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Following PatrThom's suggestion in Kags' End of year wrap-up, this is the Halforums Metal thread.

I've been a metalhead since the 1990s, starting with Scorpions and the original Rhapsody line-up. Since then, I've mostly been into power metal (Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, HammerFall, etc.) and traditional heavy metal (old and new, with Judas Priest, Saxon and Satan sharing space with Visigoth, Twisted Tower Dire and Traveler, for example). Also a little bit of melodic death metal, with Amon Amarth and Amorphis being favourites.

What about you? What are you listening to? What are you curious about?

My cousin would listen to Quiet Riot and Judas Priest for “inspiration” while doing weights (he used to play offensive lineman), but I never really considered people like Scorpions as Metal, just “Hard Rock.” “Metal” was a label I saved more for groups like Megadeth, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, etc., none of which I really listened to back in the day.

I didn’t really start paying attention to Metal until I started getting into mashups (especially these two featuring Metallica) and after playing through most of the first half of the game Brütal Legend. That put some songs in my head and introduced me to more symphonic bands like Dimmu Borgir, but what it really did was to get me listening to lyrics. That’s when I started hearing how much protest, how much story was contained within a lot of the songs. I used to think Metal was just yell, yell, guitar riff, eat a small live animal, and then scream some more. But once I actually started paying attention, I realized that there’s actually a lot of complexity and meaning in there, and it’s not always the hazy MetalBroFest I thought it was going to be. Ozzy and “Crazy Train,” or Lemmy and “God Was Never On Your Side” are actually just as poignant (in their own way) as CSN(Y)’s “Ohio” or ELP’s “Lucky Man.” Once I realized that, I gained a lot more appreciation for the genre.

—Patrick

Scorpions are one of those annoying borderline cases because they've had such a long career (started in 1965, I believe) and their sound has changed a ton over the decades. Contrast Lonesome Crow, In Trance and Crazy World (my own intro to them), for example.

When I first heard them, I didn't consider them metal, as my own idea of metal was stuff like Slayer. I wouldn't discover the more melodic side of metal (with Rhapsody's Legendary Tales, my entry into metal proper) until nearly a decade later. That was a huge wake-up call for me, as I pretty much had the same idea you did until then.

That was in 1998, haven't stopped since.

Hey this is a thing I do.

My favorite bands are thrash metal - Testament and Death Angel, to be specific. Death Angel released their latest album Humanicide in May of last year, and Testament is releasing a new album somewhere beginning 2020. They're also touring together which is my dream come true (on the Bay Strikes Back tour), but the one concert they're giving in the Netherlands is sold out which I missed ticket sales for due to my move.

Other bands I listen to: Symphony X, Epica, Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, the classics (Iron Maiden/Judas Priest/Black Sabbath etc.), other thrash bands (Exodus, Anthrax, Kreator) and a lot of other bands that don't come to mind currently.

Wahad said:

Hey this is a thing I do.

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Been hoping you’d weigh in.

—Patrick

I think Anthrax are supposed to release something new in 2020 as well.

Really liked Death Angel's Humanicide, although I found The Evil Divide to be more my cup of tea. Intrigued by the new Testament coming, too. Brotherhood of the Snake was solid, although I liked Dark Roots of the Earth more.

I like Humanicide a bit better than Evil Divide, but The Dream Calls for Blood is still miles ahead of either of them imo. Brotherhood of the Snake was kind of...eh? I like the first four songs, but the latter half of the album is kinda wack, especially Cannabusiness. Like, I get Chuck Billy wanted to do a song about weed being legalized, I'm all for that, but I can't help but laugh at that song, it's just kind of silly. Dark Roots of the Earth remains my favorite album though, even over all the previous ones, it's so damn good. Throne of Thorns is in my top five songs of all time.

I'll come back with a more in-depth description of what I listen to a bit later, but for right now: anyone who likes metal and hasn't heard Jinjer, do yourself a favour.

See, this is where I get very old school. I love old metal like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. For the MOST part I can't get into screaming/cookie monster vocals. It's why I like some of the "middle" bands that people tend to shit on like Avenged Sevenfold. Their vocals and guitar licks hearken back to the Iron Maiden days.

