Rolling Metal 2016

spent valentine's day catching up on 2016 stuff so far

abbath's album rips imo. great riffs as ever. priest cover kicks so much ass!

disappointed to find that the chthe'ilist album is so very much not my thing, esp after so many people told me i'd love it! i was expecting atmospherics, or maybe something dungeon synth-y, or moevot-esque. but i got canadian tech death with boodlypanking bass! not a dis, but not for me at all.

ehnahre: really like it, but def an endurance event at 18 substantial tracks, damn

bored by krallice tbh. have the guitars always sounded this early 2000s post hardcore? that tone.

stoked to see eight bells, voivod et al tonight. did i mention i moved to richmond and there are so many great shows that i have to be super choosy? not used to that at all! and having baltimore/DC in driving distance has me doubly spoiled.

and i find this exmortus album immensely satisfying for some reason. melodic DM is rarely up my alley at all, and i was surprised that i couldn't turn it off.

If you're in a mood for power metal, I highly recommend Tanagra's None Of This Is Real, a 2015 release I just discovered on Bandcamp. Had I known about it last year, it would have made my year-end list for sure. These guys are great players, the singer can really wail, and their songs have everything power metal should have: speed, riffs, and epic choruses. It's name-your-price, so you've got no excuse.

Frobisher has the results ready to go
Finally... The Top 200 Extreme Metal Albums of ALL TIME!

all hail the emperor penguin

Had a great time seeing Graveyard and Spiders Saturday night, the last show of their US tour.
I have seen Graveyard before and love them but Spiders was so fucking fun!
I had no idea the singer was so tiny but she commanded the stage and the sound as well.
It's possible that Shake ELectric was my favorite album of 2014. But they were even better live.

If I still went to shows I'd have gone to that one.

Some stuff dredged up from the NWN fever swamps:

Chilean thrash drawing heavily from the classic Teutonic stuff. There are hints of the non-Bay Area Americana too. More Girardi artwork.
Ripper

Weird scifi death metal that almost scratches my Anata itch. They're obv fans of Demilich, like everyone else at the moment. Can probably file it next to Artificial Brain.
Nucleus

Blazing fast dirty n noisy black metal that reminds me of stuff like Haemoth and Diamatregon, almost tuneless but produced in an effective/appealing way. May appeal to the war metal crowd.
Eggs of Gomorrh

And the best thing I've heard this year so far, Hostium's Bloodwine of Satan. Feels like Cultes des Ghoules, which is to say, feels like the really crazy blood-smeared sorcery happening in the cellar of that cathedral on the cover of Mayhem's DMDS while the Norwegians played politely above ground.
Hostium

Forgot to mention that if you like to hear actual bass strings thrumming in your thrash, that Ripper will make your day.

so this Enforcer/Warbringer/Exmortus/Cauldron show, have they been good?

I like Warbringer (tho more of a fan of their first and third albums), Enforcer other than the occasional annoyance of their lead vocalist when he goes into Def Leppard-mode, is a lot of fun (I love the "From beyond" title track), Cauldron seems like they could be as well even if their most recent album starts out way better than it ends. I like the new Exmortus but the vocalist still strikes me as dull.

problem is the venue I'm seeing it as is tiny.

The new Rotting Christ album is called Rituals. If you've heard other recent Rotting Christ albums, your idea of how a new Rotting Christ album called Rituals will sound is probably pretty much right. I.e., intense, dark, repetitive, epic, mythic, monumental.

Ghost won a grammy!

righteous

I like the new Rotting Christ album, but not as much as I liked AEALO.

First I thought that Ghost winning a Grammy was absolutely amazing but then I saw they were up against August Burns Red, Sevendust, Lamb Of God and Slipknot.

Cauldron in a brutal van wreck last night. having to pull out of the rest of the tour but thankfully they're all ok.

https://www.facebook.com/CAULDRONmetal/posts/10153409750326463

so this Enforcer/Warbringer/Exmortus/Cauldron show, have they been good?

