ariich's DARK TO LIGHT roulette (v8) - Post-roulette updates (ongoing)

[ariich]

Mandroid Echostar is  especially Citadels.

Yeah I didn't expect you to like that album beyond those tracks, I personally like it a lot without loving it. I think you might enjoy his record Microphones in 2020, a very nice 1-song thing, with an amazing music video and wonderful lyrics.

Interesting, I'll add it to my "to check out later" collection so I'll probably get to it at some point.


Anyway, a few more updates. Just one more update after this and then we're onto EP artists and possibly one or two of the artists from Caelan's bonus round that weren't otherwise sent to me!

seneca: Gregory Alan Isakov
No surprise at all that I love the two albums you sent songs from. There's a real sense of intimacy to the music and performance - the music is delicate and emotive, and his voice is soulful yet subtle. Really lovely stuff. The Weatherman is similarly strong for all the same reasons. His latest two haven't grabbed me as much though. Evening Machines shifted a bit more towards the indie and away from the folk, which I don't object to in principle but the writing and production here doesn't have the same intimate feeling. The latest returns to a simpler folky vibe again which is nice but a lot of the songs feel a little bland and middle of the road. Same sort of goes for his earlier album Songs for October, which is pleasant but not really hooking me in.

soupy: dEUS
I ended up checking out a bunch of albums by these guys - all the albums from The Instant Crash to Following Sea - and they’re pretty cool. I like how their sound has evolved over time. With the exception of Keep Me Close, none of the albums have really grabbed me as a whole, but there’s good stuff on all of them. The earlier ones especially remind me at times variously of early Radiohead and Soulwax, which is an odd combination that I’m not sure wholly works. The fun side doesn’t have the catchy hooks of Much Against Everyone’s Advice, but it does break up the melancholy vibe from the other side. Kind of the same with Vantage Point onwards, the sound is a little more experimental and has some cool ideas but the stuff I like most is very much the more emotional indie stuff. While I tend to have a preference for more variety, this is one of those situations where Keep Me Close actually benefits from a narrower focus on the side of their music I enjoy most, and as a result it creates a consistent vibe that hooks me in nicely.

Stadler: Aerosmith
The obvious album to check out was Toys in the Attic. Seems to be their biggest, I already knew a couple of songs, and one of the ones I quite liked from your submission came from it. And, you know, it's pretty good actually. Never had much interest in the band and I'm not totally sold, but the album was better than I'd maybe expected. About half of it I find a bit bland maybe, but it's OK. But it's when they did something more distinctive (at least at that point in their career) that I've found myself getting into it. The groove of Walk This Way (which is a huge hit for a reason), and the theatricality of You See Me Crying especially are very enjoyable, although I could do without the weird cat singing in the latter, what's that about?

[ariich]

And the last of the round 6 artists!


TAC: Hwaino
My experience with this album - Ashes of the World Tree - is kind of similar to what happened with your submission. I wasn’t wholly convinced at first, mainly because some of the heavier sections feel a little thin in production, which also clashes with some of the quieter moments sounding more full, especially the intro track. But I quickly got over it and this is some really gorgeous music. I found it odd that RYM has him classified simply as post-rock, until I checked out his other albums and yeah there’s no metal to be found anywhere else. But most of the other albums are beautiful too, really lush post-rock with a very natural organic feel. Not a style I get that into too often but I dig his stuff, and shifting into what I guess could be called blackgaze for Ashes works so well and does help that album stand out. His first EP isn’t as strong, and his latest is kind of modern classical and very ambient, and it’s pretty but not really my thing.

