Metal Reviews

Been trying to think and not coming up with much, as I'm not entirely sure what you mean - tried Suffocation's latest?

not fast enough, or at least not "my kind" of fast. i do enjoy the thrashy bits and personally i was very happy with the cleaner production.

i found a website http://technicaldeathmetal.com/ which has a ton of names to check out, i'll have to spend some time there, and also that Wormed band that got reviewed here a while ago (i'll try to get over the vocals).

Gorod came close with their thrashiness (plus awesome leads), that's something i enjoy, but it's a real beating that i'm looking for. Cryptopsy's latest, in its more fluid moments, is also there, the HoP i mentioned... i guess something a bit more exciting than just death/thrash, both in terms of technicality and brutality, but not venturing into mind-bending complexity. i don't get how bands like Spawn of Possession are considered brutal, neither the music nor the production take them in that direction.

apparently there's a genre called slam death metal which is more grooving than blasting, but it can be a bit slow, and reviews for that stuff are few and far between in the sites i frequent. like deathcore, its emergence was news to me and i'm not entirely sure what the genre is about.

and dude did you check out Sophicide? it's the shit.

Anybody heard of Cardinal Folly? I got their album Such Power is Dangerous last night off of iTunes after being told how awesome they are in a email from Shadow Kingdom Records. Anyway... I haven't given it a proper listen yet, but so far they sound awesome. Fans of Reverend Bizarre take note.

Rev Bizarre fan reporting in, duly noted, thanks Zad.

No worries, dude!

Sorry, just saw this! I did, and it was pretty good, going to have to hunt that album down...

I'm looking for Avant-Garde Folk.

Newer Peste Noire?

I just saw this, as I had forgotten about it. Cheers Kyle.

Besides Mayhem, Bal-Sagoth, Dimmu Borgir, and (to some extent) Behemoth, are there any other black metal bands anyone would recommend?

Ohh yes, hundreds. Assuming from your list that you're a newcomer to the mad world of Blek Metle, so let's get the basics sorted. The other Norwegians besides Mayhem are a must, so Emperor, Enslaved, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, Satyricon, Ulver, Arcturus should all be on your list to check out...

You seem to like more symphonic bm type stuff:

You might like Carach Angren, Anorexia Nervosa, Odium (Nor), Limbonic Art, A forest of Stars, Obsidian Gate, and Ceremonial Castings.

Oh and completely for Akhenaton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3SycJyPvr0

Maybe a bit more ambient/dungeon synth but very similar to mid-era Bal-Sagoth. Better in my opinion, Adipocere records has a lot of great forgotten symphonic bm.

Thanks guys and yeah I'm a little new to Black Metal although I have to ask are there any bands/albums from good bands that I should avoid?

Burzum's keyboard albums are atrocious, the rest of the ones I mentioned all have something to recommend them, although some of Darkthrone's mid-period are a bit dull...

Can you name them specifically?

Well, the first four are excellent, Panzerfaust was the last truly classic album from them. Total Death and Goatlord are a bit dull, as is Ravishing Grimness. Then I think Plaguewielder is solid, as are Hate Them and Sardonic Wrath, but of their newer albums only Cult is Alive and Underground Resistance are really good, the others are patchy.

Alright, anything else to recommend?

Also if I'm getting into this, I'm going to need a bigger iPod XD

I am agreed with Zad on early Darkthrone being excellent (I'd start with Panzerfaust or A Blaze in the Northern Sky as they are a bit better produced than the other two).

Nickelback666 also has a number of good suggestions. A Limbonic Art track from Moon in the Scorpio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLp8OSd9CSw

I'll post a few more specific tracks from the melodic side of Norwegian black metal.

From Emperor's Nightside Eclipse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PvYoCVAgFg

Ulver's Bergtatt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFLUecKDzjQ

Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20ZDkA-rYIs

Enslaved's Vikingligr Veldi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLgt7FB_wWg

From there we could go to Eastern Europe and their folk/ambient inspired stuff like Drudkh or Negura Bunget (I'm a big fan of this style)

or the USA black metal stuff like Wolves in the Throne Room (I'd ask other people more into that style to give you recommendations.

Like who?