Musical advice, please?

Invader

Ancient Mariner
I'm going to my first festival in the summer, Tuska Open Air.  It's a finnish three-day metal-only festival.  I don't actually listen to any of the bands that will be playing there, but I'm going more for the experience.  Artists confirmed so far are:

Slayer
Dimmu Borgir
Carcass
Killswitch Engage
Sonata Arctica
Amon Amarth
Mokoma
Kreator
Entombed
Job For A Cowboy
Stam1na
Behemoth
Nile
Kalmah
Dream Evil
Tyr
Primordial
The Sorrow
Noxa
Kiuas
Korpiklaani
Ghost Brigade
Discard
Dying Fetus

Since I've never listened to any of these earlier, I figured it's high time to get into some of them before summer.  This is where you guys come in; I won't have the time nor energy to try them all, so I need some advice on which ones to listen to.  I'll be primarily downloading entire albums, so exact album recommendations would also be welcome.  My main musical taste includes heavy metal, power metal, thrash metal, and melodic death metal.  So thanks in advance :)
 
Nile is Death Metal and pretty good at it. The only one I know forwards and backwards is Sonata Arctica. Their first cd, "Ecliptica" is by far their best. "Silence" Their second outing is also quite solid, after that their fifth and last release, "Unia" is a return to roots type of outing which is really good. From their 3rd and 4th cds I recommend the tracks, "The Cage, Victoria's Secret, The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Real Puppet, My Selene and Shamandalie.

Again, that's the only band I truly know, but it seems like a more than decent festival.
 
Slayer
Classic thrash metal.  Go for anything 'Seasons in the Abyss' and previous, although some of the best cuts are on their 'Decade of Aggression' double live album, which is only the price of a single CD, to boot!  WAAAR ENSEMMBLLEEE!!

Dimmu Borgir
Not a great fan of theirs, but they're Symphonic Black Metal.  They'll mostly be plugging their modern material, like 'In Sorte Diaboli'

Carcass
They'll be playing stuff from their 'classic' 'Heartwork' album.  Melodic death metal, and pretty classic at that.

Killswitch Engage
Metalcore.  Don't know their material, I'm afraid.

Sonata Arctica
Finnish Power Metal.  Very twee.  Don't know any of their material.

Amon Amarth
Swedish Melodic Death Metal with Viking themes.  Try their latest album 'With Oden On Our Side' and 'Versus The World' for most of what their setlist will be.  You NEED to hear Victorious March, though (album: Once Sent From The Golden Hall)

Mokoma  -Don't know, I'm afraid

Kreator
German ('Teutonic') Thrash Metal.  Hunlord could wax lyrical about them, but 'Pleasure to Kill' and 'Extreme Aggressions' are excellent albums, and 'Enemy of God' is their latest.

Entombed
Old-school Swedish Death Metal.  Perhaps their latest album will be in the setlist (can't remember the name of it).
Primordial
GET THEIR DISCOGRAPHY. NOW.
 
Slayer

Decent enough. Somewhere among the Thrash/Death Metal line. Their albums Hell Awaits (1985), Reign In Blood (1986), Seasons In The Abyss (1988) and South Of Heaven (1990) are undisputed classics and belong in any metalhead's collection, no matter what his or her preference is. Their latest effort, Christ Illusion, is hailed by many as a return to form, and is indeed not all that bad. They also have some of the most annoying fans this side of Proxima Centauri. If you see somebody screaming "SLAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!111111111" you have my permission to punch their teeth out.

Dimmu Borgir

Kiddie band trying to be evil but ends up being ridiculous. Supposedly somewhere in the Black Metal corner.

Carcass

Yech. Just like the name says, really.

Killswitch Engage

A really, really crap band. Floating on the top of the American metalcore wave.

Sonata Arctica

Power Metal. Alright if you're into hour-long guitar solos, castrate singers and cheesy fantasy lyrics. Actually, they're pretty good for that.

Amon Amarth

Brilliant band. Melodic Death Metal with viking lyrics, hence dubbed "Viking Metal". They've got wicked riffs and great songwriting, and an undefinable little something that sets them apart from all those other death metal bands.

Kreator

Classic Thrash Metal. I'm not overly familiar with them, but they have a godly reputation.

Entombed

I'm probably confusing them with either Enslaved or Enthroned or both, so I'm not sure about them.

