Rolling Metal Thread 2012

Ancients is a new band out of Vancouver that's created a pretty unique sound in a really short time, and their debut album is excellent. It would fall in the same category as Baroness, Kylesa, and Mastodon, but there's more of a melodic/harsh dynamic going on as opposed to those bands' now-streamlined sounds.

Their 2011 EP can be heard here: http://ancientbear.bandcamp.com/

This had better be an April Fool, held over:

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/sn158d-e1333380276402.jpg

What between this picture and people preferring Cheap Trick to The Fall, I'm literally too angry to get any more work done.

I like that cover! (But I don't like The Fall, so whatever)

Adrien - Those two Ancients tracks were great! Definitely looking forward to a full-length.

That cover reminds me of Bakshi's Wizards.

It's a bit Vaughn Bodé via Heavy Metal magazine.

Why is the second back Tusken Raider doing a jig? What is the band font supposed to be? What is the colour of it for? Why not use an artist who can draw feet. It's not the content but the execution... Jesus, I think I'm having a fucking stroke I'm so irate.

Lol Doran otm (tho Wizards is p dope)

i wanted to say a thing about Lyriel for anyone who hasn't checked them out. they're female-vox folk metal band that has been transitioning to symphonic metal. at the moment the transition is still a little incoherent, and (predictably) i prefer the more folk-inflected tracks to the symphonic ones. but i think they're really interesting with some decent tracks, even if the album as a whole doesn't mesh together. also, i love so much folk metal and symphonic metal but i've never been clear what the connection is between them (i think a certain kind of self-consciousness and maybe theatricality) but Lyriel is like trying to make that relationship explicit which makes them like triply interesting to me bc it's like their new album is excavating my own pre-occuptions. especially curious what jeff thinks about them.

Please forgive the blatant spam for my own site here but this has been amusing me today.

Can you make a Cannibal Corpse song lovely sounding by changing just one word?

Followed Home Then Cuddled and Force Fed Broken Biscuits are the best ones we've had so far:

Cannibal Corpse competition

I like the cover. It almost justifies a totally pointless reissue. Almost.

It's a bit Vaughn Bodé via Heavy Metal magazine.

No Vaughn Bodé, no Arik Roper.

Semi-related question: Isn't it about time Richard Corben got critically re-assessed?

I like the Sleep cover! And I also like Cheap Trick better than the Fall. And I was pretty excited to listen to the Lyriel, but my Internet crapped out in the middle of the download and I can't download it again. I'll post my top five thingies at some point, it's been a pretty damn good year so far though.

Also got a sneak peek of the new Witch Mountain at the Profound Lore showcase, big step up over the last one – especially with the vocals.

Yeah, the new Witch Mountain is indeed a lot better than the last one. The longer tracks especially blow me away on this one. (well done, Nate!)

New Sonata Arctica is super weird, right? It's not just me?

j3ff, the lyriel is on spotify fyi...

The Sonata Arctica album is AWFUL. What a huge disappointment. There's banjo on it. Banjo. Ensiferum proved a couple years ago, never give a banjo to a Finn.

Meanwhile the new Sabaton album is kind of awesome. This coming from a guy who usually can't stand that band.

Yeah, I was wondering if the banjo was a fever dream or not. The weird thing is, there are some really good tracks on there, but yeah, banjo.

There are about three tolerable songs, but man, SA swung for the fences and all they did was whiff. An utter failure.

Also, new Mgla album - very, very good so far. Could see this ending up in my top 5 this year.

New Master's Hammer is mainly an improvment on the vocals front, otherwise it's business as usual.

Also got a sneak peek of the new Witch Mountain at the Profound Lore showcase, big step up over the last one – especially with the vocals

how could uta plotkin possibly get any better <3

dude, she BELTS on this one. You haven't heard anything yet.

