I am a sellout poseur!

[Jim LotFP]

My last three purchases... bands on Nuclear Blast, Sanctuary, Century Media... I am so ashamed.

On the plus side, I did get new albums from Blind Guardian, Virgin Steele, and today, NAPALM DEATH!

RRROOOAARRRR!!!!

 

[circus_brimstone]

God forbid - no pun intended - you'd want to support the bands themselves. :zombie:

 

[Occam's Razor]

How's David DeFeis doing? I heard that the production was awful. I see that the cover definitely is...

 

[Jim LotFP]

How's David DeFeis doing? I heard that the production was awful. I see that the cover definitely is...

It's only awful if you consider the guitar a really important thing to hear in the mix.

It's still an interesting listen. And that "concept" twist at the end... ay ay ay.

Anyway, I feel all underground again. Got some unsigned Italian band's new pro-pressed CD (including ANNOYING LITTLE FOIL STICKER that's on ever Italian CD). Those always make me feel good, "Somebody doing something for THEMSELVES!" The enthusiasm doesn't usually last after I've pressed play, but us jaded bastards will take any warm fuzzies we can get.

Also, four CDs from I Hate Records, with the latest from The Gates of Slumber, Burning Saviours, Fall of the Idols, and Isole. Just reading the short descriptions sent with the CDs and reading the label site's news is giving me DOOM WOODIES.

This is the shit I really enjoy getting in the mail.

Get a load of these taglines:

Fall of the Idols: "Mellow low key parts with a DOORS vibe blends with crushing walls of bombast echoing CANDLEMASS and COUNT RAVEN."

The Gates of Slumber: "VITUS, PENTAGRAM and FROST are still steady at the core of TGOS sound on this, their second, album. Vintage currents of MANOWAR,RAINBOW, THIN LIZZY,and CIRITH UNGOL can also be sensed by those anal enough to analyze."

Burning Saviours: "60/70’s vintage Rock music with clear parallels to SABBATH, PENTAGRAM and JETHRO TULL"

Isole: "The 7 songs on Throne Of Void will once and for all cement ISOLE’s place among the genre’s elite acts (CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETERNUS, SOLSTICE, FORSAKEN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT)."

I mean, they are obviously aiming for a specific audience. (Selling your CD by calling While Heaven Wept an elite act? That's narrowing your audience down, eh? ) But doesn't this sound a bit more down to Earth as far as selling your bands than, say, the promotional chatter of Nuclear Blast or Century Media?

Let's see:

Scar Symmetry: "...a brand new constellation that would express a fresh and heavy form of catchy death metal without any boundaries whatsoever. The band wanted to incorporate huge synthesizers into the music, along with blazing vituoso guitar soloing, which would all be backed up with complex but catchy rhythms and every style of singing known to metal in general."

HammerFall: "When we talk about today’s Heavy Metal scene, we have to talk about Sweden’s HAMMERFALL, which are one of the most important bands today." (wait... the bio on the NB Europe site is from TWO ALBUMS AGO. haha!)

Belphegor: " BELPHEGOR emerges as one of the most extreme line ups to ever come out of the death black metal scene."

... and this gem for TO/DIE/FOR, which doesn't fit my point at all but this is too awesome to not mention: "It seems like Gothic Metal became the national music for Finland, as so many excellent acts showed up within the last years and convinced with their typical style."

Wow, that's quite a rant inspired by looking at stuff in envelopes without even turning the stereo on.

This better not suck!

 

[Occam's Razor]

You really get the Nuclear Blast treatment...I doubt that there is much good about it. Not because it is Blast, but because of the bands.

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing Centurian's Ghost, who are on the same label as Isole, I believe. That was harsh intense doom, nicely bileful.

I got contacted by Aesthetic Death records, who will probably send something in the future for reviewing. Seems they are into the sluggish stuff as well.

Let me know if these 70s inspired ones are any good - I just bought Pentagragram's second compilation album and can generally never get enough of that shit.

 

[Atom Smasher]

I hate those damned foil stickers.
But IHR is without a doubt one of the best labels out there, doom or otherwise. Shame about that whole Thee Plague of Gentlemen fiasco, as TPoG were actually a strong band who'd helped a fantastic label get some more recognition, even though I think they were on Listenable by the time everything went to hell. I hope the remaining members put something together musically in the future, although I'm sure they're in no hurry to have the singer's stupidity associated with their names...
The point is, yeah. Great label. Heh.
I also get a kick out of reading how labels hype bands like that. I don't normally read BW&BK, but I relented and picked up a copy when they reviewed my old band's demo, and oh MAN does Popoff sugar coat his band descriptions on the CD sampler. I could scarcely contain my laughter at sentences that included "Evergrey" and "progressive doom metal"...call me opinionated, but c'mon.

