the proggiest thing they'd done to that point.
Guess I'll be listening to the album tomorrow!
For those participating in my roulette, and are looking to send songs with great solos (which can really sell a song to me) the solo in Deus Ex Machina, that starts at like 3:53, is a great example! It starts all slow and melodic and builds to a shred fest :metal Kade, you tried sending that song I think, so I know you know what you're about...
(https://media.tenor.com/H0gVDPNWSbgAAAAC/hat-tip.gif)
I sent Ghost Prototype 1 which also has an epic solo. GP2 is a wonderful closer and yeah, that solo again is fantastic. I think I may like Kjellgren's solo on that one a bit better than Nilssons!
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Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time. Just incredible.
Agreed :metal
It's the only Scar Symmetry album I know, but hot damn it's great.
It's bookended by the two best tracks, Deus Ex Machina being the best. It's a thing of beauty.
Most of their albums are worth it, but that one is by far their best work. It's another tier above the rest.
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The thing about a roulette round is that any song in a vacuum can hit the spot, and sometimes, it comes out of nowhere, not necessarily aligned with your tastes.
Yup...and lots of what sounds good on a few spins loses flavor in the long run.
La Mer!!!
It's been a while since I spun Karnya. It's a beaut alright... though I don't think I was as enamoured with it as you were.
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The thing about a roulette round is that any song in a vacuum can hit the spot, and sometimes, it comes out of nowhere, not necessarily aligned with your tastes.
Yup...and lots of what sounds good on a few spins loses flavor in the long run.
La Mer!!!
It's been a while since I spun Karnya. It's a beaut alright... though I don't think I was as enamoured with it as you were.
I was thinking the Astonishing, but LA Mer qualifies, talk about beating a metaphor to fucking death.
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#48 Kaipa- Vittjar (2012)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BWj3bDWXL._SY580_.jpg)
This one I got as a submission for review, one of many situations where I went into the album completely blind, the only name connected with it that I recognized was Per Nilsson. Kaipa is full on prog rock, as proggy as they come. The album is a buffet of instrumental noodling, pretentiously deep lyrics, and all the other trappings that we nerds love about prog that normal society ridicules us for. It's all there, and done very, very well. I think the difference between Kaipa and other prog bands is that there's a certain playfullness about what they do, they're having so much fun creating their music, and it shows so well in the final product. Per's guitar work is by far the highlight of this album, it's loaded with brilliance beginning to end. The other highlight is Aleena Gibson's vocals, she brings that playful element to the album, and really makes the work stand out. For anyone heavy into prog, it's worth checking out, unfortunately, this specific album only has the opening track available on Youtube. Their subequent album Sattyg is on Spotify, but it just didn't shine as brightly as Vittjar.
Favorite tracks- Our Silent Ballroom Band, Treasure House, Light Blue and Green
Here's the opening track, it shows some of what I'm talking about, and displays a bit of Per's playing as well...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFiG-pv-8s&ab_channel=thehillcefis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrFiG-pv-8s&ab_channel=thehillcefis)
Yea this was a nice listen. I can't remember exactly which song, but at some point I heard something that reminded me of video game music, which is always a plus for me!
Yep, also in Nocturnal Rites and Zierler (and a ton of guest spots). Meshuggah is especially fascinating since Thordendal was one of the pioneers of bringing a jazz/fusion style into metal, both through soloing and through some of the ambient clean work. But he's almost always much more abstract, where Nilsson is generally quite melodic. Scar Symmetry is my favorite project of his though. Holographic Universe is just incredible, with the duality between Per's guitar wizardry and Alvestam's vocal sorcery.
HU is one of the best melodeath albums of all time. Just incredible.
Agreed :metal
It's the only Scar Symmetry album I know, but hot damn it's great.
It's bookended by the two best tracks, Deus Ex Machina being the best. It's a thing of beauty.
Most of their albums are worth it, but that one is by far their best work. It's another tier above the rest.
I've queued up a few more Scar Symmetry albums to listen to today :metal
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:metal
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. :lol :lol
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
Well, the next offering will be of no use to you then.
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
Well, the next offering will be of no use to you then.
(https://media.tenor.com/LQDoZLN5MR4AAAAC/dis-gon-b-gud-this-is-going-to-be-good.gif)
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
Well, the next offering will be of no use to you then.
(https://media.tenor.com/LQDoZLN5MR4AAAAC/dis-gon-b-gud-this-is-going-to-be-good.gif)
You're very familiar with it bud.
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
Well, the next offering will be of no use to you then.
(https://media.tenor.com/LQDoZLN5MR4AAAAC/dis-gon-b-gud-this-is-going-to-be-good.gif)
You're very familiar with it bud.
So you're saying my initial reaction is going to be "too low"? :biggrin:
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#46 Lalu- Paint the Sky (2022)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GSfJA9I6L._SY580_.jpg)
My relationship with French keyboardist Vivian Lalu began after coming across his first album, Oniric Metal, on a random Spotify rabbit hole, and deciding to review it. I reviewed his subsequent album, and did some editing for a story script for a still unfinished project of his. Needless to say, when he announced Paint the Sky was in production, I was elated, he has a special flavor of prog that digs deep with me. When he announced that one of my favorite vocalists, Damian Wilson, would be doing all the vocals and vocal melodies, I was floored. I knew this went from solid album to AOTY potential (which might still hold, but Nemophila has an album coming out in 3 weeks, so that hold is tenuous at best). Paint the Sky met all expectations, and then some. Lalu manages to produce a fiercely paced brand of metal that manages to be instrumentally intricate without losing the beautiful melodies that a lot of the more wankery prog bands to, for some reason, it's a sacrifice he manages to avoid to the great pleasure of it all. Damian is just outstanding on this, as I knew he would be. The core musicians besides Viv, Jelly Cardarelli on drums and Viv's usual partner in crime Joop Walters on guitar and bass, do the heavy lifting on this, along with a scattering of guests artists like Gary Wehrkamp, Jens Johansson, Marco Sfogli, Vik Shankar., Simone Mularoni, and our very own Jordan Rudess. For anyone who loves the more classic breed of prog and prog metal, this is a must listen.
Favorite tracks- Paint the Sky, Reset to Preset, The Chosen Ones
Unlike the last two submissions, this one is fully on all services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8TypXY-tJM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8TypXY-tJM)
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This is one I've given a few spins this year. It was definitely promising. I'm planing to revisit a shit load of 2022 albums before the year is out, and this is definitely one of them, good stuff
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Well thank goodness it's not Lulu. :neverusethis:
I love Damian, but hadn't gotten around to this yet, so I'm looking forward to it.
Edit: Interesting, so far he has a Jon Anderson feel to his voice in spots, and the music has some Yes qualities, I wonder if both are intentional.
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This was my first purchase of 2022. Love it. Not sure it's AOTY material for me (the lyrics/story don't quite click with me). It's been a couple months since I spun it.
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This was my first purchase of 2022. Love it. Not sure it's AOTY material for me (the lyrics/story don't quite click with me). It's been a couple months since I spun it.
Yeah, for me I think it's in the discussion, but strong outputs from Allegaeon, Bloodywood, BAND-MAID and of course Nemophila will probably top it, especially Allegaeon, Damnum is a fucking masterpiece. (probably too much growling for your sensitive Canadian ears though)
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Yeah, Lalu lost me when Damian Wilson came on board. I don't like his voice at all.
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Yeah, Lalu lost me when Damian Wilson came on board. I don't like his voice at all.
Yeah, I know there's a few anti-Damian peeps out there, can't please everybody. :dunno:
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Yeah, Lalu lost me when Damian Wilson came on board. I don't like his voice at all.
Yeah, I know there's a few anti-Damian peeps out there, can't please everybody. :dunno:
It's starting to look like an infestation.
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/cYNjbM2MvPzM8raKvh/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e478rarhogg32sqnw5luxllwpgsp6xsd0oypg0xu1vs&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
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I’ve never listened to anything with Damien Wilson on it. I only know of him because he is frequently hated on around here.
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Just filled out all the dates...oldest albums are from 2004, busiest year is 2012 with 7 albums.
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Yeah, Lalu lost me when Damian Wilson came on board. I don't like his voice at all.
(https://media.tenor.com/EYuhTySrRmYAAAAC/shame-shame-on-you.gif)
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People keep posting that one, and I think it's probably the only set of frames from that scene that are SFW. :lol
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:rollin
People keep posting that one, and I think it's probably the only set of frames from that scene that are SFW. :lol
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#45 Amahiru- Amahiru (2020)
(https://i.discogs.com/BGV8drwftkHgNKPCK7UhFI3P5v2HEUs6U7QemKc2Exs/rs:fit/g:sm/q:40/h:300/w:300/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTE2Mjgy/MDk2LTE2MDY1MTgy/NzQtODU2Ni5qcGVn.jpeg)
This will be the first submission that falls under the J-metal blast zone, even though this project is more international in flavor. I found it because the band was formed by Nemophila/Mary's Blood guitarist Saki and Kreator/ex Dragonforce bassist Frederic Leclercq. The flavor of this one is straight up hard hard rock to power metal, and it's very well executed. Filling out the bill is Epica keyboardist Janssen, Fear Factory drummer Mike Heller and relatively unknown singer Archie Wilson. The album as a whole is definitely guitar driven, with both Saki and Leclercq doing lead duties. Wilson's vocals are outstanding, they manage to takeover the songs with mostly full cleans and a few, well placed growls here and there. It's a tremendous album full of solid riffage and killer solos (anyone unfamiliar with Saki needs to check this out, this girl is a serious talent).
Favorite tracks- WTTP, Hours, Lucky Star (with Elyze Ryd), and Samurai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxQVamkeoKQ&ab_channel=WardRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxQVamkeoKQ&ab_channel=WardRecords)
https://youtu.be/DTQjIjYvEM8 (https://youtu.be/DTQjIjYvEM8)
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Yup, you pimped this one on me, and it made it to #5 on my AOTY list for 2020. :metal
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. :lol :lol
I knew this was coming haha. It's a me thing but these days all this stuff is just too clean for my liking. Lacks balls IMO.
For Lalu, I have Atomic Ark which was decent, but never bothered to check this one. I remember the couple of songs I heard didn't wow me.
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. :lol :lol
I knew this was coming haha. It's a me thing but these days all this stuff is just too clean for my liking. Lacks balls IMO.
Nah... it's not just a you thing - it's a me thing too. People change, tastes change... I'm just quite happy with my musical tastes. I just have no desire to evolve those tastes. Some can adopt to the growls - FFS, even Tim did. Some of us (me, Lowder, JJ) are just fine sticking with the status quo.
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Following - I'll have to spend more time catching up on the first few posts. But just chiming in to say that Damian Wilson is awesome.
Also, I love clean vocals. :P
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If this album has Damian Wilson, I will be waiting for the next entry. He's a deal breaker for me.
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If this album has Damian Wilson, I will be waiting for the next entry. He's a deal breaker for me.
I'd imagine you'll love the Amahiru album.
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If this album has Damian Wilson, I will be waiting for the next entry. He's a deal breaker for me.
I'd imagine you'll love the Amahiru album.
Oh, I didn't see the Amahiru post. I just saw the Wilson comment at the bottom of the page.
Hell yes, I love that album, and it's my current (or as current as can be...) submission in 425's roulette.
I'm a huge Frederic Leclercq fan. I thought he added a new dimension to Dragonforce. I became aware of him with Heavenly. He is incredible, and a great all around musician.
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If this album has Damian Wilson, I will be waiting for the next entry. He's a deal breaker for me.
I'd imagine you'll love the Amahiru album.
Oh, I didn't see the Amahiru post. I just saw the Wilson comment at the bottom of the page.
Hell yes, I love that album, and it's my current (or as current as can be...) submission in 425's roulette.
I'm a huge Frederic Leclercq fan. I thought he added a new dimension to Dragonforce. I became aware of him with Heavenly. He is incredible, and a great all around musician.
So you found the album from France and I found it via Japan...
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. :lol :lol
I knew this was coming haha. It's a me thing but these days all this stuff is just too clean for my liking. Lacks balls IMO.
Nah... it's not just a you thing - it's a me thing too. People change, tastes change... I'm just quite happy with my musical tastes. I just have no desire to evolve those tastes. Some can adopt to the growls - FFS, even Tim did. Some of us (me, Lowder, JJ) are just fine sticking with the status quo.
Growls is a part of it yes, but I think I'm also over the whole technical aspect. It only goes so far and even for me, the whole complicated fast technical shit just gets tiresome. I guess I'm just looking for something new and different. That's why nothing sticks much these days, nothing feels new.
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Hmmm....okay, will sample tonight. Never heard these guys before.
Gotta be honest, I think I've totally outgrown this style of pretty prog with clean vocals. It's solid but meh. I thought the Aeternam was much more my thing.
I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. :lol :lol
I knew this was coming haha. It's a me thing but these days all this stuff is just too clean for my liking. Lacks balls IMO.
Nah... it's not just a you thing - it's a me thing too. People change, tastes change... I'm just quite happy with my musical tastes. I just have no desire to evolve those tastes. Some can adopt to the growls - FFS, even Tim did. Some of us (me, Lowder, JJ) are just fine sticking with the status quo.
Growls is a part of it yes, but I think I'm also over the whole technical aspect. It only goes so far and even for me, the whole complicated fast technical shit just gets tiresome. I guess I'm just looking for something new and different. That's why nothing sticks much these days, nothing feels new.
I think for new and different, you'll have to wait for #39
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I own both Kaipa ; Lalu. Never heard Amahiru.
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I own both Kaipa ; Lalu. Never heard Amahiru.
You'd probably dig it.. Good solid hard rock, very guitar forward. Very accessible.
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I own both Kaipa ; Lalu. Never heard Amahiru.
You'd probably dig it.. Good solid hard rock, very guitar forward. Very accessible.
Yeah, it's an awesome album.
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I'll check it out tomorrow at work!
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I'll check it out tomorrow at work!
Let me know what you think.
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You bet.
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New band to me in the past month. I enjoyed hearing a track from it after it was revealed in 425's latest submission set, and it'll be interesting to hear the whole thing. Much of the J/K-rock/pop/metal scenes are an enigma to me, I've heard a few things I've liked, and others that didn't really hit for me.
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New band to me in the past month. I enjoyed hearing a track from it after it was revealed in 425's latest submission set, and it'll be interesting to hear the whole thing. Much of the J/K-rock/pop scenes are an enigma to me, I've heard a few things I've liked, and others that didn't really hit for me.
There's probably going to be a few more J-metal offerings on the list from me... Just speculating. Notwithstanding opinions on the genre in general, Saki is just a tremendous guitarist. In fact, most of the Japanese musicians are incredibly polished on their respective instruments
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Dunno if you'll have them or not, but Unlucky Morpheus is probably my favorite in that scene.
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Haven't dug into them yet... So many bands, so little time.
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This is probably my favorite song of theirs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg
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This is probably my favorite song of theirs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg
Good stuff, got that power metal vibe going on. If you haven't, check out Lovebites and Mary's Blood.
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Let's keep chugging along folks...
#44 After Forever- Invisible Circles (2004)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71b11IHINjL._AC_UL600_SR600,600_.jpg)
The oldest album on the list, one of two from 2004...Was suggested this one by fellow LO author and good friend Xio as we were having a discussion about favorite albums/ones that were life changing. I sent her IQ- Ever with my long diatribe about how it affected me, and she sent me this, along with a pretty heart wrenching story about how it played in her life. When someone gifts me such a precious look into their soul, I pay attention, and I'm glad I did. I do believe this was my first introduction to Floor as well, it was pre-Nightwish that I was shown this, and I wasn't familiar with any other work by her. Her vocal chops of course show very quickly in Beautiful Emptiness, and continue to dominate this album throughout. A good, agressive symphonic metal concept album with a solid story, though a bit heavy handed and cheesy, but I could see how a 13 year old teen girl going through the horrors of divorce and all the isolated trappings that go along with it could find such tremendous solace in the work, and end up being completely owned by it, I honestly think only music can provide that deep a connection for some of us. I think the bit for me about this album was that empathy it made me feel, along with some of my own relatable experiences that go with it, especially Eccentric, such a brutally moving piece. For all that, this one earned a spot on the list.
Favorite Tracks- Beautiful Emptiness, Eccentric, Digital Deceit, Through Square Eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuO53UMMElc&ab_channel=Metallwish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuO53UMMElc&ab_channel=Metallwish)
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It's been a while since I spun this one. I'm more partial to their s/t (and final) album, but this one does have a few standout tracks.
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Kind of late posting in the thread, but just wanted to say this:
So far, I don't know ANY of the album posted. And I suspect there will be a lot of albums posted that I do not know. But my intent is to follow the thread, even if I don't post much, and to listen to most of the albums posted (if there is anything with Steven Wilson on it, it will be an automatic skip). My tastes don't always overlap with yours. But when they do, it is often in a big way. So I'll be taking notes. And I figure it is probably likely that I'll come away from the thread with at least three or so "Hmm...I really should buy that" albums by the end of it.
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Kind of late posting in the thread, but just wanted to say this:
So far, I don't know ANY of the album posted. And I suspect there will be a lot of albums posted that I do not know. But my intent is to follow the thread, even if I don't post much, and to listen to most of the albums posted (if there is anything with Steven Wilson on it, it will be an automatic skip). My tastes don't always overlap with yours. But when they do, it is often in a big way. So I'll be taking notes. And I figure it is probably likely that I'll come away from the thread with at least three or so "Hmm...I really should buy that" albums by the end of it.
Let me know which ones click for you please.
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I've heard this After Forever album, but to be honest, I haven't spent that much time with it. Normally when I want to hear them I just listen to their final s/t album. I just remember not caring for the earlier production as much, the guitars didn't have the oomph I wanted. And starting to play it again, it's pretty much like I remember it. Floor's vocals are stellar, as to be expected, but the guitar tone is weak, almost like they plugged into a distortion pedal and then straight into the mixing board rather than micing a cab. Maybe a song from it will win me over and distract me from that though, since the rest of the instruments sound reasonably ok. Hmm, except some of these keyboard sounds are really obviously early keyboard imitations and blatantly not the real deal. But Floor is still so brilliant that she alone makes this worthy of hearing.
Edit: Ah, "Eccentric" is the best track so far. The stripped-back nature of it helps mitigate my issues with the production.
This is probably my favorite song of theirs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg)
Good stuff, got that power metal vibe going on. If you haven't, check out Lovebites and Mary's Blood.
I've heard a little bit from each. They were alright, but didn't really move me. Maybe another album/songs or another listen at some point will change my mind.
