Visutox

Bergtatt is a masterpiece. I love it all, and I'm pretty sure this album has been over the years a source of inspiration for many atmospheric black metal bands... I really have to give it more listens, it's outstandingly awesome. Concerning the other one, when you said "ugly form of black metal" I assumed immediately that it was a raw black metal album... I'm not too fond of that genre but this time, Nattens Madrigal really amazed me. I rarely listen to that kind of black metal and yeah, I don't always enjoy something that much. Definitely one of my fav albums ever.
 
Moreover, I also tried some stuff from Fen (The Malediction Fields, Ancient Sorrow and atm I'm listening to Dustwalker) and an album from Drudkh (Autumn Aurora). I really loved these two bands (maybe Fen more than Drudkh)... Comparing them with Agalloch, their music is really different (fortunately) but it's still awesome. What I'm trying to say right there is that, up to now, I've tried many atmospheric black metal bands but I can't get bored as they're all so original, so creative (and even when it isn't that much original it's still awesome). Anyway, thanks for all your recommendations. I still have stuff to check out but I think I tried the main.     
Sure, I totally agree. So Gallowbraid is a solo project? I thought so at first but I wasn't totally sure about that... Anyway, if ever a new album is released I hope it will be something more personal, creative and surely awesome (as the first album).
 
Otherwise, two days ago I took some time to try Doombound and I really loved it. As enjoyable as the three first, but these three still special to me. I don't know, they have something that makes them unique, somehow. I think I read somewhere that the band is one hiatus right now, is that so? 
 
 
I tried some links and aside the bands I already know (only one in fact, which is Vomit. The second one is Old Funeral but I only know it by name), Molested and Cadaver really caught my attention. Gotta check their material asap... 
Btw, what a cool picture of Varg! *save picture as...*
 
I'd like to go back on atmospheric black metal and talk (once again) about Blut aus Nord as they released a new (amazing) album. 
 

 
I tried Memoria Vetusta III - Saturnian Poetry as soon as I was aware of its release, and I loved it. I saw a lot of fans saying being disappointed but I really don't see why, they may be comparing it to the two previous MV (or maybe their oldest stuff) but I haven't listened to MV1 nor MV2 yet, therefore I can't say if it's so. I can't even give a constructive opinion since I only listened the album once, but I'll definitely do it when I'll be able. In short, for a first listen I really find the album mindblowing and I dig it.

You hit the spot there on their entire career. We've heard it in western power metal bands already, and to be quite frank, even those will waltz over Jupiter with ease. Their is no harmony in their playing — and with this I mean that the members are failing to complement one another. There is no clear distinguished sound that tells us, 'Oh, this is Jupiter!', but instead when a track might pop up on a shuffle playlist we would have to quickly check who the artist might be because there is simply no way of telling that these musicians are the same individuals who produced such majestic pieces of musical perfection in the group Versailles. 

I picked up their "Ice Romancer" single off the shelf today, gave that a few whirls and man.....I gotta say, I really miss their old sound. It wasn't super original but it was so Sadie.
'Recall' is such a good song too.

C'est possible ! Il me semble que je te suis sur twitter moi aussi. xD 
 
Oui, c'est sûr que la lecture ça aide beaucoup, surtout quand il s'agit de l'écrit. Après, les films c'est également un bon moyen de s'habituer quand il s'agit de l'oral, même si le meilleur moyen reste de le parler. Quant à moi, je n'ai pas d'autre choix que de m'améliorer en lisant vu que je n'ai pas de cours d'Anglais à l'unif (et la plupart du temps je n'ai pas le temps de lire quoi que ce soit à cause des cours, donc bon !). Se mettre à écrire sur des forums peut aider aussi (comme je pense avoir dit précédemment), voilà l'une des raisons pour lesquelles je suis là.

Ah tient je connais ton pseudo sur Nautiljon et twitter aussi xD
Pour ma part,étant en première année de licence en anglais je me force à argumenter/parler en anglais puis je lis beaucoup en anglais donc je m'améliore assez vite. Par rapport à il y a 3 ans,mon niveau a grimpé en flèche,en seconde je ne savais même pas faire une phrase simple,j'étais perdu xD

Been spinning both Thou Shalt Suffer and Old Funeral on repeat since yesterday. Both are fantastic.
 
