My current musical obsession (metal)

[El-Producto]

After absolutely wearing out my Protest the Hero - Fortress, and Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works CD's, I've stumbled upon the following which is getting abused in my cd player.

Torche - Meanderthal


I realize it's probably not news to metal fans.. but this band is just killer.  It's the perfect Doom/Stoner Rock band, with just enough Melvins in it for good measure.  This album is amazing from start to finish.  I'm going to check out their back catalog.

[Jeff]

Just checked out Meanderthal on iTunes, and I definitely like it. Might just grab this one. Thanks for the heads up.

[kratz]

Yeah, I've heard that band before.  Good stuff.

[Creepy_Smell]

I nabbed Torche's self titled album from emusic a few months back. Its not my fav stonerrock but I do like them. While I couldn't recall their sound by name but knew I had an album, listening to it does remind me that I have listened to it.

Now back to listening to the Dwarves 'Sugerfix'!!

[Booner]

Check out Kyuss and Fu-Manchu too.

Then, step out and go immediately purchase Corrosion of Conformity's "Deliverance"....it's a really great album. Where most stoner-rock has a mid-western or south-western vibe, CoC does it with a bit of a southern twist and it just kicks all kinds of ass.

Albatross and Clean my Wounds are the most recognizable from the album, but there are several really good ones there.

 

[Gratch]

Check out Kyuss and Fu-Manchu too.

I'm not into stoner-rock that much, but will absolutely second both of these. 

[El-Producto]

Check out Kyuss and Fu-Manchu too.

I'm not into stoner-rock that much, but will absolutely second both of these. 

I'll third them, love both those bands.

Saviours, The Sword, and Boris are some of my other favorites.


Speaking of metal.. has anyone heard the new Amon Amarth album?  I hear VERY good things.

[Gratch]

The Sword

Saw these guys open up for Metallica a couple months ago.  Never heard anything from them other than the song they have in Guitar Hero, but they were absolutely fantastic.  In fact, they were by far the best band of the night.

[El-Producto]

The Sword

Saw these guys open up for Metallica a couple months ago.  Never heard anything from them other than the song they have in Guitar Hero, but they were absolutely fantastic.  In fact, they were by far the best band of the night.

The Sword if one of my favorite bands of all time.  Both of their albums are absolutely STELLAR, and every metal fan owes it to themselves to own them.


I really wish Wolfmother would come out with some new stuff.

[kratz]

Yeah, the latest Sword record is my favorite album of 2008.

I'll second Saviours, Fu Manchu ('The Action is Go' is one of my top 20 albums)... I like the guitar stuff in Kyuss, and have a bunch of their albums, but I'm really not a fan of John Garcia's voice.  I saw them in Denver in 1994 and the PA went out, so he couldn't sing for like 15 minutes and the band just played w/o him... and it was great.

There were a lot of great Stoner Rock/Metal albums that came out in the 90s/early 2000s on Frank Kozic's 'Man's Ruin' label... then it went under and they all ended up really hard to find.

Some other bands you guys might like:

Dozer - I've got their 'In the Tail of the Comet' on Man's Ruin... it's awesome.  Looks like they have some new stuff out. Super fuzzed out. Awesome.  The new album seems pretty badass.
High on Fire - Ex-Sleep guitarist makes one of the loudest, heaviest bands I've ever seen... You've probably heard of them though.  I kind of prefer the earlier stuff, but the new album is goddamned good.
Sleep - Since I mentioned them... they are one of the big names from the early days of the genre... SUPER sludgy... sabbathy...
Witchcraft - This one is totally out of left field on this list, but... I've mentioned them before.  They sound like Pentagram.
Nebula This was originally most of Fu Manchu, sans Scott Hill... stonerier... if that's a word... I've seen them live and was disappointed, but there is some great stuff on some of the albums.
Los Natas - Argentinian band... stoner rock w/ spanish (or is it portugese?)
Big Business - One of the Karp guys, and the guy who is currently the second drummer for the Melvins
Karp - Sadly not around anymore, but they pumped out some of the hardest rock around.
Brant Bjork & The Bros, or Brant Bjork and the Operators, or Che - Start at this link... poke around.  Drummer from Kyuss and Fu Manchu, singing and playing guitar.  Very stonery, but not metal at all.
Puny Human - More kind of rock n' roll, but remind me of old Soundgarden sometimes.  'The Bus Will Eventually Crash' is a cool song.
RPG - Kind of a rock n' roll/stoner riff rock hybrid.  Great live band.
The Valley - Big, fuzzy guitars... kind of a Dinosaur Jr. vibe to some of it.  Their EP is super good.  Retardedly loud live.
Baroness - A weird combination of kind of stoner metal sort of stuff with Fugazi instrumental sort of stuff.
Orange Goblin - Not my favorite, but not bad... one of the names I think of when I think of stoner rock.  So does Electric Wizard.

