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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:56 pm 
 

Memory Garden - Tides (1996)
Doom metal without the gloom.
The singer is not a typical doom crooner. He's very clean, and I really like his voice and the different flavour it gives to the sound. Another key element in this band is the drummer, who displays a lot of creativity and personality.
The music is quite progressive, in that the songs develops in a non-linear fashion. On one hand, this makes the songs not stick immediately. On the other hand, they grow with each listen. 4.5/5

A typical song: Genesis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6lq1kQpdnk
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:42 pm 
 

Memory Garden - Verdict of Posterity (1998)
A bit more heavy metal in the riffing here, and more complexity. It's not an easy listen, but a rewarding one. Do not use as background music! 4/5

A typical song: Wasteland Foretold
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JboH-z70zAs
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Opus
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Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 27, 2023 10:31 pm 
 

Memory Garden - Mirage (2000)
I don't know if this one is less complex or if it's just better song writing. Here it's easier to understand the idea and intetntions behind the songs, which is that it's based on contrasts. Eg. first there's a regular riff, then a completely ugly riff. After that comes some beautiful chord changes, then a twin guitar melody followed by a blast of double bass and so on. Takes a while to get in to, but I have cracked it now. 4.5/5

A typical song: River Of Sludge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVSo_WR5jKQ
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 10:41 pm 
 

Memory Garden - Carnage Carnival (2008)
There's a serious lack of good riffs here. All the riffs are just down-tuned bore fests. It's not really doom any longer either. 3/5

A typical good song destroyed by bad riffs: The Bitter End
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45tNIG8yuoo
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
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PostPosted: Wed May 03, 2023 9:44 pm 
 

Mental Hippie Blood - Mental Hippie Blood (1993)
This band was formed when sleaze rock band Glorious Bankrobbers got a new singer and became considerably heavier. The new singer's got a nice baritone and sounds like the lovechild of Graham Bonnet and Messiah Marcolin. There are some really rocking songs here, and had they been just a tad more metal this would have been a great band. My biggest gripe is that they are overdoing the seriousness. I want at least a little bit of fun and exaggeration in my music.
Not too crazy about the band name either. 3.5/5

A typical song: Wanted Her Head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNDVOnBrvG8
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Opus
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Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
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PostPosted: Thu May 04, 2023 9:48 pm 
 

Mental Home - Upon the Shores of Inner Seas (2000)
What the flying fuck is this? Why do I have this? It's got to be the worst album in my collection.
Listed on M-A as Melodic Doom/Death, but all I hear is overblown "symphonic" keyboards played by a bonafide amateur, a badly sounding drum machine and a singer that sounds like an unintentionally bad punk singer. Again, what is this? 0/5

A typical song: Breakdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=341dwEevKSs&t=1548s
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Runko
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Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 1:38 pm
Posts: 665
PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 9:14 am 
 

I don't agree with 90% your tastes but this shit is more enthralling than Netflix. Never stop.

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Benedict Donald
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Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 10:36 am
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PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 11:27 am 
 

Opus wrote:
Mental Home - Upon the Shores of Inner Seas (2000)
What the flying fuck is this? Why do I have this? It's got to be the worst album in my collection.
Listed on M-A as Melodic Doom/Death, but all I hear is overblown "symphonic" keyboards played by a bonafide amateur, a badly sounding drum machine and a singer that sounds like an unintentionally bad punk singer. Again, what is this? 0/5

A typical song: Breakdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=341dwEevKSs&t=1548s


They're appallingly bad. I remember reading glowing reviews about them in the mid-late 90s and rushed out to buy one of their CDs, without having previously heard a note. (Common in those days.)
I sold it back to the record store within a day. Hard to understand why reviews were so positive...a real headscratcher.

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Thexhumed
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Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2010 2:26 pm
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Location: Chile
PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 2:22 pm 
 

M has really lacked this season. Can't wait for what N will bring!
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Opus
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Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
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PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 7:08 pm 
 

Thexhumed wrote:
M has really lacked this season. Can't wait for what N will bring!

Gotta deal with Mercyful Fate first. And Metal Church. Morgana Lefay. Mourning Beloveth. We ain't finished with M yet.
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Opus
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PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 7:10 pm 
 

Runko wrote:
I don't agree with 90% your tastes but this shit is more enthralling than Netflix. Never stop.

Thanks :) Might I ask what your tastes are. Something might come up. Unless it's thrash.
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DoomMetalAlchemist
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PostPosted: Fri May 05, 2023 7:16 pm 
 

Opus wrote:
Thexhumed wrote:
M has really lacked this season. Can't wait for what N will bring!

Gotta deal with Mercyful Fate first. And Metal Church. Morgana Lefay. Mourning Beloveth. We ain't finished with M yet.


