Rolling Metal Thread 2014

just bought a front row seat for Priest in Hollywood, FL.

I had concerns w/ how Halford will sound (I've heard some ugly recent recordings), but I found one from 2011 where he does "Victim of Changes" and while he's nowhere near as solid as he was in his 80s (sounds gruffer), he actually sounds pretty good on it.

anybody see them in recent years that can comment?

Halford's adjusted the way he sings many of the songs, and quite creatively I think. The band's still plenty great live.

Saw them in 2007 (tour w/Heaven and Hell, Motörhead, and Testament) and while he doesn't move around a lot onstage (he was wearing a floor-length leather-and-studs overcoat that looked like it weighed about 100 pounds), he didn't have any vocal problems that I noticed.

http://www.centurymedia.com/newsdetailed.aspx?IdNews=14555&IdCompany=3

the dagger album (w/ grave and dismember dudes) that just came out is fun, loose

http://youtu.be/wLFKpWMjVec

I wrote about (and ranked) the entire Judas Priest discography over at Stereogum, for those interested. Including the new album:

http://www.stereogum.com/1691165/judas-priest-albums-from-worst-to-best/

wow i agree 100 percent with that ranking

We agree on Priest's #1.

I havent read this article yet, because the one you did about Rush totally killed my workday (a compliment by the way). I;ll read at home.

My emotion- and memory-based ranking is way different from yours, but I suspect that if I actually listened to all the albums from front to back in order (which I'm about to do for those guys, for a different band), like you did, I might agree with you more. (Except I'm always gonna like Ram It Down way more than any nominally sane person should.)

My own sentimental ranking did change once I deliberately, carefully worked in chronological order. Fanboy me would have put Point of Entry higher, I'm so fond of half that record. And for all its influence on our generation I couldn't bring myself to put Vengeance higher than 9.

Stained Class does fucking rule

Fanboy me would have put Point of Entry higher, I'm so fond of half that record

feel the same way

stained class is the best

Ha, "Never Forget" is so sappy. I'm glad they kept it off the main album, since I probably don't want to hear it again, but as a one-time deal it's a nice message to the fans.

For some reason Priest's only Ontario stop is Orillia. They must be aiming to bring in that lucrative cottager crowd.

Adrien's Rush piece on Stereogum was a thing of beauty. I'm super-psyched to read the Priest piece, a band I hold even more dearly in my heart.

And I'm very, very sorry for what I'm about to do. I have a poppy post-black metal(-ish) project called Already Long Dead and I'm really happy with how the first track on my demo turned out. I tweeted about it, but this ILM thread features pretty much a complete compendium of my favorite metal writers and metal folks in general. So I'm gonna be gauche and include links:

https://soundcloud.com/already-long-dead/guardian-angel
http://alreadylongdead.bandcamp.com/

This is the last you'll hear of me on this topic.

I've actually still never heard the Ripper albums in full, or Turbo in full, or Ram It Down in full, or any of Point of Entry outside of the 'hits'. Feel like I need to just for context's sake.

great piece Adrien. I rate British Steel lower than most, but I'm glad to see Sin After Sin get the love it deserves as many Priest fans rank it too lowly. as far as favorite, I oscillate between Sad Wings, Hell Bent for Leather, Painkiller or Defenders. Stained Class also does rule, otm.

"Valhalla" is srsly giving me a metal chubby right now. holy hell this song

I'm come around on "Hell and Back". sounds like it coulda fit on British Steel, but now I don't feel like it has the elements that I disliked like I previously thought.

like, who throws "come on party people, won't you listen to me" immediately following a lyric describing how a just-raped woman threw a rock at her attacker in anguish.

I haven't listened yet but I'm gonna wager that something went wrong there and that last post wasn't about the new judas priest album

hahahaha

def wrong thread there. wow at these 5 bonus tracks finally listenin to em....

https://soundcloud.com/cvltnation/01-apotheosis-of-death-axiom?in=cvltnation/sets/exordium-mors-the-apotheosis

wau

thanks for the tipoff, adrian

http://lastrit.es/articles/844/5q5a---exordium-mors

SANTI: The six-part title track came up as an idea around early 2009. For me, the inspiration for that song was equal parts Order From Chaos' "Conqueror Of Fear" Opus, and 70s prog rock. Basically, I wanted to create a Metalized answer to Genesis' "Supper's Ready", ELP's "Tarkus", Gracious' self titled album, or Biglietto Per L'Inferno's self titled album etc.

ILM APPROVED

omg are y'all seeing the "metalhead dating" ad at the top of the page?

new Goatwhore is massive. I liked Blood for the Master but this one shits all over it

that's one leaky goat

still have yet to top "Apocalyptic Havoc" as far as songs go, though

There's some really nice, understated guitar work on the new Wolvhammer record. Strong songs, too. Makes me realize I most likely underestimated Jeff Wilson's positive influence during his tenure in Nachtmystium.

Who's heard the new Bolzer? I'm champing at the bit here.

