^^At the gates does kick ass, they're just not one of my favorites...I put them up there with Amon Amarth and Soilwork. If Dark Tranquillity had been around a little longer I'd rate them with In Flames (besides the fact that they sound similar).

Quote :

"Speaking of which....Soilwork and Dark Tranquility are going to be in Winston Salem in April"

Thanks for that, I didnt know...Steve Vai and Victor Wooten are coming to Ziggy's soon too, dont know when just yet and too lazy to look it up.

Quote :

"kitty b/c any chick that can growl like that deserves a gold star"

Two words: Arch Enemy

Also another band that hasn't been mentioned that needs to be: Borknagar. Their new album (Epic) is just that...epic. They've matured their sound a little and now have some good production, they've kindof lost that underground feel...not necessarily my favorite by them, but if you're a fan it's definitely worth picking up. And if you haven't gotten into them, give this album a shot.

Quote :

"not quite what you are looking for, but I have heard rumors that TOOL and ISIS may tour together...I think that would give me the ultimate woodie"

::pre-cums:: Can't give that a full-out orgasm because I already limited that in my mind with the theoretical Tool & Opeth, but Tool & Isis would definitely suffice should the former not ever happen...good call on that \m/

Quote :

"If hetfield's voice is still intact, then how the hell did St. Anger happen? For the most over-produced album ever, Bob Rock couldn't do a damn thing to help the horrid vocals on it."

That's the thing...St. Anger was massively UNDER-produced. They wanted that raw feel to it, which I guess they can say they got. My biggest problem with St. Anger wasn't the production or the individual components...it was the songwriting...each song made its point, should have ended, then proceeded to wear out its welcome and go on for about twice the length it should have...they could have at least introduced a little dynamic, but I guess when you've rocked out drunk for 30-odd years, we shouldn't hold the *new* Metallica to such high standards

1/7/2005 1:40:00 PM

If by "Raw sound" you mean "sounds like a garage band of 16ry olds who just got their first instruments for christmas" then i agree. There is not one single note on that album that i can appreciate as a musician.

1/7/2005 1:43:30 PM

bingo. And as a drummer, Lars' snare drove me INSANE. That sucker has more sustain than my Martin. (sorry, shameless plug...love my guitar )

1/7/2005 1:50:12 PM

^^hahaha, that was great...the snare definitely sounded like a metal trash can lid

1/7/2005 2:03:12 PM

I forgot to add

Anything by Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad owns you)

1/7/2005 2:05:30 PM

between the buried and me
bloodjinn
swift
in flames
children of bodom
zao
hopesfall
tool
[minus]
dillinger escape plan

my top 10 in no order.

1/7/2005 2:06:22 PM

Fuckit...im gonna add some honorable mentions.

Carcass
Dimmu Borgir
Gardenian
Iced Earth
Iron Maiden
Nevermore
WASP
Shadows Fall

1/7/2005 2:30:28 PM

For the people into stuff like old Metallica, Slayer, etc., you should check out a local band called BLATANT DISARRAY. I think it is http://www.blatantdisarray.com

Also, there is a METAL show at THe Brewery on Saturday January 29th. It's FREXON ZO, TWISTED TOWER DIRE, OCTOBER 31, ISKARIOT.

1/7/2005 2:46:02 PM

Seriously. Blatant Disarray sucks. Stop promoting them.

1/7/2005 3:04:42 PM

I just got Megadeth's new album in the mail, when I give it a good listen I'll let everyone know how it went...I've also got Dimmu Borgir's Enthroned Darkness Triumphant coming in the mail. SHOULD have been here about a week ago...first time Best Buy has let me down with their shipping service.

[Edited on January 7, 2005 at 3:40 PM. Reason : ]

1/7/2005 3:39:59 PM

Blatant Disarray rocks.

1/7/2005 3:45:53 PM

I havent seen them in close to two years, but i will tomorrow. I hope to god they've improved.

1/7/2005 3:54:34 PM

anyone know of any decent Slayer cover bands in the area?

1/7/2005 5:01:34 PM

^haha, check out Blatant Disarray. They're a slayer wannabe band

1/7/2005 5:04:02 PM

oh okay...

and as promised: preliminary Megadeth (The System has Failed) and Dimmu Borgir (Enthroned Darkness Triumphant)

I think Dave's system has failed. It's not a bad album per se, it's certainly better than "Megadeth's" previous effort...but the only two words I can think to describe it are tired and uninspired. On the plus side, the vocals are significantly less annoying. But the lyrics are retarded at times and the production sucks...sometimes you can barely even tell they have a drummer. It has a few good solos and it's pretty catchy at times...but nowhere near the ferocity of their earlier days. I'll give it some time to grow on me though before I just give up on it.

