Rolling Metal Thread 2010

Caught an amazing set from Zeni Geva in Barcelona last weekend. Now I'm off to Oslo for Thrones/OvO/Nadja and (believe it or not) lunch with Geir!

That should be something!

any more opinions on the new Deftones? considering getting it if it's really really good

xxp this is an ILX first right???

Deftones are playing a record release show tonight in Dallas; it'll be streaming online here starting at 8PM EST/5PM PST.

oh sick, thanks dude. if i'm here at 8, I'm definitely going to listen in

I'm sorta picky when it comes to metal, but the metal I like, I like a LOT. My taste runs more toward the sludgy, drony, avant-garde end of the spectrum. And the original Sabbath LPs with Ozzy... ;-)

So far this year I'm really diggin' Gnod & Wounded Kings. Also, I think Striborg put out something this year that was decent, but it may have been last year...

The new Deftones is a mighty fine record, I wasn't expecting something so upbeat. I didn't know it was out today.

i might slip out to Best Buy later today to buy it

gotta say though, out of the two songs i've heard -- "Diamond Eyes" and "Rocket Skates" -- the former is so much better than the latter. i love Chino's voice on DE, but RS goes nowhere

I picked it up today. V nice.

Wow, the new In This Moment album, A Star-Crossed Wasteland, is awesome. It's got all the rage and aggression of the first album, with all the soaring melodies and beauty of the second album. Really a major disc. (If you haven't liked them before, I can't guarantee you'll like this one, but I know Adrien digs 'em as much as I do, so.)

I listened to the first track yesterday. I'd say there's more rage and aggression then on the first album. Practically ripped my head off. Really catchy, though.

As I mentioned on Twitter, I only listened to the last one because of Phil's enthusing (and, come to think of it, Adrien's as well) and I really liked it. Would have totally been the type of thing I'd have dismissed out of hand, but glad I gave it a chance.

any more opinions on the new Deftones?

Not a patch on White Pony. On first pass it sounded a bit too commercial to me - I prefer the Deftones when they're being weird. But it's not a bad record by any means; I guess I have high expectations for bands like them.

On a related note: would I like Saturday Night Wrist? For some reason that one totally passed me by when it came out.

This is actually the first Deftones record I've heard since White Pony, and it seems okay after one listen. It does seem like a polished and streamlined version, not as "off" as they can be.

It's not as weird as White Pony, but it's the best non-weird Deftones disc since Around the Fur.

Re: In This Moment, that's true, Phil & Jeff, I really like that band. They get a lot of flak for having a pretty singer and playing Warped and whatnot, but they're an honest, hard-working band and have learned how to write some pretty killer melodic heavy rock tunes. I wasn't too sure about the new CD's "darker" direction after they totally nailed 80s hard rock on the last one, but Phil's comments have me looking forward to hearing it. Hopefully sooner than later.

And yeah, the new Deftones is top-notch.

Oops, I mean Phil & Jon.

I can't quit listening to this Skeletonwitch. seriously. I'm so glad they were on the CC tour or else I may not have heard of em.

In This Moment's first album was my #4 in 2007, and their second one was my #1 in 2008, so I'm expecting the new one to take me into negative numbers...

I have a weakness for spacey stoner metal, and right now Germany's Samsara Blues Experiment is killing me. Their album Long Distance Trip is just crunchy riff after crunchy riff. Happy surprise as I had never heard of them before my local record store manager tipped me to them yesterday. Wish that had a US label - imports hit the wallet mighty hard.

Okay, I still prefer In This Moment's The Dream (those 80s hooks were irresistible), but the new album is indeed pretty darn strong. Good, honest mainstream metal, and it doesn't try to be anything else. And as far as power ballads go, the last track "World in Flames" is well above average.

The new Melvins album is pretty bizarre. Nine tracks, the first and last of which are bizarre chants and singalongs. Plus, there's a 7:39 cover of "My Generation" that's straight jacked from Fudge Tunnel's version of "Sunshine Of Your Love." I think Osborne and Crover might be starting to get itchy feet after three albums with the same bassist (and second drummer). It's still really good, though.

I got the deluxe anniversary edition of Judas Priest's British Steel in the mail yesterday, and the booklet kinda pissed me off. So that's what I wrote about on MSN today.

Man, that is really weird.

