Pagan's Mind are fucking sexy.

I only wish I could've seen them co-headlining with After Forever back in 2007, or opening for Stratovarius in 2009 - sadly both of these amazing tours were only 21+ shows around me. :/

At 3/26/12 02:12 PM, Zodir wrote: If you want to get into Dark Tranquility

I never got the hype around Dark Tranquility, there's absolutely nothing appealing about them to me besides a few sexy guitar riffs. Everything else about them is mih.

My brother is starting to really get into power metal (specifically bands like Thunderstone and HammerFall) and I want to know which albums I must show him outside of the classics (Helloween's Keeper albums, Gamma Ray's Land of the Free, and Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth).

Well, Gamma Ray's Somewhere Out In Space and pretty much EVERY Blind Guardian album. :P

Sanctuary, Agent Steel, Toxik, Anthrax, Overkill, Manilla Road, Savatage and Grave Digger are all good bands to look at. Even Megadeth could be shown to him, but mainly Rust In Peace.

Also Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon, Accept, early Def Leppard, early Raven and Diamond Head all must be shown to him eventually.

Queensryche, Skid Row, pre-00's Dream Theater, Whitesnake and Fates Warning(both Arch-era and Alder-era) are all good bands to check out as well. Not power metal, obviously, but with enough elements in common that I think it wouldn't too large of a leap to eventually get him into this stuff.

Now onto the actual power metal...

Stratovarius is a MUST. Every Stratovarius album up to and including Elements Part I is awesome with plenty of merit.

Other bands that are musts include Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, Angra, Royal Hunt, Firewind, Falconer, Lost Horizon, Manticora, Primal Fear, etc. are all great bands. Pagan's Mind and Voyager are great as well.

When it comes to the more symphonic stuff, this is obvious: Nightwish, Epica, After Forever - these three bands. Duh.

Symphony X and Nevermore are both recommendable. NEITHER are power metal, but are both fairly enjoyed by power metal fans despite being closer to progressive thrash metal.

Also, Pharaoh is fucking incredible - show him then one day.

And Manowar is also a MUST. You NEED to show him both Kings of Metal and Fighting The World, such classic albums.

if you need me to narrow down specific albums for you, let me know which bands and I will - I just didn't want to waste my time narrowing down my favorite albums for all these bands when it's easier for you to just tell me which bands you need narrowed down on.

Streetlight Manifesto - A Better Place, A Better Time

I am very happy right now, for Metal Archives has accepted my review for Images And Words. I'm very happy because this is one of my favorite albums of all time, but also because they had already accepted 18 reviews before mine, which makes it harder to get a new review published.

If you guys want to read it, and that would totally be appreciated here is a link for it :

Heaven Duff's review for Dream Theater - Images And Words

Please guys, give me your feedback on this and tell me what your own opinions on this album are.

Bahamut you should pick up Celestial Entrance by Pagan's Mind.

At 3/26/12 08:36 PM, CoCo wrote: Bahamut you should pick up Celestial Entrance by Pagan's Mind.

when i read that i read that as if spiderman was whispering that into bahamut's ear...
hahaha

At 3/26/12 02:02 PM, Viper50 wrote:

At 3/26/12 07:42 AM, Bahamut wrote: I'd be amazed if they could make an album I'd hate. :P They'll be like Blind Guardian and Slough Feg to me where after eight records they've still yet to write a bad album. Yes, I do like A Twist in the Myth very much.

weird thing is ive never really gotten around to listening to Blind Guardian that much...never understood why
i hear good stuff about em...

I'd say Imaginations from the Other Side is a good start. Nightfall is one of their most popular releases but it might be uneasy for those who are new to them since it's a 22 track album. Still, the main songs are what should be heard and the interludes are some of the very few that I can tolerate hearing and appreciate well.

although the ending to track 7 (i think it was track 7...) sounded a bit like the intro to track 3...
but still this is yet another great album by High On Fire :3

Indeed. Maybe not as good as Snakes for the Divine but I'm sure I'll eventually find more good stuff about this.

