Bear

Who's the chick with the Inquisition tshirt?

Must have been around 03-04 or something, but I don't really remember.

I can't describe with words how good Dark Horse is. Among the best songs of 2014. Phenomenal! 6/6

Other: Vinyl and tapes, but in special cases I'll with CDs. That means, bads where I am looking to get a complete discography, like Sigh, or favourites that simply haven't released anything on any other format, like Kagrra. The majority of the music I buy, I'd say 95% or so, I buy from small distros or labels in Norway, run buy people who earn nothing from doing this. They live for music and the only reason why they're having their own distros/labels is to get music they love out there to people like me. It's not a job where they earn money, but a hobby where they tend to lose money, just like most other hobbies. These are mainly Unborn Productions and Terratur Possessions. Nice, reliable guys who's doing this out of passion. I'd rather support these guys than amazon, CDON or shit like that. 3% or so I'd say are from other smaller labels/distros like Dark Symphonies, Blood Music, Virus Productions and so on, but a lot of what these labels release is something I'll get just as easily from Unborn or Terratur for the same kind of money, which makes it a lot easier for me. But every now and then I'll have to order straight from these, which I am more than happy to do as they're run by nice, reliable and helpful people. Some bigger than others, but the biggest are run by very few people, 3-4 at most, and aren't doing this for money, just out of love and passions for the music. 2% or so I buy from CDON, amazon or something like that. Buying MP3s are out of the question. I've never done that, and I never will. Physical copies or free MP3s. Every now and then I buy used iteams from random people as well. Or straight from the band when that's an option, but in most cases that only goes for demos. Yeah, that's basically it. I tend to support the underground. Simple as that.

My top 10 of 2014: 1. Yellow 2. X-Men: Days of Future Past 3. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya 4. Blue Ruin 5. The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears 6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 7. Snowpiercer 8. Stage Fright 9. 22 Jump Street 10. The Sacrament I haven't seen too many films of 2014, and I have most likely forgotten some, but those are my top 10 for now. Films I am looking forward to and have lots of faith in include The Wind Rises, The Guest, Nightcrawler, The Badabook, The Raid 2: Berandal, What We Do In The Shadows, Inherent Vice, The Editor, Musaranas, John Wick, A Most Violent Year and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, and I expect at least 4-5 of these to make it onto my top 10 list. The Wind Rises, The Guest, Nightcrawler and The Raid 2: Berandal are almost a part of my list long before I've seen them. That's how much faith I have in them. Decided not to include documentaries.

Those shirts are awesome.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - Whenever a new Studio Ghibli film is announed I get excited as fuck, and when there's two films announced I get even more excited, especially considering this is the first time that has happened since I was born. And before I was born it only happened once back in 1988, and the funny fact here is that both times the directors have been Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, It's a bit odd to be honest. However, during the first few minutes of The Tale of Princess Kaguya I thought to myself, "what the fuck is this childish, lackluster childrens book-like visual style doing here?", and I went from "OMG!" to "huh?" pretty fast. But as the story got going, and the princess was brought into the story, I really started to understand why they'd gone with a visual style like this. It really fits the story and the atmosphere created here, and I went from not being impressed by the visual style to adore it in 15 minutes. And from there on this was nothing but joy. The animation is smooth, detailed, rich and warm, but not polished and feelingless in any way imaginable. There's so much ove and passion put into the animation here, and not once do you get the feeling that they rushed a single scene is the film. It's... unbelieveable. Absolutely breathtaking! The visual style is, as I already said, very childish, as if it is drawn for a childrens book. While disappointed to begin with, it didn't take long for me to understand why they went with this style, because it really does fit the animation and the story and the whole atmosphere. And despite being childish, it's very detailed and the colors are beautiful. But as with the animation, it is not too polished in any way. It's warm and delicious. It's a very clever choice by the people behind this film. The story? Amazing. Heartwarming, fun, sad... it's everything you'd want a film to be. It's so well-written, so amazingly made into a film. And the characters? Again, unbelieveable. Som of the best characters I've ever seen in an animated film. There's so much to grab onto here, but story- and character-wise. Very mature. And the score by Joe Hisaishi is fantastic as usual. Magnificent! This is hands down one of the finest Ghibli films to this date, and the score of 100% based on 57 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes is actualy well-deserved. For my own sake, it's not a fully perfect film, but it's not far from being that. I feel sure that this is a film that with time will be remembered as one of the finest animated films ever made. 9,5/10

I spent my near years eve going to the cinema with my girl watching The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies, then went home for some beers before we left to the stable to take care of the animals there. Well, my girlfiend did most of the work while I spent my time there cuddling with the three ponies and the cat. Those ponies are the cutest animals ever.

