jazz from hell
Ancient Mariner
Weren't you the one who described AAL as shit a while ago?
Best New Music of 2018
- Thread starter Cornfed Hick
- Start date
JudasMyGuide
Ancient Mariner
Definitely not. I nominated Tosin as a guitarist in that Best Band Ever nom thread some time ago, iirc.
(Or, if I did, I was kidding.
But I really don't remember)EDIT: The closest I could find was
jazz from hell
Ancient Mariner
Yes, I haven't read that closely enough, sorry.
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
Evergrey - The Storm Within
'The Storm Within' is more melodic, emotional Metal from Evergrey. Their music remains as powerful as ever, but perhaps a bit less depressing than it has been before. It's nothing that we haven't heard from Evergrey before but it's well executed and sounds good. There's a couple of appearances from Floor Jansen to mix things up a bit, and the singer Tom Englund's wife Carina also guests on 'The Paradox of the Flame'. Nice album but it hasn't really stood out for me this year. Rating: 6/10. Highlight: The Impossible.
Wovenwar - Honor is Dead
Wovenwar are the band who emerged after As I Lay Dying were finished by their vocalists', Tim Lambesis, attempt to hire a hitman to kill his wife. It's basically the same band with a new singer, a guy called Shane Blay who was in a band called Oh, Sleeper who I've never heard of. The music is fairly standard Metalcore but with mainly clean vocals, whereas As I Lay Dying has mainly Tim's screaming and bassist Josh Gilbert's clean vocals in the choruses. I guess they have some similarities to As I Lay Dying but there was a conscious effort by the band not to sound like As I Lay Dying, and the result is a more melodic, radio-friendly sort of Metal. 'Honor is Dead' won't make any earthquakes but it's a good album and will probably appeal to fans of certain types of Metal/Rock. There are some nice hooks in the album and some good shout-along moments which are basically for the live shows. Don't forget the obligatory Metalcore breakdowns too. 'World on Fire' has all three of those! Rating: 6/10. Highlight: Confession.
Devildriver - Trust No One
One word to describe the latest Devildriver album is "bleak". Not in terms of the music, because it is a good album, but in terms of the atmosphere. It's dark, angry and depressing from the outset with the opening track 'Testimony of Truth' containing the lines "Sometimes it feels so lonely. Like the wind it blows right through me!". 'Trust No One' is filled with hate throughout, portrayed by every aspect of the band's music. While not being the most uplifting album of 2016 it's still a good listen, but only when one is in the right mood for it, and then not too many repeats. Rating: 6/10. Highlight: Daybreak.
Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake
This made a bit more of an immediate impact on me than its predecessor, 'Dark Roots of Earth' from back in 2012, did. 'Brotherhood of the Snake' is pretty much a typical Testament album, with the usual occult and politics themes cropping up. The title track is about some sort of ancient secret society and 'Stronghold' is about elections, freedom of speech and uprisings. There's a song which I think is about nuclear holocaust ('Centuries of Suffering') - a topic I'm sure Testament have covered before - and one called 'Canna-Business' which I'm sure @Travis The Dragon will empathize with (although it's the low point of the album for me). Testament are certainly still going strong and producing better Thrash than some of their peers. Chuck's vocals are still dripping with venom (another Metal vocalist who fully recovered from cancer and still sounds as good as ever!) and the guitars still sounds awesome - particularly Alex Skolnick...
'Brotherhood of the Snake' won't go down as a classic Testament album but it's it's a solid effort. Rating: 7/10. Highlight: The Pale King.
'The Storm Within' is more melodic, emotional Metal from Evergrey. Their music remains as powerful as ever, but perhaps a bit less depressing than it has been before. It's nothing that we haven't heard from Evergrey before but it's well executed and sounds good. There's a couple of appearances from Floor Jansen to mix things up a bit, and the singer Tom Englund's wife Carina also guests on 'The Paradox of the Flame'. Nice album but it hasn't really stood out for me this year. Rating: 6/10. Highlight: The Impossible.
