Mordy's Metal Listening Club - New Albums Every Monday

Excellent choices all around! I heartily endorse the Mercyful Fate and Emperor records. Haven't heard that particular Wolf album though, will remedy that this week.

Anyone else around? I've had an excuse, was busy with other metal stuff.

Didnt care for Wolf, still cant take king diamonds voice and nothing much to add to the empereor since I've obviously already been familiar with that for a while now.

I've been busy as well. Wolf is my kind of stuff, plus they're a very consistent band, you know you're going to get a really good album from them every couple of years. Their last one (Ravenous) was particularly excellent.

I'm basically neutral on Mercyful Fate. I understand their historial importance, and Diamond doesn't bother me, but I don't feel strongly about either him or the music. Good to have an excuse to play an album of theirs every once in a while, in case this is suddenly the time when they start sounding great to me. But it wasn't.

Emperor is great. I couldn't actually tell you readily which Emperor album is my favorite. But it might be this one.

Wolf, I admit, didn't do much for me as a whole, but the album is worth it for the crunchy BOC cover alone.

so is it me this week?

i've been super busy too; no time to acquire this week's selections. i'll try like hell to catch up.

Want to swap weeks?

nope gimme about 30 mins

oh i can see why that was confusing--i've had no time to acquire merciful fate et al

I fucking hate Emperor. Don't know why, but they have never clicked for me. I love Wolf, though - one of the few bands I covered for Revolver before the editor stopped taking my pitches.

no theme, just some albums

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LrPy68MQddE/SVerP7MqV1I/AAAAAAAAAZA/bghRCz6bEc8/s400/Anata_-_The_Infernal_Depths_Of_Hatred_-_Front.jpg
ANATA - THE INFERNAL DEPTHS OF HATRED (season of mist, 1998)

this is prob the first death metal record i really fell in love with. i was trying to get into metal and slsk chatting with this guy i kind of knew from (lol) livejournal music rating communities. he dropped a ton of death metal records on me and this one stuck instantly--i loved how clean and tight the playing was, but it was never showy and there are interesting melodies on every track. of particular note is "under azure skies," which is a total epic and has an emotional quality that is rare in this kind of music.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00070DKSM.jpg
CURSED - TWO (goodfellow, 2005)
i guess this is technically a hardcore record? whatever. it'll always be metal to me. cursed what has to be intentionally terrible production (it got even worse on their next album), but when they get going they sound like a rickety war machine barreling down a hill, being steered by the supremely angry chris colohan. check out "the void" and "model home invasion," if nothing else. cursed had a bunch of money and passports stolen from them while on tour in germany two years ago and broke up upon getting back to canada.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414wbBhb0GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
AVERSE SEFIRA - ADVENT PARALLAX (candlelight, 2008)
righteous american black metal. the main riff of the last track is my business. last time i discussed them on rolling metal it was about how i'm probably too casual a fan for their guitarist--want to at least give props to their music 'cause it's excellent.

I highly, highly recommend that Cursed album. The production is actually pretty great in my opinion...it's by Ian Blurton of Tricky Woo.

completely unfamiliar with all three of these picks. should make for a good time.

^^what he said.

I've already tried and failed to get into Advent Parallax, but I haven't heard the other two, and am looking forward to playing them in the morning!

More recently, Ian Blurton's been in a great three-piece called C'mon.

Less off-topic, I'm very grateful to this thread for introducing me to Thunderstorm and Wolf. And here's a Gorguts interview, the high point of which is them describing how they work out their arrangements by singing the parts together! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGrwNM5ROBc&feature=related

Sadly, for me the theme of these three turned out to be "Exhausting Noise Whose Aesthetic Rationale I Don't Readily Hear, and Thus Lose Interest In Very Quickly". Which makes me want to know whether people who like all three hear commonalities in them, too.

I gave these all a shot, and I kind of like the Cursed record. The production is great, raw and visceral and it greatly compliments their music. I also think 20 minutes is about all of it I could handle so they chose wisely to keep it that long.

