[QUOTE=GenuineImitation]Ok.

/Downloading limewire now.


I wish I knew about this thread earlier.

I'll change my song choice to Overcast. I can't find any Ceremonial Oath on Limewire.[/QUOTE]

I'm confused, is this dibs or what?

[QUOTE=HazMan]I'm confused, is this dibs or what?[/QUOTE]


Yeah, its dibs. This is the first time Im doing this so I was a little confused.

Review will be up later today.

*cough*

I know I said I would post this a few days ago, but I have been really busy with school work. On top of that, I have had some computer issues that I was frantically trying to resolve.



[B]Overcast – Apocalypse Upon Us
[/B]

I must start by saying I found a new band that I really like. Thanks to Eleventeen for giving me the option to review the song.

I enjoy the slow build up, even if it is rather cliché, its just damn cool. Then the band kicks in. This is the equivalent of getting punched in the face. With the mellow intro, I was not expecting the Death Metal lyrics. The whole song is very aggressive and in your face, but in a good way. It’s not a very technical song, but not simple either. It’s a good listen that I think most metal fans can enjoy.

I also think the vocalist is pretty talented. They may not be the best harsh/growled lyrics out there, but they aren’t too shabby either. I wasn’t to impressed with the guitar tone, but that is the only fault I can find with the song after several listens.

[B]I give it a 4.5/5[/B]

[B]Opeth[/B] – Baying of the Hounds (Progressive Death Metal)

[B]Spiral Architect[/B] – Conjuring Collapse (Progressive/Technical Metal)

[B]Testament[/B] – Face in the Sky (Thrash Metal)

[B]CKY[/B] – All Power to Slaves (Hard Rock)

[B]Nile[/B] – Unas Slayer of the Gods (Death Metal)

Anyone want to review one of the songs I listed?

I might dibs one if no one else does in the next few hours

(Spiral Architect – Conjuring Collapse)

I can do one if the song is sent to me.. for some reason the chances of my soulseek successfully downloading (or even finding) a song are somewhat infinitesimal.

[QUOTE=GenuineImitation]I know I said I would post this a few days ago, but I have been really busy with school work. On top of that, I have had some computer issues that I was frantically trying to resolve.



[B]Overcast – Apocalypse Upon Us
[/B]

I must start by saying I found a new band that I really like. Thanks to Eleventeen for giving me the option to review the song.

I enjoy the slow build up, even if it is rather cliché, its just damn cool. Then the band kicks in. This is the equivalent of getting punched in the face. With the mellow intro, I was not expecting the Death Metal lyrics. The whole song is very aggressive and in your face, but in a good way. It’s not a very technical song, but not simple either. It’s a good listen that I think most metal fans can enjoy.

I also think the vocalist is pretty talented. They may not be the best harsh/growled lyrics out there, but they aren’t too shabby either. I wasn’t to impressed with the guitar tone, but that is the only fault I can find with the song after several listens.

[B]I give it a 4.5/5[/B]

[B]Opeth[/B] – Baying of the Hounds (Progressive Death Metal)

[B]Spiral Architect[/B] – Conjuring Collapse (Progressive/Technical Metal)

[B]Testament[/B] – Face in the Sky (Thrash Metal)

[B]CKY[/B] – All Power to Slaves (Hard Rock)

[B]Nile[/B] – Unas Slayer of the Gods (Death Metal)[/QUOTE]

Yeah man, glad you checked them out. They got back together and they're re-releasing old material with some new songs next month :D.

EDIT: also, those cliche moments weren't that cliche is 1997 :p. Plus if you've heard the newer Shadows Fall stuff, Fair's vocals have improved so much, I can't wait for the re-recording.

ah dibs? i'm pretty sure noone else did correct me if wrong

Testament - Face In The Sky

The timing of the intro bit reminds me of Slayer's stop on a dime way of playing. This is good, the drums roll in and we have a solid piece of thrash happening. The main riff that begins in the verse is great, i get a James Hetfields meets Rob Halford feel from the singer. Lead fills are injected here and there that sound pretty sweet, and the way that they play around with drum fills and riff timing reminds me very much of Slayer.
Solo time. Its solid. Alex Skolnick (is that their guitarist i vaguely remember?), does blazing fast sweeps and tapping to good effect, theres some unique parts in here too i notice that make it stand out from other thrash solos i have heard before. We have more singing, and back to the chorus for the finish.
All up it is a very solid piece of thrash that will grown on me over time, and i will definately check out some Testament. I have been meaning to for quite a long time have heard much about them.

