The general Metal discussion thread

[Visutox 188]

HOLY. 

SHIT.

 

I'm. So. Fucking. Stoked. I never thought they'd release something so soon and I'm happy we're getting a new album four years later.

 

3 hours ago, Bear said:

Fun fact: the two members of Summoning does not rehears anything before recording, and their guitarist, Protector, does not own a guitar. He just borrows one for each recording process.

Never knew this. One of the most metal things I can think of, lol. 

[Bear 1817]

You could say so, but it's actually been 4 years since their last album. 5 years when the new one comes out. But it doesn't feel that long at all. Time's running fast atm.

 

 

But bands like Emyn Muil, Moongates Guardian, Elffor, Druadan Forest, and Ered Wethrin have made the wait a bit shorter with some Summoning-esque albums, especially Emyn Muil and the best of Moongates Guardian helped on the wait.

 

The new Elffor is superb btw. It's not metal, but dungeon synth and medieval ambient. Probably the best I've ehard from Elffor till now. It's got a huge Summoning-vibe going on throughout the entire album too. Very The Lord of the Rings-esque. Could listen to this while reading the books for sure.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2017 by Bear

[Bear 1817]

Didn't realise that Necrophobic released a new EP this year. One new song and a re-recorded version of a classic song off their classic Slow Asphyxiation demo. The new track, Pesta, sounds very Necrophobic-ish. They continue their very melodic style of black/death metal, and it's very catchy. Sounds like a track off Death to All.

 

The re-recorded version of Slow Asphyxiation isn't bad, but comes off as pointless. Lacks the energy and atmosphere of the original track, which got a proper release in 2009 on the compilation Satanic Blasphemies which includes the two demos Slow Asphyxiation and Unholy Prophecies and the demo The Call. Superb release!

 

If you're not familiar with the band but like bands such as Unanimated, Dissection, Sacramentum, Dismember, Grotesque, Dawn, Cardinal Sin and such it's totally recommended. Imagine a mix of Unanimated's In the Forest of the Dreaming Dead, Dissections Storm of the Light's bane, Dismember's Like an Everflowing Stream and Grotesque's In the Embrace of Evil. Not quite as melodic as Dissection, but more melodic than Dismember and Grotesque.

 

The entire discography is good, but The Nocturnal Silence, Darkside and Satanic Blasphemies are must-haves. Classics!

[Visutox 188]

11 hours ago, Bear said:

You could say so, but it's actually been 4 years since their last album. 5 years when the new one comes out. But it doesn't feel that long at all. Time's running fast atm.

True that, time runs fast. But I was particularly thinking about the enormous gap that there is between Oath Bound and Old Mornings Dawn (7 years or so). Anyway, I gave Minas Morgul yet another spin today... what an album, timeless... What an atmosphere. 

 

I'm gonna be counting the days until the new album gets released (and also spinning the whole band's discography but that goes without saying, right?). 

 

By the way, and if I'm honest, I wouldn't mind Caladan Brood announcing a new album as well. The world is about to end so they might as well drop new stuff already, it's now or never guys. 

 

I'm curious about Elffor. What album would you recommend me to start out with? I have a good feeling about them although their discography seems to be such a mess with all those alternate versions, lol. 

[Bear 1817]

About Elffor, it depends on what you prefer: dungeon synth/ambient or black metal?  But From the Throne of Hate (alternate version) and Frostbitten Pain are probably fine introductions to Elffor as they are heavy on both the dungeon synth and black metal, especially From the Throne of Hate.

[Visutox 188]

Certainly black metal, but since I'm interested in discovering lots of dungeon synth I think I'll take recommendations of both if possible. Will start with From the Throne of Hate, then! Thankies. 

[Bear 1817]

If you plan on checking out dungeon synth I would really recommend you checking out the classics first. It's a genre that's incredibly uneven and hit & miss. It's usually totally amazing or total dogshit. You rarely find something inbetween. But if you're into medieval atmospheres you'll do wise in checking out the genre.

 

Early Mortiis, Thangorodrim, Lord Wolf, Erevos, *Silentium, Cedamus, Jim Kirkwood and so on are the perfect soundstacks for an evening with hours and hours of Dungeons and Dragons with your friends. The music actually sounds nerdy as fuck. Dark, medieval fantasy music. A lot of it is like Summoning without the metallic part.

 

 

Silentium is a must for sure. At one point point in the middle of the medieval atmospheres of the demo The Ancients' Wisdom it breaks out in something closer to traditional SNES music like the osts of old Castlevania games. It's just absurd, but it works and it's a really nice tune. My favourite on the album. This was the side project of Munruthel,the drummer of Nokturnal Mortum from 1994-2003.

