This week's metal post is Sonata Arctica! Only one more month for Monday Metal Treasures left and I'm finishing it off with grand finale songs. As for Sonata Arctica, I tend to forget how loved/hated they are around here but here is one of my favourite songs from them.

At 12/4/11 01:37 PM, AniMetal wrote: How much was the show?

Roughly £23. Can't argue with the price at all if this was a special show as well as backing up with some of the better support acts I've seen.

At 12/4/11 04:46 PM, K2LU wrote: I can't listen to Cathedral because I find the vocals hilariously bad. Am I the only one who thinks so?

If all you've heard from them is Forest of Equilibrium, I would recommend checking out other records since the style of Lee Dorrian's vocals are much different to everything else. If you have heard The Ethereal Mirror, The Carnival Bizarre and such, I suppose I can't help you out there. Despite the huge difference with Forest of Equilibrium compared to the rest of the discography (except for Soul Sacrifice EP), I do like the mystical atmosphere of the album.

At 12/4/11 11:18 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: But did anybody gave it a listen? If you did, how good is it? If you didn't, do you want to listen to it?

You know, I have never really given Nightwish a chance...

Symphony X - Twilight In Olympus poll.

Red Fang are really cool. Also, surprised anyone still listens to Sonata Arctica and Nightwish.

Both bands have a special place in my heart. haha

Lamb of God - Ghost Walking

First single off the upcoming Resolution Album.

At 12/5/11 01:47 PM, TheRipper00 wrote: Lamb of God - Ghost Walking

First single off the upcoming Resolution Album.

For some reason it won't load for me on the site. I know most people on here do not care for LoG but I am one who does and I'm looking forward to this CD.

The new lamb of god sounds tight.

beeN listeninG t0 bulb recently, would highly recommend cousin

At 12/5/11 12:33 PM, AniMetal wrote: Red Fang are really cool. Also, surprised anyone still listens to Sonata Arctica and Nightwish.

I still listen to all the bands I've acquired since my metal discoveries besides the crap ones. :P It does often happen that it'll be ages before I listen to band X again due to listening to other stuff.

At 12/6/11 04:51 AM, escobargames wrote: beeN listeninG t0 bulb recently, would highly recommend cousin

I don't think you've been asked to make an application for the Metal Hell. List ten metal bands you know and one of the horsemen will decide whether you fit the Hell or not.

At 12/4/11 08:38 PM, AniMetal wrote:

At 12/4/11 05:33 PM, CoCo wrote: Does anyone here listen to Threshold?

Yes, pretty awesome band. What about them?

Wanted to know what you guys think about them. Imo i prefer the albums with damian wilson, i love that guy's voice. His solo work is pretty cool too but it isn't metal

Scale The Summit playing live at Les Foufounes Électriques in Montreal on Novembre 9th 2011

I was there, it was absolutely amazing :)

Cynic, live the same night.

They also played great, and you can see me raising the horns at the beginning :)

Sorry for the double-post, I forgot to include this in my last post.

This is Chasse-Galerie, playing at the festival La Messe des Morts at Les Katacombes on Novermber 25th.

They are amazing and I really am looking forward to their future releases. They are very talented and will get more recognition in the black metal scene for sure.

Well, it's been a while. Mostly just coming in to say, HEY, I'M BACK! I've had a lot of shit go on in my life. Relationships are confusing as fuck. Well, it is (hopefully) all over now, and I should be here posting more often.

Note, got the new Vektor album. Kicks all kinds of ass. Also, the new Theocracy is another really kickass album. And the new Nightwish sucks ass. Even compared to the release prior to this one. I have never missed Tarja's vocals so much.

At 12/6/11 07:51 PM, Zodir wrote: Note, got the new Vektor album.

You know, I've actually written up my best/worst of 2011 for metal but then there's releases like these that might make me do last minute changes. The other album I've heard from them is pretty good so I hope I like this one better.

At 12/6/11 07:51 PM, Zodir wrote: Well, it's been a while. Mostly just coming in to say, HEY, I'M BACK! I've had a lot of shit go on in my life. Relationships are confusing as fuck. Well, it is (hopefully) all over now, and I should be here posting more often.

Note, got the new Vektor album. Kicks all kinds of ass. Also, the new Theocracy is another really kickass album. And the new Nightwish sucks ass. Even compared to the release prior to this one. I have never missed Tarja's vocals so much.

