Metal Reviews

i haven't heard a new album since like 2009. seriously. the single exception is Protest The Hero's latest, because come on, they rule. Kamelot are one my favourites and i haven't even bothered with the 2 latest albums. barely heard Death Magnetic and World Painted Blood. Black Dahlia Murder, Misery Index... all stuff that i was crazy about and haven't bothered with. barely ever read the new reviews here. don't participate in the Lich Lords section any more.

some of my favourite albums (namely from Kamelot and PTH) took a while to click but i got there. now i check out a few songs on youtube but never give them enough attention, can't bother to let it settle.

in 2010 my ipod broke so that can't have helped, and my computer speakers went to shit.

every now and then i'd make a CD to put in my car, but the most recent (for me, i mean, as in when i heard it) metal song in any of the compilations is from 2009 or 2010. everything else just gets lost. i still listen to metal almost (almost.. for shame!) every day, but it's always one of maybe 100 songs, and that list hasn't changed in ages.

what is it? is there so much stuff out there now that i can't even bother? is it such a hassle to listen with computer+headphones? is it because there is so much djent and tech-death stop-start no-flow no-riff metal that i can't stand and everything sounds the same? metal, new metal, used to make me so fucking happy and i really miss that. i want that feeling back.

what can i do?

I feel the same sometimes.

My suggestion is look into the past for new bands.

I never used to like Motorhead or clean vocalled Paradise Lost but have been really enjoying both.

The other thing is to Youtube random tracks. I've done this with things like Pig Destroyer and now Book Burner is my next priority CD purchase.

I buy Terrorizer magazine purely for new ideas. Most of the stuff is pretty crap but occassionally something shines bright and a new fave is discovered.

it's just that youtube is not how i found any of my favourite bands.

looking back i can't even remember why exactly i fell in love with Kamelot's Karma/Epica/Black Halo albums. i remember putting them on and thinking "meh", don't know how i came to like them so much.

i used to sit down with an album that i bought and listen to it while reading the lyrics. haven't bought an album in ages either (and if i do it'll be through itunes).

maybe music has also changed. i think that to "get" a lot of the new stuff you really need to pay attention. it won't click until you stop everything and LISTEN.

Totally agree on having to listen to an album.

I usually put on new albums when I'm doing something mindless like ironing clothes or instead of watching television or having a long breakfast on the weekend.

It takes me anywhere up to a dozen plays to "get into" an album even for faves ala Iron Maiden or Megadeth. I have to find the bits I like!


I don't think music brought via iTunes (or downloaded via Torrents) inspires the same level of excitement as a physical CD either.

Oh and another idea.

I like to watch music DVDs whilst munching on toast on weekends. As such breakfast takes 1-2 hours.

Best sort of music DVDs are compilations ala Monsters of Metal DVDs which feature 50-60 clips from large varieties of bands.

Great way to sample music and also enjoy music in a relaxing manner.

yeah, mindless helps. if you're like on the internets you're still focusing too much on reading or writing or whatever you're doing there.

i'm moving soon at the end of the month, thinking of getting decent external speakers then. 2 hour breakfasts don't think i can do it lol, but music videos do help you hang on to a song even if you're not liking everything you hear.

a CD doesn't create more excitement for me, simply more commitment. you're going to listen to the damn thing until you GET IT, even if you end up hating it, you want to make sure you understand the music.

musically, i'll start by checking out recent thrash and death/thrash releases with good reviews, plus fast paced melodeath stuff. i have to accept that most of this tech death stuff that's so in right now just isn't for me.

Question: do you need suggestions for a routine or do you think if you got recommendations on great albums it would help the process of getting into newer music, as in letting other people sift through the garbage to get to the gems?

I really can't imagine getting into music I do without my mp3 player, but also I don't know if music would fill the same crucial role in my daily routine if I was tethered to headphones; I simply don't sit on the computer for long periods anymore unless I'm writing.

fortunately the website already sorts through metal for me. it's more of a routine problem. with speakers pretty much gone and the ipod dead, new music left my routine (on the other hand, i started reading much more, so there's that - most of my reading is on the train).

you could always tune in to metal radio stations, they tend to play a mix of old and new stuff and particular shows will tell you the song and band for most of what they play, if not during the show the playlists usually go up on the website, Brutal Existance Radio tend to have more quality most of the time and spend more time on underground bands which is pretty cool

In terms of listening to metal, I am going through exactly the same thing and since around the same time. In fact I was thinking about posting about it. But now that you did, I feel I' m not alone. Honestly, in my case, I feel it's more because subconsciously, my mind is distracted by a lot of things.

maybe it's an indian thing

I have started listening to older albums that I have and still enjoy. Taking a break from trying to listen to newer stuff. Maybe it will help.

Seems like I always am checking out a new record or something I may have missed out on in the past or come back to something I only heard once and I get into, plus new releases that come out all the time.