Vmadera aka Lonk: Volbeat
This seems to be very similar for me as my experience with Coheed, which is that I’ve never really been into what I’ve heard before but then they’re latest album has a sudden step up in the quality of the songwriting and melodic hooks. I did give Beyond Hell / Above Heaven another go, and haven’t changed my mind, it’s ok but just really not very interesting. I also tried another couple of their albums - their next most popular on RYM (Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood) and the one before the latest (Rewind · Replay · Rebound), and they’re better and have a few really good songs, but still a lot of filler that sounds like mid-tier pop punk with a rockabilly singer. Servant of the Mind is great though. Not really a change in style, but the album has a lot of energy and so many catchy hooks and is just a lot of fun. Hopefully they can maintain this quality now.

wolfking: Kreator
Decided to give a few listens to Gods of Violence, being the album you sent two songs from including my favourite from your submission. And you know what, I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I don’t think it’ll reach 4 star territory - the main blocker is the vocal lines. He’s not a particularly engaging vocalist (either his “cleaner” pitched stuff or the harsher vocals) - he’s capable enough and has a lot of energy, but there’s a quality to his voice that’s kind of distracting. Wouldn’t matter much if the vocal lines were good, but they’re pretty bland. Instrumentally though this is a really enjoyable album with a few really quite good songs. Death Becomes My Light I already liked, but there’s some good stuff in the first half of the album too, especially Totalitarian Terror and to some extent Satan is Real which is good fun. Great guitar work throughout. So yeah, won’t become a favourite but glad I checked it out.


Before moving onto (most, but not all) EP artists, I think I'll check out a couple of the artists you guys sent Caelan for bonus round. Most I either knew already, also got sent to me in another round, or didn't interest me, but there's a few I'd like to explore.

[Buddyhunter1]

Are we getting updates for the bonus round artists?

[ariich]

Are we getting updates for the bonus round artists?

I answered that at the end of my post.

[Buddyhunter1]

Sorry, I saw none of my artists were there so I didn't read it.

[Elite]

I’m amazed that you’re still updating this thread and writing stuff about literally every artist you received. Kudos for your dedication! Also nice to read back on some stuff I sent what seems like a year ago

[lonestar]

This one has me most curious since Mary's Blood has a sizeable discography and it's fairly diverse. Curious to see what threads he pulls.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I don't even quite understand Unlucky Morpheus' discography, so I hope it's decipherable.    I need to fill in some ratings on their major releases, looks like I overlooked rating them. 

[ariich]

I’m amazed that you’re still updating this thread and writing stuff about literally every artist you received. Kudos for your dedication! Also nice to read back on some stuff I sent what seems like a year ago

Every artist for rounds 1-6, but that wouldn't be possible for the EPs.

But yeah I'm glad I did it, even the stuff that hasn't stuck with me I'm glad I checked out whole albums and gave things a good chance and I've enjoyed most things.

This one has me most curious since Mary's Blood has a sizeable discography and it's fairly diverse. Curious to see what threads he pulls.

That'll be some way off.

Currently on Unlucky Morpheus who Litho sent to Caelan. Was a little overwhelmed at first glance at the number of releases they have, but turns out most are video game music covers so I'll just focus on the original stuff.

[ariich]

I don't even quite understand Unlucky Morpheus' discography, so I hope it's decipherable.    I need to fill in some ratings on their major releases, looks like I overlooked rating them. 

Our posts crossed, but yeah looks like most (and everything before about 2014) is video game covers which I'll probably ignore unless there's anything you think I should check out.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I’m amazed that you’re still updating this thread and writing stuff about literally every artist you received. Kudos for your dedication! Also nice to read back on some stuff I sent what seems like a year ago

Every artist for rounds 1-6, but that wouldn't be possible for the EPs.

I mean, it's definitely possible, but it would mean you wouldn't be running another roulette until 2026.    If I didn't have so many competing listening interests I'd challenge you to an EP round listening race.  My final round EPs were longer and had no restrictions on number of artists allowed, but I also had fewer participants and some artists were duplicates of earlier rounds, so I'm not sure how that would shake out. 

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I don't even quite understand Unlucky Morpheus' discography, so I hope it's decipherable.    I need to fill in some ratings on their major releases, looks like I overlooked rating them. 

Our posts crossed, but yeah looks like most (and everything before about 2014) is video game covers which I'll probably ignore unless there's anything you think I should check out.