I was able to listen to Meshuggah's new album last night. Starts off extremely well but kinda dies down halfway but it does regain its greatness. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance is one song that's not escaping from my mind.

At 3/26/12 04:04 PM, AniMetal wrote: Pagan's Mind are fucking sexy.

That's it! I've been wanting to find the odd power metal band to look into more and embrace and I feel Pagan's Mind are the right ones to pick up soon.

Other bands that are musts include Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, Angra, Royal Hunt, Firewind, Falconer, Lost Horizon, Manticora, Primal Fear, etc. are all great bands. Pagan's Mind and Voyager are great as well.

Can't say I know Royal Hunt nor Manticora but I strongly agree with the majority of them. I have three albums from Falconer and all of them are excellent.

And Manowar is also a MUST. You NEED to show him both Kings of Metal and Fighting The World, such classic albums.

Eh, for my choice of Manowar album, it would be Battle Hymns. Kings of Metal is a fair gateway Manowar album but consistency issues might be off-putting. The flow of the album would have been a lot better if it was cut down to 7-8 tracks.

At 3/26/12 04:12 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: I am very happy right now, for Metal Archives has accepted my review for Images And Words. I'm very happy because this is one of my favorite albums of all time, but also because they had already accepted 18 reviews before mine, which makes it harder to get a new review published.

I'm glad they accepted your review. The way you mentioned everything about the album certainly made it worthy to be added to the site. I'll admit that I've been slacking off with reviews lately but it is hard when you overindulge yourself with music that you've needed a better exploration in for a long time (i.e. black metal, death metal and progressive rock). At this point I easily tell what's good and bad for power and traditional metal (and some doom metal) but everything else can be a blur to me and feel I need to hear more from those particular subgenres so I have a better idea on the music in general.

At 3/26/12 09:58 PM, Viper50 wrote:

At 3/26/12 08:36 PM, CoCo wrote: Bahamut you should pick up Celestial Entrance by Pagan's Mind.

when i read that i read that as if spiderman was whispering that into bahamut's ear...
hahaha

If Spiderman tells me to listen to Pagan's Mind, I'll do just that. I have listened to Celestial Entrance before but it's one I can go ahead and pick up.

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote: I'd say Imaginations from the Other Side is a good start. Nightfall is one of their most popular releases but it might be uneasy for those who are new to them since it's a 22 track album. Still, the main songs are what should be heard and the interludes are some of the very few that I can tolerate hearing and appreciate well.

Honestly, if I were to start someone off with one Blind Guardian album, it'd be A Night At The Opera or even the latest album, At The Edge of Time.

Anything pre-Nightfall is kind of thrashie and takes either already being used to Blind Guardian and/or already being used to thrash metal.

And Nightfall itself is hard to get into, i'd imagine, purely because of the vast number of interludes as well as the few mediocre tracks(Okay, one mediocre track, Nightfall itself)

That's it! I've been wanting to find the odd power metal band to look into more and embrace and I feel Pagan's Mind are the right ones to pick up soon.

Pagan's Mind are really good, even God's Equation and Heavenly Ecstasy which are generally disliked, are still good IMO.

Actually, i'd argue that God's Equation is the best album to start off with because it's their weakest. (While still being good, of course)

Eh, for my choice of Manowar album, it would be Battle Hymns.

Really? Honestly, I can't get into that album much. Fast Taker, Shell Shock and Manowar are all great songs but the rest of that album is totally forgettable in my opinion. Even the bass solo track isn't that special.

Kings of Metal is a fair gateway Manowar album but consistency issues might be off-putting. The flow of the album would have been a lot better if it was cut down to 7-8 tracks.

Eh, I suppose.

At 3/27/12 02:25 PM, AniMetal wrote: And Nightfall itself is hard to get into, i'd imagine, purely because of the vast number of interludes as well as the few mediocre tracks(Okay, one mediocre track, Nightfall itself)

Nightfall was my first Blind Guardian album and I really liked it right off the bat. I already knew I liked Power Metal though and the interludes just kind of fuzzed through my head because I wasn't paying them much attention.