I've been listening to that Lyriel album almost every day for a couple weeks now. It's not unimpeachable by any means, particularly in the lyrics (if they sang in German it would be perfectly fine with me), but I think they've really nailed the of-course-the-violin-is-a-metal-instrument thing as well as anybody, and the guitar tone is just perfect, and Jessica Thierjung is great. And be sure to find the bonus-track version, because the two extra tracks there are among the best folk-metal moments on the album. Viscerally my favorite album of the year so far.

i'm happy i'm not alone on the lyriel love

Okay, I have to listen to Lyriel asap.

DAMN YOU INTERNET

i played the title track for my mom (who often like evanescence-type metal bands, aka within temptation / lacuna coil) and she said it reminded her of pat benatar

I like it, it's a little more dignified and less goofy/gimmicky. Kind of like Brave.

I disagree with you re: High on Fire, Adrien – I think "Samsara" is a perfectly placed breather.

It just goes on too long. It serves its purpose as far as album dynamics go I guess, but it's nothing I'd want to listen to on its own. I have a bigger problem with "King of Days". Other than that though, it's a mighty fine album.

at first the pallbearer album just seemed doomy to me, but i'm starting to appreciate it more - it's got this remarkable thickness for songs that don't seem to stop moving (unlike e.g. i dunno reverend bizarre, who i've also been listening to lately).

Seriously can't wait for you guys to hear the Gojira album.

i laugh every time i read the phrase 'technical death metal'.

'well sure i guess if you want to call it that, but it's not really'

oh wow, i hadn't heard until just now that the venue management for the opening date of the Decibel Tour in ohio actually banned all of the bands from appearing over "religious" issues. this fuckin' country. thankfully rescheduled in a new venue.

Thanks for the Witch Mountain props, guys. I feel like South of Salem was meant to remind the word that we're still a band, and Cauldron of the Wild is coming to prove that we're a really good band.

I work with some of the best bands out there, and for me to even remotely consider us in that company has meant years of very hard work. I'm proud of our efforts.

Pretty sure Uta Plotkin is going to be a household name by the end of this year. :)

plotkin.uta

Really excited to hear Cauldron of the Wild! I was a latecomer to South of Salem, only picking it up with the recent reissue, but I've spent a lot of time with it. In fact, it was enough to get my wife's ears to perk up a couple of times, which usually doesn't happen with much metal.

i wanna hear cauldron of the wild too! why isn't it on bandcamp?

Because it's not out till July?

Or June, I can't remember.

this is very hard on my instant gratification glands

Speaking of gratification, now he's just torturing us.

Seriously can't wait for you guys to hear the Gojira album

What's it called? What's the release date? I can't find nothin' about it!

It's called L'Enfant Sauvage, and it'll be out 6/26.

Ha, did you have to wait until this was released? http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=172221&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blabbermouth+%28Blabbermouth.net%27s+Daily+Headlines%29

Yeah, basically. I've had the record in my iPod since Thursday, and it totally kicks ass, but that Blabbermouth piece quotes the official press release which went out this morning. There's more on their page on the label site.

Fuckin' A this High On Fire is kicking my ass all over the place and I'm only three tracks in. Kurt Ballou did great.

yeah i listened to it last night and while i feel the "why do we need another high on fire record" comments, it's a really, uh, fun record

i think we need a new one because the production wasn't all that great on the last one and this one has a song called "Madness of the Architect" and because its fuckin' High On Fire. like, does any sane person question the need for another new Motorhead album? no, we just thank the dark lord that they still exist.

i don't really have any problem with the production on 'snakes'.

i think we need a new one because the production wasn't all that great on the last one and this one has a song called "Madness of the Architect" and because its fuckin' High On Fire. like, does any sane person question the need for another new Motorhead album? no, we just thank the dark lord that they still exist.

This is exactly it. Madness Of The Architect is one of the best things they've done and the album kicks ass. This is Rolling Metal not Rolling Desperately Trying To Pretend I Wasn't Into Chill Wave Two Years Ago And Am Now Being Really Dismissive About It. The only thing I'm disappointed with really is the sub William Blake artwork.

XP: I don't either. I listened to Bastard Samurai yesterday and it sounded immense.