Necrophagist - "Only Ash Remains"

Gone but not forgotten!

Hammerfall - "Dreamland"

One of my favorite tracks from Hammerfall's second album and the last album that I actually listened from them. I haven't followed Hammerfall's career after 'Legacy of Kings'.

Legacy of Kings is easily their best. Chapter Five came out when I was in high school and I was really into it, but now I almost only ever listen to the first two albums. Every once in awhile I'll listen to "Blood Bound" for the nostalgia, though.

Listening to something totally different right now, Asphyx - Diabolical Existence, because I'm a musical omnivore

(2017) Godflesh - Post Self.

First listen. Not bad.

Anthrax - "Make Me Laugh"

One of the first tracks that I liked on 'State of Euphoria'. It shocked my 7th grade, Catholic school boy self with its lyrics until I realized it was more about televangelists.

Judas Priest - Redeemer of Souls

Firepower didn't arrive today - stupid post office and their regulations. This is quite a consistent album, no bad tracks, but there's should be that amazing stuff also. It gets better as it progresses, though.

Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows

This kind of driving, consonant rock with big, heavy riffs really scratches an itch. Perfect music for driving and the vocals are catchy as hell.

Great band!

I feel like listening to Alice in Chains and then Soundgarden got me in the right mindset to really get this - just generally that 90s rock sound. I should've tried em way earlier.

Grip Inc - Hostage to Heaven

Love that solo.

Sickening Horror - The Dead End Experiment

Yup, this album still rules, it's an all round prog-death masterpiece. The incorporation of electronics is just fantastic.

In Flames - Free Fall

... why couldn't the rest of the album be like this?

Delain - Tell Me, Mechanist

Irritating band. Mention them in conversation, see their name in writing, notice the album on the shelf - suddenly there's an overpowering demand from your brain to hear Charlotte wrap her voice around 'we're not that far apart' or 'lightness of our hearts'.

Such an awesome band.


Portal - Ion

Massive.

Sumerlands - Lost My Mind

Mgla riffs filtered through a trad metal vibe. Stunning.

Eneferens ‎– "The Mermaid" from The Inward Cold

I never get tired of listening to this release.

Enslaved - "The Dead Stare"

Undoubtedly one of Enslaved's best songs from their prog-era. The way the song is dynamically structured is awesome with its peaks and valleys and harsh to quiet parts.

Iced Earth - "Desert Rain"

I liked the version on 'Days of Purgatory' more than this one from Stormrider.

Portal - Ion

Just bonkers. I saw the statement "Madness Made Sound" on the reviews for this album and it couldn't be more accurate. I'm on my 3rd listen for the day because I can't seem to take it all in. My co-workers already thought I was nuts, now they know I am.

Blaze Bayley - Eating Lies

This trilogy is fun so far... just the same unpretentious, charming eagerness to make metal music from Blaze that I wanted. He always sounds fucking excited and it's infectious.

Morgana Lefay - Fatal Illusions

Great stuff.

Rivers of Nihil - A Home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewE4hXWnDhM

I know it's still March but "Where Owls Know my Name" is on my list for album of the year.

Having just recently discovered this guys, I'm still trying to recover from how much this was a surprise for me, and how good the album is.

This guys really know their shit, amazing stuff, a must check for anyone into extreme metal.

Exodus- Force of Habit.

The first 3 tracks are pretty solid as far as slower, more grooving Exodus goes, but after that the album just blends together into an overlong mountain of "meh".

Agreed. There is a lot of material on DoP that's better than the original. I get that Barlow might be too bellowy form some but I did hear those versions first and when I got to the proper studio versions there were certain convincing melodies and phrasings I was waiting for that just weren't there.


Ozzy Osbourne- Suicide Solution (live from Tribute)

Spectacular!

Catacombs - At The Edge Of The Abyss

The true essence of Lovecraft in music form. Like the monster right in front of you.

Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht (2012)

First time hearing them. Very intriguing atmos-black that always has something eerie going on in the background to keep you on edge and guessing! Lots of odd, disembodied sounds, nature samples and atypical breaks mixed in with the more traditional epic passages and riffs.

Keen to delve back in their catalogue now!

Archspire - Relentless Mutation

Tech Death done right. Great songwriting and technical prowess, not just instrumental wankery.

that's one really badass album for sure, tech death is growing pretty big on me right now, need to start digging into that world a bit more, still largely unknown to me

Michael Schenker Fest - Heart and Soul

Wow...Schenker is still a beast. This song sounds a little like power metal.

Destroyer 666 - Human All Too Human

A brutal beauty... amazing blackened thrash metal!

Popol Vuh - Das Hohelied Salomos

Decrepit Birth-Diminishing Between Worlds

I'm not a tech death guy with some exceptions in Origin and a few other bands. But man, this song is incredible, I almost thought it was the second coming of something from Symbolic, fucking incredible stuff.

Days of Purgatory was my jumping on point with the band, other than a few songs my friend had played for me, so those are definitely the versions that I prefer!

Slough Feg - Down Among the Deadmen
I was reading Empyreal's review of this album and he asked, "Will this be considered classic in 20 years?". Turns out the answer is "shit yeah!"

This sort of soulless, bland production is exactly what keeps me from getting into tech death. There's no life or emotion to any of this. Even the vocals are so heavily processed they feel like they were made by a computer. I love what's going on in theory, but the way it's presented honestly just makes me sad.

To each it's own. I see no problem in using technology to improve your sound.

As long as it's well done and sounds good not really an issue.

Huh, I guess it is. Very cool.

Blaze - Ten Seconds

The melodies on some of his songs never come out of my head. It's really something how insanely catchy these songs are. The guitars on this one, Blood & Belief, are really something too - super heavy and brutal for melodic metal.

Fountainhead - Ascension

This guy's pure madness on a guitar, and I love me some prog

Rush - A Farewell to Kings

Lyrics, music, just amazing. First this then the godly Xanadu. Best 1-2 punch to open a record?

My Rush kick continues on and on...