The Weekly Album Suggestion Thread v. One million lights are shining bright

[Evermind]

Why, hello and welcome, all the inhabitants of GMD board!

This thread is created because of the great idea ChuckSteak provided in the Forum Suggestions board. As there were no volunteers since April/May to do this, I thought this would be a nice thing to run.

The idea behind this thread is pretty much what ChuckSteak had in mind: we'll have an album recommended here each week. Folks who browse this board will probably notice this thread and, perhaps, check the album out, and then, possibly, comment on it in this thread. The goal is basically to empty some wallets of our fellow DTFers and to introduce people to new music. It's kinda similar to Kev's 'Song of the day' type of threads, except it's album based this time.

I'd like to offer a chance to participate in this thread to everyone, so I'm basically going to rely on people's suggestions about the albums we're going to feature every week. I will put my own suggestions in the thread once in a while, but I want this to be a thing where everyone can recommend the album or two for other fellow DTF posters. I don't have any means to magically lock or unlock the threads or actually do anything, so I'm counting on your civility to stick to the rules of this thread, which are:

+ an album will be recommended here for every DTF user to listen once a week on Sunday;
+ to avoid the confusion of different people posting different albums in the thread, send me a PM with an album which you'd like to be featured next week and a text describing the album (genre, your thoughts about it, whatever you think is your audience needs to know about the album);
+ I'll update the thread and post the suggested album every week on Sundays;
+ comment and discuss the album in this very thread, share your stories and experiences regarding the band and the particular album, basically feel free to discuss anything related to this band and album;

Please refrain from:

- posting another album on your own; I mean, I can't forbid you to do anything, but let's keep this thread on point and true to its purpose;
- openly slander and overall shit on the music that is recommended here - remember that there's a huge variety of musical tastes here on DTF;
- sending the albums which are very well-known by pretty much everyone who posts here;

A few other things:

* It doesn't matter if the album is recent or was released fifty years ago, any suggestion is welcome, be that from this very year or 70s;
* There's no length limit on albums; even if it's an EP but you happen to love it, feel free to suggest it!
* If mods will think this thread deserves to be sticked, that'll be great, but if not, I hope there's enough discussion to keep in on page 1 at least.

With that, I'm going to fire up the first album in the next post, and then, if you folks are on board for this, send me your PMs, and perhaps the next Sunday, your album will be recommended for all of DTF to listen to.

[Evermind]

This week's recommended album is the one that actually prompted me to create this thread. This album has been rocking my world for the last two weeks. Here comes...

Orphaned Land - Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs (2018)

Oriental Progressive Metal
Length: 63:31

Warning: some tracks may contain growls and censored swearing words

1. The Cave (8:10)
2. We Do Not Resist (3:24) 
3. In Propaganda (3:33)
4. All Knowing Eye (4:28) 
5. Yedidi (2:33)
6. Chains Fall to Gravity (9:29)
7. Like Orpheus (4:34)
8. Poets of Prophetic Messianism (2:56)
9. Left Behind (3:11)
10. My Brother's Keeper (4:42)
11. Take My Hand (6:03)
12. Only the Dead Have Seen the End of the War (5:43)
13. The Manifest - Epilogue (4:45) 

Uri Zelcha - Bass
Kobi Farhi - Vocals
Matan Shmuely - Drums, Percussion
Chen Balbus - Guitars
Idan Amsalem - Guitars, Bouzouki

Guest appearances: Hansi Kursch, Steve Hackett, Tomas Lindberg

You can check this album out via:

Spotify Link
Yandex.Music link

If you don't want to blindly dive into the whole album, check out these officially released songs from the album:

Orphaned Land - Like Orpheus
Orphaned Land ft. Steve Hackett - Chains Fall to Gravity


I've got an Orphaned Land track in one of my roulettes and actually didn't like it at all. However, I've heard one track from this album at Nick's WPAPU show  and it convinced me to check out the whole album, and I'm glad I did. The music is very Myrath-like vocally, but there are also growls on some tracks and the album's message is very poignant and political, in fact it's pretty much P/R material.

In the end, it's still a progressive metal album, but with a very apparent oriental touch (both in music and vocals) and a heavy political message. However, in my opinion, the quality of music on this album is outstanding, and this album finally made me an Orphaned Land fan. This one quickly climbed my favourite 2018 albums list and I've yet to hear anything from this year to dethrone it.

I'm not sure if this idea will even be popular, but at least I'll use it as excuse to introduce you guys to this brilliant album.

[Elite]

Nice idea! The first album is quite enjoyable indeed

[The Walrus]

LOVE that this thread finally happened. I'll be participating for sure. Great pick to start, as I haven't heard this one in a few months. Will share thoughts after I play it again.

[Evermind]

Well, hopefully people will be interested in that!

Also, if anyone thinks "oh hey, Evermind created this thread, now it's going to be prog metal albums recommended all the time", that's not going to happen. It's going to be your suggestions most of the time. I'm just filling the first spot, after that it's yours.

Although a lot of people here like prog metal so it could end up being prog metal most of the time. Just saying.

[Sacul]

I gave this album a listen some months ago and didn't finish it for some reason - felt like typical prog metal with some oriental flavors and a few choirs here and there.

Following this thread tho I like the idea

[Crow]

I gave this album a listen some months ago and didn't finish it for some reason - felt like typical prog metal with some oriental flavors and a few choirs here and there.

same tbh, i was consdering relistening to it for this thread but it's over an hour long and i'm pretty sure i'd just give up halfway again 

[The Walrus]

It's a really good album. It was the first time I ever listened to Orphaned Land and it blew me away. The inclusion of Hansi Kursch on Like Orpheus helps, too. The production is huge, it's killer, and the energy on the faster tracks is massive. I love the middle eastern vibe in the songs, everything sounds organic and gels well together. Love this album and band, though I need to hear the rest of their catalog, too. Gonna spin the CD in the car this week to keep listening.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

This album is great, I think it's sitting at #14 on my 2018 albums list, but it's nowhere near as good as Mabool, in my opinion. That is their magnum opus.

On a side note. This thread is a great idea. I'll think of an album to PM you later.

[Crow]

sent off my first garbage fire for this thing 
i was half-tempted to send mithras but i don't think anyone besides puppies would even finish the album

[Sacul]

we've all listened to the apologist thanks

[Crow]

haha, that's not what i sent though

[jingle.boy]

Sure... start this thread just as I'm finishing my roulette, then off to Progstock with some of the boys in 10 days. Thanks!    I'll surely get to this one at some point, since RJ's submission of OL to me in Round 1 has been one of the highlights so far. 

I'll follow the thread, and eventually drop something in here I'm sure.  Hope we get lots of participation, and this will be like a reverse roulette - 1 person submits; lots of people listen.

[TAC]

I'm going to try and give this album a listen tomorrow for the thread, but whenever I've sampled OL, the middle eastern influence has been a huge turn off for me.

[Crow]

I'll follow the thread, and eventually drop something in here I'm sure.  Hope we get lots of participation, and this will be like a reverse roulette - 1 person submits; lots of people listen.

i've been tossing about the idea of a "everyone submits & everyone listens" roulette-ish kind of ordeal for a while where the winner is based on aggregate scores but this kind of thread is a nice compromise

[Kwyjibo]

This is a great thread idea and I will follow .... and then never find the time to listen to the recommendations 

But anyway, I've always wanted to give Orphaned Land a listen, maybe this is the disc I start with.

[Evermind]

Sure... start this thread just as I'm finishing my roulette, then off to Progstock with some of the boys in 10 days. Thanks!    I'll surely get to this one at some point, since RJ's submission of OL to me in Round 1 has been one of the highlights so far. 

I'll follow the thread, and eventually drop something in here I'm sure.  Hope we get lots of participation, and this will be like a reverse roulette - 1 person submits; lots of people listen.

That's the idea! Also you have no right to complain about anything if you're going to this year's Progstock.

This is a great thread idea and I will follow .... and then never find the time to listen to the recommendations 

One album a week isn't that much though. Look at all the folks doing album roulettes lately, now that's a huge undertaking.

I'm going to try and give this album a listen tomorrow for the thread, but whenever I've sampled OL, the middle eastern influence has been a huge turn off for me.

Probably not going to be your thing then, it's basically on every song on this album too. Personally I like it, which is probably the reason why I also like Myrath a lot.

[The Walrus]

We Do Not Resist =

Such a good song!!

[SoundscapeMN]

I might participate in this, except I can't really promise to listen to said album every week, etc. Just based on schedule and what not. I suppose it goes back to why I don't participate in Roulettes anymore.

[Evermind]

I mean, it's not mandatory to do this every week. Any participation is good and will help to keep the thread alive.

We Do Not Resist =

Such a good song!!

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy the growl-fronted songs on this record. The singer is really good.

[ChuckSteak]

Hey, nice to see this thread finally happening. I am a lazy fuck, so I didn't do it. Thanks Evermind for making it happen. 

[Mosh]

Cool thread! I'm looking forward to checking out whatever gets posted here. I hope for lots of variety in old, new, classic, obscure, and different genres.

As for the first pick, Orphaned Land was actually on my radar pretty quickly this year because it was one of the first albums to be listed on the Prog Archives 2018 chart, which is one of my main resources for new prog music. Anyway, I gave it a few listens earlier in the year and enjoyed it, although I hadn't revisited until now for this thread. After dusting it off and giving it a couple more spins, I can say it's a solid slab of prog Metal that is mostly carried by the middle eastern influences. The middle eastern thing is a bit of a prog metal cliche, although having a group of musicians who actually grew up around those sounds makes a difference here. It seems more authentic and there's more to it than just using the Phrygian dominant scale. They write really good melodies and I enjoy the exotic instrumentation. I also really like a lot of the choir arrangements. The call and response during The Cave is awesome. The growling parts are surprisingly catchy and well placed. They aren't overdone but they also don't stick out in a bad way when they do come up. 