To be honest I haven't even checked out very many of the video game covers.  The more normal covers are quite often good though, their violinist Jill is incredible and they've covered "The Dance of Eternity" among other things with more of an emphasis on her.  Here's a sample.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clB3yOKaayE

[ariich]

I’m amazed that you’re still updating this thread and writing stuff about literally every artist you received. Kudos for your dedication! Also nice to read back on some stuff I sent what seems like a year ago

Every artist for rounds 1-6, but that wouldn't be possible for the EPs.

I mean, it's definitely possible, but it would mean you wouldn't be running another roulette until 2026.    If I didn't have so many competing listening interests I'd challenge you to an EP round listening race.  My final round EPs were longer and had no restrictions on number of artists allowed, but I also had fewer participants and some artists were duplicates of earlier rounds, so I'm not sure how that would shake out. 

Let's compare - I was sent 94 different artists.

I don't even quite understand Unlucky Morpheus' discography, so I hope it's decipherable.    I need to fill in some ratings on their major releases, looks like I overlooked rating them. 

Our posts crossed, but yeah looks like most (and everything before about 2014) is video game covers which I'll probably ignore unless there's anything you think I should check out.

To be honest I haven't even checked out very many of the video game covers.  The more normal covers are quite often good though, their violinist Jill is incredible and they've covered "The Dance of Eternity" among other things with more of an emphasis on her.  Here's a sample.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clB3yOKaayE

Cool, I'll check it out.

This website looks quite helpful: https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Unlucky_Morpheus - the "Discography" section is all the releases covering themes from the Touhou video games, while the "Other works" section is the rest (the first of which also seems like a covers album but then it's pretty much all originals).

[LithoJazzoSphere]

I’m amazed that you’re still updating this thread and writing stuff about literally every artist you received. Kudos for your dedication! Also nice to read back on some stuff I sent what seems like a year ago

Every artist for rounds 1-6, but that wouldn't be possible for the EPs.

I mean, it's definitely possible, but it would mean you wouldn't be running another roulette until 2026.    If I didn't have so many competing listening interests I'd challenge you to an EP round listening race.  My final round EPs were longer and had no restrictions on number of artists allowed, but I also had fewer participants and some artists were duplicates of earlier rounds, so I'm not sure how that would shake out. 

Let's compare - I was sent 94 different artists.

Wow, close!  I had 98 unique artists that weren't also used in earlier rounds.  So those are like 4-5 worth of your normal rounds. 

[ariich]

Almost exactly four rounds' worth, yeah.

[Lonk]

Yeah that sounds about right for Volbeat

[nick_z]

wolfking: Kreator
Decided to give a few listens to Gods of Violence, being the album you sent two songs from including my favourite from your submission. And you know what, I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I don’t think it’ll reach 4 star territory - the main blocker is the vocal lines. He’s not a particularly engaging vocalist (either his “cleaner” pitched stuff or the harsher vocals) - he’s capable enough and has a lot of energy, but there’s a quality to his voice that’s kind of distracting. Wouldn’t matter much if the vocal lines were good, but they’re pretty bland. Instrumentally though this is a really enjoyable album with a few really quite good songs. Death Becomes My Light I already liked, but there’s some good stuff in the first half of the album too, especially Totalitarian Terror and to some extent Satan is Real which is good fun. Great guitar work throughout. So yeah, won’t become a favourite but glad I checked it out.

It might be a little silly, since it’s the one Kreator album that really does NOT sound like a Kreator album, but I would give their Endorama record a shot. It’s basically their interpretation of gothic metal, and given your tastes, you might enjoy it. It was, not surprisingly, not very well received, and it subsequently sparked their return to more traditionally heavy music. But I personally enjoy it a lot. It’s really well done, imo.

[Glasser]

I hope my e.p. is in constant rotation. 

[ariich]

I hope my e.p. is in constant rotation. 