Now on to the gem...Enthroned Darkness Triumphant is a fucking genius album. I actually like Shagrath's vocals better in his earlier days...the music is very beautiful at one moment and brutal and punishing the next. Very dynamic, very good. If you've been debating getting this album, stop. Get it. Sorry I can't go on longer but I have to head out...rock on

1/7/2005 5:58:03 PM

KISS

1/7/2005 7:29:48 PM

^ha. haha.

bttt...

anyone got a new top 10?

1/8/2005 12:21:29 AM

i'm just going to have to go with

you know

tool

cause i like em

and i don't get out much

1/8/2005 12:26:44 AM

^if you're wanting to get into metal, check out some of the other bands that have been mentioned/lionized on this thread...it's a good cross section of the more well-known metal groups

1/8/2005 12:28:31 AM

Rapture
Manowar
Judas Priest
Metallica
Megadeth
Emperor
Dark Tranquility
Inflames
Hypocrisy
Sentenced

1/8/2005 10:51:05 AM

Quote :

"kitty b/c any chick that can growl like that deserves a gold star "

How did you hear about them cause I know they've gotten recent attention on MTV (fucking figures, those douchebags)...do you go into every thread and submit your own comment which makes no sense???

However, they do know how to rock out...my brother saw them live in jersey and said they kick so much ass...not too sure, but like someone else mentioned earlier, they are my guilty pleasure

Also, I was wondering what everyone considers Biohazard?....they're fucking awesome...

[Edited on January 8, 2005 at 11:04 AM. Reason : a]

[Edited on January 8, 2005 at 11:04 AM. Reason : a]

1/8/2005 11:03:04 AM

kitty is freaking terribllllee IMO. gotta be one of the weakest female vocals ive heard in metal. and the music makes me sick :shrugs:

1/8/2005 2:05:54 PM

Opeth - just fuckin incredible
Dream Theater
Iron Maiden
Queensryche
Lamb Of God
Slayer
Pain Of Salvation
Vehemence
Judas Priest
Fates Warning

[Edited on January 8, 2005 at 5:45 PM. Reason : .]

1/8/2005 5:44:06 PM

i thought about including borknagar on my list, but went with Bal-Sagoth instead. i'm not terribly surprised that no one else mentioned bal-sagoth, but there's a small piece of me that is disappointed that hardly anyone recognizes their genius.

Quote :

"How did you hear about them cause I know they've gotten recent attention on MTV (fucking figures, those douchebags)...do you go into every thread and submit your own comment which makes no sense???"

Kittie actually got quite a bit of attention from their first album several years ago, back when they were still high-school age. The first single, Brackish, did pretty well, followed by Spit and Paper Doll from the first album. Their second album has an... interesting... cover of Run Like Hell by Pink Floyd.

[Edited on January 8, 2005 at 6:58 PM. Reason : kittie]

1/8/2005 6:55:20 PM

any of you guys ever heard of Black Sabbath? I mean what the FUCK!?!?!

the space below will be used for you all to reorder your lists.

1/8/2005 8:51:48 PM

yeah i was just about to ask...does sabbath or zep count?

1/8/2005 9:16:22 PM

yea they would count and are both more than worthy i just included more current bands in my list

1/8/2005 9:37:25 PM

Zep is not what i would call metal, although its defintely influenced it. Zep is too bluesy to be metal.


Sabbath is awesome and i give them infinite respect, they're just not in my top ten.

Besides, everyone and their sister knows about them. I'd rather some of the newer or lesser known bands get mentioned.

[Edited on January 8, 2005 at 10:39 PM. Reason : ]

1/8/2005 10:38:51 PM

Sabbath basically invented metal, and they were great, but since they invented it, there's been 35 years for other groups to improve upon and perfect it. This is a list of 10 Favorite Metal Bands, not a list of 10 Greatest Metal Bands Of All Time.

They're not in my top 10. Top 25, definitely, but not 10.