 

 

[Bear 1817]

 

 

 

Formed in 1995 and released a demo in 95 and an EP in 98, but they were silent between 98 and 2017 and didn't release a single thing in that period of time. But their debut was released earlier this year and is one of the best releases of the year, if not the best. Original and unique, but without losing their classic Hellenic sound. They got the same, classic Hellenic feeling as old Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Varathron, Tatir, Kawir, and the newer band Ithaqua. Been spinning this album a lot lately and I absolutely love it.

 

Must have for any fan of Hellenic black metal!!!

[Visutox 188]

43 minutes ago, Bear said:

 

 

 

Formed in 1995 and released a demo in 95 and an EP in 98, but they were silent between 98 and 2017 and didn't release a single thing in that period of time. But their debut was released earlier this year and is one of the best releases of the year, if not the best. Original and unique, but without losing their classic Hellenic sound. They got the same, classic Hellenic feeling as old Necromantia, Rotting Christ, Varathron, Tatir, Kawir, and the newer band Ithaqua. Been spinning this album a lot lately and I absolutely love it.

 

Must have for any fan of Hellenic black metal!!!

Damn, I loved this one and I remember giving it a very high score. I'm glad you're mentioning them because it's as you say; one of the best albums released so far! I highly recommend it as well. I'm glad I came across them. 

[Bear 1817]

 

 

That's so fucking good.

[Bear 1817]

https://paysagedhiver.bandcamp.com/track/schnee-iv

 

 

Paysage d'Hiver the great, and he still makes a fucking blizzard in form of music. Amazing as always.

[Bear 1817]

 

High octane 80's speed metal at its finest, and the album totally rips. Killer stuff! Shouldn't come as a surprise as the band consists of members from Luzifer, Bulldozing Bastard, Quintessenz, Wifebeater and Hellhunt among others.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

^ Thanks for the heads-up! Somehow I missed the fact that they released an album. Their demo was pretty cool, so definitely putting this on my to-listen-to list.

[Bear 1817]

Their demo is excellent, but I actually prefer this album to the demo. Along with Ranger these are the current speed metal masters, although Vulture is a bit more thrashy than Ranger and much closer to Razor. But both bands rule and both bands understand what made 80's speed metal so damn good.

 

[Bear 1817]

 

https://irongriffin.bandcamp.com/

 

Totally into this EP at the moment. Epic heavy metal which sounds like it was written and recorded in 1983-84. Good-bad vocals and an overall majestic feeling. Brilliant! For fans of old Manilla Road, Omen, Legend, Brocas Helm, Heavy Load and bands like that.

[Bear 1817]

 

 

 

 

Epic metal band Holy Martys released a new album too, their first albun since 2011's Invincible. Their earlier outputs up until their second album was mostly about ancient Hellenic history, mythology and warfare, their third album was about the Japanese samurai and this new one is about The Lord of the Rings. I'm really digging the themes tey cover, and I like how the music has always changed to fit the lyrical themes.

 

Their earlier outputs was very epic and majestic.

Their third album about the samurai was faster, powerful and catchier.

This, their fourth album is slower, darker and more epic again.

 

The music fits their themes very well IMO. New album sounds cool too, but far from as catchy as their previous stuff. Will take much more time to get into this one than their previous albums.

[Bear 1817]

A couple of recent re-discoveries or whatever:

 

Agnostic Front - Cause for Alarm

 

Agnostic Front is a band that should be perfect to my taste, but for some reason it never clicked with me... until now that is. Gave this album a new chance the other day and it just clicked. A brilliant mix of hardcore punk and thrash metal, but without becoming a regular crossover thrash band. Which is weird, as crossover thrash is a mix of thrash and hardcore punk, but this album is kinda 70/30 hardcore and thrash, but without actually mixing them together. You have hardcore parts and you have thrash metal parts, but no parts that's a mix of the two. And there's acertain rawness to the album that is phenomenal.

 

Cardinals Folly - Holocaust of Ecstasy & Freedom

 

I'm not sure I've actually heard this album before, but I heard their two first EPs once and could not get into it. But this is just magnificent.  It's heavy and stuff, but catchy as fuck and full of great riffs and passionate vocals. I can hear elemts of bands such as Reverend Bizarre, Saint Vitus, The Lamp of Thoth, Lucifer's Fall and The Wizar'd in both riffs and atmosphere. But you won't have a problem telling the band apart from the mentioned ones.

 

Looking forward to giving the rest of their discography a chance too.

[Bear 1817]

Thought I'd just throw out a few rcommendations for overlooked death metal releases of 2017. Just a few that seems to have flew under most peoples radar:

 

Venenum - Trance of Death

 

An album hard to decribe. Death metal with some progressive elements. For fans of Tribulation, Morbus Chron, Excoriate, Necrovore, Invidious.

