Well. I remember, I think it was during SC but it could have been Battles, that I said that they would be going back to melodeath, or something similar to melodeath. Why? Because that's a pattern with a lot of metal bands.
New album Foregone out February 2023
- Thread starter TheJestersDoor
- Start date
mindd
Faithless by Default
Eh, I'm just glad that they still release something and we can enjoy having stupid ass discussions about stupid ass band that we're still interested in for some reason regardless of the quality of their new stuff 
A lot has changed for me in last few months thanks to one crazy old motherfucker, I moved to Serbia from Russia and had to leave some things behind, everything felt weird and difficult and different, but at least I could still enjoy agreeing and disagreeing with all your bullshit opinions here, so thanks for that.
On Meet Your Maker: I quite liked that one. I don't dislike F(r)iend, the guitar riffs are fine, the solo was quite nice (yay, not a generic Bjorn solo #371), and overall, this one actually reminds me of their R2R-CC stuff with some elements.
I think I would describe it as a weird sluggish hybrid of Take This Life and F(r)iend with very some bad vocal choices in chorus. Doesn't sound very positive, but it is what it is, I still like the song.
What would I think could have improved the song:
That video was silly.
A lot has changed for me in last few months thanks to one crazy old motherfucker, I moved to Serbia from Russia and had to leave some things behind, everything felt weird and difficult and different, but at least I could still enjoy agreeing and disagreeing with all your bullshit opinions here, so thanks for that.
On Meet Your Maker: I quite liked that one. I don't dislike F(r)iend, the guitar riffs are fine, the solo was quite nice (yay, not a generic Bjorn solo #371), and overall, this one actually reminds me of their R2R-CC stuff with some elements.
I think I would describe it as a weird sluggish hybrid of Take This Life and F(r)iend with very some bad vocal choices in chorus. Doesn't sound very positive, but it is what it is, I still like the song.
What would I think could have improved the song:
- Up the tempo a bit, especially choruses could benefit from that, the flow feels a bit off at times. Although, if they did that, this would go even further into Take This Life territory.
- Pre-chorus feels weird. It doesn't really do a good job connecting the verse with the chorus, IMO.
- Vocals in the pre-chorus and chorus are my biggest gripe with this song. Evil Autotune Hamster Strikes Back with full force. I wonder how would choruses sound if they were a bit faster and Anders did his weird SOAPF half screams instead of this.
That video was silly.
Lol, bait and switch, like we suspected. But I’m not going to read any reviews until it is all out. I want to make my own opinion on things.
@mindd glad you're safe and well bro. I hope all of this BS will end at some point soon and some form of normality can return for all of us.
I just find it hilarious that somebody would be so triggered by what a few of us randos write, on this obscure message board, that they would feel the need to sign up, rant about it and demand that we use music theory to justify our opinions it's like, bro, go for a walk or something. I can't fathom anybody caring that much about what any of us think about the band or their output. It's not like any of us are taking ourselves that seriously, so nobody else should either. I expect some shit to come my way from the likes of Slave and Ciko, but it's fine because I know they can take as much as they give, and I can actually have some interesting debates with them on the merits of IF-related opinions. If either of them asked me to write down some music theory to explain myself I'd rightly tell them to do one, and that would be that 
So, welcome any newcomers, but don't act like an absolute helmet in your very first post. At least wait until post 10 or 11 before going full Slave/Ciko.
I just find it hilarious that somebody would be so triggered by what a few of us randos write, on this obscure message board, that they would feel the need to sign up, rant about it and demand that we use music theory to justify our opinions
it's like, bro, go for a walk or something. I can't fathom anybody caring that much about what any of us think about the band or their output. It's not like any of us are taking ourselves that seriously, so nobody else should either. I expect some shit to come my way from the likes of Slave and Ciko, but it's fine because I know they can take as much as they give, and I can actually have some interesting debates with them on the merits of IF-related opinions. If either of them asked me to write down some music theory to explain myself I'd rightly tell them to do one, and that would be that So, welcome any newcomers, but don't act like an absolute helmet in your very first post. At least wait until post 10 or 11 before going full Slave/Ciko.
Probably. They don't need to. They usually learn chords and scales but zero music theory. And that's enough to make and play metal. The bassist from Insomnium has even said that he doesn't know a single bass scale and that's ok for him.
Strong AGREE. Meet Your Maker is STYE with good production and chorus is CC/Take this Life with a lot more autotune. I don’t even like STYE but MYM helps me appreciate STYE better.
To me MYM isn’t bad. The solo is interesting, the chorus sounds pleasant to me. I don’t hate it. It’s better than Great Deceiver.
No. Waiting doesn’t change anything. LS to Clayman is old IF, period. Maybe some day they will put out a new album that could fit in with those classics. But you can’t overwrite history just because it is convenient to you. Like you said, you became a fan during the R2R-ASOP days, and to you that is the essence of IF. But others of us were fans before R2R existed. So it might be old IF to YOU, but not to us.