Yup, especially because Holland's style of playing (dare I say... stiff?) was a pretty big factor in how Priest evolved towards a more 'mechanized' sound in the 1980s.

http://web.orange.co.uk/images/ice/quirkies/thomas_gurrath_europics.jpg

School governors have sacked a philosophy teacher from his job after discovering his secret life - as a blood smeared death metal rock singer.

By day shaven-headed Thomas Gurrath, 29, discussed ethics with his 14-year-old pupils at his high school in Stuttgart.

But by night he calls himself The Bloodbeast and writhes around on stage covered in animal blood with topless backing singers and his band Debauchery.

The band's biggest hits include 'Kill Maim Burn' and 'Torture Pit'.

"It was very worrying to listen to his music and then realise he was teaching our children," said one parent.

Shocked officials ordered Gurrath to quit saying his performances were a form of mental instability that made him unsafe to be around children.

They ordered him to choose between teaching and his music - saying he could no longer teach anywhere in Baden-Wuerttemberg state unless he gave up the band.

But Gurrath said he was too addicted to death metal music to quit and agreed to give up his career as a teacher instead.

Germans... He would've been fine had he been in a thrash or power metal band.

The first few songs on the In This Moment album are okay, but starting with "Blazin'" (which sounds like the song My Ruin have been trying to write their entire career), this thing is an absolute monster.

In case you thought I was joking, here's me and Geir in Oslo last Thursday. He was a perfect gentleman and a great tour guide.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/pointlineplane/Me_and_Geir.jpg

Is Geir really tall? I bet you had a great music chat with him.

Good pic and glad it went well! Are you going to be as nice a tour guide when I come to Portland at the end of the month?

how did geir like the Thrones/OvO/Nadja show?

jj check email please

I'm a great Portland tour guide. Look me up. Best to book me in advance though, I get really busy!

Geir is normal height. I'm not...

And now way was I going to try to seduce him into watching Thrones, haha. That's like the antithesis of what' he's into.

if its funk related, gotcha pfunk

I got the deluxe anniversary edition of Judas Priest's British Steel in the mail yesterday, and the booklet kinda pissed me off.

Kiss did the same thing when they re-released Creatures of the Night with Bruce Kulick on the cover. Yes, it's fine that Priest has been distancing themselves from Dave Holland and that whole controversy, but to ignore his contributions to the band is wrong. He had one of the sharpest rock backbeats you will ever hear.

thanks jj, (also sent non ilx related email)

THE HIGH CONFESSIONS, a newly formed band featuring Chris Connelly (MINSTRY, REVOLTING COCKS, KILLING JOKE), Steve Shelley (SONIC YOUTH), Sanford Parker (MINSK, NACHTMYSTIUM, BURIED AT SEA), and noted recording engineer Jeremy Lemos (SMOG, STEREOLAB, JIM O’ROURKE), as posted the first preview of music on the band’s MySpace page: http://www.MySpace.com/TheHighConfessions.

The track, “Chlorine And Crystal”, comes from the band’s debut album Turning Lead Into Gold With The High Confessions that will be released on July 20th via Relapse Records. Turning Lead Into Gold With The High Confessions was recorded in Chicago, IL with Parker and Lemos engineering. Additional album details can be found at http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=38891

Steve Shelley (SONIC YOUTH)

O_O :-D

interesting song their on their MySpace page . . . i'll have to listen to it again. record has potential to be something, at least

I knew that you would be interested.

thanks, man

Most of ilx wont read this thread so feel free to start a thread about it

I've read your blog before but am just now noticing you were editor-in-chief of Metal Edge. that's badass. used to read that when I was in high school just getting into metal!

i bet you read his other mag he was in charge of too!

due to the major reductions in inventory the chains around here are doing, plus the closures of some FYEs, and the presence of only one indie store which tends to focus on indie rock and hardcore more than metal, I signed up for Amazon's "Prime" membership. It's $79/year, which I would normally say was pretty steep, but for someone who buys a lot of music like myself, I think I'll make what I spent back within a month -- basically you get two-day shipping for free on every order, and overnight for $3.99 per item.

So now it's essentially like, if I want an album and awnt the physical thing and not some burnt copy of it, if the indie store doesn't have it I can get it on Amazon and ship it fast. The beauty is their prices are cheaper since they do business in bulk, whereas the indies aren't. I'll still support the indie store though as I think there's much value in keeping it alive - but probably won't use them for metal.

So you all need to give me an assload of death metal albums from 2009-2010 (brutal death) to buy as I'm trying to catch up. I already have the latest Festered and Abscess.

and the latest Nile and Immolation (which I bought at their show)