GMD Poll: Top 10 Metal Albums of 1992

[CiG]

Anyway my goal wasn't to argue semantics about how lame someone thinks the word extreme is but to say the genre it describes pushes the boundaries of metal further than other subgenres do. And I should sleep so later.

I got what you meant though. Progressive metal that isn't just updated 70's progressive rock.

 

[Serjeant Grumbles]

When I hear the word extreme I just think of those dudebros from Harold & Kuma.

Could I get you some Pizza Shooters, Shrimp Poppers, or Extreme Fajitas?

 

[CiG]

"Get a room you two." [makes crappy gun sounds]

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

@Baroque so are you saying that grindcore, sludge, power metal, "gothic" metal, etc aren't considered "extreme" metal today? Anyway, this is a pretty stupid argument .. i say we just toss it out the window.

 

[Baroque]

@Baroque so are you saying that grindcore, sludge, power metal, "gothic" metal, etc aren't considered "extreme" metal today? Anyway, this is a pretty stupid argument .. i say we just toss it out the window.

I agree but out of those I'd say grindcore qualifies the most as extreme due to thrash/death influences

 

[crimsonfloyd]

I'd read it. It sounds interesting, even if I think I disagree with it, from what I can gather.

See, I think you're projecting what you desire about metal onto this theory, because I don't think there was much especially nihilistic about Black Sabbath or heavy metal in general.

Off the top of my head, songs like Electric Funeral, Into the Void, and Hand of Doom, Wicked World are all quite nihilistic. Other times, Black Sabbath plays with nihilism, but their Christian ethos holds them back from taking the leap. For example, the song "Black Sabbath" plays with the devil, but shrinks back with "please god help me." Similarly, "War Pigs" displays vision of war as a game by those in power, but shrinks back from nihilism with the "and they're gonna go to hell for this!" ending.

Similarly, I might say that the more epic/classic forms of metal (power metal, doom metal, progressive metal) are the fullest manifestation of the essence of metal. Could be because I prefer those types of metal over the others, but also because I think they better represent the emotions and philosophies that bands like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest have at the core of their being. Hopefulness, freedom, awe, glory and so on.

I think that's a different aspect of metal that Judas Priest was central in developing. However, powerful, operatic sytle was already being developed within rock by acts like Led Zeppelin and then Queen. Heck, the idea of big, emotional vocals with sweeping music can be seen throigh soul from the 60s and 70s as well.

What I'm getting at is that the more epic and grandiose dismension of metal was a development upon something that was already quite refined within popular music (which isn't to say that metal hasn't done something special with it, as it obviously has). However, the bleak, heavy, nihilistic, and doomy dimension of metal really something new within popular music.

 

[CiG]

Black Sabbath plays with nihilism, but their Christian ethos holds them back from taking the leap. For example, the song "Black Sabbath" plays with the devil, but shrinks back with "please god help me." Similarly, "War Pigs" displays vision of war as a game by those in power, but shrinks back from nihilism with the "and they're gonna go to hell for this!" ending.

What you see as shrinking back from nihilism I see as promoting hopefulness and justice. It's entirely interpretive. Their Christian leanings aren't inconsequential either.

I think that's a different aspect of metal that Judas Priest was central in developing. However, powerful, operatic sytle was already being developed within rock by acts like Led Zeppelin and then Queen. Heck, the idea of big, emotional vocals with sweeping music can be seen throigh soul from the 60s and 70s as well.
What I'm getting at is that the more epic and grandiose dismension of metal was a development upon something that was already quite refined within popular music (which isn't to say that metal hasn't done something special with it, as it obviously has). However, the bleak, heavy, nihilistic, and doomy dimension of metal really something new within popular music.

That's a fair case, what do you think about punk also in many ways representing these things you deem the logical artistic conclusion of metal though?

 

[crimsonfloyd]

What you see as shrinking back from nihilism I see as promoting hopefulness and justice. It's entirely interpretive. Their Christian leanings aren't inconsequential either.

I agree that its interpretive and what you're saying about hopefulness and justice is definitely true. However, I'll say this: the dark themes and motifs planted the seeds for far eviler music like Welcome to Hell and Transilvanian Hunger. Said otherwise they put these bleak and evil sounds on the table, which allowed others to run with them while dropping the "redeeming humanism" element.

That's a fair case, what do you think about punk also in many ways representing these things you deem the logical artistic conclusion of metal though?

Honestly, I've never liked pure punk. I don't think there's any punk album I've listened to more than 10 times. I appreciate the inflence it had on metal and from time to time can get into a live show, but overall, I don't enjoy it enough to break it down like metal. It's always struck me as subversive and anti-establishment genre, but not especially nihilistic. But again, since I don't know the genre, there certainly could be key aspects I'm totally overlooking.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

The exact same thing could be said about the impact of occult rock bands like Coven on Black Sabbath, not to mention the huge influence punk-related music had on some of the seminal extreme metal bands, e.g. Christian Death on Celtic Frost. If anything punk can be much more nihilistic than metal.

 

[Baroque]

I agree that its interpretive and what you're saying about hopefulness and justice is definitely true. However, I'll say this: the dark themes and motifs planted the seeds for far eviler music like Welcome to Hell and Transilvanian Hunger. Said otherwise they put these bleak and evil sounds on the table, which allowed others to run with them while dropping the "redeeming humanism" element.



