My Latest Purchases Thread

[MadeInNewJersey]

Ahh, well, it didn't cost any more than the regular version, so no harm, no foul, as some people say. I have some black metal classics (from a historical perspective) to listen to in the next week or so...

Besides Tiamat, coming up on my "to-listen-to" list are Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times and Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. I'm nervous.

 

[Erik]

Oh. "De Mysteriis..." is a fucking behemoth of an album. I didn't find all of it too captivating at first, but it grows on you like the black death. The nay-sayers may say nay all they want, it IS worthy of most of the praise it is given. It just needs time.

 

[Nate The Great]

Markgugs: Dark Mideival Times is definitely your thang. De Mysteriis is actually MUCH easier to handle than somthing like 'Nattens Madrigal'. De Mysteriis is great on a cold, dark night. Try altering your mind with something then putting De Mysteriis on in the dark.

Oh . . . that's cool that you like .hopesfall. Tell me what you would like to argue about on my review of The Satellite Years. I'm younger than you, so I probably don't see some of the same influences that you do.

 

[Papa Josh]

I want to know if Varg's bass tracks were really erased from the Mayhem album or not...

and as far as new arrivals..

OSI- Office of Strategic Influence (limited ed)
Marduk- World Funeral

And the mighty, new Voivod cd on Chophouse Records!!
Which I got at Best Buy for @12.99 by the way!!!

And in from Earache..

Usurper- Twilight Dominion
Cult Of Luna- The Beyond
Forest Stream- Tears of Mortal Solitude

 

[Nate The Great]

I want to know if Varg's bass tracks were really erased from the Mayhem album or not...

I'm almost positive they weren't. For some reason, I think that is just one of those black metal legends. Like Euronymous eating the brains of Dead (or whatever his name was). He actually just took a piece of bone or skull fragment, I think.

Phyre will enlighten us . . .

 

[Nate The Great]

Cult Of Luna- The Beyond

Is that just a promo? If not, I would consider buying or trading. If you don't like it.

Is it a full length, or just an EP?

 

[Papa Josh]

Is that just a promo? If not, I would consider buying or trading. If you don't like it.

Is it a full length, or just an EP?

Promo, full length, haven't listened to it yet..

 

[Erik]

I've seen Cult of Luna live twice. They're from my town and opened for The Haunted and Entombed. Heh. It's funny because when they play there are about 3 people around, standing in the back of the room with their arms crossed, occasionally looking at their wristwatches. He he.

 

[Erik]

I'm almost positive they weren't. For some reason, I think that is just one of those black metal legends. Like Euronymous eating the brains of Dead (or whatever his name was). He actually just took a piece of bone or skull fragment, I think.



Phyre will enlighten us . . .

1. Varg's bass tracks were NOT erased and re-recorded by Hellhammer. Hellhammer claimed they were for the longest time, until finally admitting what Varg and the rest of the world had been suspecting all the time, in an interview around the release "Wolf's Lair Abyss" IIRC; they weren't.



2. In various interviews (with Euronymous himself even IIRC) I've read that he did take fragments of the brain with the intention of cooking and eating them together with some meat and vegetables in a stew, but they went bad too quickly, so he didn't in the end.



Glad to be of service. Heh.

 

[JayKeeley]

And the mighty, new Voivod cd on Chophouse Records!!
Which I got at Best Buy for @12.99 by the way!!!

Shoot - I never realized this was out already. Are you gonna review it PJ? If not, let me know how it is either way.

The Haunted turned up today by the way - thanks Papa.

 

[Papa Josh]

Shoot - I never realized this was out already. Are you gonna review it PJ? If not, let me know how it is either way.

The Haunted turned up today by the way - thanks Papa.

No problem. As far as the Voivod, I had no idea it was out either, until notman (MSR editor) showed it to me on Friday. Chophouse had sent it to him! Bastard... Anyways, I went to Best Buy, and they had one copy..

Digipak, drummer Away's drawings are kick ass, like always... but man Jason was definitely meant to play in this band! Easily the best album since Voivod's "Nothingface."

But, I'll save the rest for the review... in the meantime, just go buy the damn thing!

By the way, I mailed your 3 cds Friday. You should have them by Tuesday or Wed. I have the tracking # so not to worry.

 

[Erik]

My sister gave me Iron Maiden "Live After Death" on double gatefold vinyl. Which was nice of her.

 

[JayKeeley]

Thanks - I actually have the new Voivod sitting in my shopping cart at The End right now....