On the other hand, a lot of the more "straightforwad" prog metal sounding stuff doesn't really resonate with me. There are some good tracks but it gets pretty samey and starts to overstay its welcome toward the end. I would've liked a bit more dynamics. The softer songs, namely Chains Fall to Gravity and All Knowing Eye, are easily the highlights for me. More songs like that would have been welcome, or maybe softer sections within the heavier tunes. I can only take so much proggy riffing and orchestral drenches before losing interest. The Dream Theater influence is also pretty obvious, especially in the lead guitar work. As I said before, the middle eastern influence makes this more interesting than it would be otherwise, but even that isn't enough to save the more forgettable moments.

Overall, an enjoyable listen although I don't see myself going back to it much. The band has an interesting style though and I might decide to dig into their back catalog at some point.

Favorite songs: The Cave, In Propaganda, All Knowing Eye, Chains Fall To Gravity, Left Behind

Rating: 6/10

[twosuitsluke]

Great idea for a thread. This album currently sits at #23 on my album rankings for this year. As it came out early in the year though most of my listens were then. I need to relisten to see how it stands up at this point, no better reason.

I personally love middle eastern influences in my metal (probably stemming from when I first heard them in some Megadeth songs) but from what little I've heard of Myrath and Orphaned Land, I'd say I prefer the former more.

I'll think of an album to submit soon. How are you ordering the submissions Ev? Is it just first come, first served? I imagine you already have quite a few submissions.

[Nekov]

Great idea! Thanks for taking the time to run this EV. I might send a recommendation later. Regarding the album, I haven't given it a listen yet. I'm out of touch with prog metal in general (with a few exceptions) but I was listening to some circus maximus and pagan's mind yesterday so I might give it a spin today.

[lordxizor]

Great idea. I'll try to listen to as many as I can.

[Evermind]

Good to see the reviews and responses!

Mosh, my intent wasn't to wow everyone with that awesome progressive metal album (I mean, I didn't go with Beyond the Bridge ) but mostly just share the album that was heavily occupying my rotation for the last few weeks. Also we had to start with something! It is great to see a detailed review though, I'd love to see more of those in this thread.

I'll think of an album to submit soon. How are you ordering the submissions Ev? Is it just first come, first served? I imagine you already have quite a few submissions.

So far I have two entries. I've thought a few ways to order the entries depending on how much interest there will be in this. I personally don't think a method solely based on "first come first serve" thing is a good one, because of the different timezones and general activity of our frequent DTF users. I think a good way to do it is to aim at the diversity of the albums on week-to-week basis, also taking into consideration when you guys sent your entry (so you won't have to wait like three months until your first entry pops up in this thread), while also maybe adding a bit of randomness into it.

However, as this thread is aimed at basically all of the GMD users, feel free to suggest your ideas about ordering the entries, and perhaps your idea is much better than mine and we'll use it instead!

To everyone who wants to PM me a recommendation: feel free to send it! I've done the unthinkable and finally cleared my PM inbox after, like, three years of neglecting it. Went from 140+ messages to 7.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I really like this idea and I'm going to try to listen through every album that gets selected.

It's pretty tough for prog metal to impress me these days, so I'm not blown away, but I am enjoying the album so far. I do (like everyone else) particularly enjoy the Middle Eastern-sounding instrumentation and vocal melodies. I actually really dig the harsh vocals sections as well; they're done really well.

I'll think of an album to add to the list and PM it soon.

[Crow]

send Miss Machine

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I'll work up to the Dillinger.

Maybe I'll send some Devil Doll later on. Everyone will enjoy that, I'm certain.

[The Walrus]

I'll work up to the Dillinger.

Maybe I'll send some Devil Doll later on. Everyone will enjoy that, I'm certain.

Sacrilegium or bust

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

The Girl Who Was.. Death is much better, in my opinion.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

The Girl Who Was.. Death is much better, in my opinion.

My favorite part being the 25 minutes of silence 

[lonestar]

Killer album, a certain front runner for AOTY for me. This thing owned me up till Ostura came out, and it still gets serious playtime. Best tracks are The Cave and Chains Fall to Gravity.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

That Ostura album is still sitting at #3 on my 2018 list.

I agree that The Cave is a brilliant track.

[The Walrus]

The Cave is so brilliant. Like, wow, speaking as someone whose first taste of OL was that song - what a way to open your album. To me that song defines what Orphaned Land is about, it might be my favorite tune of theirs.

What does everyone think about the censorship in one of the songs? I have the disc here ready to spin in the car tomorrow as opposed to just playing it via bluetooth, I may take some time to flip through the booklet as I listen (parked, of course!). I remember that part throwing me for a loop but now it's not so jarring.

Also, big plus to Hansi Kursch guesting on Like Orpheus. That's a home run of a song.