As for mediocre tracks I wouldn't say it was as big a problem for me as it is for other albums. It's one of those things that when I come back too it different things stand out and become more appealing.

I thought Nightfall was an awesome track...

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote:

At 3/26/12 02:02 PM, Viper50 wrote:

At 3/26/12 07:42 AM, Bahamut wrote: I'd be amazed if they could make an album I'd hate. :P They'll be like Blind Guardian and Slough Feg to me where after eight records they've still yet to write a bad album. Yes, I do like A Twist in the Myth very much.

weird thing is ive never really gotten around to listening to Blind Guardian that much...never understood why
i hear good stuff about em...

I'd say Imaginations from the Other Side is a good start. Nightfall is one of their most popular releases but it might be uneasy for those who are new to them since it's a 22 track album. Still, the main songs are what should be heard and the interludes are some of the very few that I can tolerate hearing and appreciate well.

hmm...i'll look for imaginations from the other side then i'll go for nightfall

although the ending to track 7 (i think it was track 7...) sounded a bit like the intro to track 3...
but still this is yet another great album by High On Fire :3

Indeed. Maybe not as good as Snakes for the Divine but I'm sure I'll eventually find more good stuff about this.

I was able to listen to Meshuggah's new album last night. Starts off extremely well but kinda dies down halfway but it does regain its greatness. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance is one song that's not escaping from my mind.

i havent gotten around to listening to meshuggah's new album yet...not entirely sure why

At 3/26/12 09:58 PM, Viper50 wrote: when i read that i read that as if spiderman was whispering that into bahamut's ear...
hahaha

If Spiderman tells me to listen to Pagan's Mind, I'll do just that. I have listened to Celestial Entrance before but it's one I can go ahead and pick up.

Spiderman knows all and sees all. hes like Santa.
but instead of ya know...flying around in a sleigh he swings around like a crazy person in New York fighting people...

I got into Blind Guardian starting off with Imaginations From The Other Side and I think i'ts the perfect album to start off with. It's more straightforward than Nightfall.

what's up y'all, when was the last time i posted here? does anyone remember me? i see a lot of dudes on this page that i definitely remember

NG has changed in the year or two since i've been here last, when did this all happen

and more importantly, what the fuck is up? i may have been inactive as shit, but i remember all of you guys

Hey, Carl. It's been quite a while.

At 3/27/12 10:52 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: Hey, Carl. It's been quite a while.

And you man, take a listen to this, my band played a show on Saturday and we opened with this

http://soundcloud.com/troll-2/troll-covers-sleep-dragonaut

Also guys add me on Facefuck

Marshall Cooper

And my bands Facefuck:

Troll!

i wanna know what everyone's opinion on liturgy are, since they've recently been such a big issue in the metal world and all. i know it's sorta late 'cause aesthethica came out in 2011 but i'm still curious because as soon as i saw the furor the whole internet got into i thought of metal hell

also for one of my literature classes at university i wrote a ten page paper about marxism and black metal, which involves some stuff about liturgy

At 3/27/12 02:25 PM, AniMetal wrote:

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote: I'd say Imaginations from the Other Side is a good start. Nightfall is one of their most popular releases but it might be uneasy for those who are new to them since it's a 22 track album. Still, the main songs are what should be heard and the interludes are some of the very few that I can tolerate hearing and appreciate well.

Honestly, if I were to start someone off with one Blind Guardian album, it'd be A Night At The Opera or even the latest album, At The Edge of Time.

I dunno about A Night at the Opera. While I do enjoy it thoroughly, it can be a bit of an album to digest at first. Plus, the sound production wasn't one of the best for the band. As for At the Edge of Time, that one isn't a bad suggestion. It's got a mixture of thrash/speed metal tracks, it's got the power metal tracks, some ballads and some of their longest tracks to date. This album definitely has a lot and I still feel justified to calling it the best of metal for 2010.