Opus wrote:
Runko wrote:
I don't agree with 90% your tastes but this shit is more enthralling than Netflix. Never stop.

Thanks :) Might I ask what your tastes are. Something might come up. Unless it's thrash.


And now I know why you didn't mention Megadeth OR Metallica in the previous post.

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Forever Underground
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Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:35 am
Posts: 1150
Location: Galiza
PostPosted: Sat May 06, 2023 7:29 am 
 

Runko wrote:
I don't agree with 90% your tastes but this shit is more enthralling than Netflix. Never stop.

Well, the opposite happens to me, 90% of the times he talks about groups I know, his thoughts are the same as mine.
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Sat May 06, 2023 7:33 pm 
 

Mercenary - Everblack (2002)
I don't get the point of downtuning regular metal. It doesn't get heavier, it just gets muddier.
This is supposed to be melodic death metal, but there's no death metal here. Just downtuned guitars and some growls slapped on occasionally. The singer's got a nice enough growl, but it doesn't mix with the music. His shouted vocals are just out of place. Ironically, he's got really nice clean vocals, so if they had transposed this an octave up and kept all vocals clean it would have been quite good. 2/5

A typical song: Bloodrush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PtZkDgKFpM
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Opus
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PostPosted: Sun May 07, 2023 1:43 pm 
 

Mercyful Fate - Melissa (1983)
When I listen to Mercyful Fate I have always tried to figure out where their sound came from, and now it hit me - Scorpions. There's so much 70s Scorpions in this. The riffs in thirds (played on one guitar, not twin leads), the solos in different modes, the slow epics that Scorpions have a couple of, the chaka chaka guitar rhythms that Uli used to do (but he used wah wah).
There's also those nasal off key slides that Claus used to do, but that's probably not a direct influence. Still, I can hear the similarities. Also, the close proximity to Germany and Hannover makes me suspect they saw Scorpions live quite a few times during the 70s.
Anyway, not a second of not great music on this album. 5/5

A song that could easily be arranged into a Scorpions track: At The Sound Of The Demon Bell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_PjBUcbzqY
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Opus
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PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 10:29 pm 
 

Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath (1984)
I find this one even better. If not for anything else so for the guitar sound. It's just marvellous! The atmosphere is fantastic and permeates the whole album.
And the cover. Best cover ever! 6/5

Just listen to those guitars: A Dangerous Meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEKFmokUiBg
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Opus
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Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2023 9:28 pm 
 

Mercyful Fate - In the Shadows (1993)
Why is it sooo sloooooow! It feels like wading through mud. The drumming is about the most boring I have heard on a metal album. What were they thinking when they hired that guy?
This is what King Diamond the band could have been had Andy LaRocque not been a song writer. Drab riff after drab riff beneath great vocal arrangements. Doesn't sound like Mercyful Fate of old at all. 2/5

A typical song: Shadows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9iX_4reeM0


MercyFul Fate - Time (1994)
This is more like it! Much more melodies and much more atmosphere. The tempo has been taken up a few notches, there's some life to the playing and there's drumming worthy Mercyful Fate.
But still it sounds a lot like King Diamond the band, when it doesn't sound like Rush. 4/5

A typical song: My Demon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHAUUbAMsRQ
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Forever Underground
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Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:35 am
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Location: Galiza
PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 5:00 am 
 

Damn it Opus, after saying I agree with you 90% of the time you have to give that opinion about "In The Shadows" :lol:. Personally I enjoy that work as much as the first two albums, that's how good it is for me.
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Opus
Metal freak

Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2002 11:06 am
Posts: 4266
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 10:29 pm 
 

Forever Underground wrote:
Damn it Opus, after saying I agree with you 90% of the time you have to give that opinion about "In The Shadows" :lol:. Personally I enjoy that work as much as the first two albums, that's how good it is for me.

Well, it's that 10%. But the drumming is too bad. It's just two cymbal hits away from being a metronome.
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Opus
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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 10:29 pm 
 

Mercyful Fate - Dead Again (1998)
Mike Wead and Sharlee D'Angelo spark some much needed life into the music, but the songwriting is still lacking.
Every song has some unremarkable bits and some really great bits. 3.5/5

A typical song: The Lady Who Cries
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuQL-9Ik4jo


Mercyful Fate - 9 (1999)
The music is OK, but it's just so unspectacular. In one ear and out the other. 3/5

A typical song: Last Rites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEFZsUet1SU
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Metal_On_The_Ascendant
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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 11:44 pm 
 

Post-80's Mercyful Fate is rather forgettable tbh. Luckily King Diamond was killing it in the 90's and onwards.
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 8:06 am 
 

In the Shadows is a really effective atmospheric piece for me, genuinely cool vibe and mood. Time hasn't really clicked for me yet and I keep forgetting to bother with the ones after that.
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Opus
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PostPosted: Sat May 13, 2023 8:12 pm 
 

