Sheol

5 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

SYL FTW

Jono! good to see you here!

I love Rom 5:12, other than that I think their latest albums "Frontschwein" and "Viktoria" are quite good.

Marduk - The Blond Beast

Marduk - June 44

Replicant - Caverns of Insipid Reflection

Transcending Obscurity with seemingly another great signing. Heavy, slightly twisted death metal. Not too out there, but enough to keep things moving along. I liked this.

Mmm, Ihsahn is a good pick, if I had just composed "In the nightside eclipse" I would've considered I'd peaked.

The 11th Hour - Weep for Me

Revisited this gem today. Ed Warby, the drummer of Gorefest, Hail of Bullets and Ayreon also happens to be a very talented singer and guitarist. The 11th Hour was his solo doom metal project that released 2 albums. Initially created to process some personal losses it turned out pretty damn great. Excellent stuff, especially Ed's mournful and fragile voice. I really wish he had continued. In fact, I don't know what he's up to now, other than Ayreon stuff, since Hail of Bullets bit the dust.

Living or dead, that's the question?

I don't know if Pantera counts as extreme metal but I think Dimebag was extraordinarily talented; crunchy, big fat riffs and most of all groovy, coupled with shredding, melodic and memorable licks and solos.

As for living, I think an unsung hero that has written countless great songs; both rhythm and lead work, is Andreas Björler of At the gates, The Haunted and as a solo artist. The same could be said for his comrade Jensen (Seance, Witchery, The Haunted). As for pure talent, Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry is mindblowing to watch live. The man filled in for Fredrik Thordendal in Meshuggah, that should tell you how good he is.

5 hours ago, AngryWolf said:

Yeah, Gary Moore seems like a blues guy, but he is pure metal if you have ever tried to play his licks. Kirk gets big points for taking it with him on tour.

Yeah I agree on paper, but in the real world I'd be nervous as hell playing something that is irreplacable. Then again, I've never earned 30 million dollars a year so who know how I'd feel then 😄

I got a slow-dance and a kiss from my crush in 5th grade dancing to "Still got the blues", so I owe that memory to Gary Moore's blues-phase 😀

So it's june, and just like the previous years, it's been a great year for metal. What is on your AOTY lists so far? Here's the strongest candidates for me from the first 5 months.

Full lengths

Malakhim - Theion
Ninkharsag - The Dread March of Solemn Gods
Spectral wound - A Diabolic Thirst
Cult of Luna - The Raging River
The Suns Journey Through the Night - Demo II
Novae Militae - Topheth
Saidan - Jigoku: Spiraling Chasms Of The Blackest Hell
Ancient Wisdom - A celebration in honor of Death
Ferriterium - Calvaire
Mare Cognitum - Solar Paroxysm
Midnight Odyssey - Biolume Part 2 - The Golden Orb
Spectral Lore - Ετερόφωτος

Splits

Mnima / Spider god - Split
Erzfeynd / Rraaumm - Split
Gate Master / Reign - Split   
Celestial Sword / Erzfeynd - Split

9 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Almost didn't click on this one because of the cover but when I finally did it turned out to be pretty good, better than expected anyway. Formed in Florida by three former members of Massacre (Terry Butler (bass) also did time in Obituary and Death and Six Feet Under) these old men play tight thrashy death metal. I'm getting a Swedish vibe moreso than a Florida feeling here. Sounds kinda like Grave to me.

Inhuman Condition - Rat°God

 

Hell the cover and even the font of the band logo looks like Massacre. It's not bad though, I agree on the Swedish feeling.

Madonna

18 hours ago, AngryWolf said:

Gary Moore is standing at a 45 degree angle to his tube amp with it cranked like Alabaster talked about. A studio trick is that you can use anything from a wedge monitor to studio monitors or house stereo speakers to get feedback with some gain going. Most of the examples in the albums you linked are tube amps howling. Gary Moores guitar is using a 60 year old les paul burst named Greeny after the original owner, Peter Green. So he is using the guitar Greeny, which is an old les paul that had its pickups botched in the factory with a reversed magnet and rewired incorrectly (or perfectly, depending on your perspective. To the lobsters in the Titanic that iceberg was a miracle) to make it the only les paul on the planet that sounds like it does when out of phase.