Was just listening to Outer Isolations and i have to agree with you Zodir i does kick all kind as ass and then some. I wish i had some money to buy the album but i spent all of it on grog for my 16th the other day.

At 12/7/11 12:58 PM, Bahamut wrote:

At 12/6/11 07:51 PM, Zodir wrote: Note, got the new Vektor album.

You know, I've actually written up my best/worst of 2011 for metal but then there's releases like these that might make me do last minute changes. The other album I've heard from them is pretty good so I hope I like this one better.

Hence why I wait till the end of January to do my list. It gives me time to catch up on all the releases that I have heard are amazing, but it is still fairly current. Also, this is just an idea (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before) but should we do like the official Metal Hell's top 10 albums of 2011? We could all vote, and then tally it up. Just a thought.

I must get the new Vektor album. I just got the Hunter and the new Ulver album.

Also, Twistex, I don't mean to be a pain, but have you listed your ten favorite metal bands?

I think I've come a long way from this

to this.

Bill is hell intent on me being on his label he wants to make and organise gigs, it's pretty far out. And I'm organising gigs in Perth city. I WANNA BE FAMOUS I WANNA MEET CLUTCH AND KYUSS I WANNA PLAY WITH WEEDEATER

At 12/7/11 08:06 PM, Zodir wrote: Hence why I wait till the end of January to do my list. It gives me time to catch up on all the releases that I have heard are amazing, but it is still fairly current.

I suppose doing it at that point helps but by then everyone will have moved on from top metal lists for the year. I'm tempted to post mine sooner than planned to see if it gets picked up on Twitter, Facebook or anywhere. I've seen Metal Blade posting a bunch of links praising some of their releases for the year.

Also, this is just an idea (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it before) but should we do like the official Metal Hell's top 10 albums of 2011? We could all vote, and then tally it up. Just a thought.

Love the idea but we have so little active users these days. :(

At 12/7/11 08:46 PM, J-Cobyz wrote: >Goes into Iron Maiden website
>Checks concert dates.
>No Honduras concert planned.
It seems like I will die waiting for Maiden to come.

They already had a world tour this year. They might do something next year but it may be until their next album when you'll get a chance to see them live.

At 12/6/11 07:18 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: They also played great, and you can see me raising the horns at the beginning :)

Was at this same tour as you, only without The Ocean and with two more Cynic tracks cause MA is awesome.

Anyway guys, straight from Symphony X:

"Here's what you do: vote for the four songs from each cd that you most want to see the band perform live (PLEASE only choose four, and please vote only once per cd). There's one poll/cd per day, so if you don't see a cd linked, it's because we haven't gotten to it yet.

Note: songs that receive the most votes are NOT guaranteed to end up on the band's setlist, this is just a way for the band to find out what you want to hear them perform in concert (that said, MJR has been surprised by some of the votes EVERY time we've done a setlist poll, and the results HAVE changed the band's actual setlist in the past, so be sure to vote for your favorites!).

Iconoclast Poll
Paradise Lost Poll
The Odyssey Poll
V: The New Mythology Suite Poll
Twilight in Olympus Poll
The Divine Wings of Tragedy Poll
The Damnation Game Poll
Symphony X (self-titled debut) Poll

The polls will remain open until midnight Pacific time on Friday 10 December; polls will be closed and deleted on Sunday 11 December, and top results will be announced on Monday 12 December."

Anyone who likes Symphony X, definitely vote on the albums you've checked out! This poll basically determines the changes that will be made to their setlist over the next year and a half!

Metallica - Whiplash

At 12/7/11 08:15 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: Also, Twistex, I don't mean to be a pain, but have you listed your ten favorite metal bands?

Yeah i did it about a week ago. Batman64 clarified it for me.

At 12/8/11 07:22 PM, twistex wrote: Yeah i did it about a week ago. Batman64 clarified it for me.

alrighty. just checkin'.

At 12/8/11 10:06 PM, Sense-Offender wrote:

At 12/8/11 07:22 PM, twistex wrote: Yeah i did it about a week ago. Batman64 clarified it for me.

alrighty. just checkin'.

No problem.

Hey guys. After browsing on some other metal forums, It's come to my attention Baroness is pretty disliked by most metal-heads. I don't understand why. I can understand saying they aren't metal (They obviously haven't listened to the First & Second EPs), but I don't get why they are called hipster metal (No hipster I've ever met knew of/liked them), or why so many people hate them. I personally love them, but hey, thats me.

