My current musical obsession (metal)

[RuperT]

Dethklok!  Yeah, I know, but it's really good!

[Brinstil]

Dethklok!  Yeah, I know, but it's really good!

I wish they'd put out another album, they have the second season to grab songs from!

[kratz]

Yeah, the Dethklok stuff IS good.

[Specter]

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.

Any additional recommendations on Melodeath bands?

Outside of the big ones (In Flames, Bodom, Dark Tranquillity)

I'd recommend:
Darkane
Dispatched
Gardenia
Kalmah
Skyfire

and as for ripping on Hobbit metal all I have to say is...

BLIND GUARDIAN RULES!!!   

np: Beneath The World Of Chaos - Dispatched

[Gratch]

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.

It isn't the subject matter that's appealing, it's the Scandinavian folk music influences.  Hell, Finntroll's lyrics are all in a different language.  I don't have a clue what they're actually singing/growling about, but I totally dig the musical style.

[Gratch]

Any additional recommendations on Melodeath bands?

-  Check out Cynic's Traced in Air album.  Probably considered more progressive than melodeath, but it's pretty damn amazing
-  I really liked Darkwell's Metatron album, but that would depend on how you feel about operatic female singers in your metal
-  Theater of Tragedy's old stuff was good, before they started churning out crappy electronica. 

[Specter]

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.

It isn't the subject matter that's appealing, it's the Scandinavian folk music influences.  Hell, Finntroll's lyrics are all in a different language.  I don't have a clue what they're actually singing/growling about, but I totally dig the musical style.

I think you nailed it Gratch.   It's all about the influences.   It adds a whole new dimension to the music.  Correct me if I'm wrong but, I believe it was Amorphis that brought the Finnish influences into their music and it really blossomed from there.

np: Paradise Lost - Symphony X

[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.

Any additional recommendations on Melodeath bands?

Outside of the big ones (In Flames, Bodom, Dark Tranquillity)

I'd recommend:
Darkane
Dispatched
Gardenia
Kalmah
Skyfire

Here is a quick list of some in my collection:

At the Gates
Blood Stain Child
Disarmonia Mundi
Edge of Sanity
Engel
Fear My Thoughts
The Haunted
Mercenary
myGRAIN
Scar Symmetry
Soilwork

[pr0ner]

Other than the mentions of Symphony X and DragonForce, there's not enough power metal in this thread.

[ArmyOfOne]

As a staunch Norwegian metal fan, I've found myself listening to alot of American stuff lately.  I picked up some All That Remains albums (The Fall of Ideals and Overcome) and I can't get enough.  I'm listening to alot of Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall too.  Oh and I just bought As I Lay Dying (Shadows Are Security) which I'm really digging too.

[warning]

I've been listening to a bit of Meshuggah lately (Chaosphere, Destroy, Erase, Improve) and really liking it.  I read somewhere that their sound is like a band of Terminators which describes it well.  They are doing some stuff with drums and time signatures that make me scratch my head.

[Gratch]

I've been listening to a bit of Meshuggah lately (Chaosphere, Destroy, Erase, Improve) and really liking it.  I read somewhere that their sound is like a band of Terminators which describes it well.  They are doing some stuff with drums and time signatures that make me scratch my head.

I've never been able to get into them for some reason.  They're ridiculously talented and should be right up my alley, but something about them just rubs me wrong.  Maybe I need to give it another shot...

[BrianE]

Another Melodeth band, I'm surprised noone's mentioned Insomnium...love these guys

Under the Weeping World is an awesome album, saw them last year in NYC and they were great.

http://www.myspace.com/insomnium99 check out "Mortal Share"


A few of my favorites that haven't been mentioned:

Daylight Dies
Swallow the Sun
Draconian
Katatonia
Nevermore
Into Eternity

and my absolute favorite, Opeth

[Gratch]

and my absolute favorite, Opeth

I just kinda figured they were a given. 

[kratz]

I finally found a video for both me AND the LARP rock crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Vcoq-QRo4

[Xmann]

i was in Best Buy today and grabbed a couple cd's.....

