Just listened to the new High On Fire record and it kicked my ass just like the last one. What a band.

Hm, I just realized that if you listen to the new Ensiferum and compare it with the old Ensiferm line-up, it's not that good. But if you compare the music of the current Ensiferum's lineup against their Norther sound... they kind of sound better. Right?

I have the flu, so what I said might not make sense.

My recent acquisitions include Ensiferum, Amon Amarth, uneXpect, Amorphis, Primordial, Geasa (but deleted due to terribleness), Cruachan, Eluveitie, Tuathaa De Danaan, Melechesh, Moonsorrow, Agalloch, Vintersorg, Korpiklaani, Old Man's Child and the rest of the Finntroll albums I didn't have. I have a few bands (Mael Mordha, Empyrium, Mezarkabul) downloading still, but I'm unsure as to whether they will finish or not.
I liked a lot of the stuff I got to hear while adding it to my library - I may upload some of the Celtic Black Metal I have to the MEC sometime in the future.

:lol: When you wrote "acquisitions" I thought you meant you bought the CD.


I must be getting old. :\






Edit: WTF, this board has a dancing milk carton but no proper laughing emoticon?

Alas, neither my collective habits nor meager paychecks (not to mention college expenses) afford me the luxury of actually owning the albums.

On the more experimental side, I also downloaded Mr. Bungle and Fantomas after hearing Mike Patton in John Zorn's Six Litanies for Heliogabalus. Mr. Bungle is pretty awesome, and I love the John Zorn album that I just got a chance to listen to. I've always liked Painkiller, and the album seemed sort of like a more expanded venue for the style.

You should check out his Moonchild and Astronome records as well. Same lineup.

How the hell do you even begin to get into that shit (Six Litanies)? I downloaded it a month ago and finally listened to it a few days ago, and it was just...waaaaaaay too far out there. I've also never liked Bungle. When it comes to experimental I draw the line at Kayo Dot and Acid Mothers Temple.

I just enjoy really avant-garde and really experimental stuff once in a while. I really have so much music that is just...the same. I also find the combination of jazz and death/noise to be quite interesting. Bungle, I just like how out there they can be.

I also listen to a lot of odd instrumental music when writing too, and sometimes, that just needs to be Painkiller.

It's such a funny turn-around I've gone through in the last year, because I pretty much scoffed at any non-Opeth death metal then. Now I embrace crazy jazz-noise with incoherent screaming (LITANY IV). Go figure.

I totally get where you're coming from, I guess I'm just anxious to appreciate more. XD I always find it frustrating when I can't get into something obscure that some people really love. Jazz/death sounds like a wonderful combination. I'm totally with you on the Opeth thing, I've been getting into a bit more death this year but I'm still lagging a bit behind you on that one. But that weird vocal shit on the Zorn album is just weird. XD Anyway, I guess I'll go back to Bungle and try again.

I don't see any mention of the upcoming Ayreon CD here, but holy shit, it's going to be epic.

Eighteen singers total, five yet to be announced. Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Jorn Lande (Masterplan), Thomas Englund (Evergrey), Simone Simons (Epica), Floor Jansen (After Forever)... No Daniel Gildenlow :( but his sister-in-law, Liselotte Hegt, has a role. It's like the next best thing!

Then, running on a similar theme, is Frameshift's new album, The God Delusion, featuring Dan Swano (!!!!) and Magali Luyten (newcomer kind of girl, she's on the new Ayreon too).

And then there's the fact that Machinae Supremacy are about to start recording their new CD...

There's never a time when I haven't got an awesome release to look forward to.

Most recent acquisition is The Machete's album Untrue. TIGHT. <3

I certainly can't wait for the new Ayreon album. The Human Equation has long topped my list of "must-have-prog" albums for people.

Listened to the first two Mr. Bungle cds last night (Mr. Bungle + Disco Volante), and I really, really dug them. Currently, I'm getting another stoner/doom band akin to Electric Wizard - Orange Goblin, a big pack of John Zorn albums, and the Naked City discography.

Will, I get that aspect of frustration. I remember a little over a year ago (I think I said it in this thread as well, heh) that I scoffed at the idea of Doom/drone metal. But a lot of my appreciation of heavier and alternative metal based genres came from the fact that a lot of my new friends that I live with on campus are heavy into particular things - my friend Steve was quite into drone/doom/stoner/grindcore/avant-garde music, my roommate this year is a die-hard death metal fanatic, my drummer love all of that, plus various black metal, metalcore and alternative music. I think it was more about exposure and understanding for me.

Man, you think Patton does weird shit on Zorn's records, you should hear his solo output. He has two albums of only his voice, though you'd never guess it if you didn't know before listening.

Have you checked out Unexpect or Alarum? Unexpect is pretty much advant garde metal and Alarum is a jazz/death metal band. Atheist has some jazz influence with their thrash/death metal brand. Really great stuff.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll check those out, guyinrubbersuit.

Unexpect is quite awesome, as is Atheist. I can't find Alarum anywhere though, but they sound neat.

With more along the lines of Avant Garde, has anyone heard Angizia? My friend Steve used to lovingly refer to them as "Elementary School Play Death Metal". They remind me a bit of Devil Doll, whose style I also love. Steve played the entirety of his "Dies Irae" album on a radio show last year.

I spit on most so-called "avant-garde" bullshit. Pretentious self-indulgent wanking has no place in metal. </narrow-minded elitist OMG>

Pretty much all metal is pretentious self-indulgent wanking.

I dunno. It could be said of pretty much all music if you go that way. =/

Well, yeah, pretty much. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing though.

Nor do I. I just somehow don't see all these musicians writing the kind of music they write just to be like "omg, I'm so awesome and alternative". I don't see what the issue is with progressive and avant-garde - it's not like they're playing the music they play to intimidate lesser musical mortals. Everyone plays what they play and writes what they write.

I just pictured Frank Zappa playing a riff in my head and thinking "this'll piss off the elitists", and I lolled.

Yeah, especially Black Sabbath, Venom and Motörhead!

...Wait, what?

Hence the "Pretty much".

"Pretty much all metal" is directly influenced by those three, which are the anti-thesis of pretentious self-indulgent wanking. You fail. :p

Because the influence of a great artist somehow imparts that artist's talent.:rolleyes: