Here is what I've been listening to off late - my playlists sample blues/rock/heavy metal/thrash/black/death/house/progressive house/progressive trance genres including the myriad sub-genre microcosms throughout the spectrum.
Black Metal
Heavy Metal
Noctum - Final Sacrifice
Black Death Metal
Sterbhaus - New Level Of Malevolence
Thrashy, blackened version Children of Bodom with Death influences.
Burial Hordes - Incendium
Folk Black (Pagan Black Metal)
Fantastic orchestration; haunting melodies; early era Children of Bodom style thrash-y extreme folk influenced metal. The song construction and pacing makes it very compelling to listen to.
Death Metal
Defaced - Forging The Sanctuary
Damnation Defaced - Beyond The Pale
Progressive Death Metal
Steorrah - II: Thin White Paint
Opeth influenced proggy doomy death. Dan Swan�, famed audio engineer/producer, ensures a warm, brooding, organic heavy sound. Drum work is exceptional.
Gruesome - Savage Land
"Death" worship band, (mostly) the same band that toured as "Death to All". Don't be turned off by this being a tribute. Gruesome is a very competent album in its own right, just really close to "Leprosy" era Death.
Progressive Trance
Illegal Substances - Tradition
Hard Rock/Blues Rock (officially "Proto Rock")
Black Metal
Ravencult - Temples of Torment
Mid paced, brooding rhythms; very catchy. Not at all new but I love this style of black metal.
Svarttjern - Ultimatum Necrophilia
Mid paced, brooding rhythms; very catchy. Not at all new but I love this style of black metal.
Svarttjern - Ultimatum Necrophilia
Blast beats, hellfire and brimstone. The vocals are terror inducing turbocharged reciprocating saws. Frost bitten Norwegian black metal that Natte Frost endorsed "True Norwegian black metal - Anti human, anti life"!
Heavy Metal
Noctum - Final Sacrifice
Sweden has become, to me, a hot bed of resurrected retro genres as well as creating new ones. Noctum is a very NWOBH influenced platter with bluesy occult doom rock thrown in for good measure. The 80s occult imagery imagery plays a big role in this album's essence and it gets a lot of support from the music, vocals as well as orchestration. It is a little cheesy at times but I really enjoyed this album!
Progressive Metal
Soen - Tellurian
Soen - Cognitive
Absolutely incredible! Opeth influences are prominent and the music is beautiful. Cognitive, their first album, has Tool influences as well. Influences aside, Soen is incredibly beautiful music.
Speed Metal
Progressive Metal
Soen - Tellurian
Soen - Cognitive
Absolutely incredible! Opeth influences are prominent and the music is beautiful. Cognitive, their first album, has Tool influences as well. Influences aside, Soen is incredibly beautiful music.
Speed Metal
Enforcer - Death By Fire
Old school 80s speed metal - pummelling energy, face melting solos and vocals that kill!
Old school 80s speed metal - pummelling energy, face melting solos and vocals that kill!
Black Death Metal
Sterbhaus - New Level Of Malevolence
Thrashy, blackened version Children of Bodom with Death influences.
Burial Hordes - Incendium
Technical Death Metal
Allegaeon - Elements of the Infinite
Very technical riffs and solos BUT extremely melodic! Vocals are two tone - raspy and death. Songs are phenomenal.
Allegaeon - Elements of the Infinite
Very technical riffs and solos BUT extremely melodic! Vocals are two tone - raspy and death. Songs are phenomenal.
Folk Black (Pagan Black Metal)
Fantastic orchestration; haunting melodies; early era Children of Bodom style thrash-y extreme folk influenced metal. The song construction and pacing makes it very compelling to listen to.
Defaced - Forging The Sanctuary
Damnation Defaced - Beyond The Pale
Defect Designer - Wax
From Russia with love. Complex death metal but very catchy.
From Russia with love. Complex death metal but very catchy.
Power Metal
Pyramaze - Disciples Of The Sun
This blew me away! Melodic, beautiful heavy metal with just the right touch of power elements. Killer vocals.
Parallel Minds - Headlong Disaster
French power metal with "extreme" influences - rather liked the upgrade in intensity from a traditional melodic, synth-keys based power metal.
This blew me away! Melodic, beautiful heavy metal with just the right touch of power elements. Killer vocals.
Parallel Minds - Headlong Disaster
French power metal with "extreme" influences - rather liked the upgrade in intensity from a traditional melodic, synth-keys based power metal.
Progressive Death Metal
Steorrah - II: Thin White Paint
Opeth influenced proggy doomy death. Dan Swan�, famed audio engineer/producer, ensures a warm, brooding, organic heavy sound. Drum work is exceptional.
Gruesome - Savage Land
"Death" worship band, (mostly) the same band that toured as "Death to All". Don't be turned off by this being a tribute. Gruesome is a very competent album in its own right, just really close to "Leprosy" era Death.
Progressive Trance
Illegal Substances - Tradition
Trance, I find, is way too self derivative with songs having little to no repeat value at all. Not sure how to quantify what "progressive" does to it but the progression is definitely different. Additional layers of non-traditional instrumentation keeps it interesting and shifts focus continuously between the layers of a complex yet accessible soundscape.
Jazz
Hank Mobley - The Birth of Hard Bop
Jazz
Hank Mobley - The Birth of Hard Bop
Jazz is too complex and technical for me to write a good review. I primarily listen to Jazz for emotions - nuances, dynamism and play between musicians. Hank Mobley is one of the best and though this particular album isn't rated high due to "musician miscues", I couldn't make out any. However, I really enjoyed this album.
Sludge
Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path
Complex, layered instrumental sludge that in an amazing way, does not bore or derive from itself. Gets my "Surprise left hook" award!
Sludge
Tempel - The Moon Lit Our Path
Complex, layered instrumental sludge that in an amazing way, does not bore or derive from itself. Gets my "Surprise left hook" award!