I liked Jinjer when she was singing but when she went ful shouting I disliked it - even though I DO appreciate the ability to sing like that.

Having said all that, I do love me some Nekrogoblikon.



Oh, and don't call Ghost metal. They are pop with a metal persona.

I don't know if the stuff I like to listen to counts as metal.

bhamv3 said:

I don't know if the stuff I like to listen to counts as metal.

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Sounds more Pop to me. What I hear reminds me of Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar, the Fame soundtrack, and an occasional dip into Progressive Rock territory. But it also has moments that feel inspired by Metal. 2:15-3:00ish or so: "You don't want the burden of my name/I am no one's blessing/I'll just bring you harm" - that section feels very Ozzy-esque.

(EDIT: These are merely my opinions)

--Patrick

You guys don't even know how much you need a bunch of japanese grandpas rocking out.

BABYMETAL IS LOVE, BABYMETAL IS LIFE (not really, but they've some bangers).

The only metal I listen to these days is old Between the Buried and Me.

Also holy cow that Jinjer lead singer is amazing.

My only real exposure to Japanese metal is Mary's Blood. The album Revenant, in particular, was a great little slab of power metal.

The only metal I listen to is the Brutal Legend OST. Though I might listen to more if I knew of more instrumental metal songs.

I think Yngwie Malmsteen has some instrumental albums, although I wouldn't swear to it. Trans-Siberian Orchestra has quite a few tracks, though no full albums. Galactic Empire is a fully instrumental, Star Wars-themed band.

Off the top of my head.

Russian Circles are a really really good instrumental postmetal band.

All right, I'm not sure how much interest there is for this, but here it is: My top 10 albums of 2019. They're in this thread because they're all at least metal-adjacent (statistically, always a strong possibility). Most of these are available on Bandcamp, by the way (number 7 isn't):

10. Lunar Shadow - The Smokeless Fire (heavy/power metal with some progginess from Germany)
An album that revolves around the theme of love, this marries aggression, technicality and emotion remarkably well.
Standout track: Roses

9. Sabaton - The Great War (power metal from Sweden)
A concept album about World War I, this is one of their best (Carolus Rex still reigns, though).
Standout track: Devil Dogs

8. Ram - The Throne Within (heavy metal from Sweden)
No frills, no nonsense, just old school straightforward metal.
Standout track: Fang and Fur

7. Beast In Black - From Hell With Love (power metal from Finland)
Cheesy as heck, but so much fun. Incredible energy, super catchy.
Standout track: Heart of Steel

6. Sanhedrin - The Poisoner (heavy/doom metal from the US)
Another old school (think NWOBHM) album, this is much less doomy than their debut, even evoking Motörhead at times.
Standout track: The Getaway

5. Gloryhammer - Legends From Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex (symphonic power metal from Scotland)
An affectionate parody of the tropes of symphonic power metal, it embodies the genre perfectly. ULTIMATE cheese.
Standout track: The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)

4. Traveler - Traveler (heavy metal from Canada)
Another straightforward trad metal release. Strong melodies, soaring vocals and tight songwriting carry the day. Their demo was one of my favourite releases of last year, and this deftly fulfills the promise shown then.
Standout track: Starbreaker

3. Twisted Tower Dire - Wars in the Unknown (heavy/power metal from the US)
The vanguards of the new wave of trad metal in the US are back after 8 years and deliver one of their strongest works. While Tony Taylor's vocals are dearly missed, Jonny Aune does a remarkable job here. I keep coming back to this one.
Standout track: These Ghosts Can Never Leave

2. Tanith - In Another Time (heavy metal/hard rock with some prog thrown in there from the US)
Featuring Russ Tippins of Satan fame on guitars and vocals (with Cindy Maynard also singing lead), this one is especially for fans of Blue Öyster Cult. It's a spacey and engaging trip.
Standout track: Citadel (Galantia Pt. 1)

1. Dream Tröll - Second To None (heavy metal with prog leanings from England)
Dream Tröll have quickly carved out a sound that is unmistakenly theirs. Their songs twist and turn but always stay engaging. I'm a big fan.
Standout track: Darkness Lies Within The Sun

So that's it. Lots of really good shit came out this year, some heart-rending choices needed to be made to whittle this list down to 10. Hope 2020 is at least as good!