1/8/2005 10:53:59 PM

^yep and ^^yep

1/9/2005 12:10:21 AM

Quote :

"Sabbath is awesome and i give them infinite respect, they're just not in my top ten. Besides, everyone and their sister knows about them. I'd rather some of the newer or lesser known bands get mentioned. "

Well Said MetalRedddd

1/9/2005 7:54:20 AM

Ashlee Simpson is fucking metal

1/9/2005 9:38:43 AM

Quote :

"Fuckit...im gonna add some honorable mentions. Carcass Dimmu Borgir... "

Oh my god, I'm a fucking worthless person. I absolutely can't believe I forgot the band that turned me on to real metal. Carcass have always been and will always be my gods. Bill Steer reigns on Mt. Olympus, guitar in hand. The man founded Napalm Death and Carcass, all before he was 17 for Christ's sake.

I gotta hear some Necroticism.

1/9/2005 10:54:58 AM

Black Sabbath makes Ashlee wanna...SCREEEEEEEEAM-ah!!!111eleven

1/9/2005 3:51:57 PM

Sonofa:

Quote :

"Isis....Panopticon is the album of the year"

just picked it up today -- incredible album. I don't pretend to know if it's the best of 2004 but this is a fucking masterpiece...didn't know if "Oceanic" was gonna be the height of their career, but "Panopticon" might even top it.

[Edited on January 9, 2005 at 6:22 PM. Reason : ]

1/9/2005 6:20:54 PM

^yeah man. it grows on you too. you'll enjoy it even more the more you listen to it.
it's one of those rare albums that i liked the first time i heard it and continued to listen
without getting bored with it. has a nice nostalgic feel to it.

[Edited on January 9, 2005 at 6:33 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2005 6:32:01 PM

IRON FUCKING MAIDEN

1/9/2005 6:42:21 PM

^^yeah I agree with that...I listen to it once a day (I am in my car 8+ hours/day) and usually I let it play twice through whereas I almost never do that with other albums

I will never get tired of that album, or Majority Rule's material

1/9/2005 6:57:29 PM

Opeth seems to be a trendy choice these days. They're getting to be like Tool when it comes to using their name to appear to have sophisticated tastes.

Emperor
Enslaved
Morbid Angel
Nile
Decapitated
Immortal
Katatonia (if you count them)
Diabolic
God Forbid
Slayer

1/9/2005 7:10:07 PM

^its true that ive seen opeth's name around a lot more than i used to.
maybe the "prog" album had something to do with it.

up until about a year ago i thought they were my little secret.
i had never heard of them and found them by looking through
some metal lists on amazon.

most of my friends have terrible taste in music (radio rock and hip hop )
so none of them knew opeth but i've turned a few of them on to them.

i guess its a good thing they're getting more fans but i seriously doubt they
would ever be as popular as tool because of the death vox. and according to the
lamentations dvd documentary, they will never get rid of those. they actually said
that the next album will probably be their most extreme yet. i just hope they dont
completely leave out the softer parts trying to prove they didnt sell out or something.

[Edited on January 9, 2005 at 7:42 PM. Reason : .]

1/9/2005 7:41:50 PM

Opeth seems to be an enigma. I didn't like Orchid that much, but the trio of Morningrise, My Arms, and Still Life were ones I loved.

It's always baffled me how Blackwater Park seemed lower quality than the earlier ones, yet that album usually is the one people mention as their favorite. They don't seem to have quite the edge they used to, but every new album seems to get more rave reviews than the last.

I'll pop in their albums every now and then, but I don't enjoy listening to songs for 10 minutes any more. Maybe it's ADHD or something.

1/9/2005 7:51:47 PM

Quote :

"yeah man. it grows on you too. you'll enjoy it even more the more you listen to it. it's one of those rare albums that i liked the first time i heard it and continued to listen without getting bored with it. has a nice nostalgic feel to it."

I am finding this out...it's playing now for the 3rd time through I think

Quote :

"Opeth seems to be a trendy choice these days. They're getting to be like Tool when it comes to using their name to appear to have sophisticated tastes."

Unfortunately I see the same trend...I can't pretend to be with the Opeth OG croud, I've just recently gotten into them within the past year at the advice of a friend. But though they may be becoming more popular and at risk of being, as you say, a name thrown around to seem 'cool' we can still rely on the fact that we know there are people like us that truly can appreciate all that is Opeth. Tool and Opeth are my favorite two bands, and I'm not going to let their respective social popularity (or at least the popularity of their names) affect how I feel about their music. Besides, we can all spot those posers a mile away anyway...And what is great about these bands is that the artists are true artists...I don't think we have to worry about either of them selling out to succeed. In Opeth's case, I don't think they'll ever become as popular as they should be because most people in our pop-ridden society can't handle their heaviness/death metal vox/agression/song length/song composure...nor do they have the attention span