Behemoth

Heard of them. Never heard them.

Nile

They're a big thing, but I don't think I ever heard their stuff.

Dream Evil

Heard of them. Named after a Dio album.

Tyr

Heard of them. Named after a Black Sabbath album.

Primordial

Great band. Sounds like melodic Black Metal with clear vocals, most of the time.

Korpiklaani

Heard of them. Never heard them.

Dying Fetus

See Carcass above.
 
Invader, which trash metal bands do you listen to, just to get an idea? I suppose Slayer is one of them? If not then check out their gig and you'll see how influential and big they are.

Further you mention melodic death metal.
Carcass is a huge name and they reformed recently. You'll find a full field when they start. On the last couple of albums they became more melodic (more Maiden kind of guitar harmonies), so this band you should give a chance. It will be a special moment. Click here to see how they sounded on their one but last album Heartwork.

Dimmu Borgir started out as black metal, but later they integrated a lot of death (mainly due to the drums) and bombast in there music. Again a band I wouldn't skip if you mention melodic death metal.

Killswitch Engage is (musically seen) one of those American bands influenced by the Gothenburg-scene, which is in the end death metal influenced by Iron Maiden. So you could check them out, though I prefer the European originals.

Entombed is an old classic Swedish death metal band. They made some iconic albums like "Left Hand Path". They could kick ass live. Click here to check their Left Hand Path video. The song changes later so be patient to get an idea. I particularly like the doomy part from 3.45.

Dream Evil & Sonata Arctica: some of the few bands with lots of melody, power metal bands.

For the rest I'd also check Amon Amarth. Not the most original band, but they're doing very well, and make a nice combination of speed and catchy melodies.

Nile is very fast death metal, a band consisting of good musicians, but after listening half an album, they're becoming repetitive and boring in my ears. Perhaps a live performance would be a kind of "best of" and less boring than from the CD player.
 
Perun said:
Tyr

Heard of them. Named after a Black Sabbath album.

Tyr is  a Celt god who sacrificed himself (well just his hand actually), to bound this other god, more powerful than all the rest....
 
Onhell said:
Tyr is  a Celt god who sacrificed himself (well just his hand actually), to bound this other god, more powerful than all the rest....

Not wanting to be pedantic, but the myth of Tyr placing his hand in the mouth of the wolf Fenris (offspring of Loki...go figure) while the other gods bound it has its origins in Norse mythology (as far as I'm aware, there's no parallel in Celtic mythology).

Speaking of Celts, I suppose I should qualify my demand that you get Primordial's entire discography. :p

It's fairly easy to predict what songs will be played at festival shows with Primordial on the bill, depending on their place in the rankings.  Usually, 'Sons of the Morrigan' is the only song aired from 'Storm Before Calm', so you can miss that one.  'The Gathering Wilderness', and 'To The Nameless Dead' (their latest) are must-haves, especially considering that nearly all the setlist will be composed from these albums (check their MySpace for an excellent version of 'The Coffin Ships').  'A Journey's End' and 'Spirit The Earth Aflame' are excellent, as well, although you'd be looking at 1-2 songs off each in a festival setlist.  My advice is to get the two lates albums, love them, get the other two, love them, then get 'Imrama' and 'Storm Before Calm'.  A really, really excellent band with some really absorbing music, and a great live performance, too.
 
Entombed

Left Hand Path and Clandestine are classic Swedish death metal albums, but there's plenty of melody in their music too. After those two releases, they became a very cheesy (in my estimation anyway) 'death n' roll' act. By now, most of their albums are death n' roll, so I don't know what if seeing them live would be brilliant, but do try those albums out.

Kreator

Pleasure to Kill is the only one you really need from these Germans, and it's definitely a firm speed metal favourite of mine. Their later albums, don't hold the same appeal as this one, I'm afraid.

Carcass

Heartwork is recommended if you're looking for melodic death metal, the earlier albums are grindcore and death metal (although they are excellent).

Dimmu Borgir

Stormblast might be worth looking into if you're looking for a more accessible entry to black metal, other than that, stay clear of this cheesefest of a band. Make sure it's the original recording of Stormblast, however.

Oh, and avoid Dying Fetus and Job For A Cowboy like the plague.
 
