The What I've Been Listening To / Blame Jerry Thread

[General Zod]

So... Jerry's been on me to post some Prog and Power Metal. But the truth is, I haven't been listening to as much of that as I once did. So here's a sampling of what I have been spinning. Let the flaming of my bad taste begin...

Artist: Amorphis
Album: Circle
Song: Hopeless Days
Description: It's Amorphis. They continue to write great songs, tweaking things enough not to be boring, but always being distinctly Amorphis. I especially love the Iced Earth like riffing that appears at the 1:27 mark. Seems out of place for them, but flows perfectly.



Artist: Byzantine
Album: Byzantine
Song: Signal Path
Description: Prog/Power Metal... feels a bit like what Nevermore use to do; a dark blend of aggression and melody.



Artist: Cynthesis
Album: Re-Evolution
Song: The Grand Facade
Description: This is the original Zero Hour line-up, but with a darker, more subtle, more melancholic vibe. There are few vocalists on this planet as amazing as Erik Rosvald. He does so much with subtlety.



Artist: Dyscarnate
Album: And So it Came to Pass
Song: The Weight of All Things / In the Face of Armageddon
Description: Straight up, well executed Death Metal. This is flawless gym music.



Artist: Imperium Dekadenz
Album: Meadows of Nostalgia
Song: Brigobannis
Description: Black Metal, with atmosphere. It flirts with hipsterism, but remains sufficiently tr00.



Artist: Omnium Gatherum
Album: Beyond
Song: New Dynamic
Description: Well delivered Melodic Death Metal. I had all but lost interest in this sub genre, but a couple of quality releases have re-piqued my interest.



Artist: Orden Ogan
Album: To the End
Song: Land of the Dead
Description: Quite simply, worship of classic Blind Guardian.



Artist: Royal Thunder
Album: CVI
Song: Whispering World
Description: A blending of Stoner / 70s Rock / Southern Rock / Blues, featuring the vocals of Miny Parsonz, a woman who I could listen to sing all day and all night.



Artist: The Prophecy
Album: Salvation
Song: Release
Description: Kind of feels like My Dying Bride meets Tool. Unfortunately, this may be the worst track on the disc, but it's the only one on You Tube.



Artist: Threshold
Album: March of Progress
Song: Staring at the Sun
Description: Incredibly mature Prog Metal, with the brilliant vocals of Damian Wilson.

 

[Reign in Acai]

All of the above was well and good, but nothing kicked my ass.

Alas, I was hoping for a Towers of Avarice like keister nudge from a band only Symphony X deep throaters would be privy to. I'm listening to all of this at work mind you, and have been interrupted a good 25 times in the past hour, so I'll give it all another go later on.

Check this band out, inkage Power Alert:

 

[dorian gray]

I tried reading a medical journal at work. After 12 hours, I was still on the same paragraph. I hate work.

 

[ChaosLee]

I tried reading a medical journal at work. After 12 hours, I was still on the same paragraph. I hate work.

American healthcare FTW

 

[Ars Magna]

My decision to leave Amorphis alone after Tales has, yet again, been reinforced.

 

[ChaosLee]

My decision to leave Amorphis alone after Tales has, yet again, been reinforced.

Elegy fucking OWNS

 

[General Zod]

All of the above was well and good, but nothing kicked my ass.

Alas, I was hoping for a Towers of Avarice like keister nudge from a band only Symphony X deep throaters would be privy to. I'm listening to all of this at work mind you, and have been interrupted a good 25 times in the past hour, so I'll give it all another go later on.

With regard to Prog Metal, I would count Towers as the second best disc ever recorded, with Rage for Order and Mindcrime being 1A and 1B respectively.

My decision to leave Amorphis alone after Tales has, yet again, been reinforced.

I can understand if their latest iteration isn't yo thang, but I think they've never been better.

 

[neal]

Elegy fucking OWNS

this guy right here is telling the truth

 

[NAD]

I've been meaning to give Elegy another shot. And so I soon shall! Never liked them.

Omnium Gatherum always reminds me of how much JayK hates melodic death, haha.

EDIT: Nope, I'm on track 2, about to shut it off. Amorphis are not the band for me.

EDITx2: I dig the Threshold song, but that dude shouldn't be visible in this here video.

 

[einride]

Elegy fucking OWNS

elegy fucking OWNS,




and also tuonela

 

[einride]

i will now proceed to listen to all the songs in this thread because i need background music for work so why not. i will maybe return with opinions


edit: ok

amorphis: heard it before several times (i was even at the LIVE PREMIERE of this song) and while it's pretty good, it doesn't measure up to their glory days (of course) but it is also not as catchy as some of the more recent Hit Singles like house of sleep, silver bride and you i need. lyrics are the oldest hat. so i don't know, it's pretty much a 7/10

byzantine: feels like it's 1998 all over again with the murky digital production and cheesy synths. don't like the vocalist, he sounds a bit like he's got a hot potato in his mouth and is trying frantically to chew it. i hate that dumb meshuggah riff. don't use "hey it's prog metal" as an excuse for not knowing what style you want to play. 4/10

cynthetis: okay at first but pretty wimpy. seems like the entire song is repeatedly building up to some sort of cathartic explosion or at least an arena-rock chorus but it never comes, instead this Big Dumb Riff that has nothing to do with the rest of the song and is literally one note for a million years suddenly. 5/10

dyscarnate: guitar tone sounds like a youtube tutorial on how to get good guitar tones out of free amp sims and downloaded impulses. drums sound artificial. this is like a textbook example of faceless 2013 extreme metal. click track, triggering, amp sims, standard recipe 1 A on everything. these riffs are indistinguishable from everything else, i don't know why people in bands like this even bother playing. sorry. i'd sooner take something completely terrible and actively offensive than this bland, uninspired shit. 1/10

imperium dekadenz: bad band name. love the highly intolerant snare sound. very german sound. i don't think this is very bad, there is at least one riff that's pretty decent, but again, this has been done a MILLION TIMES and i would never listen to this. try something new guys. 4/10

omnium gatherum: again with the 1998. this is kind of like something invasion records would sign in the late 90's. this ain't so bad but it is really, really cheesy and gets a little bit too EUROPE with the synths and leads. people used to say there was nothing "extreme metal" about in flames, well those people need to hear where the genre is apparently at today. oh man this clean vocal part 4/10

orden ogan: classic blind guardian to me is battalions of fear. nightfall in middle earth is a bad album of bad music and this sounds exactly like it so i don't know what else to say. clearly not for me. –/10

royal thunder: well you linked the wrong vid, but i've actually heard this song before and i think it's really good. i recommend this acoustic version too. very good vocalist, rockin tunes, appropriate sound, fresh ideas. considering buyin this disc. 8/10

the prophecy: totally ok. starts out more promising than it ends up. not so sure about the vocalist though. also please don't play stop start riffs. you're trying to be moody here, you don't need people to jump the fuck up. 6/10

threshold: cheesy and sterile. this is like the 80's but today. pretty sure these guys would have severely poofy hair if they thought they could get away with it. vocalist is indeed really good at what he does, though. this fake piano shit absolutely needs to go. 4/10

 

[General Zod]

don't like the vocalist, he sounds a bit like he's got a hot potato in his mouth and is trying frantically to chew it.

This made me laugh out loud. Best description of a vocalist I've ever read.