I give it a 8/10

I reserve a 9 for something that amazes me and a 10 for something that is truly mindblowing. This is simply great and solid thrash, nuttin wrong with that.

Choices -

Gwar - Womb With A View
Ween - The Blarney Stone
Leonard Cohen - The Future

I'll do the Gwar if someone can send it to me. Soulseek won't run on my computer and Limewire is screwing it up.


[QUOTE=Eleventeen]Yeah man, glad you checked them out. They got back together and they're re-releasing old material with some new songs next month :D.

EDIT: also, those cliche moments weren't that cliche is 1997 :p. Plus if you've heard the newer Shadows Fall stuff, Fair's vocals have improved so much, I can't wait for the re-recording.[/QUOTE]


How many albums do they have and which is the best one to get?



HazMan: Glad you enjoyed the Testament

They have two full-lengths, 3 EPs, and they did a split with Arise.

The full-lengths are [I]Fight Ambition To Kill[/I] (the one [I]Apocolypse Upon Us[/I] is on) and [I]Expectational Dilution[/I].

Both are really good, but [I]Fight Ambition To Kill[/I] is better.

I think I'll check that one out then.

Gwar- Womb without a view

Starts off with some pounding drums and a few guitar licks before bursting into a guitar solo. Sort of screaming/singing combo comes in. Sort of slipknot-y vocals is the best way i could describe them. Guitar Riff is pretty cool. My version the volume keeps swelling up and down randomly... probably a bit of a dodgy download. This isn't usually my type of music, but I liked the solo at the start. Another guitar solo comes in at about 1:45. A short one this time, pretty nice though. Not really a big fan of the vocals in this song, and the drums get pretty annoying.

Not really my kind of thing, although I've heard these guys are pretty sweet live. They do sound more of a live band then a studio band.

5/10

Nick Cave- Stagger Lee (dark indie rock)
Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue- Where the wild roses grow (duet, darkish sort of pop song)
Butch Walker- Best Thing you Never had (pop-rockish ballad, one of my favourite songs)
Eric B and Rakim- Eric B for President (Hip-Hop/Rap)
Deltron 3030- Positive Contact (Rap)

I'll try the Nick Cave (Stagger Lee).

I'll do it tomorrow after school because I have alot of home work tonight

bump

I don't have time to do the song I dibed this week. Some one else can do it.

dibs

Nick Cave - Stagger Lee

I've never really explored Nick Caves work but i've liked songs like 'Deanna' and 'The Ship Song'. I like what i've heard. This song starts with a slow drum, bass section with a slow and scratchy waa riff. Slow paced drums kick in with the vocals and some keys i think, and Nick Cave starts his 'brooding with a slight snarl' style of vocal. The song carries on in its brooding fashion, theres very little change except for some drum fills and keys along with Nick Caves vocals which feature some awesome lyrics as far as i can understand. This song is very Tom Waits like. Is this a cover?

Overall its a brooding piece of work, and really smooth. It sounds dark as all hell like the soundtrack to drinking away your sorrows in some dank and slummy pub in the lowest corner of a forlorn industrial area somewhere. I love it. Could compare it to Tom Waits. Nick Caves vocals remind of Mike Patton somehow, in his more brooding moments. Very solid.

9/10

Choices -

PJ Harvey - Big Exit
Soundgarden - 4th of July
Ween - Mutilated Lips
KMFDM - Hole In The Wall
Icehouse - Walls

Bump. We should see if we can continue this....

[b]Ween - Mutilated Lips[/b]

There's slow guitar chord strumming, probably with a capo on it. There's also some hand percussion instead of drums and a wierd reverse echo on the vocals. It's pretty ethereal. Verse part 2 has some different chords and a short bit of fingerpicked guitar that echoes.
I can't help but like this.

Aah, I remember these guys, the helium sounding voice in the chorus brings back memories of that stupid song Push the Little Daisies. This song seems much better and easier to listen to. Strange lyrics, they are pretty much narrating a Tool video.

