[Album] The Metal Thread! (The Zombie Edition)

Originally Posted by DarkLink2135

Or for a completely different flavor yet, Apocalyptica. These guys are INSANE. Of course, being a cellist myself I'm extremely partial towards liking them, and appreciating the difficulty it takes to make metal music with cellos . And running around on stage, playing your cello at the same time . Most people know these guys for their "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos" album, but their original works are far, FAR, more amazing.

YES. I'm a violist, so I am always in love with groups that marry strings to metal, and Apocalyptica does the best job by far. I mean, headbanging? On cello?!? Eicca Toppinen is awesome, as is his hair.

And I agree, their original stuff is far better than their Metallica covers -- not that they aren't good and all, but their later stuff is much more interesting. Cult and their self-titled album are my favorites, and I don't think it's any surprise that those have percussion on them. They sound damn heavy and good for three/four cellos by themselves, but the percussion adds that extra oomph to make them sound like a true metal group.

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For a slightly different direction, let's talk about Thy Majestie. Anybody heard them? I don't know how it's possible for a band to have several really kick-ass songs, but have the absolute worst album arrangement I've ever heard in my life. I didn't know it was possible to go insane from a combination of boredom & confusion, but I did for a short while after listening to...well, any of their albums.

Thy Majestie annoys me. I thought that their concept for their albums sounded awesome (enough that I bought one sound unheard), and some of their songs are okay, but overall they're just kind of average. The thing that annoys me most is the extreme overuse of synth strings. It is terribly, horribly obvious, and it couldn't be that difficult to find four string musicians in Italy to record some rather basic string parts. Let the keyboard play keyboard music, for God's sake. However, their latest offering (the one based on Joan of Arc), sounds a bit better. They're still a fairly young group, so maybe they'll improve. Also, their Italian accent makes me laugh when I probably shouldn't be...In the age of ten sEExtee-sEEx XD

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Or maybe Haggard. An absolutely amazing melodic death metal band based in Germany. Actually they are probably right on the fringes of what could be called metal.

Now Haggard is good sympho/classical metal. Very. I have Eppur si Muove and have seen recordings of their live performances (for some reason they're big in Mexico? ), and they are good enough to hire real string musicians to play. Not only that, but they do an excellent job of mixing the two genres while maintaining the energy of a metal band; sometimes mixing in classical will cause the group to just sound kind of soft.

Still, my favorite classical/metal bands are Therion and Hollenthon. Damn good groups, those.

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Hollenthon is amazing stuff and I really need to check out Therion. Which album would I start with if I chose to?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I would say Theli or Vovin are good starting points, if you're wanting to hit them when they became an actual sympho-metal group (before that they were morphing from black metal into symphonic...). My personal favorite is The Secret of the Runes, but that's probably due to the extensive use of choir on that particular album, as well as the theme of different Norse myth lands/regions.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Krelian

http://machinaesupremacy.com/discography.html
Eat me. These guys did a twenty-five-minute metal medley of old NES and C64 tunes.

You know what? Bite me. I've listened and adored these guys years ago and I know exactly what they're about. Fucking bad ass stuff.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I think my new favorite metal band is hammerfall, they got some great stuff.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Arkhangelsk

And I agree, their original stuff is far better than their Metallica covers -- not that they aren't good and all, but their later stuff is much more interesting. Cult and their self-titled album are my favorites, and I don't think it's any surprise that those have percussion on them. They sound damn heavy and good for three/four cellos by themselves, but the percussion adds that extra oomph to make them sound like a true metal group.

Same thing here . I originally heard their 'Plays Metallica' album, and thought that was pretty amazing & sweet. I kind of dropped them after awhile just due to the lack of power, and I'd pick them back up when I got back more into a mood to play classical sounding usic. Adding a percussionist was the best move they could make. I got one of their newer albums and listened to it - and I thought "holy crap, this is freaking insane and amazing." SO much more power to it, and their original works just have more power to them regardless of the percussion.

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Thy Majestie annoys me. I thought that their concept for their albums sounded awesome (enough that I bought one sound unheard), and some of their songs are okay, but overall they're just kind of average.

Some are ok, some are kick-ass, but most are extremely annoying for me. The thing that annoys me is the LACK or repetition. I think they are fighting back against the ridiculous amounts of repetition that occurs in many modern day songs, but in doing that they forgot that repetition (like a chorus) is what helps to give coherence to a song.

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Still, my favorite classical/metal bands are Therion and Hollenthon. Damn good groups, those.

Definitely going to be checking these out.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I wish Hollenthon made a new album already.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by DarkLink2135

Some are ok, some are kick-ass, but most are extremely annoying for me. The thing that annoys me is the LACK or repetition. I think they are fighting back against the ridiculous amounts of repetition that occurs in many modern day songs, but in doing that they forgot that repetition (like a chorus) is what helps to give coherence to a song.

Yeah, through-composed songs have never really appealed to a wide audience . It is a more classical-music approach, but without the compositional chops to back it up it comes across as...erm...confusing. Or annoying. Most of the 'non-repetitive' music modern bands come up with does lack unification, because it doesn't employ the subtle unifying techniques that make most 'classical' non-repetitive songs sound okay (see: Schubert lieder).