Thou Shalt Suffer is Samoth, Ihsahn and Ildjarn's first proper band, before Samoth and Ihsahn went on to form Emperor and Ildjarn formed Ildjarn. The album is way better than anything Emperor ever did to be honest, and on par with Ildjarn's best albums (Strength and Anger, Forest Poetry, Hardangervidda). This is one of themore unique death metal release of its time. Haunting and atmospheric with a bit of synth here and there which properly adds to the atmosphere. In many ways this is death metal with the atmosphere and feeling of black metal. Imagine old, old Emperor remade into death metal. Quite unique actually.
 
 
Old Funeral are more standard death metal in the vein of old Morbid Angel, but awesome as fuck. Abbath and Demonaz of Immortal, Varg Vikernes of Burzum and Jørn Inge Tunsberg of Hades played in this band before moving towards black metal with their other bands.
 
Both recommended for fans of old school death metal with great, lo-fi productions and lenty of charm.
 
This old picture of Varg Vikernes during his time in Old Funeral is also one of the coolest pictures ever:
 

I've made a list with my favourite death metal releases for both the Swedish and Finnish scene, and even though Norway never had much of a death metal scene and more importantly not a specific sound, I thought it would suck not to do one anyway because there came some very good death metal releases from Norway in the early-mid 90's.
 
1. Darkthrone - Soulside Journey
2. Old Funeral - The Older Ones
3. Thou Shalt Suffer - Into the Woods of Belial
4. Mortem - Slow Death
5. Cadaver - Hallucinating Anxiety
6. Vomit - Rotting
7. Darkthrone - Goatlord
8. Molested - Blod-draum
9. Cadaver - ...in Pains
10. Amputation - Slaughtered in the Arms of God
 
Good stuff.

Two. Ulver released Bergtatt, which is their folk-influenced black metal with a lighter approach to the genre, and Nattens Madrigal wich is a grim and ugly form of black metal.
 
But Gallowbraid should please you. Agalloch clone to 1000. Drudkh plays atmospheric black metal with some folk. I like all, but their first four and Microcosmos and Eternal Turn of the Wheel are masterpieces. Great, great band!

Ça fait plaisir de se lâcher et de se mettre à écrire en Français de temps en temps, surtout sur un site anglophone. Et puis aussi de voir qu'il y a pas mal de Français sur le site !
 
Je suis heureux de constater que je ne suis pas le seul à galérer avec l'Anglais, j'essaye de faire de mon mieux et de ne pas faire trop de fautes. C'est pas toujours très évident, surtout quand il s'agit d'argumenter, mais du moment que je me fasse comprendre ça me va. Je me dis aussi qu'il n'y a rien de mieux que d'améliorer son Anglais en discutant à propos de choses qu'on aime tels que la musique en général, le visual kei, mais également bien d'autre choses !
 
Et je vois aussi que ça parle beaucoup de Nautiljon, ce qui est normal d'un côté. En soit, ce site est vraiment très bon et m'a permit de découvrir beaucoup de choses (que ce soit en VK, en J-Rock, films et j'en passe...) mais je rejoins votre avis quant à la communauté, qui est pour le moins étrange... Ça ne m'a pas empêché de faire connaissance avec de personnes vraiment très sympathiques ! Et puis bon, il faut dire aussi que c'est assez difficile de comparer Nautiljon et MH, l'un étant un site regroupant beaucoup de choses en rapport avec l'Asie et l'autre, un forum avant toute chose. Mais bref, c'est un sujet dont je me passerais avec plaisir.
 
Quoi qu'il en soit, heureux de voir autant de francophones actifs sur ce forum.
Sur ce, au plaisir de vous lire prochainement !
 

I love how experimental this band is, even though they have had some ups and downs. Satoshi has always impressed me with his vocals and the band as a whole, even though they sound rather 'western' (<- might be a wrong term I'm using, sorry) at times, I am still always impressed by them. Really happy to have seen fans enjoying MONSTER and upcoming releases so much! Better keep updated with them, missing out on so much urg!