Yep. 1994 - 2000 is the classic IF, the albums that defined the band and brought them to prominence. 2002 - 2008 I consider their mid-era, where they abandoned their MDM roots but still had the Jesper/Bjorn combo writing the music. Then 2011 to present is the Anders/Bjorn/Howard Benson era, making the previously criticised mid-era look stellar in comparison.
Jester Slave
Narcissist
Reading terrible takes is a great motivator to register. I didn't reply to it this time, but when our Spanish pal said that the only difference between R2R and Clayman is Anders' singing, I could've done with a bag of Xanax. Remarks like that can easily make someone register, because you just have to ask them what the fuck are they even talking about.@mindd
I just find it hilarious that somebody would be so triggered by what a few of us randos write, on this obscure message board, that they would feel the need to sign up, rant about it and demand that we use music theory to justify our opinions
I agree, but my point is that we have talked about numerous callbacks and similarities to older IF, which also included the post-Clayman era. So it just sounds silly when we are arguing about whether IF sounds like the old IF of 20 years ago or the old IF of 25 years ago.
No, these new songs are definitely not having the essence of the first period of IF, it just has certain motifs and similarities. But it is very much so compareable to their second phase. But even by saying "second phase" I am being ambigious, because while I mean R2R-ASOP, one may interpret it as Colony and Clayman.
I don't think any of us are saying that listening to these tracks are almost like listening to Clayman or Whoracle; you'd only find these comments on Fbook or Youtube. But there is definitely an energy, a bite and a structure which is quite similar to that of CC or R2R. SOAPF, SC and Battles were in many ways very slow, very mild records. Hearing I Am Above the first time was like a de-aging process, because I never imagined them ever doing such music again. Foregone is a continuation of that, so if you someone says "oh, IF is back!!" they very well may mean returning to their early and mid 2000s sound.
Yes, basically you and I are in full agreement.
For old old fans (Clayman), they have been waiting for a very long time and at this point should have given up. Like me.
For fans of R2R-CC, they have at least 2 songs on this album (TGD and MYM) they can relate to.
If they were a fan of ATG, they have at least one song.
I think the issue is the band itself is marketing this as a “return to form” meaning the golden MDM days (1995-2000). But it’s not because they never sounded like this back then. Could it be a return to 2002-2006 IF? Maybe.
Why not do it with a bit of class though? Best way to make somebody question their own view is to counter it with a well thought-out and sensible response. Ranting and name-calling rarely produces anything positive. I appreciate that the art of debate is lost on most people these days, as it's all about being a part of the high horse brigade (sup Bjorn), but nonetheless. There are so many places nowadays where you can go and bask in the echo chamber of IFWT that I am baffled somebody who is that way inclined would find this place, visit repeatedly and then get upset enough to register and have a textual tantrum. There's like, less than 10 people here who post with any regularity, so how could our opinions possibly matter. During album off-season it's basically just me and Eochaid with the occasional post from Phobiac and Galvanized.
Jester Slave
Narcissist
You are right, I misremembered. But saying that's the main difference still doesn't do it justice. It is very different from Clayman in many aspect, and it's no wonder it was the most divisive record in their career, and forever will remain so, because they don't havae the popularity they used to have, so even if they release a Battles, there are much less/fewer people to get angry about it. Trigger, System, Metaphor, Transparent, to name a few which are major departures from their style. But even if you compare the biggest hits from those records, OFTW vs. Cloud Connected, it tells all the story you need to know about the change.
As for having class, it is pointless. I was naive at first so I engaged more with the topics at hand, but it is pointless, because the naysayers mind are set, and some of you sound like you would be better off to completely let go of IF, because it clearly brings you no joy. It was really telling that some of the most critical people here were giving out 9s and 10s to the halo effect record, which is pretty just a nostalgia trip with another questionable quality singer. But those people who surgically analyze every single mistake on an IF release suddenly turned into fanboys, because Jesper - whom I do not hate, so this is not a jab at him - made a riff which could've been on TJR. Being happy for a nostalgia dose is completely understandable, but rating it as high shows the same fanboyism you accuse others of.
As for having class, it is pointless. I was naive at first so I engaged more with the topics at hand, but it is pointless, because the naysayers mind are set, and some of you sound like you would be better off to completely let go of IF, because it clearly brings you no joy. It was really telling that some of the most critical people here were giving out 9s and 10s to the halo effect record, which is pretty just a nostalgia trip with another questionable quality singer. But those people who surgically analyze every single mistake on an IF release suddenly turned into fanboys, because Jesper - whom I do not hate, so this is not a jab at him - made a riff which could've been on TJR. Being happy for a nostalgia dose is completely understandable, but rating it as high shows the same fanboyism you accuse others of.
THE is still an amazing album. Far better than we've heard so far from new IF. It doesn't matter if it's nostalgia. The songs are great. Well structured and developed.
The fact that it was chosen as best melodeath album from 2022and was in the votings for best metal album of the years, must mean something.
Edit: better than anything IF have done since CC.
