Love or Hate?

Trollheart · 08-24-2015, 11:07 AM

Title: A Night at the Opera
Artiste: Blind Guardian
Genre: Power Metal
Familiarity: I've heard Nightfall in Middle Earth

1. Precious Jerusalem: I'm not crazy about the different direction they're going with here. Sort of group vocal, very Queenlike (is this really based on the Queen album or was that guy at Wiki just being lazy?). Decent track but not the sort of power metal thing I'm used to. Heavy enough but a little offputting.
2. Battlefield: Yeah, this is much better. Now we're talking!
3. Under the ice: Yeah, getting better now. The vocal harmonies here are pretty sweet. Great rocking track, plenty of drama and excitement. Now this is Power Metal!
4. Sadly sings destiny: Like the religious references in this. Thought it would be a slower song though. Great all the same. Isn't it a little like the title of the Judas Priest album though?

5. The maiden and the minstrel knight: That was more like I had expected the above track to sound; still quite a lot of power even for a ballad.
6. Wait for an answer: Here's that one about racist crows! Yeah, I really like this one. Great hook. Love the keys.
7. The soulforged: Sort of a celtic feel to this, a real marching, triumphant song.
8. Age of false innocence: Sounds like we have a proper ballad. Piano and synth, soft vocal, introspective guitars. Oh, now it's picking up and is obviously not a ballad. Well, shut my mouth!
9. Punishment divine: Another good heavy track. I will say that much of this album seems a little samey and unadventurous, but then, this is Power Metal after all... Some great shredding here, actually.
10. And then there was silence: Okay, a fourteen-minute closer is asking a little too much. It's good but why does it have to be that long? This album has been okay but nothing terribly special, and I'm really not in the mood for a track that goes on for a quarter of an hour.

End result: A very good album but I'm slightly underwhelmed by it, and I doubt I'd listen to it again. Maybe I would, but at the moment, no. I'd certainly think the words “pretentious” and “overblown” apply here, but then again as I already noted, this is Power Metal...

So, Love or Hate? Still a Love, though.

Trollheart · 08-24-2015, 11:22 AM

Title: Carrion flowers
Artiste: Chelsea Wolfe
Genre: Gothic Rock/Electronic/Doom Metal/Folk (it says here)
Taken from: Abyss, 2015
Familiarity: Zero, though I've heard her discussed
Suggested by: Frownland

Expectations: It's Frownland, so I expect weirdness. Good weirdness or bad weirdness I can't decide. Somehow I think I may end up liking this, but we'll see.

Buzzy, staticy opening with industrial sounds --- typical Frown! --- then some drums, very slow, and now her vocal comes in in a dark, doomy sort of chant. Not sure whether that was a guitar effect or the neighbour's dog chasing a cat in the garden. Heard it again: guess it's guitar. Very lonely kind of sound, then hard hammering guitar at 1:55. I guess this is industrial? Quite depressing, I must say. She has a good voice but it's not one I think I would enjoy listening to any more after this. At least this wasn't boring in an Author & Punisher way, and if I had to listen to one or the other I'd take this, though of preference I'd listen to neither.

Conclusion: Haunting and dark, very effective but not really for me.

So, Love or Hate? I'd have to give this one a Hate, though it's not really a strong one.

Chances of looking into the album: 50%-ish

**Frownland** · 08-24-2015, 11:31 AM

Bummer, I thought you'd enjoy the darkwave vibe. Maybe I should've picked one of the less industrial tracks. Her new album is what I always wanted Evanescence to sound like instead of their duller, less interesting sound.

Try this one on for size.

You should add a 'likelihood I'll check out the rest of the album' part at the end of your track reviews. Could make it a little more interesting.

Trollheart · 08-24-2015, 12:06 PM

Yeah, good point there at the end. Maybe I'll add that. Chances of me actually doing it, with my workload, are slim though.

Edit: Now implemented retrospectively

You know, the more I think about that Chelsea Wolfe track, I really didn't hate it, it's just I didn't like it enough to give it a Love. And it certainly was not Meh. Opinion could change over repeated listens, were I to carry them out.

Trollheart · 08-24-2015, 12:09 PM

Title: Pyramid Song
Artiste: Radiohead
Genre: Indie/Electronic
Taken from: Amnesiac, 2001
Familiarity: See Plainview's selection previously
Suggested by: TechnicLePanther

Expectations: It's from one of their albums which seems to be more concerned with electronica than rock, so personally I kind of think it won't be for me.

Nice piano to start off with, sounds like it could be one of their slower songs. Crooning kind of vocal, reminds me of Snow Patrol a little. And David Gray. Nice swelling strings or synth in about the third minute. Quite nice really.

Conclusion: Well it certainly was not electronic. Enjoyed that quite a lot.

So, Love or Hate? Another Love then.

Chances of looking into the album: 70%

DwnWthVwls · 08-24-2015, 12:32 PM

New format? Haven't been here in a while..

Trollheart · 08-24-2015, 12:34 PM

This explains it all
http://www.musicbanter.com/general-m...ml#post1628731

**Frownland** · 08-24-2015, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DwnWthVwls

New format? Haven't been here in a while..