Amon Amarth-Twilight of the Thunder God...Album is freakin awesome!!   first Amon stuff i've listened to and it rocks
Iced Earth- Framing Armageddon....yikes, wish i could return opened cd's.   i really don't see the appeal with this band.   i wasted my money on this junk.

other stuff i'm listening too

Trivium- Shogun....best album i've listened to in quite a while.   awesome awesome stuff
Lamb of God- Wraith....damn heavy and great kick ass vocals.
Five Finger Death Punch- The Way of the Fist...really really good album too.   i know it's a year old, but i bought it a month ago and can't quit playing it.

i had Otep's new album in my hand and bought Iced Earth instead.  what the hell was i thinking?

[Gratch]

Iced Earth- Framing Armageddon....yikes, wish i could return opened cd's.   i really don't see the appeal with this band.   i wasted my money on this junk.

Totally agree.

i had Otep's new album in my hand and bought Iced Earth instead.  what the hell was i thinking?

Not sure that's much of an improvement, although I did sort of like Warhead.  And I think the singer's hot, even though she'd probably kick my ass for saying so.

[Specter]

i was in Best Buy today and grabbed a couple cd's.....

Amon Amarth-Twilight of the Thunder God...Album is freakin awesome!!   first Amon stuff i've listened to and it rocks
Iced Earth- Framing Armageddon....yikes, wish i could return opened cd's.   i really don't see the appeal with this band.   i wasted my money on this junk.

other stuff i'm listening too

Trivium- Shogun....best album i've listened to in quite a while.   awesome awesome stuff
Lamb of God- Wraith....damn heavy and great kick ass vocals.
Five Finger Death Punch- The Way of the Fist...really really good album too.   i know it's a year old, but i bought it a month ago and can't quit playing it.

i had Otep's new album in my hand and bought Iced Earth instead.  what the hell was i thinking?

  on the Amon Amarth...

As for Iced Earth... I'd definitely recommend their earlier work.  s/t up through Horror Show is good.  If you can find the double disc version of Days Of Purgatory it has most of the songs from the first three albums with IE's signature vocalist Matthew Barlow.  Their third album Burnt Offerings has one of my favorite all time songs the 16+ minute dark epic Dante's Inferno.

The past two have been kind of a letdown, and yet Otep is so much worse than anything Iced Earth has put out.  Really it's not even close.

[kratz]

I listened to a few of these bands... definitely not my style of metal.

I thought Iced Earth was okay in a sort of Judas Priesty sort of way, but not great.

Opeth was godawful.

Amon Amarth, I was 100% on board with the riffs at the beginning of the songs I listened to... then the vocals came in and it completely ruined it.

My punk rock friends have all gotten really into Municipal Waste lately... definitely an 80s punk/metal/thrash sort of thing... I'm not a huge fan of that vocal style either, but they do some cool stuff, stray into Slayer territory regularly, which I like and play fast as hell.  I can definitely listen to it and enjoy it, unlike the cookie monster and 'I'm so dark' style metal...

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHlBhj8qhqQ

[Gratch]

Opeth was godawful.

I had my suspicions before, but now I know you're officially insane.

[Specter]

Opeth was godawful.

I had my suspicions before, but now I know you're officially insane.

Wow kratz and I actually agree on something!  LOL!

I never got the lovefest with Opeth either.  Saw them live and they left me cold.  (I wouldn't go so far as to say they are godawful, however)  I dunno maybe I just need to give several spins to their stuff to really get it, but initial impressions were not good so I never really looked into them.

Anyhow kratz if you are into old school thrash you should check out Dark Angel.  They are a criminally underrated Bay area thrash band from back in the thrash heydey.  Darkness Descends is my favorite album of theirs.

[kratz]

I'm really *not* into old school thrash... I like Slayer stuff once they morphed into a more metal band, and while Kill Em All is one of my favorites, it isn't really representative. I always liked to keep my punk separate from my metal.

Opeth just seems representative of these new crappy 'metal' bands... all of the things I *don't* like in metal.  Though I'd probably rather listen to them than something like Slipknot.  *shudder*

[BrianE]

Any chance you're confusing Opeth with Otep?

[Gratch]

Opeth just seems representative of these new crappy 'metal' bands... all of the things I *don't* like in metal. 

