Iceni

'Defenders of the Small Yard' by Moron Police. Might ask for this as a birthday present in a package with the shirt.

Participating in the Acephalous Poultry Sprint this week as I try to sort out my African Studies Certificate and thesis. Gunna be doing something on DRC, which is good. I've also got Wednesdays and Fridays off so should have plenty of time for work and fun.

'Father Alabaster' by...well, FatherAlabaster... I remember this awesome doomy Solstice riff at the beginning now. I gave Ingrate another listen and I think soon as my paycheck rolls in I'm giving Bandcamp a visit to pick up some Amiensus stuff as well.

I thought there was enough BM in both for them to qualify - I did have to remember to leave out Talanas and BH from the list.

Agalloch is just about the only band that's ever managed that to my satisfaction. I definitely enjoy dissonant vicious stuff like Drottnar, Infestus, Cssaba, Pyrrhon or Voices. Usually, though, I like it to be melodic and/or atmospheric. Folk (Belenos), Prog (Amiensus, Diabolical Masquerade), Industrial (Illidiance, ...and Oceans) almost any significant cross-genre influences are also good. Anything straight BM, bestial or crossed with thrash doesn't really do it for me.

For me it's really just LOTR, but I used to be best friends with a guy who actually enjoyed the Silmarillion. Scary. I mean I do know the guy was born in Bloemfontein, which it seems even the biggest self-proclaimed Tolkein nerds don't know...

'Ingrate' by Black Harvest. I may nab this soon, title track is still great. I'll probably pick up a bunch of a Amiensus stuff soon too.

I played LARPing to the extent of whacking my buddies with foam-wrapped PVC weapons...I've still got a huge repository of Star Wars Expanded Universe knowledge bouncing around in my head as well. Decent knowledge of LOTR although I know people who are much bigger fans.

I'm already a huge fan of DSO, and I've heard stuff from Arcturus, Freak Kitchen, Stolen Babies and Dog Fashion Disco. I'll try out the other folks you suggested.

'Cabo' by Moron Police.

Welcome! My best friend's from around Birmingham and I've enjoyed Ectovoid recently.

'Suicide Blonde' by INXS. A little monotonous but very enjoyable. I do wish the harmonica were a little more prominent.

You know, I might be slowly warming to grind. I've liked cybergrind elements in stuff before. I don't recall liking Cephalic Carnage but I only tried them out once.

I love spastic; Unexpect is my favorite band and I like a lot of Sikth, Spiral Architect, Frantic Bleep, and Ketha...I've tried Psyopus several times and maybe they will click one of these days. Never heard of Great Redneck Hope so perhaps I'll try them out. Nearing the end of 'Restoration' by Amiensus, perhaps my favorite discovery of the summer. By the way, FA, I really like what I've heard from Pyrrhon, by the way - the vocal effect on 'Flesh Isolation Chamber' was very clever in that it sounded like seething evil crackling and barking over an intercom. Struck me as a brilliant way of instantly evoking isolation - if you hear someone over an intercom one can easily imagine either sitting in a cell hearing commands, or of hearing some madman in the cell screaming out at you. Great stuff to listen to whilst editing stuff for the Hinduism and Religious Freedom sourcebook that the center will be releasing!

We don't all have the time to sit through Light of Day, Day of Darkness. For the metalhead on the move - it's GrindTM.

I would play chess but for fear of being bored off my ass so hard my buttocks would detach. But yeah, what RO said. Mais serieusement, I'm glad you've come back and I'm grateful for your presence here. I do very much appreciate that you consider me worthy of providing stimulating theological or philosophical discussion. On a lighter note, I still listen to Carrier Flux and Smohalla which I doubt I'd have ever discovered were it not for your recommendation.

'Visions of Reflective Decay' by Ectovoid. I'm enjoying this now, we'll see how it ages on me. That Horrendous album got boring after a while though they weren't exactly bad.

Coincidentally, Sunday nights are also the night before my day off...

'Ecdysis' by Horrendous. Mainly interested by the artwork, but the music's not bad.

Quiet, heathen! I'm spreadin' the good word! 'Deconstruction' by Devin Townsend Project. ...or just pretentious. He is European, after all.

Nah, I'll just make fun of you even more for that. See - there's a huge, aching, prog-shaped hole in your heart. Oh, you've tried to fill it, with Gorgoroth and Dimmu Borgir but it's just empty. You yearn for something deeper, and more complex. Come now, my child. Let syncopation and jazz rhythms into your soul. Take, for example, 'Into the Cold' by Darkwater, which I'm listening to right now.

Bring Me The Hemlock so I can quit listening to these whiny twits...

'Shiva Rudrastakam' by Dying Out Flame. Fairly good tech-death from Nepal.

So Aetherfallen were OK, but with some truly enamel-grinding voiceover parts. Otherwise they sounded a little bit like someone had killed Matt Marinelli and had set up a couple recording mikes in one room and forced the rest of Borealis to play demo material in the next room over. The guy behind the group is to be credited with at least approaching that Canadian band's unique appeal, but I'd like to see some of the vision expanded and improved. The rough idea is good, it just needs polishing and a slightly stronger presentation. Ariya's debut 'Myopia' was nicer than I remember, some solid melodic prog.

'The Mother of Virtues' by Pyrrhon. Boy am I glad I don't have a headache. I'm liking this so far.