Blackwater Park and My Arms, Your Hearse were my first two Opeth albums...Though they are all true masterpieces in every sense of the word, we are all going to find different things about them that we like and inevitably some albums will spin more in our players than others. I LOVE Orchid...It has so much emotion and almost has a medieval feel to it. The album that I hear most about (besides B.P.) is Morningrise which probably would be my least favorite. That or Damnation (don't get me wrong, I love the Damnation concept and it's a great cd...I just dont think it has quite the feeling in it that some of their other albums have). Still Life is a beautiful album too. Recently however I've 'rediscovered' Deliverance...I just love how the emotional 'A Fair Judgement' is directly offset by the subsequent, fucking BRUTAL 'Master's Apprentices'...holy shit I'll just stop now, I could go on foreverrrrrr

1/9/2005 9:54:00 PM

This is the conclusion I've come to...

Isis = Tool + Simon Says (props if ANYONE out there has heard of this band) + In Flames + Mastodon (their atmospheric moments, mostly in the vox) + chillllllllllllllllllll

Thoughts?

1/9/2005 10:23:41 PM

Cannibal Corpse
Suffocation
Enforsaken
Slayer
Chimaira
Fear Factory
Six Feet Under
Diecast
Sepultura
Shadows Fall

1/9/2005 10:42:10 PM

Quote :

"^its true that ive seen opeth's name around a lot more than i used to. maybe the "prog" album had something to do with it."

What would this "prog" album you're talking about be?

I consider all of Opeth's albums prog.....

1/9/2005 11:33:41 PM

^ Probably Deliverance.

I wouldn't call Opeth "prog metal." That label typically implies wanking and trying to revel in your own command of an instrument (see Dream Theater and the like). If you want to call a band that swaps to acoustic at times or has clean vocals, let's all call Arcturus, Borknagar, Emperor, etc. "prog."

1/9/2005 11:45:21 PM

Quote :

"This is the conclusion I've come to... Isis = Tool + Simon Says (props if ANYONE out there has heard of this band) + In Flames + Mastodon (their atmospheric moments, mostly in the vox) + chillllllllllllllllllll Thoughts?"

My first impression of Isis (and I was late on them), was that they sounded like a combination of Mastodon and Majority Rule. This might seem far-fetched if you've only heard Maj Rule in passing, but they are an incredible band that is largely instrumental. Try to ignore the vox when making the comparison and just listen to the instrumentation. Don't be scared off by the classification of them as "screamo" either, they aren't like anything else you'll hear in that generally shitty genre.

Those three bands are in my top ten currently.

1/9/2005 11:57:10 PM

^^^probably was referring to Damnation...it's the only one that has a major divergence from their "standard," if there is such a thing.

Quote :

"...let's all call Arcturus, Borknagar, Emperor, etc. "prog.""

Can't speak for Emperor (they are a hole in my metal collection which will soon be fixed), but Borknagar and Arcturus are "avantgarde metal," a rather obscure genre...Though Arcturus has a lot of circus influences. Opeth I would call Progressive Death metal. Progressive to me implies dynamics (which they have in spades) and atypical song structure. Considering the average Opeth song is 10 minutes and they use classical structure, I think the name fits. Just because they dont set their fretboards on fire from pure speed doesnt mean they dont earn the progressive title...IMHO

^I dont know Majority Rule, I'll check them out

[Edited on January 10, 2005 at 12:17 AM. Reason : ]

1/10/2005 12:06:04 AM

Speakin of Borknagar, I really have to reiterate...Epic is a fucking AWESOME album \m/

I'd still have to say that I like Vortex better than Vintersong as far as clean vocals go, but damn is this album not the shit. Seriously, get it.

1/10/2005 12:14:26 AM

okay sorry to spam this place but it's my damn thread and this is fucking worth it.

thanks to nrmiller, I have been introduced to a band that just might become my next obsession...maybe I'm oblivious for not knowing them, but check out Arsis. You owe it to yourself as a lover of metal to get this shit and crank it till your ears bleed...some of the best, most intense, fucking badass death metal I've ever heard. Think Arch Enemy on steroids + melody. as soon as I get out of class tomorrow I'm heading over to School Kids and getting everything they have by them. Yeah, that awesome. Thanks again nrmiller, you're my hero.

Go now!

[Edited on January 10, 2005 at 12:35 AM. Reason : ]

1/10/2005 12:30:27 AM