The Official Metalheads Thread

[machetemonkey]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I lost major interest in the Behemoth tour when Shining dropped off due to visa complications. Lightning Swords of Death replaced them, and while I like LSoD a lot, they aren't nearly as awesome as Shining. I ended up skipping it to see Oiltanker and Infernal Stronghold instead.

I'm not really aware of the supporting bands much, but Behemoth is one of my favorite bands at the moment, so I lost interest when I heard I couldn't see them.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by machetemonkey

I'm not really aware of the supporting bands much, but Behemoth is one of my favorite bands at the moment, so I lost interest when I heard I couldn't see them.

Definitely check out both Shining (non-minimalist DSBM) and Lightning Swords of Death (raw blackthrash). Septicflesh is atmospheric and orchestral death metal. A lot of people really like them, I'm not huge on them, but they're okay. Woe opened for Behemoth on the Philly stop, and I would definitely suggest listening to Woe as well.

Most Behemoth bores me to tears, especially recently. I'm not usually a fan of black and blackened metal when it's highly polished. Blackened death is usually not my thing (with the exception of a few bands like Unanimated and Goatwhore), and Behemoth is the opposite of how I like mine.

Unrelated, you guys should tune in to my radio show tonight. Seeing as none of you seem to be within normal listening range, you can do it over the internet at WKDU.org. I'm normally on 7-9PM (Eastern) on Mondays, but I'm also covering the show after mine so I'll be going all the way until 11PM tonight. The DJ before me also plays metal, so you might as well tune in at 5PM for 6 hours of blistering, audible hate.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Unrelated, you guys should tune in to my radio show tonight. Seeing as none of you seem to be within normal listening range, you can do it over the internet at WKDU.org. I'm normally on 7-9PM (Eastern) on Mondays, but I'm also covering the show after mine so I'll be going all the way until 11PM tonight. The DJ before me also plays metal, so you might as well tune in at 5PM for 6 hours of blistering, audible hate.

Aww, I wish there was an "official indie pop / rock fans thread" so I could plug my radio show I'm doing a variety show that includes a decent amount of metal later this semester though, so "stay tuned"!

I passed up a Between the Buried and Me concert the other day and now regret it. While not very metal, there's a Coheed and Cambria concert on campus in a month I'm extremely excited for, which I don't plan on missing.

[Lil' Lavery]

I skipped the BTBAM/Cynic/Devin Townsend/Scale the Summit show last night in Philly. And by skipped, I mean, forgot about. I'm not terribly upset because BTBAM is awful, Devin is a much better producer than he is a musician, and I'm entirely indifferent about Scale the Summit. Would really have liked to see Cynic, though. They need to stop touring with awful bands (Dragonforce, BTBAM, etc.).

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I skipped the BTBAM/Cynic/Devin Townsend/Scale the Summit show last night in Philly. And by skipped, I mean, forgot about. I'm not terribly upset because BTBAM is awful, Devin is a much better producer than he is a musician, and I'm entirely indifferent about Scale the Summit. Would really have liked to see Cynic, though. They need to stop touring with awful bands (Dragonforce, BTBAM, etc.).

I was disappointed less because "wow, I'm a big BTBAM fan" and more because my friends would not stop talking about how totally awesome it was, and I generally enjoy some of the same metal they do.

[Josh Fox]

Cynic's performance was incredible.

For lack of a better term, the vibes they gave off were mesmerizing, and left me staring in awe several times throughout their set.

[machetemonkey]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Most Behemoth bores me to tears, especially recently. I'm not usually a fan of black and blackened metal when it's highly polished. Blackened death is usually not my thing (with the exception of a few bands like Unanimated and Goatwhore), and Behemoth is the opposite of how I like mine.

I'll check out some of these bands. See, I'm the opposite on Behemoth. I love Blackened Death, ESPECIALLY when it's polished. To me, the level of polish makes it easier to appreciate all of the musicianship as opposed to when it's just unrefined noise (EDIT: I don't mean to imply that it's "just noise," as it's obviously the same music I merely meant that I listen for musicality, and that's easier to notice when the production is cleaner). I mean, I appreciate all these bands, but I prefer the ones that put a lot of effort into decent production.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by machetemonkey

I'll check out some of these bands. See, I'm the opposite on Behemoth. I love Blackened Death, ESPECIALLY when it's polished. To me, the level of polish makes it easier to appreciate all of the musicianship as opposed to when it's just unrefined noise (EDIT: I don't mean to imply that it's "just noise," as it's obviously the same music I merely meant that I listen for musicality, and that's easier to notice when the production is cleaner). I mean, I appreciate all these bands, but I prefer the ones that put a lot of effort into decent production.

It's not just a question of effort, though. The production has to fit the style of music. Not all styles of metal sound better when they have higher production values, crisper tones, and have melodies that jump out of the mix.
Take for instance Infernal Stronghold. Their first LP was recorded in a rather nice studio, and their second was recorded with only 11 mics being played "live." Their second sounds far better, as it fits their "raw" style of blackened crust/thrash. I know the guy who mixed/mastered their second album, and it's not that he just works better with lower production values. He has a really clean, high-end production on his (formerly solo) project, Woe, and that sounds great because it fits the style of black metal he plays in Woe.

