Octopus Overlords

And I guess it's Easter, I should dip into the Christian metal vault:

Divinefire - Divinefire




The art is horrendous, or at least looks 10 years older than it actually is (2005). But it's some solid intense power metal.

Spotify has had a feature for a while that will build a playlist out of tracks listened to by all the members of your household plan. This is a neat idea for considerate same-room listening, but it's kind of jarring to transition from Aly & AJ to Anaal Nathrakh.

Original


GnR version

Sudy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 12:07 pm Spotify has had a feature for a while that will build a playlist out of tracks listened to by all the members of your household plan. This is a neat idea for considerate same-room listening, but it's kind of jarring to transition from Aly & AJ to Anaal Nathrakh.

Lor’s “In Forgotten asleep” album finally came to iTunes. Been good running tunes for the last couple days.

Lee "Scratch" Perry - Black Ark in Dub

recently acquired this, then remembered i had previously purchased it about two decades ago...

(the Lee Perry backcatalog, like a lot of old reggae is a confused mess of different licences, labels, reissues, repackagings and different cover art)

Pacific Breeze 2: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1972-1986

Elvis Costello reunites with the Attractions in 1994 for a brief return to his raw early sound:

I bought a yearly subscription to Monstercat, so a lot of electronica and house music.

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 8:10 pm Pacific Breeze 2: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1972-1986

I've listened to some hour or longer YouTube Japanese City Pop videos. They are fairly decent background music.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:43 pm Elvis Costello reunites with the Attractions in 1994 for a brief return to his raw early sound:

Ha, I remember When I was Cruel being advertised as "his first LOUD album since 199?". I guess that "?" was a 4.

Of course that album was made by "Elvis Costello and 2/3 of the Attractions" (even though only Elvis is listed on the cover).

I know this is in the covers thread, but it just jumped into my Youtube stream. Still gives me the chills. RIP my dude.

Smoove_B wrote:I know this is in the covers thread, but it just jumped into my Youtube stream. Still gives me the chills. RIP my dude.

Yeah, it's an amazing cover.

Listening to some Goatpsalm in the background this morning. "Downstream" is an amazing ambient(ish) album. Tribal drums, electronic blips and whirrs, pan flutes, digeridoo, banjo picking, sounds of nature (birds, streams, etc.), chants...offset by some crushing doom-y guitars and creepy AF whispers and growls.

I have to be in a mood for this one, but there's few better albums when I am.

New Cannibal Corpse album this morning, yay! Made for some good running music.

Just getting ready to say the same thing.

Cannibal Corpse is one of my guilty pleasures.

Xmann wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:20 pm Cannibal Corpse is one of my guilty pleasures.

Same. Plus, Corpsegrinder is a good dude.

Skinypupy wrote:

Xmann wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:20 pm Cannibal Corpse is one of my guilty pleasures.

Same. Plus, Corpsegrinder is a good dude.

Yeah, his Target shopping spree was awesome. He's high on my list of guys I'd love to have a beer with. And apparently win stuffed animals on a claw machine.

I get a kick out of listening to their music and think of him playing with legos and action figures.

Skinny Puppy - Solvent (1984)




I'd forgotten this is one of my favourite tracks of theirs until I was re-listening on Spotify as I compile a few master genre playlists. Some of Skinny Puppy's titles are so abstract they don't stick with me.

I'd similarly forgotten this was re-recorded in 2013. That I did have saved on Spotify. Only, it kind of sucks IMO. I don't think you could possibly improve upon the original unless you maybe played it live on stage with Ministry or something.

I don't understand how this album/EP is as old as I am. And that we are almost 40.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 1:58 am
I'd similarly forgotten this was re-recorded in 2013. That I did have saved on Spotify. Only, it kind of sucks IMO.

Huh. I actually prefer the newer version.

To me, the original sounds like the raw fury of angry youth (which it is). The remake sounds like the same sentiment, but with the weariness of age and experience (mainly due to Ogre’s deeper vocals). Gives the song a bit of a different flavor and depth, IMO.

I haven't listened to it enough to have a full opinion. I think you're right in your assessment, but I just don't like it as much. The melodies meander all over the place, especially the vocal one. The original isn't particularly nuanced in contrast to the other more melodic tracks on the album, and it's extremely 80s-sounding (but not as much as Glass Houses lol), but I love it just the way it is. Different result, similar effect to Ministry recording the metal version of Everyday is Hallowe'en. (Not to compare the songs at all... just one of the famously re-recorded ones from that era that comes to mind.) I like it, but something important's lost.

Wizardthrone is the new "supergroup" with members of Gloryhammer, Alestorm, Aether Realm, and Nekrogoblikon. Their first single dropped this morning...it's really good.

Don't forget Vale of Pnath! Though drummer Eric Brown does double-dips as the drummer of Nekrogoblikon as well. Though there's not much Vale in this track, other than his awesome drumming of course. Which probably makes sense, as Vale's sound is a little extreme comapred to these other bands.

And... Deathcode Society and Forlorn Citiadel apparently. But I've not listened to them in detail, so we'll not be commenting on those.

Wizardthrone is such a horrible AWESOME classic-sounding metal band name.