Okay, I'll stop...

[Creepy_Smell]

Emusic has lots of stonerrock/metal on the labels Meteor City, Small Stone and Southern Lord. Other labels are there too but those are the main ones I think of. Stonerrock.com is another good site with samples and their K666 shoutcast station is good.

[kratz]

Yeah, small stone is good... estrus has some good stuff... liquor & poker...

[JCC]

I'm not an expert on the stoner/doom genre, but definitely check out the band Trouble if you haven't yet.

[kratz]

Oh, and the band that really reminds me of Torche is ASG... I was a bit let down when I got the whole album, but if you like Torche, you might like it... there are a couple great tracks, like 'Gallop Song'.

myspace: http://www.myspace.com/asgmusic

[warning]

Do you guys listen to Boris at all?  I love their albun Pink.

[Gratch]

Buddy of mine introduced me to Gojira - The Way of All Flesh over the weekend.  Easily the best metal album I've heard in a long, long time.

[kratz]

Here's a good doom band I heard this week:

Lords of the North

http://www.myspace.com/thelordsofthenorth

[kratz]

I'm going to see Mastodon next month, so I was checking out the opening bands, and discovered Kylesa (kai-less-a, according to them).  This song rocks my socks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGFru8yyYIw

[Gratch]

I've been on a huge "viking metal" kick lately, and these two albums kick a massive amount of ass:

Turisas - The Vargarian Way
Finntroll - Nattfodd

[El-Producto]

I've been on a huge "viking metal" kick lately, and these two albums kick a massive amount of ass:

Turisas - The Vargarian Way
Finntroll - Nattfodd

The new Amon Amarth is great as well.

[Gratch]

I've been on a huge "viking metal" kick lately, and these two albums kick a massive amount of ass:

Turisas - The Vargarian Way
Finntroll - Nattfodd

The new Amon Amarth is great as well.

It's pretty good, but I find their particular brand of power-metal starts to sound pretty same-y after a while.  I'm a big fan of the other stuff (i.e. fiddles, accordions, wind instruments, etc.) that Turisas and Finntroll mix in. 

[kratz]

You do know that those Finnish guys are retarded, right?

[Specter]

I've been on a huge "viking metal" kick lately, and these two albums kick a massive amount of ass:

Turisas - The Vargarian Way
Finntroll - Nattfodd

The new Amon Amarth is great as well.

I'd also recommend:

Viking:
Ensiferum - s/t, Iron, Dragonheads EP, Victory Songs
Eluveitie - Spirit, Slania
Moonsorrow - Suden Uni, Voimasta Ja Kunniasta
Wintersun - s/t

and for the fans of pirates:

Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge, Leviathan EP

Saw these guys live last weekend with Tyr and Suidakra and they were outstanding.  Extremely fun show.

I've spun the last couple Amon Amarth releases a ton.  I'm looking forward to seeing them again in April.

np: Dream Evil - Falling

[edit: corrected album name]

[Gratch]

You do know that those Finnish guys are retarded, right?

 

[Gratch]

I'd also recommend:

Viking:
Ensiferum - s/t, Iron, Dragonheads EP, Victory Songs
Eluveitie - Spirit, Slania
Moonsorrow - Suden Uni, Voimasta Ja Kunniasta
Wintersun - s/t

and for the fans of pirates:

Alestorm - Curse Of Captain Morgan, Leviathan EP

Saw these guys live last weekend with Tyr and Suidakra and they were outstanding.  Extremely fun show.

I've spun the last couple Amon Amarth releases a ton.  I'm looking forward to seeing them again in April.

np: Dream Evil - Falling

Heard Ensiferum  and Tyr, but haven't picked up Moonsorrow or Eluveitie.  Will check them out, thanks Specter.

EDIT:  Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge.  Awesome!

[Specter]

I'd also recommend:

Viking:
Ensiferum - s/t, Iron, Dragonheads EP, Victory Songs
Eluveitie - Spirit, Slania
Moonsorrow - Suden Uni, Voimasta Ja Kunniasta
Wintersun - s/t

and for the fans of pirates:

Alestorm - Curse Of Captain Morgan, Leviathan EP

Saw these guys live last weekend with Tyr and Suidakra and they were outstanding.  Extremely fun show.

