(Un)Official Metal Thread

[SRN]

There are going to be like a trio of albums, it is awesome.

[I AM THE YAN]

It annoys me how topics like "blink-182" can go above this.

[Douglas]

Currently listening to the "Dark Saga" album by Iced Earth. Old, but GOD.

Btw, thanks to whoever told me about "Imaginations from the Other Side" from Blind Guardian - That, along with "Nightfall in Middle Earth" has made Blind Guardian probably my top band - Also, Last.fm random radio is an AWESOME way to hear unknown bands with beastly sounds! AMAZING~!

[lari]

Currently listening to the "Dark Saga" album by Iced Earth. Old, but GOD.

Btw, thanks to whoever told me about "Imaginations from the Other Side" from Blind Guardian - That, along with "Nightfall in Middle Earth" has made Blind Guardian probably my top band - Also, Last.fm random radio is an AWESOME way to hear unknown bands with beastly sounds! AMAZING~!

That was me, I believe.

Blind Guardian sure put together the best parts of thrash, power, prog and classic metal when making Imaginations. A killer of an album, no filler whatsoever.

Here's how I'd rank their discography:

1. Imaginations from the Other Side

2. Nightfall in Middle Earth

- those top two are both pretty much perfect in their own ways

3. Somewhere Far Beyond

4. Tales from the Twilight World

- both a bit more uneven, but at moments reach the level of the top two albums

5. A Twist in the Myth

6. A Night at the Opera

- these most recent Guardian albums are missing a bit of the raw energy of the past

7. Follow the Blind

8. Battalions of Fear

- the first two albums - still good, but this is much more straight forward, almost a thrash/power hybrid. Very raw and unpolished. Still have awesome songs like Majesty and Valhalla.

Of the two live albums, I much prefer "Live" as opposed to Tokyo Tales.

[YI]

Guess this could go here. Thoughts on new Dream Theater? Really not a fan. They DON'T work as a 'heavy' band. I mean, they always had heavy aspects in the past, but the last two albums sound so forced, and everything that made Dream Theater great has basically gone to shit. I will say, the last song is pretty epic (at least until the vocals come in), it's the best on it, but still not a patch on what they used to be able to churn out.

Edited May 23, 2009 by YI

[DFF]

Guess this could go here. Thoughts on new Dream Theater? Really not a fan. They DON'T work as a 'heavy' band. I mean, they always had heavy aspects in the past, but the last two albums sound so forced, and everything that made Dream Theater great has basically gone to shit. I will say, the last song is pretty epic (at least until the vocals come in), it's the best on it, but still not a patch on what they used to be able to churn out.

I heard two of the songs on you tube. One was Right of Passage, can't remember the other. I quite liked them. One of them I really liked, the other was simply decent - I can't remember which. lol. I'll give a fuller opinion once I've got the album.

[Crybaby Bunting]

The weird thing is that I've only just got into Dream Theater... and the last two albums are immense. Maybe it's just because I started off with Systematic Chaos and am working backwards so I'm naturally going to like the first stuff... but I don't get how these albums regularly get picked as the shittiest albums by them.

If the new album sounds like their past two albums then It'll be great, if not then it'll persuade me to get into their older stuff.

Speaking of which, anyone got any reccomendations for Dream Theater albums?

Edited May 23, 2009 by The General

[YI]

"Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory", "A Change Of Seasons" and "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence", no doubts.

I quite liked "Octavarium" but, fuck, the last one was shit.

Edited May 23, 2009 by YI

[lari]

I don't like LaBrie's voice, and I've been off of prog metal lately anyway, so Dream Theater doesn't really do it for me anymore. But I do have a few of their CDs. Images & Words is probably my favourite, followed by Scenes From A Memory (Metropolis 2). I also have Awake and Inner Turbulence. I like it more when their songs actually make sense instead of being just completely random parts pasted one after another calling it a song.

[wolves]

A Change of Seasons is my favorite. That was the only album I tried to learn how to play in it's entirety. Though it was pretty hard considering I was using a four piece drum set and Portnoy uses a 20+ piece.

Also, if they play a live show near you, try to see it. They're fantastic live.

[Liam]

Guess this could go here. Thoughts on new Dream Theater? Really not a fan. They DON'T work as a 'heavy' band. I mean, they always had heavy aspects in the past, but the last two albums sound so forced, and everything that made Dream Theater great has basically gone to shit. I will say, the last song is pretty epic (at least until the vocals come in), it's the best on it, but still not a patch on what they used to be able to churn out.

They've kinda been going more metal since 'Train Of Thought'. I really don't keep up with them though, so even though I've got Octavarium, I don't really have much of an opinion on their newer direction.

