Topic: The Music Thread

No sign of a 2025 wrap-up but it doesn't look like I used it for music this year. Last year was apparently Christian music at the top. I'm not religious but I was experimenting with genres and some of it wasn't bad. It's actually quite uplifting.

Vernon Reid was just recently on Billy Corgans "the magnificent others" podcast. That's what led me to dig this track up. Haven't heard it in ages. Still a classic, with crazy good guitar work in it.

i will join this canadian music theme going on her and raise you Unleash the Archers with their excellent power metal music. Their albums Apex and Abyss is ***** wicked and Brittany Slays. Buy it on their bandcamp page and support music, instead of the awful S page.

@Skarasny ahhhh, a fellow metal head. Have you ever heard of these guys? The first video is a little punkier and upbeat in rhythm then 98% of their other stuff. The second one is all out heavy and rep's the majority of their discography. Although their newer stuff they get pretty elaborate with the arrangements. This is German metal at its finest.

@StitchJones Never heard of these guys, but I like it! I fall primarily on the prog metal side so I was immediately curious when you said their newer stuff had elaborate arrangements. Been listening to "Heimat" and I really like it so far. These guys will absolutely join a few other new discoveries in my "New S#!t" playlist, which I use to familiarise myself with new music. Thanks for the share!

@FuriousMachine HSB is really great man. They are from Germany. I discovered them down a youtube rabbit hole session maybe 4 years ago and by then they were already well established with many LP's to dive into. After that happened, I was spinning all their stuff for months getting caught up. Nothing like a rabbit hole discovery that is amazing and has 6+ LPs already out for you. They actually just released a brand new LP this past summer. They have 10 LP's since 2000

I wouldn't go as far as classifying their newer stuff as Prog metal. They are far from the likes of dream theatre in that regards. But in terms of bigger productions, they had a few albums that were pretty "concept album" in form. Maybe not super straight forward in telling stories like 2112 was to Rush, but definitively a broader scope then what I posted above and a some songs with either intros, or bridges/interludes that can be a bit orchestral, but without straight up string sections. Its hard to explain. I'll post a few here.

This instrumental is great, almost sounds pink floyd like, until the end/outtro

@StitchJones No, I wouldn't call it prog metal either (though the scope for that term is very broad, in my mind), but their newest album (which, granted, I've only been listening to a little) has many of the elements I like about prog: interesting arrangements and variations.

By the same token, I wouldn't call Snakes of Byzantium - one of this years biggest discoveries on the metal side for me - prog either, but it does tickle me the same way as prog does (and I actually discovered them on a list of last years top 50 prog albums, so someone clearly think they qualify).
They sound a bit similar to Gojira's "Magma" album, which is one of my all time favourites (despite me not being that much of a Gojira fan). And I say "they", but I think Snakes of Byzantium is pretty much a one-man project from Australia, as far as I know.

The band Raintime, which Heaven Shall Burn now share a space with on my aforementioned playlist, is more prog oriented, sounding a lot like Dream Theater with some growly vocals. They are also very new to me, but I'm liking a lot of what I'm hearing.

EDIT: I get a "video is unavailable" on the "The Sorrows of Victory", but I'll seek it out on Spotify later on

@GirlVersusGame apologies I didn't get back to you. I don't know how to do the wrap up on PC, but it is in a tab uo top on the app, though.

(I'll add this here despite it being from the other thread) I never expected screamo or Underøath to be mentioned on the forums, so this might amuse you 🙈

I'm also shocked beyond belief that My Chemical Romance didn't make my list, as their debut 'I brought you my bullets...' is probably my most go to album of all time. You may be familiar with it, and it is literally what i'm internally referencing when I was just baiting @FuriousMachine to add some raw, grainy emo to their listening diet 🖤 (do it, Furious, join us)

You seem to have taste that I approve of, and it surprised me a little, to be honest as I felt i'd be quite niche on here, haha. It reminds me I need to listen to more Placebo, too. It's been quite a while

