I've given both Deceiver of the Gods and Everblack a listen and I have to say they were quite good. If you like Amon Amarth, chances are you'll like their newest outing, and if you're not a fan then this will not change your mind even a little bit. Same goes for The Black Dahlia Murder's newest release.
What can I say really, after a single listen each I found them both to be solid, enjoyable albums. That's the problem too, so far nothing stood out in particular, no amazing riff or melody or lyric that got stuck in my head. Of course, upon further listening this problem could (and should) go away.
At any rate, neither record does very much to differentiate itself from the respective band's previous releases, but they're both quite enjoyable and won't disappoint fans!
The solos in particular stand out the most on Everblack, imo. They wrote some of their best this time around. There are some heavy riffs here and there but I agree that some of the songs are on autopilot (still good if you're a fan though). The new AA didn't do much for me. I don't consider myself a fan so that shouldn't mean much I guess.
I have to say I did notice the lead more on Everblack than on previous TBDM records so that's a plus for sure. I'll give both albums at least one more spin soon though, just to close the case for the time being.
Apparently Autopsy will release their new record in a handful of days? How the hell did I forget about this?! O_o
There's also a new Havok album that is up on YouTube at the moment. Haven't gotten a chance to listen to all of it, but it was fairly good.
I don't know if it's just me, but like I said a good few pages back, none of the new releases this year have truly impressed me. But I'm still hopeful (and hella hyped for the new Autopsy and Gorguts ^^). I've also not gotten around to listening to Kalmah's Seventh Swamphony, which apparently is very good.
Bought both the new Havok and new BDM yesterday. The new BDM I like less than their previous albums (favorites include Deflorate and Miasma) but it's still pretty BDMy. xD They went a little more melodic and less in your face for 3 minutes at a time but it's still cool. If you were a fan, you still will be I think with that album. Also the new Havok is more melodic and less pure thrash which I like significantly less, but again, I was a fan before, and the album didn't kill it for me. There are a couple songs that I don't like but that's to be expected with most albums that most bands release anyway. Lol.
Also are you talking about Annotations of an Autopsy?
On June 28 2013 00:12 MasterOfPuppets wrote: Apparently Autopsy will release their new record in a handful of days? How the hell did I forget about this?! O_o
On June 28 2013 02:46 Mistakes wrote: Bought both the new Havok and new BDM yesterday. The new BDM I like less than their previous albums (favorites include Deflorate and Miasma) but it's still pretty BDMy. xD They went a little more melodic and less in your face for 3 minutes at a time but it's still cool. If you were a fan, you still will be I think with that album. Also the new Havok is more melodic and less pure thrash which I like significantly less, but again, I was a fan before, and the album didn't kill it for me. There are a couple songs that I don't like but that's to be expected with most albums that most bands release anyway. Lol.
Also are you talking about Annotations of an Autopsy?
On June 28 2013 00:12 MasterOfPuppets wrote: Apparently Autopsy will release their new record in a handful of days? How the hell did I forget about this?! O_o
No, I'm talking about the old school death metal band Autopsy that has released classics such as Severed Survival and Mental Funeral. Definitely check those albums out if you're into death metal and haven't heard them yet.
I'll be honest now, I haven't listened to Macabre Eternal yet, but I have to say this new track gives me quite heavy old school vibes in terms of style. Great to hear they didn't go for an overproduced or overly-modern sound (like Suffocation for instance, not that Pinnacle of Bedlam was bad or anything but eh...). Drums sound a tad bit weak but other than that pretty badass song I find. ^^
So, I return, having listened to both Dark Tranquillity's Construct and Kalmah's Seventh Swamphony.
Construct sees Dark Tranquillity blending the styles of Fiction and We Are The Void, as they continue to emphasize melody and atmosphere even more. I have to say that the overall mood and sound harken back to the Projector / Haven days, in that it's a noticeable shift in sound that strips away the aggressive sound present on past albums (Damage Done, Character and needless to say their early releases) for something more melodic. For the most part they do it quite right, although I must note that on first listening no track stood out too much (like Iridium on the previous album, Terminus on Fiction or Lost to Apathy on Character). Still, any fan of Dark Tranquillity's more recent works should find this to be a very enjoyable album.
Seventh Swamphony, on the other hand, doesn't bring much change regarding Kalmah's sound or songwriting approach. They're still putting out the same brand of solid, reliable, consistent modern melodeath with thrashy influences that they have since The Black Waltz. If you long for more in the vein of their first 3 albums, you will be disappointed, but if you wanted more material akin to that from The Black Waltz, For The Revolution or 12 Gauge, their seventh "swamphony" very much delivers.
So yeah, there we go... Good, but not as good as I would've hoped.
Carcass streamed a new song btw. I didn't catch it on YouTube (it's been taken down) but I did find it here. Pretty damn good, everyone who called it a blend between Necroticism and Heartwork is correct. Hopefully this'll be a great record! ^^
So I've just listened to Autopsy's latest album, The Headless Ritual, released today and boy, what a ride.
More than 2 and a half decades since the band's inception, Autopsy are still firing on all cylinders, delivering a very strong death metal album. In terms of production, The Headless Ritual hits the sweet spot, sounding much sharper and crisper than their early OSDM classics Severed Survival and Mental Funeral, while at the same time not suffering from the pitfalls of modern death metal of being too overproduced and clinical. In terms of style, the album is a beautiful blend of both the slow, doomy style that Autopsy have pioneered on Mental Funeral (in fact I dare say some parts wouldn't sound out of place on an Electric Wizard album, if the bass were just a little bit meatier) and a more standard, straight-up aggressive and fast paced brand of death metal. The vocal delivery is strong and the album is chock full of tasty solos and leads. I'd go so far as to say that almost every song manages to impress, none settling for merely "good" or "solid".
Suffice it to say that so far this is my album of the year. Would love it if Carcass or Gorguts could top this to be honest. Will have to wait and see. ^^
link posted is an interactive map that shows the history of metal with various examples. great time waster to broaded your knowledge of the best genre ever
On July 05 2013 21:28 AnomalySC2 wrote: Whoa, a post-black metal album is sitting at a 95 on metacritic right now. The highest score so far this year for any album.
I have not heard any of their music until now, but there are definitely some heavy Alcest vibes from the youtube samples.
the full album is on youtube. Apparently, its for hipsters. I'm not sure but i quite like it. Its got that Explosions in the Sky vibe, but the black metal influence doesn't seem a perfect fit for it IMHO. Maybe I should give it a few more listens before i judge it...