I'm not sure I can actually do justice to a top 10 this year, but I think I can come up with 5 albums I really love. I'll also toss a link to at least one song from each!

5) Swallow the Sun - When a Shadow is Forced into the Light

This is a really powerful Doom album written after/about the death of one of the band members' partners. Mixed harsh and clean vocals (going to be a trend here!) for people who are put off by that, but this trends more towards cleans and I think the emotions come through whether you like the occasional screams or not.





4) Fleshgod Apocalypse - Veleno

Symphonic Technical Death Metal, so if you don't like harsh vocals and/or don't appreciate instruments played very fast (and very well!), you can skip this. That said, with a name like that, how can you not want to check them out? I've never heard anyone approach metal the way these guys do, and the layering and contrasts between the orchestra, the more standard metal instrumentation, the harsh and clean (and occasionally operatic) vocals let them accomplish things that I don't hear anywhere else. I'm not sure this is the best music they've released, but it's definitely the most consistent album from start to finish.





3) Allegaeon - Apoptosis

Technical Death Metal again, but of a more standard kind. If you can't handle harsh vocals, you won't like this. I first learned about these guys when they opened for Ne Obliviscaris for their 2017 North American tour, and I enjoyed them well enough but I wasn't blown away. This album goes a long way towards earning them a regular spot in my playlists. They don't do anything particularly unique, but they're getting really good at what they do.





2) Cult of Luna - A Dawn to Fear

I don't know if this is my favourite post-metal album of all time, but it's definitely in contention. The mix is beautiful, all the instruments get to shine, and the vocals (harsh, sorry!) add a layer to the sound that I think would be lacking without them. This album came out very shortly after Tool's release and ended up completely blowing it out of the water, at least for me.





1) Jinjer - Macro (and the Micro LP from January, as a bonus!)

I absolutely love everything this band does, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that they'd top my list (I think a new Ne Obliviscaris album might be the only thing that could beat them out, and they've been busy touring). Everyone in the band is top notch, they give everyone a chance to show off from time to time, and I love the area they've found between Djent and groove metal. I already linked a song from Macro, so here's one from Micro!





And now that I've sat down and done this, I see that there are some more albums I need to check out (Russian Circles) or spend more time with (Devin Townsend), plus a bunch that I haven't listened to at all from various year-end lists. I'll check back if anything stands out!

Right outa high school, I used to keep house for a couple I knew while I was waiting to go into the Navy. I basically watched their kid and did the cleaning in exchange for room, board, and cigarette money. I'd crank the metallica up every day, and dance around the house with the kid while doing chores.

Their daughter's first words were "exit light"

I feel like I would be doing the thread a disservice if I didn't crosspost this from reddit:


--Patrick

Just heard “Ordinary Man” this morning.



I found it touching. Not as devastating as Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” but I’d put it in the same category.

—Patrick

That War dogs debut is some tasty, tasty trad metal out of Spain, hot DAMN!

Yesterday I discovered League of Legends has their own metal band, of sorts?




The Song was used as the soundtrack to a Crossout video I was watching, didn't know it was from a different game.
All this time I thought music from LoL and such were all just K-pop stuff. Huh.

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Just heard “Ordinary Man” this morning.



I found it touching. Not as devastating as Johnny Cash’s “Hurt,” but I’d put it in the same category.

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New video released for the song:



--Patrick

I love Ozzy but I have him on my Dead Pool draft board for next year.

I'm kinda shocked he's still alive, to be honest...

Dave said:

I love Ozzy but I have him on my Dead Pool draft board for next year.

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I assumed the song was made for a reason.
If not physical death, then mental.

--Patrick

Like David Bowie's final song.

