Metalheads & Writers

Well, since I'm on it:

Classic metal album for tonight: King Diamond - Them/Conspiracy

Well, I cheated somewhat, as these are two separate albums, but "Conspiracy" picks up where "Them" left off, story-wise and you shouldn't listen to one without the other.

It's no secret that I love King Diamond. His unique vocal style certainly is an acquired taste, but there are few storytellers and showmen like him in all of Rock. He took the best bits of horror literature, Kiss and Alice Cooper, blended it with a baroque style of heavy metal and ended up with an utterly unique sound. For me, the double dose of "Them" and "Conspiracy" marks the zenith of his craft, a sprawling tale of a haunted house, crazy grandma, blood sacrifices and a brother's unhealthy attraction to his dead sister. Not that his later works are noticably worse, but here both the King and his backing band are firing on all cylinders. For all fans of the theatrical and the macabre, this is a must-hear.

Them (album)
https://youtu.be/2yUlNlxlBJ8

Conspiracy (album)
https://youtu.be/myNwysNheTE

Note to self: You've written more for this thread than for any of your stories, dude. Priorities?

Don't neglect the priorities👠👠👠Kant🌹
Anyway, funny thing that you mentioned Alice Cooper. I was just listening some of his songs the other day with some T.Rex an odd mix up,I know, but my music diversity knows no boundaries. Would you believe I followed it up with Motörhead and Testament? Can't remember what all I dug out of my music vault - just know it was a great day to turn the radio up and jam💋
 
Don't neglect the priorities👠👠👠Kant🌹
Anyway, funny thing that you mentioned Alice Cooper. I was just listening some of his songs the other day with some T.Rex an odd mix up,I know, but my music diversity knows no boundaries. Would you believe I followed it up with Motörhead and Testament? Can't remember what all I dug out of my music vault - just know it was a great day to turn the radio up and jam💋

Cooper and T.Rex go well together, great 70s quirk. Motörhead and Testament as a pallet cleanser isn't that weird, at least not for me. I can go from NES chiptunes to mid-90s gangsta rap to techdeath or grindcore to 80s synth pop in the span of two hours, depends heavily on what I'm doing and who I'm with. Some days are theme days like today, where I went through all my Bathory records, followed by some sound-alikes like Ereb Altor (honestly, their "By Honor" album is from start to finish a huge "Hammerheart" blowjob), Atlantean Kodex, Doomsword or Twilight of the Gods. Some days are just chaos, with my wife and me playing song ping pong, when she needs her Nightwish fix and I counter with Nile. Never a dull moment.
 
Cooper and T.Rex go well together, great 70s quirk. Motörhead and Testament as a pallet cleanser isn't that weird, at least not for me. I can go from NES chiptunes to mid-90s gangsta rap to techdeath or grindcore to 80s synth pop in the span of two hours, depends heavily on what I'm doing and who I'm with. Some days are theme days like today, where I went through all my Bathory records, followed by some sound-alikes like Ereb Altor (honestly, their "By Honor" album is from start to finish a huge "Hammerheart" blowjob), Atlantean Kodex, Doomsword or Twilight of the Gods. Some days are just chaos, with my wife and me playing song ping pong, when she needs her Nightwish fix and I counter with Nile. Never a dull moment.

😎@ Never a dull moment💋
Hahaha.... music defines me more than the clothes I choose to wear - Total freedom!👠👠👠Kant🌹

I'm just as content going from Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" to Death's cover of "God of Thunder" and switching it up from KMFDM's "Stray bullet" or "Amnesia" then toning it down to Cream's "Sunshine of your love" or Waylon Jenning's cover to "Clyde". Then again, Alice in Chain's "Dirt" album is on now to be followed by The Doors and The Bee Gees. I'm a mix up
 
Classic metal album of the day: Anvil - Forged in Fire

No "roots" album this time, instead one of the overlooked classics. Anvil, for whatever reason, never managed to grasp the widespread acclaim bands like Iron Maiden or Saxon got, despite delivering one kick-ass album after another. "Forged in Fire" is no exception. It starts with the slow, creeping title track which foreshadows many epic doom bands such as Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus, followed by the frenzied "Shadow Zone" before it goes all-out in the anthemic "Free as the Wind". "Never Deceive Me Again" is a rather inconspicuous little number before things get raunchy in "Butter-Bust Jerky", wherein guitarist and lyricist Lips describes a rather messy tit fuck.