Wovenwar - Honor is Dead
Wovenwar are the band who emerged after As I Lay Dying were finished by their vocalists', Tim Lambesis, attempt to hire a hitman to kill his wife. It's basically the same band with a new singer, a guy called Shane Blay who was in a band called Oh, Sleeper who I've never heard of. The music is fairly standard Metalcore but with mainly clean vocals, whereas As I Lay Dying has mainly Tim's screaming and bassist Josh Gilbert's clean vocals in the choruses. I guess they have some similarities to As I Lay Dying but there was a conscious effort by the band not to sound like As I Lay Dying, and the result is a more melodic, radio-friendly sort of Metal. 'Honor is Dead' won't make any earthquakes but it's a good album and will probably appeal to fans of certain types of Metal/Rock. There are some nice hooks in the album and some good shout-along moments which are basically for the live shows. Don't forget the obligatory Metalcore breakdowns too. 'World on Fire' has all three of those! Rating: 6/10. Highlight: Confession.
Devildriver - Trust No One
One word to describe the latest Devildriver album is "bleak". Not in terms of the music, because it is a good album, but in terms of the atmosphere. It's dark, angry and depressing from the outset with the opening track 'Testimony of Truth' containing the lines "Sometimes it feels so lonely. Like the wind it blows right through me!". 'Trust No One' is filled with hate throughout, portrayed by every aspect of the band's music. While not being the most uplifting album of 2016 it's still a good listen, but only when one is in the right mood for it, and then not too many repeats. Rating: 6/10. Highlight: Daybreak.
Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake
This made a bit more of an immediate impact on me than its predecessor, 'Dark Roots of Earth' from back in 2012, did. 'Brotherhood of the Snake' is pretty much a typical Testament album, with the usual occult and politics themes cropping up. The title track is about some sort of ancient secret society and 'Stronghold' is about elections, freedom of speech and uprisings. There's a song which I think is about nuclear holocaust ('Centuries of Suffering') - a topic I'm sure Testament have covered before - and one called 'Canna-Business' which I'm sure @Travis The Dragon will empathize with (although it's the low point of the album for me). Testament are certainly still going strong and producing better Thrash than some of their peers. Chuck's vocals are still dripping with venom (another Metal vocalist who fully recovered from cancer and still sounds as good as ever!) and the guitars still sounds awesome - particularly Alex Skolnick...
'Brotherhood of the Snake' won't go down as a classic Testament album but it's it's a solid effort. Rating: 7/10. Highlight: The Pale King.
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
I wasn't joking.
I haven't seen them live yet, but I respect your opinion.
About the Metal Archives thing...I came across the woman who runs it on another forum a few years back. Horrible woman. She struck me as the sort of person who likes Metal and only Metal, and then only the heaviest, darkest Metal she can find. She was really bitter about having to put certain bands on her website, but I think it's because she hates them.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Very interesting list that compiles internationally published "Best Of Metal 2016" lists into a score and then ranks them: https://www.facebook.com/TheDuellists/posts/1833248593581148
SixesAlltheway
Ancient Mariner
I started off 2016 by listening to a lot of new music. It seems to be a resolution for me almost: "THIS year I'll really just listen to new music, all year!" but as the year went on I sorta went back to the oldies and goodies and also discovered a lot of cool old albums, so I'm sure I missed out on getting to know a lot of cool music...
Not gonna write too much about each album in my picks and I KNOW that I have forgotten a lot of albums but anyways! Let's see:
PART 1 of my picks....
David Bowie - Black Star.
I know it's been hyped like hell but it's a fantastic album. It really is. Just like Leonard Cohen (and his last album before his death) I really love the style of this late Bowie. it's awesome. And the fact that he writes an album about his own eminent death is brave beyond words. A true artist that this world might never see the likes of again.
Song to check out:
Doug Tuttle - It Calls On Me
Warm, lo fi, psych rock and folk. An album that works best when you listen to the entire thing from start to finish (who wouldn't though?!)
Kikagaku Moyo - House in the Tall Grass
Japanese psych outfit with a little bit of acid folk involved too....
Song to check out:
The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos
Like the name says, a collaboration between Les Claypool from Primus and Sean Lennon (son of John Lennon) and it's basically exactly what you get too....Beatle-eaque melodies and hooks exposed to the wackiness of Primus.