@Ravix Placebo I like! And had completely forgotten about; it's been a while for me too. Will pick that up again

@FuriousMachine @Ravix @GirlVersusGame Have you guys/gals ever heard of this band "flaw"? They came up in the early 2000's along with the Nu-metal movement. They are a case of "amazing, high ceiling, short lived due to drama" Their 1st two LP's were produced by Dave Bottrill, who produced some early Tool and Mudvayne records. The singer is a bit of a nutcase, but i guess its for good reason. His mother commited suicide right in front of him with a firearm. I'll leave the details at that. This song is about that exp. The band broke up cause the singer was too nuts. He and some other players ended up releasing some LP's in the late 2010's and maybe a bit more recent. But they were very garage and not even close to the first 2 LP's. Ashame, cause those two albums were epic. The bass player is a beast. Very much like Ryan from mudvayne. Runs the fretboard ala Geddy Lee, rahter then just bottoming out deep with nothing but chuggy foundation.

@FuriousMachine Snakes of Byzantium..........thanks for posting. I'm digging this. Will explore more on youtube this eve. Remind me alot of HSB right up my alley

@StitchJones I know Flaw from Triple X if it's the same band. I picked up a lot of my Metal from soundtracks, labels like Roadrunner Records and Nuclear Blast went to great lengths to promote their roster on a lot of 2000's movies. Triple X is still one of my favorites, good luck finding Gavin Rosdale's Adrenaline on Spotify, they pulled that too. If it's the same band the track was called 'Get up Again', it's how I first discovered Queens of the Stone Age, maybe even Hatebreed but I think I heard Dope through the Fast and The Furious. Triple X was massive in Eastern Europe, every guy wanted to be Xander Cage but if you ask me they already looked like him.

I definitely liked it more for the music than parts of the story. Resident Evil was also a big one for music, Underworld, Spawn introduced me to Stabbing Westward, Judge Dredd introduced me to The Cure then I found that 'Dredd Song' never featured anywhere else, Batman Forever introduced me to The Devlins who I really like, then there was the DareDevil soundtrack and it started to flitter out after Punisher Warzone. Labels weren't seeing the return in soundtracks sold. It's probably one of my favorite eras in cinema just for the music, scores are great but Various Artists are like windows into so many other bands. I think I found Nick Cave through Batman Forever too.

Edit: I had a look. Dracula 2000 (for Pantera, System of a Down, Godhead, Static-X) I maybe had heard Godhead for the first time on Blair With 2, I'm sure Godsmack was The Mummy (the 'I stand alone' then I found 'voudo') that Pantera song is 'Avoid the Light', it's really good. I think I found Mudvayne through Ghostship or SAW, obviously The Crow was really important for more Cure, my introduction to Nine Inch Nails (Dead Souls) Swordfish for Paul Oakenfeld. There was also a movie called Fear with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon, the soundtrack had Bush and their song Machinehead made me think it was Machinehead so when I saw Machinehead live and didn't hear that song I went back and realized the mistake. Comedown was their other track on the movie. It's weird but almost every band I've ever heard came from hearing a soundtrack and grew from there to similar artists. Slipknot was probably Freddy Versus Jason, the same for DevilDriver, possibly InFlames because 'Trigger' was so good.

@GirlVersusGame Yes! Get up again is on their debut album. The same album called "through the eyes" has "whole" on it, the song i posted above. That album is so good. When I first heard these guys, I was blown away. Its ashame how it ended. Two LP's is squat. Esp when you have insane promise. This song here, payback is in a lot of soundtracks, played in a commercial even maybe. Alot of people know the opening bass line and guitar part. The one guitar player, with all the piercings in his face is actually a full time lawyer. He was even when he was in Flaw. I guess the singer being a nutcase had a short leash for the OG members. Esp when you have a job being a Lawyer to keep chugging with if you want to just quit the band. lol

@Ravix I'm not sure I have access to the phone App someone else set it up for me, but I will say I never expected anyone to ever know Underoath and especially 'They're only Chasing Safety'. When I listen to them it's like 'this is how you go deaf' but then another part of me has to push the volume up. So many Screamo bands get the screaming right but not always the technical mix, they do both.

