Love or Hate?

The Batlord · 11-26-2015, 04:19 PM

Danzig - Danzig III: How the Gods Kill

bob. · 11-26-2015, 04:22 PM

The Legendary Pink Dots - Brighter Now

TechnicLePanther · 11-26-2015, 07:48 PM

Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking Order

Basically the weirdest prog rock of the 70s superimposed over alternative rock.

Plainview · 11-26-2015, 08:23 PM

Can - Future Days

Trollheart · 11-27-2015, 01:01 PM

Let's catch our breath here and check out a few of the tracks you've been sending my way...

Title: Wrekin giant
Artiste: Dark Forest
Genre: Power Metal
Taken from: Dark Forest
Familiarity: Zero
Suggested by: mythsofmetal

Expectations: It's power metal and it's myths, so I'm going to be optimistic as he seldom leads me wrong, though once or twice he's suggested something he thought I'd like and it hasn't worked out, especially during Metal Month. Here's hoping!

Love the almost acoustic guitar opening, sort of pastoral mixed with pagan metal and reminds me a lot of eighties Iron Maiden. Powerful percussion thumping in now with electric guitar and now it's ramping up as almost a kind of celtic reel thing. Very impressed so far. Interesting vocal; sort of sounds almost female when it comes in. Lovely relaxed solo in the midsection, turns into a soaraway and gets harder and tougher and faster: this is superb stuff. Great ending too.

Conclusion: Need to hear more of these guys. That was, as His Batness would say, bitchin'!

So, Love or Hate? This has to be a True Love. Myths does it again!

Possibility of looking into the album: 100%

Trollheart · 11-27-2015, 01:16 PM

Title: Theatrical delirium
Artiste: Beyond Creation
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Taken from: Earthborn Evolution
Familiarity: Zero
Suggested by: mythsofmetal

Expectations: Technical Death Metal? I don't feel this will be as big a hit with me as the previous one, but you never know. Name of the band sounds like they should be more a progressive metal one, not to mention the title of the song. Anyway, on we go.

Good opening I must say. Sounds like a dark synth but may be guitar feedback. Speaking of guitars, they're kicking in now, hard and insistent, good rolling percussion too. Tempo seems a little slower than I would have initially expected. Vocal is dark and growly, so kind of points off for that, but at least these days I can give such vocals a chance instead of just dismissing them out of hand as I used to. Is that a bass solo? Pretty cool. Sounds like one of those fretless bass thingies, to be honest. Well, two minutes in and I'm not reaching for the earplugs or the Feminax, so that's good. Ringing, almost progressive guitar now as the percussion drops almost totally away. Very nice indeed. Punching back in now, but yeah, so far I quite like this. Also helps that for the last two minutes or so there have been no vocals.

I was kind of wondering at the French-sounding names, but I see they're Canadian, so that explains it. Really great instrumental section, still going as we head into minute five, very impressive. Holy crap! Jazzy little guitar in the final minute, almost no drums at all, then it takes off in a very jazz direction for the closing. These guys can certainly play!

Conclusion: Tons better than I had hoped, or feared, and the fact that the vocals were only in it for a very short time certainly helped. The jazz ending was interesting, but you know me, that kind of turns me off a little. Still, damn good track.

So, Love or Hate? I wouldn't be as eager to investigate the rest of their work as I am to hear more from Dark Forest, but certainly deserving of a lot of Love.

Possibility of looking into the album: 80%

Trollheart · 11-27-2015, 05:52 PM

Title: Kobwebz
Artiste: Gonjasufi
Genre: Alternative hip-hop/Experimental
Taken from: A Sufi and a Killer
Familiarity: Zero
Suggested by: Frownland

Expectations: Who knows what you're gonna get when you cross the dark weird threshold into Frownland's world? I might love it, I might hate it, it might be meh or I might be left catatonic. Let's find out, huh?

Well it's less than three minutes long, so that's a welcome surprise. Nice sort of psychedelic guitar with I guess a vocal with effects on it, kind of something about the VU about it, what I've heard of them anyway, which is not much. Nice effects on the synth I assume, speeding up, slowing down, rising, falling. Utimately not for me though.