We will never speak of it again.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

TAC suggested that Glasser missed out on a golden opportunity of adding Moonlight Sorcery's "The Secret of Streaming Blood", which I had sent to him, to it (it didn't come out until months later). 

[ariich]

wolfking: Kreator
Decided to give a few listens to Gods of Violence, being the album you sent two songs from including my favourite from your submission. And you know what, I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I don’t think it’ll reach 4 star territory - the main blocker is the vocal lines. He’s not a particularly engaging vocalist (either his “cleaner” pitched stuff or the harsher vocals) - he’s capable enough and has a lot of energy, but there’s a quality to his voice that’s kind of distracting. Wouldn’t matter much if the vocal lines were good, but they’re pretty bland. Instrumentally though this is a really enjoyable album with a few really quite good songs. Death Becomes My Light I already liked, but there’s some good stuff in the first half of the album too, especially Totalitarian Terror and to some extent Satan is Real which is good fun. Great guitar work throughout. So yeah, won’t become a favourite but glad I checked it out.

It might be a little silly, since it’s the one Kreator album that really does NOT sound like a Kreator album, but I would give their Endorama record a shot. It’s basically their interpretation of gothic metal, and given your tastes, you might enjoy it. It was, not surprisingly, not very well received, and it subsequently sparked their return to more traditionally heavy music. But I personally enjoy it a lot. It’s really well done, imo.

Sounds interesting, might add it to my "check out later" pile. Thanks for the suggestion!

[ariich]

TAC suggested that Glasser missed out on a golden opportunity of adding Moonlight Sorcery's "The Secret of Streaming Blood", which I had sent to him, to it (it didn't come out until months later). 

I've no doubt Tom would have included it if he could.

[TAC]

TAC: Hwaino
My experience with this album - Ashes of the World Tree - is kind of similar to what happened with your submission. I wasn’t wholly convinced at first, mainly because some of the heavier sections feel a little thin in production, which also clashes with some of the quieter moments sounding more full, especially the intro track. But I quickly got over it and this is some really gorgeous music. I found it odd that RYM has him classified simply as post-rock, until I checked out his other albums and yeah there’s no metal to be found anywhere else. But most of the other albums are beautiful too, really lush post-rock with a very natural organic feel. Not a style I get that into too often but I dig his stuff, and shifting into what I guess could be called blackgaze for Ashes works so well and does help that album stand out. His first EP isn’t as strong, and his latest is kind of modern classical and very ambient, and it’s pretty but not really my thing.

Yeah, I sampled Ashes when it came up on one of my new album tickers and I thought the cover was awesome. The vocals...man, they're pretty rough, and it's a pity they're that rough, because musically, this EP is fantastic. Under The Beasts Sun, with the female vocals, was a Top 3 song for me last year.

I was surprised to see the other albums were instrumental moody music.  I still listen to it.

[Glasser]

TAC suggested that Glasser missed out on a golden opportunity of adding Moonlight Sorcery's "The Secret of Streaming Blood", which I had sent to him, to it (it didn't come out until months later). 

I've no doubt Tom would have included it if he could.

Missed opportunity. 

[ariich]

Got lots of listening in this week, so here are the bonus round bands! If yours isn't here it means either:
 - I already know them quite well;
 - I don't know them but was not particularly interested in checking them out; or
 - They were also sent in the EP round so I'll check them out as part of that.

On the subject of the EP round, I picked out the artists I wanted to at least check something out by, and by chance it came out at exactly 69. I'll be doing them alphabetically by band name, partly because some were sent by two players but also to spread things out more evenly.


