My #1 CD of 2010...

[J-Man]

I listened to all three tracks, two or three times, althought it is not something I would purchase, I do like it, and as many have stated it does have a Doors vibe to it, which is why I like it.

 

[TribunalRecords]

Met-Al is dead solid wrong, flat out about that hipster tag he's incorrectly applying.

Brant Bjork began his career with a valid, if underappreciated at the time, metal band given kudos from the true community (this would be [Sons of] Kyuss).
It was only years after that band disbanded (1996) when the fashionistas declared Kyuss [John Garcia, Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Brant Bjork, Alfredo Hernandez, Scott Reeder] and its side/post projects (QotSA [Josh and Nick and Brant], Mondo Generator [Nick], Fu Manchu [Brant])"hip", with the weird exceptions of vocalist John Garcia's many short-lived bands Slo-Burn, Unida, and Hermano.

FWIW, The Obsidian Conspiracy has a Contractual Obligation vibe to it.

for those that missed my post above i will do it again now.

KYUSS!!!!

 

[TribunalRecords]

I actually don't buy the whole "contract" issue as ever being a driving factor. If contract was truly a driver, wouldn't you want to release a killer disc, that grew your record sales, and drew as much interest from other labels as possible, in hopes of creating a bidding war? Why would you want to intentionally release something lackluster, that might cause the industry to think to themselves, "they're done, why would we want them on our roster?"

then you haven't heard the final two DEICIDE albums they did for Roadrunner Records. total crap and years later Glenn said they wanted to give them crap because they hated them so much.

then when they finally got a new deal released an AMAZING album and re-established their fanbase if they lost any from those two albums of deliberate crap.

it happens more than you think.

 

[General Zod]

then you haven't heard the final two DEICIDE albums they did for Roadrunner Records. total crap and years later Glenn said they wanted to give them crap because they hated them so much.

I'm not sure I would draw any conclusions about how most artists handle the final record of their current contract, from the actions of Glenn Burton.

it happens more than you think.

While I believe it happens, when things are really bad between artist and label, I suspect it's pretty rare. Releasing shitty material doesn't just hurt the label, it also hurts the band and the band's fans. It definitely has an element of cutting off one's nose to spite their face.

 

[PureXul]

FWIW, The Obsidian Conspiracy has a Contractual Obligation vibe to it.

Aside from the points that Zod raised, they already went through that situation with Enemies of Reality. The band was rather pissed at Century at that point and weren't exactly hiding the frustration. A lot of people expected them to bolt, but they ended up re-signing with Century and sounding at least reasonably happy about it. That would indicate one of two things:
1) They came to an agreement that Nevermore was happy with and therefore Nevermore really has no reason to be wanting out.
2) Nevermore got no interest from anyone else and just accepted the fact that Century was the best they were going to get.

While #2 is possible, I'm guessing that it ended up being #1 (better promotion, bigger profile tours after TGE came out, etc.). The fact that Warrel and Jeff both released their solo records through Century would only seem to reinforce that point, and would indicate that they're fairly happy with the label at this point.

 

[General Zod]

While #2 is possible, I'm guessing that it ended up being #1 (better promotion, bigger profile tours after TGE came out, etc.). The fact that Warrel and Jeff both released their solo records through Century would only seem to reinforce that point, and would indicate that they're fairly happy with the label at this point.

I'd also disagree with the basis of the premise; that it sounds like a obligatory release. While I don't think it's on par with TGE, it's still an excellent disc. I don't expect my favorite bands will hit a homerun every time up. I'll settle for the occasional double off the left field wall.

 

[MysticX9]

To each their own. However, if you happen to find yourself burning some of Thailand's crops, trying queuing this and see if you don't feel differently.

The smoke hasn't cleared yet but sounds pretty good so far! Relaxing, hypnotic summer music...

 

[nomisofsiman]

I actually don't buy the whole "contract" issue as ever being a driving factor. If contract was truly a driver, wouldn't you want to release a killer disc, that grew your record sales, and drew as much interest from other labels as possible, in hopes of creating a bidding war? Why would you want to intentionally release something lackluster, that might cause the industry to think to themselves, "they're done, why would we want them on our roster?"

In Fantasy Baseball, it's common to bid more on players entering the final year of their contract. The theory being, the player will be very motivated to have a career year, in the hopes of garnering a larger contract. I'm not sure why it would be any different with bands.

There definitely are bands that do the bad album thing to get out of a contract. However, Nevermore's newest release, even though I haven't listened to it yet, I doubt is one of them. Considering when their last album was, I don't think so. I also find most of these bands who do these "albums" to get out of a contract tend to be either live albums or a crummy best of with one or two more songs. I also don't think Nevermore is the type of band to just put out crappy material. Someone may not like the new release, but I highly doubt they rushed it to get out of a contract.

 

[BenMech]

For a perfect example - google "Contractual obligation" and "Marvin Gaye"

 

[TribunalRecords]

While I believe it happens, when things are really bad between artist and label, I suspect it's pretty rare. Releasing shitty material doesn't just hurt the label, it also hurts the band and the band's fans. It definitely has an element of cutting off one's nose to spite their face.

You should asking bands on Victory Records about turning in crap to get off the label. It really does happen a lot and since most band's albums today are merely an after thought simply to keep them in the current touring circuit (where bands make their money). what is a crap record to get off a label you hate and isn't helping/paying/supporting you anyway? If you have an established fan base one crappy record isn't going to end your career, hell look at Nevermore?! hahaha. but seriously, labels vs bands is a big issue and it happens all the time.

i know being both a label and a band.

 

[TribunalRecords]

There definitely are bands that do the bad album thing to get out of a contract. However, Nevermore's newest release, even though I haven't listened to it yet, I doubt is one of them. Considering when their last album was, I don't think so. I also find most of these bands who do these "albums" to get out of a contract tend to be either live albums or a crummy best of with one or two more songs. I also don't think Nevermore is the type of band to just put out crappy material. Someone may not like the new release, but I highly doubt they rushed it to get out of a contract.

didn't NEVERMORE just resign with Century Media for this new album? i could be crazy, but swear i remember reading that somewhere, or was that several albums ago now?