"Happy New Year! 2015 is 20th anniversary year of Church of Misery. I will make new album with Dave Depraved from US DOOM LEGEND " BLOODFARMERS" and other support musicians in US. I will go to US in this Spring for this recording and 5th album "And then there were none..." will put out on RISE ABOVE RECORDS in 2015."

Indeed. Invaders Must Die is their best album till now and a 6/6 album, so I am very much looking forward to something new from these guys.

I'm looking forward to a lot of albums, and the one I am awaiting the most is with no doubt Sigh's new opus "Graveward". One things that makes me very, very excited for this album, other than the fact that Sigh is the best band ever, is how Mirai has gone from saying that this will be the most straightforward album since the debut to this being their most complex album ever. There's something about that which just turns me on. Other albums I am really looking forward to: Solefald - World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud A band that has been in constant change ever since the debut album, and that is always creating something unique. There just no bands out there like this. They've released one song from the album called Bububu Bad Beuys, and while it's nothing like I expected. I just love it. Crazy as fuck - but phenomenal. Melechesh - Enki Their last album, 2012's The Epigenesis, was good but still a huge disappointment, and their least good album ever. Unique, middle-eastern black/death metal unlike any band you've ever heard. Hopefully this will be an album to match either of the albums in their holy trio Djinn, Sphynx and Emissaries. If this is anything like those quality wise we'll have one of the albums of the year here. Negură Bunget - Tău Negura Bunget's last album, Vîrstele pămîntului, was a huge disappointment to many, I'd say mostly because Hupogrammos and Sol Faur leaving the band and Negru acting like a cunt, because there wasn't a huge change in the music. However I really like the album and I am looking forward to "TĂU, the first part of a musical and visual trilogy about our Transilvanian homeland. TĂU focuses on the natural landscapes, exploring marvelous places, with their myths, legends and traditions, opening a window to the past of these legendary lands.", as the band themself said. Hopefully they'll be able to capture some of the unique atmosphere from their progressive and atmospheric folk/black metal masterpieces Om and 'n crugu bradului. Another thing that makes me very excited about both the Melechesh and Negura Bunget albums is the fact that neither band is very productive, which makes it even more exciting when they finally release something new. Melechesh have released 5 albums since 1993 and Negura Bunget have released 6 albums since 1994, with one just being a re-intepretation of an earlier album. Heh.

No, this isn't a thread just about the bands that formed in 2014, but about all bands who released their first proper release in 2014. Doesn't matter if they formed in 1987 or 2014, as long as 2014 was the year they released their first proper release (album/EP/single). For me it's been four bands/artists who's stood out from the rest of the newcomers in 2014 (as far as I can remember at least), and all these four have made it into my top 10 of 2014 so far. 1. Tarot Tarot formed in 2011 and released their first demo in 2011, but it is not seen as a proper release by main man Will Fried, owner of Heavy Chains and a member of great bands such as The Wizar'd an Dracula. 2014 however saw the band release three EPs, two of them consisting of 3 songs clocking in at 15:10 minutes, while the third consists of four songs clocking in at 21 minutes. I have yet to hear Tarot's two first EPs, called Life and Death and Dying Daze, but the band's third EP, The Watcher's Dream, have gone from being good to become an absolute masterpiece with 50+ listens over the last few days. Tarot plays epic heavy rock with this lovely feeling of some kind of mysticism. Think Uriah Heep ano Demons & Wizards with hints of Dio-era Rainbow, Quartz and Pagan Altar. I made a top 10 meta/rock releases of 2014 early yesterday, and it got the 9th spot. Now, 20 listens later, it's a contender for top 5 releases of the year in all genres. It just keeps growing with each listen. This is how good this is. Listen to the full EP here: https://heavychainsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-watchers-dream Favourite song: Twilight Fortress. The two last minutes of this song are by far the two best minutes of music release this year. Magnificent! Recommended for fans of Uriah Heep, Rainbow and Pagan Altar 2. Cluster Buster I don't know much about this band beside that the guy behind this is Norwegian, is a fan of 80's exploitaton, horror and action cinema, old school video games and VHS(!!!). Oh, and is a part of the new synth wave/new retro wave that's been growing over the past few years. Cluster Buster is certainly among the best, if not the best, in the genre. Cluster Buster released two albums this year, one being good and one being amazing. Maniac 1980 is my favourite of the two, and it has secured a spot among the top 10 albums of the year. Listen to the full album here: http://future80s.bandcamp.com/album/maniac-1980 Favourite song: Maniac 1980 Recommended for fans of Kavinsky, John Carpenter and Perturbator 3. Rude Rude was formed as thrash metal band Forsaker in 2008 by a bunch of guys in their late teens/early 20's, but changed their name to Rude in 2011 after the release of their only demo as Forsaker the same year. When they changed name they also changed genre and started playing death metal in the vein of Pestilence with hints of Autopsy, Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary. The band released a great demo in 2013. But with the release of their debut album Soul Recall, the band took further steps into the death metal realm and released one of the best death meta albums of the 2000's. It's that good. This album is what you'll get if you put 50% Pestilence - Consuming Impulse, 20% Autopsy - Severed Survival, 10% Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness, 10% Obituary - Slowly We Rot and 10% Death - Leposy in a blender and mix it. Yes, there's not a hint of originality to be found anywhere during the album's 44 minutes, but there's lots of character and quality. Crushing death metal of the purest kind. Favourite song: Haunted Recommended for fans of Pestilence, Autopsy and Morbid Angel 4. Salem's Pot Salem's Pot formed in 2011 and released one demo in 2012 and one in 2013, but it wasn't until 2014 that their debut album saw the light of day. ...Lurar ut dig på prärien is three songs and 33:30 minutes of sleazy, filthy and occult doom metal of the purest kind. This album could've been the soundtrack to Vampyros Lesbos, or many of the other erotic horror films of the 70's. Cover of the year as well, take from the already mentioned Vampyros Lesbos. So fitting! Favourite song: Creep Purple Recommended for fans of Electric Wizard, Black Sabbath and Sleep Now it's your turn!