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I've heard this After Forever album, but to be honest, I haven't spent that much time with it. Normally when I want to hear them I just listen to their final s/t album. I just remember not caring for the earlier production as much, the guitars didn't have the oomph I wanted. And starting to play it again, it's pretty much like I remember it. Floor's vocals are stellar, as to be expected, but the guitar tone is weak, almost like they plugged into a distortion pedal and then straight into the mixing board rather than micing a cab. Maybe a song from it will win me over and distract me from that though, since the rest of the instruments sound reasonably ok. Hmm, except some of these keyboard sounds are really obviously early keyboard imitations and blatantly not the real deal. But Floor is still so brilliant that she alone makes this worthy of hearing.
Edit: Ah, "Eccentric" is the best track so far. The stripped-back nature of it helps mitigate my issues with the production.
This is probably my favorite song of theirs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESTgPYemoRg)
Good stuff, got that power metal vibe going on. If you haven't, check out Lovebites and Mary's Blood.
I've heard a little bit from each. They were alright, but didn't really move me. Maybe another album/songs or another listen at some point will change my mind.
Fair enough....Lovebites I'm in the same place...I got a bit more affinity for Mary's Blood, but that may be Saki bias coming into play on that one.
Neither of these made the cut, I got 4 others that did though, maybe they'll fall more into your wheelhouse.
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Another thing about this After Forever album, the skit interludes I suppose fit into the story they want to tell, but since they're integrated into the tracks and not really skippable, they really reduce the replayability of the album for me.
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Kind of late posting in the thread, but just wanted to say this:
So far, I don't know ANY of the album posted. And I suspect there will be a lot of albums posted that I do not know. But my intent is to follow the thread, even if I don't post much, and to listen to most of the albums posted (if there is anything with Steven Wilson on it, it will be an automatic skip). My tastes don't always overlap with yours. But when they do, it is often in a big way. So I'll be taking notes. And I figure it is probably likely that I'll come away from the thread with at least three or so "Hmm...I really should buy that" albums by the end of it.
Let me know which ones click for you please.
Yup, will do! :tup
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Another thing about this After Forever album, the skit interludes I suppose fit into the story they want to tell, but since they're integrated into the tracks and not really skippable, they really reduce the replayability of the album for me.
Yeah, that's where the overly cheesy comment comes into play
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I love Damien Wilson and wasn’t aware of the Lalu album. Will definitely check that one out. :tup
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Female vocals.......I'll have to pass on this one.
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:lol
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Female vocals.......I'll have to pass on this one.
We still talking about Damien Wilson?
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I just checked, you just immediately nixed 9 upcoming albums on the list. :rollin
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Female vocals.......I'll have to pass on this one.
We still talking about Damien Wilson?
:lol
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I just checked, you just immediately nixed 9 upcoming albums on the list. :rollin
Jeez, you really love Damian Wilson huh?
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Female vocals.......I'll have to pass on this one.
(https://i.giphy.com/media/M8nkMYEsSXl08v2s11/giphy.webp)
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I just checked, you just immediately nixed 9 upcoming albums on the list. :rollin
Jeez, you really love Damian Wilson huh?
Oh, if we're including him, then 11...
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Ok, quick update before bed...
#43 The Deadstation- Episode 01:Like Peering into the Deepest Ocean Abyss (2012)
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516npv0oExL._SR600%2C315_PIWhiteStrip%2CBottomLeft%2C0%2C35_SCLZZZZZZZ_FMpng_BG255%2C255%2C255.jpg)
Came across this one randomly on FB I think, and fell in love with it immediately. This is one of two EPs on the list, a progressive metal outfit out of Boston. I always felt the biggest problem with this is they didn't follow through and put out anything else afterwards, just so much potential left on the table. Their album is meant to be an episode from a dystopian TV station, and it plays out as such. Linked to the outstanding musical offering is a distinct energy and drama, they really put together a total package that ends way too quickly. Instrumentally, it's a deft offering, there's some definite skill here, not just in the playing, but in the songwriting, that shows all too well in the way they bring the listener on.
Favorite Tracks- Subsistence Defined, I Cannot Explain Myself Anymore
Here's Subsistence Defined, but in the page is a free download of the whole EP....
https://thedeadstation.bandcamp.com/track/subsistence-defined (https://thedeadstation.bandcamp.com/track/subsistence-defined)
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This one was mostly meh for me. Something just didn't click. It's been years since I listened to it, so maybe a fresh perspective might change that impression.
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Unfortunately, I have to concur. Not bad, just nothing stands out about it, unlike the others. It could be the type of album that opens up after a number of plays though.
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My opinion of it is probably swayed a bit since I'm thanked in the liner notes as well. :biggrin:
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No familiar with Deadstation. Will check it out.
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#42 Sun Caged- The Lotus Effect (2011)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2731667ed0c41d184f48cb0c581)
I'm honestly not sure where I came across this one, probably fell within the radius of the glut of albums I came across at the time, or it was sent to me by Jingle, who knows, but wherever it came from, I'm glad it did. Classic prog in style, smooth and subdued with killer vocals from Paul Villarreal. The highlight of the album is the last 8 songs, which form Ashtamangals- the 8 Auspicous Symbols suite, a 24 minute prog epic that definitely falls under the brilliance umbrella. It's soaring in scope, but never gets too out of reach like some epics have a habit of doing. Just a fantastic listen, and one I come back to often.
Favorite Tracks- Ashtamangala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jMwUGMe9Jg&t=48s&ab_channel=MarcelCoenenOfficial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jMwUGMe9Jg&t=48s&ab_channel=MarcelCoenenOfficial)
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Wudn't me. I stumbled on to them via a last.fm recommendation, but pretty sure I never shared them. Another act that didn't quite click with me for the long haul. I actually prefer their earlier release (Artemisia) over this one.
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I actually have this, but it's been years since I listened to it.
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Now we're talking. The debut is an amazing album, but the follow up wasn't nearly as good to my recollection, though RYM tells me otherwise. Not sure I ever got around to this one, so I'll see how it goes. A massive amount of member turnover for such a small discography though. I like how the debut had two Ayreon members (Marcel and Joost).
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Ok, one more update, then I'll probably do one in the morning tomorrow but obviously will take the evening off for the holiday.
#41- Deadly Circus Fire- The King and the Bishop (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273c0f24bf4e436284fe27e28fb)
This British metal band I found through what I used to refer to as my Bandcamp fishing trips, spending a few hours just randomly hitting play on bands suggested to me. I've found more than a few quality albums doing this, and by doing blind purchases at the local record store's prog metal section. I'd say the standout aspects of Deadly Circus Fire, other than having the best band name ever, is their intense riffage, the bass ripped straight out of the Tool playbook, and the lead singer's pure power behind the mic. The follow up to this, The Hydra's Tailor, is also an outstanding output, but not quite the level of this one for me. After that, the lead singer left, and their follow up this year was quality, but never reached the brilliance of the first two. Once you hear what Adam does, his cleans, his growls, how his passion rolls between the two, you'll see why he was so hard to replace. This one is well worth a click my friends....
Favorite Tracks- Through the Soil, Her Epitaph, Threnody, Leviathan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcnSs4t4MVw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcnSs4t4MVw)
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Another new one, but this is pretty cool, I like Tool-influenced bands. Have you heard Wheel from Finland?
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Another new one, but this is pretty cool, I like Tool-influenced bands. Have you heard Wheel from Finland?
I always joked that in the 12 years between 10000 days and Fear Innoculum, they out out the best 2 tool albums.
Not familiar with Wheel, I'll have to check it out.
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Your use of "Tool" and "growls" to describe this pretty much makes it a pass for me.
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Your use of "Tool" and "growls" to describe this pretty much makes it a pass for me.
The sample song is only 4 minutes long dude...take a chance...
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#40 Asterism- Ignition (2018)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273a1f9c00b8d62ccffdfcbeb3e)
Alright, you all knew this was coming, the first of a solid group of albums that fall under my recent fascination with J-Metal, this one was sent to me by a member of one of the FB fan groups for another band, and in one listen I was absolutely hooked, and am only getting more and more sold every day. A three piece instrumental metal band, Asterism has been together since guitarist Hal-Ca (Haruka Noma) was 11, bassist Miyu was 12, and drummer Mio was 14, and knowing that makes it more sensible that by the release of this album 5 years later, they sound pretty tight. And by now, 4 years after that, they're as polished as any band out there. This band is proggy, with some seriously heavy edges, highlighted by some of the most insane skill I've ever seen in such young musicians, I can only imagine this is what the core of MP, MM, and JP sounded like at such a young age. Miyu is usually seen plaing his custom 7 string bass, which isn't just for show, he kills it on this, not only handling rhythm duties but also feeding in and out of Hal-Ca's leads with his own incredible melodic parts. Mio is a machine on drums, more than up to the task of doing the heavy lifting for the group. For me though, it's Hal-Ca that sets this group apart. After a year of watching live vids, I'm firmly convinced that she will be one of the premiere guitar players of her generation. She not only has the technical chops, she's as fast as any I've seen out there, and her stage presence is absolutely massive. Keep an eye out on her, and on this band, they're only going to get better and better.
Favorite Tracks- Dawn, Blaze, Light in the Darkness
Light in the Darkness- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YNyr1PqMqA&ab_channel=Takako (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YNyr1PqMqA&ab_channel=Takako)
Dawn (8+ minutes, but well worth it to really see Hal-Ca in action, watching her own this crowd at 16 is just jaw dropping)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQPvINJcA0&ab_channel=Takako (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQPvINJcA0&ab_channel=Takako)
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From this point on I expect everything to be J-adjacent.
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Your use of "Tool" and "growls" to describe this pretty much makes it a pass for me.
The sample song is only 4 minutes long dude...take a chance...
Chad, you can do this song. Easily. The harsh vocals, even though they're the kind of harshies that I'm not crazy about, as they're screams as opposed to growls, are very non-intrusive to the song.
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From this point on I expect everything to be J-adjacent.
:lol
Off the top of my head, I think I got 4 more J-adjacent offerings.
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One of my Top 5 Live Albums...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/84/Loudness_-_Live%2C_Loud%2C_Alive.jpg)
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Your use of "Tool" and "growls" to describe this pretty much makes it a pass for me.
The sample song is only 4 minutes long dude...take a chance...
Four minutes of my life is far too valuable for Tool + growls. :lol
Alright, alright... I give it a whirl. Although, I do seem to recall trying DCF in the past, and it largely didn't stick with me. Ok, I sampled it. It doesn't suck so bad. :lol
Asterism on the other hand... kicks fucking ass. This was a recc'n that was well worth my while when you pimped it on me. :tup Damn dude... I'm not sure how I missed they had a release this year - just a shorty 36 minute one though. The technical wankery is strong here.
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Asterism is ridiculous. Those kids are just...kids. Amazing chops, all of them.
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Your use of "Tool" and "growls" to describe this pretty much makes it a pass for me.
The sample song is only 4 minutes long dude...take a chance...
Four minutes of my life is far too valuable for Tool + growls. :lol
Alright, alright... I give it a whirl. Although, I do seem to recall trying DCF in the past, and it largely didn't stick with me. Ok, I sampled it. It doesn't suck so bad. :lol
Asterism on the other hand... kicks fucking ass. This was a recc'n that was well worth my while when you pimped it on me. :tup Damn dude... I'm not sure how I missed they had a release this year - just a shorty 36 minute one though. The technical wankery is strong here.
Dude...you messaged me the day of said release...you're getting old bro. For the others, this year's release is an album of heavy metal covers of anime soundtracks. Some really good stuff in the mix for sure. Their other album, Guernica, is an instrumental concept album, Church being a tremendously strong track off that one.
Asterism is ridiculous. Those kids are just...kids. Amazing chops, all of them.
Yup...it's going to be so much fun watching them in the coming years, really hope the US festival circuit picks them up, especially Aftershock, they'd fucking crush it on that stage.
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Yup...it's going to be so much fun watching them in the coming years, really hope the US festival circuit picks them up, especially Aftershock, they'd fucking crush it on that stage.
Yeah, maybe something like ProgPower.
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RJ, are you familiar at all with Sithu Aye?
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Ooh, that's a good mention. He does have a bit of Japanese flair to some of his stuff.
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Holy shit. Now that you mention it, I do remember mentioning it to you. :lolpalm:
I just didn't note it in the list I keep track of for all new albums I sample. :facepalm:
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I just didn't note it in the list I keep track of for all new albums I sample. :facepalm:
I start a list every year, but by August/Sept, I basically stop adding things to the list for some reason.
This year, I have stayed pretty much up to date though.
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RJ, are you familiar at all with Sithu Aye?
Yuo, even saw them live, can't remember who they opened for. Great stuff.
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I just didn't note it in the list I keep track of for all new albums I sample. :facepalm:
I start a list every year, but by August/Sept, I basically stop adding things to the list for some reason.
This year, I have stayed pretty much up to date though.
I don't have a complete list, but I do have a firm top five, two of which will make an appearance here. (one is actually next on the list)
Keeping my aoty spot open for the Nemophila release on 12/14
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I'm talking about a list of EVERYTHING that I sample - so I remember what I've heard, and what I haven't. Before I did this, I'd find myself in situation such as seeing an album in November and think "oooh... I should check that out" - meanwhile, I already did back in Februrary, and didn't care for it.
This year's list is up to 154 albums atm.
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RJ, are you familiar at all with Sithu Aye?
Yuo, even saw them live, can't remember who they opened for. Great stuff.
That would've been Haken I think. When you mentioned heavy metal anime covers it made me think of his Senpai series.
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RJ, are you familiar at all with Sithu Aye?
Yuo, even saw them live, can't remember who they opened for. Great stuff.
That would've been Haken I think. When you mentioned heavy metal anime covers it made me think of his Senpai series.
Yep, pretty sure it was Haken. If you dug that stuff, definitely check Asterism's new album out...
https://open.spotify.com/album/2fc5Ue7wQIl72i6U0QyUrX?si=0I2JMCQpSnG5v-0m-NAmVA&utm_source=copy-link (https://open.spotify.com/album/2fc5Ue7wQIl72i6U0QyUrX?si=0I2JMCQpSnG5v-0m-NAmVA&utm_source=copy-link)
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RJ, are you familiar at all with Sithu Aye?
Yuo, even saw them live, can't remember who they opened for. Great stuff.
That would've been Haken I think. When you mentioned heavy metal anime covers it made me think of his Senpai series.
Yep, pretty sure it was Haken. If you dug that stuff, definitely check Asterism's new album out...
https://open.spotify.com/album/2fc5Ue7wQIl72i6U0QyUrX?si=0I2JMCQpSnG5v-0m-NAmVA&utm_source=copy-link (https://open.spotify.com/album/2fc5Ue7wQIl72i6U0QyUrX?si=0I2JMCQpSnG5v-0m-NAmVA&utm_source=copy-link)
Oh once I'm back home I FL I plan in checking everything from this list out. I discovered a ton of good stuff when you did your top songs of the decade countdown a couple years ago.
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#39 Bloodywood- Rakshak (2022)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273d48b6ca02772743c1d81db78)
The most recent addition to my list...not just one of the two albums from 2022, but a band who I only really started digging into in early October. I had heard of them, not sure if I sampled them before, but finally gave them a solid listen after their set at Aftershock. I didn't go that day, but it was a nearly unanimous opinion among the fan groups that among heavyweights like Muse, MCR, Lamb of God, Kiss, and Slipknot, it was Bloodywood who had the set of the festival. That was enough to make me click play, and man am I glad I did. Bloodywood is the unique marriage of Bollywood style background with traditional Indian instruments, heavy, heavy metal, and a brutally rapid fire rap vocal style that works to absolute perfection. Their themes come with a heavy handed message of varying sorts, their not just in it to make music, these guys want to make change in the process. There's definitely some heavy Rage influence to their music, but the Indian overtones paired with the insanely intense riffage really do the heavy lifting on this one. Bloodywood is one that's hard to really describe, you'll just have to give it a listen, and thank me afterwards...
Favorite Tracks- Gaddaar, Machi Bhasad, Dana-dan
Machi Bhasad- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsy5sJy5_34&ab_channel=Bloodywood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsy5sJy5_34&ab_channel=Bloodywood)
Dana-Dan- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a65A626Ed20&ab_channel=Bloodywood (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a65A626Ed20&ab_channel=Bloodywood)
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Oof. I don't know, man. :)
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Just click play...
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I did! :lol
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I really dig Dana-dan! I'll check out the complete album later.
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:tup
Dana-Dan is probably my fav so far...
I did! :lol
That's all we can do man.
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I did! :lol
That's all we can do man.
It is indeed appreciated. :tup
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I'm sorry, but since Bilo IV dropped yesterday I haven't listened to much else, so I'm gonna have to play catch up on the last couple soon. :biggrin:
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Pretty sure you shared this on FB a while back, and I sampled it. Didn't really strike me as my thing, but it certainly was unique.
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Damn. Sorry mate, I thought that Bloodywood was fucking terrible. :lol
Props to them for the uniqueness. I know I'm looking for something fresh, but this isn't it.
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Damn. Sorry mate, I thought that Bloodywood was fucking terrible. :lol
Props to them for the uniqueness. I know I'm looking for something fresh, but this isn't it.
Not sure what I'll have that's in your wheelhouse man. Keep checking back I guess.
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Damn. Sorry mate, I thought that Bloodywood was fucking terrible. :lol
Props to them for the uniqueness. I know I'm looking for something fresh, but this isn't it.
Not sure what I'll have that's in your wheelhouse man. Keep checking back I guess.
I'm following mate. Still enjoying these obscure pics regardless.
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Ok here's another very proggy submission for you not to like Kade...
#38 Shineback- Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2734d8fb5eb08e56d41b598fdb0)
A solo project by Tinyfish frontman Simon Godfrey, this album was an experimentation in electronica and a murder mystery rolled into one. It's a solid concept album, with the songs proper interluded with musical 'blogs', it has a good flow and really pushes the boundaries of what the electronic side of music is capable of, ditching most of the predictable stuff for some truly sublime musical outputs with tremendous vocal work from Godfrey. Highlighting the album is the masterpiece of a title track.
Favorite Tracks- Rise Up Forgotten Return Destroyed, Bedlam Days, Is This The Dream, Faultlines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yrOUQ-rzbs&ab_channel=Shineback-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yrOUQ-rzbs&ab_channel=Shineback-Topic)
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And with that, I'm heading into the city for a Fan Expo highlighted by panels from Ming Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and M'fin BRENT SPINER, so probably only one offering for today. We'll get two in tomorrow, and then one a day probably for the rest of the list.
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Alright, gonna sneak in another before bed...