Litho: Unlucky Morpheus
Obviously you sent this for Caelan, and as you know he enjoyed the song a lot, but you really tapped into my own tastes as well. I hadn’t appreciated from that song that much of their core sound is symphonic power metal - definitely hearing a lot of Lovebites in there - but what sets it apart really well is the epic gothic vibe in a lot of their music, and related to that the use of violin. The violinist is amazing, and in their recent output they make good use of her. The first album that wasn’t video game covers, Affected, is a little more run of the mill - a lot of fun but nothing that really stands out beyond a couple of songs. But from Vampir onwards it’s all pretty gold. I’ve dipped into some of the arrangements of Touhou game music too and the more recent output at least also includes some great stuff. Saireco Jealousy especially is as good as the original albums they’ve been doing. I’m not planning to dive into the older pre-2014 material because there’s just so much of it and what I’ve heard hasn’t sounded especially interesting - definitely a lot more rough around the edges.

nick_z: Edge of Paradise
This band seems to have a lot of elements I like, but it’s not quite holding together right. I gave The Unknown a try and I like it, but it doesn’t excite me much. It’s sort of pop symphonic metal, very accessible and easy to listen to, some synthy stuff (which some might term trance metal) and the singer seems to have a great voice with an incredible range. All good things and the songs are all pretty enjoyable. The production sounds very sterile though - she has this big voice but it sounds kind of thin, and the vocal lines for the most part just aren’t that interesting. There’s a few great songs despite that - the closer Bound to the Rhythm especially is so much fun - but on the whole the album feels very monotone.

soupy: April Smith (and the Great Picture Show)
Well now, this might be the biggest surprise of the whole roulette. I wouldn’t say I loved Colors from Caelan’s bonus round but I enjoyed it as a bit of cute indie pop, so I thought it was worth checking the album out. And what an album it is! There are a few songs in a similar cute vein, which aren’t in themselves that exciting but do add variety to an album that’s otherwise rich in ideas and styles, a mix of modern indie and more retro influences, and really great singing. I particularly enjoy the theatrical rock of Terrible Things and Dixie Boy, as well as the dark cynicism of Drop Dead Gorgeous and Stop Wondering (among others). She did an album before this too, just under her own name, which is not as dynamic and compelling, but it’s also really good with many similar qualities.

Buddy: Year of the Goat
Another pleasant surprise right here. I liked Avaritia quite a bit from the one listen I gave it with Caelan, but I wasn’t blown away and didn’t really think much of it after that. But man this album is really good. Somewhat psychedelic hard rock that’s really easy to listen to and has a ton of melody. Reminds me a little of Ghost, in the way their image looks quite dark and heavy but the music is quite bright and very accessible and tuneful. The right selection of songs from this might have got your highest score this roulette, that’s how much I like it. The Unspeakable is great too - takes a bit of time to get going but it’s really engaging once it does. The debut also sounds good, it hasn’t jumped out at me quite as much so far so I'll give it more listens but I'm giving it 4 stars for now and am fairly sure it'll stay there.

seneca: Dream Evil
I’ve included this despite already knowing it, just because Caelan enjoyed the song you sent so much so we’ve listened to the album together, and he loved it. And the funny thing is that I’m enjoying it a lot more than I remember. Still not enough to rate it 4 stars, but I’ve bumped it up to 3.5. I guess I was down on power metal when I rated it before, and obviously it’s an absolute cheese-fest, but it’s a lot of fun and the opening track especially (which is what you sent) is incredibly catchy and enjoyable and it’s the one I still remember really well from when I originally heard it.

[soupytwist]

soupy: April Smith (and the Great Picture Show)
Well now, this might be the biggest surprise of the whole roulette. I wouldn’t say I loved Colors from Caelan’s bonus round but I enjoyed it as a bit of cute indie pop, so I thought it was worth checking the album out. And what an album it is! There are a few songs in a similar cute vein, which aren’t in themselves that exciting but do add variety to an album that’s otherwise rich in ideas and styles, a mix of modern indie and more retro influences, and really great singing. I particularly enjoy the theatrical rock of Terrible Things and Dixie Boy, as well as the dark cynicism of Drop Dead Gorgeous and Stop Wondering (among others). She did an album before this too, just under her own name, which is not as dynamic and compelling, but it’s also really good with many similar qualities.

