Themed Mixtape Game

Mercyful Fate - Into the Coven

Obvious but classic and completely topical. 9/10.

Barathrum - Revenge by Magick

Black metal with swagger and real riffs, nice, and just the right length. I could see this becoming a great commute album, will explore further. FACT: Finns are the most powerful race in the world. 7/10.

Dimmu Borgir - In Death's Embrace

Wow this is some fab 90s shit right here. I dig all the keyboards (correction: up until the folk shit at 2:20), but the metal is weak. At least a minute overlong. Lyrics don’t feel quite personal enough to be occult but whatevs I suppose. 4/10.

Morbid Angel - Immortal Rites

See MF. 8/10.

Hour of 13 - Call to Satan

Decent, 70s-retro doesn’t do that much for me, good sound but average-at-best riffs, but there was a line about soaking in semen that I could identify with. 5/10.

Cultes des Ghoules – Scholomance

Generic shit second-wave, what the fuck were they even trying to do at that part around 4:00? Like my goodness, even the sound is boring. How can these talentless hacks continue aping DMDS almost 20 years after the fact, all the while not putting in a tenth of the effort? 1/10.

Necromantia – Spiritdance

One of the better Greek black metal albums out there, which says fuck all. The cheesy waltz-y parts 2 minutes in are neat, otherwise the best riff is stolen from Fade to Black. If that part at 3:30 moves you in any way you should probably give up on metal and just listen to 90s JRPG soundtracks. Lyrics are good though. 4/10.

Dream Death - Black Edifice

Awesome song, love the lurching vibe and how the intensity keeps building, it’s hard to pick favorites from this album but this one is consistently up there. 9/10.

Root – Salamandra

This one isn’t doing quite as much for me as previous Root posted, but still good. Maybe a little too goth-y or something, lacks menace, but it still has quality riffing and a very nice climax. 6.5/10.

Disciples of Power - Ice Demons

Great song, the best on the album. Disciples of Power is a little inconsistent for me, but when they’re on, they have some of the craziest, riff-packed songs of thrash, and great atmosphere too. 8/10.

Necros Christos - Invoked from Carrion Slumber

I guess this was alright, I barely noticed listening to it. 5/10.

Pagan Altar - The Black Mass

Mostly boring, should have picked their eponymous. Hate that chorus. 3/10.

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

See MF/MA. 10/10.
 
I'll be gentle.

Mercyful Fate - Into the Coven
I enjoy this rennaissance intro. Classic heavy metal here, I do like this MF album and even Metallica's cover of the song on Garage Inc (which was my introduction to the Fate). I can't rate it too lowly, but I don't want a band that everyone knows already to win. So... 6?

Barathrum - Revenge by Magick
Never heard of this band before. It's palatable but the riffs are pretty basic. Not much substance here but not like it's going to win anyway. I'll toss it a 5.

Dimmu Burger - In Bread's Embrace
This is totally metal for girls. It's all sparkly and soft. 4

Morbid Angel - Immortal Rites
Classic and historic track. These guys have been in a few games, so I gotta dock some points, sorry dudes. 7

Hour of 13 - Call to Satan
Very thematic, and compelling vocals. I want to change the settings on this guitarist's amp. It's an obnoxious guitar tone. Some of the riffs are interesting, some fall flat. 6.5

Cultes des Ghoules - Scholomance
Thanks for the link HBB. The atmosphere is right, but I dunno. Nothing much really happens. I feel like this would be a good soundtrack to a scene in a play when the devil shows up or something. Like it'd be a contrast or background music to an death/madness scene. Then the next morning they find the character dead. If you look at it that way it's sort of cool, but all by itself this song is kind of monotone. I'm torn but I'll give it a 6.

Necromantia - Spiritdance
This intro drags on and on. Ugh the piano doubling the guitar in unison part is awful. Yeah this is not for me at all. 3

Dream Death - Black Edifice
Dream Death is on the list of Baroque approved "doom" bands. 7.5

Root - Salamandra
Hmm interesting vocal presentation. I like the wah and whammy work in the first guitar solo here, adds to the haunting atmosphere of dread. Yeah this is quality music, thanks! 8.5

Disciples of Power - Ice Demons
Haha this song is all over the place and awesome. Unhinged art. 10

Necros Christos - Invoked from Carrion Slumber
To come from that chaos to this repetitive common meter sure makes this sound unfairly basic. The guitar riffs are somewhat interesting as are the vocals, but rhythmically and formwise it's too simple. The ending is a nice change of pace. 5

Pagan Altar - The Black Mass
I wonder who submitted this? is what I might ask if I had been on this forum for less than a day. Old predictable. 4

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
It's okish, I'd say boring but it's more annoying tbh. Not a fan of the vocals. Drags on. 3
 
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Lol there went my chances to win. :p I read HBBs reviews and though "wow I'm safe, now I got this"! And then Baroque goes and and dream crushes instead. X)
 
Mercyful Fate - Into the Coven 8/10

Classic and essential. Nothing really beats Mercyful Fate's first two records. Not going to downrate for being obvious because that's dumb as fuck. All hail the king!

