Rolling Metal 2018

In other news, anyone else check out the new album from Clamfight? Silly name notwithstanding, the band's third album is quite good. If the idea of a sludge jam band is appealing, check it out.

http://clamfight.bandcamp.com/album/iii

Power Trip and Sheer Mag are touring together - I'm struggling to think of another co-headlining tour with less audience overlap

internet sensations, why not

my goal this year is to listen to all of Beloved Antichrist come hell or high water

I will probably be thrown out of the house for this at some point so if somebody has an open couch let a man know

internet sensations, why not

I can't tell if this is meant to be dismissive of both bands, but I've seen them live separately and they're both great

Disfear's Live the Storm came out 10 years ago today. I wrote about it for Stereogum.

Today's disappointment: Ignitor's Haunted By Rock & Roll. That's a great album title (if better suited to the Jesus & Mary Chain than a metal band), and the band features two ex-members of Agony Column and Jason McMaster on vocals, so I had medium-high hopes going in, but they're just not that great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZWAWkF_LI

In some circles the Los Angeles band Starcrawler are called metal. They're certainly loud. And I think kinda good. Any other metal friends check 'em out yet?

http://shopusa.roughtraderecords.com/media/catalog/product/cache/5/image/350x/85e4522595efc69f496374d01ef2bf13/r/t/rtradlp890_starcrawler.jpg

man that Slayer tour is gonna be nuts. Anthrax, Testament added to last year's Behemoth+Lamb of God package.

somehow the VIP packages for the Orlando show sold out like.....before I"d even seen they were on sale. blah.

New Portal is blowing me away. Favorite thing they’ve done since Swarth (including those excellent Impetuous Ritual albums. Its as Branca like and brain melt-y as ever but also sounds like they might be having some fun shredding. ‘Phreqs’ is the highlight right now. When those drums drop out they are on another level. I love it.

Very impressive, cathartic black metal/funeral doom - good if you're in a foul mood

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/loss

Looking forard to hearing Portal though neither preview track really grabbed me, I'm hoping for a cumulative effect on the album.

Brief thoughts on the new Tribulation: songs so good, singing so bad.

I've only heard three of the Tribulation songs, but yeah, I absolutely love the guitar playing, but wish the singer could do more than one thing.

hard disagree, dynamic instrumentals + one-note vocalist is a winning combo

Starcrawler's similar artists list (Estrons, Black Honey, INHEAVEN etc) is even farther from metal orthodoxy, but I'm digging it. glenn, you got your ears on?

Starcrawler didn't immediately do much for me, but I do like INHEAVEN.

just a reminder to you all . We only have 7 or 8 ballots in. So your votes will count

The 2017 ILX Metal n' Heavy Rock Poll VOTING + CAMPAIGNING thread! Ballots due Saturday, Feb. 3rd!

I can't tell if this is meant to be dismissive of both bands

no not at all, i like em, i'm sure they have well deserved local followings too, but their current renown seems distinctively internet-viral

All in on the new Portal here. The cleaner production (relatively speaking, it's hardly pristine) only highlights the mindbending intricacies of their riffs and rhythms. It's the same band but through a different prism, for lack of a better metaphor. Great stuff.

big day! new Portal, Tribulation, Hooded Menace, Mammoth Grinder, and (sigh) Machine Head now kicking around.

feel like the new Tribulation seems like extreme metal merged with gloomy 80s goth pop/rock a la The Cure.

this is a good thing.

yeah I think it's their best to date

I am utterly baffled by the Machine Head.

why did Rob change his signature vocal style to wanting to sound like a 19-year old Jonathan Davis? and begin the opening track with the least convincing "Fuck the wooooooorld!" and sub-Pantera lyrics?

"break it, smash it, burn it to the ground".....jesus.

instrumentally still some cool moments but his vocals and the shitty teen angst lyrics ruin everything for me.

going back to nu-metal elements such a weird choice, and the songs have even less flow than ever

I liked Unto the Locust but yeah this one seems dire

I liked the last 3 of their albums quite a bit.

now Robb is singing "I got head beneath the Fresno sign" in a song called....California Bleeding.

Wait till you get to the "street-punk" song.

I liked Unto the Locust (disclaimer: I worked for the label at the time) and Bloodstone and Diamonds a lot, but this one is not good overall.

midlife-crisis metal

I lasted 3 songs. Very disappointing

seeing him call our own J3ff out for the Decibel review is sad.

he's gone from taking Phil Anselmo down to imitating him in short time.

The Tribulation album is very nice. Definitely pushing the goth direction more than the last album. There's even some disco beats here and there.

The vocals do have a kind of stone-faced effect and keep them from sounding retro.

Machine Head have always had a big corny streak; on some albums (the first two, The Blackening and the two after) they mostly keep it in check, on other albums (The Burning Red, Supercharger, the new one) it gets away from them.

New Monolithe out today too FYcollectiveI

here's a metal/free-jazz thing by Mick Barr and Marc Edwards

https://sleepinggiantglossolalia.bandcamp.com/album/marc-edwards-mick-barr-duo-the-bowels-of-jupiter

I love the new Hooded Menace. cotdamn.

the new Judas Priest single....fuck yes.

this has been an utterly fantastic January for metal imo

these records all just killing it for me so far: Hyvmine, Frozen Crown, Oceans of Slumber, Sinistro, and Summoning. Haven't gotten to Hooded Menace, I always confuse them in my mind with Hooded Priest who I totally love

the Summoning is indeed great, need to return to that one.

finally got to my first concert of the year - CoC opening for Black Label Society.

had a surprising good time, the band sounded great, they played for about an hour. I left before Wylde and company came on stage to put me to sleep.

oh also the new Abigor's around & Silenius is on vox again and I'm one track in & it's great.

well I see this is going to be a busy Saturday for me.

xxp ooh gonna have to check that

Anyway, here's some promising new OSDM with BIG GUITARS from Noose Rot 👍👍👍

http://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/the-creeping-unknown

I interviewed Nortt for Bandcamp.

when is that danged Panopticon album getting announced properly

finally listening to the new summoning and it fuckin' rocks thanks

yeah they're not really my thing but when the mood hits it sounds so great

how can a band kick so much ass for so long

for instance the extremely lonely and gorgeous intrusions of piano in "mirklands"