Yeah it's a good album, glad you took the time to listen, shame she seems to have disappeared since.  Also worth noting as you liked this, I'd urge you to checkout Katzenjammer (who had one song on my EP) very similar style but even more theatrical, their first album is the best.

[Lonk]

I had to go back to remind myself what I sent for the EP. Yeah, that could've been much better lol

[Buddyhunter1]

Oh yeah, that Year Of The Goat album is great, just bordering on excellent for me. It took a while for me to warm up for it but I enjoy pretty much every song on it now. My favorite songs are probably Subortus, Ira, and Gula. I also think the lyrics on that album are really good. Like, most sacrilegious bands just lean into the hellish / satanic stuff because they're not smart enough to utilize all the cool biblical imagery and themes beyond that. But these guys? It's clear they've actually read the bible, and that they fucking hate it.

I haven't listened to their other albums much, maybe I should get around to remedying that. I know I've checked out Angel's Necropolis and it didn't immediately impress me that much.

[ariich]

Yeah it's a good album, glad you took the time to listen, shame she seems to have disappeared since. 

I found a Reddit thread where someone asked about her, and someone who knows her responded to say all was well, she'd started a family and something along the lines of wasn't against making more music but it wasn't an immediate priority.

Also worth noting as you liked this, I'd urge you to checkout Katzenjammer (who had one song on my EP) very similar style but even more theatrical, their first album is the best.

Oh yeah definitely, there was no question they were one of the artists to check out!

Oh yeah, that Year Of The Ghost album is great, just bordering on excellent for me. It took a while for me to warm up for it but I enjoy pretty much every song on it now. My favorite songs are probably Subortus, Ira, and Gula. I also think the lyrics on that album are really good. Like, most sacrilegious bands just lean into the hellish / satanic stuff because they're not smart enough to utilize all the cool biblical imagery and themes beyond that. But these guys? It's clear they've actually read the bible, and that they fucking hate it.

Agree with all that, great stuff.

I haven't listened to their other albums much, maybe I should get around to remedying that. I know I've checked out Angel's Necropolis and it didn't immediately impress me that much.

Yeah Angel's Necropolis is definitely less immediate - lacks a bit of punch. Listening again right now though and it's a nice album, not as strong but still enjoyable.

The Unspeakable seems to be their least popular on RYM but I really like it. The first song is really long and probably meanders a little but I love it once it gets going, and on the whole it has the same punch and full production as Novis Orbis. That's based on 3 listens anyway. But yeah, you might well dig it.

[Buddyhunter1]

The Unspeakable seems to be their least popular on RYM but I really like it. The first song is really long and probably meanders a little but I love it once it gets going, and on the whole it has the same punch and full production as Novis Orbis. That's based on 3 listens anyway. But yeah, you might well dig it.

Cool, I don't think I've listened to that one at all so I'll check it out.

And fuck with RYM thinks, they think the new Sleepytime Gorilla Museum album is their worst one.

[lonestar]

Figure you're skipping Nemophila cause you're familiar with them, did you ever check out the recent album? I think it's their best so far.


Edit: checked your RYM, you have.

[ariich]

And fuck with RYM thinks

Can't argue with that.

Figure you're skipping Nemophila cause you're familiar with them, did you ever check out the recent album? I think it's their best so far.


Edit: checked your RYM, you have.

Yeah absolutely, you turned me on to them with a post-roulette submission after my previous roulette and I've been a fan since.


Anyway I've made a start on EP artists!

Andrew W.K. (sent by Luke)
Yeah I really hadn’t kept up with this guy at all. Had no idea his style had shifted over the years, and I have to say I really like the fact that he just does whatever the hell he wants. I also had no idea he was married to Kat Dennings. Anyway, his latest album is excellent. I checked out a few other albums and none have been as good. His earlier party rock stuff is fun but not that interesting for the most part, although I Get Wet does have a handful of cracking tunes on it - I’d forgotten how fun they are. You're Not Alone is cool too, I definitely like the way he balances out the fun with a bit more maturity and sincerity as well now and there are some great songs on that one, although some filler too. But God is Partying is another step up and just a really consistently good album, I dig the epic hard rock and prog metal vibes he brought in along with so many great hooks.