12012 - XII  

 

 
12012 have been rolling with a new style since one of their guitarists left them before the release of their self-titled. 
Overall, it's been a hit-and-miss with every new record since then, but the thing that remained constant in this transformation is that their music, regardless of whether or not it was bad or good, featured some very memorable content. I'm not too familiar with 12012's earlier years or even their mar maroon & Seven eras, but I will say that, within the context of these newer albums, I believe XI to be their best release yet. I will start out by saying that this album does not feature 12012's current heavy style (minus red).
 
The album starts with vicious of absolution, which begins with an intro reminiscent of their last album The Swan. It quickly picks up into a slick guitar line and Wataru later joins in with a smooth and flowing melody. This pattern continues throughout the song until its short yet efficient ending. If I were to describe the track in two words it would be simple and eloquent.
 
story of a different dimension kicks things up a notch with heavier fast paced drums and features some tight and distorted guitar playing. Even with this upbeat change, the song features a melancholy string solo and, almost, Gothic choir sequence. The best thing about the track though is definitely the guitars: They're charismatic and also played in a variety of styles keeping things interesting.
 
The album finally gets more into the band's recent hardcore sound with the red. It's what you'd expect from a recent 12012 heavy song except that it's much cleaner in execution and Wataru's screams are done much better without delving into ridiculous loud shouting and vomit noise territory. There's even a short acoustic Spanish guitar break that's oh so sweet. It does begin to feel too long near the end with the song being just 3 seconds shy of 6 minutes. A lot of this, I feel, is contributed from a weak second melodic chorus. It gets especially sigh inducing the second time around when it transitions/becomes the climax of the song but just kinda stays the same. Still, this can be forgiven because of the catchy main guitar riff.
 
alone is a sweet upbeat ballad that's somewhat of a throwback to their mar maroon/Seven era (at least in terms of the more poppy nature of the song). I find the bridge and chorus to be one of the more catchy melodic lines they've thrown at us in a while and just can't get enough of it. One thing I never really noticed in other songs but did in this one is the deep and rich tone of Wataru's voice. I usually don't notice this because he sings so high but alone really makes his voice shine.
 
We now come to the final and longest song on the album, aqua. The first thing I'll say is that it's way too long. This song did not need to be over 9 minutes. Basically, it's the main chorus repeated again and again. The chorus is sung softly at first until the climax when everything is played at full force and then slowly fades out. I don't like the way the song fades out on this part because nothing is really happening in the music; it makes for a weak and unmemorable ending.
Couple of suggestions:
-If the song went into the climax after the piano break, I think it would've been much more tolerable.
-Take out the bass solo (too flat and adds too much time)
-Place the guitar solo at the end of the song to create a much more interesting fade out and keep the listener engaged.  
I think its fine as the closer to the album, but these few qualities really take away from the impact the track could have had.
 
The songs individually are fairly strong, but I don't feel like that's where the strength of the album lies. Rather, I remember XII as a whole. I find it to be a fairly solid album from the start to finish having a smooth flow between songs, a uniform sound despite all songs being written by different members, and overall strong compositions. This is something their last few mini-albums lacked. 
 
Yes, the album doesn't have that recent hardcore and intense 12012 sound, but I'll trade a softer more refined album for a messy execution of a style that doesn't really match with them. I feel like this is a stable balance between their heavy and poppy sides. The album is brighter than Decida of Silence and The Swan but still retains a serious dark tone. I'm glad they're going on hiatus so they can take a break and perhaps think about what direction to go next, but I definitely don't want them to disband. I hope that they'll return with a fresh new release that continues to build on this style. 
 

 
[Kudos if you can guess where the skeleton image is from]

WRITE-UP:
 
INTRO:
  The latest album by ALSDEAD, featuring the debut of their new drummer NIKKY (ex. GALEYD), and another obligatory change in their overall sound, feel, and direction.   An album that feels much more 'complete' than its contemporaries, with a solid feel and delivery throughout, providing another replay-button-friendly experience to my library.  
THE SOUND:
 
As similar to previous albums as it is different, they have kept the hard edge to their sound, while putting more emphasis on the individual instruments, and made the vocals fit in more as not necessarily leading the track, with melodies that are still strong and memorable, but do not rise above the value put on the guitars, or other instruments.
 