The verse is back again, now a soft synth is joining in on some high notes and slides. It's hard to tell what he is saying due to the vocal effects, but the music is just capturing me that I don't really mind. Chorus again, the same as before, not much to say.

Verse music without singing, with slide guitar and another reverby bit of guitar. The guitar starts to slide around like the synth, but not in unison. This song is good, I'd love to listen to it in a car at night.

The slide guitar and synth continue into the chorus this time, which repeats a couple of times and ends.

Sweet song, quite creepy and stuff. I was expecting it to get silly once I recognized that voice, but it was a great bit of music. For some reason, I like the fact it's got a really subdued feel to it... maybe I'm just in the right mood for it now. Definite keeper, medium wow factor.

9.4/10


_________________________

Anathema - Shroud Of Frost .. doom metal (7:30)
Broken Social Scene - Cranley's Gonna Make It .. feel-good instrumental indie
Karnivool - Themata .. prog/technical nu-metal
Katatonia - Evidence .. catchy depressing rock
Modest Mouse - The World At Large .. ambient indie
Salmonella Dub - Problems .. dub

Bookmarked, I will try to do this later

midget stripper?

[B]Karnivool - Themata[/B]

The song starts up quick, with heavy guitars, and I think I hear a keyboard in there too. Soon it breaks into another section. There is a lot going on, but it doesn't sound too cluttered. The guitar leads really stand out, and it sounds pretty cool.

Next it comes to the verse, it is a lot softer but still holds the feel of the previous passage. The vocals are kind of disguised with under an effect. I like it, it's pretty catchy. Soon the actually vocals come in, he his voice reminds me of the singer for Dream Theater a little bit, but not near as bad.

The chorus comes in, it has kind of the standard epic prog feel to it. I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. I like the guitar riff, the chord progression is a little interesting, but other than that nothing really stands out to me.

After the second chorus they hold that last chord out and fade into an interlude. It's the same thing that was at the beginning of the first verse, which is cool, because I really like this part. Afterwards it breaks into a little keyboard lead, which leads into the next part of the verse.

The song then returns to the chorus, then ends with a series of riffs, all kind of centered around the same progression.

I really liked this song. It seemed a bit like too much like Dream Theater to me at some points, but there was one thing that really stood out, no wankery solos. This is the kind of prog metal that I could see myself listening to, I'll probably download a few more songs here pretty soon.

8/10

Dog Fashion Disco - [URL="http://media.putfile.com/11-100-Suicides"]100 Suicides[/URL] (Rock with a sense of humor?)
Dog Fashion Disco - [URL="http://media.putfile.com/03-Silent-Film"]Silent Film[/URL] (All over the place)
The Alter Boys - Boy in a Bubble (Pop/Rock)
Man Man - [URL="http://www.wearemanman.com/manman.html"]I, Manface[/URL] (Piano rockish)
Clutch - 10001110101 (Stoner Rock)
Cave In - Trepanning (Alt Metal)
Adrian Belew - [URL="http://www.murple.com/media/adrianbelew-incompetenceindifference.mp3"]Incompetence & Indifference[/URL] (Experimental Guitar Rock)

dibs

bhusmp

How about I add more songs for you guys to choose from.

Dibs.

I really like DFD's first album, so it'll be nice to hear something from one of their others.
[b]Dog Fashion Disco - 100 Suicides[/b] 3:53

Starts off with a couple of beeps, before launching into a nice, heavy riff. It's quite quick and pretty catchy, actually. Some whining synth comes into it just before everything steps back a bit to let the vocalist do his thing.

Lyrics seems to be typically weird DFD stuff, and thought it's gone a little quieter for the verse, the constant tap-tap beat from the drummer is keeping the thing moving along at a fair pace. That chorus is awesome. It's ridiculous how easy it would be for me to name this band correctly, if I didn't know who was playing - but that's a good thing. I love what they do. Quick switches in style and pitch and volume, and occasionally tempo, but with great lyrics and unrelenting catchiness.

That's it, really, I just can't say much more. Everything about this is catchy, the chorus is great (I'm practically laughing every time he leaps up to singing "I committed one [i]hundred[/i] suicides!").. the synth isn't annoying, the tempo of the whole thing is perfect.

