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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 14, 2020 9:43:12 GMT -5
Top songs of 2019
#54 - James McMurtry - Forgotten Coast
Man, has it really been five years since McMurtry released an album? This was my favorite cut off his 2015 release "Complicated Game." It's just a laid back feel good song about McMurtry's stomping grounds around the Gulf of Mexico.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 11:30:28 GMT -5
Before I waste a lot of people's time with stuff they don't care about, are there any other heavy music or metal fans around here? I'm a metal fanatic, but I'm only an occasional lurker in this thread. I'm really just jumping at the chance to profess my love for metal. Metal, I love you!
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Post by impulse on Apr 14, 2020 11:58:33 GMT -5
Before I waste a lot of people's time with stuff they don't care about, are there any other heavy music or metal fans around here? I'm a metal fanatic, but I'm only an occasional lurker in this thread. I'm really just jumping at the chance to profess my love for metal. Metal, I love you! Ok, well hopefully we can increase that! Now, when you say you are a metal fanatic, you and I both know that can mean a lot of different things. Do you mean you are a Black Sabbath madman? Got your Iron Maiden Eddie shirt? Got your denim jacket vest with the Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth patches? Do you listen to obscure Norwegian black metal in the woods on the sabbath? Yes? My foundation is rooted in the major 80s thrash bands. That's my default happy place and informs my core, but I've branched out into a LOT of other stuff. Megadeth is my all time favorite, but I enjoy pretty much any music with some life and energy into it. I'm listening to Nightwish a lot this week. They aren't my favorite or even a top ten contender, but I'm enjoying their slicker, simpler grooves with some grit on them. The symphonic stuff is a nice change for a while.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 13:01:40 GMT -5
I'm mostly into what I deem classic metal, which to me is the early '80s NWOBHM and sound-alikes, before there was much splintering into thrash and all the other sub-genres. Sabbath will always be #1 for me, and then I'm sure you can guess from my introductory sentence that Priest and Maiden aren't far behind them. Anybody getting into my car rarely heard any surprises coming out of the speakers - you were getting Sabbath, Maiden, Motorhead, Priest, Manowar, Dio, Scorpions, AC/DC, Deep Purple, or Accept, and you were going to like it.
I didn't much care for thrash, but I've recently come to appreciate some Slayer and Megadeth songs more (I've tried giving Sepultura and other big names a chance again too, but no dice). One of the big things that originally turned my off of thrash was the thrash fans' "that double-bass drumming is out of this world!", but to me it was so generic. I don't care how skilled you needed to be to pull it off, it was just the same thing song after song - it sounded like you could lift the double-bass bit from any thrash song and put plop it into any other thrash song, and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The lack of melody in thrash was also a big turn-off. For that reason, I never considered Metallica as thrash (yes, I'm all alone in this, I know) because they were too melodic.
I wasn't into the metal fashion - I've always had relatively short hair, and no patch-filled denim jackets for me, but I do have the cover for The Number Of The Beast tattooed on my back, and the Painkiller cover on my forearm. I wasn't into throwing horns either (I thought it was kind of silly), but I've picked up the habit in my old age. It started out semi-ironically (so folks could say "look at that middle-aged dude stuck in the '80s"), but now I do it sincerely. It's become a meaningful gesture between me and my daughter, which makes the silliness worth it.
I do browse Youtube and try out internet radio stations for exposure to metal that's new to me, but I'm starting to wind down on that. A little of it has stuck with me, but I can do without the vast majority of it. I can't deny that I have narrow tastes, but I'm fine with that. Life's too short to not listen to Fairies Wear Boots again (and again and again!). Nightwish was actually one of the groups that caught my attention recently, but in the end, I didn't find any song from them I wanted added to my collection. Do they have anything that gets closer to the NWOBHM sound? I can also dig the operatic/symphonic influences, but I didn't find anything that grabbed me.
What are some overlooked Megadeth gems? I've sampled maybe a fifth of their songs here and there. I really like Five Magics, Trust, She-Wolf, Sweating Bullets, and Peace Sells. I start to lose interest in listening to any more Megadeth, though, once I get to a just OK song, so that makes them hard for me to sample. I saw Megdeth two years ago, just because why not, and it was easily one of the top shows I've seen, despite the fact that I hardly knew any of the music. That's what inspired me to give their catalog another try.