The signature cinematic ALSDEAD synth sound is back, with an even higher quality than ever. They definitely distinguish themselves as having some of the best synth's today, with more tracks that allow you to pleasurably follow the synth all the way through, and simply enjoy the unique tone, melodic value, and refined nature of production surrounding them. To me, the usual sign of having great tone is having notes that sound not as if they are coming from an instrument, and aren't registered by the listener simply as strings being picked, or keys being pressed on a keyboard, and ALSDEAD definitely accomplishes this on IDEA 
 
THE FEEL:
 
The tracks STARLESS and KILL THE KING should give you a starting point of what this album will sound like. It wavers in both directions: Softer with more synths, and harder with more grit and rough guitar. It is atmospheric, yet still comes off as a track-by-track experience, based on emotional expositions, raw emotions put into words that are either carefully articulated in Picture, or rudely shouted in D.9.N. 
 
It's emotional, atmoshperic rock-music storytelling that is delivered not with sap and melodrama, but with attitude.
 
HOW IT STACKS UP TO PREVIOUS ALSDEAD ALBUMS: 
 
If you have been following them, you have probably noticed that each album marks the end of one term in ALSDEAD's sonic history, and begets another. Their debut had an emphasis on heavy emotions, bad mental states, and a wailing, dramatic sound to match this. MODALITY felt like a series of short stories, with more of a straight-forward rock feel. Seperator felt like one long, interconnected story with a deeply atmospheric feel, and dark, sleepy nature to it in between harder songs.
 
IDEA almost feels like it mixes all of these elements together, while adding in some hard rock, some soft ballad elements, and some 90's rock mechanisms.
 
In terms of overall experience and enjoyment, I think after the initial adjustment to your expectations, and the fact that it doesn't sound exactly like older ALSDEAD, it holds up very well as another great entry into their library.
 
 
Track Count: 13
Listens: 20-25
Production Quality: 
Overall Rating: (This rating took some time to think over, as my first impression was of a 4.0, then built up to a 4.5 after about 20 listens, yet if I go with my gut, and realize how every track on this album hits home with me, and how much I am now enjoying it, I have to give it a 5.0)
 
Worth the Purchase?
If you have enjoyed their singles since Seperator, and have been a fan in general for any of their past releases, I highly recommend this. A solid album throughout, that shows no signs of inserted filler. The tracks are all solid, none get left behind in memory, each one brings something to the table, and overall this is a stand-out album that brings a lot to the table.

Ça fait plaisir de se lâcher et de se mettre à écrire en Français de temps en temps, surtout sur un site anglophone. Et puis aussi de voir qu'il y a pas mal de Français sur le site !
 
Je suis heureux de constater que je ne suis pas le seul à galérer avec l'Anglais, j'essaye de faire de mon mieux et de ne pas faire trop de fautes. C'est pas toujours très évident, surtout quand il s'agit d'argumenter, mais du moment que je me fasse comprendre ça me va. Je me dis aussi qu'il n'y a rien de mieux que d'améliorer son Anglais en discutant à propos de choses qu'on aime tels que la musique en général, le visual kei, mais également bien d'autre choses !
 
Et je vois aussi que ça parle beaucoup de Nautiljon, ce qui est normal d'un côté. En soit, ce site est vraiment très bon et m'a permit de découvrir beaucoup de choses (que ce soit en VK, en J-Rock, films et j'en passe...) mais je rejoins votre avis quant à la communauté, qui est pour le moins étrange... Ça ne m'a pas empêché de faire connaissance avec de personnes vraiment très sympathiques ! Et puis bon, il faut dire aussi que c'est assez difficile de comparer Nautiljon et MH, l'un étant un site regroupant beaucoup de choses en rapport avec l'Asie et l'autre, un forum avant toute chose. Mais bref, c'est un sujet dont je me passerais avec plaisir.
 
