Metal/Hardcore/Grind/Crust people, what'r you into nowadays?

[palinilap]

Krallice - "S/T" and "Diminetional Bleedthrough"
Krallice is really amazing. It features crazy avant garde prog guitars Mick Barr and Colin Marston and they put a new smart spin on traditional Black Metal. The songs are long (average time is 10 minutes), all the musicianship is superbe, with dense fast picking guitars and bass, and driving yet complex drumming. The guitars and bass rarely are playing the same things yet it doesn't sound like a custerfuck. Mostly precise melodic playing with sparks of dissonace weaving in and out. It was recorded by Colin Marston and it sounds excellent. Very full and thick but not processed. It has a very natural and ambient feel. A nice mix a room sound and in your face close mic intensity. Highly recommended.

This rules! Good recommendation.

[digdoug]

Man I listen to heavy stuff every day. I think it's a shame that metal doesn't get much respect because people just see/hear superficial parts of it and write it off. You go to a "cool" record store and their indie rock section is huge and their metal section is tiny. Frustrating...

Stuff I've been jamming lately

New and active bands:

Boris - "Rock Dream", "Absolutigo", "Smile"
All those albums are very different. Absolutigo is an hour long droney sludge piece, that has really long stetchs of just feedback (no drums), super thick heavy slow guitar riffs and minimal usage of drums or vocals.
"Smile" is mix of pop, shoegaze, and avant garde.
"Rock Dream" is a live album that also features Merzbow on all the songs. He really does a great job collaborating with Boris. You also get a feel for a lot of Boris's catalog. This is probably my favorite album of theirs.

Krallice - "S/T" and "Diminetional Bleedthrough"
Krallice is really amazing. It features crazy avant garde prog guitars Mick Barr and Colin Marston and they put a new smart spin on traditional Black Metal. The songs are long (average time is 10 minutes), all the musicianship is superbe, with dense fast picking guitars and bass, and driving yet complex drumming. The guitars and bass rarely are playing the same things yet it doesn't sound like a custerfuck. Mostly precise melodic playing with sparks of dissonace weaving in and out. It was recorded by Colin Marston and it sounds excellent. Very full and thick but not processed. It has a very natural and ambient feel. A nice mix a room sound and in your face close mic intensity. Highly recommended.

Wolves In The Throne Room - "Black Cascade"
Again another really great and smart newer Black Metal band! They pay homage to the greats but still do their own thing. Recording quality sounds really good and this too also has a great mixture of ambience and in your face closeness. Whats cool about this band is they are eco friendly, taking themes that earlier Black Metal bands sang about a step further (you know, forests, mountains, wolves, the moon, etc).

I could go on, but I gotta get to work on my own bands stuff. About to mix a song that is my tribute to Napalm Death.

Damn, you have good taste. Krallice absolutely rule. I'd throw in Nadja's Radiance of Shadows plus Ashes Against the Grain by Agalloch and that'd make for a fine afternoon.

Recently I found a record, Return To Sodom, by an Israeli black metal band, Tsorer. Amazing.

Oh and Dillinger's Option Paralysis is in heavy rotation.

[sonocide6]

Thanks for starting this thread, Brains. It's cool to see that others here share my interest in these genres.

BTW I'm currently working on tracking for my band's upcoming full length, beginning to record scratch guitars for a pagan black metal album, and working on a mix for a black/thrash song that will eventually end up on a split 7" with Japanese black/thrash band Abigail.

Anybody want to share tips/tricks for the heavy metal recordist? I feel like this thread has gotten the attention of some experienced people!

[Recycled_Brains]

Boris - "Rock Dream", "Absolutigo", "Smile"
All those albums are very different. Absolutigo is an hour long droney sludge piece, that has really long stetchs of just feedback (no drums), super thick heavy slow guitar riffs and minimal usage of drums or vocals.
"Smile" is mix of pop, shoegaze, and avant garde.
"Rock Dream" is a live album that also features Merzbow on all the songs. He really does a great job collaborating with Boris. You also get a feel for a lot of Boris's catalog. This is probably my favorite album of theirs.

