Yo guys an gals,

what are your opinions on the new Gojira album "Fortitude"?

I still don't know what to do with that band, I love some of the ideas, but it all sounds a bit too similar to my ears. Didn't like what I heard of "Magma" and thought the old stuff I heard (bits and snippets) wasn't for me either.

Honestly, I don't get the hype with Gojira. Not to say they're a bad band but I personally don't find them extraordinary as they seem to be made out to be. Even seen them live once and was like "Well, they're ok."

Though that said, I did watch the music video for Born for One Thing a while back and found the song more likeable than I ever recalled from them. Maybe the new album can change my mind on them but I'm not holding my breath on it.

Ooh, speaking of black metal, I'd highly recommend Windswept. Their bandcamp is definitely worth a look.

Also been jamming Path(путь) lately. Kinda post-metal, and they incorporate an accordion, but worth a listen if you're into atmospheric and blackgazy stuff.

Hey, I'll like to join too. I listen to thrash mostly, groups like Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Megadeth. Sacred Reich, Lich King, Sodom, Tankard, Death Angel, Dark Angel, Municipal Waste, D.R.I. but also groups that play other subgenres like System of a Down, Sabaton, Powerwolf, etc.

I started reading your post, and I really was looking forward to writing "But Baha, have you seen them live though?" But you actually did, haha. So well, I don't know what to tell you. If you've seen them live and didn't get into their music, there's hardly anything I can do to make you like them.

They're all about massive build-ups and payoff, thick, sycopated and extremely precise riffs and palm-muted, machine-gun like riffs with drums that pound and support every single chug-chug made by the guitar.

I guess the environmental themes, the whole fantasy type thing going on with the flying whales and all, also appeals to me. But again, it might just not be for you. I personnally do not love everything they do, but some of their stuff, like From Mars To Sirius, I really like to spin every once in a while.

While we're on the subject of black metal, if you're into the more post-rocky stuff, I do highly recommand Panopticon, especially considering how he's releasing singles for his upcoming stuff right now.

Autumn Eternal is a solid album

Panopticon - Autumn Eternal

Oh, and if you guys don't already know Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, they are german black metal band, and one of my favorites these days. Their 2019 album, Mardom, is a solid, 2nd wave inspired album that still feels very fresh and scratches all the right itches for me.

Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult - Mardom

I see a lot of thrash metal in there, and some great crossover stuff too! If you haven't checked out bands like Power Trip, Voïvod and Vektor yet, you might really enjoy their work. Welcome to the Metal Hell! Enjoy your stay ;)

There's been a little development since. I have given their new album a few spins and have to admit it is giving me a new outlook on the band. Some of the songs on Fortitude have convinced me.

I think with seeing them live at the time, if I had been more adapted to them from actually knowing their songs I would have had a different perspective. Sadly, I just didn't make the investment then.

If I look into them some more soon and remember to post here I'll express some additional thoughts then.

Hey look at that! There are a bunch of other metalheads here! I'm a huge fan of folk metal and have been for a long time. Bands like Arkona, Eluveitie, Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, etc are right up my alley. I'm also a fan of death, melodic death, thrash and NWOBHM. A good friend of mine has long had a mission of getting me more into power metal, which is kind of working.

In the before times, I would go to about 10 or so concerts a year, so I am desperate to get back to a show. My next show should be Rammstein in Montreal in August, but I doubt that will happen, even with all the strides we've made here with covid.

Anyone else keeping up with traditional metal and speed metal?

Some legit bands out there keeping the NWOBHM and speed metal sound alive and well. There's a ton of relatively newer bands.

Just to list a few:

• Traveler (personal favourite, I can't recommend this band enough)
• Skull Fist
• White Wizzard (Inconsistent line up, but the "Over the Top" era of the band is gotta be my favorite. Wyatt 'Screaming Demon' Anderson(vocals at the time), could compare to an Axl Rose on roids and metal as heck IMO)
• Haunt
• Enforcer
• Cauldron
• Acid Blade (most recent discovery, their demo's really sick, apparantly mostly recorded live)

Heck even some older bands are still making bangers or making a resurgence

• Cirith Ungol
• Satan
• Lord Weird Slough Feg (or just 'Slough Feg')
• Chastain

..just to name a few

Enforcer owns. I've been a fan of theirs for a while. I'd also like to throw in Kryptos. Awesome old school feel.

Also, Lost Society's first two albums were balls to the wall awesome new thrash. Pity how they turned out.

I do love me folk metal and those are some good shouts right there. Ensiferum has remained one of my favourites from folk metal alongside Moonsorrow.

I'm curious, which bands would they be?

I feel a bit out of the loop with them as of late and I've been hearing of some good new bands from them in recent years. Just looking at your list, one name I haven't heard in years is White Wizzard. I know at some point I lost interest in the band but can't even remember why.

Also, good shout on Slough Feg. One of my all-time favourite metal bands and it's great to see love for them wherever!