Have you heard of Armor for Sleep? I'm being deliberately obscure because I'm sure no one has. I used to listen so much Screamo because it was so heavily promoted through social media. Most were kids trying to make it, even Linkin Park (not screamo) came on the scene by offering their music free. You even like Alkaline Trio, I'll butcher the names but Chidos comes to mind, Thursday, Senses Fail (you definitely know them) Saison, Hawthorne Heights was more Emo, Escape the Fate (Situations and the Guillotine song are great) I tried to get into The Used but it didn't hit, Amity Affliction are very good live (Chasing Ghosts and I Bring the Weather With Me being my favorite) I also still have (sometimes) a thing for Hollywood Undead but when you are older they seem a little poser-ish, I still like their first album. I'd say no good Screamo bands come to the UK anymore but Underoath are playing London on Sunday. I wasn't even sure if most of those bands made it outside of America, I had all of the CDs but that Underoath was definitely my favorite and I still don't know what they were singing about.

@GirlVersusGame @Ravix ‘Underoath’s’ ‘Define the Great Line’ and ‘Lost in the Sound of Separation’ are, to this day, two of the best sounding albums I’ve ever heard from a production standpoint, especially DtGL. Adam Dutkiewicz of ‘Killswitch Engage’ produced and I don’t know what dark magic they worked in the studio but it is truly a sound to behold.

Funnily enough, ‘Chiodos’ shares a producing connection with @StitchJones aforementioned David Bottrill but it’s hardly their best album. I’d throw ‘Anberlin’ in as a recommendation as well. ‘Feel Good Drag’ is a crowd pleaser and a good place to start. Y’all are speaking my language in here!

@Metonymy I still find it so odd that anyone knows Underoath. I think it's because where I was at the time, most Western music was unknown territory and Screamo was absolutely an unknown unless you spent a lot of time on social media and found a band and saw what similar ones people were listening to. My Parents called it 'noise' but I still listened. I never thought I'd see Anberlin mentioned either, most of these bands were just so obscure and no one I knew listened to them at all. I think the biggest surprise with a lot of those more obscure bands was years later finding out they were Christian, it made sense for Flyleaf, Skillet and a few others but it was subtle. Chevelle were too (if you know 'Jars' and 'Letter from a Thief') Thrice too and I think Blessthefall but I never got into them.

@Metonymy "Adam Dutkiewicz of ‘Killswitch Engage’ produced and I don’t know what dark magic they worked in the studio but it is truly a sound to behold."

adam is an amazing producer with an incredible ear for music production. He has produced albums for the likes of Shadows Fall, The devil wears prada, Unearth, All that remains, Parkway Drive, As i lay dying to name a few. There's some very important bands to the nu metal scene in there. He's a great guitar player as well.

"an ocean between us" by as i lay dying is one of my fave nu-metal albums and Adam produced. The studio sound was insane. Helps when their guitar tandem of Nick and Phil was sick.

The growl of the amplifiers on the guitars for that album as off the charts epic

Also I don't know what you call this actual part of the song (guitar riff maybe) from the three minute mark, absolutely amazing. Maybe solo, it's always stuck out.

@GirlVersusGame Thanks for posting that, escape the fate. Never heard of them. I like that song. Heavy and melodic mixed is whats appealing to me.

You want to hear some crazy good playing, check this out. Its CRAZY. good. lol

@FuriousMachine Have you heard their 'Loud Like Love' album, it sounds a little bit maturer in-terms of subject matter but it's up there with some of their earlier albums. I put off listening to it for years, I thought they'd sound so different and I'd assigned personal meaning to so many of their older songs like 'Every me and Every you' 'English Summer Rain' I think people naturally do that but I thought I wouldn't be able to relate to their newer music. I'd reach a kind of cut-off point where I like a band so much and then it feels like if I do listen to their modern work it might affect the nostalgia side.