Love Boris. Smile is fantastic. That was my introduction to them. My initial reaction was "WTF!!??". haha. The recording is very unorthodox. I've since moved on to Pink, and Rainbow. Both are great as well. I love how seemlessly they go from sludgy drone to pop, and fuzz'd out punk rock. Saw them with Torche and Russian Circles @ the Williamsburg Music Hall a couple weeks ago. Incredible show. They really have their shit together, and the gear on stage... oh man. Space Echo, tons of boutique fuzz pedals, Orange and Sunn amps, double necked Richenbachers... Huge sound. Just like the records. They ended by playing the same riff for like 10 minutes. Had this unreal low-sub/octave thing happening in the guitars. So powerful. One of my favorite concert experiences.

I keep hearing about Krallice and WITTR. Def. added to my list of things to check out.

Def. check out Liturgy if you dig black metal.

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Anybody want to share tips/tricks for the heavy metal recordist?

i started a thread here

[ScottEvans]

I love KEN Mode, love the sound of their last 2 records -- really dark and roomy and real-sounding. (They just finished tracking a new record with Kurt Ballou, looking forward to that too.)

The new Early Graves record is bonkers. Sounds like it too. Recorded by Tim Green here in San Francisco. (and mastered pretty aggressively, I'd say)

I think Harvey Milk "A Small Turn of Human Kindness" might be my favorite-sounding (and favorite) record of the year. *Not* gnarly or heavy exactly, just big and slow and great sounding. Recorded by their drummer, Kyle Spence,who I'd like to see in Tape Op.

I loved that December record when it came out! Haven't listened in a while but I'm gonna go find it.

BTW, I've done a few interviews with heavy music guys lately for Tape Op; hoping to do some more...

[Recycled_Brains]

Ken Mode is great. My old band played with them @ this really weird basement show in the middle of fucking nowhere years ago. Fun times.

Checking out Krallice now... making me want to bust out my Bach inventions and start relearning them. Not really digging the vocals, but I've never found that to be Black Metal's strong suit. Funny how a lot of "diehards" talk shit about these guys on some metal forums that I browse.

[Palmer]

Recycled Brains thank you for starting this thread!
I've been sampling the bands and
today I bought the Christian Mistress record.
Thanks Capt. Tripsballsington it sounds awesome!

[trodden]

Black Breath - Heavy Breathing. Another Ballou recording. Catchy old-school deathmetal, meets hardcore. Def. lots of Swedish (Entombed) influence. Some almost "rock" parts. Simple, and well written songs that are evil as hell. Intense breakdowns. The kind that make you pump your fists, crank your stereo, and drive your car faster. Sounds incredible LOUD.

Kylesa - Static Tensions. In my top 5 of the past few years. Can't get enough of this album. Perfect blend of sludgy-as-fuck metal and psychadelic-errrr-ness. Vocals are top-notch (very reminiscent of Ian from Fugazi at times). 2 drummers. Excellent production. HUGE guitar sounds. Huge. Great use of effects. Going to see them in Oct. in MA. Can not wait.



Neurosis - Through Silver in Blood. Absolutely my favorite band right now. Just got around to getting this record (where the hell have I been?). Holy shitballs. Intense is an understatement. No band on the planet has their shit together as much as Neurosis. BY FAR the best concert experience of my life seeing them @ the Masonic Temple in BK a couple years ago. Can't think of another band that reaches inside of your soul like these guys. Haunting and brutal.



What say you!?

I love these records.

Through silver and blood is the reason why i got into recording music. What I heard come out of my speakers when i put that record on for the first time 15-16 years ago, blew my mind.

Black Breath lives here in seattle, i'm stoked to have another great local band along with so many others.. Akimbo being another.

Kylesa.. i think i have more kylesa shirts now than samhain shirts.. and that's a lot... seen that band so many billion times, got to share the stage with them a few times as welll.. Static Tensions is awesome. I wish i had a digital download though.

The newest Coalesce (another all time old favorite and old friends) stuff OXEP and OX is fucking amazing.

I just got into Portal... my girl is really open minded and tolerates a lot of stuff.. but whenever I crank Portal, it stresses her out... I love it.

