Rolling Metal Thread 2010

Never heard A Dead Poem. But the new one has Diamanda Galás on the last track, so the new one wins.

HAHA totally gotta listen now

yeah, what Phil said. (her accent is pretty funny when she sings in Greek tho--WAY worse than mine.)

Krisiun/Nile/Immolation was wtf amazing

btw check out Dreaming Dead. Female fronted death metal band that touches on melodic death, doom, traditional death, and heavy metal. This isn't a chick novelty act or a group where the ladies are ornaments - they are the guitar players and one of them does lead vocals and they're tight.

Apparently you can't buy a physical copy of their cd right now but check it out on ITunes.

I liked them when they were called Manslaughter. Haven't seen them live yet though since I timed it right to just catch Immolation.

Liz is a total sweetheart. A very earnest metal chick who slays on guitar and roars like a demon. Hope they blow up. It's the drummer from Exhausted Prayer, no?

I'm not sure but whomever he was, he was a beast on the kit. and I have tremendous respect for someone who drums and does vocals at the same time. that's gotta be real hard coordination wise. There's a second girl in the band on lead guitar but she isn't listed on their facebook page but I'm not sure who she is. Amazing player though.

Their set made me realize a lot of metal sensibility. I mean, metal is still very 'sexist' to a degree. Yea, females have a larger presence than they ever used to be, but I mean often times in these bands they get stuck in the ancillary roles (ie, bass, or 'opera' vocals for a goth metal group). It's still a boy's game.

And this set had the potential to draw ire from the fans. They hadn't totally embraced the first opening act, and Liz put her purse on top of the amp gear for the entire show. I'm sure people that didn't know them already didn't know what to expect. Then the lead guitar chick did some crazy insane lead for soundcheck and people starting paying attention. and then they launchedi nto this Sabbathy doom riff to open the song and for the next 30 mins, the floor was crowded and mosh pits broke out. everyone loved em.

bummer that they had no cds to sell - guessing they are sold out and don't have anymore pressed. I bought it on ITunes though.

now, off to see Deicide on 3/12. I'll preface that I haven't liked half of their albums (including the last two that for some reason got critical praise, even though I loathed them). but hearing the classics will be fun, plus....Glen Benton has the worst stage banter ever. It's unintentionally hilarious at times - I'm going for that reason too.

also did anybody think Suffocation's "Blood Oath" was overrated? I've liked Suffocation since their reunion (liked Souls to Deny and the s/t) but the group seems to lack a lot of the dynamics they had in the past. The songs seem to be at the same tempo, thus negating tempo changes, breakdowns, and the riffs don't seem to have the characteristic Suffocation stamp on them.

I think it'd be a solid album for any other DM band but just pale for Suffocation.

Wardruna were amazing in Oslo on Saturday night. One of the best post BM things I've seen in a long time. Still on a Norwegian tip Altaar slayed as well. And Shining were stunning. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to do Blackjazz live or not. But they can. (Jorgen from the Shining, ex-Jaga Jazzist had what he called a more traditional jazz group playing Chrome Hill but they had definable post punk, BM and Earth influences.)

Haha, reviews for the new Wold on iTunes:

"This is not music whatsoever. All three songs sound the same and the album costs $9.99 for 3 s****y songs"

"All this is is noise. It has no musical value whatsoever. DO NOT BUY"

"You can't help but feel sorry for all the money the label is about to lose..."

"Ok, I'm not against any music genre (except rap maybe) and I know how many different metal subgenres there are, but what is this? How could you categorize it? It sounds like black metal when you first listen to it, but black metal is still very technical, so no. All I know is that this is not very good..."

An interesting idea, but not the best Wold album by a long shot.

What a disaster for Profound Lore

ok Immolation's newie (Majesty and Decay) is amazing. not that it aws any surprise. some of it harkened back to Close to a World Below, tho, which is surprising as they really haven't touched on that sound much since.

Music to my ears Ballistic.

Ok, finally getting to The Guessing Game...wow. Just wow. Incredible.

Best Buy is selling a version of the new High On Fire album with three extra songs (one studio, two live) for $7.99 and free shipping. I just ordered mine.

my local store is apparently going to have it for 5.99!!

$5.99 around here too. I'd pay twice as much for a different mix.

$7.99 on Amazon too, fwiw.

"Ok, finally getting to The Guessing Game...wow. Just wow. Incredible."

Yeah. Aside from the purist doom of Forest of Equilibrium and to a less degree Endtyme, this is hitting me as their best and most innovative album. Finally a weirdo Cathedral album that I can love. They sound like the utter veterans that they are on this one. My album of the year so far in just one listen.

I keep waiting for that album to surface on the Nuclear Blast ipool. Have to hear it!

My album of the year so far in just one listen.

^^^ ksh are you listening 'cause the truth just came flyin at you my friend

just ordered the latest Festered album. STILL waiting on my goddamn Necrophagist cd from my half.com order. wtf did I pay for expedited shipping for if it takes almost two weeks?

OK, I'm downloading the Cathedral thing now, but before I even listen to it, I have a question: This thing is almost 85 minutes long, but the website doesn't list it as being a two-CD set. How do they make that work?

no idea, I got mine from the press pool.

