Best music discoveries of 2009

Good work! Possibly a 10/10 album, though it took me more than a few listens to realize this.

Downloaded his most famous one last night, Starsailor, and it is EIWWIRRDS, maybe even moreso than Captain Beefheart.
 
There is a party, everyone is there.
Everyone will leave at exactly the same time.
Its hard to imagine that nothing at all
Could be so exciting, and so much fun.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.

or

Where is that protection that I needed?
Air can hurt you too
Air can hurt you too
Some people say not to worry about the air
Some people never had experience with...

Air...Air

etc..

This is a very moving and clever record :cool:


There's a party in my mind
And I hope it never stops....

:headbang:
 
My answer is Virgin Steele

Marriage I is one of the most complete metal records ive ever heard. Atreus I is great as well, and Visions of Eden is a very contemplative, moving record.

Marriage II, Atreus II and Invictus are all great as well, though a small bit less so.
 
Excellent. As the cliche goes, better late than never. Marriage I would more than likely be a staple in a personal top 20 albums of all time list. Looks like I need to spend even more time with Visions as well if it's clicking with you that much. "Black Light on Black" never ceases to kick my ass from that album regardless.
 
Excellent. As the cliche goes, better late than never. Marriage I would more than likely be a staple in a personal top 20 albums of all time list. Looks like I need to spend even more time with Visions as well if it's clicking with you that much. "Black Light on Black" never ceases to kick my ass from that album regardless.

Marriage I would definitely be in my top 10. I like Invictus, but it sounds too busy at times. I don't know why Visions hit me as hard and fast as it did. Maybe I was being all introspective and "finding myself" and pink shit like that, and that record kinda reminds me of that. It sounds very personal.

Please someone inform me if there is another band like VS.
 
Marriage I would definitely be in my top 10.

Yeah, it's so hard for me to definitively make a top 10 list that, with very few exceptions, I'll almost always call an album a top 20 of all time candidate, even if I feel it would be deserving of a top 10 placement.

J. said:
I like Invictus, but it sounds too busy at times.

Intriguing - the only real complaints I've ever heard from fans on that one have been the overly dark vibe (after parts I & II of the trilogy had a much more upbeat/uplifting vibe to them) as well as DeFeis' trend toward a more raspy vocal style (though he still showcases plenty of range throughout). Neither of those aspects bother me in the slightest and the absolute power of tracks like "Mind, Body, Spirit", "Defiance" and "Veni, Vidi, Vici" put it right up near the top of the list for me personally.

J. said:
I don't know why Visions hit me as hard and fast as it did. Maybe I was being all introspective and "finding myself" and pink shit like that, and that record kinda reminds me of that. It sounds very personal.

I could see mood being a factor in digging it right off the bat I suppose. Just as with simplistic thrash or progressive/symphonic/chaotic black metal, if you're in the right frame of mind, anything can you hit you harder in the immediate sense. Visions to me just struck me as one of those albums that you'd have to be in a rare mood to appreciate all the way through on the first go around; however, what the hell do I know?

I will say though, that I believe a key element for you was the fact that you were just recently introduced to the band as opposed to having been exposed to their sound continuously for 10-15 years. I had expectations for Visions upon its release that were not met based on what I was used to hearing from the band. My period of adjustment was likely much longer due to this.

J. said:
Please someone inform me if there is another band like VS.

Can't say that I can come up with anything off the top of my head other than Manowar, who obviously only have some similarities to VS, and who you obviously do not need an introduction to.
 
Hey, this seems like a good place to tell you guys my band and I have been working with David Defeis organizing a tribute album for Virgin Steele. We have recorded covers of "Chains of Fire" and "Crown of Glory" for the CD. Other bands potential involved are: Crystal Viper, Twisted Tower Dire, Faith Factor, Tomorrow's Outlook, and a bunch more bands most people haven't hear of heh.