Metal Church - The Dark (1986)
Haven't listened to this in a long time, and I remember not liking it. Turns out I was wrong. This is quite awesome. Much more melodic than I remember, and Wayne is a better vocalist than I've given him credit for. He's got both range and control. Although I'm not too crazy about that typical thrash style he's using most of the time.
The fast songs are the less good ones. This is a band that really benefits from playing mid-tempo, oddly enough. 4/5

A typical Metal Church song: Method to Your Madness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rguf1gaupg
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Opus
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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2023 10:11 pm 
 

Metal Church - Blessing in Disguise (1989)
I love Mike Howe! This starts strong with Fake Healer. Great, great song. But there are many anonymous sounding songs on this one. They do have their merits, but they don't grab you. And fast songs really isn't Metal Church's strong suit. But then again, this album got Badlands on it, one of their best songs. 4/5

Here it is: Badlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpLYxUM2Gc
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Opus
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PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2023 10:37 pm 
 

Metal Church - The Human Factor (1991)
They really were on fire here! The band is going full force, and there's so much energy in Mike Howe's vocals.
This is one of my absolute favourite albums. 6/5

A typical song: Date with Poverty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrwLFOj6LeA
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Opus
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PostPosted: Sun May 21, 2023 10:39 pm 
 

Metal Church - Hanging in the Balance (1993)
This is like the perfect metal album. It's got a bit of everything. It's both melodic and aggressive. It's got clean vocals, but not really clean. Good lyrics that aren't preachy or mundane. No one can dislike this album, right?
If we were to send a metal album into space - which we should - this should be it. 6/5

A typical song: Conductor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn0okK7nP2c
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Opus
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PostPosted: Mon May 22, 2023 9:13 pm 
 

Metal Church - Weight of the World (2004)
This sounds like a third rate Saxon tribute band. Just a lot of uninteresting hard rock riffs. But the biggest problem is the singer. What a downgrade! He can't come up with an interesting vocal line to save his life. While Mike Howe was a storyteller who filled the verses with life and emotions making the verses more interesting than the choruses, this guy just fills the spaces in between choruses with completely drab words and "melodies". And he uses pretty much the same melody in every song.
C for the music, F for the vocals. 2/5

A typical song: Leave them Behind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H1y4fc9B6k


Metal Church - A Light in the Dark (2006)
Not even a glimmer of light here. It's as if they wrote the songs with no thought of vocal lines. Someone came up with a riff and then they just slapped on some verses, and the chorus is the song title repeated a couple of times. Could have worked somewhat if the singer wasn't absolute shit at writing.
I am very disappointed! 1/5

A typical song: Mirror of Lies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxWbGfA-n80
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Opus
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PostPosted: Tue May 23, 2023 10:15 pm 
 

Metalium - Millennium Metal - Chapter One (1999)
Very German power metal, by a German band featuring Chris Caffery and Mike Terrana. It's a good mix of goofy and great songwriting. I like the singer a lot, and the guitar sound is absolutely lovely.
They even manage to make a cover of Smoke on the Water enjoyable. 4/5

A typical song: Metalians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIJB7KrHuoU
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Spiner202
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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2023 10:10 am 
 

Metalium is great. I'm curious to see how you like each of their albums. My own ranking of their records is probably the inverse of a lot of people, but all 8 of them are good.

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Thexhumed
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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2023 10:49 am 
 

Spiner202 wrote:
Metalium is great. I'm curious to see how you like each of their albums. My own ranking of their records is probably the inverse of a lot of people, but all 8 of them are good.


The think about Metalium is that how can a band who write a song such as Break Out (top tier metal) have lots upon lots of songs that are pure steaming garbage?
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Kalaratri
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PostPosted: Wed May 24, 2023 4:32 pm 
 

Thexhumed wrote:
Spiner202 wrote:
Metalium is great. I'm curious to see how you like each of their albums. My own ranking of their records is probably the inverse of a lot of people, but all 8 of them are good.


The think about Metalium is that how can a band who write a song such as Break Out (top tier metal) have lots upon lots of songs that are pure steaming garbage?


One hit wonders are a thing across genres (not saying Metalium are a one hit wonder), it's not the most shocking thing in the world if you only ever end up liking one or a handful of songs from a band. Maybe that was just the one track where everything aligned and they managed to capture something great (for your taste in music).

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Opus
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PostPosted: Thu May 25, 2023 8:52 pm 
 

Spiner202 wrote:
Metalium is great. I'm curious to see how you like each of their albums. My own ranking of their records is probably the inverse of a lot of people, but all 8 of them are good.