Dave said:

Like David Bowie's final swan song.

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FTFY

--Patrick

Just FYI: Adult Swim now has all the episodes of Metalocalypse available to view on their site, for free.

--Patrick

Just popping in to mention two things:

1. Testament's latest, Titans of Creation, absolutely rips. Big step up from Brotherhood of the Snake.

2. Calgary's Traveler released their second album, Termination Shock, a couple of weeks early. Check it out if you're a fan of 80's metal, especially Maiden. Available here:



Their debut was one of the best things I heard last year. Very high hopes for this one.
Edit: Just listened to Traveler for the first time. High hopes vindicated. Exactly what I wanted.

I am loving this:



Helluva way to stand out from the crowd.

--Patrick

My dudes, you may remember that, back in early April, Bandcamp waived its cut of the revenue generated by artists' sales on its site. People responded with a massive downloading spree, bogging down the servers and generating $4.3M (800,000 items were downloaded in all, 19 of those were me, yay!)

They're doing it again next Friday (May 1st), so if you've got some stuff you've been interested in but haven't pulled the trigger yet, that's the perfect day to do it! I've got my eye on 5 items for now, might make a leap for some more.

Simfers said:

19 of those were me, yay

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Wait, you're in a band? Why isn't this in your bio?
here's your opening to plug!

--Patrick

Oh dear, I phrased that quite badly, didn't I? Sorry for the confusion. I am NOT in a band.

I meant that I had purchased 19 of the 800,000 items that had been sold. I contributed, man!

Just sayin': Passion=Passion, regardless of font.

--Patrick

One of my fondest discoveries of this year:




Acquired the rest of their discography on Friday, and I'm just enamored with the band. Top flight stuff.

What a helluva show this was in Frankfurt, Iron Maiden AND Anthrax. I still have what's left of the shirt. 30th anniversary remaster of Persistence of Time.

I’m always surprised when I hear these “older” bands are still touring. But I suppose if the Temptations are still going, well...

—Patrick

Yeah, older bands have been relatively raking it in, too. Nostalgia is big, and, of course, it helps that some of those bands, like Satan, Cloven Hoof and Cirith Ungol, have put out KILLER material recently.

And their fans are older and generally have more cash now doesn't hurt.

Older bands that enjoy making music, if they can monetarily wise, keep making music. American Media just sucks at distributing it. Other than authoritarian dictators, I'd love to have an apt or small place in Brazil where I could enjoy there metal scene.

Yeah, that would be sweet, although I'd go to Germany instead, a good bit of my faves are from there.

I was starting to get really acquainted with the local (Ottawa) scene last year, but now, of course, there IS no scene...

Yesterday, Gamma Ray, my favourite active band, held a virtual show out of Düsseldorf for their 30th anniversary. It was broadcast on World Wide Live. It lasted nearly two hours and spanned their entire career, they even had their original vocalist, Ralph Scheepers, now of Primal Fear, for a few songs. It was a fantastic show, the band is as tight as ever and the light show was on point, but the lack of an audience, both here and at the venue, made for some weirdness (as well as a funny moment when Kai Hansen threw his guitar pick in the pit, as is tradition, only to see it fall to the floor with an "oh, right" expression on his face).

What kinda perplexed me was that, despite this being a career-wide retrospective, four of their eleven albums were completely unrepresented. I mean, I get that choices must be made and I didn't expect all my favourites to be played (the show would've lasted three or four hours then), but it felt strange to have nearly half their output completely ignored.

Still, awesome show, would watch again, and World Wide Live seems to work very well as a platform. Would recommend.

Simfers said:

Yeah, that would be sweet, although I'd go to Germany instead, a good bit of my faves are from there.

I was starting to get really acquainted with the local (Ottawa) scene last year, but now, of course, there IS no scene...

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Heh, Germany would be nice too. I remember taking the train up to . . I'll have to look for the ticket .. . to see Metallica/DIO. Stretch *best mate I had in the army* was 6'4 or taller, the further north went, the more normal height he was

Dave said:

See, this is where I get very old school. I love old metal like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. For the MOST part I can't get into screaming/cookie monster vocals. It's why I like some of the "middle" bands that people tend to shit on like Avenged Sevenfold. Their vocals and guitar licks hearken back to the Iron Maiden days.