I am listening to it again this evening. I find it just breathtaking - I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because over the years they've always been capable of awesome & different looks, but I guess I would have expected a move toward more titanic sludge like Endtyme (which I also love) instead of this really crazy weird psychedelic folk-tinged THING.

so rad.

According to the label, it is in fact a double disc. Tracks 1-7 are Disc 1, Tracks 8-13 are Disc 2.

Curious to hear that, sounds pretty epic. Also looking forward to hearing the High On Fire finally.

Meanwhile, the new Helloween "best-of" that xhuxk mentioned a while back upthread is one of the biggest metal trainwrecks I have ever heard. Gospel choirs, Sanborn-style sax, attempts at Americana...it's impossible to keep a straight face listening to this stuff. Yikes.

oh guys, this ihsahn record is SO GOOD

i mean most of you already know that, but holy shit.

He's back.

http://www.thelefthandpath.com/lefthandpath/index.cfm/event/read/entry/High_on_Fire_Snakes_for_the_Divine

What a goddamned awful High on Fire record. There’s nothing to like about this fifth full-length, Snakes for the Divine, not even the two-bit fanto cover art. What remains is Matt Pike’s tiresome Lemmy impression, front and center, illuminated by a complete inability to convey anything but passing-a-Mini-Cooper-through-his-shitter pathos. Every song swathed in the same schema: Ball-aching growls “compete” with drummer Des Kensel’s yawning mid-paced blah.

The program's obvious intent -- huffin’ it over mountains to swipe marauder gold from ice caverns rife with Githyanki and Frost Giants -- never materializes. Try to erase the stubborn picture of group therapy sessions full of tatted, steel-haired guys smoking Pall Malls and sipping Folgers, chatting up how long they’ve stuck it out with the methadone. No, I never liked “reality” television.

What a moody, cantankerous blast of ennui... Songs take far too long to get their bearing and then flail about listlessly, content with grand declarations of emotional quagmire received in wholly disconnected and unfounded ways – sorta like a dog flipping through a Time magazine photo special on the Haiti earthquake devastation.

The greatest crime here is Pike’s guitar. Long his most appealing weapon, the axe is blunted, inexcusably dressed down by an indifferent and destructive mix. Propulsive, fanged riffs gone fruity is a disease I never figured this guy to present. But the world’s rife with disappointment. Aint it? People predisposed to praise this transformation likely cower from Albini’s fist-to-the-nuts production style – and Blessed Black Wings’ (exquisite) brand of tunes. That’s fine. Most folks need another underachieving bullshit band whose total artistic ambition consists in “playing epic tunes, brah.”

Stewart Voegtlin

WHY DO PEOPLE EMPLOY THIS GUY?

Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls
Ball-aching growls

His review of the Devil's Blood album (which isn't great) is amazingly bullshit.

The Devil's Blood - The Time of No Time Evermore

Ahem. Those into a weekender “occult” band fronted by an R. Crumb illustration covered in stage blood who whips her band of merry men into able lockstep aping of the impossibly dreary latter half of Blue Oyster Cult’s catalog will find the quasi-Poe titled, and logically impossible The Time of No Time Evermore a pulsing vibe on the clit of aesthetic eureka. Myself? I prefer early BOC, and legitimately rocking, uncool lifer “roots rock” bands such as Witch. Even if The Devil’s Blood somehow managed to wrangle the limitless drumming talents of J. Mascis into its fold, they’d still be just another inoffensive crit darling playing Praise-Hell-Satan to other weekender skeez in fresh-from-the-biker-trunk leather vests. To quote the venerable Slim Pickens, don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Coming soon to a Pitchfork Media column near you.

I guess they didn't return his emails.

legitimately rocking, uncool lifer “roots rock” bands such as Witch

hahaha OK buddy

hah check this guys OK, is this the worst piece of music writing ever?

I don't like The Devil's Blood half as much as a lot of ppl, I don't think, but as far as I can see they have no particular critical cachet to speak of

okay, THIS is a great album title though:

"a pulsing vibe on the clit of aesthetic eureka"

and a great username for someone. any takers?

nah

the guys from witch are pretty cool. and they ARE just rock dudes. they have bought records from me here and its always, like, moxy and godz records that they buy. (70's biker godz, not e.s.p. godz) haven't met dinosaur dude though.

you guys are gonna make me a fan of this guy! didn't know his stuff at all. very entertaining.

Kinda used to like The Left Hand path when it was just a column, but ever since they became a website the writing has got more & more irritating.

Won't disagree The Devil's Blood album isn't great, but saw them live last week & they were very fine indeed.

were all these witchcraft/sabbath/coven 70's blood ritual bands actually swing bands 5 years ago. that's what i want to know. or were they ska bands?

retro-satanic heavy rock's leaving a shitstain across the 00s

My album of the year so far in just one listen.

^^^ ksh are you listening 'cause the truth just came flyin at you my friend

― Lee Dorrian Gray (J0hn D.)

:-) The store opens in a mere hour. . .

yeah but the new Cathedral won't be in stores til April

Stereogum just updated, and now you can get the Haunting the Chapel column as a standalone RSS feed, which I don't think you could do before:

http://stereogum.com/category/franchises/haunting-the-chapel/feed/

thanks for the heads up!