10/10. Yeah, maybe this was cheating a bit - just a chance for me to catch up on more from a band I haven't listened to in ages. But God damn, I need more DFD.

[b]Songs;[/b]
Grand Magus - Summer Solstice (heavy metal/stoner rock)
Gomez - Get Miles (alt. rock? massively helpful as that will be)
Tyr - The Edge (viking/power metal)
Coliseum - Set It Straight (punk)
Mclusky - Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues (I don't know. Sound like the Pixies)
Alabama 3 - Up Above My Head (acid house-country-gospel)

More might come later.

Wow this is pretty cool ^_^
Im going to get dibs on a song eventually, not right now though.

24 hour-ish bump.

Gomez - Get Miles


A rhythmic fuzz is opening proceedings, followed by some reverby tribal percussion and bluesy wah'd guitars. That's interesting ey?

Shakers come join in, adds a laid back feel. The singer starts.. hard grainy blues voice, very prominent in the mix. He sounds a bit like the singer from Powderfinger, but much manlier in a chainsaw kind of way. So far, not really moving me much.. but we shall see. It's a really bluesy sound, much more blues than indie. He sings bout how he doesn't like sticking around in one place and how he's going to travel.

Drums are building up slowly slowly and subtly. More and more tom hits sneaking in there. Same verse thingy again, more of the same theme. The vocal harmony is a bit of a surprise, even if it last for just a few words.

About half way through, a piano starts having a slow jam, same with does a wah-enhanced guitar. Sounds like there could even be a synth in there as well, not sure what that is.

Verse thingo as before. Slow and plodding, not really exciting me much. After a bit the singing stops and the guitar and piano improv a bit while some other stuff like trombones happen. The drums drop off for a bit, then come back with more of the laid back rhythm. The song pretty much ends about here with a fade out.


These first listens didn't impress all that much, I found it to be a rather slow, go nowhere song. Perhaps that's intended as an irony for the lyrical theme. The 5 minutes seemed to take much longer than 5 minutes. Basically, it's mood music for a mood I'll never be in.
4/10

___________
Anathema - Shroud Of Frost .. doom metal
Ayreon - Day Three: Pain .. prog rock/metal
Bush - Swallowed .. grunge/pop
[url=http://www.clannzu.com/media/baddubh.mp3]Clann Zú - An Bád Dubh[/url] .. Celtic post-rock
Decoder Ring - Music Box .. like snow
Electric Light Orchestra - Yours Truly, 2095 .. 80's synth rock
Katatonia - Evidence .. catchy depressing rock
Midnight Oil - My Country .. aus rock
Seascapes Of The Interior - Moving .. 20 minute post-rock masterpiece
The National - Daughters Of The Soho Riots .. soft indie
Tommy Emmanuel - The Journey .. instrumental rock, cool guitaring

I'll take dibs on the Clann Zu. Sounds interesting.

I'm currently writing my English final right now, so I'll get to it this evening.

bump added the Clann Zu link

Alright, will listen in a few minutes.

(sorry for the double post, just how it happened)

[B]Clann Zu - An Bad Dubh[/B]

Begins with some nice acoustic guitar playing, before heading into some pitiful vocals. I really dislike the vocals, reminds me too much of Coldplay. It's a shame too, once the violin sets in, and the drums later on, there's some really good music to be heard here. Typical of the genre, this song starts off slowly, before building to a crescendo, and then dying back down. The violin parts near the end are incredibly well done.

It's a fairly short and simple song, not much to say about it. The guitar and violin were excellent, the rhythm did it's part, and the vocals really brought it all down. I enjoy Sigur Ros' vocals, but I just really couldn't like these. All in all, very good music, bad vocals. I'd highly recommend this to fans of Sigur Ros, as it's very close musically.

Overall: [B]7/10[/B]
The vocals just ruin an 8 or 9.

-----------------------
We Followed Tigers - Forest Skyline/Lost In It: Hard hitting Post Rock (Think Explosions In The Sky, but more aggresive) 4:50
Perunwit - Kumele Vineto: Folky Dark Ambient 4:13
In Flames - Lord Hypnos: Melodic Death Metal done right 4:02
Gandalf - Just A Heartbeat Away: New Age 6:46
Windir - Svartesmeden Og Lundamyrstrollet (The Blacksmith And The Troll Of Lundamyri): Viking Metal 9:01
Skyforger - Saullekts Par Sveto Mezu: Blackened Folk Metal 5:24
Nokturnal Mortum - Autumn Opposition: Melodic Blackened Folk Metal 9:55

If anyone needs help getting any of the songs, let me know.