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Definitely going to be checking these out.

Like I said to Dalkaen, Vovin or Theli are probably good starting places for Therion. Hollenthon only has two albums, so really you just pick one or both . They're both great.

Originally Posted by Morrigan

I wish Hollenthon made a new album already.

Are they working on one right now? That would be awesome.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Morrigan

I wish Hollenthon made a new album already.

I wish Quorthon would rise from the dead. It would be almost as cool as John Lennon coming back from the dead. Just a hair under...

FELIPE NO

Just got ahold of some Behemoth that I didn't have previously (Zos Kia Cultus album), and goddamn, this band is just really good.
With each song I hear from these guys, the more impressed I get with them. It just matches what I like almost perfectly (same with Nile really).

I also picked up the Kill album by Cannibal Corpse (yeah, late I know), and it's the best Cannibal Corpse I've heard in quite a while. Nice stuff!

Also, have anyone heard of bands Origin or Spawn of Possession? Really kickass music (sorry if they've been mentioned before, to fucking tired to go through the thread now. )

EDIT: Oh yeah, I saw someone mention Necrophagist a few pages back. I think they are OK, but I also think that the songs themselves are severely lacking. The playing, and the technical side of it is absolutely crazy, but the songs themselves just lack something for me...
The first album (can't remember the name now) is the best one, but the song Stabwound kick ass as well.

Dragonforce... Hm. Very silly yes, and I can't listen to more than 3 songs before getting bored really, hehe. Still, ocasionally I can really enjoy their music ... But yeah, can't listen to them on a regular basis at all.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Arkhangelsk

Are they working on one right now? That would be awesome.

Unfortunately no, it seems like they're on hold, possibly disbanded. I haven't had news about them in forever. The website does not respond either. Dammit.

Oh well, at least I have the new Ancient Rites. About time it came out too.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

You may or may not have seen the documentary that came out last year titled Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. As is rather obvious, it is about metal. It looks at the artists, the fans, the history, and the music. It is very well put together, and looks at many subgenres. Interviews abound. Personally, I think the highlight is an unintentionally hilarious interview with a member of Gorgoroth in some dank Scandinavian basement. Highly reccomended.

Anyway, I uploaded it to give you all a chance to see it. Whether you're a veteran or just getting into metal, it's worth a glance. Obviously, they can't do in depth coverage of every band, ever, but they do a very good job of giving an overall impression.

IMDb Page
Official Site
Download It!

Downloading might take an hour or three.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Crap, I gotta get to broadband fast, I've been wanting to see that. Plus I have to fullfill my promise to you over in the hiphop/rap thread, lol.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I'm downloading it now. I'm curious as to how it is.

I'm also curious of the movie that they're making that's loosely based on the Bloody Rise of Satanic Metal Underground book, particularly the Vikernes/Euronymous feud. The feud itself would make an interesting and entertaining movie.

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Vikernes is interviewed in this, I believe.

EDIT: No, just mentioned. My mistake.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I saw that documentary a while back, and while I think it still misses a lot of stuff (then again, it would be impossible to cover everything in the time-span of a regular film ), I believe it's still the best documentary on metal I've seen.
It isn't just on how metal started (Sabbath, and then the bands in the 80s), which most documentaries tend to focus on. It has that, but also on the bands of today (good and bad).

Can't say I learned anything new from it, but it's definetely worth seeing. The guy who did it also feels 'genuine' and real. Not just some dude who wanna make a documentary on something he doesn't know about.

Thumbs up from me.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I was pissed as hell that they weren't allowing non-badge/wristband holders to view the US premiere of that documentary at SXSW/06. I mean, I just had to hop on a bus and I could have seen it, but they wouldn't take my money >___<.

BUT thanks for uploading it, so now I can watch it. I've been meaning to find it for download, and this makes it a lot easier.

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I'll have to download that asap... seems interesting.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Morrigan

I wish Hollenthon made a new album already.

Hell yes. Gonna be tricky for them to improve on With Vilest of Worms To Dwell though...

Can't wait until August - New Mercenary, new Agalloch.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Yeah that was a pretty good documentary. Definitely better than the shit that VH1 pedals as being 'metal documentary'. I was really fascinated by the interviews with the black metal bands. That was pretty insightful and a stark contrast compared to most metal bands. Good stuff, I might have to get the DVD.

How ya doing, buddy?

The DVD has a second disc with the full interviews on it. Definitely worth grabbing.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I meant to rent that last week-end, but we ended up renting a bunch of horror flicks instead.

I guess I'll download it, too. Are the extra interviews in this file too? (I doubt it, but just in case.)

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

No, the other interviews aren't there. I've only browsed through them yet, to be honest.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Hey everyone here can you post/pm me your MSN messenger handles? It would be awesome if we can chat, discussing music is best done in real time..
AIM handles also welcome..=D

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

AIM: XFatFif

Feel free to bother me...I could use an outlet for my obsession with music...my friends have shitty taste and/or don't care. =(


I've been catching up on some Symphony X lately...The Odyssey is fantastic (the song on the album of the same name in particular).

FELIPE NO