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Post by impulse on Apr 14, 2020 14:57:35 GMT -5
Very well said, and yes, no surprises there LOL. Sabbath leads to Priest and Maiden, which leads to Dio etc. I definitely understanding figuring out what you like and it being difficult to branch out. A few free form comments and responses. Interesting that you (incorrectly)accuse Metallica of not being thrash since they basically pioneered it, ha, but they do obviously stand apart from their peers. They are not individually the most talented musicians for each of their instruments among their peers, but they have a knack of balancing metal aggression with the mainstream catchiness and accessibility. There is a reason they are still playing stadiums in 2020. I know what you mean about how a lot of the generic thrash bands can sound kind of the same, which is largely why I like the major big 4 and satellite players. Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, and to a lesser extent guys like Testament, etc, There is a big drop off in catchiness outside of the big 4. I happen to like a lot of the more generic thrash at times, too, but it gets old and suits a certain mood. So, the general idea/birth of thrash was combining the technicality and style of NWOBHM with the speed and aggression of punk. There are a million variations and sub-genres that split out of that, but that is my favorite, and that covers guys like Megadeth, Metallica, etc. This may be why those guys have more melody than you see in the more Slayer-brand of thrash. Don't hate me, but I've never been able to get much into Iron Maiden. I've tried and tried and tried, and it just doesn't do it for me. I respect and appreciate their talent and what they pioneered, but that style didn't connect with me until the thrash guys injected it with some adrenaline. Except for Powerslave and The Trooper. Bangers. As for recommendations... I might be able to help you there. For some semi-recent bands. In the mid-aughts there was a resurgence and homage to classic peak thrash, so you had a lot of the epic solos and melodies of classic heavy metal over top of 80s thrashing riffs. Trivium - their album The Crusade from 2006 is basically a tribute to a mix of 80s Metallica and Iron Maiden. Songs I'd recommend are "Entrance of the Conflagration" and "Anthem (We are the Fire)." More in the Metallica riffs, but choruses and epic sweeping solos are Maidenesque. If you enjoy those two, check out more of the album. The riffs are pretty thrashy, but boy those guys can play. Maybe "Detonation." Avenged Sevenfold's album City of Evil - "Bat Country" is one I heard on the radio and was like WHOA A GUITAR SOLO?!?! It had been a while. Also the song "M.I.A." almost could have been a Maiden song they covered. Nightwish is basically slicker and simpler black album Metallica riffs with operating singing and symphony instruments. It's almost got the rhythm and tempo of industrial metal, but it doesn't sound industrial. It's nice. If you like symophonic stuff, you might like Symphony X. The album Paradise Lost. The first two songs back to back as the first is basically an intro for the second: Occulus Ex Inferni and Set the World on Fire As for Megadeth, I could write a whole series on them haha. But you like NWOBHM and listed some songs to start with, so I will go off of those. Check out "Wake Up Dead". It's so short but has so much. It grooves, it jazzes, has a mandatory head bobbing riff, it's funny. Last Rites/ Loved to Deth has some of the best drumming in all of metal. It's from their first album and may be hard to get into if you're not good with rough production values, but man, those drum fills. RIP Gar Samuelson. For you personally, the song Youthanasia off the album of the same titled is basically an ode to 70s Sabbath. You can almost hear Ozzy singing it. You might also dig The Conjuring. It's got some pretty Maideny riffing, but it does thrash out at times. If you don't care about lyrics, Lucretia. The main riff is so unbelievably catchy and it has one of the best Marty Friedman solos ever recorded. I could go on, but let's start there. If you like any of this stuff and want more, I would be THRILLED to do so. Also, if you were trying to win someone over to Maiden, what would you suggest?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 16:02:26 GMT -5
Interesting that you (incorrectly)accuse Metallica of not being thrash since they basically pioneered it, ha, but they do obviously stand apart from their peers. They are not individually the most talented musicians for each of their instruments among their peers, but they have a knack of balancing metal aggression with the mainstream catchiness and accessibility. There is a reason they are still playing stadiums in 2020. I'll even go as unfashionably far as to supporting some of Metallica's post-80s output. Yep, "accessibility" is not a dirty word to me. I try (but often fail) to keep an open mind. Every time I say "isn't this like the other hundred thrash songs I've heard", I try to remember that it goes both ways, and that my wife has a point when she thinks every Motorhead song is Ace Of Spades when she hears