What are you listening to?

Thought that was an interesting pairing as soon as I saw the lineup lol. Bet it will be a fun show. Amon Amarths first few albums were incredible. They've kinda become the AC DC of the metal world though. Reliable, but these days their stuff is just kinda.....generic? I dunno. Its about as easy to recognize an AA song these days as ACDC. Still, I'd definitely enjoy seeing them live. They are known to put on one hell of a show.

King Gizzard is one of those bands I've known of forever, but never really got in to for some reason. Metal is funny that way. I listen to a ton of music. Constantly keeping up with new bands, releases etc. But there is just so much friggen variety in the metal scene, and soooooo many quality bands that it's pretty well impossible to get to em all. Still, it's fun to try!

This reminds me of the conversation we had last summer as we were getting our asses handed to us by that south wind on our way back in from offshore lol.
Ghost and Amon Amarth, two Swedish metal bands, are for me two bands that I should totally love on paper but I haven't spent any time listening to them. I wouldn't know a song from either band if I heard one.

And I totally hear you on the variety being so overwhelming. I find my metal tastes to be pretty specific and siloed and it takes the right timing and mood to break into a new band or sub-genre.

KGATLW got me with some of their more psychedelic stuff and I've since gone full on fan of pretty much everything they do, which is everything.

Here's to our next boat-based metal conversation. Hopefully it won't be in such a brutal environment. ;)

This series is required viewing for metal nerds:
 
Ghost and Amon Amarth, two Swedish metal bands, are for me two bands that I should totally love on paper but I haven't spent any time listening to them. I wouldn't know a song from either band if I heard one.

And I totally hear you on the variety being so overwhelming. I find my metal tastes to be pretty specific and siloed and it takes the right timing and mood to break into a new band or sub-genre.

KGATLW got me with some of their more psychedelic stuff and I've since gone full on fan of pretty much everything they do, which is everything.

Here's to our next boat-based metal conversation. Hopefully it won't be in such a brutal environment. ;)

This series is required viewing for metal nerds:



Amon Amarth is a fun band. Not how I would describe too many death metal bands. Basically Norse themed melodic death metal. Although many people call it "viking metal", there really isn't such a thing. It's death metal with themed lyrics. Their early stuff was much more interesting IMO. Great riffs and song structure, and quite punishing. Had a fair amount of that early Gothenburg sound that was such a driving force in death metal over there in the 90s/early 2000s. Over the years they shifted a bit and are much more accessible to the masses these days with cleaner vocals and production as well as the addition of choruses, which death metal definitely isnt known for. I find that shift to be a bit of a downward move, but their is still days I enjoy pumping my fists and singing along to viking themed stuff.

Raise your horns!




Ghost is just.... I don't know how or where to place them. To me, at least modern stuff, doesn't really fit into any metal category. IMO metal comes down to riffs, and I just don't hear many metal riffs in their newer stuff. Many people just call them metal because of their darker lyrical themes, but at this point I am totally ready to call them the kings of modern day stadium rock. People get so defensive and argue over what is and isn't metal, but to me not being metal isn't a bad thing. I think what they do is so fun, so unique, and so refreshing. Who cares if they're metal I say.

Anyway, I could talk music for hours...as you well know ;)


Definitely looking forward to our next on the water conversation, but ya, wouldn't mind if it was better conditions. Still, that was one of my more enjoyable days on the water last year. At least we finally had good Tuna fishing together! Imagine what we could have done if we had 6 of you and not those other people lol. God they were terrible. That day did give me the single best memory of the year when you yelled at the old guy to "Sit the fuck down!" Hahahaha God that was classic.
 
Amon Amarth is a fun band. Not how I would describe too many death metal bands. Basically Norse themed melodic death metal. Although many people call it "viking metal", there really isn't such a thing. It's death metal with themed lyrics. Their early stuff was much more interesting IMO. Great riffs and song structure, and quite punishing. Had a fair amount of that early Gothenburg sound that was such a driving force in death metal over there in the 90s/early 2000s. Over the years they shifted a bit and are much more accessible to the masses these days with cleaner vocals and production as well as the addition of choruses, which death metal definitely isnt known for. I find that shift to be a bit of a downward move, but their is still days I enjoy pumping my fists and singing along to viking themed stuff.

Raise your horns!




Ghost is just.... I don't know how or where to place them. To me, at least modern stuff, doesn't really fit into any metal category. IMO metal comes down to riffs, and I just don't hear many metal riffs in their newer stuff. Many people just call them metal because of their darker lyrical themes, but at this point I am totally ready to call them the kings of modern day stadium rock. People get so defensive and argue over what is and isn't metal, but to me not being metal isn't a bad thing. I think what they do is so fun, so unique, and so refreshing. Who cares if they're metal I say.

