Nominate Albums for forthcoming Best of 2010-2020 Tourney

[Krilons Resa]

i was ready to hate it. alas, i do not

Dude, that album fucking RULES. They were Ihsahn's band before they went off on their own.

 

[CiG]

This Havukruunu album has surprised the shit outta me, loving it.

 

[J.]

these Pathology vocals are hilarious

 

[J.]

Dude, that album fucking RULES. They were Ihsahn's band before they went off on their own.

So Devin Townsend's bands immediately came to mind. Only with a better vocalist, and without the schizo tendencies of DT. There were proggish moments that were a bit cringe, but overall, I would say I enjoyed it.

 

[Reign in Acai]

I broke my own rule and listened to 6 albums today. May I contest that the whole "all new music sucks" narrative be stricken from the record. All 6 albums kicked my arsed by varying degrees.

Anathema-Weather Systems may be the sleeper. This shit's right in my pinkage wheel house. Im a sucker for albums that create the backdrop/ground floor for self reflection. This is the type of album you throw on after a rough fucking week. Prob will go over about as well as a floating turd on a marble floor. I dig it, I love pink emotive horse shit, aslong as the dude doesnt sound like he gets ball gagged by Michael Duncan.

 

[einride]

Loving the acoustic passages in Ildra's Edelland. They got their work cut out for them against Dor de Duh. Funny how that stylistic pairing got matched up at random. Were going to have a few wimps eek out to rd 2, and some reasonable contenders trounced by Heavyweights. Thus is life.

other pairings i found particularly interesting:

inquisition - mgla (megahype black metal vs megahype black metal, neither of which hype train i have a ticket for)
blut aus nord - the ruins of beverast (in my mind these guys are sorted under the same category somehow. they're also bands that i have been trying to give a chance for yeaaars because i "should" like them but they've never clicked)

also re: ildra: sorry guys, thanks for playing and imma let you finish but we all know who's going to end up being shown de door. duh.

 

[J.]

Weather Systems is pretty much my go-to Anathema album.

I've listened to a bunch, and to be honest, some have already been decided, but others require a good 2nd, 3rd or 4th listen. Tribulation is one of these, as is the previous mentioned Leprous. I have no idea what the hell is going on, but I dig it.

Cultes des Ghoules...wtf?

I hope Ildra at least clicks with some of you before being eliminated. It's like facing Tom Brady in the 1st round

 

[J.]

oh and before you look, Cultes des Ghoules vs Spectral Lore is the battle of 90 minute albums. wtf

 

[einride]

Weather Systems is pretty much my go-to Anathema album.

i gave it a fair chance and absolutely HATED it. i cannot fucking even. i've been known to like some pretty girly shit but the basic bitch chord progressions and how everything is so PrEtTy and the fucking lyrics. i cant. i just cant.

Never, never, never, never ever, never leave you
I will, I will always, always be here for you
Found you, found you
I will, never ever leave you
Never
I will always be here with you
Getting better, better, better, better
Come on, on me
Touching, laughing, ha ha
Love me, love me for me
Holding, watching, loving
Getting better better better better

darren white was a True Poet; after his departure anathema's lyrics were always kind of embarassing but this is on a whole other level. i just want to scream into a pillow out of sheer second hand embarassment. this band needed to fucking die after judgement. just. stop. playing. music. imo

 

[J.]

fair enough, the album just hit home on a personal level for me. dunno. i dig it and the one before. other than those two, its all judgment and the stuff before. the prog albums are passable

 

[DarkGift]

Haha, I totally get people (especially metalheads) not liking newer Anathema. For me, the lyrics are definitely bordering on overly cheesy at times, but they manage to stay on the right side of the cheese somehow. With that said, I listen way more to the performances and songwriting than the lyrics.

 

[einride]

i'm not tryna insult you guys personally. we're here because we are here; we like what we like. and other assorted platitudes about the beauty of life and the world.

i will say it got slightly better near the end. "the beginning of the end" and "the lost child" have some memorable parts and show some semblance of passion.

 

[J.]

i'm not tryna insult you guys personally.

isnt that what this tourney is for? all in fun of course

 

[einride]

the drummer of blut aus nord needs to fucking chill out

it is actually allowed to play the same thing for more than two seconds without rolling all your toms

 

[J.]

a band i never could appreciate. i tried a lot of their albums too.

I.dont.get.it.

 

[einride]

a band i never could appreciate. i tried a lot of their albums too.

I.dont.get.it.

agreed.

also, revisiting "with hearts toward none". emperor's new black metal album. no clothes in sight. i thought i was just indifferent to this album but it turns out i think it's actively bad. just the same dumb stupid pop riffs everywhere and songs that go nowhere except deep into the annoyance center of my brain. pure shit. i don't think i like inquisition either but they have a golden chance to shine now because i will vote for just about anything over this tire fire of unsubstantiated pretension

 

[Krilons Resa]

 

[J.]

also, revisiting "with hearts toward none". emperor's new black metal album. no clothes in sight. i thought i was just indifferent to this album but it turns out i think it's actively bad. just the same dumb stupid pop riffs everywhere and songs that go nowhere except deep into the annoyance center of my brain. pure shit. i don't think i like inquisition either but they have a golden chance to shine now because i will vote for just about anything over this tire fire of unsubstantiated pretension

i totally admit i never checked them out because of the name. "yep, i listen to mmmm-glah"

same with tay-ake. and that pic of his ding dong hanging out of his pants. though the few songs i heard were top notch

 

[einride]

taake does have its ups. 96.5% of them are concentrated around the first album nattestid though. guy has a knack for writing memorable riffs and poetic lyrics that he usually chooses to squander by being a tiresome edgelord.

i will listen to this newish taake album with an open heart (toward none) though and see how it goes.

btw its pronounced "mgwa". i'm sure that helps.


EDIT: random reflection: inquisition must have gone to the same school of riffwriting as mgla. the first few parts of "obscure verses for the multiverse" (the song) could easily have been on "with hearts toward none". same fucking chord progressions, same reliance on downtuned arpeggios.

 

[Reign in Acai]

I tried figuring out which MGLA album from this decade I preferred a couple weeks back. (I know I liked one of em, but dont think its the one in the tourney.) Just pedestrian BM that was neither offensive or charming.

Listening to Anathema for a second go around. Read the lyrics (remember when people used to do that?) All inoffensive, and I can see why they connected with J. given his personal life and the date of release. Its a perfect sappy self reflection post break up album. Yes the lyrics are EXTREMELY pedestrian. Wouldnt have been much effort to have someone ghost write the same themes with a poetic edge. I can do it for a cost of a cup of coffee.

Cavanaghs hit up cho boi!