Buazag Bonesteel
07-03-2003, 10:54 AM
I've had some free time on my hands this morning and thought I would devote some of it to music :p
I would make a lousy critic.....I am nowhere near as good as some (like Elidroth and Eomer) at describing different bands and why I like or dislike them. I simply take all the various complexities of the sound and it makes a grand picture that either pleases me or doesn't.....I have a hard time pinpointing any particular part of it that makes or breaks a band for me.
That said....I love music. If I were to be stranded on an island somewhere then these are a few of the bands that I would want to have CD's of while I was there. By no means a complete list of my favorites.....but a small sampling of just some that I thought you all might enjoy checking out.
Superior (http://www.meet-superior.de)
Simply awesome and powerful music with a penchant for edgy, hard pounding bass guitar lines. I never listen to them without ending up feeling somewhat exhillarated. Unfortunately my favorite song (Tainted Silence) isn't offered as a clip. I would say that the best 2 that are would be "Why" and "Not With Me".
Pain of Salvation (http://www.painofsalvation.com/band.htm)
One of the most intelligent bands out there as far as meaningful lyrics go. My favorite disc of theirs so far....One Hour by the Concrete Lake. Definitely listen to "Inside". The whole song is on the site and it is one of my favorite songs period.
After Forever (http://www.afterforever.com/)
Dark operatic metal at it's finest. Female vocalist so if that isn't your thing you might not like it.....but I absolutely love the melodious power in their music. There are 3 clips available and I simply can't choose between them as to what's better.
Nevermore (http://www.nevermore.tv/soundfiles.html)
Warrel Dane ever since his early days in Sanctuary has had one of the most amazing voices in all of metal IMO. Very well written lyrics coupled with damn fine musicianship. "Garden of Grey", "Politics of Ecstasy", and "The River Dragon has Come" are some of the best songs on the site.
Theatre of Tragedy (http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/)
Again.....very operatic dark metal. They alternate between female vocals and a male death metal sound. They have changed a lot over the years and what you hear from them today is not much at all like what they started out as. As long as you keep an open mind about it I like everything they have done. My favorite disc will always be "Velvet Darkness They Fear" though.
Samael (http://on.to/UntilTheChaos)
I don't listen to much pure death metal....but when I am in the mood for it Samael is by far my favorite choice. Incredible musicians and true power behind their music as opposed to the indescriminate screaming a lot of those type of bands do. Granted I haven't listened to a very wide selection and maybe there are other death metal bands out there of the same calibre.....but all I know is I like these guys a lot. "Passage" is in my CD changer quite frequently as is the bonus CD by Xytras. Unfortunately I had trouble finding much out there on them that was still up and running and in english. This site has a few video clips but they aren't the best quality so they really don't do the band justice.
Psychotic Waltz (http://www.psychoticwaltz.com/PW/htmls/pwframeset.html)
One of the pioneering bands of the progressive metal movement. Unfortunately they broke up in 1997 but Dan Rock can still be found doing stuff on a project called Darkstar. Different sound and feel to it but still quite good. Of the clips available I really like "Timepiece" and "Haze One" These guys were doing prog metal before there was a name for it and continued doing it very well for a long time.
Fates Warning (http://www.fateswarning.com/media.htm)
Probably the most well known of all the bands I'm listing here at least in America. Sometimes compared to Dream Theater in style......I think they are actually rather different. They tend to like telling a story with their music. Two of there best efforts came with "No Exit" and " A Pleasant Shade of Grey". Both were basically one song that told a complete story. "Eye to Eye", "Damnation" and "Strand" are some of the best for these guys at least of the available clips. If you like Fates Warning then definitely check out the clips from Engine on the same site. Ray Alder is the vocalist for that as well. It was sort of a side project he picked up because he wanted to do some harder sounding edgier music as opposed to the somewhat more dramatically themed melodies of FW. "Monster" is the cooler song but "Fascination Street" is the better of the 3 recordingwise.
Nightwish (http://www.nightwish.com/)
Another female vocalist here. Playing almost any Nightwish song really loud is a sure way to really get your blood flowing. very powerful music. Of the stuff available "She is my Sin", "Dead Boy's Poem" and "Stargazers" are my favorites.
One thing that all these bands have in common is that I have never heard a song from any of them that I didn't like.
Anyway.....that is a small sample of what I like to listen to. Hopefully I will have introduced someone to a sound they hadn't heard before and they will discover new music that they like. Even if I haven't done that.....I just spent a good chunk of my morning devoted to music and that is never a bad thing.