The fact that it was chosen as best melodeath album from 2022and was in the votings for best metal album of the years, must mean something.
Edit: better than anything IF have done since CC.
Slave in failing to understand how opinions work shocker. You know that a lot of us like 90s/00s MDM, so why would you expect us to dislike THE output, which is based on that style? You can call it nostalgia music if you want (although I already debunked your nonsense on this a few weeks ago) but the fact remains that it's a great album if you like that style of music. You've never really appreciated it, so it's little wonder you aren't enthralled by it, but you need to accept that people can have valid opinions completely separate to yours. Just because it's different doesn't mean you need to try and demean it to validate yourself. Chill, bro.
Jester Slave
Narcissist
I can live with people and their valid opinions, but I also have some judgemental views which I believe to be true, even if at the end of the day it is an abstract concept. Take for example THE. You can keep saying I don't appreciate the art of it, but I find your point extremely moot, because I really like the style of TJR and especially Whoracle. Sure, I think the singing is dogshit on TJR, and the production is also lacking, plus I have no nostalgia factor towards it, but the fact that I like to listen to it from time to time, in my mind convinces me that it's bullshit to try to label me as someone who doesn't appreciate it. Dead Eternity is one of the best songs I have ever heard, but I liked Moonshield and Artifacts even when I was still hating on TJR.
Again, it is still an abstract thing to say that just because of what I've just said I do appreciate it, because how do you prove or disprove it? In any case, I am convinced that I do, so when I see others being fond of hearing that sort of style again, it is not an alien concept to me. I do think it is decent, I do think it has high points, but I am absolutely convinced that anyone who rates it 9 or 10, or an 8, thoguh that's debateable, are just happy for the nostalgia, and are willing to look past the many glaring mistakes of that record. The same way I can't hate on R2R, because even though I can hear it's muddy production, it is what I've grown up with, it's what made me fell in love with them, so I will going to give that record a very high rating. But I am self-aware enough to know that even though opinions are subjective, my opinion towards R2R is like subjective squared. You guys will never admit it towards THE, and to me, that is just another telling sign of you being under the influence of nostalgia.
TJR/Whoracle were alive and they had all the hallmarks of young musicians pretty much creating or at least expanding on a new genre as they went, without any limitations in their mind. Kinda like how kids are the ones who ask "why not?/why can't you?" and adults are the ones who are convinced about our limitations and what can be done. Days of the Lost should never be criticized for not living up to that level, because we are talking about people in their what, 40s or already 50s? Doing some music because they enjoy it. And it's good, but it's not 9 or 10 out of 10 good. And no, I am not saying old musicians can't reach those heights, but that record doesn't really take risks or tries to advance that MDM sound, it just kinda plays it the same, just in a modernized setting.
And I deliberately avoided the vocals, because that is just a whole can of worms on its own, so I mostly compared these records as instrumental pieces, but it is hard not to be affected by the fun, jumpy way Anders is performing on Dead Eternity and the monotony on the THE songs. And for the thousandth time: I am not trying to shit on that record, by no means do I think it's bad. There is a cozy area between "holy fucking shit, MDM is back and it's better than ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and "dogshit".
Again, it is still an abstract thing to say that just because of what I've just said I do appreciate it, because how do you prove or disprove it? In any case, I am convinced that I do, so when I see others being fond of hearing that sort of style again, it is not an alien concept to me. I do think it is decent, I do think it has high points, but I am absolutely convinced that anyone who rates it 9 or 10, or an 8, thoguh that's debateable, are just happy for the nostalgia, and are willing to look past the many glaring mistakes of that record. The same way I can't hate on R2R, because even though I can hear it's muddy production, it is what I've grown up with, it's what made me fell in love with them, so I will going to give that record a very high rating. But I am self-aware enough to know that even though opinions are subjective, my opinion towards R2R is like subjective squared. You guys will never admit it towards THE, and to me, that is just another telling sign of you being under the influence of nostalgia.
TJR/Whoracle were alive and they had all the hallmarks of young musicians pretty much creating or at least expanding on a new genre as they went, without any limitations in their mind. Kinda like how kids are the ones who ask "why not?/why can't you?" and adults are the ones who are convinced about our limitations and what can be done. Days of the Lost should never be criticized for not living up to that level, because we are talking about people in their what, 40s or already 50s? Doing some music because they enjoy it. And it's good, but it's not 9 or 10 out of 10 good. And no, I am not saying old musicians can't reach those heights, but that record doesn't really take risks or tries to advance that MDM sound, it just kinda plays it the same, just in a modernized setting.
And I deliberately avoided the vocals, because that is just a whole can of worms on its own, so I mostly compared these records as instrumental pieces, but it is hard not to be affected by the fun, jumpy way Anders is performing on Dead Eternity and the monotony on the THE songs. And for the thousandth time: I am not trying to shit on that record, by no means do I think it's bad. There is a cozy area between "holy fucking shit, MDM is back and it's better than ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and "dogshit".
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