Some people still send me digital promos for stuff, so I was able to check out the new Empire Auriga release on Moribund even though it's about a month away from release. It's pretty special, I think.

From my Facebook page (which is the only place I write about music anymore):

On "Ascending the Solar Throne," the duo's sophomore release, morose anti-rhythms and post-black metal drone have never sounded more dissonant. Keyboard swells melt into discordant, swirling cacophonies backed by electronic percussion that is rendered nearly invisible by it's minimalism.

Metal types will compare this to Burzum's "Filosofem," and they're not incorrect to do so. But I hear a well-rounded palette of influences at work here; aside from the usual shoegaze suspects, I am pretty sure they listened to old Chrome stuff, or they manage to channel Helios Creed's doomy psychedelia through some other means. And they probably listen to soundtracks too, since being able to create and change emotions with very subtle musical shifts is a trait that this disc shares with the masters of that genre.

This is not celebratory music, but the catharsis involved in listening to it is indescribable. Fans of Blackgaze will be hard-pressed to find a better album this year.

That description sounds incredibly right up my alley. I remember really liking the s/t'ed thingy. Officially psyched.

Glad people are digging the new Wolvhammer, a good friend of mine produced it

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2014/07/slugdge-gastronomicon/

it would be cool if there was a database of metal bands organized according to the nature of the evil at the center of their mythology

like, giant slugs, giant slugs from space, giant slugs from the sea, giant worms, giant worms from under the earth, capitalism, the bilious human heart, machines, machines piloted by aliens, machines controlled by malevolent artificial intelligences, skynet, slugs sent by skynet, etc etc

If there are any metal bands who have capitalism as the evil at the center etc please let me know.

molotov solution? and/or thou?

misery index!

ah fuck yeah

Usnea

Country of origin:
United States

Location:
Portland, Oregon

Status:
Active

Formed in:
2011

Genre:
Black/Doom Metal

Lyrical themes:
Avarice, The Fall, Despondency, Cosmic Horror, The Dystopian World of Capitalism

Finally, one without the hated "-core" suffix!

Also I hope "The Fall" means they do songs about Mark E Smith.

Like the sound of these guys:

Cosmic Vortex

Country of origin:
Indonesia

Location:
Jakarta

Status:
Active

Formed in:
2011

Genre:
Grindcore

Lyrical themes:
Capitalism, Environmental Issues, Street Fighter

yeah i would kind of expect a lot of -core to concentrate the source of all evil in capitalism

iirc some of 'savage gold' is about, uh, savage gold

hahaha will be checkin out cosmic vortex

the writers of the classic 'm bison' whose lyrics are in their entirety

'm bison but why'

Ha!

raging against the tyranny of oligarchs, polluters and OP bosses

Liking the advance track from the upcoming debut EP by Myrkur, who have been described as a one-woman black metal project: http://open.spotify.com/track/7zBsnjMu4Gwss02UV0VBwX

The email promoting the new Decibel asks, "Are PALLBEARER metal's next big thing?"

In 10 years of producing this magazine, we've seen countless, embarrassing trends come and (thankfully) go, many involving extreme bands who cross over to the mainstream. We can emphatically say that, with the release of titanic sophomore effort Foundations of Burden, Pallbearer are no flash in the pan. This gripping, crushing, refreshingly earnest album has pushed the unassuming Little Rock quartet to the forefront of doom, and we're proud to feature them on the September cover.

J. Bennett's cover story details the band's astonished reaction to the universal adoration for debut Sorrow & Extinction, and the slow, deliberate process behind crafting Foundations with notorious producer Billy Anderson. It's safe to say they got it right. This is a band whose music is actually played at funerals. The authenticity speaks for itself.

Along with coming releases from Earth, YOB and Electric Wizard (and Cardinals Folly, Black Moth, Ides Of Gemini, Alunah and Apostle of Solitude) it should be quite the doomy autumn!

In a world where Avenged Sevenfold is metal's biggest thing, I'm not ruling anything out.

Fun fact, last year, Black Sabbath's 13 was the 86th overall best selling album in the U.S., ahead of Five Finger Death Punch (91), Arcade Fire (135), Stones - Grrr! (139), QOTSA (141), Nine Inch Nails (146), Soundgarden (149) and Alice In Chains (188). Only Avenged Sevenfold's Hail to The King beat it out at #82, unless you wanna count Kid Rock. Let's not. However, 96+% of those who bought 13 probably aren't aware that doom exists as a metal genre.

Well, count me among the 96+% of those who aren't aware that Kid Rock still makes music.

I just got my last mailorder of 2013 in yesterday's mail! Finally just now getting Avenger's Bohemian Dark Metal, which is kinda ridiculous given how much I loved Feast of Anger, Joy of Despair. Also two on Dark Descent, big favorite label recently: the Fulmination double CD and the Craven Idol one.

― combination hair (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Wednesday, January 1, 2014 9:33 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thanks to this always appearing at the top of the thread I finally checked out the Avenger. good call! stuff is absolutely sinister. I am also digging the latest Dead Congregation.