#37- The Omega Experiment- The Omega Experiment (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e028b4699d2e0d72dba883a99b2)
This album, more than any other, taught me that taking chances on totally unheard of bands can pay off in droves. I came across this in the prog metal section of a local record store, and a two second search showed me some decent reviews and some very high praise from one Devin Townsend. I figured if it was good enough for heavy Devy, it was good enough for me to drop a few bucks on. The album is the work of two gents, covering all instruments on it except the programmed drums (the one drawback of the album). Musically, it's a brilliant wall of sound prog metal attack, with a shit ton of emotion weaved throughout. The depth of this one musically is truly endless, but for me at least, it was the lyrical elements that dug deep. Seems the main musician behind it, Dan Weiten, is a recovering addict, and this is his chronicle of that struggle. It hit me when I was about two years sober, and really gave me a tremendous amount of solace, along with being just a tremendous album. This one is well worth a listen my friends...
Favorite Tracks- Gift, Stimulus, Furor, Karma, Terminus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boLKGe0ojC4&ab_channel=theomegaexperiment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boLKGe0ojC4&ab_channel=theomegaexperiment)
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And with that, I'm heading into the city for a Fan Expo highlighted by panels from Ming Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and M'fin BRENT SPINER, so probably only one offering for today. We'll get two in tomorrow, and then one a day probably for the rest of the list.
Waiting for Tim to chime in with "Who?"
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Shineback has never done much for me. I can't remember if you pushed The Omega Experiment on me. It seems to ring a bell.
I'll see if I can spin both at some point today/tomorrow. Probably tomorrow.
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And with that, I'm heading into the city for a Fan Expo highlighted by panels from Ming Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and M'fin BRENT SPINER, so probably only one offering for today. We'll get two in tomorrow, and then one a day probably for the rest of the list.
Waiting for Tim to chime in with "Who?"
x3! :lol
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And with that, I'm heading into the city for a Fan Expo highlighted by panels from Ming Na Wen, Giancarlo Esposito and M'fin BRENT SPINER, so probably only one offering for today. We'll get two in tomorrow, and then one a day probably for the rest of the list.
Waiting for Tim to chime in with "Who?"
x3! :lol
Ming Na Wen voiced Mulan in the Disney animated movie, as well as being on Agents of Sheild and The Mandalorian. Esposito has been in the Mandalorian, Breaking Bad, and the Boys. Spiner is Commander Data in Trek
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#36- Nuclear Power Trio- A Clear and Present Rager (2020)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2731cb58140af7b1003a9cf3257)
So not sure how this one started out, it's a comical side project of three musicians, featuring Greg Burgess of Allegaeon, Peter Webber of Havok and I honestly can't find out who's on bass. No matter though, what might have been meant as a comical interlude during peak pandemic times ended up producing hands down one of the most kick ass instrumental EPs ever made, period. This thing is borderline untouchable with how fucking dope it is. Just click play...
Favorite Tracks- All killer, no filler...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzX9uav7yA&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzX9uav7yA&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords)
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Fuck yea! Now this is the best album so far. Not sure what I was expecting when I first heard this, some parody thrash band or something. What I got was the funkiest funk metal ever. Great record, might have to stick it on.
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Way too funny that I just messaged you about this last week!!! The music, and the vids kick all kinds of ass
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Also, I lasted 2 songs with Shineback; The Omega Experiment has been a bit more enjoyable.
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Also, I lasted 2 songs with Shineback; The Omega Experiment has been a bit more enjoyable.
While I dig Shineback, I can see it's unapproachability. The title track is solid
Omega Experiment is definitely a hidden gem.
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#36- Nuclear Power Trio- A Clear and Present Rager (2020)
So not sure how this one started out, it's a comical side project of three musicians, featuring Greg Burgess of Allegaeon, Peter Webber of Havok and I honestly can't find out who's on bass.
The interwebz says Nick Schendzielos.
OK, dropped the needle on all three..
Shineback- yeah, that's not gonna makeit. I simply cannot do electronic music like that.
The Omega Experiment- I like it I think. I Saved it on Spotify for a more proper listen. My first impression was that it was a wall of sound. The production was almost unpleasant. But I'm on it!
Nuclear Power Trio-Yup-Saved this one as well. Nice!!! Grab 'Em by the Pyongyang :lol
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The bassist of Nuclear Power Trio is Nick Schendzielos who is from Cephalic Carnage and Job for a Cowboy. He also used to be in Havok.
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Also, I lasted 2 songs with Shineback; The Omega Experiment has been a bit more enjoyable.
While I dig Shineback, I can see it's unapproachability. The title track is solid
Omega Experiment is definitely a hidden gem.
Yeah, I can totally tell why Devy loves it. Definitely influenced by him.
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#36- Nuclear Power Trio- A Clear and Present Rager (2020)
So not sure how this one started out, it's a comical side project of three musicians, featuring Greg Burgess of Allegaeon, Peter Webber of Havok and I honestly can't find out who's on bass. No matter though, what might have been meant as a comical interlude during peak pandemic times ended up producing hands down one of the most kick ass instrumental EPs ever made, period. This thing is borderline untouchable with how fucking dope it is. Just click play...
Favorite Tracks- All killer, no filler...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzX9uav7yA&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfzX9uav7yA&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords)
You sent me this for my roulette and I loved it. I seriously didn't know what to expect looking at the title and cover but my expectations were far exceeded.
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Yup...it took a ton of people by surprise, so damn good.
And since my loser ass is going back to work tomorrow (boo), I'll start posting one a day before bed. Aaaaaand go...
#35 Spiritbox- Eternal Blue (2021)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2730006a537a6e19505ca5593eb)
Ok...been excited to get to this one, and it's probably only this low because I just started digging into this album a few months ago in preparation for seeing them at Aftershock, but the last few weeks, this thing has been digging its claws deeper and deeper into me. The band was started by former members of iwrestledabearonce, fronted by the brilliant singer Courtney LaPlante. When I first listened to the band, my first reaction was "someone on this band loves TesseracT", that vibe is pretty thick, especially on a good deal of the instrumental work. Seems that person is LaPlante, she list them as an influence, but her main love is Meshuggah whom she's been listening to since she was young. They definitely spread their wings from these initial influences to create something all their own. It has a hard metal edge, that's for sure, but it really has such a brilliant melodic feel to it, and they manage to pair the two so perfectly, with LaPlante tying the edges together with clean vocals of tremendous power and clarity, and growls that dig deep, I'd put her right next to Tatiana of Jinjer in vocal capabilities for sure, such a tremendous album. I fully expect this band to climb higher in my heart, especially if I manage to get to their sold out headlining shows next year.
Favorite Tracks- Sun Killer, Secret Garden, Hurt You, Silk in the Strings, Circle With Me
Sun Killer, my favorite of theirs- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords)
Circle With me, for their harder edge- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0WzT0OJ-E0&ab_channel=riserecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0WzT0OJ-E0&ab_channel=riserecords)
Secret Garden, for their melodic side- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VcTYyuGrgM&ab_channel=riserecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VcTYyuGrgM&ab_channel=riserecords)
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Oh wow, I wish I could have seen how my face lit up when I scrolled down to that album cover. That was my favorite album of last year, and the band I've been the most obsessed with in the past year or so. The TesseracT comparison is apt, and is especially noticeable on their debut EP with the 3-part epic "The Mara Effect". They kind of sound like them if TesseracT had leaned into the metalcore influences more, and obviously if they had a female vocalist instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urHvTZWO_70 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urHvTZWO_70)
I'd suggest "Holy Roller" as better representing their harder side, since it has no clean vocals, which "Circle With Me" does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2K7nNdk2vs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2K7nNdk2vs)
And their mellower side with "Constance", which is softer and calmer than "Secret Garden", and pretty subdued other than the ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY-86mRcJ8k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY-86mRcJ8k)
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Yeah, but I looooooooove Secret Garden... :heart :heart
Holy Roller is definitely harder, Silk in the Strings as well. They definitely have diversity, but really kill it on all fronts. Such a talented group.
I've been focused mostly on this album for show prep and for general obsession with it, need to go back and really give the EP it's due...
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And it's not just Courtney that clearly likes Meshuggah, because Mike writes and plays the riffs. "The Beauty of Suffering" is pretty obviously inspired by "Bleed" in parts. I've never been able to get into Jinjer myself, but Spiritbox, Red Handed Denial, Destiny Potato/Sordid Pink, and Morphide give me the feelings that I suppose that band gives other people.
Picking songs on Eternal Blue is really hard, over half of it was probably my favorite at one point or another (though half of the singles were my least favorites), but it's between "The Summit", "Eternal Blue", "Sun Killer", and "Hurt You" these days.
I should also add, I probably ignored them for a long time because I did not like the early releases of iwrestledabearonce with a different vocalist. They felt like a gimmicky joke/meme band and not really worthy of serious listening. I was out of the music news loop when Courtney and Mike took over that band, but wouldn't have paid any attention anyway. But Spiritbox is very different, far more melodic and atmospheric, and the chaos is much more controlled.
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Sun Killer, my favorite of theirs- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords)
Okay, that was cool!
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Sun Killer, my favorite of theirs- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXY93aMLG7s&ab_channel=riserecords)
Okay, that was cool!
Yeah, such a great tune.
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I just listened to Asterism. Definitely some seriously talented guitar playing, but not the sort of album that sticks with me on a first play. Not enough hooks inbetween the shred, and the vocals that were there aren't my thing. It just seems more suited to accompanying guitar gear ads or instructional video promos. It's probably also more fun to watch or see in concert than just to listen to. I'll have to watch the clips at some point. And like a lot of young virtuosos, sometimes the technical ability comes long before the musicality does, so maybe later or future material could be more appealing.
For Bloodywood, I'm not inherently opposed to nu-metal, I think it's a too often maligned genre with underexplored fertile ground. And I've long been fascinated by Indian music, and like how they're incorporating some more traditional Indian sounds into their music. But it's not clicking with me right off the bat. Unique ideas, but the execution isn't my thing. The vocals especially just aren't to my taste.
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There's definitely some more maturity in Asterism's second EP Guernica... Might be worth a listen. Their last album is a collection of metal Anime theme song covers. It should be noted, guitarist Hal CA was 15 when that album was recorded.
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#34- Thank You Scientist- Stranger Heads Prevail (2019)
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3644403207_65)
Had to include this band, even though none of their three studio albums stands out as a frontrunner, each has its own highs, and they're all pretty damn solid. For those unfamiliar, Thank You Scientist is a 7 person prog/jazz band with a violin and horn section, and they're fucking amazing. I'm mainly including them to mark the 5 or 6 times I've seen them live in the past 5 years or so, just an amazing show everytime, and they earned the recognition here. I won't bother trying to explain their music, it's just way to unique to put into words...
Favorite Tracks- The Somnambulist, Mr Invisible, The Amateur Arsonist's Handbook, Rube Goldberg Variations
Mr Invisible- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv1ypynSLzY&ab_channel=EvilInkRecords)
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Lonestar, most of the albums on your list are unknown to me, but I actually have this one from Thank You Scientist . It’s a nice listen but I have to be in the mood.
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Lonestar, most of the albums on your list are unknown to me, but I actually have this one from Thank You Scientist . It’s a nice listen but I have to be in the mood.
Have you been sampling any of the others? There's a ton of variety on here.
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I have. I listened to the Lalu album a couple of times. Also, I listened to the Nuclear Power Trio, EP, which was great.
I will check out some others when I get a chance. :tup
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Best way to describe Thank You Scientist is if Chicago joined forces with Coheed and Cambria and Protest the Hero.
Amazing album too! :metal
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I have. I listened to the Lalu album a couple of times. Also, I listened to the Nuclear Power Trio, EP, which was great.
I will check out some others when I get a chance. :tup
Awesome...lot's more on the way!!! Since I'm not including anything from my original top 50, a great deal of this one is more on the obscure side.
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Stranger Heads Prevail is just another great album by TYS
(https://media.tenor.com/OqZ3-4d7jyUAAAAC/rock-clapping.gif)
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Nice pick. I have all the TYS albums, and this one is my favorite!
[edit] I have a good buddy who's a big music consumer but who doesn't really like prog since he considers it mostly pretentious wanking. One Christmas, for fun, I bought him this album along with a TYS tee shirt. I got a big eyebrow raise from him when he opened it, but a couple of weeks later he texted me that he'd bought Maps of Non-existing Places. [/edit]
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Nice pick. I have all the TYS albums, and this one is my favorite!
Thinking about it TYS may be one of the most consistent bands I listen to. Everything they've released is great.
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Nice pick. I have all the TYS albums, and this one is my favorite!
Thinking about it TYS may be one of the most consistent bands I listen to. Everything they've released is great.
Yup
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Shineback and Thank You Scientist were intriguing in different ways. The former had all kinds of electronic details going on that I think might stand out on additional listens. The latter just had a lot going on in general, and so is hard to parse on a first listen. I know they're something of a mid-tier newer staple, and I've heard a few songs before, but not an album. Neither is quite my thing, but definitely worthy of more time at a later point, particularly TYS.
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definitely worthy of more time at a later point, particularly TYS.
(https://media.tenor.com/SbYGDLvuJfkAAAAC/michael-scott-wink.gif)
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What I've found is that TYS can be a bit of an overload for my brain if I listen to too much straight through. Especially Terraformer, that album is so dense that my ears are worn out by a full album spin. I love it when I only do a few songs at a time though.
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Over the last couple of years, I've had occasion to have my music catalog on full rotation (shuffle) while working in my garage. You know how your collection just kind of becomes background noise while you're doing other things, well that's been my experience. I'd absently hum along with the music, or unconsciously sing along...unless TYS came up. Everytime, I'd stop, grab a diet coke and take a break to listen. That is some righteous attention grabbing tunes for sure.
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#34- Thank You Scientist- Stranger Heads Prevail (2019)
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3644403207_65)
Had to include this band, even though none of their three studio albums stands out as a frontrunner, each has its own highs, and they're all pretty damn solid. For those unfamiliar, Thank You Scientist is a 7 person prog/jazz band with a violin and horn section, and they're fucking amazing. I'm mainly including them to mark the 5 or 6 times I've seen them live in the past 5 years or so, just an amazing show everytime, and they earned the recognition here. I won't bother trying to explain their music, it's just way to unique to put into words...
Favorite Tracks- The Somnambulist, Mr Invisible, The Amateur Arsonist's Handbook, Rube Goldberg Variations
Mr Invisible- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv1ypynSLzY&ab_channel=EvilInkRecords)
Killer album RJ.
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What I've found is that TYS can be a bit of an overload for my brain if I listen to too much straight through. Especially Terraformer, that album is so dense that my ears are worn out by a full album spin. I love it when I only do a few songs at a time though.
I definitely feel this sentiment... While I love their live shows to bits, they don't tend to make my regular listening rotation, especially my driving music, often for those reasons. Mad respect for what they put out though, just some genius music beginning to end.
And speaking of accessible music, can't wait to see reactions to my next offering...
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I've never actually checked out TYS. Listening to The Somnambulist now, and it pretty freaking awesome!
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Yeah, they're ridiculously dope across the board. And with that, let's keep this thing rolling...
#33 BABYMETAL- Metal Resistance (2016)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273570b4f76bc639fb04822f808)
Ok, those who know me knew this one was coming, and I apologized for absolutely nothing when it comes to loving this band. And, to be honest, the main reason BABYMETAL made the list is because they were my gateway drug for so many other J-Metal bands, a few which will be appearing later, but coming to terms with the kuwaii aspects of J-metal, and most importantly learning to cast aside the language barriers and just appreciating the music for what it is, that I give 100% credit to this band. The backing band, aka the Kami band, are fucking amazing, and can hold their own with literally any band out there, period, but as we know, the real stars of this band are Su, Mao, and Yui, the three pint sized singers that provide enough energy to their shows to light up a small city. While the two backup singers/dancers Mao and Yui are entertaining, Su (Suzuka Nakamura) as lead does a majority of the heavy lifting for this band, a task she is more than capable of. Her range and power vocally are immense, and her delivery is always spot on clean as fuck. I have yet to hear her voice waver in a live performance. Musically, it's all in the name, killer metal riffs with cute lyrics on top, and the occasional growls to add to the confusion. Some will be put off right away, and that's ok...but for those who find some appeal to what's here, there's a massively deep pit of kick ass music awaiting you in the genre of J-metal.
Favorite Tracks- Road of Resistance, Karate, Awadama Fever, THE ONE
I'm gonna do live vids for this band, it's really the only way to appreciate them, and honestly, if you've never seen their live stuff, it's worth the 6 minutes to see how these three young ladies completely own their audience, especially in the first video.
Road of Resistance- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTEYUFgLveY&ab_channel=BABYMETAL (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTEYUFgLveY&ab_channel=BABYMETAL)
Karate- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C6y2UTll-k&ab_channel=BABYMETALDESU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C6y2UTll-k&ab_channel=BABYMETALDESU)
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I'll give this one a shot. I have their debut, and most of it didn't do anything for me, except for "Babymetal Death", which is a phenomenal track.
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I'll give this one a shot. I have their debut, and most of it didn't do anything for me, except for "Babymetal Death", which is a phenomenal track.
I think the biggest difference between their debut and this one is that they dropped some of the 'cuteness' of the tracks,not all, just some. There's definitely a bit more maturity overall.
And the Road of Resistance live video is just about the best thing ever.
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I think the overall quality is better than I remember it being on the debut, but no particular stunning track like that one had. There were a few I bookmarked as being worth revisiting though. The main thing for me is those super-sugary vocals. There are admittedly some I like that probably come across just like those to other people, but these are just a miss for me. Killer backing band though.
I watched a few of the Nuclear Power Trio videos back a couple years ago when they came out. Pretty fun stuff, choppy without being inaccessible like you'd think the tech death backgrounds could result in, and the acoustic integration is nice. Not quite enough to latch onto to be a regular listen for me, but fairly enjoyable on occasion for something different.
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You tried these guys on me, and unsurprisingly, that song finished dead last in the round you gave it to me. I admire your convictions, but for me ... it's a no-go.
Funny enough, you gave me Kaipa / Silent Ballroom Band the very next round (it finished 2nd), and redeemed yourself.
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The girls are looking like women in the Karate video.
I've enjoyed Baby Metal everytime I've had occasion to watch one of their videos...just not enough to buy an album.
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You tried these guys on me, and unsurprisingly, that song finished dead last in the round you gave it to me. I admire your convictions, but for me ... it's a no-go.
Funny enough, you gave me Kaipa / Silent Ballroom Band the very next round (it finished 2nd), and redeemed yourself.
Yeah, you definitely weren't the target audience of this one lol
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Babymetal are alright, I can't listen to them often though.