I have to say that overall this records are caps-lock BLARGH start to finish. I like BLARGH, even moments of BLARGH, but I also need some blargh in the mix. These were in my face all the time and I found them wearying, even annoying, long before they ended (though as I said, the Cursed record ends just before I would have shut it off). I initially liked the sound of both Anata and Averse Sefira, but by track three I was having trouble. Did make it all the way through each one but I can't say I enjoyed more than the opening of each.

I'm sorry I couldn't find a way past that initial assault. Maybe revisiting a track here or there will allow them to break through my prejudices.

i can see that--maybe it's the common aesthetic rationale glenn was looking for.

i'd say go back to the tracks i mentioned in the writeups--but i would say that, wouldn't i?

I will give them another go - like I said, my first impression was good but I wanted more deviation from the stock PUMMEL setting. Freed from an album of that I think there may be much to love.

I have some great albums lined up for next week

This weeks not over Herman - any thoughts?

didnt care for the anata at all, the averse sefira didnt stick either. i cant even remember the cursed. i think i turned it off ha;fway through.

Anyone else got thoughts?

I guess my picks better stay away from constant pummel for ez snappins sanity.

Yeah, I definitely like my music to have some kind of variation, some sense in which different moments have been assembled for some purpose. If I've heard everything after a minute, I'm not likely to stick around for 44 more. This seems almost tautological, but yet clearly not everybody feels this way.

I'm going to do 4 albums this time as I just cant choose which to cut, I already cut 2 albums from my shortlist. Its completely influenced by votes from the metal poll. Lesser known cult stuff that many people might not know. Infact a few of them i had forgotten about and added one to my list. I'll post them shortly.

Some obscure but massively influential albums here. This is the top notch stuff. Many of you will maybe know some of them, but the rest of you have some enjoyment coming your way. As promised, no brutal vox.

Trouble - Psalm 9
http://www.the-stone-circle.com/store/images/trouble_psalm9.jpg

At a time when heavy metal was moving forward faster than ever, thanks to the advent and growing popularity of thrash metal, Chicago's Trouble embodied a nostalgic throwback to the genre's old-school, '70s values -- and specifically a preference for the deliberate, slow-creeping style of the genre's founding fathers, Black Sabbath, which, in the able hands of Trouble and California's similarly backward-gazing Saint Vitus, came to be known as doom metal. Unfortunately, neither band, nor their few lesser-known colleagues (the Obsessed, Pentagram, etc.), ever achieved any commercial success to speak of, but their preservation efforts nevertheless rescued metal's original blueprint from disuse, and carved it in granite for subsequent exploration by each new generation of doom bands that followed.Trouble's unorthodox career path began to unfold in 1979, and after years of painstaking rehearsals, club gigs, and tooling with their sound, vocalist Eric Wagner, guitarists Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell, bassist Sean McAllister, and drummer Jeff Olson came to the attention of Metal Blade Records, which issued their surprisingly mature eponymous debut in 1984. Also referred to in years to come as Psalm 9 -- because of its namesake-explaining quotation from scripture: "The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed; a refuge in times of trouble" -- the album revealed not only the quintet's strong ties to heavy metal's '70s aesthetics, but also their Christian beliefs (almost unheard of in the metal world), which quickly earned them the additional label of "white metal."

A huge throwback to the '70s in every sense (looks, sound, etc.), Chicago's Trouble had little hope of fitting into the various mid-'80s heavy metal scenes. Instead the band were busy updating the genre's prehistoric doom teachings for the new decade, beginning with their eponymous debut, later re-baptized Psalm 9. First track, "The Tempter," immediately set the revisionist tone: opening with a plodding, monolithic riff which only grudgingly allowed the song to break into its chugging gallop, while clearly setting Trouble apart from their heroes in Black Sabbath with its pro-God lyrics. Except for this basic but crucial difference of perspective, issues of Heaven and Hell still pervaded much of the album, and ranged from obvious near-sermonizing like "Revelation (Life or Death)" and "Fall of Lucifer," to rather more discreet material such as "Assassin" and "Bastards Will Pay." And even though there were consistently strong combination of elegant melodies and thunderous riffs throughout, some of Psalm 9's biggest surprises were saved for last, as the instrumental "Endtime" prefaced a straight-up reading of the Bible passage that lends the album its name, and, finally, a faithful cover of Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses." Don't let all of these understandable English influences confuse you though, for Psalm 9 was undoubtedly one of the opening salvos of a truly American-bred doom style.

Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
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Wichita, KS-based Manilla Road is one of America's -- make that the world's -- great cult heavy metal bands. Geographically isolated, fiercely independent, and highly original, the group has rarely toured and never seen a single album released by a major record company, but has nevertheless managed to endure in one form of another for over two decades.

After experimenting with all manner of hard, progressive and space rock sounds on their first two albums, Wichita, KS Manilla Road would finally embrace heavy metal wholeheartedly -- and start defining the epic formula that would become their trademark -- with their third, 1983's Crystal Logic. But that's not to say they got boring with their songwriting. Anything but, as selections varied from brisk, economical singles like "Feeling Free Again" and "The Ram," to more elaborate offerings in the title track and album standout "The Veils of Negative Existence," to the full-blown, 12-minute epic metal adventure of "Dreams of Eschaton/Epilogue." The latter, in particular, revealed an evident debt to New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands like Iron Maiden and Angel Witch (in fact copping a riff from their classic "Angel of Death"), and therefore, won't sound unfamiliar to fans of Manilla Road contemporaries such as Armored Saint or Queensrÿche -- all of which had indeed drunk from the same wellspring. But what set Manilla Road apart from these bands was a hard to define, explorative innocence that only their geographical isolation could possibly explain. One of these quirks, leader Mark Shelton's warbling, somewhat nasal vocal style might not sound brittle enough to get over with some extreme metal fans; but his slashing guitar playing is simply beyond reproach, boasting an inventiveness and electrifying attack worthy of the era's best major market heavy metal guitar heroes. Ironically, Shelton's singular talents probably found their best showcase in non-album single "Flaming Metal System," which was originally featured on Shrapnel Records' U.S. Metal, Vol. 3 sampler, but was later added to most CD reissues of Crystal Logic. And it was this final and belated ingredient that helped transform the album into an all around tour de force, which remains one of Manilla Road's finest albums.

Not A Spotify

Pagan Altar - Mythical & Magical
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At a time when most English heavy metal bands were reinventing the genre for future generations by adopting the D.I.Y. lessons of punk rock and the hyperactive energy of Motörhead (then approaching the height of their powers) to launch the legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal, London's Pagan Altar represented a truly unfashionable stylistic anomaly in the early '80s. Along with a scant selection of contemporaries -- most notably Stourbridge's far better-known Witchfinder General -- Pagan Altar remained fairly loyal to the sluggish tempos and gothic occultism that dominated heavy metal's original template as defined by their definitive forefathers, Black Sabbath. As a result, Pagan Altar never earned a record deal throughout the course of their eight-year career, and, in retirement, endured the dubious honor of becoming one of the biggest cult acts of their generation, before finally enjoying some measure of recognition and resuming their recording activities in the new millennium.
...
Pagan Altar is a doom metal band formed in 1978 in Brockley, England. Alongside Witchfinder General, they are one of the few “NWOBHM” bands to play doom metal. Although they were ignored by mainstream metal media during the early and mid 80s, their influence did not emerge until after the 80s incarnation had broken up.

Their gigs were characterized by moody, epic and heavy music interpreted with highly visual stage aspect which accented their interest for occult themes. Pagan Altar’s only release from that era was independent, self-released, self-titled album which was in later years often bootlegged. It was finally officially re-released on Oracle Records in 1998 and titled “Volume 1”.

In 2004, Pagan Altar reunited, re-recorded and released their previously unfinished second album, “Lords of Hypocrisy. These songs date back to the first 1980s incarnation. Also in 2004, “The Time Lord EP” was released, which contains recordings that date back to the band’s inception in 1978.

Their third album, “Mythical & Magical” was released in late 2006 and features a considerable amount of material that also date back prior to the 1982 release.

..
taken from metal archives-
Pagan Altar first formed in 1978 and after one independently released album, later named Volume 1, in 1982 they split-up and fell into obscurity. The story does not end there however; in 2004 they reformed and surprised everyone by succeeding in the rare feat of making a brilliant comeback album that arguably is even better than the debut. The quality didn’t stop there though as their third album, Mythical & Magical was released 2 years later in 2006 and is their best effort to date.