I tend not to like the really polished styles of black and blackened metal (with some exceptions such as Woe, Shining (Swe), Vreid, etc.). I usually gravitate towards the raw, dirty, and ugly varieties (like Darkthrone, Iskra, Infernal Stronghold, Ork Bastards, etc.).

[-42-]

Production values and the use thereof are huge, the first three Metallica albums were the grittiest, and by far the best, Death Magnetic, on the other hand, was crisp and clean and suckish.

I tend to gravitate towards the grittier, more distorted end, esspecially with sludge, drone, and doom metal, though certain bands like Meshuggah, who play highly technical and nuanced music, sound better with crisper sound. A good compromise is Keelhaul, a technical sludge band.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by -42-

Production values and the use thereof are huge, the first three Metallica albums were the grittiest, and by far the best, Death Magnetic, on the other hand, was crisp and clean and suckish.

Not end all though. St. Anger's kind of the antithesis to that.

[-42-]

Saint Anger had that tinny drum, and the vocals sucked. It actually had no distortion and was pretty clean, if memory serves. Thrash metal should not be clean.

Distorted is Electric Wizard.

[Kevin Kolodziej]

This thread needs more Swedish love, as in Soilwork, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, Arch Enemy, and especially Scar Symmetry. I'm sad that Scary Symmetry has two new vocalists (to replace one awesome one), but the new sound stands on its own.

If you want to go old school, you can't go wrong with Megadeth and Anthrax. I never really did get into Slayer. Metallica is Metallica...take 'em or leave 'em. Its just nice to have them all still around (and in top form in Megadeth's case).

Do any of you fellow metalheads play? Any singers out there? My band needs a vocalist..though preferably the power metal style rather than death.

[Josh Fox]

Opeth gets a lot of love from me!

They were truly one of the first "extreme" metal bands I ever got into.

The majority of the music I listen to is the kind that nears or straddles the border between the "-core" genres and true metal. Examples in my opinion are The Black Dahlia Murder, Between the Buried and Me, and The Faceless.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kolodziej

Do any of you fellow metalheads play? Any singers out there? My band needs a vocalist..though preferably the power metal style rather than death.

One of my friends has jokingly suggested I'd make a good power metal singer. I think I'm in the wrong part of the country though.

I enjoy Megadeth, but wish they had a different lead.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by [QUOTE=Kevin Kolodziej

This thread needs more Swedish love, as in Soilwork, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, Opeth, Arch Enemy, and especially Scar Symmetry. I'm sad that Scary Symmetry has two new vocalists (to replace one awesome one), but the new sound stands on its own.

If you want to go old school, you can't go wrong with Megadeth and Anthrax. I never really did get into Slayer. Metallica is Metallica...take 'em or leave 'em. Its just nice to have them all still around (and in top form in Megadeth's case).

That's the wrong type of Swedish love.
In Flames' first four albums are incredible, but everything after that is sucky. Dark Tranquillity and Amon Amarth are okay, but nothing special. Arch Enemy's stuff with Johan is pretty good, and their Angela material is okay if you accept it for what it is (cheesy anthem metal that hasn't changed in nearly 10 years). Can't stand Soilwork or Scar Symmetry. Children of Bodom are from Finland, not Sweden.

Now if you want good Swedish melodic death metal, listen to Unanimated, Gates of Ishtar, At the Gates (particularly their early material), Eucharist, Ceremonial Oath, The Haunted's second album (The Haunted Made Me Do It), Dissection (typically lumped in with black metal, but they're one of the important bands in the melodeath movement, especially early on), and Centinex.
Otherwise, there's tons of traditional Swedish death metal that's awesome. Repugnant, Tribulation, Dismember, Entombed, Death Breath, Maim, Skeletal Spectre, Bloodbath, Unleashed, and The Crown. And the proggier acts like Edge of Sanity and Opeth.

I've never been a fan of Anthrax, though I do like S.O.D.
Megadeth has a couple really good albums (namely Peace Sells), but overall I find them somewhat overrated. Metallica's first two albums are incredible, especially Kill 'Em All, but tailed off after that (and really hit bottom in the 90s and 2000s). Slayer is the most consistent of the "big four," but even they haven't done anything particularly good since Seasons in the Abyss.
In terms of 80s thrash, Kreator reigns supreme. Slayer, Destruction, Metallica, D.R.I., and Coroner also put out terrific albums, but Kreator delivered consistent greatness through the decade. Pleasure to Kill is one of my favorite thrash albums and Extreme Aggressions, Coma of Souls, and Terrible Certainty aren't far behind.
In terms of the "thrash revival" during the 2000s, there are some bands definitely worth checking out (and tons and tons of mediocre ones to go along with them). Vektor, Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Vulcan, SSS, Evile, Toxic Holocaust, Pyrotoxic, Children, Gama Bomb, Lich King, and National Suicide are all definitely worth listening to.