Now Playing Thread

[PH]

Huis - Neither In Heaven

Really curious!! I enjoyed their first album very much!

[Bupie]

NP  Take That:  Back For Good 

Take that, guys

- Nicky

I really like this song, actually !

NP Jackson Browne - Running On Empty

Good to have you back, Steve. Where have you been these last few years ? Did Selene took you to her Underworld ?

[Steve Jones]

Good to have you back, Steve. Where have you been these last few years ? Did Selene took you to her Underworld ?

I've been building my Take That shrine.  All that gold leaf takes a lot longer than you think


The Cars - Panorama.
Never did own this one on CD, recently went straight from vinyl to download!

[PH]

Now listening to:
Symphony X - "Underworld"
Nice.

Also listened to:
Asia - "Asia"
...and...
Toy Matinee - "Toy Matinee"

Both very poppy but enjoyable.

[Teunis]

Really curious!! I enjoyed their first album very much!

Heard it on Spotify, will buy it when it's released officially in May. Nice album!

jp: Circus Maximus - Havoc
np: Fischer-Z - This Is My Universe

[Nicky007]

I've been building my Take That shrine.  All that gold leaf takes a lot longer than you think

So Jonesey, you can choose betwixt Céline and Take That. What's it gonna be

The story is ... ... that after a super Royal Hunt concert a couple'o weeks ago, my music pal LJ and I wanted to round off with a beer. So we walked down the road, and just across was a cozy lookin pub. Was a nice room down below, with living lights and light music, where we took our generous glasses of Blue Chimay. We had the room for ourselves. They played better music than usual at these sorta places. And then a mellifluous and surprisingly complex song oozes outta the music set, which I can recognise but donno what it is, and LJ tells me: It's Take That. So I check'm out later. That was my TT-caper

RH are still real good, but have stagnated somewhat. DC is super tho, both as a singer and performer

Their best period I'd say is around Collision Course - if anyone is just the slightest interested

I harbor the suspicion that André is so eager to create music adapted to DC's singing style that he forgets his own cutting edge. The first RH-album with DC back, Show Me How To Live, was a catastrophe, but luckily it's gotten a lot better since then.

Hey Jonesey, leave the kiddie rock to the kids, you gotta be upfront with me listenin to cutting edge stuff: Once again, what's the talk of Metaltown these days, is Wintersun's Time I, Time II should be on its way. Take this

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMbFu457jGs

Spectacular would be the right word!

And here we can see Master Jari in action:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2p9PsVD9Ho


All That Remains is what I'm into these days, got their For We Are Many, Overcome, and This Darkened Heart, and just got their latest, The Order of Things, metalcore from Boston, super stuff:

NP  ATR:  Order

- Nicky

[Teunis]

Dream Theater - The Astonishing

[Teunis]

jp: Huis - Neither In Heaven
np: X-Panda - Flights Of Fancy (looking forward to the new album, to be released later this year!)

[Teunis]

pp: Subsignal - The Beacons Of Somewhere Sometime
jp: Cosmograf - The Man Left In Space
np: Fischer Z - Word Salad (preparing for the gig in four weeks )

[Teunis]

pp: Muse - The 2nd Law
jp: Neal Morse Band - The Grand Experiment
np: Huis - Neither In Heaven

[Teunis]

Ayreon - The Human Equation

Looking forward to the live version on DVD, to be released on 17th June. (and Blu-ray, if you are able to play it ) More info here.

[Steve Jones]

we took our generous glasses of Blue Chimay. We had the room for ourselves. They played better music than usual at these sorta places. And then a mellifluous and surprisingly complex song oozes outta the music set, which I can recognise but donno what it is, and LJ tells me: It's Take That. So I check'm out later. That was my TT-caper

A timely warning, Mr Brown.  I shall certainly steer clear of Blue Chimay from this point on

Once again, what's the talk of Metaltown these days, is Wintersun's Time I, Time II should be on its way. Take this

I've got Time I, enjoyed it enough to go back to get the eponymous "Wintersun" and will no doubt get Time II.  But at the moment I just rate them as another good metal band - perhaps they'll grow on me!


JP: Thieves' Kitchen The Water Road
NP: Wintersun - Wintersun

[Teunis]

Blind Ego - Numb
Toto - Toto XIV
Gazpacho - Molok

np: Radio Sympho Shop

[Nicky007]

A timely warning, Mr Brown.  I shall certainly steer clear of Blue Chimay from this point on

Rarely has a Blue Chimay tasted so good, some amazing synergy of Take That with Blue Chimay

It could also be the fulfilling Royal Hunt concert - and the lousy beer that they serve at Amager Bio

I've got Time I, enjoyed it enough to go back to get the eponymous "Wintersun" and will no doubt get Time II.  But at the moment I just rate them as another good metal band - perhaps they'll grow on me!

You could say "good metal" about "Wintersun", but Time is definitely extraordinary.

Jonesey, I'm curious: How do you find your way to these gems ? Do you take part in some music community apart from the Room ? Do you have friends irl who you share the good stuff with ? Do you read a lot of reviews ? Or do you just listen to a lotta music - critically ?

I think where I have my edge is that I read a lot about music. Don't really have friends who can give me much. Of course I listen to a lot and go for the best.

One recent excellent source is the monthly Sweden Rock Magazine, several dudes there who I can bank on, very informative articles and reviews.

Unfortunately the prog audience in Denmark lags behind that of Norway, Sweden and Finland. Maybe Danes are a bit smug ?

JP: Thieves' Kitchen The Water Road

Haven't heard about that band. What are they like ?