Archivist (sent by Puppies)
The song you included from their self-titled debut was my favourite on your EP, and so it’s not surprising that I dig the album a lot. While the ferocity of the vocals is still not entirely my cup of tea, the overall sound still works and the music is fantastic throughout the whole album. Kind of hard to define as well, which makes it even more interesting. Their second album, Construct, isn’t nearly as interesting - in theory it has all the same elements, but the balance feels off, both sounding overly harsh but also dragging at the same time. The third album, Triumvirate, is stronger again, maybe not quite as consistently strong as the debut but still a very compelling listen.

Arstiðir (sent by Evermind)
I’m glad you included a song by these guys, because I loved it and it prompted me to properly explore their back catalogue having previously only heard Svefns og vöku skil (rating it 3.5 stars). I gave that another try too and haven’t really changed my mind on it, and indeed most of their albums I feel similarly about - very attractive music that doesn’t grab me very much. But two of their albums have hooked me in a lot more. Hvel especially is fantastic, it’s still in the same indie/chamber folk style but there’s a more palpable sense of melancholy, and a more immersive overall sound with some big emotional swells at times. The other one, which seems a little less popular for being a bit more chamber pop, is Nivalis. It’s simpler compositionally, but a lot of the songs have a similar emotionally engaging approach that’s right up my street.

At the Gates (sent by wolfking)
I didn’t love the song you included on your EP, but I wanted to check them out still because they’re a big part of the early Gothenburg melodeath scene and a big gap in my experience. Obviously I checked out Slaughter of the Soul as their biggest album and also the one your song came from. And yeah it’s a solid album actually. I don’t love it, but I definitely have a lot of appreciation for it as part of that scene that was so important to the development of melodeath. I just wish there were more moments that broke out into something more melodically engaging and immersive, like their contemporaries In Flames started doing from The Jester Race (which I appreciate came out a year later). But otherwise it’s pretty good.

[Crow]

let me check what artists i put on my EP so i can see how long i have to wait 

looks like... CMOTZ so mostly later in the alphabet, great 
to be fair, uhh, most of the artists on that EP were just, ones i didn't have a ton of songs i loved from but had The One Song i really loved so i'm not all that invested in deep dives of most of 'em lol

[ariich]

let me check what artists i put on my EP so i can see how long i have to wait 

looks like... CMOTZ so mostly later in the alphabet, great 
to be fair, uhh, most of the artists on that EP were just, ones i didn't have a ton of songs i loved from but had The One Song i really loved so i'm not all that invested in deep dives of most of 'em lol

Yeah fair enough, obviously I might end up feeling the same with the first album I check out in which case they'll be quick updates anyway rather than deep dives. My Morning Jacket is the only one I'm not feeling compelled to check out at this stage.

[wolfking]

wolfking: Kreator
Decided to give a few listens to Gods of Violence, being the album you sent two songs from including my favourite from your submission. And you know what, I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. I don’t think it’ll reach 4 star territory - the main blocker is the vocal lines. He’s not a particularly engaging vocalist (either his “cleaner” pitched stuff or the harsher vocals) - he’s capable enough and has a lot of energy, but there’s a quality to his voice that’s kind of distracting. Wouldn’t matter much if the vocal lines were good, but they’re pretty bland. Instrumentally though this is a really enjoyable album with a few really quite good songs. Death Becomes My Light I already liked, but there’s some good stuff in the first half of the album too, especially Totalitarian Terror and to some extent Satan is Real which is good fun. Great guitar work throughout. So yeah, won’t become a favourite but glad I checked it out.

Missed this.  Yes, it's a very enjoyable album but I totally understand what you say in regards to the vocals.  It's the one thing that doesn't elevate Kreator higher again for me.  I do find this album incredibly melodic though with some ripping instrumentation.