I liked Jinjer when she was singing but when she went ful shouting I disliked it - even though I DO appreciate the ability to sing like that.

Having said all that, I do love me some Nekrogoblikon.



Oh, and don't call Ghost metal. They are pop with a metal persona.

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Cookie monster is the perfect description!

Is Metallica metal? It's in their name, and I listened to them all thru the 90s

drawn_inward said:

Is Metallica metal? It's in their name, and I listened to them all thru the 90s

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Most people would say so, yes.

--Patrick

Album is in the mail

PatrThom said:

Most people would say so, yes.

--Patrick

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They're trying to get it back, maybe? I can't remember where I saw it, but when 'Sandman' premiered and was playing on MTV *they used to play videos kids!!* the chyron was pretty much "this rocks but it isn't metal"

Most people I know would classify Metallica as metal, but light, beginner metal.

Yesterday though on the radio, they played Floyd's "Wish you were here" back to back with "Enter Sandman," so I guess now Metallica is classic rock.

GasBandit said:

I guess now Metallica is classic rock.

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Dude, I’m already hearing “Black and Yellow” done as elevator music. The release cycle for music is collapsing and approaching that of movies. You’re probably going to start seeing K-Tel commercials for “Old Town Road” and “Bad Guy” soon with a reminder to order early so the 4-6 weeks for delivery will still arrive in time for the holidays.

—Patrick

GasBandit said:

Most people I know would classify Metallica as metal, but light, beginner metal.

Yesterday though on the radio, they played Floyd's "Wish you were here" back to back with "Enter Sandman," so I guess now Metallica is classic rock.

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The black album was the beginning of it all. They started chasing $$$ and shorter radio friendly stuff. The black album was good stuff, HELL I saw them at the beginning and ending of that massive tour. All of the stuff before that was definitely speed/thrash. RIP Cliff Burton, you were the farkin' heart and soul of that band.

As a Veteran of the Psychic Wars, I approve this message.
p.s Also as a survivor of the last Godzilla attack.
p.p.s. I wish the Ebony butchers knife would quit whispering to me.

I've been curious about that new BÖC album (I'm passingly familiar with the band), I take it it's a good one?

Tiger Tsang said:

As a Veteran of the Psychic Wars, I approve this message.
p.s Also as a survivor of the last Godzilla attack.
p.p.s. I wish the Ebony butchers knife would quit whispering to me.

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Okay, yeah, this is amazing. Took the plunge on the album, I absolutely love it. Now to explore their discography in greater depth (this is my first proper album by them, I only had a Greatest Hits before).

Simfers said:

Okay, yeah, this is amazing. Took the plunge on the album, I absolutely love it. Now to explore their discography in greater depth (this is my first proper album by them, I only had a Greatest Hits before).

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I absolutely LOVE the guitar solo in this

I've had Static-X Project Regeneration on almost constant rotation in my car. I solidly put it up there with Wisconsin Death Trip. Doesn't hurt that that I donated and my name *along with a bajillion others* is in the credits, heh, booklet.

Tiger Tsang said:

I absolutely LOVE the guitar solo in this

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Geez. I saw Cult live waaaaaaay back when, during the Godzilla days. 38 Special opened for them. Had no idea they were still rocking it.

The comedian and old school guy in you Dave should love these guys

Tiger Tsang said:

The comedian and old school guy in you Dave should love these guys

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I never come into this thread. I did so today by accident.

Glad I did.

--Patrick

We need some appropriate songs for this time of the year.

That was fantastic.
Now @Dave needs to watch it.

--Patrick

Never too young.

Been neglecting this thread lately, my oh my. Here are some of my acquisitions over 2020-2021 so far. I recommend all of these:

Land Of Demise | Black Soul Horde (bandcamp.com)

'The Passing of Time' | Glacier (bandcamp.com)

III: Pentecost | Wytch Hazel

Abyss | Unleash The Archers (bandcamp.com)

From a Dying Ember | Falconer (bandcamp.com)

Happy listening!