Anything pre-Nightfall is kind of thrashie and takes either already being used to Blind Guardian and/or already being used to thrash metal.

I still stand by that Imaginations is a good starter album for Blind Guardian fans but hey, they could either check out that or At the Edge of Time. Then again, there aren't any bad Blind Guardian albums so they should be safe either way.

And Nightfall itself is hard to get into, i'd imagine, purely because of the vast number of interludes as well as the few mediocre tracks(Okay, one mediocre track, Nightfall itself)

What's odd is that interludes can be bothersome to me but Nightfall does it well. Maybe they're those that I do want to follow or maybe it just helps the pacing of the album. It would feel weird if Nightfall had you jumping from Into the Storm to the title track right after. Yeah, that's actually saying Lammoth has a point to the record.

Actually, i'd argue that God's Equation is the best album to start off with because it's their weakest. (While still being good, of course)

I remember you saying that before.

Eh, for my choice of Manowar album, it would be Battle Hymns.

Really? Honestly, I can't get into that album much. Fast Taker, Shell Shock and Manowar are all great songs but the rest of that album is totally forgettable in my opinion. Even the bass solo track isn't that special.

To me, it was Manowar at their most consistent and focused. Hail to England is another highlight for me. The rest of the albums felt like they had to play around somewhere without knowing what to really do. Having the whole of Battle Hymns played live apart from William's Tale is what made me happy to have seen them last year for the setlist, although they were piss poor with the rest of the show.

At 3/27/12 07:24 PM, Viper50 wrote:

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote: I was able to listen to Meshuggah's new album last night. Starts off extremely well but kinda dies down halfway but it does regain its greatness. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance is one song that's not escaping from my mind.

i havent gotten around to listening to meshuggah's new album yet...not entirely sure why

It's only been recently released so you have plenty of time to pick it up.

At 3/27/12 08:54 PM, CoCo wrote: I got into Blind Guardian starting off with Imaginations From The Other Side and I think i'ts the perfect album to start off with. It's more straightforward than Nightfall.

Spiderman calls Imaginations perfect. :P

At 3/27/12 09:26 PM, D3NTATUS wrote: what's up y'all, when was the last time i posted here? does anyone remember me? i see a lot of dudes on this page that i definitely remember

Now why would I forget you? The other cool guys who have left us aren't to be forgotten either.

NG has changed in the year or two since i've been here last, when did this all happen

More recent than you think. They only changed last month.

and more importantly, what the fuck is up? i may have been inactive as shit, but i remember all of you guys

The more I explore in metal the more I love it, simple as that. Live shows treated me well last year with seeing Slough Feg live but this year is looking a bit quiet. I'm hoping to see Manilla Road in June and forget that Jubilee nonsense.

At 3/28/12 05:59 AM, D3NTATUS wrote: i wanna know what everyone's opinion on liturgy are, since they've recently been such a big issue in the metal world and all. i know it's sorta late 'cause aesthethica came out in 2011 but i'm still curious because as soon as i saw the furor the whole internet got into i thought of metal hell

also for one of my literature classes at university i wrote a ten page paper about marxism and black metal, which involves some stuff about liturgy

Personally, my opinion on Liturgy is that the music sucks, ergo, I don't pay attention to any of his philosophical bull. I just wish all the furor would go away so no one would pay attention to a extraordinarily mediocre band.

sweet cover, Ponos.

So I know Behemoth aren't a favourable metal band at times. Music from what I heard is alright but I had to burst out laughing at some of the track titles. "Antichristian Phenomenon" "Christians to the Lions" Sounds like they're trying really hard to fit in.

From what I've heard, Behemoth's lyrics are quite good, and Nergal displays an extensive knowledge of mythology and different religions in them. They have above average lyrics I think, though some black metal clichés are also included.