I've got a friend who is a big fan and always puts them on, although I think it's mainly for a react, especially from his girlfriend :lol
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Babymetal were my "gateway drug" into more, and better, J-Rock like Band Maid, Lovebites, Nemophilia and the phenomenal Wagakki Band.
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Babymetal were my "gateway drug" into more, and better, J-Rock like Band Maid, Lovebites, Nemophilia and the phenomenal Wagakki Band.
Same.. In fact, two of those listed will be making an appearance later on this list. I listed Babymetal partly in honor of that
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I think I read online that Babymetal is having silent mosh pits at their shows now. RJ, What's that about?
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I think I read online that Babymetal is having silent mosh pits at their shows now. RJ, What's that about?
Japan's covid restrictions are still a good deal tougher than ours, fans are masked and can't be vocal. Up until now they had to respect social distancing as well, so I gather they're gonna toss the distancing but keep the silent part, and since the Japanese aren't petulant bitches like a portion of our great nation, they will follow directions.
The LA Nemophila show was the first time they heard their fans cheer for them.
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Very cool. Thank you.
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Ok, after our first offering of J-Metal, let's serve a palate cleanser for poor J-boy...
#32- Secret Sphere- Portrait of a Dying Heart (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2735e16332aac72e811eabcfc2c)
The second album from my Italian metal phase of the early 2010's, this one I straight up stumbled across as I was delving deeper and deeper into the myriad music I had just stumbled into. Finally being out of my addiction long enough to do crazy things like afford a computer and discover sites like Spotify and Bandcamp, I had found my replacement drug, and it was music. Can't begin to count the endless nights I'd sit there like a fiend clicking link after link in search of band after band. So much of what was to come for me musically was found in those moments, I'd say 6 or 7 of them still to come on this list. These guys are straight up Italian power metal, and well done power metal at that. No tricks, no tomfoolery, just a shit ton of riffage and killer vocals. There's a few riffs on this one which would definitely be in my top riffs of all time list for sure, specifically the one in the middle of the opening instrumental. It's one of those that if my car radio isn't turned up all the way when I'm listening to it, I will rewind, crank it up, and crank it again. You all know what I'm talking about, don't deny it...
Favorite Tracks- Portrait of a Dying Heart, Wish and Steadiness, X, The Fall, Eternity
Portrait of a Dying Heart (instrumental, killer riff at about 3:15) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwDaFYpAE68&ab_channel=IncubosS%C3%BAcubos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwDaFYpAE68&ab_channel=IncubosS%C3%BAcubos)
Wish and Steadiness- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BfqaIoR_RU&ab_channel=MichaelOrfeo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BfqaIoR_RU&ab_channel=MichaelOrfeo)
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Michele Luppi!! :metal :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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(https://media.tenor.com/gBjVvUmunwAAAAAC/now-your-talking-my-language.gif)
I’m pretty sure you introduced me to this one, and that opening instrumental just floored me. 10/10. SS is patchy, they’ve got some great stuff, and some duds. This is clearly the former.
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Definitely the strongest of their catalog for me...
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Aaaaaaaaaand moving right along...
#31- Nightwish- Imaginaerum (2011)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273dbfe9a51b813ddc881d21dce)
So some may thing this an odd choice for Nightwish, considering their massive discography, but I actually have an expanation...most of the older stuff I haven't really dug into, mainly because I just can't get into Tarja's vocal style.And it definitely won't be the two Floor albums because EFMB was meh, and H:II:N was a few steps below meh, but for whatever reason, this one just hit all the right spots for me. I love the songs beginning to end, I deeply respect the challenging nature of the concept and story they were trying to tell, and honestly, Annette's vocal style was just so perfect for said story, just the right mix of playful and powerful. I remember I bought this one the day of the first show I saw of theirs (Floor's 3rd with the band), just to get a taste of what I was seeing (I was mostly going to the show for Kamelot) and being hooked on the album from the first listen, and it just got better and better for me. These days, I usually go to the live album from that tour for my Nightwish listening, but I'll still hit the album proper now and then, and still enjoy it tremendously beginning to end.
Favorite Tracks- Storytime, I Want My Tears Back, Turn Loose The Mermaids (sooooo good), Song of Myself
I Want My Tears Back- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSk2ARSmA2c&ab_channel=Nightwish-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSk2ARSmA2c&ab_channel=Nightwish-Topic)
Turn Loose The Mermaids- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJS5g4-p3K4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJS5g4-p3K4)
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Imaginaerum is a top tier Nightwish album. Good choice :tup
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Nightwish's material gets weaker the further they get from power metal for me, and Floor is by far my favorite, but Annette was unfairly maligned when she was singing for them. Her solo work and with The Dark Element has proven that the criticism was unjust. "Storytime" was a killer tune especially, even if I prefer Floor's live version.
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Nightwish's material gets weaker the further they get from power metal for me, and Floor is by far my favorite, but Annette was unfairly maligned when she was singing for them. Her solo work and with The Dark Element has proven that the criticism was unjust. "Storytime" was a killer tune especially, even if I prefer Floor's live version.
:iagree:
I'm still bummed I couldn't make it work to go with you to that show. One of my (if not the) biggest concert regrets ever. :angry:
I do love me Once and Century Child, but Floor's version of these tunes live is *chef's kiss*
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#30 Maestrick- Unpuzzle! (2011)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273465405cf9a30e496bfcecf85)
This is another one discovered through random searching, I think on Spotify but I could be wrong. This is a colorful prog metal band from Brazil, with a certain flare for the dramatic. They almost have a sideshow/circus appeal to them, and it's not just for this album, they carry it to the next which has a distinctly different theme, but Unpuzzle was definitely the stronger of the two. Musicians are competent throughout, with a special nod to the bass finally being up front in a prog metal album, and a tremendous vocal performance. I'd say, think of prog metal meets Disney kind of feel, everything is positive, even the darker songs, but it's all really catchy making for an overall damn good album. There was a good 6 months to a year where this one didn't leave my ears often, and it still holds up when I revisit it.
(this is also one of my all time favorite album covers)
Favorite Tracks- H.U.C., Aquarela, Disturbia, Treasures of the World, Lake of Emotion
H.U.C.- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqiTl1SpYQs&ab_channel=Maestrick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqiTl1SpYQs&ab_channel=Maestrick)
Aquarela- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=214gWni_p8o (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=214gWni_p8o)
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I’ll definitely check out more of Maestrick based on those 2 videos. Very cool.
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I’ll definitely check out more of Maestrick based on those 2 videos. Very cool.
Awesome, glad you liked it. Their second album is pretty solid too, it's the first of a two album concept project, still waiting on part 2.
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Never heard of them. I'll spin this tomorrow!
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I'll catch up this weekend.
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Never heard of them. I'll spin this tomorrow!
Seriously? I never pimped this one to you? I think you'll dig it,Jingle did for sure.
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Never heard of them. I'll spin this tomorrow!
Seriously? I never pimped this one to you? I think you'll dig it,Jingle did for sure.
Oh hell yeah he did. Lake of Emotions is a god-tier epic/closer. And Puzzler is just so much god damn fun - Vaudeville-metal!!! :2metal:
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Ah.. Vaudeville metal, such a perfect way to describe it. I was trying to zero in on that and couldn't. Good looking out bro!
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Ah.. Vaudeville metal, such a perfect way to describe it. I was trying to zero in on that and couldn't. Good looking out bro!
I got ya, Boo.
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#29 BAND-MAID- Unseen World (2021)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2739895e76d19c8bd3bb148d0b4)
Alright, the first of a few offerings from the world of all female Japanese metal. BAND-MAID is a bit more of a recent dive for me, only really digging in once I committed to seeing their SF show last month. I'm familiar with their work from 2019 on, but there's a few albums from before then that are really piquing my interest, and may take over this one as my favorite. Now, let's just get the obvious out of the way...yes, they're cute as hell...and yes, they're all wearing some form of Japanese Maid Cafe outfits. Having said that, you'd be hard pressed to find a harder rocking, tighter, more polished band around. These girls kick all sorts of ass. The core of the band, guitarist Kanami, bassist Misa and drummer Akane are ridiculously talented. Front woman Saiki has a huge voice, and dynamic presence. Their live shows are like their music, relentless, a nearly 2 hour affair of almost 20 songs, all in total command of their music and the crowd. The band's recent gimmick is seeking 'World Domination', and after seeing their show and digging into their discography, they absolutely can do it. This band is that fucking good.
Favorite Tracks- Warning!, No God, Sayonakidori, I Still Seek Revenge
Warning!- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yD3IqrLtPk&ab_channel=BAND-MAID (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yD3IqrLtPk&ab_channel=BAND-MAID)
I Still Seek Revenge- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0xsEwtKUkQ&ab_channel=BAND-MAID-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0xsEwtKUkQ&ab_channel=BAND-MAID-Topic)
And just because I adore this one so damn much...
Sayonakidori (acoustic version)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzAQigaL14&ab_channel=BAND-MAID (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzAQigaL14&ab_channel=BAND-MAID)
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No bites on BAND-MAID I guess, let's post another since it's the weekend. I'd honestly like to get this done by Christmas, and next week will be thin as I'm busy as fuck at work.
#28- Absolute Priority- Hunter (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273910967821ba87b7676a1c443)
I think I found this one randomly searching the webs, and man am I glad I did. A one shot album for this Italian prog metal outfit, I was utterly floored with how mature their work was for being their first album, and equally bummed that it was their last. Hunter is a concept album about a serial killer on death row. Throughout the album he is reflecting on where he is, his past, his driving forces, and ultimately his base humanity. This album really fires on all cylinders. It has balanced the riffage without falling into the prog metal trope of 'more notes=better songs', this one is structured beginning to end with purpose. The real highlight is how the album builds to one of the best climaxes, as in the last track, the killer is executed in the electric chair in amazingly dramatic musical fashion. Just a great work for anyone who digs well done prog metal concept albums (which is about 90% of the forum)
Favorite Tracks- The Confessor, 4:00 A.M., Bloody Tapes, Fear of the Night, Dead Man Walkin'
The Confessor- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjxYXhYATvI&list=OLAK5uy_kjWRgpIr4jvW1PG7xglBzuqAdg_JLzKdE&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjxYXhYATvI&list=OLAK5uy_kjWRgpIr4jvW1PG7xglBzuqAdg_JLzKdE&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic)
Fear of the Night- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B43_la560U&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B43_la560U&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic)
Dead Man Walkin'- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FhOdT0w5nU&list=OLAK5uy_kjWRgpIr4jvW1PG7xglBzuqAdg_JLzKdE&index=11&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FhOdT0w5nU&list=OLAK5uy_kjWRgpIr4jvW1PG7xglBzuqAdg_JLzKdE&index=11&ab_channel=AbsolutePriority-Topic)
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Another beaut that is right up my alley. And Dead Man Walk-in is easily a top 10 album closer of all time for me. Maybe top 5 if I had to really think about it.
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Another beaut that is right up my alley. And Dead Man Walk-in is easily a top 10 album closer of all time for me. Maybe top 5 if I had to really think about it.
Yeah, we're going to be hitting a lot of common ground in the next ten or so offerings.
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Absolute Priority is an awesome album!
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Band-Maid is definitely interesting, certainly a lot of talent there. I can't quite figure out what the disconnect is though, most of the bands like that are fun for a listen, but I don't wind up being drawn back to them, not sure why. I'll check out the videos and see if that changes things, but they seemed overly gimmicky when I watched a couple in the past few years.
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Band-Maid is definitely interesting, certainly a lot of talent there. I can't quite figure out what the disconnect is though, most of the bands like that are fun for a listen, but I don't wind up being drawn back to them, not sure why. I'll check out the videos and see if that changes things, but they seemed overly gimmicky when I watch a couple in the past few years.
They started with the gimmick, but they had the talent to draw it out enough. Very, very few of those bands have the lasting power that they have, approaching ten years now.
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Have you heard this one? I stumbled upon it randomly last year and found it pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQIDqudG_DQ
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Have you heard this one? I stumbled upon it randomly last year and found it pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQIDqudG_DQ
Bridear is good stuff, still haven't done the deep dive yet, but what I've heard is very promising. The J-metal rabbit hole is really deep, so many bands, so little time.
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#27- Periphery- Periphery III- Select Difficulty (2016)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2738d2ef6400c1b805b030e53f6)
Ahh Periphery...though I credit Ocean Architecture with breaking the seal on my love for growl vocals, most of the heavy lifting per se was done by Spencer Sotelo of Periphery, an absolutely tremendous vocalist (worthy of a spot on my personal top 25 though he won't sniff the actual final list) fronting a tremendous band. I first fell for them on a recommendation by Nem (Obscure) to go see the Periphery/Sikth show passing through town, and I had free time and trusted her opinion so what the hell I went. She was a hardcore Sikth fan and didn't want me to miss the chance to see them, but the real end result of this one was me being absolutely floored by Periphery. A full frontal aggressive d'jent attach with one of the most impressive live vocal performances I've ever seen. Spencer was flawless as he drifted from his brutal growls to epic power cleans, just unbelievable. As I dug in further, they released III, and that album spent a solid year at the front of my rotation in my car. While Hail Stan sniffed my AOTY rankings when it was released, III is still my favorite from these guys, and well worth the spot on my list, and a few minutes of your time to check them out if you're unfamiliar.
Favorite Tracks- The Price is Wrong, Marigold, The Way the News Goes..., Catch Fire, Lune
Marigold- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtU2WJfPgU&ab_channel=SumerianRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmtU2WJfPgU&ab_channel=SumerianRecords)
The Way the News Goes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLuKRVX-J4&ab_channel=SumerianRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLuKRVX-J4&ab_channel=SumerianRecords)
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Another beaut that is right up my alley. And Dead Man Walk-in is easily a top 10 album closer of all time for me. Maybe top 5 if I had to really think about it.
Yeah, we're going to be hitting a lot of common ground in the next ten or so offerings.
Periphery ....
(https://media.tenor.com/gSbm7RzKvkgAAAAM/golf-kid.gif)
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Another beaut that is right up my alley. And Dead Man Walk-in is easily a top 10 album closer of all time for me. Maybe top 5 if I had to really think about it.
Yeah, we're going to be hitting a lot of common ground in the next ten or so offerings.
Periphery ....
(https://media.tenor.com/gSbm7RzKvkgAAAAM/golf-kid.gif)
I said a lot, not all.. Jfc man..
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I know, I know. Wait until I do my next Top 50, you can poke back. That gif just got me giggling too much.
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I know, I know. Wait until I do my next Top 50, you can poke back. That gif just got me giggling too much.
It was a quality gif usage moment my friend
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Huh, that was the Periphery album where the band lost me. I liked pretty much everything they did up to that point.
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:dunno:
@jingle...just looking at my list, and 4 of the next 5 would be in the discussion for your list as well.
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:caffeine:
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Periphery has lots of really cool ideas instrumentally, and Spencer is definitely highly skilled, but I just can't stand the timbre of his voice.
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I couldn't stand the vocals when I checked them out years ago. I'll check out the linked tracks though.
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I liked each release from Periphery less and less. I think I stopped after this one. Maybe I need a revisit.
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Moving right along...
#26- Mystery- The World is a Game (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2733967145830b03297f782bbc1)
I'd bet dollars to donuts that Jingle will try to claim he turned me on to Mystery, but he'd be wrong. I found them via their vocalist Benoit David, who at the time was singing for Yes, and as I was on my massive musical exploration of the era, I came across Mystery. Just about that time, we received this album as a promo for review at Lady Obscure, and I snatched it up. I was hooked immediately. Airy, guitar focused prog done so, so well, with a serious emotional lyrical element that just dug right to my core. Keep in mind, I was deep in recovery at this time, and was going through massive emotional growth, change, and healing, and this album did a great deal towards assuaging the pain of that process. And musically, it's a work of absolute beauty, ethereal tones layered upon each other creating a stunning wall of sound. Prog fans unfamiliar, especially those of the classic 70s prog sound, definitely dig into this one.
Favorite Tracks- Pride, The World is a Game, Dear Someone, Another Day
Pride- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH9bgfpY0so&ab_channel=mulver64 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH9bgfpY0so&ab_channel=mulver64)
Dear Someone- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVoRiGjqdTM&ab_channel=tsplhitov80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVoRiGjqdTM&ab_channel=tsplhitov80)
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Those two links are all very pretty, symphonic, and heart-felt... but do they have any songs that ROCK?! For me, that's an important element.
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This was my introduction to Mystery as well.
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Moving right along...
#26- Mystery- The World is a Game (2012)
I'd bet dollars to donuts that Jingle will try to claim he turned me on to Mystery, but he'd be wrong.
:umno:
You'd be out some dough :neverusethis: I'm pretty sure it was actually YOU that introduced them to ME (if not you, then Doc). And God bless you for doing so. Top 10 band of mine now.
@ Gregg... there's definitely some rocking in their inventory. This album is a little more mellow than others, but if these songs aren't your thing, there's not gonna be a ton to their inventory that will tickle you.
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Did I? Could've sworn you found them independently, them being Canadian and all.
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Did I? Could've sworn you found them independently, them being Canadian and all.
Definitely didn't find them on my own - it was either you or Doc. And it was Pride/this album specifically... which is why I'm certain it was you.
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Did I? Could've sworn you found them independently, them being Canadian and all.
Definitely didn't find them on my own - it was either you or Doc. And it was Pride/this album specifically... which is why I'm certain it was you.
Wow, it's a mystery. :neverusethis:
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Did I? Could've sworn you found them independently, them being Canadian and all.
Definitely didn't find them on my own - it was either you or Doc. And it was Pride/this album specifically... which is why I'm certain it was you.
Had to be the LO review that did it.
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Chad introduced this one to me I think, fantastic album. Dear Someone is in particular very touching. I haven't listened to this record for probably half a year, I'll spin it tomorrow on my commute.
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@ Gregg... there's definitely some rocking in their inventory. This album is a little more mellow than others, but if these songs aren't your thing, there's not gonna be a ton to their inventory that will tickle you.
I maybe didn't communicate my thoughts well. I like this, a lot. It was just that the two samples provided had very little in the way of rocking moments. I wondered if that were true of their entire repertoire.
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@ Gregg... there's definitely some rocking in their inventory. This album is a little more mellow than others, but if these songs aren't your thing, there's not gonna be a ton to their inventory that will tickle you.
I maybe didn't communicate my thoughts well. I like this, a lot. It was just that the two samples provided had very little in the way of rocking moments. I wondered if that were true of their entire repertoire.
I wouldn't say so. Check out their latest live release - Caught in The Whirwind of Time, and that'll give you a good sense of their overall sound/style.