it. Slayer does have my favorite thrash songs, though. I couldn't tell why there's a dozen Slayer songs I like, and then the rest of it leaves me cold. The stylistic differences between the two sets (that is, Drake-likes vs Drake-says-"eh") is virtually non-existent. Yikes! How much adrenaline do you need? Classic metal to me is the perfect work-out music. I think if I tried a whole workout to just thrash, I'd be drained after 15 minutes. I'm not able to give the videos my full attention yet. I'll let you know what I think later. I'll check these out too. "Wake up Dead" sounds like it could be like "Sweating Bullets", which is promising. "Last Rites/Loved To Deth" is already in The Drake Metal Collection. I think you might have my metaphorical metal number. As far as I'm concerned, there's no hidden gems from Maiden. I doubt I could tell you anything you haven't been exposed to yet. But for the record, "Hallowed By Thy Name", especially from Live After Death, is IMO the penultimate metal song. It lost the title of ultimate metal song when Priest released Painkiller. For something you might not have heard yet, there's a couple Dickinson albums where he was joined by Adrian Smith (also of Maiden), and a guy called Roy Z on second guitar (who is worth following in his own right). Definitely a lot of energy in those recordings. Accident Of Birth and Chemical Wedding are the records. The Tower, from The Chemical Wedding The Book Of Thel, from the Chemical Wedding
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Post by impulse on Apr 14, 2020 17:20:31 GMT -5
Thanks! Yeah, I LOVE Metallica's Load album. Is it different? Yup. Is it metal? Nah. Is it good? So, so good. It's like dark heavy cowboy swagger. I love it. Reload is...okay. Despite the songs being from the same sessions, the feel of the two is very different. Load is swagger and strutting and being a badass. Reload is just so dark and dreary and depressing and feels heavy like it pulls you down. Interesting the difference production value can have. I would also recommend maybe just listening. Don't necessarily watch the videos. They could be cringey. Doesn't basically every Motorhead song sound the same? And I like Motorhead. BTW if you had to distill Metallica into their essence when they started, they are if Diamond Head (somewhat obscure NWOBHM band commercially anyway) and Motorhead had a baby. Painkiller is basically Priest doing thrash, so you do like it somewhat. And yeah, Slayer has some great stuff. Those differences are quite essential though, bc while most of their songs sound very similar at the surface, there is a huge quality difference to them. re: Megadeth, good, glad to hear and happy to help. Wake Up Dead is from their earlier thrashier days, so it hits harder than Sweating Bullets, but the playing and songs are top notch. The drummer and lead guitarist at the time came from the jazz fusion scene, so they were really unique and avoided a lot of the generic thundering double base you don't like. Their next major drummer from their commercial era had more of a funky bouncy vibe, too. Different but similarly unique and great. Their stuff didn't sound generic. And the lead guitarist from 1990 to 2000 ish, Marty Friedman, is just beyond mortals. I'm not big into the guitar virtuoso shreddy sound most of the time, but this guy was in a class of his own. His melodies are magical. I hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing back. I will listen to those songs later after little ones are in bed.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 0:08:48 GMT -5
Well, this was fruitful...
The Trivium songs: Instrumentally, they're pretty close to my tastes, but the singer seems limited, and they could have used more interesting choruses.
Avenged Sevenfold: I've heard "Hail To The King" before and meant to take a closer look at these guys, but didn't do it yet. I loved "Bat Country." I really like the bouncy quality to the rhythm guitar. The drums weren't just good, they had something to say in this song, and that's always a big plus. And the lead guitar was definitely a worthy throwback to classic metal. I didn't enjoy "M.I.A." as much, but they can't all be hall-of-famers.
Symphony X: Overall, outstanding. The guitar kept my attention from 2:30 until the end. I'm not usually happy with keyboards in metal (I can even do without the iconic keyboards in "Rainbow In The Dark"), and this song was no exception. If you can't find a way to make the keyboards sound metal, it shouldn't be done. I don't think it's impossible to meld piano-like or organ-like keyboards in with metal, but this unnatural* electronic, thin, wimpy keyboard sound which keyboards usually sound like when they take the lead is totally unappealing. Keyboard rant aside, this song's a keeper.
"Wake Up Dead" - it had all the elements, but I was still on the fence after my first listen. I'm a big fan of recorded live performances (a major chunk of my music collection is bootleg concerts), so I decided to see how they play it live. There's a live version on some Megadeth re-issue bonus disc, which I ended up preferring to the studio version, so I'm not on the fence anymore.