I like Warbringer (tho more of a fan of their first and third albums), Enforcer other than the occasional annoyance of their lead vocalist when he goes into Def Leppard-mode, is a lot of fun (I love the "From beyond" title track), Cauldron seems like they could be as well even if their most recent album starts out way better than it ends. I like the new Exmortus but the vocalist still strikes me as dull.

problem is the venue I'm seeing it as is tiny.

heh and I see I replied to that post too - glad to see my memory is holding up.

per Nathan and the St Vitus Bar, Coffins got sent back home to Japan due to visa issues. all kinds of fucked up

were supposed to start their tour tonight

the new Dakhma is some murky, occasionally chaotic deep-down black metal

pretty fuckin' outstanding

(the Swiss Dakhma on Iron Bonehead, not the Michigan one)

Oh yeah, those dudes are deep in the cave.

Joanie, did you hear the Temple Nightside album from a year or two or a few back? It's not as chaotic as Dakhma, almost has a Demoncy circa Joined in Darkness (gone doom) or early Disembowelment vibe. A stately, plague-ridden death metal thing with a sorta similar production to that Dakhma.

STEVE VAI, ZAKK WYLDE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN,
NUNO BETTENCOURT & TOSIN ABASI COME TOGETHER
FOR GENERATION AXE - A NIGHT OF GUITARS

TOUR BEGINS APRIL 5TH
TICKETS ON SALE FEBRUARY 19TH

February 16, 2016 – The term “supergroup” gets thrown around on a regular basis these days, however, a new tour featuring some of the greatest guitarists of all time is about to truly give the term a whole new meaning.

Introducing: Generation Axe, featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi.

Beginning on April 5th in Seattle, Generation Axe - A Night Of Guitars is hitting the road for 26 performances in North America. Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, February 19th.

"The Generation Axe show is a unique performance of five fiercely talented guitar players coming together to create a 6-string extravaganza that is sure to amaze and delight,” commented Steve Vai.

The Generation Axe fan experience will go way beyond simply gathering five guitar greats on one stage to jam. Each tour stop will include a variety of collaborations by the five players, including everyone performing together as one cohesive band with a rhythm section including Pete Griffin (Dweezil Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Edgar Winter) on bass and Nick Marinovich (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keys. Vai, Wylde, Malmsteen, Bettencourt and Abasi will perform songs from their various catalogs and join forces on some well-known songs (as well as probably a few unexpected, unearthed gems).

Making this rare tour experience even more special, Generation Axe VIP packages will be offered, giving fans access to these guitars masters and exclusive one-of-a-kind memorabilia. A front row package (including a meet & greet), a meet & greet package, and a VIP tour package will be available. For more information, visit www.generationaxe.com.


About the Generation Axe Members

While many artists fit easily into a single category, Steve Vai remains unclassifiable. Vai is a virtuoso guitarist, visionary composer, and consummate audio producer who sculpts musical sound with infinite creativity and technical mastery. He is one of the most in-demand, versatile, eloquent and soulful guitarists in the business. The GRAMMY Award-winner has sold over 15 million albums and toured the world as a solo artist, a member of G3, and with Frank Zappa, Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth, and Whitesnake. Vai launched his successful solo career with the release of Flex-Able in 1984 and has written, produced, and engineered all of his solo albums. He has appeared as a guest artist on more than 40 albums and created music for blockbuster films, best-selling video games, national sports franchises, and corporate brand initiatives. Vai has earned honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and Musicians Institute. For more info, visit: www.vai.com

GRAMMY Award-winner Zakk Wylde’s legendary career includes a lengthy tenure with Ozzy Osbourne in which Wylde co-wrote and recorded several albums, including the multi-platinum No More Tears, Osbourne’s largest selling solo album featuring the classic hit single, “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and the bulk of the double platinum 2002 set, Ozzmosis. With Osbourne, Wylde has played on countless world tours and television appearances, with his signature bullseye Les Paul in tow. Wylde has his mitts imprinted on Hollywood’s Rock Walk of Fame; guest-starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston in the movie “Rockstar”; and even momentarily joined Axl, Slash and Duff in Guns N’ Roses. But nothing offers the pure expression of Zakk Wylde’s animalistic “id” like Black Label Society, the stomping, heavy, bluesy, recklessly unhinged hard-rock-metal quartet who are quick to rip up a solo as to dip into a piano-fueled anthemic ballad. For more info, visit: www.zakkwylde.com