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#25- Between the Buried and Me- Automata I&II (2018)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273b9a22a3a520c8897d53c7075)
I initially started to dive into BtBaM when I got tix to the Summer Slaughter tour, mainly to finally catch Allegaeon live. BtBaM was the headliner, and Automata II had just come out, so I dug in. I had spun Coma Ecliptic and Colors before, and enjoyed them immensely, but the band never fully dug their claws into me until this album. The Proverbial Bellow was outstanding, and got me all tingly for the show to come...but then that third song hit, and holy shit I was really not prepared for what would eventually be my song of the year, Voice of Trespass. This jazzy technical death metal whatever the fuck it was song was like nothing I'd ever heard before, and I burned this track to the ground. Blake Richardson gives one of the best drum performances ever on this thing, just jaw dropping. While Voice of Trespass was a standout, both albums had outstanding tracks to deliver, and the eventual show (ironically, I missed Allegaeon cause I got stuck at work boo) was a god tier performance.
Favorite Tracks- Condemned to the Gallows, Blot, The Proverbial Bellow, Voice of Trespass
Voice of Trespass- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja0EWloqsKo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja0EWloqsKo)
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I was starting to wonder if we'd see BtBaM in your top 50. Voice of Trespass is a god-tier song.
Have you listened to Colors II yet? Amazing album! :metal
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I wouldn't say I LOVE Automata, but it's pretty damn good. Thos was the first new release for me once I became a fan of the band. You're both right about Voice of Trespass though! It's the best Diablo Swing Orchestra song BTBAM have ever written.
+1 for Colors II being amazing, might have to revisit, it's been a few months.
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I spun Colors II a few times when it came out, and definitely enjoyed it, but it probably got lost in the massive amount of J-metal I was being inundated with at that time. Definitely need to revisit it.
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Wow, the turn it took at about 3:45 or so was super cool!
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Wow, the turn it took at about 3:45 or so was super cool!
Right? Such a tremendous song.
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RJ, I almost saw them this year. Small club but had to do a favor for my brother that night and didn't go.
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RJ, I almost saw them this year. Small club but had to do a favor for my brother that night and didn't go.
Dump a body?
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RJ, I almost saw them this year. Small club but had to do a favor for my brother that night and didn't go.
Dump a body?
Babysit my nephew. LOL Lisa was working that night too.
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Too bad, they put on one hell of a show
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Small club 20 minutes away from my house too.
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#24- Thoughts Factory- Lost (2014)
https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e029588b455abd05c0749a12d1c (https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e029588b455abd05c0749a12d1c)
This gem out of Germany I randomly came across in another blind search. There's nothing like clicking link after link for an hour or so, then hitting absolute gold. Stylistically this is your standard Euro-prog metal fair, well executed with a tremendous vocalist in Marcus Becker. A concept album, cause why not, centered around a friend's suicide, so not the happiest of works, but tactfully handled. While it's been a while since I spun this, a recent listen shows it still holds up, even if my taste are fading away from this fare. This album's impact and hold on me during that time earned it this spot, and for anyone who digs the straight up prog metal stuff, this is definitely worth a listen.
Favorite Tracks- Awakening, Voices from Heaven, No Way Out
No Way Out- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFLjtfAmiE&ab_channel=thoughtsfactoryofficial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFLjtfAmiE&ab_channel=thoughtsfactoryofficial)
Voices from Heaven- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlCX4sQI44&ab_channel=ThoughtsFactory-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYlCX4sQI44&ab_channel=ThoughtsFactory-Topic)
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Fucking GREAT album and still on rotation. :hefdaddy
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I remember you getting harder than anyone over this one. :tup
May not be able to update the next two days, got a few huge holiday events at work, just FYI kids.
Also, looking at the list going forward, it's just fucking all killer, no filler. 23 straight up desert island albums for sure.
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I remember you getting harder than anyone over this one. :tup
Yeah, it's just awesome all the way around. I think if I did some sort of post Top 50 albums list like this, it'd also be on it.
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#23- Pyramid Theorem- Pyramid Theorem (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e0240ce10ff5c87e9d7a39d0e84)
I think I found out about Canadian band Pyramid Theorem the same way most other DTFers did, via Johnny Thermos' endless pimping of them when this album came out. Fortunately it wasn't for naught, as this album kicks so much ass beginning to end. But even that isn't the total reason why this one made my list...their is one guitar solo on this one that has been my phone ringtone since the album came out, probably making it my most listened to piece of music in my life. The band is a guitar driven prog metal debut, where they haven't really settled into a style and are most just going off on how fucking good they are. Guitarist Sam Ermalini is an absolute monster, probably one of the best young guitarists I've come across since joining DTF, and he flexes his stuff beginning to end. Fortunately, his fellow musicians are more than up to the task of keeping pace, giving us five songs of varying length and style that merge to deliver an absolute monster of an album.
Favorite Tracks- Another Day Slips By, Primitive Design, The Dream
Another Day Slips By (contains my phone ringtone at @4:40)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHHRm0wKoM&ab_channel=PyramidTheorem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHHRm0wKoM&ab_channel=PyramidTheorem)
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GREAT album. Still gets regular listens. I think they've released a couple of things since, but nothing else has really stuck.
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Yeah, they seemed to zero in on a different, more generalized rock style. Quality tunes, but doesn't even touch their debut.
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Two absolute gems there. It’s been a year or two since I spun Lost. Probably a little longer with Pyramid Theorem. I can rectify that tomorrow … got some driving to do, heading into the city for work.
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Two absolute gems there. It’s been a year or two since I spun Lost. Probably a little longer with Pyramid Theorem. I can rectify that tomorrow … got some driving to do, heading into the city for work.
The next offering is just as strong in your book. In fact, looking at the rest of the list, and only 3 more albums would register as equals in your eyes to these three.
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No update today kids... I'm fucking gassed after a 13 hour day. Gonna eat some ice cream and crash.
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What is your ice cream of choice?
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What is your ice cream of choice?
I could literally do a top 50 ice cream flavors. Tonight was mint chip, but only cause I didn't want to go to whole foods and get Jeni's. Their stuff is the best ice cream, and it's not even close. Their best flavor is Buttermilk with Peach jam and biscuits. Unfuckingbelievable
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Jeni's must be local there?
You mention the Peach jam which sounds awesome. When I was a teenager, I used to go to this place in Rhode Island that had Cantaloup flavored ice cream and it was amazing.
Me? I'm a chocolate chip cookie dough guy.
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Jeni's must be local there?
You mention the Peach jam which sounds awesome. When I was a teenager, I used to go to this place in Rhode Island that had Cantaloup flavored ice cream and it was amazing.
Me? I'm a chocolate chip cookie dough guy.
Jeni's is out of Ohio I think, it's sold at whole foods and other specialty markets.
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Jeni's must be local there?
You mention the Peach jam which sounds awesome. When I was a teenager, I used to go to this place in Rhode Island that had Cantaloup flavored ice cream and it was amazing.
Me? I'm a chocolate chip cookie dough guy.
Jeni's is out of Ohio I think, it's sold at whole foods and other specialty markets.
I'm going to have to remember that next time I'm at Whole Foods. :corn
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So, I'm several pages late, but Lonestar's posting of Lalu's Paint The Sky album reminded me I hadn't checked it out yet. I had it on my "list" as I had read great things about it when it came out. Then I forgot. Then I LOVED the A-Z record, where a couple of members play (including the man himself) and I thought - ah, I need to check it out. Then I forgot again :biggrin:
Finally (thanks Lonestar!) I've gotten around to doing it. Well, there is a lot to digest, so there will be more listens but, man, this is wonderful! Such tasteful playing all over and, importantly, fantastic melodies! And the drumming! I had no idea who Jelly Cardarelli was, but he sounds amazing.
I can't say I'm the biggest fan of Damian Wilson, but his vocal melodies are very good here. To the anti-Wilson people here, I'd say - don't sleep on this! :)
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Nice, it's definitely a solid album, and Damien really fits into that 'love letter to Yes' feel of the album that Lalu was trying to put forward.
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#23- Pyramid Theorem- Pyramid Theorem (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d00001e0240ce10ff5c87e9d7a39d0e84)
I think I found out about Canadian band Pyramid Theorem the same way most other DTFers did, via Johnny Thermos' endless pimping of them when this album came out. Fortunately it wasn't for naught, as this album kicks so much ass beginning to end. But even that isn't the total reason why this one made my list...their is one guitar solo on this one that has been my phone ringtone since the album came out, probably making it my most listened to piece of music in my life. The band is a guitar driven prog metal debut, where they haven't really settled into a style and are most just going off on how fucking good they are. Guitarist Sam Ermalini is an absolute monster, probably one of the best young guitarists I've come across since joining DTF, and he flexes his stuff beginning to end. Fortunately, his fellow musicians are more than up to the task of keeping pace, giving us five songs of varying length and style that merge to deliver an absolute monster of an album.
Favorite Tracks- Another Day Slips By, Primitive Design, The Dream
Another Day Slips By (contains my phone ringtone at @4:40)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHHRm0wKoM&ab_channel=PyramidTheorem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHHRm0wKoM&ab_channel=PyramidTheorem)
Man, I haven't listened to this in a while. I will correct this.
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#22- Frost*- Milliontown (2006)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273d52cb4005f017f56a6f6c28e)
This one I kept seeing talked about here, and eventually dove in. The first instrumental hooks me off right out of the gates, fantastic track. The middle four songs are solid, definitely living up to the hype of the album. Then I get to the title track, the 26 minute masterpiece Milliontown. This will always be a top ten epic for me, and probably tied for strongest 20+ minute track on this list. I'm always amazed how a band can not only avoid getting boring in such a long track, but quite the opposite. Especially here, they just throw killer hook after killer hook at you, ramping up the intensity from beginning to end. This is one I love to crank to 11 in the car and just fucking rock out. Great track to finish a great album.
Favorite Tracks- Hyperventilate, Black Light Machine, Milliontown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMjPmN0rbo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeMjPmN0rbo)
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Now this is a wonderful album.
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I spun Lost and Pyramid Theorem both yesterday. Lost was up and down (the growls didn't work for me - not simply because they were growls, but just something else. I dunno... they just didn't fit). PT ... vocally I still think it's pretty weak. Now mind you, I was listening to the closer in some brutal stop-and-go traffic, so my frame of mind was not great, but sonofabitch that song went on forever.
Milliontown. *chefs kiss*. Virtually flawless. Hyperventilate is a Top 2 instrumental of all time for me. I don't quite have the raging ear-boner that most have for the eponymous track, but it's good. Truth be told, I prefer Experiments as a whole over this one. But that's just splitting hairs.
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Yeah, what Chad said about Milliontown
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Milliontown is a damn near perfect album :metal
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
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Ok, kind of want to finish this by Christmas, so I'm going to drop another today...
#21- Destrage- Are You Kidding Me? No. (2014)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2733578cd4741e2acb84a8365c3)
Look up organized harmonic chaos in the dictionary, and you'd find this album. Came across this one in That Drummer Guy's top 150 list, one of many albums I've scored there, and man, this is a gem. These guys are from Italy, and while they definitely have myriad influences, they sound like absolutely nobody else. They're listed as progressive metalcore, and that's a very loose description for what they deliver. The musicians are ridiculously talented across the board and they throw all the rules out the door in a frantic race to kick your ass with as many sick riffs and brutal drops as they can. The opening track Destroy Create Transform Sublimate is an absolute monster, and sets the pace for the rest of the album which keeps the promise of the opener. Even the 'ballad' Where the Things have no Colour still has serious edge. Definitely worth a listen...
Favorite Tracks- Destroy Create Transform Sublimate, My Green Neighbour, Hosts Rifles and Coke, Where the Things Have No Colour
Destroy Create Transform Sublimate- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CosqKDW39NU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CosqKDW39NU)
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Yep, this Destrage album is very, very good. It could easily fall in the trap of trying to do too much, but they hold the chaos together super-well.
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Yep, this Destrage album is very, very good. It could easily fall in the trap of trying to do too much, but they hold the chaos together super-well.
Yep, perfectly put. I think they fell into that trap in later albums, especially their last. They have some moments of genius, but also tend to lose me sometimes as well.
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#20- Orphaned Land- Mabool: The Story of the Three Sons of Seven (2004)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2730e5ff56302a3278faf618612)
My first experience with Orphaned Land was actually seeing them live. They played at PPUSA and attached a US tour to that show, and at 25 bucks, it was totally worth it to check them out. Before the show I did a quick listen to All Is One and was definitely impressed. The show of course kicked all sorts of ass, so I dove deeper and found myself loving their work. In the end, I was stuck between this album, and Unsung Prophets, but went with Mabool because of how much more cohesive a work it is in telling its story. As to the band, they're out of Israel and are very vocal when it comes to voicing their opinions, especially the lead singer. They see the pointless struggle between the three religions that dominate their homeland, and speak up about it, to the point where they was even a petition to put them up for a Nobel Peace Prize for their work in uniting the people through music. As to the album, it's a delicious blend of prog metal and middle eastern folk music, and it's amazing beginning to end. The story is of the seventh son of God, who gets split into three (islam, judaism, and christianity) and cast down to Earth because God fears their united strength. The story tells of their struggle on earth to unite humanity in the face of the flood, and their failure. It's a masterpiece in every aspect, and worthy of a full listen in a dark room with headphones.
Favorite Tracks- Ocean Land, Halo Dies, The Storm Still Rages Inside
Ocean Land- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf7i6UB5vGw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf7i6UB5vGw)
Halo Dies- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90xgxQR78wM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90xgxQR78wM)
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My favorite Orphaned Land. Real nice progression from their first efforts (which were also good). Very ambitious, but still has a charming roughness around the edges. Subsequent albums, while impressive, got a little too carried away, imo.
Excellent stuff.
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Great Destrage album, I should revisit it, it's been a while. I tried to give their new record a listen but it wasn't for me.
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That Destrage album is a wild ride, great album! :metal
Mabool is my first experience with Orphaned Land and while all the albums they released since have been good, nothing topped this one for me. Fantastic album!
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You gave me an OL song in a roulette once (The Cave) and it scored quite well. I do recall checking an album or two of theirs afterwards, but wasn't as impressed. I shall give this one a genuine effort - but iirc, I need to be ready for the growls, yes?
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My favorite Orphaned Land. Real nice progression from their first efforts (which were also good). Very ambitious, but still has a charming roughness around the edges. Subsequent albums, while impressive, got a little too carried away, imo.
Excellent stuff.
I think they pulled back to their original form in Unsung Prophets, but it still doesn't have the cohesiveness that Mabool does. They really nailed it on that one.
You gave me an OL song in a roulette once (The Cave) and it scored quite well. I do recall checking an album or two of theirs afterwards, but wasn't as impressed. I shall give this one a genuine effort - but iirc, I need to be ready for the growls, yes?
Yes, but Kobi's growls are a world apart from standard ones, you'll see. And I'd say it's maybe 20% if that.
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Unsung Prophets is my favourite OL album, and I would probably put Mabool in second place. I listened to Mabool just recently, and it really is high quality.
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
Same here, it was Dear Dead Days. I think it's my highest rated roulette song to date. I did check out some of their albums but nothing really stuck.
That Destrage album is easily their best, like it's not even close!
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
Same here, it was Dear Dead Days. I think it's my highest rated roulette song to date. I did check out some of their albums but nothing really stuck.
That Destrage album is easily their best, like it's not even close!
Top 3 Frost* song for me.
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Mabool is a classic.
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
Same here, it was Dear Dead Days. I think it's my highest rated roulette song to date. I did check out some of their albums but nothing really stuck.
That Destrage album is easily their best, like it's not even close!
Top 3 Frost* song for me.
It really is great, nothing has hit me like that from the band since.
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
Same here, it was Dear Dead Days. I think it's my highest rated roulette song to date. I did check out some of their albums but nothing really stuck.
That Destrage album is easily their best, like it's not even close!
Top 3 Frost* song for me.
It really is great, nothing has hit me like that from the band since.
Luke, did you try anything from their first album (the one Lonestar posted)?
I personally have a soft spot for Falling Satellites too. Their latest, Day and Age, is also quite tasty. The title-track is a super-cool mix of The Police and 80s Genesis.
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Someone sent me a Frost song in one of my roulettes. I thought it was really decent, but I never checked anything else out by them.
Same here, it was Dear Dead Days. I think it's my highest rated roulette song to date. I did check out some of their albums but nothing really stuck.
That Destrage album is easily their best, like it's not even close!
Top 3 Frost* song for me.
It really is great, nothing has hit me like that from the band since.
Luke, did you try anything from their first album (the one Lonestar posted)?
I personally have a soft spot for Falling Satellites too. Their latest, Day and Age, is also quite tasty. The title-track is a super-cool mix of The Police and 80s Genesis.
I've listened to all their albums, some more than others. Just checked my Last.fm though, and I've only actually listened to their debut once! Queued it up to give it another listen.
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Went back to my 3rd Roulette. Kingshmegland sent Black Light Machine in the Black/White Round.
It came in 2nd out of 12 songs for the Black side of the round.
Here's my writeup.. My First Impression is in italics..
11. Kingshmegland..Frost - Black Light Machine
"Contains one of the best parts of the entire roulette, but this song will likely be in the bottom half."
So I hate the John Mayer vocals on this. Hate the style. Hate the production effects on them. Luckily, the music on this is absolutely phenomenal. The instrumental section that begins around 1:30 and goes for 4 minutes before the John Mayer comes back in is simply incredible. The guitar tone is ridiculous. Thankfully it's only another minute of vocals before the instrumentation kicks in, with the smoking guitar returning for the end.
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RE: Orphaned Land
#20- Orphaned Land- Mabool: The Story of the Three Sons of Seven (2004)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2730e5ff56302a3278faf618612)
Ocean Land- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf7i6UB5vGw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf7i6UB5vGw)
Halo Dies- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90xgxQR78wM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90xgxQR78wM)
Both of these tracks are really good. Love the solo in Ocean Land.
I've sampled Orphaned Land before, and for some reason, I thought they had a middle Eastern influence, which I generally do NOT like in my music. (Oddly one of my Top 10 albums of 2022 has it in spades).
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Moving on...
#19- Headspace- I Am Anonymous
(https://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/5089/cover_29441016112017_r.jpg)
This one kept appearing on DTF, and I took a chance even before I knew it had the name Wakeman attached to it. I'll credit this one, along with Threshold's March of Progress, for fueling my love for Damian Wilson. This album is an absolute prog metal monster, that fires on all cylinders, in all the right places. There are literally no flaws in my eyes here, and the highs are so tremendously high it aches, and while they were able to follow up with an almost equally strong second album in All That You Fear is Gone, the epic track of Daddy Fucking Loves You puts this one in the front. The intro/outro soft lullaby by Wilson, serves as bookends to one of the best tracks I've ever heard. Just perfect.