"Lucretia" - this was an instant like.
"Youthanasia" - sorry, I couldn't get into it.
As I was looking at Megadeth tonight, I found out they did a good cover of "Never Say Die". That was a pleasant surprise.
* I realize the distorted metal guitar is also far removed from any natural sound, but... I have no defense. The electronic keyboard sound just sucks.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 0:40:08 GMT -5
Doesn't basically every Motorhead song sound the same? "Ace Of Spades" is such a good song that it bears repeating. Album after album. And I'm cool with that. I love when metal gets jazzy.
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Post by impulse on Apr 15, 2020 10:17:12 GMT -5
The Tower, from The Chemical Wedding The Book Of Thel, from the Chemical Wedding Well, this is a mutually beneficial conversation. Wow, I really enjoyed both of those. They have what I like about thrash - the interpaly and trade off of faster, more aggressive riffing and slower, grooving tempos. This bears exploring more. Thanks! Well, this was fruitful... The Trivium songs: Instrumentally, they're pretty close to my tastes, but the singer seems limited, and they could have used more interesting choruses. Oh, man. Good point. I failed to consider the vocalist aspect of you coming from classic metal. Yeah, coming from Dickinson and Halford, Heafy is pretty limited. His vocals are more rooted around 80s Metallica style thrash barking/shouting. On their other albums, he alternates more melodic singing with death metal screams, so not sure Trivium will land for you. This was them at their more accessible. You might like their Vengeance Falls album. Musically it's heavier and more melodic/proggy, less thrashy. He sings more and has had more years of practice under his belt, but he's never gonna be Bruce Dickinson. Okay, okay. I can work with this. These guys are interesting bc they have changed their sound over time but also have a certain distinctive style. Their original drummer was really creative and interesting. Sadly, he passed away from an overdose about 10 years ago. If you enjoy any of the songs, it might be a good idea to listen to the albums they are from a couple times. I tried to pick samples based on what you said, but this band is kind of hard to summarize in a song or two because their stuff is pretty diverse. Honestly, you might like their album Hail to the King. I found it pretty boring, but it was their homage to classic metal which was not what I was looking for from them, so I could have been biased. There are a few songs where you can definitely tell to whom they are paying tribute.
The first two I sent you are both from the album City of Evil which was the band's push to a more classic and mainstream sound away from metalcore roots. The song is kind of all over the place, but you might like "Beast and the Harlot". It's kind of like Metallica/GnR/punk had a baby.
"The Beast and the Harlot"
You might also enjoy their next album which is self-titled. They kept some accessibility but got some of their quirkiness back. "Almost Easy"
"Scream" One more from the following album, "Nightmare". The drummer had mapped out the drum tracks but not recorded final tracks before he died, so they asked his hero, Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater, to fill in. Mike was honored and accepted, so to borrow a comics term, Portnoy used Jimmy's breakdowns and added his own accents. It's an interesting album. "Nightmare"
Ha, fair. I generally also don't like keys in my metal. I am good with the keyboard solo in this song bc it works enough, BUT moreso the riff under that solo is better than the solo. Such a good riff. I can't really make many more specific recommendations on these guys because they are both pretty diverse and hit or miss. Possibly one more: "Inferno"
It's interesting how different songs affect people differently. "Wake Up Dead" was one of the first "real metal" songs that just immediately grabbed me when I heard it. That descending groovy riff just blew my mind. Glad you found a live version you like. Since you mention you like live recordings, have you seen Metallica's "Live Shit Binge and Purge?"? The CD that came with it is great and on Spotify, but the Seattle video which you can see on YouTube I think is fantastic. It's so hard to capture the power and essence of bands on a live recording with some noted exceptions - the Maiden set you suggested being one, and this being another. The raw power of those shows is great. I digress. I love "Lucretia". Excellent. You likely already heard it then, but a next logical step is "Tornado of Souls". Similar in spirit to that one is "Vortex".