When Yngwie J. Malmsteen hit the scene in the early 80s, he turned the entire guitar world upside down; never before was guitar playing like his ever heard. Drawing inspiration from his love for Baroque and Romantic classical music, Malmsteen employs classical violin techniques such as four and five octave arpeggios, pedal notes, and harmonic minor, diminished and Phrygian scales, flawlessly delivered at mind-boggling levels of speed and clarity. In doing so, he has singlehandedly created a brand new style of guitar playing and composing that is still derived from today. In addition to having written and produced 35+ neoclassical rock albums, Malmsteen composed and orchestrated the "Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra,” which he recorded with the prestigious Czech Philharmonic in Prague, conducted by Yoel Levy of Atlanta Symphony fame. Malmsteen subsequently performed the piece live with the the New Japan Philharmonic and the Taipei Symphony, among others. Malmsteen has received numerous Grammy nominations, hundreds of magazine covers, dozens of Reader's Poll and Composer of the Year Awards, a plaque on the Rock Walk of Fame, signature model guitars, amps, pickups, strings, picks, pedals, microphones, and more. TIME Magazine placed him as one of the top ten guitarists of all time. Some 35 years and 25 million+ album sales later, Yngwie shows no signs of slowing down, with his brand new record World on Fire due for release in April 2016. For more info, visit: www.yngwiemalmsteen.com

Guitar virtuoso, singer-songwriter, and record producer, Nuno Bettencourt rose to international prominence as a guitar player with the GRAMMY-nominated, Boston-area band EXTREME, one of the most successful rock acts of the early to mid 1990s selling over 10 million records worldwide. Musically, EXTREME is dominated by Bettencourt’s blistering guitar riffs, often with funky, syncopated timing, and incendiary, high-speed rock/metal solos. Bettencourt penned the acoustic ballad “More Than Words” that went to #1 on the Billboard charts and “Hole Hearted” that reached #4. He has released multiple solo albums as well as with bands he founded including Mourning Widows Population 1, Dramagods and Satellite Party. Bettencourt has written, produced and performed with many legendary artists including Rihanna, Steven Tyler, Paul McCartney, Janet Jackson and many others. For more info, visit: www.nunobettencourt.com

Oluwatosin Ayoyinka Olumide Abasi, better known as Tosin Abasi, is a Nigerian American guitarist known as the guitar player and founder of the instrumental progressive metal band, Animals as Leaders. Abasi’s compositions of intricate music have garnered critical acclaim in a few short years. Abasi is part of the breed of new contemporary players who are raising the bar on the concept of electric guitar virtuosity. His approach to the guitar stems from a passion for advanced techniques and harmony. Using 7-, 8-, and 9-string guitars have allowed Abasi to create a highly unique and individual sound. For more info, visit: www.facebook.com/animalsasleaders

Generation Axe - A Night Of Guitars is produced by Copeland International Arts and is booked by CAA.

For more information: www.generationaxe.com.
GENERATION AXE TOUR DATES
April 5, 2016 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
April 6, 2016 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
April 8, 2016 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
April 9, 2016 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
April 10, 2016 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
April 11, 2016 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
April 13, 2016 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
April 15, 2016 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
April 16, 2016 - Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
April 17, 2016 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory
April 18, 2016 - Houston, TX - Revention Music Center
April 20, 2016 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
April 21, 2016 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
April 23, 2016 - Wilmington, NC - Cape Fear Community College
April 24, 2016 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
April 25, 2016 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
April 26, 2016 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
April 27, 2016 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
April 29, 2016 - Chicago, IL - Copernicus Center
May 1, 2016 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
May 2, 2016 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 4, 2016 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
May 5, 2016 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater
May 6, 2016 - Westbury, NY - Theatre at Westbury
May 7, 2016 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
May 8, 2016 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center

More like Generation BLECCHs

I've got to admit, I like Yngwie - in small doses.