Favorite Tracks- Stalled Armageddon, Fall of America, Die With a Bullet, Daddy Fucking Loves You
Daddy Fucking Loves You- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJtD2OYB4O8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJtD2OYB4O8)
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So, first off, this is a monster album. Musically, conceptually. Top shelf.
Two things undermined its stayong power for me.
First and most obvious...Damian Wilson. Sorry, I can't stand his voice.
Second is Daddy Fucking Loves You.. My kids were 9 & 11 when this came out. This song was just too gut wrenching to listen to.
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Still baffled about people who can't stand his voice.
As to Daddy Fucking Loves You...it is gut wrenching, and for me it's Wilson's voice that makes it so. He handles the emotional heaviness of the track so perfectly.
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Still baffled about people who can't stand his voice.
As to Daddy Fucking Loves You...it is gut wrenching, and for me it's Wilson's voice that makes it so. He handles the emotional heaviness of the track so perfectly.
:neverusethis:
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Oh you.
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Nice choice. I Am Anonymous was my album of the year in whatever year it was released. 2012?
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I know what I'm spinning next this morning (just wrapping up Mabool - not bad at all... but I don't see myself coming back to it).
Again, I didn't have the ear-boner a lot did around here for this album - I think because March Of Progress came out the same year, and that got a lot of airplay for me, and was my 'go-to' album with Damian fronting it. It's been a while since I spun it, so we'll see how it ages. But I tell you this, Soldier gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I've used it a few times in roulettes.
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#18- Senri Kawaguchi- Dynamogenic (2020)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2731b04e4c4324e35b1236fe53a)
Definitely the most unique offering on the list, and the only one way outside the general rock arena. I came across Senri when she was about 14, and a friend shared a video of hers, and immediately I knew I had come across someone very, very special. It's been a joy to watch this young prodigy grow into one of the premiere jazz drummers in the world, and very few have the smooth chops that she does. (if Kev does a top drummer list, she'll easily make my top five). While this offering is more a body of work choice, this album is her at her most mature, and has a huge variety of songs from frantic paced jazz fusion to ones that are absolutely sublime.
Favorite Tracks- Raging Spur, Turn Right, Blessed Rain After the Drought
Raging Spur- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xdzU0abn38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xdzU0abn38)
Turn Right- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbrNgrQynG8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbrNgrQynG8)
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(https://i.imgflip.com/73xg1q.jpg)
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I'm a bit late, but some really cool stuff in here. Following. :tup
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I'm a bit late, but some really cool stuff in here. Following. :tup
Second post in the thread has the list so far.
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I'm way too swamped with roulette listening to catch up on the material I haven't heard at this point, so I'll just comment on what I've already heard. I'm not sure I've heard any BTBAM albums past Colors, other than the sequel last year. I dug the first few, but kind of got tired of them around the time they were really starting to blow up. Colors II didn't really help. I'm sure if I listened to it or the other more recent ones a dozen times I would probably like them lot more, but I just haven't been motivated to spend that kind of time with them again. Mabool is legendary, quite rightly so, but I haven't heard it in a fair while, so it could use a fresh listen at some point. I'm pretty sure I listened to an album or two of Frost's, but don't recall which one, and it was a long time ago, so I don't remember them. I love Damian Wilson, so of course Headspace is delightful. I haven't listened to any of Senri's albums, but the clips of her playing I've seen on Youtube have been quite impressive.
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Senri just keeps getting better and better...the videos of her playing with Guthrie Govan are just insane.
Think I'll sneak an update in here...
#17- Porcupine Tree- Fear of a Blank Planet (2007)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b27355b72bf2e20270860cce6634)
I don't think any discussion of 'bands discovered on DTF' can be had without having a Steven Wilson project in its blast radius. They were the first to flood my eyes when I created my account here, and they were the first I checked out. The stuff was enjoyable, until I got to Arriving Somewhere, and I was floored. Seems to be that way with most of their work, I deeply respect the quality, but only a portion of it really hooks me. Fear of a Blank Planet however, is nails beginning to end. Pretty sure the lines on PT are already drawn for anyone reading this thread, so I won't dig into their style, since I won't be changing any minds. The one-two punch of the opening tracks on this are about as good as anything out there, and Gavin's work on Anesthetize is some of the best drumming ever.
Favorite Tracks- Fear of a Blank Planet, Anesthetize, My Ashes
Anesthetize- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEQZ8reJA4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEQZ8reJA4)
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IA is probably my favorite album of theirs, but "Anesthetize" is a monster. Might be my favorite PT song, though "Blackest Eyes" is stiff competition.
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You’re right … this ain’t gonna change my mind. :biggrin: I’ve tried. Repeatedly.
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Amazing album. I watched Steven perform Sleep Together live and it was insane. Wished PT had toured in my country, I really wanted to hear them live for once. Oh well.
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Saw Steven play Sentimental solo during the To the Bone tour and obviously Sleep Together too. Caught the show in Hamburg and then in Moscow and got two different set-lists. Makes me smile, those were amazing times.
Good album, although I think I still prefer Deadwing.
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#16- Amorphis- Queen of Time (2018)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2730961096ed14dc0d67d1295f4)
2018 is very well represented, and if it wasn't for another massive release, this monster of an album from Amorphis definitely would've taken the title. Amorphis was another "they're playing here and the shows cheap so let's check them out" band..and this was what they were touring. One spin and I knew I was in for a fucking show. This album falls under the 'all killer, no filler' banner, as it delivers a serious ass kicking on all fronts beginning to end. They're aggressive folk metal stylings fall right into my wheelhouse, and made for an absolutely tremendous show. It says a lot that the song with Anneke maybe is #3 or 4 on the album for me, that's how huge this one was. An aggressive, full frontal assault, if you love your metal with serious force, this one's for you.
Favorite Tracks- The Bee, The Golden Elk, We Accursed, Daughter of Hate, Heart of the Giant, Amongst Stars
The Golden Elk- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU4AR_8LLHw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU4AR_8LLHw)
Heart of the Giant- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrV4HTzkns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrV4HTzkns)
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Yes, this album is elite tier. Probably has become my fav Amorphis album. It's close to perfect.
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It sure is a great album. It's at times a little too "symphonic metal" for my own taste (I like my Amorphis a tad less bombastic), but the quality here is absolutely undeniable.
And The Bee is such a perfect opener!
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Yes, this album is elite tier. Probably has become my fav Amorphis album. It's close to perfect.
Figured out of 50 albums I'd have to get a few in your wheelhouse.
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I haven't binged their albums in the past dozen years or so nearly as much as the first few Joutsen ones, but this is one of the best. "Amongst Stars" for me is perfection, Tomi and Anneke sound resplendent together.
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Looking at the top 15, and all I can say is holy fuck do I have excellent taste in music, a little something for everyone I think.
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2018 is very well represented, and if it wasn't for another massive release, this monster of an album from Amorphis definitely would've taken the title.
Progstock IQ bootleg, amirite??
JK, I know which one it is.
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Yes, this album is elite tier. Probably has become my fav Amorphis album. It's close to perfect.
Figured out of 50 albums I'd have to get a few in your wheelhouse.
I was getting worried I must admit haha.
Not a massive PT fan either but Fear is a fabulous album. Great pick.
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Queen of Time is easily my favourite Amorphis release (not that I'm an avid fan as such). The whole thing is killer, and i think it's a great example of all the elements coming together to deliver a great piece of art. Album cover, song titles, obviously the music and lyrics, just great :metal
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Yes, this album is elite tier. Probably has become my fav Amorphis album. It's close to perfect.
Too funny, you sent me Amongst Stars from this album - in the exact same round RJ sent me Orphaned Land / The Cave. And the two songs tied for 3rd place that round. When I went back and stack-ranked a top-150 of roulette songs received, these two ended up being 26th and 22nd.
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Fear Of A Blank Planet never really did a lot for me. It's a good album but compared to other PT albums it falls somewhere in the middle. I've heard very little of Amorphis but the little I did hear I enjoyed, I'm going to spin that album this morning while working :)
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#15- Kingcrow- In Crescendo (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273dce93f0c0853879b2ff86dba)
This one got sent as a promo to Lady Obscure, it was actually my first physical promo I got sent, and man...am I glad I got it. On one spin, I knew that I had come across a gem of a band in Italian prog metal outfit Kingcrow, and in there subsequent albums they proved me right. Probably one of the best run of albums I can think of in consistency and quality, it amazes me they don't have a bigger following to speak of. These guys fall in the same vein as Porcupine Tree and Riverside, prog with a metal edge, but very, very heartfelt. The album varies from the heavy to the sublime, but always with a distinct purpose. As I'm fond of saying, they don't waste any notes here. Just a wonderful listen beginning to end.
Favorite Tracks- Right Before, The Hatch, Morning Rain, In Crescendo
Right Before- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psx9DpQt5rY&ab_channel=KingcrowOfficial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psx9DpQt5rY&ab_channel=KingcrowOfficial)
The Hatch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkb8pazzgnc&ab_channel=Kingcrow-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkb8pazzgnc&ab_channel=Kingcrow-Topic)
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Love 'em. They do have a quirkiness about them in that I can't call them prog-metal with a straight face. But that quirkiness is also what I find so appealing. They're solid start to finish on all five albums I have of theirs (I don't have the first two), with more than a few 5*, top-shelf, Grade-A absolutely gorgeous songs on every album. In Crescendo has the most of those A-list songs though. This Ain't Another Love Song is prolly my fave.
Roger & Ebert ... :tup :tup
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I haven't been following as much as I intended, but chiming in to say that Headspace - I Am Anonymous, is a great album.
And In Crescendo is my least favorite of the Kingcrow albums I have, but it's still a great album.
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Eidos is the only Kingcrow album that's really hit for me. I'll queue this up and give it a spin though.
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Love 'em. They do have a quirkiness about them in that I can't call them prog-metal with a straight face. But that quirkiness is also what I find so appealing. They're solid start to finish on all five albums I have of theirs (I don't have the first two), with more than a few 5*, top-shelf, Grade-A absolutely gorgeous songs on every album. In Crescendo has the most of those A-list songs though. This Ain't Another Love Song is prolly my fave.
Roger & Ebert ... :tup :tup
I agree. Catch but quirky.
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In Crescendo is real nice. I can hear a fair amount of Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree influence, but with a strong “personal” stamp from the band.
I might have a slight preference for the slightly moodier approach in Eidos and The Persistence, but they are all great albums.
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In Crescendo is real nice. I can hear a fair amount of Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree influence, but with a strong “personal” stamp from the band.
I might have a slight preference for the slightly moodier approach in Eidos and The Persistence, but they are all great albums.
Yeah, it's pretty much a pick-em to be honest, they're all such strong albums. As I said, few bands have been that consistent for a four album run like Kingcrow.
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And moving along...
#14- Silent Memorial- Retrospective (2009)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2731eb35d9b4c3c3cce82e9cbe3)
I think I blindly stumbled upon this gem, and can guarantee you I wasn't aware of the 5 track prog metal ass kicking I was about to endure. Four solid 6 minute tracks followed by the most blistering 25 minute epic imaginable. Out of Switzerland, this band had one album in the late 90s, and then took a ten year hiatus, shifted a few members, and added the mighty Mike Andersson of Cloudscape to cover vocal duties, and that was the difference maker. The riffage on this one is fucking relentless, with keyboards dotted in with perfection, and a brutal rhythm section doing the heavy lifting. Mike's vocals are just perfect for this album, and any of you who adore that classic heavy DT feel should absolutely dig this album.
Favorite Tracks- All killer, no filler.
Retrospective (buckle in for safety kids, it's a rough ride...)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrwsSJBzvLQ&ab_channel=MetalMan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrwsSJBzvLQ&ab_channel=MetalMan)
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Wait, wut? I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it? No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire. Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.
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Wait, wut? I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it? No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire. Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.
That was about power metal though, these guys are definitely not power metal. Maybe we got wires crossed in our conversation
Andersson is an absolute treasure though.
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Wait, wut? I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it? No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire. Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.
That was about power metal though, these guys are definitely not power metal. Maybe we got wires crossed in our conversation
Fair enough.
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Sounds good, I'll queue it up :tup
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I have this album. Remember it being solid.
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Wait, wut? I predicted these guys in PM before the list started, and thought you denied it? No matter, 5* album from start to finish. You really should link Indi’s play-by-play review of the big track for everyone to admire. Mike Anderson is a vocal joy.
Ok, if you're not going to do it, I guess I'll have to. https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=52943.msg2496520#msg2496520
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Glorious
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Indeed it is. I miss Indi.
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#13- Ostura- The Room (2018)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2732ceb5d7ad80df37ee49b5747)
There was a preliminary buzz in my circles on FB about this one. Initially from promise of the released single Deathless, then mainly from a friend who had gotten a very early promo of it. I received a not quite as early promo from vocalist Elia Monsef, we'd connected earlier from his work with Viv Lalu, and in one spin I understood what the hype was all about. For me, this was one of those rare moments where the possibilities of what music is capable of is expanded just a bit, in wondrous directions. They describe it as cinematic metal, and it's a quite fitting monniker. A heady concept, a solid power/prog metal band with multiple talented lead singers, all meshed with the Prague Symphony Orchestra. But...it wasn't just the usual orchestra accompaniment, these guys really weaved the two in, making the orchestra an intimate part of the whole, and in the process making the music sound so much grander. Absolutely unique, absolutely wonderful. There upcoming release is one of my most anticipated for sure.
Favorite Tracks- The Room, Let There Be, Deathless, The Surge, Duality
The Room- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2G_8nLgkLI&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2G_8nLgkLI&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic)
Let There Be- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Blme2iqre4&list=PLNWsysQ4t2gJHmiG5ptviuWRLPqHhZnBe&index=4&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Blme2iqre4&list=PLNWsysQ4t2gJHmiG5ptviuWRLPqHhZnBe&index=4&ab_channel=Ostura-Topic)
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Barring anything extreme happening, #2 and #1 will be revealed Xmas eve.
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I was about to chastise you for rating this too low ... but then I checked how I have it rated in my upcoming list of top concept albums, and I've rated it slightly lower. So, you nailed it! :lol I will say this, it was my album of the year for 2018, and Deathless was my song of the year. Beyond God-tier. Like, Cosmic Idol-tier.
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I was about to chastise you for rating this too low ... but then I checked how I have it rated in my upcoming list of top concept albums, and I've rated it slightly lower. So, you nailed it! :lol I will say this, it was my album of the year for 2018, and Deathless was my song of the year. Beyond God-tier. Like, Cosmic Idol-tier.
My AOTY as well, though song of the year was Voice of Trespass, 2018 was loaded. I always look at the rankings wondering if I rated them too low, then I look at what's coming and realize it's as high as it can be.
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I have this, probably on the recommendation of someone here. I have only listened to it once or twice, and at work or driving. Been meaning to give it a good, undisturbed listen, just never got around to it.
Only album so far I own. Enjoyed Fear of a Blank Planet, easily my favorite PT album I've heard (which isn't all of them). I saw them live on that tour. Great show.
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Bern following from afar ad did not have anythig to cotribute.
I read earlier something about albm of the year 2018 and I immeiately thought of The Room.
Such an amazing album. On paper it is almost too much but woven together as a piece it is a masterpiece.
I was a bit late to the party. I think I found out about it from here or pssiby from Prog Magazine and was immediately floored by it. Had to order the CD from somewhere overseas and it ws expensive but well worth it.
The follow up is definiteley my most anticipated album in a long while.
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The Room is a cool fucking album. Deathless is easily my highlight, what a song!
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Trying to guess how many IQ albums in the top 10 😀
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I'm guessing The Seventh House and The Road Of Bones.
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Trying to guess how many IQ albums in the top 10 😀
None... No artists from my first top 50 are in this one.
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#12- Caligula's Horse- In contact
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2737c1766f40c7aca103375cb63)
Dug into these guys when they were announced for Prog Power, and an eventual US tour (that got cancelled boo covid), and once I heard Will's Song I was hooked. Once I heard Graves....just man...that song... Graves is #3 on my all time Spotify listening list (more on #2 and #1 on tomorrow's offering), I think that alone says how much I adore this track. (I should note, a great deal of my listening, especially from bands that are before my spotify era, I still listen to from my own files, that's why IQ/Marillion/DT/etc won't appear on said stats). This album has everything I want from a prog metal album...killer riffage, gut wrenching emotive segments, brutally intricate instrumental, and all with that little sharp d'jent-like guitar tone I've come to really love these past few years. Add to that an extremely solid vocalist with soul crushing lyrics...yeah this one is seriously up my alley. I eagerly await a full US tour to be attached to their appearance at PPUSA this year(along with Kamelot/Myrath), and will be first in line for that show.
Favorite Tracks- Will's Song, Songs for No One, Graves
Graves- https://youtu.be/9PSjuLMffV0 (https://youtu.be/9PSjuLMffV0)
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Excellent one, though I must say I prefer Bloom and TTTTARE over this one.
Graves though, is superb and could well be their best track.
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In Contact is a phenomenal album.
"We reach for the night like we are old light falling to Earth"
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Only have Rise Radiant of them so far. Likiing it but not too much. Love the cover of Don't Give up with Lyndsey Ward fro Exploring Birdsong. But then I'm a huge fan of EB.
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In Contact is a phenomenal album.
"We reach for the night like we are old light falling to Earth"
I always listen to the album as I'm doing these post, and that was the line that stuck in my head. :heart
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In Contact is a phenomenal album.
"We reach for the night like we are old light falling to Earth"
I always listen to the album as I'm doing these post, and that was the line that stuck in my head. :heart
If Kev does a favorite lyricists countdown, Jim Grey will certainly be on my list.
Are you coming to ProgPower next year?
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In Contact is a phenomenal album.
"We reach for the night like we are old light falling to Earth"
I always listen to the album as I'm doing these post, and that was the line that stuck in my head. :heart
If Kev does a favorite lyricists countdown, Jim Grey will certainly be on my list.
Are you coming to ProgPower next year?
Nah, though this lineup was pretty close to getting me there, between Caligula's, Myrath and Kamelot.
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I really like this album, but I prefer The Tide, the thief and river's end. I also thought Rise radiant was a more consistent listen, but then again, In contact does have higher highs.
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I really like this album, but I prefer The Tide, the thief and river's end. I also thought Rise radiant was a more consistent listen, but then again, In contact does have higher highs.
For me, Graves pushes it into that top spot, such an amazing song.