I've spun the last couple Amon Amarth releases a ton.  I'm looking forward to seeing them again in April.

np: Dream Evil - Falling

Heard Ensiferum  and Tyr, but haven't picked up Moonsorrow or Eluveitie.  Will check them out, thanks Specter.

EDIT:  Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge.  Awesome!

Yeah, Alestorm is just a fun band.  New album comes out June 2nd.  It's called Black Sails At Midnight.

Oh and props on discovering both Turisas and Finntroll.  Both excellent bands.

[kratz]

Man... I thought this thread was about metal... now... now I just don't know what has happened.

[pr0ner]

Do I need to start talking about DragonForce in this thread?   

[kratz]

I want to shoot myself for saying it, but I think Dragonforce would be a step *up* from pirates...

[pr0ner]

I want to shoot myself for saying it, but I think Dragonforce would be a step *up* from pirates...

I'll agree with you there, even if you want to shoot yourself.

[Specter]

Man... I thought this thread was about metal... now... now I just don't know what has happened.

LOL!  Please inform us where we went wrong!   

If it's DOOM/stoner you want:

Candlemass
Cathedral
Grand Magus
Spiritual Beggars

But I don't limit myself to one metal genre!

np: Sadus - Certain Death 

[kratz]

I think things went south when the bands started looking like LARPers...

[El-Producto]

Thanks all for turning my thread about Torche, into Flaming Pirate Metal.

[Specter]

I think things went south when the bands started looking like LARPers...

I guess I would be more interested in your critiques if they were actually about the music instead of promotional pics of the band...

I haven't found much better drinking music than Finntroll, Turisas, or Alestorm!

np: Cry Of The Black Birds (live at Summer Breeze 2007) - Amon Amarth

[Gratch]

I think things went south when the bands started looking like LARPers...

   Well played Kratz.

Viking metal strongly appeals to the fantasy uber-geek in me, but it's certainly not for everyone.  Then again, I fail to see why everyone creams their shorts over Mastodon, so I suppose we're at different ends of the spectrum. 

[kratz]

Okay then...

The music sounds like the music that guys dressed like LARPers would play...  lyrically it seems to have been written by 12 year old kids at a World of Warcraft LAN party, and the performances are mediocre at best.

[Specter]

I think things went south when the bands started looking like LARPers...

   Well played Kratz.

Viking metal strongly appeals to the fantasy uber-geek in me, but it's certainly not for everyone.  Then again, I fail to see why everyone creams their shorts over Mastodon, so I suppose we're at different ends of the spectrum. 

I'm with you there Gratch.     I'll take Viking metal over shit like Mastodon any day.  I saw them open up for Slayer a few years ago.  Thankfully I had a buddy there to wake me up when their set was over.

Okay then...

The music sounds like the music that guys dressed like LARPers would play...  lyrically it seems to have been written by 12 year old kids at a World of Warcraft LAN party, and the performances are mediocre at best.

LOL!  The band is called ALESTORM.  The whole point is to be goofy, silly, and to sing about pirates, wenches, and BEER!   
Not every song has to be some thought provoking masterpiece. 

np: 7th Offensive - Bolt Thrower

[kratz]

Heh, believe me, thought provoking masterpiece rarely comes into play in terms of the music I like... just listen to my band... most of the songs are about booze and sex.

I don't have a problem with being goofy or silly (though they seem to be taking it pretty seriously).  There are bands who are good at this sort of thing (e.g. Turbonegro), and bands who are bad at this sort of thing... like these LARPers.

[Specter]

Heh, believe me, thought provoking masterpiece rarely comes into play in terms of the music I like... just listen to my band... most of the songs are about booze and sex.

I don't have a problem with being goofy or silly (though they seem to be taking it pretty seriously).  There are bands who are good at this sort of thing (e.g. Turbonegro), and bands who are bad at this sort of thing... like these LARPers.

Hey they're Scottish!  That's how they dress...

Isn't it?

np: K-Machine - Bolt Thrower

[Brinstil]

The new Mastodon album has been rocking my face off since I picked it up, what a great fucking album. Also been listening to a bunch of Dozer, thanks to a recommendation by Kratz, as well as my mainstay of melodic death metal (Soilwork, Children of Bodom, etc.).

And I will never understand the appeal of viking and dnd metal. Listening to songs about hobbits and dragons is just about the saddest thing I can think of. And I've never even heard of pirate metal, but it sounds about as awful.