GMD Poll: Top Ten Albums of 1998

[Phylactery]

@Vegard Pompey surprised to see Amon Amarth and especially Inquisition on your list. Didn’t think Inquisition would be your thing.

 

[The Ozzman]

That's the only Amon Amarth album in crowders tend to like in my experience

 

[Master_Yoda77]

The only one I like is Twilight of the Thunder God and that's only because it's so fucking stupid poppy and fun to listen to.

 

[Vilden]

BTW, I just want to go on record and state that the line "by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" > the whole The Chasm discog.

 

[Omni]

Early Amon Amarth seems okay. Dodens Gay likes them.

 

[Dak]

Dodens Gay

Haha, your soul mate. So coy.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

@Vegard Pompey surprised to see Amon Amarth and especially Inquisition on your list. Didn’t think Inquisition would be your thing.

Amon Amarth is one of those bands that have a distinct sound that I find very satisfying even if they're not great songwriters. I haven't heard most of their discography because they're too samey but I like the albums I've taken the time to get into. I also like how articulate Hegg's vocals are - not so much on Once Sent, but on their later albums you can make out basically every word without reading the lyrics sheet. It's rare for growls to be so intelligible.

Not sure what's uncharacteristic about me liking Inquisition.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

BTW, I just want to go on record and state that the line "by the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" > the whole The Chasm discog.

Damn straight. As does the instrumental bridge of The Tower. And pretty much all of the album outside of Machine Men and Walls of Jericho.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Not sure what's uncharacteristic about me liking Inquisition.

i thought the same thing as phylactery tbh, hypnotic second wave-styled BM isn't usually your thing

 

[no country for old wainds]

And pretty much all of the album outside of Machine Men and Walls of Jericho.

those are my least favorites on the album too (butchered title aside lol), and they're still pretty fun.

 

[CiG]

Contrary to him being lumped in as "in-crowd" I think Vegard is pretty hard to stereotype or predict.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i know for a fact that he just likes what he likes and isn't even close to "in-crowd", and yeah not easy to predict, but he still has patterns of taste like anyone else, including a general indifference to second wave BM (which is an outcrowd thing innit).

 

[CiG]

Inquisition seem to be a black metal band that transcends the black metal community.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

I think my tastes are pretty in-crowdy when it comes to traditional metal, but beyond that it's anything goes. I think it's because I like "vanilla" traditional metal but I don't really like "vanilla" death/black/thrash so I prefer bands that push that style in some nonstandard direction.

Though I hear the resemblance, I don't really group Inquisition with 2nd wave BM. I guess they don't sound like 2nd wave BM to me in any of the bad ways, which is why I like them.

 

[CiG]

Inquisition seem to be a black metal band that transcends the black metal community.

Though I hear the resemblance, I don't really group Inquisition with 2nd wave BM. I guess they don't sound like 2nd wave BM to me in any of the bad ways, which is why I like them.

This is what I was trying to say.

 

[TechnicalBarbarity]

isn't even close to "in-crowd", and yeah not easy to predict

Lulz. That is all.

 

[no country for old wainds]

This is what I was trying to say.

i see that, just saying i'm curious as to why. they are one of the better modern bands at constructing a mood and have a good ear for those sleepy slithery melodies and whatnot, don't get me wrong, but they're definitively second wave IMO, generically so for the most part. i figure their popularity stems from the fact that they incorporate an atypically wide range of scandinavian BM sounds into one cohesive package, but they aren't bringing much new to the table, which is why i don't get people liking them without being fond of the bands they're derivative of. this particular album is extremely burzumy a lot of the time IMO (not a bad thing when you're this good at it).

i should add i have a lot of love for 'solitary death in the nocturnal woodlands' and would consider that the most unique thing on there probably.

 

[no country for old wainds]

sorry i'm a little delayed on this btw, i ended up being sick leading up to the deadline and then being away a couple days. gonna tag any remaining stragglers and hopefully get the results out within the next couple days.

 

[no country for old wainds]

@EspaDa you polishing that shit or what

@alex76 @rms @Burkhard @zerostatic @ClichéUserName @RadicalThrasher @I-TEND-TO-DIE @H.P. Lovecraft @Anom@nder Rake @EternalMetal @zabu of nΩd @RedinTheSky @Manic Ferocity @tagradh @CF87

last call yo. if you've already said you're not participating just ignore this

 

[Burkhard]

I've pondered for quite some time whether to take part in this round or not, but eventually decided against it. For me, taking part in this round would just be dishonest, because it would require including at least three albums I don't own and which I most likely never will buy. I did check out a few albums by bands who, earlier in their career, released albums I do own and still listen to occasionally. But asking myself if I'd buy these albums (i.e. the ones from 1998) and listen to them at least every once in a while, the honest answer was "no".

By the way, if we didn't have the requirement of listing at least 5 albums, my "list" would have consisted of Nightwish's "Oceanborn" - an album I really do enjoy and still listen to every once in a while - at no. 1 and Shadow Gallery's "Tyranny" at no. 2.

However, I will take part in the non-metal edition for 1998 - if we should ever get to this year.