- Nicky

[Teunis]

jp: The Gentle Storm - The Diary ~ Storm Version
np: Redemption - The Art Of Loss

[Bupie]

NP Circus Maximus - Havoc

I feel very confident with this one 

[Teunis]

NP Circus Maximus - Havoc

I feel very confident with this one 

Great, but I was confident that you would like it .

Mystery - Delusion Rain

[Steve Jones]

Jonesey, I'm curious: How do you find your way to these gems ? Do you take part in some music community apart from the Room ? Do you have friends irl who you share the good stuff with ? Do you read a lot of reviews ? Or do you just listen to a lotta music - critically ?

I never read reviews and although I do pick up a lot of music from friends this doesn't normally cover the metal end of the market.  I usually just go digging for myself.  Names crop up on websites (e.g. Metal Hammer) and more specifically these days in those "you bought XXXX so you might like YYYY" sections of retail sites.  Not just Amazon, but also download sites such as 7digital, Qobuz, etc.  Then when I'm bored I go listen to online samples/videos or just take a chance and buy.

Also, keeping a keen eye on the catalogues of labels such as Inside Out, Nuclear Blast and K-Scope helps!

Haven't heard about that band. What are they like ?

Thieves' Kitchen are well away from the prog-metal end of the spectrum, a kind of jazzy prog to my ears.  Been hugely into them for a few years now and, even though I'm mainly in metal mode at the moment, I seem to be playing them a lot.  Sound quality on TK albums is generally first rate as well


NP Wintersun - Wintersun

Currently I like this more than Time I, especially the track "Death and the Healing".  I've been trying to figure why Time I doesn't move me as much, but all I can come up with is it sounds a little more Nightwishy to me, a little Disneyesque?  Not that I don't enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but in the month or so I've had them I've tended to listen to the first album more.

[Steve Jones]

NP Circus Maximus - Havoc

I think I need to get that one soonish

[Bupie]

I think I need to get that one soonish

I would recommend to get Nine first if you don't know it yet cause it's a classic that won't be nearly impossible to top.

And you can also check their live gig in Japan here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjgskpEkmUA

[Nicky007]

I usually just go digging for myself...

Yeah, I do that too

just take a chance and buy.

I only do that if I can get the cd for under 3 £ or so. Then I can always give away the cd if it doesn't do it for me.

... it sounds a little more Nightwishy to me, a little Disneyesque?  Not that I don't enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but in the month or so I've had them I've tended to listen to the first album more.

I fastened a thick metal plate over your "Nightwishy", printed "top-league" on it. "Disneyesque" isn't quite as bad, particularly as I know that you're taking the micky outta me

Yeah, donno what's wrong with you, but I might just have a Micky Finn that can sort ya out

Maybe you just gotta crank up the volume more. If you only hear the booms, that might explain the dumbassed "Nightwishy"washy

Iac you can't claim that Jari resembles any of NW's saloon metal babes

I was wondering whether you got Time I on my recom ? Or else, how did you get onto it ?

it's a classic that would be nearly impossible to top.

Apart from your negation, Bupie, which I corrected, you got it right - this time

Nine is fabulous, listened a lot to it


Shadows Fall:  The War Within

One of the most strenuous albums I've ever heard, harsh Boston metalcore. I bought it some years ago, and quit after a song or two. Now that I'm concentrating on metalcore, I remembered that I had some SF, and also that Phil Labonte - from All That Remains, one of my pantheon groups - had done the lead vocals on SF's first album.

If I hadn't fallen over a compliment to Brian Fair's lyrics, also mentioning that he holds a degree in literature, I would probably have left SF soon again. But now I did delve into his lyrics, and man, they're really good. Donno about the music yet, maybe it will fall into place a bit better too after some listens. Iac I ordered SF's latest album, Fire From The Sky ...

Anyone else here into metalcore ?

- Nicky

[Steve Jones]

"Disneyesque" isn't quite as bad, particularly as I know that you're taking the micky outta me

My apologies, that wasn't my intention there.


NP Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (2014 Steven Wilson Remix)

[Teunis]

jp: Katatonia - Dead End Kings
np: Leprous - The Congregation

[Bupie]

Apart from your negation, Bupie, which I corrected, you got it right - this time

Thanks for the correction, my mistake. It must be because I live in an upside-down world these days 

Anyone else here into metalcore ?

Do you really want an honest answer ? 

NP Some local (and a bit more than that) heroes to start the day ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA2P-0D2yds

[Nicky007]

My apologies, that wasn't my intention there.

Just kiddin, I don't take offense re music. I know what I like, and I no longer care what other people think about "my music". Most of what I consider best is very rare

More seriously, I can see what you mean with "Nightwishy": The pulse is the same, but while NW is cliché upon cliché, WS pushes the format to its utter limits. Note Jari's very esoteric lyrics too, Jonesey. Everything on Time I has been taken to extremes, but still, entirely cohesive. This is the way music should be: a complete devotion and sacrifice of the artist to his/her art

Do you really want an honest answer ? 

Admittedly metalcore is difficult to get into for melody-oriented people like us. What has surprised me most is that you find some of the deepest philosophical lyrics here. The music has its own conventions and aesthetics, which one can get used to and enjoy. Isn't that what being "proggie" is about: always being on the move and trying out new stuff, giving it a chance on its own terms ?

I live in an upside-down world these days

Hey, why are you standing on your head, Bupie ?


NP  Saxon:  Into The Labyrinth

Saxon is new to me. Not prog, but quite special and enjoyable moods. I got their latest Battering Ram too ...

- Nicky