Barathrum - Revenge by Magick 6/10

Eh, this is alright. I dig the old, mid-tempo style and appreciate the shortness but this doesn't really stand out much. Not bad but not great either.

Dimmu Borgir - In Death's Embrace 0/10

No.

Morbid Angel - Immortal Rites 8/10

Yep, see my comments on Mercyful Fate.

Hour of 13 - Call to Satan 9/10

Not much needs to be said here.

Cultes des Ghoules - Scholomance 6.5/10

Kind of forgettable, honestly. This band gets a lot of buzz but I'm not hearing it. Certainly not bad but a bit too reliant on being "spoopy" instead of providing nasty fucking riffs. Certainly has that early Mayhem feel to it.

Necromantia - Spiritdance 7/10

Necromantia are strange in the way that only Greek black metal can be. Not my favorite from the scene, but pretty damn great. That six-string bass is bonkers.

Dream Death - Black Edifice 8/10

Dream Death is one of my "approved" of doom metal bands that Baroque also likes. This really isn't even that "doom" but it rules regardless.

Root - Salamandra 7/10

I'm not the biggest Root fan. Their older stuff is cool but never really struck me. This seems pretty out of character from what I am familiar with but I dig it. Especially those goth rock vocals.

Disciples of Power - Ice Demons 4/10

A few good riffs thrown together in this mess of riffs. Boring.

Necros Christos - Invoked from Carrion Slumber 7/10

There are better Necros Christos songs that you could have chosen probably. Necromantique Nun perhaps as that song fucking destroys. This was my fucking JAM when it came out in 2010. Crushing and heavy ass riffs, awesome vocal melodies and even better lyrics, but I think Necros Christos is one of those bands that is best listened to in full as hearing the Gate and Temple interludes between the songs adds to the atmosphere. Without them, each track sort of loses what makes it awesome.

Pagan Altar - The Black Mass 10/10

Now that Satan has come

Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas 8.5/10

Yep.
 
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That disciples of power song is the antithesis of boring. Does not compute.

Boring synonyms: repetitive, monotonous. Ice demons is clearly neither of those things.
 
The word "boring" also means "uninteresting" and is used that way more often than any of its other possible applications. You'd have to skip over the word "uninteresting" or descriptions of not finding something interesting to find those definitions or alternatives in a dictionary or thesaurus.
 
Explain how that song is uninteresting. Find one song that sounds like it that is not by Disciples of Power. It is at a bare minimum interesting due to its uniqueness. Also consider that was made in 1989. The closest I can come up with was released in 1989 or later and still isn't as diverse within a single song.
 
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It's all subjective, this is music not linear geometric proofs. One person might consider a song to be fascinating, the other it may merely elicit a shrug, no matter how comparably unique it is.
 
It's all subjective, this is music not linear geometric proofs. One person might consider a song to be fascinating, the other it may merely elicit a shrug, no matter how comparably unique it is.

I think he was just too lazy to come up with a proper term to define how he felt about the song. It is not logically a boring song. He was just downrating because it could loosely be defined as thrash, and paying me back for calling songs he submitted boring (which were actual slow monotonous and or repetitive songs)
 
"Logically" Therein lies the problem, this is musical artistry, there is no objective logic to someone's like or dislike or interest or disinterest with a piece. Knowing Yoda, that very well may have been his motive, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for him to have found little or nothing of interest to him in the piece.
 
"Logically" Therein lies the problem, this is musical artistry, there is no objective logic to someone's like or dislike or interest or disinterest with a piece. Knowing Yoda, that very well may have been his motive, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for him to have found little or nothing of interest to him in the piece.

Now I know subjectivity gets tossed around an awful lot here to shrug away these discussions, but I think there is something objective here that is simply difficult to define. Imagine this scenario: you're sitting at a bar, someone puts on a slow monotonous repetitive song. What happens? Everyone quickly loses interest and talks amongst each other. Now someone puts on Disciples of Power - Ice Demons. What happens? People are going to love or hate it, but they're going to be reacting to that music, it grabs and holds their attention. There is interest there even if they dislike what they are hearing. It's like someone arguing with you, it's still interesting even if you dislike what they say, or else you'd just ignore them.
 
Except in music, people may and do have varying conceptions of what the adjectives you just tossed around mean, and rightly so, as there's no objective standard for when a song actually becomes slow or fast, or monotonous or repetitive.
 
Except in music, people may and do have varying conceptions of what the adjectives you just tossed around mean, and rightly so, as there's no objective standard for when a song actually becomes slow or fast, or monotonous or repetitive.

Sure there is a definition for when a song is monotonous. It stays in one key. Or hangs around a drone of 1 tone/chord.

Sure there is a definition for when a song is repetitive. It repeats the same bars of music, it has literal repeats on the sheet music.

Sure there is a definition for when a song is slow or fast. It has tempo markings Adagio or Allegro or etc which have standardized beats per minute these days.