The real question: Is this anything more than a melodeath version of Gloryhammer with unclean vocals? And, does it matter? Answer to the latter: no.

The single is very good. It sounds mostly like serious Aether Realm (i.e. before their last album) to me, with more hooks and predictably insane keyboards. I'm a little surprised it's not more tongue-in-cheek given the current states of the primary bands of origin (though Gloryhammer remains very earnest in their silliness). But I'm certainly not complaining.

Sudy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 11:32 am The real question: Is this anything more than a melodeath version of Gloryhammer with unclean vocals? And, does it matter? Answer to the latter: no.

Truth.

It sounds mostly like serious Aether Realm (i.e. before their last album) to me, with more hooks and predictably insane keyboards.

Was my first thought as well, which is unsurprising considering Jake Jones' involvement. He has a very distinctive, aggressive rasp that I really dig.
This first track sounds like something that would have been right at home on AE's "Tarot" album, and I'm hoping that the rest of the album is more of the same.

Also hoping that this doesn't somehow fragment Aether Realm. While their last album wasn't my favorite (although I warmed up to it significantly on repeat listens), they're one of the best American metal bands out there right now. Right up alongside Khemmis, Wilderun, and Gatecreeper, imo.

Sudy wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 12:09 pm I haven't listened to it enough to have a full opinion. I think you're right in your assessment, but I just don't like it as much. The melodies meander all over the place, especially the vocal one. The original isn't particularly nuanced in contrast to the other more melodic tracks on the album, and it's extremely 80s-sounding (but not as much as Glass Houses lol), but I love it just the way it is. Different result, similar effect to Ministry recording the metal version of Everyday is Hallowe'en. (Not to compare the songs at all... just one of the famously re-recorded ones from that era that comes to mind.) I like it, but something important's lost.

i really super-liked _Weapon_ and i'm sad there haven't been any new albums since

Mogwai - As the Love Continues

yup it's good

New Dinosaur Jr. is out today! Also, in 30 years, people can see how some bands made music videos during the pandemic

Meat Beat Manifesto - Opaque Couché

Lol, thanks for sharing Hatebeak. Brutal death metal is usually a bit much for me, but considering their vocalist is an African grey parrot and they have song and album titles like Number of the Beak, Roost in Peace, Hellbent for Feathers, and The Thing That Should Not Beak, was not checking them out really a choice?


Monster Magnet is putting out an album of covers next month, and the first two singles are phemonenal. I wasn't familiar with the originals beforehand, and upon listening to them now I don't find the covers to be vast departures. But they make absolutely excellent Wyndorf tracks. I really missed these more pyschadelic elements missing from their last album, though it's continued to grow on me despite this.

Learning to Die (Originally by Dust)




Mr. Destroyer (Originally by Poobah)

Sudy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 28, 2021 1:34 am Monster Magnet is putting out an album of covers next month, and the first two singles are phemonenal. I wasn't familiar with the originals beforehand, and upon listening to them now I don't find the covers to be vast departures. But they make absolutely excellent Wyndorf tracks. I really missed these more pyschadelic elements missing from their last album, though it's continued to grow on me despite this.

I miss the more psychedelic side of them too. Just preordered, I like this stuff!

Edit to add:

I love the Aleister Crowley pose they have the Bull God in on the cover...

Chocobo Band does metal covers of Final Fantasy songs. It's been done before (by Black Mages), but these guys are really, really good. Those versions of "One Winged Angel" and "Liberi Fatali" (my all-time favorite FF song) are fantastic.

got these Division Bell-era import singles from a deceased friend-of-a-friend's estate. there is nothing new or exciting here (just radio edits and the two live tracks of "One of These Days" and "Astronomy Domine" are taken directly from Pulse) but the physical packaging is neat on the "High Hopes" single. (also the rendition of "One of These Days" incorporates the main melodic line from Doctor Who)

My most anticipated album of the year.

The new At the Gates track is a banger. Can't wait for this album.

Xmann wrote: ↑Fri Apr 30, 2021 11:41 am My most anticipated album of the year. [Gojira - Fortitude]

I'm enjoying it so far. I'm not their biggest fan, but I got into their most recent few albums a few years ago. Seems like they continue to mellow a tiny bit, but I don't consider that a bad thing at all as I find their style of more deathy stuff a little abrasive. These melodic groove rifts are super tight. It makes me want to listen to Alien Weaponry, and for a second on Amazonia I thought I was listening to Killing Joke. The first few tracks didn't grab me initially and I was disappointed. While they're growing on me now, I did find that most of the back half of the album hooked me right away however. The Chant and its lead-in, the title track, especially.

This is a great article I just read about Gojira.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/ ... ate-crisis

I’ve liked every Gojira album since “Way of All Flesh” a little bit less each time. Not sure if it’s my tastes changing or their direction just not jiving with me, but both of their last two albums have fallen completely flat for me. Haven’t listened to this new one yet, and I’m hoping it reverses the trend.

I’ve been spinning Black Tongue this morning while doing yardwork. “Nadir” was mentioned in a “most brutal albums of all time” thread, and I’m finding it hard to disagree. They take the Behemoth formula, mix in a little more doom, and turn the anger dial to 11. It’s very, very angry.