Quoi qu'il en soit, heureux de voir autant de francophones actifs sur ce forum.
Sur ce, au plaisir de vous lire prochainement !
 

Thanks for the information. Just finished listening to "Ashen Eidolon" from Gallowbraid and it's totally the kind of sound that I was looking for, I'm a little disappointed because it's sounds maybe too much like Agalloch but nonetheless it's still a fucking masterpiece. Thanks for that band. Otherwise, I read that they'll release an album this year... Are there more news?
Anyway, now I'm gonna continue my listen and try the other bands. 
 
Besides that, I'd like to talk a bit about Battlelore as I said some weeks (months?) ago that I was going to try their stuff... Well, I've tried all their discography except their latest album, Doombound. I really enjoyed their first three albums which are totally awesome but sadly, the rest didn't had the same effect on me, less memorable imo. Plus, I dunno what you think about that, but I feel like their sound went weaker over the years (precisely after their 3rd album). They're still an awesome band though, even if I appreciate them it's basically because of their first three masterpieces (the 1st being my favorite one), it's undeniable that their strength are their lyrics. That said, I still gotta listen their latest album. Anyway, thanks for sharing this awesome band with us!

I see things like this : MONSTER compared to GO is an improvement, MONSTER compared to MUSIC is a regression.
So my vote goes for MUSIC, this album clearly wins. I like both albums but in terms of heaviness they haven't produced something better than MUSIC imo, I regret the metalcore-ish tones they adopted since MONSTER even if they're pretty good at it. When you listen to tracks like Asking Why, DEAD WORLD, FREAKS or ULTIMATE 4 it's like getting a punch right in the face. Girugämesh is a band that likes to experiment new stuff and they always did it along the years, sometimes it's good, sometimes it isn't. They're maybe not among the most creative bands but certainly among the most effectives (debatable at times), they really enjoy what they do and you can feel it.

I see things like this : MONSTER compared to GO is an improvement, MONSTER compared to MUSIC is a regression.
So my vote goes for MUSIC, this album clearly wins. I like both albums but in terms of heaviness they haven't produced something better than MUSIC imo, I regret the metalcore-ish tones they adopted since MONSTER even if they're pretty good at it. When you listen to tracks like Asking Why, DEAD WORLD, FREAKS or ULTIMATE 4 it's like getting a punch right in the face. Girugämesh is a band that likes to experiment new stuff and they always did it along the years, sometimes it's good, sometimes it isn't. They're maybe not among the most creative bands but certainly among the most effectives (debatable at times), they really enjoy what they do and you can feel it.

MUSIC vs MONSTER
Despite being a girugamesh fan for only one year, I'd have to go with MUSIC. 
Let me do a song VS song comparison. 
----
-INTRO- vs Intro | -INTRO- takes the case in my option because what else is better than a compilation of electronic fast paced beats ending with a slowed down scream.  
 
Break Down vs Drain | Break Down goes for this one because not only was this the first girugamesh PV I saw but it was the first time I saw turntables incorporated into a Japanese band. Don't ge me wrong though, Drain has its good points but "Break Down"  was the first song I ever heard by girugamesh, <3 a classic.

ULTIMATE 4 vs VOLTAGE | VOLTAGE wins. ULTIMATE 4 was good but "VOLTAGE" puts in some type of monster like growls? distortions? heavy drumming is a plus in this song too.

FREAKS VS INCOMPLETE | FREAKS. I mostly like it for the intro, seems that it'd start with something that'd be similar to a warning sign or alarm. Correct me if I'm wrong but Shuu did a good part with the "FREAKS" part of the song.
 
Zantetsuken -MONSTER ver.- vs Angry juice | The intro to "Angry juice"  is good but I liked "Zantetsuken" as a single, the monster version wasn't too good in my opinion, too different in riffs. 
 
antlion pit vs evolution | Sad to say from my pov, it's a tie. 
 
Resolution VS -INST.- | Resolution.

BAD END DREAM vs puzzle | "BAD END DREAM" was good and all but too many distortion or animal screams, growls, whatever you wish to call it. I did like how "-INST.-" transitioned into "puzzle" though, that was nice. Winner = puzzle. 
 
