Those who know me and / or read my online witterings will be more than aware that I am a real sucker - to coin a phrase - for order and therefore nothing gets me as excited as a good list. It is something I have seen a lot over the years in magazines - often as filler, to be honest - and I feel like throwing in my tuppence worth. Again.
Unfortunately, what started out in my mind as a simple idea to present a list, turned into frustration at the sheer number of great albums released in the past decade or so that remain (relatively) obscure. Therefore, I have decided to do this in 3 parts. The first part will deal with my thoughts on the state and the perceived state of Metal in the 2000's and the other 2 parts will actually be the list. Ok, so here we go. Strap yourself in and prepare yourself for an indignant (and self-indulgent) rant as a prelude to the "main event"
I want to start of by stating that I am so sick of seeing the same old albums and bands in this type of "Best of" list and have become extremely bored of those people who seem to think that musical creativity ended along with their personal teenage years...People are obsessed with nostalgia and with saying that there have been no great albums / bands, etc since the 70's / 80's / 90's and so on. This is, quite frankly, utter bollocks! We live in an era where the musical landscape has changed drastically in a relatively short period of time, so of course the days of the million seller, although not yet over, are certainly on their last legs and where the music video has less impact than it did even 10 years ago. MTV, Scuzz, Kerrang! TV and the likes where still an important medium for bands to get their music out there even as the current decade rolled in and said videos often became ingrained in the psyche of viewers to the point where certain songs became scene "hits" and came to represent a particular "time" in music history...a few examples of this from 2000 / 2001 are 'Soil - Halo', 'Rammstein - Mutter' and 'Cradle of Filth - Her Ghost In The Fog'. All of these songs received massive rotation on said music channels so came to represent a "generation".
Yes, these were and are good songs, but good music didn't end with them and of course, there are still countless great songs and albums being released today. Lots of them. It's just that without the mass indoctrination of the radio / music video, we are less likely to notice them and so they make less of an impact. We also need to take into account ever-increasing importance of social media, which has made it both easier and harder for bands to get their music out there. With thousands of bands vying for your attention on Soundcloud, YouTube, Spotify, etc, it has become increasingly difficult for even the most amazing music to make it from the studio to your ears and many great albums might well have passed you by or been lost in the never-ending shuffle (button) of your Mp3 player. Without the reliance on the old business model of a powerful, international record label financing (at a cost) the recording and promotion of their music, it has become much harder for bands to reach a large (and profitable) market. The definition of a double-edged sword?!
I am very much aware that I'm rambling here, but my point (I think) is that there have been, literally, hundreds of fantastic albums released in the past few years that have slipped out without a big fanfare and without the benefit of a flashy video being played to death on TV. The albums in my list may or may not have sold by the bucket load and they might or might not have had a flashy video to accompany them, but regardless of their perceived popularity, they are in MY opinion, the best albums released in the last 13 years.
Part 2: 20 - 11 will be up in a few days.
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Saturday, 18 October 2014
Saturday, 11 October 2014
New Music Round-Up: October 11th 2014
Decapitated
The Polish veterans return with a renewed vigour and a more groove-laden direction. I was never a huge fan of this band (or for the most part, Death Metal in general), but the past few years have delivered a slew of great Death Metal albums, from the brutality of Dyscarnate to the technicality of Dying Fetus and Decapitated now join the slim ranks of Death Metal bands that I am happy to call myself a fan of. Even if you are not a fan of the genre I'd recommend clicking on the link below as this might not be what you are expecting.
Striker
If I was to say that Striker are another 80's Metal obsessed NWOTHM band, you may well roll your eyes and / or yawn. Well don't...as these chaps are rather special. Marrying the classic rock swagger of Whitesnake and Europe with the NWOBHM sensibilities of Cauldron, Enforcer and White Wizzard and with more than a hint of Speed Metal legends, Agent Steel thrown in for good measure, Striker have really upped the ante.
Darkness By Oath
Imagine a band that sits (almost too) comfortably between two disparate styles - and two Swedish bands (the sadly defunct The Duskfall and the very much active, Vintersorg) as it would happen - These Spaniards deliver a distinctive and brilliant take on Melodic Death with a slightly progressive tinge. The underlying vibe though is definitely the aggressively unique Melodic Death Metal of The Duskfall and although it may occasionally veer a little close to plagiarism at times, I'm more than happy to let it slide for two reasons: 1, this is great stuff and 2, The Duskfall are one of my favourite bands and are also one of the most criminally under-rated bands in the history of Metal. I am sad to report that during the preparation of this post, I learned that the DBO have called it a day.
Islander
There is only one Deftones and they are one of those very rare bands that are instantly recognisable and unique. Until now. It finally happened and I'm surprised it took this long for a band to come along with a sound clearly influenced by the Sacramento heroes. On one hand it lacks originality, but on the other, bands have to start somewhere...besides, there are worse bands to sound like.
Northen Oak
Coming across as something of a mix between the furious Black Metal of Mayhemic Truth, the Folk Metal of veterans Skyclad and the Progressive Metal of Opeth or even Vintersorg, Northern Oak are something of an enigma. Distinctly different from the sound of their mainland European cousins, Of Roots And Flesh finds the band exploring ever more progressive avenues, while managing to maintain their overall sound as that of Folk Black Metal. As English as Morris Dancing and Marmite, this album will probably be as divisive among fans of the genre.
The Polish veterans return with a renewed vigour and a more groove-laden direction. I was never a huge fan of this band (or for the most part, Death Metal in general), but the past few years have delivered a slew of great Death Metal albums, from the brutality of Dyscarnate to the technicality of Dying Fetus and Decapitated now join the slim ranks of Death Metal bands that I am happy to call myself a fan of. Even if you are not a fan of the genre I'd recommend clicking on the link below as this might not be what you are expecting.
Striker
If I was to say that Striker are another 80's Metal obsessed NWOTHM band, you may well roll your eyes and / or yawn. Well don't...as these chaps are rather special. Marrying the classic rock swagger of Whitesnake and Europe with the NWOBHM sensibilities of Cauldron, Enforcer and White Wizzard and with more than a hint of Speed Metal legends, Agent Steel thrown in for good measure, Striker have really upped the ante.
Darkness By Oath
Imagine a band that sits (almost too) comfortably between two disparate styles - and two Swedish bands (the sadly defunct The Duskfall and the very much active, Vintersorg) as it would happen - These Spaniards deliver a distinctive and brilliant take on Melodic Death with a slightly progressive tinge. The underlying vibe though is definitely the aggressively unique Melodic Death Metal of The Duskfall and although it may occasionally veer a little close to plagiarism at times, I'm more than happy to let it slide for two reasons: 1, this is great stuff and 2, The Duskfall are one of my favourite bands and are also one of the most criminally under-rated bands in the history of Metal. I am sad to report that during the preparation of this post, I learned that the DBO have called it a day.
Islander
There is only one Deftones and they are one of those very rare bands that are instantly recognisable and unique. Until now. It finally happened and I'm surprised it took this long for a band to come along with a sound clearly influenced by the Sacramento heroes. On one hand it lacks originality, but on the other, bands have to start somewhere...besides, there are worse bands to sound like.
Northen Oak
Coming across as something of a mix between the furious Black Metal of Mayhemic Truth, the Folk Metal of veterans Skyclad and the Progressive Metal of Opeth or even Vintersorg, Northern Oak are something of an enigma. Distinctly different from the sound of their mainland European cousins, Of Roots And Flesh finds the band exploring ever more progressive avenues, while managing to maintain their overall sound as that of Folk Black Metal. As English as Morris Dancing and Marmite, this album will probably be as divisive among fans of the genre.
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