Because of their early beginnings this album has a ‘retro’ late 70’s/early 80’s sound to it, but with a much clearer modern production. A lot of the material on Mythical & Magical actually predates their 1982 debut. One of the first doom metal bands along with Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar took the slow riffs and atmosphere of Black Sabbath but also added a lot of influences from their New Wave of British Heavy Metal peers like Iron Maiden into their music, so for doom metal it is very light and accessable even for non-doom fans. As such, there shouldn’t be a lot that makes them sound at all original, but they perform their music with their own unique style and flair, making what they play sound completely unique.

A lot of this unique sound is due to their guitarist, Alan Jones, who truly is one of the most underrated guitarists in metal. You will hear no mindless shredding in this album, but well thought out and brilliantly composed solos with not only very technically impressive but also very emotional guitar playing. The riffs are all excellent, with plenty of memorable sections and catchy riffs. Unlike a lot of doom they never come off as being Black Sabbath clones. While many of the riffs may be similar to those of early Sabbath, they’re often played faster and aren’t tuned as low, creating a totally different atmosphere, no doubt because of their NWOBHM influences. It may be difficult to stand out amongst hordes of other metal guitarists, but Alan Jones certainly manages to.

The other musicians are hardly poor either. Diccon Harper, who once played for Dragonforce plays some fantastic bass-lines and gallops while the drums play an impressive variety of styles. The singing by Terry Jones could put some people off, as the vocals are often in a slightly high-pitched and sometimes very nasally style best comparable to Ozzy Osbourne’s. It’s not a huge problem though as they’re more unique than bad, fitting the atmosphere of the music, and are definitely bearable at least. Terry Jones is often backed up by several male and female backup singers on certain songs. His lyrics, about pagan myths and legends are all well-written though slightly cheesy at times.

There is also a slightly folky feel throughout some of the album, giving it a strangely ‘pagan’ feel fitting with the band name, album title and lyrics. The folk flourishes work perfectly, subtly adding to the atmosphere without ever becoming too overbearing on the overall sound. At no moment could this ever be labelled ‘folk metal’ or anything close.

Despite the 1 hour running time, the album never gets close to being at all boring because of the excellent musicianship, songwriting and variation. The only real problem is that it does sound so old, which could definitely put some people off. Overall though, it’s an amazing album recommended to all fans of metal and hard rock and not just doom fans, as it barely qualifies as doom metal anyway.

Not A Spotify

Warning - Watching From A Distance
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Warning was a doom metal band formed in Harlow, Essex (England, UK).

The band was formed in 1994 by Patrick Walker and Stuart Springthorpe. They were notable for their downtempo, progressive, melodic, heavy and doom-laden sound; the idiosyncratic and poignant vocals of Patrick Walker; and his introspective, darkly confessional lyrical themes.

The band released two demo tapes, Revelation Looms in February 1996 and Blessed By The Sabbath in March 1997 which led them to gain underground metal press attention and label interest.

Warning’s debut album The Strength To Dream was released in 1999 via The Miskatonic Foundation (owned and run by Richard M. Walker of Solstice). With this album Warning gained a cult status within doom metal circles, but they soon disbanded after their 2001 European tour with Jack Frost. They regrouped in 2004 to write new songs and to perform at The Doom Shall Rise festival (Germany) in 2005, and released a second album Watching From A Distance (also via The Miskatonic Foundation) in 2006 to wide acclaim.
...

review from metal archives

I'm not normally one to give a score so high as a 95 (in fact, it's the highest score I've ever given), particularly to an album with so little innovation or experimentation. Each track on Warning's "Watching from a Distance" is essentially the same formula: Guitar lays down a sorrowful and heavy melody, bass follows, drums keep a steady beat and Patrick Walker sings. There are no dramatic tempo changes, no backing vocals coloring the sound, no stand-out sections or impressive soloing- it's pure traditional doom metal through and through. Most musical groups going for this sound and being so true to it would lose my attention over the span of a 12-minute song. With Warning, this is not the case.