Outside of the cookie monster vocals (which I gather you're not a fan of), what it that you don't like about them?  I've always considered Opeth to be very good in terms of composition and song structure (the complexity and variation - especially in their newer stuff - is what drew me to them in the first place), but maybe that's just me listening with my amateur ear.

Just curious.

[El-Producto]

Opeth just seems representative of these new crappy 'metal' bands... all of the things I *don't* like in metal. 

Outside of the cookie monster vocals (which I gather you're not a fan of), what it that you don't like about them?  I've always considered Opeth to be very good in terms of composition and song structure (the complexity and variation - especially in their newer stuff - is what drew me to them in the first place), but maybe that's just me listening with my amateur ear.

Just curious.

Keep in mind this is what Kratz doens't like.. doesn't mean it's bad   He just has fairly particular tastes in music.  He ridicules my musical tastes all the time

[kratz]

Opeth just seems representative of these new crappy 'metal' bands... all of the things I *don't* like in metal. 

Outside of the cookie monster vocals (which I gather you're not a fan of), what it that you don't like about them?  I've always considered Opeth to be very good in terms of composition and song structure (the complexity and variation - especially in their newer stuff - is what drew me to them in the first place), but maybe that's just me listening with my amateur ear.

Just curious.

Okay...  well...

Most importantly, I just don't think it's very interesting or engaging.

Guitar sounds are washed out, dated, and lifeless.

Vocals are shit.  Melodramatic when clean, and indistinguishable from any other cookie monster when cookie monstering.

Lyrics are cheese city.  Melodramatic. Trite.  Juvenile in a way that's stupid instead of funny or clever.

Songwriting is overall quite boring to me... no good hook, no good groove... they rarely seem to be able to just sustain rocking for very long.

Also, the videos I'm watching to listen to them are idiotic.

There is nothing dangerous about this music... to me it sounds like metal for people who don't really like metal, or who don't want any surprises... not that I guess I think musical surprises are necessary all the time... I love AC/DC, and they haven't surprised anyone in 30 years... maybe that's the wrong way to put it... hrm...

Top to bottom it's just very slick, produced, and safe...  very 'done'... it sounds like a computer wrote it.

Also, I keep running into these kind of power ballad sorts of things that they are doing with pretty singing and crap... fuckin' kill me.  It's awful.  Fuck, yeah, I just ran into this song 'Burden', and I can now just declare this band fucking awful.  Ugh... you guys are just making me listen to more and hate them more.  SO TERRIBLE!


Oh, and I thought of one more... it tries too hard... at the wrong things.  Like a metal band should only try hard at rockin'.

[warning]

Lyrics are cheese city.  Melodramatic. Trite.  Juvenile in a way that's stupid instead of funny or clever.

Oh man.  Don't make me bring up the lyrics "Born to Run" again.   

[kratz]

The ones you don't understand?

[Xmann]

gave Amon Amarth a couple more listens and i still like it....pleased with the purchase.

however.....anyone else but me listen to Trivium?   damnit if Shogun isn't a bad arse album.   there are a couple songs on that album that i can listen to over and over and it still rocks.   if you haven't listened to them much, do yourself a favor and do so

here are my favorite songs from Shogun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edcrC6PABk8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EApnhO2OIrw&feature=related

[Darren8r]

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

Mastodon's new album is an amazing concept album!
One of the best new metal albums I've heard.
I'm going to see them this month!

I'm a huge metal fan. I fell in love with Metallica when I first started taking guitar lessons almost a decade ago (I don't take them anymore, I could teach now.)

I like all kinds of metal now, recently I have been really into Avenged Sevenfold and have been listening to some, Bullet for my Valentine

[kratz]

Anyone listen to Cannibal Corpse or Napalm Death, or Deicide, or Carcass?

Those were the heavy hitters who wanted cookies when I was younger...

I always liked Slayer and Entombed and Sepultura stuff better back then... though Sepultura turned into something boring.  Never really got into Soulfly.

I mean fuck, after you've heard this, how can your standards not go way up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpMuCrbxE8A

[Gratch]

Opeth just seems representative of these new crappy 'metal' bands... all of the things I *don't* like in metal. 

Outside of the cookie monster vocals (which I gather you're not a fan of), what it that you don't like about them?  I've always considered Opeth to be very good in terms of composition and song structure (the complexity and variation - especially in their newer stuff - is what drew me to them in the first place), but maybe that's just me listening with my amateur ear.