Conclusion: Found it a bit empty and formless for my tastes. Just didn't get it. Sorry.

So, Love or Hate? This is a Meh.

Possibility of looking into the album: 0%

mythsofmetal · 11-27-2015, 05:52 PM

I'm glad that you liked those two songs (as well as the other which you reviewed some time ago.)

About Dark Forest; there're a good number of other songs on that album which I've found likable, although that song may be my favourite of theirs. The one thing I dislike about the album is that for the most part the singing is somewhat poor. On their later albums they had gotten other vocalists for those duties, but I found the songs melodically/structurally lacking on their successive albums. So, basically, I think their first album is the only worthwhile one because of the instrumentation there and would be worth checking out wholly as you seem to be planning to do.

On Beyond Creation, I'm guessing that the full album would bore you because some of it gets pretty repetitive and there's more 'jazzy-ness' (although one of my next recs has jazz influence, I think rec'ing it is worthwhile as it showcases a different jazzy aspect, whereas much of BC's jazzy stuff is fairly similar technical stuff,.) There are some other songs probably worth checking out from the album as they stand apart from the sameness which the majority of the album has. I can only recall the name of one of the others right now, but it's "Fundamental Process" but I don't want you to take this as a rec for this thread right now, rather for when you feel like checking the album out to make sure that you listen to that song before you throw the album away out of boredom. :P

Here're three new recs.

"Lost in the Depths of Me" by Lost Horizon, from the album A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003,) Genre: "Progressive Power Metal" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7joi4dKmkM

"Lurker in the Moonlight" by Klabautamann, from the album Merkur (2009,) Genre: "Post-Black Metal" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOGEvCYIgRA

"Outside the Great Circle" by Costin Chioreanu, from the soundtrack to a film of the same name which was released in 2013, but also from the album The Quest for a Morning Star (2015,) Genre: "Experimental Dark Ambient" -- Outside The Great Circle | costinchioreanu

Justthefacts · 11-27-2015, 11:37 PM

Not sure if you've heard this one.

Trollheart · 11-28-2015, 06:36 AM

We're closing the doors soon. Be warned! Two more days left...

11-26-2015, 04:22 PM	#2172 (permalink)
bob. Still sends his reguards. Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Trying to get out of the cat town.... Posts: 5,039	The Legendary Pink Dots - Brighter Now __________________ A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism. Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.

11-26-2015, 07:48 PM	#2173 (permalink)
TechnicLePanther and the livin' is easy... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: New York Posts: 1,997	Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking Order Basically the weirdest prog rock of the 70s superimposed over alternative rock. __________________ Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN *SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM* - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

11-27-2015, 01:01 PM	#2175 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Let's catch our breath here and check out a few of the tracks you've been sending my way... Title: Wrekin giant Artiste: Dark Forest Genre: Power Metal Taken from: Dark Forest Familiarity: Zero Suggested by: mythsofmetal Expectations: It's power metal and it's myths, so I'm going to be optimistic as he seldom leads me wrong, though once or twice he's suggested something he thought I'd like and it hasn't worked out, especially during Metal Month. Here's hoping! Love the almost acoustic guitar opening, sort of pastoral mixed with pagan metal and reminds me a lot of eighties Iron Maiden. Powerful percussion thumping in now with electric guitar and now it's ramping up as almost a kind of celtic reel thing. Very impressed so far. Interesting vocal; sort of sounds almost female when it comes in. Lovely relaxed solo in the midsection, turns into a soaraway and gets harder and tougher and faster: this is superb stuff. Great ending too. Conclusion: Need to hear more of these guys. That was, as His Batness would say, bitchin'! So, Love or Hate? This has to be a True Love. Myths does it again! Possibility of looking into the album: 100% __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 11-27-2015 at 01:17 PM.