/cheers
I would make a lousy critic.....I am nowhere near as good as some (like Elidroth and Eomer) at describing different bands and why I like or dislike them. I simply take all the various complexities of the sound and it makes a grand picture that either pleases me or doesn't.....I have a hard time pinpointing any particular part of it that makes or breaks a band for me.
That said....I love music. If I were to be stranded on an island somewhere then these are a few of the bands that I would want to have CD's of while I was there. By no means a complete list of my favorites.....but a small sampling of just some that I thought you all might enjoy checking out.
Superior (http://www.meet-superior.de)
Simply awesome and powerful music with a penchant for edgy, hard pounding bass guitar lines. I never listen to them without ending up feeling somewhat exhillarated. Unfortunately my favorite song (Tainted Silence) isn't offered as a clip. I would say that the best 2 that are would be "Why" and "Not With Me".
Pain of Salvation (http://www.painofsalvation.com/band.htm)
One of the most intelligent bands out there as far as meaningful lyrics go. My favorite disc of theirs so far....One Hour by the Concrete Lake. Definitely listen to "Inside". The whole song is on the site and it is one of my favorite songs period.
After Forever (http://www.afterforever.com/)
Dark operatic metal at it's finest. Female vocalist so if that isn't your thing you might not like it.....but I absolutely love the melodious power in their music. There are 3 clips available and I simply can't choose between them as to what's better.
Nevermore (http://www.nevermore.tv/soundfiles.html)
Warrel Dane ever since his early days in Sanctuary has had one of the most amazing voices in all of metal IMO. Very well written lyrics coupled with damn fine musicianship. "Garden of Grey", "Politics of Ecstasy", and "The River Dragon has Come" are some of the best songs on the site.
Theatre of Tragedy (http://www.theatreoftragedy.com/)
Again.....very operatic dark metal. They alternate between female vocals and a male death metal sound. They have changed a lot over the years and what you hear from them today is not much at all like what they started out as. As long as you keep an open mind about it I like everything they have done. My favorite disc will always be "Velvet Darkness They Fear" though.
Samael (http://on.to/UntilTheChaos)
I don't listen to much pure death metal....but when I am in the mood for it Samael is by far my favorite choice. Incredible musicians and true power behind their music as opposed to the indescriminate screaming a lot of those type of bands do. Granted I haven't listened to a very wide selection and maybe there are other death metal bands out there of the same calibre.....but all I know is I like these guys a lot. "Passage" is in my CD changer quite frequently as is the bonus CD by Xytras. Unfortunately I had trouble finding much out there on them that was still up and running and in english. This site has a few video clips but they aren't the best quality so they really don't do the band justice.
Psychotic Waltz (http://www.psychoticwaltz.com/PW/htmls/pwframeset.html)
One of the pioneering bands of the progressive metal movement. Unfortunately they broke up in 1997 but Dan Rock can still be found doing stuff on a project called Darkstar. Different sound and feel to it but still quite good. Of the clips available I really like "Timepiece" and "Haze One" These guys were doing prog metal before there was a name for it and continued doing it very well for a long time.
Fates Warning (http://www.fateswarning.com/media.htm)
Probably the most well known of all the bands I'm listing here at least in America. Sometimes compared to Dream Theater in style......I think they are actually rather different. They tend to like telling a story with their music. Two of there best efforts came with "No Exit" and " A Pleasant Shade of Grey". Both were basically one song that told a complete story. "Eye to Eye", "Damnation" and "Strand" are some of the best for these guys at least of the available clips. If you like Fates Warning then definitely check out the clips from Engine on the same site. Ray Alder is the vocalist for that as well. It was sort of a side project he picked up because he wanted to do some harder sounding edgier music as opposed to the somewhat more dramatically themed melodies of FW. "Monster" is the cooler song but "Fascination Street" is the better of the 3 recordingwise.
Nightwish (http://www.nightwish.com/)
Another female vocalist here. Playing almost any Nightwish song really loud is a sure way to really get your blood flowing. very powerful music. Of the stuff available "She is my Sin", "Dead Boy's Poem" and "Stargazers" are my favorites.
One thing that all these bands have in common is that I have never heard a song from any of them that I didn't like.
Anyway.....that is a small sample of what I like to listen to. Hopefully I will have introduced someone to a sound they hadn't heard before and they will discover new music that they like. Even if I haven't done that.....I just spent a good chunk of my morning devoted to music and that is never a bad thing.
/cheers