Song to check out: (and possibly best music video of 2016 too)
Not gonna write too much about each album in my picks and I KNOW that I have forgotten a lot of albums but anyways! Let's see:
PART 1 of my picks....
David Bowie - Black Star.
I know it's been hyped like hell but it's a fantastic album. It really is. Just like Leonard Cohen (and his last album before his death) I really love the style of this late Bowie. it's awesome. And the fact that he writes an album about his own eminent death is brave beyond words. A true artist that this world might never see the likes of again.
Song to check out:
Doug Tuttle - It Calls On Me
Warm, lo fi, psych rock and folk. An album that works best when you listen to the entire thing from start to finish (who wouldn't though?!)
Kikagaku Moyo - House in the Tall Grass
Japanese psych outfit with a little bit of acid folk involved too....
Song to check out:
The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Monolith of Phobos
Like the name says, a collaboration between Les Claypool from Primus and Sean Lennon (son of John Lennon) and it's basically exactly what you get too....Beatle-eaque melodies and hooks exposed to the wackiness of Primus.
Song to check out: (and possibly best music video of 2016 too)
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Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Metal is the genre with the least elitism from all genres. Metal concerts are social gatherings. Blood brothers all the way. There are always exception but I really think that metal minded people are in general the most open minded from al genres. Look at the genres people are into here. You won't find this on a jazz combo forum, on a pop group forum, a hip hop group forum or a prog rock forum. The biggest variety and tolerance can be found in the metal community.
This forum is certainly an exception, but many other Metal communities are more concerned with whether something is "trve" metal or not than whether it's actually good. Bands who go off the beaten path get crucified by fans (Opeth, Ulver, Metallica, etc).
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
It isn't as bad as how complete genres e.g. metal are vilified in band communities of other genres.
Opeth have the most fans within the metal community, not outside. They do best at metal festivals, not non-metal festivals.
Bands who change, always get criticism, because bands are identified with a certain context/(sub-)genre. That doesn't mean people in a community are in general less into other genres.
This forum is not an exception. Maiden is a metal band, and metalheads, on a forum or not (there are a lot who do not go to forums), are mostly into other music as well. We're not that special. Quit the anti-metal bias, because it isn't based on much.
Some people out here have always had negative ideas of metal people, about the metal comunity, about metal. But it's a myth that metalheads are less tolerant than other genres, or even the worst.
Opeth have the most fans within the metal community, not outside. They do best at metal festivals, not non-metal festivals.
Bands who change, always get criticism, because bands are identified with a certain context/(sub-)genre. That doesn't mean people in a community are in general less into other genres.
This forum is not an exception. Maiden is a metal band, and metalheads, on a forum or not (there are a lot who do not go to forums), are mostly into other music as well. We're not that special. Quit the anti-metal bias, because it isn't based on much.
Some people out here have always had negative ideas of metal people, about the metal comunity, about metal. But it's a myth that metalheads are less tolerant than other genres, or even the worst.
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I would say the only more elitist communities are classical and jazz. You can still enjoy the music and criticize the negative aspects that come with it.
Speaking from personal experience here, the four music subreddits I go on most are r/metal, r/jazz, r/hiphopheads, and r/popheads. r/metal is the only one where I have been vilified for my tastes, just talking about Metal alone. See what happens when you go into a "pure" metal forum and say you like djent or nu metal. This is a phenomenon that hardly takes place in other communities.
Speaking from personal experience here, the four music subreddits I go on most are r/metal, r/jazz, r/hiphopheads, and r/popheads. r/metal is the only one where I have been vilified for my tastes, just talking about Metal alone. See what happens when you go into a "pure" metal forum and say you like djent or nu metal. This is a phenomenon that hardly takes place in other communities.
Just take a look at r/metal's sidebar:
- Prohibited: All Images, Full Album Links (New Releases from Official Channels are fine), and any music from a Blacklisted band is prohibited. Homophobic & racist slurs are not permitted. Post Metalcore, Deathcore and Nu-metal elsewhere.
SixesAlltheway
Ancient Mariner
This is a discussion that needs it's own thread.