A whole existence spent praising your God, but always with one wing dipped in blood. Would you ever really want to see an angel? And in the end, I think it must be about faith, and if faith is a choice, then it can be lost - for a man, an angel, or the devil himself.

Been on a real Royal Hunt kick lately. They're a Danish band, a keyboard-heavy, really melodic, proggy power metal act. Check it out:



Discovered them in University nearly 20 years ago now with the above album, then another one, Moving Target, and then never explored further. NO idea why. I loved them both. Started remedying that.

Tiger Tsang said:

Would you ever really want to see an angel?

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Insert biblically-accurate angel meme here

I haven't thought about "Earache My Eye" in forever.

--Patrick

See, the title of this video had me really confused at first.

--Patrick

I'll admit I'm a little behind on my old favorites, but fucking hell how did this slip by . . .
RIP

Dean, I'm not so sure about this.
Sammy, *cracks open a beer*, I'm gonna let this one slide.

While he is a nightmare walking, psychopath stalking . . . . The Body Count continues . . . *another gem I've missed*

Tiger Tsang said:

While he is a nightmare walking, psychopath stalking . . . . The Body Count continues . . . *another gem I've missed*

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I still just want a Pepsi, just one.

The song is called "Sick Like Me," by In This Moment.




The dancer, however, is Diana Bastet. She is a heavy metal belly dancer. Now there's four words you might not have thought you'd find hanging out together in public. If the thumbnail isn't enough of a clue, it's the sort of video you might not want to watch while at work, though it's debatable whether it's riskier than the band's official video for the song.

Here is a link to an (unfortunately very ad-heavy) interview with her.

--Patrick

One of Sam Dunn's documentaries (I think it was Global Metal) featured a heavy metal belly dancer, I think in one of the bonus features. Might have been her.

Out of curiosity, Simfers, IF they're circling your cup of tea, have you been watching Machine Head's Facebook . . . podcasts?

Well, I'm not on Facebook, so no. Have I been missing something?

Machine Head's a band I've heard OF but not actually HEARD. I know their latest album got SAVAGED on Encyclopedia Metallum, though.

From my understanding of their sound, I don't think they'd be in my preferred zone (really more of a trad/power metal kinda guy, with small bits of folk, thrash and melodeath thrown in), but I'll likely give 'em a chance at some point, if only to see what all the fuss is about.

Simfers said:

Well, I'm not on Facebook, so no. Have I been missing something?

Machine Head's a band I've heard OF but not actually HEARD. I know their latest album got SAVAGED on Encyclopedia Metallum, though.

From my understanding of their sound, I don't think they'd be in my preferred zone (really more of a trad/power metal kinda guy, with small bits of folk, thrash and melodeath thrown in), but I'll likely give 'em a chance at some point, if only to see what all the fuss is about.

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Well any form of a Wikipedia can be it's own poison, but the lead singer/a guitar player and the bass/other vocals lived close enough that they've effectively been quarantining in each others homes, and have been putting on weekly/hour long shows from the leads basement. If you were a fan of their sound, it's been fun. A fan of the band, they've been fun.

*edit* But at the end of the day . . . . 2 guys promoting their band, and apparently beers, for the last year from his basement, to be able to hit the studios/road when the plague is over . . . Metal?/NotMetal?
And he has a decent basement studio setup.

Whelp, just purchased my tickets for the Anthrax Livestream tomorrow night. Haven't ever been able to catch them since one of the best concert nights in Germany.

Those guys still have it, I just wish that they would have had a song or two with John Bush. Sound of White Noise had some killer tracks.

*Doesn't hurt for the Twin Peaks reference*

Samurai Eddie and the Four HorseEddies of the Apocolypse.

I liked that new Maiden song. Didn't blow my socks off, but it was damn solid. Video was really cool too.

Went looking for African metal.

I found some.

Here, have some QuasiMotörhead:




I hope they do some AC/DC next time, if they haven't already. I know just the song.

