Iceni

I'm on 111 right now.

'Towa No Kizuna'...watching Fairy Tail just now.

I contest your claim to least active subforum with the progressive metal subforum...it's just me in there, for the most part. Then somebody stumbles in, gives a look 'round and sees Mills on the bookshelf, Doritos bags and Vanilla Coke cans at the foot of the couch where I'm drawing, scents the distinct odor of cheese and unwashed socks, hears Into Eternity blasting and slinks away in disgust. It'd be good if NTNR were back because he and I did have a handful of discussions about what really constituted gothic metal. He argued that groups like Leaves' Eyes and Xandria really weren't gothic metal so much as just watered-down symphonic power metal. If I remember correctly he said gothic metal was usually more like doom but more uptempo and maybe with hints of electronica here and there, based on groups like the 69 Eyes and Sisters of Mercy. I wasn't sure, I thought the newer female-fronted groups had a sound of their own, but he did have a point. If you're looking for a band that is female fronted by genuinely sounds gothic, check out Silentium from Finland. I'm not sure the genre's dying, Nightwish, Xandria, Midnattsol, Krypteria, Leaves' Eyes, the various solo projects of those singers, and Within Temptation all seem to be doing fine. Epica are still doing well - I'm curious to see whether their new album is any good although it has a picture of Siddharta Buddha on the front so I'm prepping myself for some uninformed pretentiousness. Then again, that's most of Epica's lyrics these days... anyhow, Delain is one of the few gothic metal groups that I can be arsed about, alongside Edenbridge, Theatre of Tragedy, Slumber, ASP, Amaranthe and After Forever, because they do have some variance to their work and have heavily incorporated other elements - be they from melodeath, prog, doom or industrial. I do think there's a lot to the idea that all gothic metal bands sound a bit samey. I used to be quite well into the genre and even the less popular groups I found - Coronatus, Liquid Sky, Visions of Atlantis, UnSun, Lunatica, Elis all tended to run together. As a result, I suspect a lot of people really can't find much that they think distinctly differs from Evanescence to really catch their attention.

Technically I suppose you'd have to give birth. But again, that's not how it works; ratios add up the values of dichotomous variables, so negative values don't exist in a ratio.

I'm really not sure, the people who want tech and stuff for the sake of having tech and stuff are usually discriminating - for example, pottery is a useless luxury but people who really want it will likely find a solid criterion for determining their purchases. It's the same thing with tech. There's this idea of 'technologies of the self', which I'd be willing to accept as the real reason people constantly want to update their phones and get iPads; to feel good about themselves and others. They judge their worth as people by the stuff they have - or rather, by how they perceive others' appreciation of the stuff they have - so it's not so much a rush for mammon for the sake of mammon as it is a rush for possessions out of pride. Many people seem to need the approval of others. I won't pretend that I don't hope for the approval of you lot when it comes to intellectual coherence and musical taste, but I'm blessed to have been raised in such a way that I don't get too down in the dumps when I get told Darkwater sounds like Glee. It seems most people want to be loved, but what I marvel at personally is how much people seem to need friends. Granted, this is coming for a guy eternally grateful for the constant support of his best friend through a tough junior year at college, but so many people at this university have so many friends it amazes me. They do this, I would assume, because they would feel unfulfilled and inadequate without them. I suspect this is why they don't seek 'meaningful things' - because they're already busy attaining the goal of getting other people to like them, and they don't need much in the way of depth to do that. Just a matter of economy. Maybe these are the same people who say they don't feel strongly about theology. Again, I'm trying to be charitable to the rest of the population here, the people I don't encounter. I have no problem believing that the majority of college students are just a bunch of witless, soulless, heartless bastards with no aims other than money, booze and anal.

I don't know, glam metal is still popular, especially in my home state. Motley Crue and Van Halen in particular are doing well for themselves from what I hear. I don't think industrial and thrash are exactly suffering either. Second, it'd be remiss to act as if most people ever 'cared about the music'. I think I might have said it on this thread before, but most people past and present do not listen to music the way enthusiasts listen and that's not something to complain about nor a reason to feel superior. Generally, people are just looking for something rhythmic and catchy, and that's what pop music is. Thirdly, pop music is indeed real music. It's mainly crap, but it's definitely music.

'Hypercube' by Angel of Disease. Excellent progressive death metal from Tbilisi.

Finished 'Savior's Call' by Rob Rock and on to 'To The End' by Persuader.

Nice job, Macabre. What will you do to celebrate? Go out to the pub for a pint of their strongest unicorn blood IPA?

Enjoy, you might like it even more than I did.

You're not mentioned the Grand Canyon, we've been there twice. Not that I could just sort of mosey over there and arrange a meetup...

'Line of Symmetry' by Teramaze. Hm, this album feels a little weaker than the last one so far for one reason or another.

'Machine' by Teramaze. OK, good. Turns out I am actually more receptive to this just now, which leaves me free to enjoy the engaging guitar and drum work. What's more, the band's Christian and they don't suck completehairysheepballs.

That's good that you're taking inspiration, I got a similar motivation to do more drawing when my brother sent me a couple drawings he did of eyes that were just fantastic. Often I just get bummed out by good art, I look at it thinking 'well, there's no sodding way I'm getting that good in a hurry...', so I'm glad that wasn't the case this time 'round. Given your position in your company I had something like this in mind: But I can't talk, our Crown Victoria is almost 20 years old and the bare-bones Nissan Frontier my dad drives is probably older than that.

'Punishment by Design' by Teramaze. I remember writing this band off a while ago and I don't quite remember why. I think it might have been the vocals - they've improved now or maybe I've just got a higher tolerance or something, or perhaps this new album has a different vocal approach. Still, I might give them another go, this guitar is impressive in places.

I would love to blast metal from something like a Rolls-Royce Wraith, although considering my likely income level I should probably aim more for a Chrysler 300C Hemi. I don't know, but allow me to direct you to our liaison, ReturnToCarthage...

Says the guy named 'noon'...