Warning's appeal lies primarily in their purity, actually. Warning plays doom metal, stripped down to its most basic form- a powerful expression of despair. The lyrics deal entirely with personal struggles, failure, longing, and the like. Patrick Walker's vocals are emotional and intimate. Unlike traditional doom bands that employ operatic vocals, Patrick Walker sings in a plain but passionate voice. Every word is believable and authentic due to Walker's inexplicable power. Listen to the section beginning at 5:18 of "Footprints" and tell me you don't get chills every single time.

The guitar has an impressively heavy quality for seeming to be comprised of only two layers. It has a tasteful amount of roar on the sustained notes, while still maintaining a light and beautiful quality on the harmonized melodies. Generally speaking the bass is unremarkable, but contributes its share to the heaviness of the guitar. While I am normally put off by bands that do not utilize the bass, I feel as if much bass-work would taint the emotional experience of Warning's music. The drums are a similar story, keeping tempo and coloring the sound with a wide array of cymbals; though Springthorpe's tom fills are sometimes a tasteful standout point without being distracting.

The album is nearly flawless, with one mis-step (which may simply be personal tastes) in the last track. "Echoes" is a bit up-tempo compared to the rest of the album, and for some reason Walker's vocals seem a bit forced. Lyrically the track is no less intimate than any other, but all in all the experience is just a bit lacking. Had this track been dropped, and perhaps "Footprints" placed after "Faces" as the closer, the album would be the perfect doom metal experience.

Not A Spotify

argh that should be Pagan Altar - Mythical & Magical. can a mod fix it please?

sorry that I missed Mercyful Fate week - that album is hook paradise

Awesome choices, Herman.

If you don't like Manilla Road, there's something wrong with you.

Huge influence on (The Lord Weird) Slough Feg, so if you enjoyed their album I picked earlier on in the club, Manilla Road is for you.

I think even Glenn might like my picks.

man, that Manilla Road cover is the worst! and once again, i need to seriously play ketchup with the past few week's offerings (sigh).

I recently got a copy of the Trouble album, and its dead good. I think the review above overplays the lyrical differences between the Sabbs and Trouble, but other than that the comparison is spot on.

Looking forward to hearing these other records too!

man, that Manilla Road cover is the worst!

no it is not it is awesome!

Yeah I like that cover too, like Roger Dean done by a 9yr old.

y u insult 9yr olds, huh?

I thought Ioannis loved cheesy metal album covers

oh, i do. but that cover is just... shit, ya got me, man... i just hate crystals ok. logic, too.

i love that anata album!

unless we're talkin' about this Crystal, that is:

http://www.i-mockery.com/comics/dork8/pics/crystal.gif

xp

I know you love Dynasty too

herman lemme know when i can do three. i just thought of three albums i want everyone to hear.

ok, who told!!???

xp

scott can have my week

Scott, it's not up to me, it's mordys club! I only started the thread as he asked me to as he wasnt at home at his computer.

heh xp

02/8 scott seward
09/8 mordy

anyone else volunteering?

Instead of worrying about who's posting albums barely anybody cares enough to actually listen to and talk about, I'll chime in on this week's picks.

Warning: Should be in my wheelhouse as I love lots of modern, turgid doom but this was wallpaper to me. I did notice a little prettier guitar tone than most of the stuff I like, which is something I guess.

Pagan Altar: Had Volume 1 at one point but sold it. This reminded me why.

Trouble: Didn't think Psalm 9 was overlooked at this point, but a real solid record. I like their self-titled one from a few years later more, but that was my introduction to the group (I had read about their earlier stuff but never came across it; Def American releases made it into Northern New England more consistently than Metal Blade). Like Neil above, I think the lyrical differences between Sabbath and Trouble is overplayed.

Manilla Road: Another that should be right up my alley, but I think pulls off a few roads early. It's not bad by any means, but I didn't get anything singular from them that I couldn't get from their contemporaries, and his voice isn't a selling point to my ears like Tim Baker is in Cirith Ungol. My favorite thing was the cover.

ez, you and i will never agree on anything mate :(
the warning album is all about the vocals.

His voice was okay, I guess, but if that's the selling point I understand why I've never heard of them.

I do like Slough Feg and Torche, so there are a few intersections. I do find it really weird that you like stuff like Manilla Road and don't like Manowar or any of dozens of bands working the same vein.