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - A very nice ending to a very nice trilogy. It is not free of faults, not even close, and despite me being very disappointed with Peter Jackson and all he's done wrong with them, I just can't help but properly enjoy these films. They're action-packed adventure film with lovely characters, great atmosphere and it's set in a universe I really, really enjoy. The CGI is once again better than in the previous films, but it's still not amazing and it's still way too much of it. And this is the biggest flaw in the trilogy. It feels a bit too flat and soulless a bit too often. It just lacks that proper punch that makes it a top tier film. While I didn't mind Tauriel as a character, the love story had nothing to do in these films. Just. Meh. Didn't add anything to the story. It is also sad to see Peter Jackson make the same mistakes as he did with LotR. Yes, I am thinking abou the Legolas does retarded, over the top and out of character and pace things that not only feels stupid, but also looks stupid because it is so poorly done. Why, Jackson? Why? I could mention more flaws, but I won't now. However, the scenes in Dol Guldrur (minus the scenes where Galadriel suddenly looks pathetic) were amazing. Especially the fight. It was awesome! I also thought Smaug were done even better in this film, and he felt threatening and huge. Have to admit I had hoped for a lot more Necromancer, though. But it wasn't bad. Cool as fuck! But all in all I think Peter Jackson has done well in capturing the feeling of visiting Middle Earth, and he's done a good job capturing the spirit of The Hobbit and Tolkien's writing. It's not nearly as good as LotR and ihey're highly flawed, and in the end, with little work, this trilogy could've been so much better. But don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed myself during these films. I really have. Looking forward to the extended version. A lot! Edit: I forgot to say that I don't think Peter Jackson has fully comited to these films. I just don't get the impression that he's put his heart 100% into this project, and did it more out of preasure that he just HAD to do it than out of passion and love. And I think that is part of the reason why they did not become as good as they both could and should have.

That is very cool! I think the DC's debut is a lot more unique, taking less influence from Morbid Angel. A bit dirter, darker and rotten in a way, I guess. But it's got those very clicky bass drums that I just can't stand. But I know the band is very popular in the underground, even by those who don't like overly triggered drums. If you can look past the drum sound, which you can, it should please you a lot I think.

Very cool list. I'm both surprised and happy to see Dead Congregation, Hail Spirit Noir, Martyrdöd and Perturbator on your list to be honest, but all are very good choices. Especially Hail Spirit Noir which made it onto my top 10 again as wel, just like they did with their even better debut album. However, Dead Congregation isn't a band I play too often despite their music being very good, though. I fucking hate the drums on both Graves of the Archangels and Promulgation of the Fall. Machine gun drums triggered to death just doesn't do it for me, and the sanre sounds awful on the new abum as well. Half way to St. Anger-land. Eeew.