"Tornado of Souls"
"Vortex" I am honestly surprised you didn't like "Youthanasia". While that was their attempt at being Black Sabbath, Megadeth is better at being Megadeth. On that note... "Architecture of Aggression" - from the same album as "Sweating Bullets" and has one of the best marriages of solo with the riff under it I've ever heard. Here are some more you might like in the vein of Trust or She Wolf. "Almost Honest" "Use the Man" (if you like when bands do the acoustic stuff now and then) Man, honestly, you should just listen to all of their albums through "Risk" LOL. So much good stuff. Only caveat is I would say to use the remasters ONLY for 1 and 3; that is, "Killing is My Business", and "So Far So Good So What". For the others, the original mixes are FAR superior. On those two, the originals are super muddy and hard to hear, and the remasters add a ton of much needed clarity. "Killing is My Business and Business is Good" went from a throwaway to a personal top ten album, if not even top five. I recommend the final kill version from a year or two ago. It really highlights the superb fusion drumming.
One sample.. "Ace Of Spades" is such a good song that it bears repeating. Album after album. And I'm cool with that. Can't argue with that. Releasing the same album 13 times worked out well for AC/DC too. I love their album! ...I thoroughly did not enjoy one moment of that, but you can't win 'em all, I suppose. Random side note, Slayer does a cool cover of Judas Priest's "Dissident Aggressor". So does Halestorm. Worth listening to.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 15, 2020 10:32:02 GMT -5
Top songs of 2019
#53 - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Anxiety
And Isbell is back. This is one of his hardest songs showcasing the roots rock side of Isbell while still showcasing his abilities as a lyricist and tackling subject matter that is decidedly non-mainstream.
"You got to give me a minute Because I'm way down in it And I can't breathe so I can't speak I want to be strong and steady, always ready Now, I feel so small, I feel so weak"
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Post by beccabear67 on Apr 15, 2020 12:30:13 GMT -5
I think I would say I like some 'hard rock' as opposed to metal... Deep Purple, Nazareth, AC/DC, BTO, Rush. I remember other kids being into solo Ozzy, but everyone listened to or owned AC/DC's Highway To Hell and Back In Black. Nothing could touch those two albums with maybe only Queen's The Game being about as ubiquitous. I was a bit outside of being entirely cool though and bought LPs by Bob Seger, Styx, Trooper, Boney M (disco) and even one Village People. "I-I'm sorry?" (to quote Art Spiegelman). I had some Carpenters, John Denver and Elvis as Christmas presents and would (gasp) actually play them sometimes too. My older brother's generation had the first couple of Rush albums, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth's Raz-A-Ma-Naz, lots of Heart, Eagles, Thin Lizzy, Kansas, April Wine, Fleetwood Mac's two big '70s albums, and usually something by Kiss. I got into the ska thing circa 1980-81 and other than some 'new wave' that's all I would buy for a couple years. I never knew anyone that was into Iron Maiden or whatever else... the stuff with pentagrams, faux barbarian gear or big hair-dos (and don'ts)... maybe that was more further into the suburbs like a big chunk of rap later was? I came to appreciate their level of interest in quality sound though (unlike for rap where that's beside the point entirely)... a lot of metal fans seem to have a very developed ear!
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Post by impulse on Apr 15, 2020 13:23:53 GMT -5
Yeah, as much as people like to put things in categories and label them, the lines between and path from hard rock to metal is a lot blurrier and wider than folks like to think. Depending on who you asked when, a lot of those bands could be classified as either. Before there was even enough metal to consider it a standalone genre, many bands bled over and blurred the lines. Even some sub-genres. Queen, among others, had some prototype thrash metal in the 70s. 1974s Sheet Heart Attack had "Brighton Rock" and "Stone Cold Crazy."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 13:53:11 GMT -5
I was a bit outside of being entirely cool though and bought LPs by Bob Seger... Hmmm... I would have thought everyone would agree that Bob Seger is kinda cool, or at least not uncool. Embrace the cheese! (I'm a bit disappointed they didn't also have a pentagram on any of their covers). There's two songs I really like on this record, and no apologies. But the cover makes even me cringe. I'm going to guess that right now I am looking at the only four people in the world who could possibly not cringe at this. Maybe. I'm a 100% suburban kid. My memory is that metal was fairly ubiquitous in the '80s, though. But that could just be my bias, plus the point brought up much earlier by one of our erudite cultural commentators (no snark, BTW, I appreciate and enjoy the in-depth cultural commentary I find on these boards) that the contemporary popularity of a lot of these cultural movements tends to get exaggerated in hindsight.
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Post by brianf on Apr 15, 2020 14:12:27 GMT -5
Before I waste a lot of people's time with stuff they don't care about, are there any other heavy music or metal fans around here? For new music I'm more about punk than metal, but I grew up listening to a fair share of the shred, so share away
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