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote: I don't get why they are called hipster metal (No hipster I've ever met knew of/liked them)

Speak to Oliver. He's a hipster that LOVES Baroness and Mastodon. :P

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

Manowar are often disliked but I still love most of their stuff. Rhapsody tend to get a fair amount of hate for being who they are but I love them for who they are.

At 12/6/11 12:37 PM, Bahamut wrote:
I don't think you've been asked to make an application for the Metal Hell. List ten metal bands you know and one of the horsemen will decide whether you fit the Hell or not.

1. Vesania
2. King Conquer
3. Cynic
4. Tesseract
5. Animals as Leaders
6. Forever Orion
7. Tool
8. Bulb
9. Poison the well
10. Entities

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote:

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

I love Morbid Angel, but the new album (Illud Divinum Insanus) is a fucking shame

At 12/9/11 12:27 PM, Bahamut wrote:

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote: I don't get why they are called hipster metal (No hipster I've ever met knew of/liked them)

Speak to Oliver. He's a hipster that LOVES Baroness and Mastodon. :P

Motherfucker I am the one who introduced him to Baroness, I liked them before Oliver thought they were cool, Mastodon too.

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote:

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

Pretty much all the metalcore bands I listen to.

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote: Hey guys. After browsing on some other metal forums, It's come to my attention Baroness is pretty disliked by most metal-heads. I don't understand why. I can understand saying they aren't metal (They obviously haven't listened to the First & Second EPs), but I don't get why they are called hipster metal (No hipster I've ever met knew of/liked them), or why so many people hate them. I personally love them, but hey, thats me.

I thought Baroness were liked by most metalheads, but it's true that I don't hang out with a lot of metalheads, so maybe my opinion of the community is kind of biaised by the Metal Hell :P

I still need to listen to Baroness though. Now that we are discussing them, might just be the best time to do so.

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

Are we talking just metal bands or anything?

Generally speaking, Melodic Death Metal and Symphonic Black Metal are not liked by the true metalheads, but are praised by the most Melodic, Symphonic and most accessible metal fans.

So I like bands like Nightrage, Abigail Williams, Children Of Bodom, Darkane, In Flames (early work, cause seriously, they cocksuck the corekids nowadays), Soilwork and Threat Signal. These bands are disliked by a particular brand of metalheads who are more sophisticated maybe... or elitist (couldn't find a better word, but I'm not using it in a negative way), but are praised by the more accessible metal genres.

Not that Melodic Death Metal cannot be sophisticated. It can actually. But the more melodic sound, less progressive, with simple structures, not too many time signature changes, not chaotic, with a clean sound, clean production seems to attract a diferent public.

At 12/9/11 06:03 PM, SomaGuye wrote:

At 12/9/11 12:27 PM, Bahamut wrote:

At 12/9/11 07:36 AM, Tobi wrote: I don't get why they are called hipster metal (No hipster I've ever met knew of/liked them)

Speak to Oliver. He's a hipster that LOVES Baroness and Mastodon. :P

Motherfucker I am the one who introduced him to Baroness, I liked them before Oliver thought they were cool, Mastodon too.

So you liked them before it was cool...

hipster...

At 12/9/11 09:10 PM, HeavenDuff wrote:

I still need to listen to Baroness though. Now that we are discussing them, might just be the best time to do so.

I can't reccomend any album/EP in particular. The earlier stuff is more agressive (First and Second EP), and the newer stuff, though being rock oriented, is still on par with their older stuff.

So, are there any bands most metalheads dislike that you do like?

Are we talking just metal bands or anything?

Anything, I guess.

sophisticated maybe...

Maybe not.

or elitist

There you go.

I find I seem to usually like an era/album of a band that most people dislike. People seem to dislike Mike DiSalvo era Cryptopsy, but I think its their best output. DiSlavo, way I see it, is a perfect example of being able to put brutal and core in the same sentence. I could be kinda biased, seeing as I never like Lord Worm as a vocalist (but he's one of the best lyricists ever). People also seem to hate Blaze Bayley era Iron Maiden, but I think they put out some really good material out with him (Clansman, Futureal, etc). People tend to isolate In the Absence of Truth from the Isis discography, but I like it the most. I think it has the most variety of any of their albums, not to mention some really good electronic moments. I needn't remind you guys of Chameleon by Helloween, but Bahamut will probably agree with me on this release.

Also, I fucking cringe at people who actually think Illud Divinum Insanus is techno/dance music. These probably throw hissy fits when people call metal screamo.