Asking why vs Live is Life | Live is Life. 

Zecchou BANG!! vs DEAD WORLD | DEAD WORLD. The combination of Nu-metal and electro really kicks in around 2:10 of the song which makes it more favorable. 

Another way vs Ishtar | Ishtar seemed to be a small building point for the final track, "enishi". Another way won this one, the start of the song has a good momentum but then the song gets a bit annoying then it re-gains its momentum. 

ALONE vs enishi | enish no contest. 
 
So far my favorite album by them is GO

MUSIC will easily win in this debate imo.  It flowed flawlessly together with the previous releases I listened to. To me, its the most musically diverse the band has ever been. Its a nice and well done combo of both metal and rap. Also the placing of the tracks made it seem as if they were telling some kind of story. Also next to UROBOROS and a handful of other albums, I rarely change songs when listening.  MONSTER was also a great album because to me it was the bands comeback but with that said...there is a lot of songs that album could've done without. I can't get past the end chunk of the album without cringing and skipping. Felt like they threw in GO left overs there just to fill up space.

Well at the time I used to really be into them I loved the digital effects xD I suppose my fave songs are puzzle, Ishtar, enishi, Smash, Melody and Omaeni sasageru minikui koe (but then the last three already appeared in Reason for Crying so nothing new there ). 
Actually I also liked the songs on 13's Reborn. Suppose it's not even second then.

Although I don't dig any of the albums, I'll have to go with music. It's way more various both in mood and composition. The thing about MUSIC was that the album essentially another girugämesh, just with a few more electronics added. Melancholic, aggressive and sad songs alike, I'd say that this album is amongst the most virtuous ones in giru's discography, and not only that, the compositions were good. No song sounded like the other, no melody felt overused.
 
Monster lacks in basically everything MUSIC is good at. Compositions feel lazy and repetitive, the vocal tracks are so predictable it's incredible.. and there's way too much electronics and autotune for my taste. So.. my vote goes for MUSIC.
 
..And yeah, I also think Reason of Crying is amongst their best outputs, if not THE best.
 
Favourite tracks on MUSIC: puzzle, イシュタル, asking why, お前に捧げる醜い声
Facourite tracks on MONSTER: MONSTER, VOLTAGE, Antlion Pit

Neither. I find both to be equally awful. I don't listen to this band outside of 13's Reborn and their earliest singles and EPs, however I do still give every new release a proper chance. Don't know why I do this, as it's been pretty obvious for some years that they'e not gonna make anything for me again. Everything after the mediocre self-titled album contains close to no good riffs, and if there's any good riffs there they're hidden behind an awful production, boring vocals, borings drumming and dreadful electronic elements. Yeah, not my cup of tea.

10 years in the biz and girugamesh are still churning out albums for the masses.

With the recent release of their last mini-album "Gravitation" still making waves, I thought it'd be a good idea to talk about a couple of their previous works.

Just like the previous TGAD, l want to hear why you like these albums, or why you don't, and how they compare to each other in your library.

Don't be afraid to really dig into these albums and pick them apart. I'd love to read some in-depth analysis in these threads.

Here are today's challengers:

 

   vs   

As always, be kind to each other, please. The last time was great, let's keep it up!

Monster, because I'm able to embrace change

Falloch are awesome imo, I really loved "This Island, Our Funeral" even if I still prefer "Where Distant Spirits Remain". Concerning Ulver, I tried all their stuff (which I find totally mind blowing) unless their 90's era (don't include Kveldssanger, I loved that one). I think I read they had recorded only one black metal album, is that right? Anyway, unless Falloch and Ulver, I don't know any of the bands you mentioned so gonna try them all and maybe give my opinion if I got some free time.
 
Thanks a lot, dude.

all in all it was a nice experience.
band is still damn heavy but didn't forget about melody.
Jay Weinberg sounds more straightforward when compared to Joey Jordison.
 
this album sounds like if some stupid ass shitcore band finally matured and did something good for Satan's sake.
also back to the roots, yes. yet made on an AHIG sound.
great comeback, I approve that.