Perun said:
[Slayer 's] albums Hell Awaits (1985), Reign In Blood (1986), Seasons In The Abyss (1988) and South Of Heaven (1990) are undisputed classics and belong in any metalhead's collection, no matter what his or her preference is.

You got the years reversed on the last 2. South Of Heaven was 1988; Seasons In The Abyss was 1990.
 
Raven said:
Not wanting to be pedantic, but the myth of Tyr placing his hand in the mouth of the wolf Fenris (offspring of Loki...go figure) while the other gods bound it has its origins in Norse mythology (as far as I'm aware, there's no parallel in Celtic mythology).

Thanks for the clarification, My ex is the one who told me the story months ago and she belongs to a pan-celtic neo-pagan grove so I assumed as much, since I don't remember the full story anymore... obviously
 
I hate death metal, but Amon Amarth is so freaking sick.  Every time I hear "Gods of War Arise" I want to go pillage some English fishing villages.

Some seek shelter in the Church
A refuge for those with faith
But we know how to smoke them out
A pyre will be raised

Those that choose to stand and fight
Will die with dignity
For the unfortunate few who survive
Waits a life in slavery
 
Not much more I can add to what has already been given, but I must say that these comments have highlighted how opinion can be divided about Kreator. This is a classic case of a band trying a new direction and loosing its fanbase along the way. For me, they are easily the greatest German band ever and I love their stuff, old and new.

Try these Kreator vids to judge how you see their newer stuff:

Impossible Brutality and Endorama.
 
Speaking of old and new and how a band might change over time, that is one of the things I like about 'discovering' an 'old' band late in their career. Hindsight can be an eye-opener as a new fan. For example with both Maiden and Iced Earth I got their latest cd at the time (BNW and SW) and an "early" album to get a good feel of their old and new sound and eventually got everything or most of teh stuff in between. With many bands I end up liking both old and new and with others like In Flames, I don't bother with their newer sound and others like Kamelot their newer material is much more mature and impressive... 
 
Get Primordial. Period. Everything else I don't know, I have heard some Korpiklaani, it's interesting if you're into sort of folkish metal. But back to Primordial, get the entire discography. I highly recommend A Journey's End to start with and their latest release, To the Nameless Dead.
 
Primordial for sure. Best gig ever. Best Irish band ever, and one of my favourites of all time. If you look carefully, you can see me in the vid. I'm so cool and with the scene, aren't you proud Blackie?
 
Hunlord said:
Primordial for sure. Best gig ever. Best Irish band ever, and one of my favourites of all time. If you look carefully, you can see me in the vid. I'm so cool and with the scene, aren't you proud Blackie?

EYEM SO PROUD OV U!1 sTAY sIKK N sPPORT dA sEEN!11!

17255810lxe5.jpg


Oh, and eh...Primordial are great, particulary Imrama.
 
A few years ago I checked out Primordial, and I wasn't that impressed. Now, I see more and more people getting enthousiastic.

Would you all tell me what you like so much about them (what sets them apart from most other bands?), perhaps I'll take a second chance.

Thanks in advance!  :)
 
Forostar said:
A few years ago I checked out Primordial, and I wasn't that impressed. Now, I see more and more people getting enthousiastic.

Would you all tell me what you like so much about them (what sets them apart from most other bands?), perhaps I'll take a second chance.

Thanks in advance!  :)

1. One of the most impassioned and emotional vocalists around.  Every syllable from Alan Averill's throat is sung with pure from-the-gut passion, whatever emotion he's portraying.

2. Some of the finest interweaving guitar harmonies this side of the NWOBHM, creating beautiful soundscapes of each song...which also allows the band to rack up the song lengths without falling into Opeth syndrome (i.e. same riff repeated 16 times with no variation)

3. Very well-written lyrics, and a good sense of cohesion between the lyrics of different songs and different albums (repeated lyrics are used from album to album, but it's not due to a lack of imagination).

4. One of the best stage performances of a band their size, with none of the over-triggered, over-dubbed, sampled nonsense that so many bands use.

5. They're Irish.
 
Forostar said:
Thanks, that was interesting to know.  :)

To be honest, anything that I say cannot sum up what Primordial stand for.  I think the best thing is to listen to their music, and lose yourself in the atmosphere they conjure up.  Oh, and don't forget to BANG YOUR FUCKING HEAD.

Thank you.

:bigsmile:
 
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