Just curious.

Okay...  well...

Most importantly, I just don't think it's very interesting or engaging.

Guitar sounds are washed out, dated, and lifeless.

Vocals are shit.  Melodramatic when clean, and indistinguishable from any other cookie monster when cookie monstering.

Lyrics are cheese city.  Melodramatic. Trite.  Juvenile in a way that's stupid instead of funny or clever.

Songwriting is overall quite boring to me... no good hook, no good groove... they rarely seem to be able to just sustain rocking for very long.

Also, the videos I'm watching to listen to them are idiotic.

There is nothing dangerous about this music... to me it sounds like metal for people who don't really like metal, or who don't want any surprises... not that I guess I think musical surprises are necessary all the time... I love AC/DC, and they haven't surprised anyone in 30 years... maybe that's the wrong way to put it... hrm...

Top to bottom it's just very slick, produced, and safe...  very 'done'... it sounds like a computer wrote it.

Also, I keep running into these kind of power ballad sorts of things that they are doing with pretty singing and crap... fuckin' kill me.  It's awful.  Fuck, yeah, I just ran into this song 'Burden', and I can now just declare this band fucking awful.  Ugh... you guys are just making me listen to more and hate them more.  SO TERRIBLE!


Oh, and I thought of one more... it tries too hard... at the wrong things.  Like a metal band should only try hard at rockin'.

Interesting, thanks Kratz.  Even though I completely disagree with everything you said (although I do concede the silly videos), I always like getting other people's musical opinions.   It always amazes me how two people can listen to the same song/band/album and come away with such totally different viewpoints.  You say there's no hooks, I think there's hooks galore.  You say there's no surprises, I totally dig the multiple musical styles - often within the same song.  You say juvenile lyrics, I don't hear anything worse than any other metal band.  You hate the ballads, I enjoy the change of pace.  Opeth isn't "XTreme Rock Your Face Off"-type metal, but I really only enjoy that stuff in small doses anyways.

But hey, at least we can all still agree that Jesus Lizard kicks epic amounts of ass, amirite? 

Anyone listen to Cannibal Corpse or Napalm Death, or Deicide, or Carcass?

Yep, then I turned 15.     To me, the bulk of that type of metal is nothing but speed noise, and a lot of it (Cannibal Corpse probably being the worst offender) exists solely for cheap shock value.   I'd say it's far more juvenile that 90% of what's been mentioned in this thread, but that's just me.  I do enjoy the Slayer classics (what self-respecting metalhead doesn't), even though Arya's voice grates on my nerves like a motherfucker. 

[Xmann]

you know, i've listened to the Mastodon songs from the Myspace site and i just can't get into them.   the vocals remind me alot of Ozzy...which i'm not a fan of.

[kratz]

 ...the vocals remind me alot of Ozzy...which i'm not a fan of.

So... you don't like metal.

[Xmann]

of course   just not Ozzy really

[kratz]

No, these things are mutually exclusive.

[El-Producto]

I don't get how people don't like Mastodon.

This new album is so good.  The musicianship is amazing, so deep and layered.

[kratz]

I get when people don't like Mastodon.  I'm kind of surprised that I do, honestly... but they can rock pretty damn hard.

The new album is good, but I they have yet to top Leviathan. That album just rocked.

[Specter]

Anyone listen to Cannibal Corpse or Napalm Death, or Deicide, or Carcass?

Those were the heavy hitters who wanted cookies when I was younger...

I always liked Slayer and Entombed and Sepultura stuff better back then... though Sepultura turned into something boring.  Never really got into Soulfly.

I mean fuck, after you've heard this, how can your standards not go way up?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpMuCrbxE8A

Carcass is awesome.

They are very influential as metal bands go.

From Grind - > Gore - > Melo-death - > Death 'n Roll

Napalm Death is also pretty good.  Never got into CC or Deicide.

Old Sep and Slayer is also very good.  I like some of Entombed's stuff as well.

[El-Producto]

I used to rock Deicide in the old days.  Dead by Dawn FTW.

That shizz is too heavy for me.. I'm old, and into easy listening metal now.