He's mixing it up and doing some track reviews too.

grindy · 08-24-2015, 12:37 PM

I think you might have missed my self-promoting rec.

Plainview · 08-24-2015, 01:14 PM

May as well go for something you'd never normally listen to, but interested what you make of this Kanye track:

08-24-2015, 11:07 AM	#1701 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: A Night at the Opera Artiste: Blind Guardian Genre: Power Metal Familiarity: I've heard Nightfall in Middle Earth 1. Precious Jerusalem: I'm not crazy about the different direction they're going with here. Sort of group vocal, very Queenlike (is this really based on the Queen album or was that guy at Wiki just being lazy?). Decent track but not the sort of power metal thing I'm used to. Heavy enough but a little offputting. 2. Battlefield: Yeah, this is much better. Now we're talking! 3. Under the ice: Yeah, getting better now. The vocal harmonies here are pretty sweet. Great rocking track, plenty of drama and excitement. Now this is Power Metal! 4. Sadly sings destiny: Like the religious references in this. Thought it would be a slower song though. Great all the same. Isn't it a little like the title of the Judas Priest album though? 5. The maiden and the minstrel knight: That was more like I had expected the above track to sound; still quite a lot of power even for a ballad. 6. Wait for an answer: Here's that one about racist crows! Yeah, I really like this one. Great hook. Love the keys. 7. The soulforged: Sort of a celtic feel to this, a real marching, triumphant song. 8. Age of false innocence: Sounds like we have a proper ballad. Piano and synth, soft vocal, introspective guitars. Oh, now it's picking up and is obviously not a ballad. Well, shut my mouth! 9. Punishment divine: Another good heavy track. I will say that much of this album seems a little samey and unadventurous, but then, this is Power Metal after all... Some great shredding here, actually. 10. And then there was silence: Okay, a fourteen-minute closer is asking a little too much. It's good but why does it have to be that long? This album has been okay but nothing terribly special, and I'm really not in the mood for a track that goes on for a quarter of an hour. End result: A very good album but I'm slightly underwhelmed by it, and I doubt I'd listen to it again. Maybe I would, but at the moment, no. I'd certainly think the words “pretentious” and “overblown” apply here, but then again as I already noted, this is Power Metal... So, Love or Hate? Still a Love, though. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-24-2015, 11:22 AM	#1702 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Carrion flowers Artiste: Chelsea Wolfe Genre: Gothic Rock/Electronic/Doom Metal/Folk (it says here) Taken from: Abyss, 2015 Familiarity: Zero, though I've heard her discussed Suggested by: Frownland Expectations: It's Frownland, so I expect weirdness. Good weirdness or bad weirdness I can't decide. Somehow I think I may end up liking this, but we'll see. Buzzy, staticy opening with industrial sounds --- typical Frown! --- then some drums, very slow, and now her vocal comes in in a dark, doomy sort of chant. Not sure whether that was a guitar effect or the neighbour's dog chasing a cat in the garden. Heard it again: guess it's guitar. Very lonely kind of sound, then hard hammering guitar at 1:55. I guess this is industrial? Quite depressing, I must say. She has a good voice but it's not one I think I would enjoy listening to any more after this. At least this wasn't boring in an Author & Punisher way, and if I had to listen to one or the other I'd take this, though of preference I'd listen to neither. Conclusion: Haunting and dark, very effective but not really for me. So, Love or Hate? I'd have to give this one a Hate, though it's not really a strong one. Chances of looking into the album: 50%-ish __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 08-24-2015 at 12:09 PM.

08-24-2015, 11:31 AM	#1703 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	Bummer, I thought you'd enjoy the darkwave vibe. Maybe I should've picked one of the less industrial tracks. Her new album is what I always wanted Evanescence to sound like instead of their duller, less interesting sound. Try this one on for size. You should add a 'likelihood I'll check out the rest of the album' part at the end of your track reviews. Could make it a little more interesting. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

08-24-2015, 12:06 PM	#1704 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Yeah, good point there at the end. Maybe I'll add that. Chances of me actually doing it, with my workload, are slim though. Edit: Now implemented retrospectively You know, the more I think about that Chelsea Wolfe track, I really didn't hate it, it's just I didn't like it enough to give it a Love. And it certainly was not Meh. Opinion could change over repeated listens, were I to carry them out. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 08-24-2015 at 12:11 PM.

08-24-2015, 12:09 PM	#1705 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Pyramid Song Artiste: Radiohead Genre: Indie/Electronic Taken from: Amnesiac, 2001 Familiarity: See Plainview's selection previously Suggested by: TechnicLePanther Expectations: It's from one of their albums which seems to be more concerned with electronica than rock, so personally I kind of think it won't be for me. Nice piano to start off with, sounds like it could be one of their slower songs. Crooning kind of vocal, reminds me of Snow Patrol a little. And David Gray. Nice swelling strings or synth in about the third minute. Quite nice really. Conclusion: Well it certainly was not electronic. Enjoyed that quite a lot. So, Love or Hate? Another Love then. Chances of looking into the album: 70% __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-24-2015, 12:34 PM	#1707 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	This explains it all http://www.musicbanter.com/general-m...ml#post1628731 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-24-2015, 12:37 PM	#1709 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	I think you might have missed my self-promoting rec. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.*