--Patrick

Was kinda hoping there'd be an isolated track of just the bells, but you can hear the guitar pretty clearly outside, too.

To be that closely in sync at that distance, the speakers for the guitar have to have been up there with the bells.

--Patrick

This collab is everything I want in music. Song starts at 1:42 if the video's not speaking to you.

Twelve Foot NInja? Never heard of them. But god DAMN do I like this song! I love actually singing in my metal. One of the reasons I really like Avenged Sevenfold, even though they aren't considered that metal any more.

Time to go down that YouTube rabbit hole listening to a new band.

Track from the new Haiduk album Diabolica

https://bravewords.com/news/judas-p...medical-update-im-literally-made-of-metal-now

Holy shit! BTW, that condition, what happened to him? That is LITERALLY what killed my grandfather about a month ago. Crazy.

I vote "Keep."

--Patrick

I thought we'd left that kind of bullshit in the 1980s... *sigh*

Discovered H.E.A.T. this past Tuesday from a post in another Discord.




This song is from 2020, but it's so 80's it sounds like it should be in the soundtrack of a movie where Jean-Claude Van Damme and James Belushi have to go on a road trip to recruit Louis Gossett Jr. and Michael Dudikoff to form the ultimate Judas Priest cover band. I mean, listen to this stuff:



It’s so 80’s that it sounds like it could easily be the theme for a late 90’s anime series.

--Patrick

Simfers said:

I thought we'd left that kind of bullshit in the 1980s... *sigh*

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Speed metal will never die

I didn't seek this out, it found me.

I heard that one, yeah. Too much nu-metal for my taste, but that dude rocking out over the cylindrical drum (don't know the name and don't want to offend anyone) is on FIRE. Best part of the vid.

Michael Romeo and Brittney Slayes? Hell yeah.

Damn, Brittney Slayes has one of the best voices in metal, I swear...

That was my first exposure to Star One, I only knew Arjen Lucassen from his other project, Ayreon. Gonna check that out for sure.

Star One is basically Ayreon but without the massive guest list and without any overarching stories for the albums. The first two albums had Russell Allen and Floor Jansen on vocals, so you know it's good shit. The third album (which the above song is on) will have more names attached, like Ayreon.

I've got too much metal to try to pick out one song to share

Wahad said:

Star One is basically Ayreon but without the massive guest list and without any overarching stories for the albums. The first two albums had Russell Allen and Floor Jansen on vocals, so you know it's good shit. The third album (which the above song is on) will have more names attached, like Ayreon.

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Another way to put this: Star One is Arjen Lucassen (mastermind of Ayreon) doing songs about Sci-Fi movies with his good friends, who sometimes turn out to be legends of Prog and Metal.

I found this informative.




--Patrick

PatrThom said:

I found this informative.




--Patrick

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I had not until this day heard of "Djent" (and I consider myself something of a metal fan), but having had it explained... yeah, that makes sense.

The guitars go DJENT DJE- DJENNEH DJENT DJE DJENT DJENT

He left out the most significant genre of our generation...

Haiduk - Diabolica [2021]

Oooooooh boy, this is really really good. Kinda regretting putting my top 10 out already...

I wouldn't have expected this even a year ago, but Allegaeon are quickly climbing my list of favourite bands. I've had their new album pretty much on repeat for a few weeks now and it's not getting old.

I had to put this here.
I felt the thread might appreciate it.



--Patrick

Blind Guardian's latest, The God Machine, is the best thing they've done since their legendary 1990s run. I'd even put it on par with those albums.



Album of the year unless someone pulls a MASSIVE rabbit out of their hat. Holy shit.

Powerwolf, a fantastically fun and eminently silly power metal band from Germany, are coming over to North America for the very first time in February. Only two dates, New York and Montreal.

I just got a ticket to the Montreal show. 24 February, 8 PM. I am HYPED.

Haiduk - Sea of Fire

--Patrick

—Patrick

Oh look! A sequel (of sorts)!



--Patrick

Oh no.



--Patrick