Side B opens with one of my favourite songs ever "Future Wars". It's fast and pounding, with every fantasy fan's dream lyrics about muscled barbarians waging wars on demon-worshiping heretics. "Hard Times, Fast Ladies" is a generic, if well-played banger about the Rock'n'Roll lifestyle, "Make It Up To You" has great harmonies in the chorus, before the album ends with the epic double whammy of "Motormount", a high-speed proto-thrasher and the furious "Winged Assassins".

Music-wise, this record sits somewhere between Iron Maiden's technicality, especially in the flitting guitar work, and the thumping, rough'n'tumble groove of Motörhead or Venom. Lips is a charismatic vocalist, easily transitioning from smooth singing to hysteric screeching and the lyrics, while metal as fuck, often display an impish sense of humor. "Forged in Fire" may not have band classics like "666" or "Metal on Metal" to it's name, but I think it's one of the finest metal albums ever made.

Forged in Fire (album)
https://youtu.be/29FtShaIT_Q
 
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Oddly, I never really got into Iron Maiden save for the song "Run to the hills". I realize they are inovators and leaders in NWOBHM, but I always favored Judas Priest over Iron Maiden. Now, I'll admit they had some cool ass T-shirts😎

My metal pick for the day: Sepultura - Arise👠👠👠Kant🌹
 
Oddly, I never really got into Iron Maiden save for the song "Run to the hills". I realize they are inovators and leaders in NWOBHM, but I always favored Judas Priest over Iron Maiden. Now, I'll admit they had some cool ass T-shirts😎

My metal pick for the day: Sepultura - Arise👠👠👠Kant🌹

Such a fantastic album. Too bad they went downhill afterwards. "Chaos A.D." at least had more good songs than bad ones, but "Roots", for all its tribal drums and experimentation, wasn't a very good album. When I think "Sepultura", I think brain-melting thrash attacks, not ...whatever they did post-"Arise". Their stuff without Max isn't much better, too much trying to reinvent themselves, not enough good music. Really sad.
 
Such a fantastic album. Too bad they went downhill afterwards. "Chaos A.D." at least had more good songs than bad ones, but "Roots", for all its tribal drums and experimentation, wasn't a very good album. When I think "Sepultura", I think brain-melting thrash attacks, not ...whatever they did post-"Arise". Their stuff without Max isn't much better, too much trying to reinvent themselves, not enough good music. Really sad.

The "Arise" albulm put Sepultura on par with Slayer in my eyes. I bought the Chaos A.D album. and nothing afterwards. I started listening to them when "Beneath the remains" came out. That was enough for me to search out "Morbid Visions & Bestial Devastation". Anyway, "Arise" is my favorite album that brings back good memories each time I listen to it and bang my head when the Bluetooth speaker is jamming on my bathroom vanity. 🌹
 
The "Arise" albulm put Sepultura on par with Slayer in my eyes. I bought the Chaos A.D album. and nothing afterwards. I started listening to them when "Beneath the remains" came out. That was enough for me to search out "Morbid Visions & Bestial Devastation". Anyway, "Arise" is my favorite album that brings back good memories each time I listen to it and bang my head when the Bluetooth speaker is jamming on my bathroom vanity. 🌹

Did you listen to "Schizophrenia"? It is the record where Sepultura learned to play their instruments, right between "Morbid..." and "Beneath..."
 
Classic metal album for today: Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King

One of my favorite US metal albums ever. At a time when hair metal was king, bands like Jag Panzer, Hades, Manilla Road and Savatage played face-melting, headbanging stuff that could stand on its own, without shocking dress code or stage theatrics. "Hall..." caught my attention through its intense title track, which combines a dark, unsettling vibe with outstanding musicianship and truly insane vocals. In his prime, Jon Oliva could scream heads off, as evidenced all over the record. It's also one of the first metal records to fuse hard guitars with classical music (the very first, obviously, would be Deep Purple's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra"). During their long and often tragic career, Savatage have released a number of remarkable albums, be it the rough and gritty "Sirens/The Dungeons are Calling", the fantastic "Gutter Ballet", "Streets - A Rock Opera", "Handful of Rain", but for me, their best work will forever be "In the Hall of the Mountain King".