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#11- Voices from the Fuselage- Odyssey: The Destroyer of Worlds (2015)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2734bb3ec2d1eb987dbf7bc6a05)
Found this one via lead singer Ashe O'Hara. After the release of the tremendous Tesseract album, and the heartbreak that it'd be the only one with him on lead vocals (nothing against Thompkins), I saw him post on FB about this upcoming release, and marked the date. Upon one spin, I was all in on this ethereal prog metal masterpiece. While being centered in the concept, and with a canvas of said prog metal, musically they diverge to other areas, with a certain focus on some very tasteful electronica, all with the absolutely insane vocal work of O'hara. He is whispy, powerful, emotive, and moving, all done to perfection. Just one spin of Meteorites will convince most any DTFer of this album's veracity, and it's worthiness on this list and almost cracking my top ten.
Favorite Tracks- Inner Child, Meteorites, A Principle God, Astral Existence
Meteorites- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyv0QYJpe0&ab_channel=VoicesFromTheFuselage-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnyv0QYJpe0&ab_channel=VoicesFromTheFuselage-Topic)
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I always feel like the odd one out in preferring Tompkins, but Ashe is great as well, and both VFtF albums are evidence of that.
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I really like this album, but I prefer The Tide, the thief and river's end. I also thought Rise radiant was a more consistent listen, but then again, In contact does have higher highs.
For me, Graves pushes it into that top spot, such an amazing song.
The melodies on that song are just otherworldly! :metal
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I always feel like the odd one out in preferring Tompkins, but Ashe is great as well, and both VFtF albums are evidence of that.
I prefer Daniel Tompkins as well, but like them both just fine on the albums. Live it's Daniel Tompkins hands down. Maybe he wasn't having a good tour, but Ashe wasn't so great when I saw them open for Katatonia.
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I really like this album, but I prefer The Tide, the thief and river's end. I also thought Rise radiant was a more consistent listen, but then again, In contact does have higher highs.
For me, Graves pushes it into that top spot, such an amazing song.
The melodies on that song are just otherworldly! :metal
Yes they are :metal
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I always feel like the odd one out in preferring Tompkins, but Ashe is great as well, and both VFtF albums are evidence of that.
I prefer Daniel Tompkins as well, but like them both just fine on the albums. Live it's Daniel Tompkins hands down. Maybe he wasn't having a good tour, but Ashe wasn't so great when I saw them open for Katatonia.
Never had the pleasure of seeing Ashe live so I can't speak to that. I think they both have there benefits, and bring different elements to the table. I can't see Ashe doing Concealing Fate.. And while Daniel did a solid job with Of Matter I'd love to see Ashe's treatment. Think we're blessed to have had both grace Tesseract's music tbh... But more on that later in the list ;)
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Going back to In Contact I just want to say, Holy shit are you right about Graves! It is such an incredible sing and easily my favourite Caligula's Horse song.
I've only seen them once, back in 2017 or 2018. They criminally played in a tiny bowling alley, in front of no more than 100 people, probably less than that. The whole set I was praying they closed with Graves, and sure enough they did. Thinking back actually, it may be a top 20 all time gif moment. Don't think I've spun the album in a while, need to get on that.
I was unfortunately really underwhelmed by their latest.
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Ok, how about we get the top ten rolling...and man are they ten amazing albums (though Jingle will be bummed since he's only into two of them lol)
#10- Anciients- Voice of the Void (2016)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2737ad34ace11663bcb2ae17b84)
I'll preface this one by saying this is probably the heaviest album on my list. I stumbled across this Vancouver progressive sludge metal band's first album through random searching, and enjoyed it thoroughly, so was definitely ready for their second. What I wasn't ready for was for it to be one of the most addictive, and heavy albums I'd ever heard. Not heavy in being loud, or fast, or loaded with over the top unintelligible growls, Anciients is constructed, pointed and really fucking dark. Each song takes its time to really put the listener in a position of submission, long heavy notes, perfectly executed repeating sections that build in tension and intensity, all leading to insane releases that can hardly be believed. On his clean vox, the singer to me at least channels a coherent and young Ozzy, and on his growls, he sounds like he's being ripped straight into the darkness, so perfectly fitting for their song style. The methodical style to their songs are really unique, and the only real complaint I have is that they've waited six years to come up with a follow up album, but they have hinted that next year might be the year it finally comes.
Favorite Tracks- Following the Voice, Buried in Sand, Ibex Eye, My Home My Gallows, Incantations
Ibex Eye- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPlVVqbkiJ8&ab_channel=SeasonofMist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPlVVqbkiJ8&ab_channel=SeasonofMist)
Buried in Sand- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsnRJxfIXwc&ab_channel=SeasonofMist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsnRJxfIXwc&ab_channel=SeasonofMist)
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Yep, this is a great album, serious Opeth vibes
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Yep, this is a great album, serious Opeth vibes
Then why can't I ever get into older Opeth? :lol
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Yep, this is a great album, serious Opeth vibes
Then why can't I ever get into older Opeth? :lol
Well that is unfathomable for me so you're on your own :lol
In other news I have listened to Graves 3 times so far today :heart
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Yep, this is a great album, serious Opeth vibes
Then why can't I ever get into older Opeth? :lol
Well that is unfathomable for me so you're on your own :lol
In other news I have listened to Graves 3 times so far today :heart
I've been trying to spin the next album on the list, so for #9 we're just padding the stats for my #1 and #2 all time on my Spotify stats.
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I have the first Anciients album but never did check out the second one. Another one to add to my list.
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I have the first Anciients album but never did check out the second one. Another one to add to my list.
Absolutely... If the first is a firm 8/10, this one is somewhere in the 13/10 range. And the first is an outstanding album.
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And nor for something completely different...if there's one thing I'll never be accused of, it's being single minded in my tastes...
#9- Gacharic Spin- Gacharic Spin (2021)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2739a17379cae141d292d7b4b12)
I was initially hesitant to put these girls this high, fearing recency bias, but when I checked my Spotify stats and saw that the first two songs on this album were #1 and #2 all time, I realized they'd earned their spot. I found them after a Nemophila online show, and a fellow fan posted a pic of Nemo's lead singer with Angie 1/3, Gacharic Spin's vocalist (the pink haired one). I asked who that was, and in response he posted a link to the Mindset video. In a mere 3 months, that song topped my Spotify list for the year, I was fucking hooked. And almost everyone I turn on to it has a similar reaction. Their second single, I Wish I, ended up being #2 on my Spotify for the year, and the two stay that way for my all time list. This band can't be categorized in any way, shape or form. They are rock, funk, pop, electronica, and metal all rolled into one wonderful J-Rock package, backed by some incredibly talented musicians. I'd be hard pressed not to put bassist Koga in my top 10 all time, she's a freak of nature on that thing. Tomo is a brilliant guitarist, even when playing her guitar is an ice cream cone (seriously lol), and keyboardist Oreo has amazing chops both as a player and singer. But the real brilliance is how this band can go from all out J-rock with a heavy pop flavor and spin right into the sickest instrumental passages you'll ever hear, and that's song after song after song, going back through their 12 year discography. Pair that with 3 amazing lead vocalists who share the bulk of the singing, switching off to and fro with ease, and you got what I would easily consider not only a tremendously talented group, but the most unique band I've ever heard.
And they're fun. They're just so much goddamn fun. In past iterations, the keyboard player wore a cheeseburger outfit on stage, and the guitarist has one guitar that's an ice cream cone. That's actually one consistency with the Japanese bands, they have such a blast doing what they do, and it's incredibly infectious. I implore you all, take a chance, listen to Mindset, you won't be sorry...
Favorite Tracks- I Wish I, Mindset, Dear____, Mirai Ronsai, Forever 9Teen, Magic Umbrella Girl, Days, 1Game
Mindset- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmL0V667QzI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmL0V667QzI)
I Wish I- https://youtu.be/-R6Nrr_omjE?list=RDEMjnN32ebozxFdK17cr5gR-Q (https://youtu.be/-R6Nrr_omjE?list=RDEMjnN32ebozxFdK17cr5gR-Q)
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I quite enjoyed that song, but I’m not sure if I would come back to it. The videoclip was fun though and I can surely see the appeal :)
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Mindset is amazing, but I didn't enjoy much of the rest of the album, I should revisit it though.
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#8- Flaming Row- Elinoire (2011)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273d3bcc191c914fa08051da616)
100% credit for this one goes to Jingle, he pimped it to a point where I had to try it, and even if it didn't click with me first, it eventually did, and hard. This album falls under the prog metal opera with ensemble vocal cast umbrella, to me basically musical theater meets prog metal, but it doesn't have the over the top pretentiousness that the likes of Ayreon and Avantasia have that turn me off to them(personal opinion, don't @ me). That did creep in on their second album, and the third was just weak sauce, but Elinoire absolutely crushed it. They manage to balance the innate awkwardness of trying to tell a story to prog metal without getting to full of themselves in the process, and the end result is an album that succeeds in portraying a brilliant story while being very revisitable, even years after the initial glow of discovery fades. I'd say on a monthly basis, this album gets some time from me, especially the closing epic. Great stuff all around!!
Favorite Tracks- Nightingale's Chirp, Lea's Delivery, Elinoire, Unearth the Truth, A Place to Review Your Soul
Nightingale's Chirp- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJFvfMq6XE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJFvfMq6XE)
Unearth the Truth- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzpqZq8V6EY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzpqZq8V6EY)
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:hefdaddy :hefdaddy God-tier is an understatement.
Hef-tier. This one will make a return visit when (if?) I get to my Top 50 concept albums thread.
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#7- Steven Wilson- The Raven that Refused to Sing (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273957ae146a564181e7bbbfbd2)
Yeah, it was actually tough to decide between this and HCE for my Steven Wilson submission. While his work dropped a bit after HCE for me, Raven is absolute perfection, beginning to end. I mean, take the genius that Wilson is to begin with, and literally put the biggest talents in the business around him, and something gold has to happen. I think what I love most about this one is the diversity of style, and the homage he pays to the classic prog legends in his own way with this collection of ghost stories. I'd say more, but I feel most of DTF made up their minds about where they stand on this one long ago.
Favorite Tracks- Luminol, The Watchmaker, The Pin Drop, The Raven that Refused To Sing
The Raven that Refused to Sing- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8sLcvWG1M4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8sLcvWG1M4)
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It's too bad you didn't include HCE... then I could've commented how you actually got me to like (and buy!) something by Steven Wilson. But now I can't.
Wait, wut?
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Sorry man... :lol
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I need to hear Flaming Row again. I remember enjoying it, but don't recall much about it now.
That might be Wilson's best solo album. "Luminol" is an incredible track.
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I like Luminol, but it's the only song on The Raven that I do not genuflect to on a weekly basis. It's a bit too busy at times. Still a good song, though.
Drive Home, The Holy Drinker, The Watchmaker and the title track are all among the best songs SW has ever written.
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The guitar solo at the end of Drive Home is fantastic and one of my favorite guitar solos of all time. Great album.
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Looking at the top six... I got three albums that are generally classified by DTF consensus as masterpieces, one that's a hidden gem from ten years ago, and two that are very 'me' specific.
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Man I love The Raven. It's the best SW solo album by a wide margin in large thanks to some amazing guitar work by Guthrie.
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My # 2 album of all time RJ.
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Aaaaaaaaaand next...
#6- Anathema- Weather Systems (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2733e5bcd018b5615b3f2aa8b8b)
Hard to think that on my AOTY list for 2012, this would be #3, sitting behind the album in the 4 spot, and Beyond the Bridge which was on my previous list. Talk about a stacked fucking year. This album is another that the battle lines across DTF have already been drawn, I highly doubt there are many of us who haven't either fallen instantly in love with this album solely based on Untouchable, or decided it wasn't there cup of tea. I'm of course in the former spot, the vocal harmonies, and the surreal soft power of this album really make it stand out as unique. Funny thing is, not much of what they did after this really clicked for me, and not a ton of their older stuff did either except WHBWH. But this album...man.... I'd easily put Lightning Song in my top 5 of most beautiful songs ever written, and to have the joy of seeing them open up with the first four tracks, front row staring at Lee...just perfect.
Favorite Tracks- Untouchable I&II, Lightning Song, Sunlight, The Storm Before the Calm
Untouchable I&II- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDsMpOM4uAU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDsMpOM4uAU)
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I know some folks prefer WHBWH or their older material (I love it all except the death/doom stuff), but this album is just monumental. I got to see some of these songs live, and The Storm Before the Calm was just insane.
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I like all their music, including the death/doom era, but nothing beats WS.
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Weather Systems is an excellent choice. I do like the albums before and after quite a bit, and sometimes might even like Distant Satellites better. But only sometimes. :)
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I like all their music, including the death/doom era, but nothing beats WS.
Never heard much from these guys if anything but I'm interested they had a doom/death era!
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Sonically so beautiful. Love this album.
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I wasn't able to really get into the couple other albums I heard by Anathema, but Weather Systems is pretty damn great.
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Anathema's death-doom era "proper" didn't last that long...it was basically their debut EP (Crestfallen), plus their first full-length Serenades and subsequent EP Pentecost III. Basically the albums fronted by their first singer, Darren White.
The first album with Vincent Cavanagh as a vocalist (The Silent Enigma) was already somewhere in between what they were and what they'd become.
My favorite phase is the Eternity- Alternative 4 - Judgement run (A4 is my #1 album from them). Absolutely fantastic stuff...a bit bleak overall (compared to the more uplifting approach of the more recent albums), but very "powerful". If one is used to Vincent's vocals now, listening to Eternity might be a bit jarring (he was still coming into his own as a vocalist there), but already starting with Alternative 4, he had matured significantly (I'd recommend at least Fragile Dreams and Lost Control). And then, on Judgement, his vocals are pretty great (Deep, the opener, is one of my favorite Anathema songs, period).
But, yes, of the phase that started with We're Here...(I think of that as their "positive-prog" phase), Weather System is my favorite (and, really, up there in their discography as a whole). It's a great, great album. And the Untouchable songs are near-masterpieces.
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I've never really felt calling them positive or optimistic prog felt right. In comparison to their earlier material, it is definitely lighter, but even then most of it is still fairly melancholic for music in general. "The Lost Child" is relatively dark, for example.
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I say we toss out the labels and call it good music. :tup :tup
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I say we toss out the labels and call it good music. :tup :tup
Where's the fun in that? :lol
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We should get rid of all the aisle and product labels at the grocery store and just have two sections, "good food" and "bad food".
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Agreed.
Peanut Butter is the first to go in the bad food aisle. That looks and (I would imagine) tastes like dog shit.
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You would imagine? Are you saying you've never had peanut butter?
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You're apparently never had a peanut butter shake. That is definitely in the "good food" aisle.
Now mustard, that goes in the "bad food" section.
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Agreed.
Peanut Butter is the first to go in the bad food aisle. That looks and (I would imagine) tastes like dog shit.
It takes all my might not to scold you. Lol
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Who the fuck doesn't like peanut butter?
Now mustard, that goes in the "bad food" section.
What is wrong with you all?
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Chef, that's heresy.
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What is wrong with you all?
I don't even have the necessary advanced degrees to know where to begin, but I know it'll take them...
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What is wrong with you all?
I don't even have the necessary advanced degrees to know where to begin, but I know it'll take them...
Fair enough :lol
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I checked out Anathema because of the buzz around this album here.
Glad I did....it's wonderful.
Got to see them live during the Optimist tour. So glad I did.... was a wonderful but surreal experience. Dfiniteley some tension on stage.
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The term 'bad food' and both peanut butter and mustard don't go together, especially peanut butter, good lord!
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Catching up:
Elinoire is great! Haven’t heard it in years though, so I might need to remedy that. Shame Flaming Row haven’t managed to come close to capturing the same magic since.
The Raven.., while a fantastic album, wouldn’t make my list, for the simple fact that I like some of his other albums even more.
And the sane goed for Weather Systems, I prefer WHBWH, mostly for nostalgic ‘I-heard-this-one-first’ reasons, coupled by an amazing performance of roughly the whole album at the Night of the Prog festival. Weather Systems, to me, was like them trying to replicate WHBWH and not fully succeeding. I can totally get why one would prefer this one though, it’s great either way.
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I've never really felt calling them positive or optimistic prog felt right. In comparison to their earlier material, it is definitely lighter, but even then most of it is still fairly melancholic for music in general. "The Lost Child" is relatively dark, for example.
Yes, you are absolutely right...I think of the recent phase that way in relation to the earlier portion of their discography. I believe a lot of the "darkness" in the old records was from original bass player Duncan Patterson anyway...I mean, even just the lyrics...compare for example
Lost Control (from Alternative 4)
Life has betrayed me once again
I accept that some things will never change
I've let your tiny minds magnify my agony
And it's left me with a chemical dependency for sanity
Yes, I am falling
How much longer 'til I hit the ground?
I can't tell you why I'm breaking down
Do you wonder why I prefer to be alone?
Have I really lost control?
to Everything:
Needed time to clear my mind
Breathe the free air find some peace there
I used to keep my heart in jail
But the choice was love or fear of pain
And I chose love
Because everything is energy
And energy is you and me
Everything is energy in you and me
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I'm going to check out that Anathema album later, I've never heard them before.
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I'm going to check out that Anathema album later, I've never heard them before.
:omg:
Really?
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I'm going to check out that Anathema album later, I've never heard them before.
I bet you'll love it Håkan .
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I've heard about them over the years on DTF, but never took the time to give them a listen.
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#5- TesseracT- Altered State (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273a9636c3bb63f70c1590cb109)
Hot damn...top 5 already? It should be noted, an argument in my head and heart can be made for any of these albums taking the top spot, they've all played such a crucial role in my musical life since their discovery. Altered State I received as a promo for Lady Obscure. I had heard of them of here, but never gave them a listen until I got this promo. Needless to say, this one blew my doors off, and even on my spin in preparation for this write up, it still does. Such a perfectly crafted album, centered around the brilliant vocal stylings of Ashe O'Hara. Twice in the top 11, I think that alone speaks to how much I love his voice, the only other singer to even appear twice on this list was Mr Damian Wilson. I think this album, above any other on my list, creates a perfect balance with being heavy and emotive, choosing its moments for each with absolute perfection. While I deeply adore most of TesseracT's work, especially Concealing Fate, Altered State will always be my first love from them, and well worth it.
Favorite Tracks- All of them
Of Matter- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-hnSlicxV4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-hnSlicxV4)
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One and Tompkins do it more for me, but it's still a fantastic album. "Nocturne" is easily one of their best songs.
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I think Sonder is probably my favorite Tesseract album, even though it's so short. Polaris next, but Altered State is also incredible.