 

Venenum - Trance of Death

 

Death metal with some progressive touches. For fans of Invidious, Necrovore, Venenum, Obscure Burial.

 

Obscure Burial - Obscure Burial

 

This feels like cheating, but this is a compilation of their two demos. Most excellent! Black/death metal for fans of Necrovore, Incubus, Invidious, Ensnared.

 

Rude - Remnants...

 

Old school death metal with a new sound. For fans of Pestilence, Morbid Angel, Death, Autopsy, Possessed.

 

Cryptic Brood - Brain Eater

 

Death/doom for fans of Autopsy, Coffins, Winter, Druid Lord and Anatomia.

 

Vampire - With Primeval Force

 

Epic, Castlevania-sounding death/thrash. For fans of Possessed, Tribulation, Necrovore, Repugnant, Merciless

 

 

 

I've got more to come.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

I have trouble keeping up with everything being released (only listened to the new Iced Earth album just now for example xD), so I kinda just realized that Attic's new album has been out for a while now. Started listening right now, so far so badass.

 

Also, this easily has to be one of my favorite music videos this year:

 

 

@Bear I think I gave Venenum's album a spin back when it dropped, tho I don't remember much (other than it being kinda good). Still yet to check out the new Vampire tho, hoping to get on that soon too.

[Bear 1817]

Just keep and eye on this thread and you'll get all the news you need from me.

 

Posted this last month:

 

On 16.7.2017 at 0:29 PM, Bear said:

Some news:

 

Attic - Sanctimonious
 

The Hound of Heaven

 

Attic formed a bit later than other Mercyful Fate and King Diamond worshippers such as Portrait and Trial, but they are no less good. Sanctimonious will be their first album since 2012's great The Invocation, and judging by this song this will be no worse. The intro is 100% Kind Diamond. Could easily have been taken off a King Diamond album. The vocals are brilliant and probably the closest I've heard anyone come King Diamond. In other words, best Kind Diamond song in ages!

 

 

And for those who missed it, Trial released their third album earlier this year. Less Mercyful Fate/King Diamond-esque than Portrait and Attic, but very good tho.

 

Motherless

 

 

 

 

[Bear 1817]

I'd be very surprised if anyone cared, but FLEURETY is releasing a new album. Who is Fleurety you ask? Fleurety is a Norwegian band that formed in 91 and released some amazing black metal between 93-95, before they started to move towards a more experimental avant-garde sound with their 99 EP Last-Minute Lies. One of the early bands considered norwegian weirdness, and for a reason.

 

Min tid skal komme is a classic and is easy to mention alongside Written in Waters, The Linear Scaffold, La Masquerade Infernale, Hail Horror Hail, Satanic Art, Heart of the Ages and so on as albums that helped push the boundaries of black metal. Experimental, often in the direction of avant-garde.

 

 

 

Sounds fantastic. So weird, so unique, so good.

[Bear 1817]

On 5.4.2017 at 8:29 PM, Bear said:

Black Magick SS - Kaleidoscope Dreams

I've been a fan of Black Magick SS' psychedelic rock with hints of black metal since the begining, and this is by far their best release so far. It's so cheesy, but it sounds awesome. Really, really good, and as unique as it is good. Original band!

 

I am not getting enough of this EP and I've probably played it between 5-10 times a day for the past month or so. Probably the very best release of the year for me. First thing I do when I wake up is to spin the EP once, then take shower, then spin it twice more before I go to work. Last thing I do before I go to bed is putting this on repeat 2-3 times and just enjoy it as I go to sleep.

 

The chorus of Kaleidoscope Dreams and Tåget as well as the intro to Tåget is probably my favourite parts of the EP.  The clapping towards the end as the chorus repeats just makes the song a little bit better too. Cheesy! I kinda wonder if Tåget, which is Swedish for train btw, is a reference to the Holocaust. But I just can't make up what they're singing.

[Bear 1817]

 

 

Wizard Bloody Wizard is the title of the new Electric Wizard album. Fantastic title, and I like the cover. There was a new track up on youtube but it's taken down. Apparently Clayton has made his mark onto the band as the track has some elements of Satan's Satyrs, which I think sounds amazing. People seem to think it's hella lot better than Time to Die as well, which as well all know is a good album,b ut their worst. Looking forward to this.

 

 

The track is up on Spotify. Sounds superb!

Edited September 8, 2017 by Bear

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Yeahhhh boiii, can't wait for that new electric wizardry!

[Laurence02 185]

Have we got any love for Candlemass here?

Watch this terribly cheesy video, and note that Per "Dead" Ohlin is stamping in the background in some scenes.