Honestly, I've never liked pure punk. I don't think there's any punk album I've listened to more than 10 times. I appreciate the inflence it had on metal and from time to time can get into a live show, but overall, I don't enjoy it enough to break it down like metal. It's always struck me as subversive and anti-establishment genre, but not especially nihilistic. But again, since I don't know the genre, there certainly could be key aspects I'm totally overlooking.

Liked for the part about punk. In theory I should like it but the music itself just doesn't appeal to me

 

[no country for old wainds]

i intend to close this at some point tomorrow. busy last few days sry

 

[no country for old wainds]

my list:
1) at the gates - the red in the sky is ours
2) fleshcrawl - descend into the absurd
3) demigod - slumber of sullen eyes
4) depressive age - first depression
5) immortal - diabolical fullmoon mysticism
6) miasma - changes
7) atrocity - longing for death
8) darkthrone - a blaze in the northern sky
9) cartilage - the fragile concept of affection
10) magnus - i was watching my death

will tally up and post the countdown and post the new thread, in roughly that order

 

[no country for old wainds]

10) Into the Everflow by Psychotic Waltz
I'm a tripper man in a spaced out jam...

"If you thought A Social Grace was strange, then Into the Everflow is even further down that rabbit-hole. But never fear; most of the qualities that made the previous album great are still here (I'm not going to rehash everything; go read my review for ASG). This time, however, the psychedelic elements that popped up now and then before are given the spotlight. On A Social Grace, the songs and lyrics were quite complex, yes, but still decipherable without too much effort. Here, however, everything from the lyrics to the song structures seems much more stream-of-consciousness. That's not to say that this is like a jam session or a load of incoherent babble, though, because it's definitely not; rather it seems deliberately composed to musically and lyrically describe and walk you through a drug trip. As such, the album is much calmer in general, with less anger and thrash influence (but don't worry, it's still quite heavy). Rather than the tight and highly technical performance of last time, things also feel compositionally "looser", though the heavy complexity is far from completely gone. There's also far more gentle guitar leads (often dual), which I can only describe as "water-like"; they swell and (Ever)flow, often for lengthy periods throughout certain songs, even under the verses (check "Ashes" and the title track for a couple examples)." - failsafeman, Metal Archives

Chosen by:
Burkhard (#1)
HamburgerBoy (#2)
Talos of Atmora (#3)
Elric of Melniboné (#4)
EspaDa (#9)

 

[Talos of Atmora]

Yes! It made it.

 

[no country for old wainds]

9) Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth
Swaying to the symphony of destruction...

"Megadeth's Black Album." - seemingly everyone ever

Chosen by:
TechnicalBarbarity (#1)
Bloopy (#1)
The Ozzman (#4)
Baroque (#5)
zerostatic (#7)
EspaDa (#10)

 

[no country for old wainds]

lol i should probably have found a smaller version of that terrible cover art

 

[no country for old wainds]

8) Beyond the Crimson Horizon by Solitude Aeturnus
We fall beyond the burning sky...

"Although I've read plenty of words about the power metal influences of this album as well as the shadow of Fates Warning's Awaken the Guardian, there is still a lot more Candlemass here than anything else, the Swedes' stamp particularly noticeable in the harmonized riffs and sense of graceful heaviness. The way that licks shift out of slow chords or rumbling chugs and momentarily soar above the listener along with Lowe's majestic voice is what turns this undoubtedly into epic doom, sometimes using different scales (I hear phrygian the most) to cultivate a subtle mystic quality as the patterns edge away from the predictable. The faster sections hit less like Candlemass's surging momentum than Trouble's sudden dashes, though with the best part of a decade's technicality standing between the influence and its reimagining, even showing a tattered thrashy edge as the intensity slams through the drifting riffs of 'The Hourglass'. The drumming is more aggressive (one might even go as far as to say extreme) at these moments, occasionally sounding like a muted death metal companion to sorrow." - gasmask_colostomy, Metal Archives

Chosen by:
Talos of Atmora (#2)
Burkhard (#2)
Phylactery (#4)
Elric of Melniboné (#5)
CASSETTEISGOD (#6)
Slayed Necros (#8)
Vilden (#9)
alex76 (#10)

 

[no country for old wainds]

i'll finish this on friday.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

"Megadeth's Black Album." - seemingly everyone ever

lmao!

lol i should probably have found a smaller version of that terrible cover art

yeah, fuck this game. dont wait on my votes for the next one. First we have everyone voting here like its more of some silly game than a "top albums of (insert year)", and then the host goes bashing the albums that he clearly doesn't like? ugh.

you guys can go ahead and vote in your favorite AtG and Manilla Road albums for the top spots . Peace!

 

[CiG]

yeah, fuck this game. dont wait on my votes for the next one. First we have everyone voting here like its more of some silly game than a "top albums of (insert year)", and then the host goes bashing the albums that he clearly doesn't like? ugh.

you guys can go ahead and vote in your AtG and Manilla oad albums. Peace!

He just meant the image of the cover art he uploaded should be as small as the Solitude Aeturnus one... That cover art is pretty bad.