Bonus Fact: Many former Savatage musicians were involved in the insanely successful Trans-Sibirian Orchestra project.

https://youtu.be/QdGD3Ukb3Q0
 
Classic metal album for today: Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King

One of my favorite US metal albums ever. At a time when hair metal was king, bands like Jag Panzer, Hades, Manilla Road and Savatage played face-melting, headbanging stuff that could stand on its own, without shocking dress code or stage theatrics. "Hall..." caught my attention through its intense title track, which combines a dark, unsettling vibe with outstanding musicianship and truly insane vocals. In his prime, Jon Oliva could scream heads off, as evidenced all over the record. It's also one of the first metal records to fuse hard guitars with classical music (the very first, obviously, would be Deep Purple's "Concerto for Group and Orchestra"). During their long and often tragic career, Savatage have released a number of remarkable albums, be it the rough and gritty "Sirens/The Dungeons are Calling", the fantastic "Gutter Ballet", "Streets - A Rock Opera", "Handful of Rain", but for me, their best work will forever be "In the Hall of the Mountain King".

Bonus Fact: Many former Savatage musicians were involved in the insanely successful Trans-Sibirian Orchestra project.

https://youtu.be/QdGD3Ukb3Q0

Great choice. I had to dig deep in my vault to see if I still owned that Savatage album🌹
I ran across my Richie Blackmore Rainbow stuff. Gonna be a good night after all😎
 
Great choice. I had to dig deep in my vault to see if I still owned that Savatage album🌹
I ran across my Richie Blackmore Rainbow stuff. Gonna be a good night after all😎

Which ones will you be listening to? The Dio stuff or the not-Dio stuff? If nothing else, the post-Dio era is an interesting study in Ritchie trying to find THE perfect hit single :)
 
@Kantarii, you'll probably like this a lot :)

Classic metal album of the day: Samael - Passage

There are enough reasons to really hate on the 1990s. Grunge and Eurodance are two that spring to mind for me personally. But that is easily countered by the Death Metal revolution and, more generally, a willingness to experiment, to break down genre boundaries which seems mostly absent from today's musical landscape. Samael, a Swiss outfit predominantly known for bone-crushing black metal, were on such a path of experimentation after their well-received "Ceremony of Opposites" album, which fused gravelly vocals, harsh guitars and keyboards, the antithesis of trueness. But they were far from done in challenging their fan base. Enter "Passage", their 1996 album. They shortened their pseudonyms, kicked out their drum set and replaced it by a drum machine and a mighty suite of programmed synths alongside their huge wall of guitars. The net result is one frighteningly dark, cold and machine-like album which, at the time, hit like a friggin' freight train. Songs like "The Ones Who Came Before", "Rain" or "Born Under Saturn" were unlike anything I had heard before, not even Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" or "Soul Of The New Machine" could have prepared me for this. I was lucky enough to see them on their 1996 tour along with Gorefest and my ears are still ringing from that concert :) Good times. 21 years later, and the the only gripe I have with this record is the rather mid-heavy mix.

The Ones Who Came Before
https://youtu.be/zyGpL5WSXeQ
 
@Kantarii, you'll probably like this a lot :)

Classic metal album of the day: Samael - Passage

There are enough reasons to really hate on the 1990s. Grunge and Eurodance are two that spring to mind for me personally. But that is easily countered by the Death Metal revolution and, more generally, a willingness to experiment, to break down genre boundaries which seems mostly absent from today's musical landscape. Samael, a Swiss outfit predominantly known for bone-crushing black metal, were on such a path of experimentation after their well-received "Ceremony of Opposites" album, which fused gravelly vocals, harsh guitars and keyboards, the antithesis of trueness. But they were far from done in challenging their fan base. Enter "Passage", their 1996 album. They shortened their pseudonyms, kicked out their drum set and replaced it by a drum machine and a mighty suite of programmed synths alongside their huge wall of guitars. The net result is one frighteningly dark, cold and machine-like album which, at the time, hit like a friggin' freight train. Songs like "The Ones Who Came Before", "Rain" or "Born Under Saturn" were unlike anything I had heard before, not even Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" or "Soul Of The New Machine" could have prepared me for this. I was lucky enough to see them on their 1996 tour along with Gorefest and my ears are still ringing from that concert :) Good times. 21 years later, and the the only gripe I have with this record is the rather mid-heavy mix.