By the way, on first listen:

Amorphis - Elegy: Great CD, really like this compared to Lake (which is also good), and the clean vocals take some getting used to. They're a bit 'Quorthorn' at parts, so you have to bite your tongue a little...

Edge of Sanity - Crimson: Holy shit - this is everything and more....thing is, I dread reviewing it. Anything with one track is a little difficult to break down. Also, it is impossible to listen to without reading along with the lyrics - the story is intense! Turn that into a movie already!

Nightingale - I: bleeeh!! Is this a joke? Is this one of those CD's that you have to listen to 100 times before something clicks? How is this not "The Cult meets Stone Temple Pilots meets Soul Asylum"? I mean, it aint bad as such, but someone tell me what the hooha is on Nightingale - other than the fact that Swano is in it.

Anyway, on first listens, 2 out of 3 aint bad.

 

[Erik]

Elegy is totally excellent. I actually have more problems with the growls than the cleans on that album -- the growls are kind of generic and not distinct enough in the mix. Never really liked Amorphis' old growler even if I've seen some praise him quite a bit. Another thing that irritates me about that album is that I feel that the production sounds different on different tracks. Probably I'm correct too, with the album being recorded in around 3 different studios if I'm correct. Oh well, the song material's still excellent.

 

[JayKeeley]

It certainly is excellent material - although listening to it in the car didn't really give me the opportunity to hear those production anomalies.

The growls are far and few between - so I think they complement, without overdoing it thankfully. There is nothing worse than hearing growling vocals over kanteles and flutes etc.

Also, since reviewing Ensiferum and discovering more about the Kalevala, it's interesting to know that the two Amorphis CD's I have (Lake and Elegy) are both completely based on the same folktales. Is that a coincidence, or is that what Amorphis are all about I wonder?

 

[Ayeka]

Celtic Frost - Dark Lake
Mortal Sin - Face of Despair
Seqouyah - 10 Years On The Road

 

[Erik]

Is that a coincidence, or is that what Amorphis are all about I wonder?

Amorphis up to and kind of including "Tuonela" were rather folk-based. With the debut "Karelian Isthmus", they had one lyrical foot in death metal stuff like digging up corpses from their graves to "admire the rot" and one in epic battles and such, with a bit of folklore thrown in here and there. "Elegy" is fully based on the Kalevala as far as I understand but they did have those elements on "Tales...". "Tuonela" means "the underworld" on something and while quite a few of the lyrics on that are dark folklore-based ones I don't think they're based on Kalevala stuff. The latest album has none of the folk goodness and caused me, together with the lackluster songs, to entirely lose interest in Amorphis.

Oh, and then there's the debut demo/MCD "Privilege of Evil" which is not at all in the least about folklore, but is totally fucking crushing in its perversely downtuned, super dark and brutal death metal. It's just a totally different side of Amorphis and one they did VERY well. Hm, think I'm off to listen to that one now...

 

[Erik]

Celtic Frost - Dark Lake

You mean "Cold Lake", right? Poor you! Is it quite as horrible as everyone (and by everyone, I mean EVERYONE) says?

 

[JayKeeley]

"Tuonela" means "the underworld" on something and while quite a few of the lyrics on that are dark folklore-based ones I don't think they're based on Kalevala stuff. The latest album has none of the folk goodness and caused me, together with the lackluster songs, to entirely lose interest in Amorphis.

I think "Tales from the Thousand Lakes" is based entirely on the Kalevala as a concept. "Elegy" is based on the scriptures - the Kanteletar, which actually cover about 700 of the poems. From what I understand, the entire Kalevala has never been fully transcribed, and there is literally only one person left in the world who can recite/sing it - but he might have already died...the man was easily in his 90's.

I'm interested now in "Tuonela", and the "My Kantele EP". Not sure about "Am Universum" based on your opinion and the review I read of it, describing it as the lost Blue Oyster Cult album, or something like that...

Still, I'd like to soak in "Elegy" a bit more - it's well deserving of my time, along with EoS's Crimson.

 

[Erik]

"Tuonela" is excellent and my favourite Amorphis album. Full of atmosphere and confident clean vocals. Even fewer growls, with only one song using them to any greater extent. The "My Kantele" EP is good too, nice Hawkwind cover and "The Brother Slayer" is an excellent song... The "Black Winter Day" EP is the only Amorphis CD I don't have (except the newer singles and the compilation) but I've heard MP3's and that one is good as well.