Rolling Metal Thread 2009

There are also genre-hopping bands like Between the Buried and Me that cycle through the entire musical bandwidth on their records.

But that's more crossing over between metal and non-metal than between various metal disciplines, right?

Actually, they blend non-metal and pretty much every metal sound you can imagine. It's extraordinary.

BTBAM are so far ahead of their peers, it's nuts. But it's funny, while that band has a genuine interest in a lot of very different musical styles, other bands are merely looking at what BTBAM is doing rather than looking outwards. Which isn't a good thing, if you ask me. I was quite disappointed talking to Protest the Hero...back around Kezia, I was doing a piece on them and asked a lot of questions about that album's influences and what progressive stuff had inspired them, but they had no clue, they just said they were looking to BTBAM for inspiration.

they just said they were looking to BTBAM for inspiration.

whoa

Zeppelin syndrome.

BTBAM are so far ahead of their peers, it's nuts.

truthbomb tho I still think Alaska is the peak so far

Yeah, I thought for awhile that Colors topped Alaska, but after revisiting both a couple weeks ago I have to say that Alaska stands taller.

I'm going to see Mötley Crüe at MSG in a week. Woo-hoo?

to be fair Protest the Hero are super-young, aren't they? I'm very curious to see where they go in future, they're always a fun-if-juvenile listen.

off to try the new Wolves in the Throne Room.

Wolves in the Throne Room is an American ambient black metal band based in Olympia, Washington. Their sound is influenced by Scandinavian black metal, doom metal, dark ambient, and folk music.[

Folk? Is this worth checking out?

I have a pretty low tolerance for black metal on my most open-minded days, and I really don't hear WITTR doing enough to separate themselves from the pack (no pun intended). Other folks here (and loads of critics) like them a hell of a lot more than I do, apparently. I also interviewed one of 'em once and found him to be pretty insufferable.

Is the folk influence obvious? Because folk metal is something I'd love to hear.

yeah, there a bunch of other things I'd label wittr before folk. still love em, tho.

and if you're at all curious, check out this 12" because a) it's great and b) it's only two songs and the time commitment isn't exactly steep.

bah, messed up my formatting. check the malevolent grain ep.

Nah, I got ya. I'm gonna listen to it. I'll check back here afterward.

Mordy if you want folk black metal try Drudkh

yeah, I was going to recommend them... but they're, uh... pretty racist, right?

but if that's not a problem, then yeah, they're good.

no one actually knows. I heard they recently denied that they were.

in any case, dicey territory.

but I actually haven't listened to drudkh in years. what releases do you rate?

I really like the Malevolent Grain Vinyl. Less metal'y and more goth'y than I thought it'd be.

Does the new album sound like this?

yeah i wouldnt be turning to WITTR if you are looking for something folk-tinged. Eluveitie or Korpiklaani might be better starting points.

that being said, i think WITTR are pretty fantastic, i just dont really see much folk going on there, or at least that isnt how i would describe what i like about them.

xpost

thats why i refuse to buy drudkh stuff alan and i just download it. Normally i avoid anything dodgy like that as you know, but the music is so damn good its worth d/l. Plus im pretty sure they denied being nsbm.
Until its totally cleared up i wont buy their stuff, but you arent giving them any cash if you d/l it at least if they are racist.

new wolves is similar to malevolent grain but I don't think it's quite as strong.

if what you're looking for is something more goth... their previous full-length (two hunters) might be more up your alley.

well, I just poked around and if a google cache of drudkh's wiki is to be believed, it turned up this gem:

and one of Drudkh's unofficial shirts also describe the band's music as "Art for White Intellectual Elite".

if that's true... blech.

not that a google cache of a wikipedia article is AT ALL definitive!

I suppose it's possible they did used to be but have changed their opinions, but who knows! That's the problem, they have never confirmed or denied them plus it might not have been the band who made the shirts. They wont do interviews so there is no way of knowing, which is why i wont buy their stuff.

yeah, I mean, I own burzum records, so I can't exactly point fingers.