Aura Noir was great, but lacked a bit punch. I thought the setlist was a bit disappointing. Too many songs off Hades Rise, which I consider their weakest album. But I had fun. Morbid Angel was CRUSHING! Oh my god, what a gig. Tim Yeung is a machine, thought a bit too perfect for my taste. But he knows how to drum. Thor Anders Myhren is a fantastic guitarist and riffer, but he looked wy out of place and didn't really look like he had too much fun. David Vincent smiled, growled great and just looked like he had a great time and Trey Azagthoth is Trey Azagthoth. He's almost perfect. The gig was fantastic, and even the abomination Existo Vulgore from the abomination that is Illud Divinum Insanus worked well. I didn't even notice that they played a single song from the new album. It was that fucking good.

Also, seeing Aura Noir today and Morbid Angel tomorrow. Covenant is 20 years old so Morbid Angel is gonna play it from A to Å. Because of this I've picked up Covenant again, an album I've never really been into before, but I've become a fan. Great album! I think the setlist will be Covenant from A to Å, a couple of songs from their debut and one song from the other albums. Can't wait! But tonight, Aura Noir! Saw them last year or something and they were great. This time they'll play at a smaller venue so it'll be intimate and fun. This version of Mirage with Fenriz handling the vocals are way better than the other version btw.

I'm probably the only one, but I thought the video was dreadful. Some good ideas, but the execution is awful. Looks like one of those videos we made during our school years when we were 13-14 years old. Ew. The song however is fantastic. Really enjoyable!

Tell Me Something - Dark and gritty, yet stylish horror-influenced thriller som South-Korea, in the vein of Se7en, but obviously nowhere near as good. It's bloody and violent, which is obviously positive, but it's like Youn-hyun Chang has been getting way too much to work with and isn't sure about how to handle it all, because at the end it gets a bit too messy. The cinematography is great, but there's some awful cuts here and there that ruins the current mood, and that annoyed the living shit out of me. But I did like it for what it is, though, and the atmosphere is great.

I really like older Dark Funeral. Dark Funeral, The Secrets of the Black Arts and Vobiscum Satanas are fantastic, and Diabolis Interium are pretty good. After that however - no thank you, sir. I also like their new vocalist Heljarmadr, but I don't think he fits the overall sound of the band. But he's great in Grá and Domgård, both great bands btw. I haven't tried the new Fen yet, but I've got massive expectations. Great band.

Jesus. That's the most unifitting and unnecessary blasting I've heard all year. Disgusting.

Batman - Tim Burton's Batman is still the best superhero film out there, though it should be said I still need to rewatch Batman Returns. But until then this daek, gothic piece of superhero action will remain the best. And Jack Nicholson's Joker is obviously the superior one, and he steals every single scene he's in. Crazy and over the top, but not out of place or annoying like that. Very impressive. Keaton is also brilliant as Bruce Wayve/Batman, and obviously way better than Christian Bale. Everything in this film works for me, especially the set designs, visuals and the brilliant atmosphere. Dark, adult and cooler than ice. Amazing!

But I am not talking about the asian hop hop scene as a whole, I am simply talking about every single pop group out there (2ne1, Brown Eyed Girls ++++) who utilizes poor raps by awful rappers in their regular pop songs. This is not a problem limited to just korean pop groups of course. It's a problem all around the world. Ludacris' awful part in the otherwise brilliant Break Your Heart is one example of the same shit. Great song, poor, unfitting rap. It's a trend that'll be my death. And with that said, I can't stand hip hop in other languages than english. God knows I've tried. I love french and consider it the most beautiful and wonderful language on earth, but I have yet to hear hip hop in french that doesn't suck. I love finnish, japanese and korean as well, but as with french I have yet to hear a rap in these languages that doesn't suck. Norwegian and swedish rap? Awful. I just can't stand hip hop in any other language than english no matter how talented or not the rapper might be, and it doesn't matter if I understand the language or not. It just doesn't work for me.

Either you misunderstood what I meant, or I am misunderstanding you now. But I think both CL and GD are awful rappers along with the rest of the rappers in the kpop and jpop world. It's especially annoying when these groups throw in a horrible rap in an otherwise good pop song, just for the sake of having some "badass" rap there, despite none of the members in the group being able to actually rap in a decent manner. It's just sad IMO.

None of these japanese and koreak pop stars are good rapper. They're all awful. With that being said, this song doesn't suck because of CL and G-Dragon. They're no worse than the music itself. This song suck because every single element suck.