The Ones Who Came Before
https://youtu.be/zyGpL5WSXeQ

Samael - Passage was good, but "Blood Ritial" and "Ceremony of opposites" put it to shame. I actually listen to those two albums quite frequently🔥as they tend to translate into me listening to older Tiamat prior to "wildhoney" which I don't listen to unless I'm in my Pink Floyd mood. Then, it's game on🌹
 
@Kantarii, you'll probably like this a lot :)

Classic metal album of the day: Samael - Passage

There are enough reasons to really hate on the 1990s. Grunge and Eurodance are two that spring to mind for me personally. But that is easily countered by the Death Metal revolution and, more generally, a willingness to experiment, to break down genre boundaries which seems mostly absent from today's musical landscape. Samael, a Swiss outfit predominantly known for bone-crushing black metal, were on such a path of experimentation after their well-received "Ceremony of Opposites" album, which fused gravelly vocals, harsh guitars and keyboards, the antithesis of trueness. But they were far from done in challenging their fan base. Enter "Passage", their 1996 album. They shortened their pseudonyms, kicked out their drum set and replaced it by a drum machine and a mighty suite of programmed synths alongside their huge wall of guitars. The net result is one frighteningly dark, cold and machine-like album which, at the time, hit like a friggin' freight train. Songs like "The Ones Who Came Before", "Rain" or "Born Under Saturn" were unlike anything I had heard before, not even Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" or "Soul Of The New Machine" could have prepared me for this. I was lucky enough to see them on their 1996 tour along with Gorefest and my ears are still ringing from that concert :) Good times. 21 years later, and the the only gripe I have with this record is the rather mid-heavy mix.

The Ones Who Came Before
https://youtu.be/zyGpL5WSXeQ

Samael is one of my favorite bands. I started out with them with "Blood Ritual". I like their countryman's stuff. Alastis - The other side. I love Gorefest and Fearfactory,but a band I was really into at the time I heard all of them was Misery Loves Co. between MLC and Desultory's two albums "Into Eternity" and "Bitterness", I wasn't really moved by Fear Factory or Gorefest as much. All great bands, but lacked what si found with Desultory and Misery Loves Co. Another couple of great bands were Grave and Hypocrisy.👠👠👠Kant🌹
 
Classic metal album of the day: In Flames - The Jester Race

If you were to look up quintessential melodic Death Metal albums, this one would show up near the top of any list. From the opening guitar tones of "Moonshield", you'll realize that this is a special one. Twin lead guitars, often without distortion and bringing a certain folky, almost Thin Lizzy-like note provide contrast and color to the fast ("Dead Eternity!") and hard death metal bits. Where contemporaries Soilwork use clean vocals to put melodies into their songs, In Flames were all about guitars, guitars and more guitars.

After this record, In Flames quickly spiralled out of control. The follow-up "Whoracle" was pretty much "Jester Race pt. 2", only without that special atmosphere, "Colony" and "Clayman" were okay, but then there were too many experiments, too many failed attempts to modernize and "americanize" their sound, and Anders Friden, their singer, should stop trying to sing and stick to grunts and growls.

The Jester Race (album)
https://youtu.be/8Tl3BqLd0uI
 
I love all Sepultura albums from Schizophrenia to Roots. I like a few tracks off of Arise, but that vocalist hurts my ears after a while. Saw them live after the switch and couldn't get through the show, even with ear plugs.

And Slayer I love a lot of their middle work, from Reign in Blood through Diabolous in Musica, but most of their stuff before that is a little samey, and I really don't care for everything after that era. It's just uninspired or something.
 
I've been kinda busy, sorry for not being as active as before.

Classic metal album for today: Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath

Another album with King Diamond on vocals. Sue me :) From the first bits of "A Dangerous Meeting" all the way to "Come To The Sabbath", this album is the oft cited "all killer, no filler". A macabre atmosphere permeates every song, yet the twin guitars of Mike Denner and Hank Sherman inject a surprising amount of melodywork into the proceedings. The King uses the full spectrum of his theatric voice, from deep growls to ear-splitting wails, all the while spinning dark and morbid tales of satanic rites, forbidden trysts in cemetaries and other weirdness.

This album is a classic, deservedly so, and anyone who listened to Ghost's and Portrait's early works will clearly recognize what had inspired them.