The weird thing is that I've only just got into Dream Theater... and the last two albums are immense. Maybe it's just because I started off with Systematic Chaos and am working backwards so I'm naturally going to like the first stuff... but I don't get how these albums regularly get picked as the shittiest albums by them.

If the new album sounds like their past two albums then It'll be great, if not then it'll persuade me to get into their older stuff.

Speaking of which, anyone got any reccomendations for Dream Theater albums?

'Images and Words' is the one to go for, personally. Dream Theater are weird for me, that because they've been cheap to buy at points, I've got about 4 albums of theirs, even though I'm not really a huge fan. But yeah, 'Images And Words' is definitely the song to go for.

[SRN]

Meh, I have never been much of a Dream Theater fan. One of my friends friends is a major fan though.

On a very different note I am currently enjoying Devin Townsend's Ki. I do not know what to really think of yet though, it is very different from the stuff he did with Strapping, the band that initially got me interested in Townsend.

EDIT: Yeah, after the Trainfire track, I am officially obligated to like Ki. Man, what a fucking awesome track.

Edited May 26, 2009 by SRN O)))

[Robsturgh]

I think the problem with Dream Theater for some people is that each album only really has 2 or 3 standout tracks on them, and while these songs are absolutely amazing, some songs are just absolutely forgettable.

That being said, I do think Octavarium or Train of Thought is thier strongest offering, The former having:Octavarium, Never Enough, Panic Attack and I Walk Beside You on. While Train of Thought has two of the best songs ever written in Honor Thy Father and Endless Sacrifice, along with As I Am and In the Name of God.

Yeah, so to conclude, just get Train of Thought as an absolute must have, and pick up the others as and when you see fit.

[Skummy]

I'm only four tracks in, but so far Ki is great. I'm not a huge fan of Strapping, but I've long considered Devin to be one of the more interesting musicians in metal - and lord knows it's a genre that needs all the innovation it can get - and this is no exception. The only downside to his solo work is that he often tends to get a little quirky for the sake of being quirky, whereas so far Ki has managed to have a few disparate elements on there but flows a hell of a lot better than pretty much anything else I've heard by him. All good so far, might comment later if anything jumps out and grabs me as especially worth commenting on.

Oh, and Dream Theater can suck a dick

[SRN]

You know what? Skummy, I concur. Dream Theater CAN go suck a dick.

Wait till you get to Trainfire , Skummy, it is a great track. Happy rock'n'roll mixed with Devin strangeness is apparently a great combination.

[Liam]

Bought the new Old Man's Child and 1349 today. Just giving 1349 a spin, first taste of their stuff, and I likey.

[Skummy]

Okay, Trainfire's pretty bitching...the opening thirty seconds or so of that track pretty much justify Duris Maxwell being on this album, and Devin's Elvis voice is genius. So far the stand-out moment is probably Heaven Send, though, if only because it features the Devin Townsend trademark HEAVY METAL HORN SECTION.

[Farmer Reil]

You know how you ignore some bands, even though you "know" you'll like them? Like, you just assume that you'll like them and therefore don't bother to buy any of their stuff? Or is that just me?

Anyway, I did that with Amon Amarth for ages - I kept listening to Twilight of the Thundergods on Youtube for ages because I loved it, but I only recently got around to buying the album... fuck yes! Why did it take me so long? Even more excited for Bloodstock now.

So, next on the list of "bands I really should get around to one day...": Falchion.

[YI]

I think the problem with Dream Theater for some people is that each album only really has 2 or 3 standout tracks on them, and while these songs are absolutely amazing, some songs are just absolutely forgettable.

That being said, I do think Octavarium or Train of Thought is thier strongest offering, The former having:Octavarium, Never Enough, Panic Attack and I Walk Beside You on. While Train of Thought has two of the best songs ever written in Honor Thy Father and Endless Sacrifice, along with As I Am and In the Name of God.

Yeah, so to conclude, just get Train of Thought as an absolute must have, and pick up the others as and when you see fit.

See, I'm more of a 'cheesy' Dream Theater fan I guess. I think "Metropolis Pt.2" is easily their best album, not a bad track on there...in fact, not even a track that falls below awesome. "The Dance Of Eternity", "Fatal Tragedy", "The Spirit Carries On", "Home" are all in my top-5 Dream Theater tracks (the other is "Solitary Shell" in case anybody was wondering )

[SRN]

Bought the new Old Man's Child and 1349 today. Just giving 1349 a spin, first taste of their stuff, and I likey.

Are we talking Revelations Of The Black Flame here? If yes, how is it? Having gotten around to listening to it yet but I most certainly will at some point because I absolutely adored Hellfire and Beyond The Apocalypse.