At 3/29/12 08:48 AM, Bahamut wrote: So I know Behemoth aren't a favourable metal band at times. Music from what I heard is alright but I had to burst out laughing at some of the track titles. "Antichristian Phenomenon" "Christians to the Lions" Sounds like they're trying really hard to fit in.

They suck big time. Their music is as bland as Death Metal can get. If it wasn't for the wannabe blackened style of their music, they wouldn't have any kind of personnality. I'm huge on Death Metal, but these guys... they have absolutely no material that is memorable. And yes, they are trying real hard to fit in. They are not any better to me than all the other posers from Dimmu Borgir, Cradle Of Filth and all these Hot Topic Black or Blackened Death Metal bands...

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote: I'm glad they accepted your review. The way you mentioned everything about the album certainly made it worthy to be added to the site. I'll admit that I've been slacking off with reviews lately but it is hard when you overindulge yourself with music that you've needed a better exploration in for a long time (i.e. black metal, death metal and progressive rock). At this point I easily tell what's good and bad for power and traditional metal (and some doom metal) but everything else can be a blur to me and feel I need to hear more from those particular subgenres so I have a better idea on the music in general.

Thanks for acknowledging that I wrote a review, that's a start. I'm kind of dissapointed that nobody else from the Metal Hell said anything about my review.

What do you think of the content of my review?

At 3/27/12 02:25 PM, AniMetal wrote: And Nightfall itself is hard to get into, i'd imagine, purely because of the vast number of interludes as well as the few mediocre tracks(Okay, one mediocre track, Nightfall itself)

How is it hard to get into? Some of the tracks are amazing, and the chorus from Nightfall is pretty cool, dunno why you call it mediocre.

At 3/27/12 09:26 PM, D3NTATUS wrote: what's up y'all, when was the last time i posted here? does anyone remember me? i see a lot of dudes on this page that i definitely remember

NG has changed in the year or two since i've been here last, when did this all happen

and more importantly, what the fuck is up? i may have been inactive as shit, but i remember all of you guys

Mister Denta dropping in :) How is it going, brah ?

Digging deeper and deeper into more bands and more genres, thatâEUTMs what IâEUTMm doing !

At 3/29/12 10:12 AM, DeIirium wrote: From what I've heard, Behemoth's lyrics are quite good, and Nergal displays an extensive knowledge of mythology and different religions in them. They have above average lyrics I think, though some black metal clichÃf©s are also included.

Some clichés? :P

Maybe they have some knowledge, that still doesn't prevent them from being one of the worst bands I've heard in Metal so far...

hey HeavenDuff
was it you looking for Boris stuff?
because if it was i didnt get a response back from you about it...dont know if you already got it or what happened there...

At 3/28/12 06:28 AM, Bahamut wrote:

At 3/27/12 07:24 PM, Viper50 wrote:

At 3/27/12 08:50 AM, Bahamut wrote: I was able to listen to Meshuggah's new album last night. Starts off extremely well but kinda dies down halfway but it does regain its greatness. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance is one song that's not escaping from my mind.

i havent gotten around to listening to meshuggah's new album yet...not entirely sure why

It's only been recently released so you have plenty of time to pick it up.

hmm i'll go look for it when im able to to see if i can get it.
but before that i wanna listen to a few of the songs on youtube to see what i think of it

i would have responded earlier but me and 2 other people were destroying VicariousE's news post before he could change it. and we got over nearly 1000 comments on it in ONE DAY

Keep in mind I've heard only one Behemoth album and that's Thelema.6. It was on sale and if it turned out to suck, at least I can just tear it apart by reviewing it. :P Personally, I think there's some good stuff here, although there are some typical songs that will always escape my mind.

At 3/29/12 02:59 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: What do you think of the content of my review?

All I could think was maybe less emphasis on first term sense but I can understand a strong viewpoint from your own perspective.

At 3/27/12 02:25 PM, AniMetal wrote: And Nightfall itself is hard to get into, i'd imagine, purely because of the vast number of interludes as well as the few mediocre tracks(Okay, one mediocre track, Nightfall itself)

How is it hard to get into? Some of the tracks are amazing, and the chorus from Nightfall is pretty cool, dunno why you call it mediocre.