[trodden]

Check out Deathspell Omega if you've not heard yet... mind warping psych black metal madness from France..

also, speaking of French black metal. Aosoth's newest full length, Ashes Of Angels is pretty freakin cool.

[Brett Siler]

Damn, you have good taste. Krallice absolutely rule. I'd throw in Nadja's Radiance of Shadows plus Ashes Against the Grain by Agalloch and that'd make for a fine afternoon.

Recently I found a record, Return To Sodom, by an Israeli black metal band, Tsorer. Amazing.

Oh and Dillinger's Option Paralysis is in heavy rotation.

ha Thanks man! I've been listening to that new Dillinger too. They are great. I remember when Calculating Infinity came out and then seeing them live. It blew my mind and changed the way I saw music. I think that Calculating Infinity is a real masterpiece, not just for metal but for music in general. The way they approach rhythm and harmony and on the complexity level of Stavinsky's Rite of Spring.

I can't believe I didn't put the new Converge "Axes To Fall" as an album I've been listening to! I got it last fall and it seems I listen to it at least once a week. Kurt Ballou really did and excellent job on the recording. That album is my new standard as fast as sound quality of modern heavy music goes. It sounds amazing but not over produced. Converge has always been great at finding that fine line of paying respect to the tradition of hardcore and metal, yet while still staying a set ahead and pushing it to creating new sound and music. Excellent excellent band and album.

I haven't even gotten to the older inactive bands I've been buying and listen to their albums yet, ha.

[Brett Siler]

Def. check out Liturgy if you dig black metal.

Dude... awesome! I gotta pick this up.

And I can't believe you don't like the sound of people singing that sound like demons puking. How unmetal of you, ha

[Recycled_Brains]

Man, you guys are GRIMM!

So much Black Metal in this thread.

Kylesa.. i think i have more kylesa shirts now than samhain shirts.. and that's a lot... seen that band so many billion times, got to share the stage with them a few times as welll.. Static Tensions is awesome. I wish i had a digital download though.

The newest Coalesce (another all time old favorite and old friends) stuff OXEP and OX is fucking amazing.

Get to see Kylesa (Finally!) next month. Beyond excited. I'm pretty sure my friends are all sick of me freaking out about that album! haha. There's a brand new song on their Myspace page. It's great. I like the direction they've been going.

I haven't gotten around to the new(er) Coalesce stuff yet. Not sure why. They're one of my favorites. They sort of come in and out of my life. I'll go long periods of time without listening to them, but it never gets old. I'm partial to 0:12 A Revolution... particularly. The newest LP reissue looks/sounds sick.

[trodden]

Man, you guys are GRIMM!

So much Black Metal in this thread.

Kylesa.. i think i have more kylesa shirts now than samhain shirts.. and that's a lot... seen that band so many billion times, got to share the stage with them a few times as welll.. Static Tensions is awesome. I wish i had a digital download though.

The newest Coalesce (another all time old favorite and old friends) stuff OXEP and OX is fucking amazing.

Get to see Kylesa (Finally!) next month. Beyond excited. I'm pretty sure my friends are all sick of me freaking out about that album! haha. There's a brand new song on their Myspace page. It's great. I like the direction they've been going.

I haven't gotten around to the new(er) Coalesce stuff yet. Not sure why. They're one of my favorites. They sort of come in and out of my life. I'll go long periods of time without listening to them, but it never gets old. I'm partial to 0:12 A Revolution... particularly. The newest LP reissue looks/sounds sick.

Duderkhan... being a fan, friend, and shared the stage with coalesce back in the day... totally love that band, but cereal, the new shit fucking kills... KILLS... my favorite stuff from them.. maybe cause i've listed to all the other records a billion times? who knows but you'll like it.

[Brett Siler]

Man, you guys are GRIMM!

So much Black Metal in this thread.

Can't help it I've been on a huge Black Metal kick ever since I read "Lords Of Choas".

I've also been re buying all of Death's discography on vinyl. I really love the stuff they did in the 90's. "Sounds of Perseverance" is an excellent excellent sounding metal album.

Replusion - Horrified has been on my turntable a lot too. I love them.