Metal Reviews

I'm a little undecided. I liked his earlier stuff, and really liked A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors, but recently Malefic just isn't producing the goods. Subliminal Genocide was a album too far and had one good song. Though considering the rest the of the album sounds exactly the same, I should technically like it.

That basically applies to Xasthur's whole discography. He has a couple of good tunes that he keeps rereleasing with different names. The totally emo lyrical themes are also a big turnoff for me.

i only owe two albums with him;The Funeral of Being and
Telepathic with the deceased... haven't been listening to it for nearly two years... never managed to get into it... perhaps i will listen to The Funeral of Being some day again... but i wouldn't count on it. There's 100 other bm albums i'd rather listen to, Xasthur belongs on the dusty low-priority-shelf with bm, which have grown way too big.

Really? I've only heard one Xasthur album (I think it was a split with Nortt) and I thought it was really good. Which one am I talking about, I deleted it a while back b/c I told myself I needed to buy it.

Yeah, the split with Nortt is my favorite Xasthur (and I like the Nortt side too). Good material and just the right amount/combination of it from both of them to be interesting and worthy of repeated listenings (for me).

I can't really vote on this one though as I sit pretty much on the fence. I'm a bit inclined to say it's a mild hit, but to be honest I rarely listen to it and when I do, it's one of only about three releases... I am really interested in hearing what he's going to do on upcoming stuff though, as I read that he's looking to incorporate real drums and (I think it was) a cello...

-Tyrion

Hit.

I think what might be keeping some of you from liking it as much is the actually listening to specific songs. I found myself only liking one or two songs but not understanding why i didn't like the rest, like you Minitrude. Once i started listening to the albums as a whole as sort of a background, I fell in love with Xasthur.

Explains my take on Xasthur as well. I understand the criticisms but I don't buy it. Sure a lot of the songs blend together but those are the ones to let meander in the background while some tracks like "A Gate Through Bloodstained Mirrors" "Absymal Depths are Flooded" and "Prison of Mirrors" do stand out, at least to me.

xasthur isn't good.

I could never get into stuff like this and Leviathan, and I hate buying something just to make myself like it. It sounds no more special than any other Ambient-y BM out there to me.

Well, I almost always listen to albums in full, so that's not it. It's mostly, I think, that there are a lot of other things I like more and would rather listen to. With everything I really like, Xasthur just doesn't get much play time. It's been a long time since I really sat down with his albums and listened to each of them carefully. I don't force myself to like anything, but sometimes there are albums that just don't click right away. I'll try to make it a point to do that and come back to this thread in a few days.

-Tyrion

I wouldn't compare Xasthur with Leviathan. Xasthur is very minimalistic, and Leviathan has a lot of different riffs, like Mayhem.

Aye, Leviathan's stuff is generally a lot more musically interesting than Xasthur.

The newer Xasthur is cool, much easier to listen to than the older ones, which I don't have too much time for.

I don't think I have ever heard Leviathan. I;m such a noob.

Oh aye? I'll have to have another listen to L, then, has always lumped the two together for some reason. Blut Aus Nord is much better atmospherically, I think...

Xasthur is a hit, for the Nortt split, and Telepathic with the Deceased. Just get TWTD and youve pretty much bought all his albums already

The latest self-titled EP is also pretty good too.

And on the subject of Leviathan, while Xasthur is good, Leviathan absolutely blows Xasthur out of the water.

Yeah, I think everybody lumps Xasthur and Leviathan together because they are the two biggest bands in USBM. Leviathan is a lot more "metally" though, with a bit of Celtic Frost influence

Now wouldn't you say that? No, but really Leviathan is much more guitar oriented and musically valuable in essence than Xasthur.

Hit, but just for the older material. Xasthur has recently gotten rather.... lame. Too long and boring albums. You know, he should make an ambient album, that would really be somethink awesome.

Yes! that would be pretty cool......sort of like a more depressed Vinterriket is what i owuld expect lol