Anyway, I could talk music for hours...as you well know ;)


Definitely looking forward to our next on the water conversation, but ya, wouldn't mind if it was better conditions. Still, that was one of my more enjoyable days on the water last year. At least we finally had good Tuna fishing together! Imagine what we could have done if we had 6 of you and not those other people lol. God they were terrible. That day did give me the single best memory of the year when you yelled at the old guy to "Sit the fuck down!" Hahahaha God that was classic.

I'll have to listen to AA and Ghost and maybe check out that show at White River. There are few kinds of music that I don't love, and even then maybe I just haven't gotten around to appreciating them for what they are.

Speaking of Swedish/Gothenburg metal, one of my ski buddies from there has a new band DÖD (Do or Die). Martin's the vocalist but he also shreds guitar and bass. He was in Hostile Cell, Debbie Ray, and many other hard/metal bands over the years.


Haha those folks meant well but standing around like a deer in headlights doesn't work when you're trying to transform a troll stop into a bait stop! Sometimes the direct approach is the move.
 
I'll have to listen to AA and Ghost and maybe check out that show at White River. There are few kinds of music that I don't love, and even then maybe I just haven't gotten around to appreciating them for what they are.

Speaking of Swedish/Gothenburg metal, one of my ski buddies from there has a new band DÖD (Do or Die). Martin's the vocalist but he also shreds guitar and bass. He was in Hostile Cell, Debbie Ray, and many other hard/metal bands over the years.


Haha those folks meant well but standing around like a deer in headlights doesn't work when you're trying to transform a troll stop into a bait stop! Sometimes the direct approach is the move.



Just listened to that track. I dig your friends vocals. Great voice for that kind of trad style, especially enjoy his lower/almost growly style at the beginning. I've been listening to a bit more trad and power metal this year, something I haven't done a ton of in quite a while. But then I also tend to go in streaks and wander around at times within the broad genre.

This last year or so I've been listening to a ton of doom and atmospheric/melodic black metal. There's just something about good doom that speaks to me. Those often painfully slow riffs that build in intensity just hooks me and sucks me in. Especially enjoy both those sub genres during our gloomier winter months. As the weather starts turning I tend to find myself spinning more thrash, death metal, folk and other fast, more upbeat stuff.

This last year Ive been pretty obsessed with the latest Monolord and Conan albums







If someone reallllllly wants to dedicate some time to some truly epic, insanely slow, high quality doom then local band Bell Witch released a new album not long ago. It's soooooo good, but sooooooo long and just a single song. But man if you lay down in a dark room on a stormy night and listen to this album start to finish its quite the experience


 
Speaking of Monolord.... and slow, and fast, and all the things...
Have you heard of "Slower"? Bob Balch from Fu Manchu (one of my favorite guitarists and the best teacher I've ever had... for the one lesson I've taken in the past 15 years), the drummer from Monolord, and a bunch of other heavy hitters taking Slayer songs and slowing them down.
Slayer's one of my favorites (up to Seasons in the Abyss, and then I kind of moved on) and Fu Manchu/Bob is a badass as are the rest of the folks involved, so this should be pretty cool.
 
Speaking of Monolord.... and slow, and fast, and all the things...
Have you heard of "Slower"? Bob Balch from Fu Manchu (one of my favorite guitarists and the best teacher I've ever had... for the one lesson I've taken in the past 15 years), the drummer from Monolord, and a bunch of other heavy hitters taking Slayer songs and slowing them down.
Slayer's one of my favorites (up to Seasons in the Abyss, and then I kind of moved on) and Fu Manchu/Bob is a badass as are the rest of the folks involved, so this should be pretty cool.


I've never heard of this but will definitely be checking it out!

I have a funny relationship with Slayer. I enjoy much of their work, at least for the first half of their career, but they've never been a band I spend much time listening to or obsessing over the way some do. Arguably as influential on the metal scene as Black Sabbath, (ok, maybe not quite but you can hear Slayer riffs in sooooooo many different songs and not just thrash), they've had one hell of a career, but when it comes to thrash there are just other bands I've always turned to first. Still, Im definitely interested in checking out some Slayer played by some heavy hitting doom masters. That could be super interesting.
 
I have a funny relationship with Slayer. I enjoy much of their work, at least for the first half of their career, but they've never been a band I spend much time listening to or obsessing over the way some do. Arguably as influential on the metal scene as Black Sabbath, (ok, maybe not quite but you can hear Slayer riffs in sooooooo many different songs and not just thrash), they've had one hell of a career, but when it comes to thrash there are just other bands I've always turned to first. Still, Im definitely interested in checking out some Slayer played by some heavy hitting doom masters. That could be super interesting.
That's funny you say that. I just can't sit down and listen to a Slayer album but man, one of my favorite metal shows had them in it (PDX Rockfest somewhere in 98-2000...can't remember). Probably the last time I really enjoyed myself in a mosh pit.
 
I've got a pretty interesting play list...
First this:
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Then this:
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Heard these guys on streaming going across I-90. Had to find a version that is listenable. Apparently they're popular in England

 
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