Don't Break The Oath (album)
https://youtu.be/UnWzCuhrsbE
 
Sorry I have been preoccupied and haven't had a chance to post on my "Metal" thread. Been trying to hold my skirt down in the winds of Hurricane Irma. 👠👠👠Kant🌹
 
I've had a wee bit of trouble working with Lit and the forums, but for now there's a stable workaround. So, back to it then.

My most recent discovery is Myrkur, a Danish black metal project. True purists hate it with a passion for a number of reasons. First, the main member is a girl *gasp* who also had a somewhat successful career as a pop singer/songwriter *doublegasp* and she puts stuff beyond shrieks and badly recorded, dissonant guitars into her music. Pure heresy and more than enough reasons for some stupid elitists to freak out. Me? I love what Myrkur play, the mix between early Darkthrone-y bluntness and dark folk influences. It's fascinating, interesting and much more riveting than half an hour of blunt force trauma a la Marduk's "Panzerdivision Marduk" (which I also love quite a lot, but only in certain moods)

Anyway, here's a few samples off her latest album
Ulvinde https://youtu.be/M9cNZQIzShc
Funeral https://youtu.be/iIZcIgNi9LI (incidentially, if you like what Myrkur is doing, check out her guest vocalist's stuff too. Less Black Metal, more weird soundscape, but cool either way)
Maneblot https://youtu.be/_eS2zbtUFzU
 
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Just discovered Orden Ogan. They're a Germainc Power Metal Band (imagine that!), and I quite like them (imagine that!!). Their thingy is that it's all, as far as I can tell, concept albums from here on out telling the tale of the immortal, undead-like figure of Alistar Vale, cursed to walk forever with everything behind him decaying away.

Highlights include "Evil Lies in Every Man", "Deaf among the Blind", "Gunman", and "Vampire in Ghost Town". Yes, it's titled that.

They've also been touted as "Blind Guardian's One True Successor". Bit rough that, Blind Guardian's not done yet.

Also nearly discovered "Iron Mask", but Orden Ogan supplanted them.
 
Just discovered Orden Ogan. They're a Germainc Power Metal Band (imagine that!), and I quite like them (imagine that!!).

They've also been touted as "Blind Guardian's One True Successor". Bit rough that, Blind Guardian's not done yet.

Also nearly discovered "Iron Mask", but Orden Ogan supplanted them.

Well, there's certainly no shortage of German Power Metal bands, with the likes of Helloween, Iron Saviour, Stormwarrior and Gamma Ray still kicking around, just to name the few I have in grabbing distance.

No, Blind Guardian are certainly not done, but I feel they've long passed the point where you could just plop in one of their records and have a good time. Nowadays, since about "Nightfall in Middle-Earth", they are a "headphone band", where you need to really put the time in, dissect the music or at least listen to it to the exclusion of everything else. The times of "Lost in the Twilight Hall" or "Valhalla" are definitely past, and I think Orden Ogan are at that particular point right now. They play technical stuff, yes, but not so technical that you can't sing along or simply headbang while doing the dishes :) Good stuff, and if you like what they're playing, check out the latter Savatage albums too, "Gutter Ballet" and beyond. Should be right up your alley.

Also, my snarky comments in regards to Myrkur were not my opinion, just a little hyperbole with a middle finger towards the hardcore, trve elitist Black Metal crowd. You know, the guys sacrificing a chicken before leaving the house and sending nail bombs to any band which doesn't play what they deem the true kind of music - early 1992 Darkthrone or Burzum, played sloppily onto a broken 4-track somewhere in the woods in Norway :)

In that regard, I'm very excited for the new Cradle Of Filth record, which is due this month, and also the new Enslaved, which both are bands who have strayed very, very far from the one trve path. Fuck elitists. Good music is good music, regardless the label slapped onto it.
 
Okay, for those that missed me, I’m back after a long period busting my ass to finish up my series “A Slut’s Triangle” and posting them on the site. Yeah, it mentally drained me. Now, that it’s finished I want to take a break before I write the epilogue and a short bonus chapter to tie up the loose ends.

I haven’t gotten a chance to surf YouTube for new music to listen to. However, since I am hyped to see Thor - Ragnarok in theatres, I actually went looking for the theme music from one of the movie trailers. Turns out the tune is by Magic Sword called “In the face of evil”. I might have to listen to more songs by the band. They aren’t “metal” but they fall in something like “synthwave”.
 
Okay, so has anyone heard any good metal songs lately? Something new I can checkout?
 
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