Well there was never any doubt about Burzum.

Wolves in the Throneroom are pc eco-terrorists and yet still they were misquoted by Vice Germany and ended up having shows canceled and protesters on their first European tour. Sucks that can happen to the least fascist black metal band out there.

Nachtmystium got booted off Scion fest for similar reasons (because they had released a record on an NSBM label at some point).

Drudkh's politics, I'm unaware of, but I have never purchased any Burzum or early Emperor for similar reasons. Safer to download (or at least buy used), than to support that kind of crap.

I'm doing a piece on Janvs, who recently were censored by Terrorizer because their bass player was in some nsbm-related band, despite the fact that Janvs's music is completely apolitical. There are a lot of knee-jerk reactions to black metal going on these days, it's quite interesting.

I own Burzum albums. I'm fully aware that Varg is an ass, but over the last few years I've come to admit that stuff like Filosofem and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss are, musically speaking anyway, works of genius.

I thought Burzum got racist after he went to prison anyway.

Drudkh claims his lyrics aren't political at all, but I'm pretty sure he openly admits to having extremist right-wing, possibly white supremacist views. I guess I'm a hypocrite, but I love the guy's music.

I meant he openly admits to views we would classify as extreme right-wing and, I think, racist - though I don't know this for sure. Poorly worded; sorry for multiple posts.

I think they said it was Ukrainian ultra nationalist views. But it probably all amounts to the same thing.

I'm fully aware that Varg is an ass, but over the last few years I've come to admit that stuff like Filosofem and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss are, musically speaking anyway, works of genius.

otm.

I second (or whatever we're up to) all recommendations of Wolves in the Throne Room. I've dodged the Burzum and Drudkh moral-bullets by not liking anything I've heard by them.

I'm also liking the very fast and thrashy new Samael better than I liked Solar Soul.

And I think (based on only one listen so far) that I'm in favor of Saros' Acrid Plains, although I'll have to play it a couple more times to say for sure, or even exactly why. Maybe they're kind of Bad-Dream Theater (as opposed to Bad Dream-Theater). Not all that far from WITTR, actually.

I think Drudkh are pretty well known for having some rather suspect political leanings. They're very cagey about stating them directly, but they're there. It brings up that thorny old dilemma about separating the artist from his politics. I can understand someone being so disgusted with modern society that they would try and make the most ugly, distorted sounds possible. What I don't understand is why that so often leads to a flirtation with Neo-Nazi imagery and ideology. You see a lot of the same dynamic play out in early Industrial music. See Boyd Rice.

The Saros album has really grown on me. There are parts of it that actually remind me of Lush a little bit...

I'm in agreement with Glenn on Samael. Nothing groundbreaking, but that's kind of the point. It feels like they're letting out all the pent-up, uh, METAL that they were repressing during the industrial phase. Although the industrial remix of "Black Hole" at the end is kind of unnecessary.

Meanwhile, downloading new Lacuna Coil from CM iPool. I know what I'm listening to for the next hour or so...

Also, new Hammerfall is all sorts of glorious. Probably the most consistent record they've done in years. Plus, Blind Guardian-style choruses!

And an inexplicable cover of "My Sharona". Yeesh, this band sometimes.

Ha ha, that came as a surprise to my friend when I played it in the car.

So far, Shallow Life sounds like Karmacode 2: Karmacoder, but much better integrated, with catchy tunes and a virtuoso performance from Cristina.

Lyrics are still retarded, but that's been a constant from pretty much the beginning of their career, so I can't hold it against them here.

I'm not very impressed by the single at all. Who listens to Lacuna Coil to hear the dude all the time? I think some blog asked the same question not too long ago.

I'll give the album a listen tonight, I'm still interested in seeing if it holds up.

Okay, serious o_O at "I Like It." The hell is this, rave pop?