Again, dem interludes. Easy to make any album not a straight-forward listen and that's why Imaginations is more accessible.

At 3/29/12 09:56 PM, Viper50 wrote: but before that i wanna listen to a few of the songs on youtube to see what i think of it

Try I Am Colossus, The Demon's Name Is Surveillance and Swarm. Unfortunately, there's the odd one track with really bad snare drumming. Would have thought they'd carefully consider the outcome of the snare drums after the turnout for I.

At 3/30/12 08:51 AM, Bahamut wrote: Try I Am Colossus, The Demon's Name Is Surveillance and Swarm. Unfortunately, there's the odd one track with really bad snare drumming. Would have thought they'd carefully consider the outcome of the snare drums after the turnout for I.

hmm okay i'll check em out when i have time.

At 3/29/12 09:54 PM, Viper50 wrote: hey HeavenDuff
was it you looking for Boris stuff?
because if it was i didnt get a response back from you about it...dont know if you already got it or what happened there...

I don't remember what you told me. You said you had both but that one of those had a bad sound quality or something like this. If you could share the one that has good quality.

At 3/30/12 08:51 AM, Bahamut wrote:

At 3/29/12 02:59 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: What do you think of the content of my review?

All I could think was maybe less emphasis on first term sense but I can understand a strong viewpoint from your own perspective.

What do you mean by first term sense? IâEUTMm guessing that you are talking about my approach to the music which is really personal and emotive and that focuses far more on the simple idea of listening to the music rather than digging deep into the complex structure of it. Is that what you meant?

At 3/30/12 03:59 PM, HeavenDuff wrote:

At 3/29/12 09:54 PM, Viper50 wrote: hey HeavenDuff
was it you looking for Boris stuff?
because if it was i didnt get a response back from you about it...dont know if you already got it or what happened there...

I don't remember what you told me. You said you had both but that one of those had a bad sound quality or something like this. If you could share the one that has good quality.

(Flood)
its not so much it has bad quality...its just Part I likes to mess up all the time
the rest of it is fine
Amplifier Worship is also good

and if i give them to you i will not ask for much...
just a plaque made of solid gold with my name emblazoned across it in diamonds and below it saying
"^this guy is awesome :D"
hahaha

but i'll try to get them to you

At 3/30/12 04:18 PM, Viper50 wrote: (Flood)
its not so much it has bad quality...its just Part I likes to mess up all the time
the rest of it is fine
Amplifier Worship is also good

I will send you my hotmail adress then. You can dig around my last.fm page to see if you want anything you don't already have, just tell me :)

At 3/30/12 04:41 PM, HeavenDuff wrote: I will send you my hotmail adress then. You can dig around my last.fm page to see if you want anything you don't already have, just tell me :)

thanks
and will do :D

Flood is alright, but Amplifier Worship is sick.

Amplifier Worship is monumental. It was my first sludge record, my first drone-doom record, my first record by a Japanese band, the list goes on. I'll never remember how I came across it, but it changed my views on metal. I had never heard anything so slow, so fucking doom.

I know it's an overdone topic, but what is the superior Megadeth album? Rust in Peace or Peace Sells? Of course, the other albums are good (So Far.. is a gem), but these are the ones of most debate. It's hard for me to decide. The cleanliness of Rust in Peace is both it's greatest accomplice and enemy for me. Peace Sells just has that dirty thrash feeling that RiP lacks. But then again, the uniqueness is what makes RiP great.

At 3/30/12 07:10 PM, Tobi wrote: I know it's an overdone topic, but what is the superior Megadeth album? Rust in Peace or Peace Sells?

In my opinion, it's an unbreakable tie. They're both among my all time favorite thrash albums. I included them in my top 15 list a little while ago here.

Also, I can't get enough of the Melvins. Also, Stag, Stoner Witch, and Bootlicker are all better than Bullhead.

Melvins - Buck Owens