11-27-2015, 01:16 PM	#2176 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Theatrical delirium Artiste: Beyond Creation Genre: Technical Death Metal Taken from: Earthborn Evolution Familiarity: Zero Suggested by: mythsofmetal Expectations: Technical Death Metal? I don't feel this will be as big a hit with me as the previous one, but you never know. Name of the band sounds like they should be more a progressive metal one, not to mention the title of the song. Anyway, on we go. Good opening I must say. Sounds like a dark synth but may be guitar feedback. Speaking of guitars, they're kicking in now, hard and insistent, good rolling percussion too. Tempo seems a little slower than I would have initially expected. Vocal is dark and growly, so kind of points off for that, but at least these days I can give such vocals a chance instead of just dismissing them out of hand as I used to. Is that a bass solo? Pretty cool. Sounds like one of those fretless bass thingies, to be honest. Well, two minutes in and I'm not reaching for the earplugs or the Feminax, so that's good. Ringing, almost progressive guitar now as the percussion drops almost totally away. Very nice indeed. Punching back in now, but yeah, so far I quite like this. Also helps that for the last two minutes or so there have been no vocals. I was kind of wondering at the French-sounding names, but I see they're Canadian, so that explains it. Really great instrumental section, still going as we head into minute five, very impressive. Holy crap! Jazzy little guitar in the final minute, almost no drums at all, then it takes off in a very jazz direction for the closing. These guys can certainly play! Conclusion: Tons better than I had hoped, or feared, and the fact that the vocals were only in it for a very short time certainly helped. The jazz ending was interesting, but you know me, that kind of turns me off a little. Still, damn good track. So, Love or Hate? I wouldn't be as eager to investigate the rest of their work as I am to hear more from Dark Forest, but certainly deserving of a lot of Love. Possibility of looking into the album: 80% __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-27-2015, 05:52 PM	#2177 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Title: Kobwebz Artiste: Gonjasufi Genre: Alternative hip-hop/Experimental Taken from: A Sufi and a Killer Familiarity: Zero Suggested by: Frownland Expectations: Who knows what you're gonna get when you cross the dark weird threshold into Frownland's world? I might love it, I might hate it, it might be meh or I might be left catatonic. Let's find out, huh? Well it's less than three minutes long, so that's a welcome surprise. Nice sort of psychedelic guitar with I guess a vocal with effects on it, kind of something about the VU about it, what I've heard of them anyway, which is not much. Nice effects on the synth I assume, speeding up, slowing down, rising, falling. Utimately not for me though. Conclusion: Found it a bit empty and formless for my tastes. Just didn't get it. Sorry. So, Love or Hate? This is a Meh. Possibility of looking into the album: 0% __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-27-2015, 05:52 PM	#2178 (permalink)
mythsofmetal Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 207	I'm glad that you liked those two songs (as well as the other which you reviewed some time ago.) About Dark Forest; there're a good number of other songs on that album which I've found likable, although that song may be my favourite of theirs. The one thing I dislike about the album is that for the most part the singing is somewhat poor. On their later albums they had gotten other vocalists for those duties, but I found the songs melodically/structurally lacking on their successive albums. So, basically, I think their first album is the only worthwhile one because of the instrumentation there and would be worth checking out wholly as you seem to be planning to do. On Beyond Creation, I'm guessing that the full album would bore you because some of it gets pretty repetitive and there's more 'jazzy-ness' (although one of my next recs has jazz influence, I think rec'ing it is worthwhile as it showcases a different jazzy aspect, whereas much of BC's jazzy stuff is fairly similar technical stuff,.) There are some other songs probably worth checking out from the album as they stand apart from the sameness which the majority of the album has. I can only recall the name of one of the others right now, but it's "Fundamental Process" but I don't want you to take this as a rec for this thread right now, rather for when you feel like checking the album out to make sure that you listen to that song before you throw the album away out of boredom. :P Here're three new recs. "Lost in the Depths of Me" by Lost Horizon, from the album A Flame to the Ground Beneath (2003,) Genre: "Progressive Power Metal" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7joi4dKmkM "Lurker in the Moonlight" by Klabautamann, from the album Merkur (2009,) Genre: "Post-Black Metal" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOGEvCYIgRA "Outside the Great Circle" by Costin Chioreanu, from the soundtrack to a film of the same name which was released in 2013, but also from the album The Quest for a Morning Star (2015,) Genre: "Experimental Dark Ambient" -- Outside The Great Circle \| costinchioreanu

11-28-2015, 06:36 AM	#2180 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	We're closing the doors soon. Be warned! Two more days left... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018