Hostium

could swear I heard this on a Fenriz show and meant to check out? Anyway, yeah, right up my black/death/war alley

I'd like to see Steve Vai! David Lee Roth starts his own band, to get away from ego-clashes/upstaging with players---and hires his own band of vivacious virtuosi, anchored by Steve Vai! One of the world's flashiest guitarists. Steve Vai! Zappa's designated "stunt guitarist." But how could this work with YJ Malmsteen? Kinda like to find out, but I'm sure I can't afford it.

You're bringing back memories of seeing Roth with Vai when I was in high school. We were pretty close to the stage, so there was some flashing and pantie throwing and stuff going on around us. It was pretty wild for a suburban kid I guess! Great show. Dokken opened.

another really interesting record from Avantgarde - this one credited to "two individuals who prefer to remain anonymous," they're from Oz, probably not the Berzerker or disEMBOWELMENT but maybe somebody from Portal? anyway, I guess this came out last year but it's pretty interesting - keyboard melodies that could be nicked from a Summoning record over some sorta-doomy epic rolling-drum scenarios...good stuff imo

http://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/isolate

This is really nice to see. Takafumi Matsubara from Gridlink playing guitar again: https://www.facebook.com/takafumi.matsubara.7/posts/962774543770546

Cool! So many strings.

I forgot I was listening to Les Brers in A Minor when I turned the sound up on that video, it was an interesting mix.

brian my copy turned up today of Mesarthim - Isolate. With the extra CD.

The best description of the album is SUMMONING ... IN SPACE

Which is pretty much my idea of the ideal album. and its fucking stunning.
http://i.imgur.com/xCgNB6V.jpg

its so good its even floored Dennis the Menace.

That cover is so Pink Floyd

that is probably the cellophane tbf

I got the Zoldier Noiz - Regression Process album today. Exactly what I need, kinda crusty sounding thrash metal that reminds me of "Ripper Crust" era Hellbastard. Or like all of the good bands on Noise Records circa 1986 but angrier and scummier.

If you don't mind metal that sometimes doesn't bother to plug in, this Ukrainian folk-metal-ish band [Ті, що падають вгору] is pretty good!

spotify:album:6XnXXcYh9nHS8w2Oqui1gc

I tried to figure out what people call them in non-Cyrillic characters, but near as I can tell, nobody ever calls them anything in non-Cyrillic characters.

i am now the holder of one ticket to this: http://migrationfest.us/

just played summoning and mesarthim back to back. grand stuff

Xpost that's a good lineup!

Dunno if there's a new rolling stoner/psych/doom/whatever thread so I will say that the new Moon Curse album is really good.

legitimately pissed off @ this violet cold album

Why?

If you don't mind metal that sometimes doesn't bother to plug in, this Ukrainian folk-metal-ish band [Ті, що падають вгору] is pretty good!

spotify:album:6XnXXcYh9nHS8w2Oqui1gc

I tried to figure out what people call them in non-Cyrillic characters, but near as I can tell, nobody ever calls them anything in non-Cyrillic characters.

It's a stretch to call it metallic though.

I heard a Violet Cold album last year, it was fucking dreadful. As far as I recall it's basically the cheesiest Euro-dance chord progressions with some idiot rasping over it.

So it's Republica?

j3ff will love it then

Last year's Violet Cold album was one of my favorites of the year. I don't have chord progressions I do or don't consider appropriate for metal, though, and even without that it doesn't surprise me if not everybody likes it. It's like laptop Alcest.

(It doesn't sound anything like EDM, regardless.)

I don't consider anything "inappropriate" to mix with metal. I might be remembering what it sounded like a bit wrong because I couldn't take it for too long and I'm sure as hell not going back there now

It's like laptop Alcest.

the hardest of passes