I'll dibs

In Flames - Lord Hypnos
 

The songs intro is pretty catchy. Well done duo guitars, and catchy melody. The vocals are nothing better than decent IMO. He's better than most growling screamers, but I can't get very into his voice otherwise. During the chorus, I'm not a fan of the lead guitar part. It fits the song fine, but it turns me off. However, the short part after the chorus contains the catchy melody, which I like.

There's a lenghty segment at about the 1:30 mark, which lasts till about 3:00 (the bridge). It's pretty boring IMO. Nothing too special, just a few solid riffs, and some melodies. Then at 3:00 it goes back into the intro riff, which is still my favorite part of the song. The verse and chorus then repeat themselves, and the song diminishes with it's intro....

Overall the songs mediocre, [B]6/10[/B]. Melodic Death Metal is a lesser-liked style of mine, so I wasn't expecting this to get a much better rating anyways. My most favored part of the song was the intro, where there's that catchy melody. I liekd that :)


_________________

-Carcass: Pyosisified (Still Rotten To the Gore) - Gore Grind/Old School Death
-Vintersorg: Algol - Folk/Viking Metal w/ a little prog influence
-Mr. Bungle: Slowly Growing Deaf - Heavy Rock / Metal and Funk influences
-Captain Beefhart & His Magic Band: Yellow Brick Road - Classic Rock w/ a catchy feel
-Frank Zappa: Nanook Rubs It - Fusion/Classic Rock w/ a funny story
-Genesis: Firth of Filth - Awesome Classic Prog
-Skyclad: When God Logs Off - Folk Metal
-Einherjer: Conquerer - Folk/Viking Metal
-Tom Waits: Black Wings - Very Dark Creepy sounding song. Soft and Quiet

I'll dibs on the Mr. Bungle. I have the album with that song on my comp, but I've never listened to it.

[B]Mr. Bungle - Slowly Growing Deaf[/B]

Starts off with a pretty cool funky little into before heading into an atmospheric part with some decent singing over it. About a minute in some chugging palm mutes and drums come in, and the singing gets a bit better (Mike Patton correct?). The chorus (I'm assuming) is a bit underwhelming, just some decent synthy things over some chords. It gets funky after this, with a little of that Patton-esque weirdness rearing it's head 2:20 in, with a Nintendo-like interlude, and then the atmospheric part is played in the back of the chugs and vocals, and it is almost epic in sound. Very good part. A screechy solo and some chanted vocals arrive almost 3 minutes in. 4 minutes in the speed picks up a bit, and Patton starts screaming, just before it abruptly reverts back to the atmospheric bit from the beginning. It starts to get a bit jazzy at 5:00, with a short burst of noise 20 seconds later, then back to the jazz. At 6 minutes everything abruptly ends, and for the remainder of the 6:59 track, there's some sort of piggish noises and random talking.

Very Patton indeed. I can't say I'm his biggest fan, but I do enjoy his music occasionally. I prefer Faith No More over this band, going by this song, but I will probably give this one a listen sometime in the near future. [B]7/10[/B]

---------------
We Followed Tigers - Forest Skyline/Lost In It: Hard hitting Post Rock (Think Explosions In The Sky, but more aggresive) 4:50
Perunwit - Kumele Vineto: Folky Dark Ambient 4:13
Summoning - The Loud Music Of The Sky: Tolkienesque Symphonic, slightly Black Metal, greatness 6:47
Gandalf - Just A Heartbeat Away: New Age 6:46
Windir - Svartesmeden Og Lundamyrstrollet (The Blacksmith And The Troll Of Lundamyri): Viking Metal 9:01
Skyforger - Saullekts Par Sveto Mezu: Blackened Folk Metal 5:24
Nokturnal Mortum - Autumn Opposition: Melodic Blackened Folk Metal 9:55

Once again, if help is needed obtaining any of these, let me know.