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I'm on record already in saying that seeing all of Of Matter is a top ten concert moment for me(albeit with Thompkins, was a bit late to the party for Ashe)...and I've seen a shit ton of unbelievable concert moments.
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#4- Speaking to Stones- Elements (2012)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273ef1af8713ed73c74acd83382)
DT aside, I think this album is the pinnacle of what classic prog metal is capable of. I believe this was in an ad package with another album I received as a promo. The other album was good, this was on first listen one of the best I'd heard. Huge vocals, massive riffs, complex instrumental work, all tied around a heady emotional concept, this one has everything we who love prog metal love it for. Just five songs, one for each element, and one for the unity of them all. A massive epic ballad, sandwiched between two even more massive epic hard tracks, bookended by a powerful intro and outro track. Spun this one relentlessly, and still spin it often today.
Favorite Tracks- The whole fucking album man...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV87ZJTKpHI&ab_channel=MrMarcoSix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV87ZJTKpHI&ab_channel=MrMarcoSix)
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(https://media.tenor.com/WvixN8fgE64AAAAM/seinfeld-giddy-up.gif)
It's been a while since I clicked play on this one. I shall rectify that tomorrow morning.
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(https://media.tenor.com/WvixN8fgE64AAAAM/seinfeld-giddy-up.gif)
It's been a while since I clicked play on this one. I shall rectify that tomorrow morning.
You got plenty of time...the top three will hold zero interest for you.
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The interesting thing would be if I could guess the other 2. Full on growls I'm assuming.
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The interesting thing would be if I could guess the other 2. Full on growls I'm assuming.
Message me your guesses
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About TesseracT, I think the only song I really liked from Altered State was the one with the sax ;D
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It's been a while since I clicked play on this one. I shall rectify that tomorrow morning.
I literally listened to this about 3 weeks ago. This is a great album.
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I've been less active in this thread than a eunuch at an orgy, but so many great albums, especially the:
Thoughts Factory
Pyramid Theorem
Headspace
Porcupine Tree
Amorphis
Caligula's Horse
Steven Wilson
Anathema
TesseracT
I have a lot of new stuff to check out.
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#3- Allegaeon- Apoptosis (2018)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2739b3b2e94081f5c43cbc40b4c)
If it wasn't for IQ releasing a double album this year, this would've been hands down my album of the year, and I still had to think about putting it above my all time favorite band. I think Allegaeon is the one artist on this list who I didn't either discover through self searching, here, or via any other internet means. They were actually suggested to me by a friend in recovery, and on a whim I took a chance on his suggestion and have forever been in his debt since. Without a doubt one of my top three bands I've discovered in the past decade (#2 and #1 to follow of course) and honestly they're fairly interchangeable. For those unfamiliar, Allegaeon is a tech death metal band, with some clean but mostly harsh vocals by the immensely talented Riley McShane, and the backbone being the insane guitar stylings of Greg Burgess (see Nuclear Power Trio). These guys seriously put the tech in tech death metal, underneath all the fury is some of the most technically skilled musical execution I've ever heard. Between speed, style, and soul, they really have a unique touch to the genre, I'd imagine a good deal of that because of Burgess' classical training. I'd imagine in time, their 2022 release Damnum will surpass this album as a favorite, it's such a tremendous work, but for now, Apoptosis gets the nod. I've been familiar with this band for a bit over 5 years, and have now seen them live 5 times (that's with 2 years of no shows mind you), and have zero intentions of ever missing them play here again.
Favorite Tracks- Just dive in kids...the water's safe...trust me...
Extremophiles- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw7FFhmmrzE&list=OLAK5uy_khi9mjJCeNysXYrLPQULiy3tTBSDv4Cgk&index=3&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw7FFhmmrzE&list=OLAK5uy_khi9mjJCeNysXYrLPQULiy3tTBSDv4Cgk&index=3&ab_channel=MetalBladeRecords)
Tsunami and Submergence- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmmJzvvI1g4&ab_channel=Allegaeon-Topic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmmJzvvI1g4&ab_channel=Allegaeon-Topic)
Apoptosis- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plvsV_J4WHM&t=6s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plvsV_J4WHM&t=6s)
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I listened to Elements today, man I forgot how good it is. Anders Engberg is a vocal gem. This album got me in to a bunch of his other acts - Section A, and little bit of Sorcerer. Too bad he didn't stick around for this year's release; I think I would've enjoyed it more if he was on the mic.
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So very true...I was bummed to learn they switched singers for the new one.
No comment on Allegaeon? You might actually like Tsunami and Submergence, give it a click man.
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So very true...I was bummed to learn they switched singers for the new one.
No comment on Allegaeon? You might actually like Tsunami and Submergence, give it a click man.
Yes, I'd love a comment from Chad on these guys. :lol
I've heard a couple of songs, solid. Need to dive deeper I guess as what I heard didn't hook me right away. This rating so high is enticing however.
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So very true...I was bummed to learn they switched singers for the new one.
No comment on Allegaeon? You might actually like Tsunami and Submergence, give it a click man.
Yes, I'd love a comment from Chad on these guys. :lol
I've heard a couple of songs, solid. Need to dive deeper I guess as what I heard didn't hook me right away. This rating so high is enticing however.
If you go further back into their discography, they get more technical, while the follow up Damnum is more melodic..but still heavy as fuck.
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I discovered this band in a Lonestar post a while back. This album kicks it the whole time except for a beautiful acoustic song about two thirds thru the album. I also like the new album Damnum and still play the earlier album Proponent for Sentience a lot. I love the Rush cover Subdivisions on the Proponent album.
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I really like this album and the current one. I really love their covers with their version of Roundabout being my favorite.
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I really like this album and the current one. I really love their covers with their version of Roundabout being my favorite.
The Roundabout cover is #5 on my annual Spotify listening stats. Such a great version, love the substitution of the second guitar for the keys.
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Ok, gonna bust out #2 now, cause I'm travelling after work and doing family stuff tonight.
#2- Nemophila- Revive (2021)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273b69137986278c2fdbc5a6d4c)
Anyone who I'm connected with on any social media platform is not surprised by this band being here, or this high. They've been my obsession ever since I found them in late 2020. Discovered them via a video of Senri Kawaguchi and Nemophila drummer Tamu, liked what I saw of her and went searching. First thing that comes up are some DT covers she did (TGP, PA, and TDoE) which raised my eyebrows of course, but I eventually came across the video for their single Raitei, and my life changed forever in one click. Here was a duel guitar band with a vicious rhythm section and a lead singer with a unique voice who seamlessly went from clean to growls. They really dug into me though with their covers...keep in mind, this was the darkest part of the pandemic, the period between nationwide race riots and an attack on the US Capitol, all with the background of a daily death toll that kept climbing and climbing, but, every Friday like clockwork, these 5 adorably charming and extremely talented girls from Japan put out a new cover video without fail, covering the whole spectrum of musical styles from hard metal to J-pop. I can honestly say that for about 6 months, those Friday releases were easily the highlight of my week, they gave a slimmer of hope that there was a bright light at the end of all this, that life was still meant to be enjoyed. Just a sample of not only their covers but their personalities is best in this Separate Ways cover... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fawKq5TUYPo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fawKq5TUYPo)
Their style? It's a wonderful blend of hard rock, metal, and metal core. Revive is a spectrum of them fleshing out their sound and their 'Fluffy band from hell' style, with songs that range from ripper metal tracks to glorious anthems to what is likely to become my favorite ballad of all time. And as I said in my Gacharic Spin write up, they're having a blast doing it, the joy is palpable and contageous. Also, they're tremendously humble, always grateful and expressive of a desire to work harder and harder for their fans. If it sounds like I'm gushing, I am. Just love everything about this band, and can't wait for back to back shows in March.
I should note... my whole deep dive into the realms of Japanese metal started with this band, the blast radius of me coming across Nemophila is massive, and very, very kuwaii.
Favorite Tracks- Might as well ask me to ask me to choose my favorite child.
Raitei- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh-dVLKP314 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh-dVLKP314)
Revive- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRmVc4u18w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRmVc4u18w)
Life- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFnEYhbEAqg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFnEYhbEAqg)
Oiran (live)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19VQ9tkWksQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19VQ9tkWksQ)
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Is it wrong that I'm kinda turned on after watching these videos? I'm so confused...
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Is it wrong that I'm kinda turned on after watching these videos? I'm so confused...
Why would it be wrong? They're attractive, exceptionally talented women kicking ass and melting faces. Seems as good a turn on as any in a world where some people can make 6 figure incomes selling feet pics.
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I really like this album and the current one. I really love their covers with their version of Roundabout being my favorite.
The Roundabout cover is #5 on my annual Spotify listening stats. Such a great version, love the substitution of the second guitar for the keys.
Just had to poke in here and give this a shoutout. One of the best covers of any song, ever.
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I really like this album and the current one. I really love their covers with their version of Roundabout being my favorite.
The Roundabout cover is #5 on my annual Spotify listening stats. Such a great version, love the substitution of the second guitar for the keys.
Just had to poke in here and give this a shoutout. One of the best covers of any song, ever.
Jingle speaks the truth.....
https://youtu.be/73WTnRa0d6M
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Alright Cheffy... I just dropped the digital needle on Apoptosis. Music is starting out really good. Don't make me rage on you.
Awaiting the vox ....
le sigh.
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Alright Cheffy... I just dropped the digital needle on Apoptosis. Music is starting out really good. Don't make me rage on you.
Awaiting the vox ....
le sigh.
Did you spin a random Apoptosis song, or specifically Tsunami and Submergence like I said? Cause the rest of it is a firm no go for ya.
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Alright Cheffy... I just dropped the digital needle on Apoptosis. Music is starting out really good. Don't make me rage on you.
Awaiting the vox ....
le sigh.
Did you spin a random Apoptosis song, or specifically Tsunami and Submergence like I said? Cause the rest of it is a firm no go for ya.
I pressed play on the album. I stopped before getting to Tsunami and Submergence (it was dinnertime). Playing it now.
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:rollin
Yeah, the rest of it is definitely not your cup of tea :lol
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:rollin
Yeah, the rest of it is definitely not your cup of tea :lol
I'm not sure this tune is my cup of tea! Good music, but still too much growlie that doesn't work for me. I tried.
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That's all we can do my friend. Riley's growls are very distinctive too, I'd imagine it's polarizing, either love it or not. Curious to see what happens now that he left and they went back to the original singer, his growls are solid but he doesn't have half the clean skills Riley does.
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Okay, I just listened to Apoptosis in full and it was really enjoyable. I get old school Scar Symmetry vibes and it held my attention all the way through. Some stunning guitar work on here too, really tasty and melodic at times. I love the vocals, not gonna lie. Will have to look more into them, right up my alley.
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Okay, I just listened to Apoptosis in full and it was really enjoyable. I get old school Scar Symmetry vibes and it held my attention all the way through. Some stunning guitar work on here too, really tasty and melodic at times. I love the vocals, not gonna lie. Will have to look more into them, right up my alley.
Nice man, glad you liked it. Greg Burgess is an absolute monster on guitar, definitely a current favorite player of mine. And the other guitarist Michael Stancel is pretty much just as good.
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OK, let's finish this thing...
#1- Haken- The Mountain (2013)
(https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273817a9af094d11b2b6936f0ba)
Initially I spotted Haken getting repeated mentions here, but my first proper spin was via a promo received at the Lady Obscure offices. Needless to say, no band in the past decade or so has had the impact on me that Haken has, and none has had a better run of albums then they did with their Aquarius-Visions-Restoration-Mountain-Affinity run. It was a bit tough for me to pick between The Mountain and Affinity, but I gave the edge to The Mountain for one specific incident. I had broken up with my GF, my dear grandmother had passed, and I was in a dark spot in general. At the time I had taken up hiking as a way of getting my head clear, a local mountain offered a ton of challenging trails with good vertical climbs, and I was still getting into shape after 25 years of drinking and smoking cigarettes, so it was a challenge for me, but I was persistent and needed the physical thrill of pushing myself to get through. One particular day I was summiting Eagle Peak for the first time, about an 8 mile roundtrip with over 2k vertical feet, and was spinning The Mountain during the more challenging second half of the ascent. The moment Because It's There came on, I was really struggling, but the epic nature of the song, paired with the epic scenery and the physical exertion created one of those rare moments in life where we just connect with everything, and it all makes sense, I really can't explain it any other way. I mean, to be in this scenario, with that epic music and these lyrics...
Judgement from birth
Criticize our worth
We struggled to uphold
Struck down, will we fold?
Climb, find your way
Scale high, don't look back
With hope you will find
The life you seek
Yeah...once in a lifetime man. Anyhoo, I don't have to say anything explaining Haken to the masses here, nor this album. And I'm sure a good deal of you will agree with its placement at the top of this list.
Favorite Tracks- All of them yo... I mean seriously... Atlas Stone, Cockroach King, In Memoriam, Because It's There, As Death Embraces, Pareidolia, Somebody..... what a fucking run of tracks. All of them masterpieces.
Pareidolia- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr_gROZmTtA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr_gROZmTtA)
Falling Back to Earth- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHGrSP43QE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adHGrSP43QE)
Atlas Stone- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ8v_evgiS4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ8v_evgiS4)
Well, thanks for all those who have followed, while a good deal of this list are DTF standards, I do feel I offered a good array of music, and maybe brought out some obscure and unique stuff for people to sink there teeth into. My mantra when it comes to new music is 'just click play, you never know what wonders await', and the massive majority of this list came about because I just clicked play.
Happy holidays you filthy animals :heart
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I've listened to this album half a dozen times or so and it's just one of those albums I don't get. It's not bad but it's forgettable IMO. It's been a few years so maybe I'll give it another go and see if my opinion has changed.
Thanks for the great write-ups Lonestar, a lot of new stuff to check out!
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Now that one's a classic. Still have a hoodie for it I occasionally wear from seeing them live.
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I've listened to this album band half a dozen times or so and it's just one of those albums bands I don't get. It's not bad but it's forgettable IMO. It's been a few years so maybe No chance I'll give it another go and see if my opinion has changed.
Thanks for the great write-ups Lonestar, a lot of new stuff to check out!
Fix'd for me. I understand the appeal for many, but it just ain't the band for me, and I've given them enough tries to know that it ain't all of a sudden going to 'click'. :dunno:
Loved following the list bro, and I find it amazing how we're in sync on so much, but then out of sync on a bunch more. I'll be interested to see how things unfold with my list (which I intend to fire up next week).
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Looking forward to it... At least I finally got you to click with a Jmetal band with Lonesome_Blue.
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I didn't recognize any of the albums in the 2-5 slots, but number 1 is a nice choice. While it wouldn't be my number 1, or anywhere close for that matter, The Mountain is an excellent album for sure. :tup :tup
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I've heard some of the first few Allegaeon albums and they were good, but didn't especially stand out to me. Maybe next month I can get to that one and see if it pops more.
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I've heard some of the first few Allegaeon albums and they were good, but didn't especially stand out to me. Maybe next month I can get to that one and see if it pops more.
Try Damnum, their latest, they really embrace a more melodic approach. Just a killer album.
https://youtu.be/PFNGAcYibSI (https://youtu.be/PFNGAcYibSI)
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What a fantastic album.
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I saw them play this in a random bar/venue in Belgium with about 20 people in attendance :corn
No seriously, great pick. Not my favourite Haken, but definitely my most played record in 2013. Loved it then, don’t return to it as much. Solid choice nonetheless :)
Happy Christmas to all reading!
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This is an album I loved back in the day but haven't really revisited in years. Maybe I should, for old times' sake.
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Yeah, don't understand Haken either myself.
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I loved your write up for The Mountain. I'm not a huge Haken fan, but I like them and enjoy seeing them live. But I totally relate to that experience; I've had moments like that with my favorite bands and there's nothing like it.
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Their best album, just filled with great songs and an uplifting message overall. I wish more people could get into this band.
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Their best album, just filled with great songs and an uplifting message overall. I wish more people could get into this band.
Zydar knows what's up.
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Their best album, just filled with great songs and an uplifting message overall. I wish more people could get into this band.
Zydar knows what's up.
Ya know, I used to think that.
Until now. :lol
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Their best album, just filled with great songs and an uplifting message overall. I wish more people could get into this band.
Zydar knows what's up.
Ya know, I used to think that.
Until now. :lol
(https://media.tenor.com/S-s-9qKnviwAAAAC/jack-nicholson-deal-with-it.gif)
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Lonestar, I have a list of albums from your thread that I intend to check out. My favourite of the ones I have listened to so far is Ostura’s The Room. After only two listens, it sounds like a bit of a masterpiece. :hefdaddy
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Lonestar, I have a list of albums from your thread that I intend to check out. My favourite of the ones I have listened to so far is Ostura’s The Room. After only two listens, it sounds like a bit of a masterpiece. :hefdaddy
That one is out of this world....
Hope the next one will be another masterpiece
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Lonestar, I have a list of albums from your thread that I intend to check out. My favourite of the ones I have listened to so far is Ostura’s The Room. After only two listens, it sounds like a bit of a masterpiece. :hefdaddy
That one is out of this world....
Hope the next one will be another masterpiece
Same...they really found a unique niche with what they did on The Room.
Zoom E...if Ostura hits the right spot for you, may I suggest from my first top 50 Beyond the Bridge- The Old Man and the Spirit...not as huge sounding as The Room, but an outstanding prog metal concept album all the same. The Flaming Row album on this list is along the same vein as well, and definitely worth a listen.
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Lonestar, I have a list of albums from your thread that I intend to check out. My favourite of the ones I have listened to so far is Ostura’s The Room. After only two listens, it sounds like a bit of a masterpiece. :hefdaddy
That one is out of this world....
Hope the next one will be another masterpiece
Same...they really found a unique niche with what they did on The Room.
Zoom E...if Ostura hits the right spot for you, may I suggest from my first top 50 Beyond the Bridge- The Old Man and the Spirit...not as huge sounding as The Room, but an outstanding prog metal concept album all the same. The Flaming Row album on this list is along the same vein as well, and definitely worth a listen.
Seconded.
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Lonestar, I have a list of albums from your thread that I intend to check out. My favourite of the ones I have listened to so far is Ostura’s The Room. After only two listens, it sounds like a bit of a masterpiece. :hefdaddy
That one is out of this world....
Hope the next one will be another masterpiece
Same...they really found a unique niche with what they did on The Room.
Zoom E...if Ostura hits the right spot for you, may I suggest from my first top 50 Beyond the Bridge- The Old Man and the Spirit...not as huge sounding as The Room, but an outstanding prog metal concept album all the same. The Flaming Row album on this list is along the same vein as well, and definitely worth a listen.
Seconded.
Cool, I will give them both a listen. Thanks. :tup