 

[Jim LotFP]

If 2006 ended today, The Gates of Slumber's Suffer No Guilt would be in my top 3 albums of the year.

 

[DBB]

I hope the remaining members put something together musically in the future, although I'm sure they're in no hurry to have the singer's stupidity associated with their names...

The remaining members are looking for a vocalist right now, so it should not be too long before something surfaces. But whether they are going to use any of the music that was written for the upcoming TPOG album or continue in the same vein is another matter entirely, though (this is just me speculating). Man.....what a messy and unfortunate situation for them, no matter what happens the reprehensible actions of their former vocalist is going to be a millstone hanging around their necks that is not going to be easily removed.

If 2006 ended today, The Gates of Slumber's Suffer No Guilt would be in my top 3 albums of the year.

I agree, but it probably will not matter what else comes out in the next few months--it will be near the very top on my list. Valkyrie is a band with a different sound of sorts but a very similar scope and approach that will also be hovering around there as well.

Hell...for some of the people writing in magazines the metal year is nearly over due to publication deadlines and anything released from here on out will not merit consideration due to a quirk of the calender. Websites certainly have an advantage here and many use it.

Still, things can slip through the cracks. The Meads of Asphodel's Damascus Steel was released in December and since it was something I had to either order from overseas or go grab in Chicago I did not end up getting it until January, so I am going to count it as a 2006 album. Not that it matters to anyone but me myself and I.

 

[Jim LotFP]

Still, things can slip through the cracks. The Meads of Asphodel's Damascus Steel was released in December and since it was something I had to either order from overseas or go grab in Chicago I did not end up getting it until January, so I am going to count it as a 2006 album. Not that it matters to anyone but me myself and I.

I haven't heard anything from them since their debut... Metatron had sent me a tape of their side of the Mayhem split but that was when I had no tape player. heh.

How have they been?

 

[Atom Smasher]

The remaining members are looking for a vocalist right now, so it should not be too long before something surfaces. But whether they are going to use any of the music that was written for the upcoming TPOG album or continue in the same vein is another matter entirely, though (this is just me speculating). Man.....what a messy and unfortunate situation for them, no matter what happens the reprehensible actions of their former vocalist is going to be a millstone hanging around their necks that is not going to be easily removed.

I agree, but it probably will not matter what else comes out in the next few months--it will be near the very top on my list. Valkyrie is a band with a different sound of sorts but a very similar scope and approach that will also be hovering around there as well.

I'm glad they're at least making more music. It really is a shame for them and everyone related, what an unpleasant thing to be associated with.
I was looking forward to seeing The Gates of Slumber at Boston's Doom & Grind Fest (for which they were also scheduled), but TPOG's singer was booking the European Gates tour that was coming up, so naturally that threw Karl from Gates a huge curveball and things just got crazy for them. We did play in Indianapolis with Apostle Of Solitude, though, who have Chuck Brown (Gates' old drummer) on vocals and guitar, and they were INCREDIBLE.

I'm also interested to hear more material from Valkyrie. Seeing those guys play was humbling, they absolutely DESTROYED every other band playing that night. Terrific band (and that was before Gary from Spirit Caravan joined, so I'm sure they've only improved since then).

 

[DBB]

How have they been?

Consistently brilliant in my book. Although it is all awesome as far as I am concerned, The Mill Hill Sessions is mandatory. "My Beautiful Genocide" is one of the most amazing epic songs (25 min plus) I've ever heard and Alan Davey conducts a clinic on how to play the bass. The version of "Refuse/Resist" included is also one of best cover songs I've ever heard and the stripped down recorded "live" in the studio in two days versions of previously recorded songs are intriguing.

But everything has been top-notch and I could get all excited about them all--the EP released a couple of months ago shows no signs of the band flagging.

 

[Cheiron]

Did buying these albums actually make you feel guilty?

 

[Jim LotFP]

Did buying these albums actually make you feel guilty?

Nah. I do wish I wasn't giving money to Sanctuary, Nuclear Blast, or Century Media though.