The guitar is now owned by Kirk Hammet, and is a 59 burst. It was originally purchased by Peter Green when he replaced Clapton in the Bluebreakers. And was Moores go to instrument. I mention it because getting Gary Moores sound wont happen exactly without that guitar. Also as a 60 year old piece of legendary gear worth 6 figures, it plays metal every night now on stage with Metallica. There are a ton of videos and info about the guitar, Here is a mini doc from youtube about it: 

Wow, that's really cool. I had no idea that there was something unique with the guitar, much less that Kirk Hammet owns and plays it now! Man, I'd be so nervous carting a $2 million guitar around the world to play on stage, even though Metallica probably has Fort Knox level security.

I also didn't know that Gary Moore played in Thin Lizzy.....😳

I think The Diplomat-album (was it Book Burner?) was the last Pig Destroyer album I truly liked. It was great though.

3 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

When I get back out on the road it will be digital formats (no CD player in these modern cars nowadays) via my phone with some drives being 7 or 8 hours when I am visiting clients up in the Highlands and North East of Scotland.  Good news is that I have my music apps on my work phone so I am eating data on the company mobile plan only.

Just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

Also, Scotland is fucking beautiful. The highlands remind me a lot of the Swedish mountain world. Same type of vegetation and climate too.

5 hours ago, Dead1 said:

Certainly is crusty.  It does drag on a bit though - just when I think it's finished, it keeps going.

Yeah, I question to decision to keep this a 9 min track. But it's surprisingly competent doom. Like early Candlemass or Trouble with harsh vocals.

It just occured to me that I've never heard Archgoat or Blasphemy. Should probably remedy that sharpish.

9 hours ago, navybsn said:

 

I did that with the Mercyful Fate reissues last year and ended up with 2 copies each of DBTO and Melissa.

 

That counts as win, I'd say

6 hours ago, markm said:

Emperor/Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk- Been a while since I've listen to this album. I almost forget how good it is. Man, Ihsahn and co were so forward thinking. Maybe they weren't the heaviest BM band on the planet, but somehow sound epic and authentic without the cheese of bands like Dimmu Borgir. A classic.

It blows my mind that Ihsahn was 22 when this was released, and like 19 or something for Eclipse...

5 hours ago, Dead1 said:

These guys should have been much bigger:

 

 

Agreed. Sometimes I think success is so very much up to luck and timing rather than talent or hard work. Ed Warby is still one of the very best metal drummers I've ever heard. His work with Gorefest, Hail of Bullets and in particular Ayreon is amazing.

Yeah, that's the Goatmaster General I remember. Massive album dumps n all.

Haha well, nothing really. But they have the reputation of being really jovial and happy and kind of smug, and really keen on word puns. All things considered a no-no if you're a grumpy, quiet northerner. But no, it's mostly some friendly ribbing.

But of course, then there's always this atrocity that you can hold against the Gothenburgians.

In Flames - Murders in the Rue Morgue

And of course the crappiest swedish band of the 90's

Broder Daniel - Luke Skywalker

So here's a funny one...

I had initially pre-ordered Noctule and Svalbard LP's way back in the winter. But I got buyers remorse and cancelled my order. Got my money back and everything, no worries. Yesterday the vinyls showed up at my door. Thanks, I guess? Free vinyl.

3 minutes ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Heathen Deity - True English Black Metal, UK

 

A lot to live up to with a album name like that. Gonna give it a listen today, the teaser track was surprisingly mid-tempo

Quick, everyone, hide your political forums!

Welcome Dead!

Haha That's a dad-joke level 10.

I've always wondered what I'd think if I listened to Chinese Democracy now. I know that I hated it when it first came out.

Silver Talon - Deceiver, I am

Modern American heavy metal which initially won me over, but today it bores me. Perhaps I need to be in the right mood?

Mortum - Atlantean ouroborus

Also American, New Jersey to be exact, but black metal. Though they have a heavy metal vibe to some of their riffs.

Next up:

Perturbator - Lustful sacraments

Kinda dreading this one...

One