I only have this one album by them. Maybe I'll make it a project to get all of them in the future. A box set would be nice.
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Opus
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PostPosted: Thu May 25, 2023 8:52 pm 
 

Midas Touch - Presage of Disaster (1989)
I have a Swedish thrash metal album from 1989. I don't know why. It sounds like shit. The mixing is really bad, so the vocals - which sounds like shit - are very loud over the guitars - which sounds like shit. The drumming - which sounds like shit - is very fast. There's probably a bass in there somewhere too, and if we could hear it I'm sure it would sound like shit. 1/5

A typical song: Sepulchral Epitaph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulX4GaoNSac
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Opus
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PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2023 9:35 pm 
 

Mezarkabul/Pentagram - Anatolia (1997)
Turkish band that started out as a thrash band. Here on their third album they are playing straight heavy metal. Some songs are very much Turkish metal - rather than Turkish folk metal - and some are just regular metal. A quite varied album. Some fast songs, some almost melodic hard rock, some in English, some in Turkish, all with very strong melodies. Really good singer. 4.5/5

A typical Turkish sounding song: Anatolia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpeS9fBRIk
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MetlaNZ
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PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2023 9:51 pm 
 

Opus wrote:
Mezarkabul/Pentagram - Anatolia (1997)
Turkish band that started out as a thrash band. Here on their third album they are playing straight heavy metal. Some songs are very much Turkish metal - rather than Turkish folk metal - and some are just regular metal. A quite varied album. Some fast songs, some almost melodic hard rock, some in English, some in Turkish, all with very strong melodies. Really good singer. 4.5/5

A typical Turkish sounding song: Anatolia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpeS9fBRIk

I actually bought this back then out of a catalogue through a local store thinking it was the actual Pentagram, y'know, the doom one...obviously it wasn't and it got traded in straight away. There were some steep learning curves to ride back in the good ol day's.


Last edited by MetlaNZ on Sat May 27, 2023 9:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Sat May 27, 2023 9:51 pm 
 

That album is so fucking good.

Their new one from last year is almost that good too, really. Just exactly my shit.
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Opus
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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 9:25 pm 
 

Mezarkabul/Pentagram - Unspoken (2001)
This one isn't as varied. It's quite repetetive infact. A bit too slow and too chuggy for my taste. But I'll give it a strong 3/5

A fantastic instrumental: For Those Who Died Alone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LNT8zZqAGs



Mezarkabul/Pentagram - Bir (2002)
Now they have changed style quite a lot. It's much more straight forward, and less heavy. The whole album is sung in Turkish, and to me the rhythm and melody of the language reminds me of Finnish. Consequently I associate it to Finnish music, such as Kotiteollisuus and Timo Rautiainen. I like it! 4/5

A typical song: Bu Alemi Gören Sensin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spjezy3fBAs
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Opus
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PostPosted: Mon May 29, 2023 9:06 pm 
 

Moahni Moahna - Temple of Life (1994)
Now here's something none of you have ever heard. A Swedish retro metal band from way before retro metal was even a thing.
This album is the spiritual offspring of Tony Martin-era Sabbath and Rainbow's Rising, with a singer that has Dio as his biggest idol. Good songs with great arrangements. I don't think there is an album this eclectic outside of prog.
No irony, no distancing from the forerunners, just honest and ambitious music. 5/5

A typical song: Face the Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYbLZGLhBko
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PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2023 9:19 pm 
 

Morgana Lefay - Symphony of the Damned (re-recorded) (1990/1999)
Finally! It's time for the best band in the world! Well, one of them at least. According to me.
This is the re-recording of their debut album, and it's one of few re-recordings that has a purpose. The original LP was printed i 537 copies. The sound was quite bad, and this drummer is lots better. Also the vocals have improved a great deal. Already on the debut album the typical dynamic Morgana Lefay songwriting was present. There are bits of Crimson Glory and Savatage throughout. Added to that the really heavy riffing, and there we have the trademark Lefay sound.

What also is present from the beginning is their habit of fucking things up with stupid joke songs, often about the joys of alcohol. This is doubly annoying, as alcohol is the reason they broke up at least twice.
The album has six strong songs in a row, then comes the song named "Tequila", which is plenty stupid. There's no recovery after that. 4/5

A typical song: Symphony Of The Damned
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JsNRk05NV4
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The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2023 3:59 pm 
 

Opus wrote:
Moahni Moahna - Temple of Life (1994)
Now here's something none of you have ever heard. A Swedish retro metal band from way before retro metal was even a thing.
This album is the spiritual offspring of Tony Martin-era Sabbath and Rainbow's Rising, with a singer that has Dio as his biggest idol. Good songs with great arrangements. I don't think there is an album this eclectic outside of prog.
No irony, no distancing from the forerunners, just honest and ambitious music. 5/5

A typical song: Face the Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYbLZGLhBko


Really good - exactly my kind of cool underground power/prog. Will track it down... thanks.
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