It's mainly through concerts he's convinced me to go to with him. Either we're going to a power show or listening to it on the way there/home. He's got me into bands like Amaranthe, Powerwolf, Hammerfall, Battle Beast, Kamelot, etc. I was already aware of the bigger bands like Blind Guardian and Nightwish, but I never would have ended up seeing them were it not for him. I discovered Sabaton on my own after seeing them open for Iced Earth many years ago before the...unpleasantness and was incredibly impressed.

Also, I somehow convinced my wife to have our first dance at our wedding to an acoustic Amaranthe song. Don't know how I pulled that one off.

Dang, cant believe Kryptos fell under my radar, thanks for the recommendation. Yeah, Enforcer is mad lit, really one of the bands the opened my ears to other traditional metal bands(new and old) that isnt Maiden lol

Slough Feg's sound is an all time classic right? Mike Scalzi's vocals is something to behold.

A lot of great names there, although Amaranthe I haven't been so much into. I remember hearing their first album ages ago and really didn't like it. Although, I suspect that since then there has been improvements to the band given the raves they got later on.

Now that sounds like a hell of a show. Admittedly it's hard for me to listen to any Iced Earth at this time due to the events with Jon Schaffer but when I did see the band back in 2013, they did put on a really good show and proved how worthy Stu Block was for the band's new vocalist.

Fair fucking play that! 😁

He's an underappreciated talent in metal, that's for sure. I remember first hearing Down Among the Deadmen and Traveller and were blown away by them. Still some of my all-time favourite metal albums even to this day. I just wish there had been a bit more kick to their last two albums. They're not bad, it's just they have done far better.

So I've gotten my cd and vinyl copies of the new Red Fang album.

I don't know how exactly to describe it but outside of the few songs they've officially released prior to the full album release I don't really "feel it" after listening through it a couple of times. There are a few tracks that feel like they could either be trimmed down and added to another track or just taken off and it wouldn't change a ton about the album but make it flow a little better. Like the first track doesn't need to be there at all but it flows into the second track. You could cut it in half, take out the weird vocals, then add it onto track two and it would be better overall.

For sure, Down Among the Dead Men is banger of an album. Loved it coz they based on the mythology that inspired the Slaine comics. Found out about this band through Slaine actually which is no surprise haha.

But yeah, for me it's that album and Hardworlder that really sealed the deal for me.

Again, going off Slough Feg, check out this fucking insane line up.

I wish I could go, but alas, getting to the US is quite the mission for me haha

I'd probably put a good bit of this line up in my top 25 lol

So, it looks like my first post-covid concert will be in November. Judas Priest and Sabaton? That's a good way to return. I just hope Halford's voice is better than the last time I saw him in 2015.

And confirmed to be seeing Priest/Sabaton. Going with a metal friend of mine (we've seen way too many concerts together) and my Sabaton fan dad. Here's hoping it actually happens.

It's been out for a few days and I can't get enough out of it. Helloween'a new album with the reunion lineup really knew what to do and there I was fearing all along this was gonna be overhyped. Luckily that's not the case with all the songs showing passion and energy and the band really giving it all they can.

I'm willing to go as far as saying this is their best work since the Keepers albums and easily my album of the year. 🤘🤘

The artwork is fucking rad as well. Will probably give the album a spin sooner or later

This might not be strictly related to Metal, but some subgenres of Prog Rock might fit pretty well with the metalheads. I've been obsessed with the genre since early 2010s, and one of my treasured finds (and one that I believe will retroactively blow up in the future) is the Zeuhl subgenre, kickstarted in the early 70s by a band named Magma, and whose band leader (the drummer Christian Vander) codified many of the Zeuhl tropes - such as singing/jaz scatting in a made up language (to which he named Kobaian) , heavy Jazz and Opera references (Vander himself was heavily inspired by John Coltrane and Carl Orff). Mainly known in the French underground, Magma still managed to get some big names in the fandom, such as Johnny Rotten and the snooker John Davis. It's also probably one of the few Rock bands in the world to have been invited in both Jazz and Metal events!

And with that said, Here's their most famous work (a live version if it): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obbb29GqzM0&t=131s

On an unrelated note: I would LOVE to see a Magma themed Friday Night Funkin mod. considering the amount of Kobaian jazz scatting in his work, it should be easy to pick up his best lines to implement in-game. Here's the best song eligable for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfprrYtvzRI

Ayo, I hope it's alright to post this here.

Did this illustration for a swedish band called 'Pain Divine' for their new single 'Evil I am' which just came out.

I'd sorta describe their music as thrash with a lot of OG swedish melodeath sprinkled all over it.

I legit was pretty excited to work with these guys after listening to a few of their songs. They have that classic melodeath feel, i'd recommend them for people who like In flames(early), gates of ishtar, at the gates, desultory, etc.

Don't die Metal Hell! This is the greatest thread on the internet!

Was listening to In the Nightside Eclipse by Emperor last night and started getting so much nostalgia.

I'm no musician but My favorite band of all time is Iron Maiden and I mainly listen to other bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motor Head, Rob Zombie and the like.

To think it's not long until I'm seeing bands play on stage again. Come Wednesday I'll be heading to Bloodstock with a fair number of bands I want to see despite how much the line-up had to change due to travel restrictions. In any case, Devin Townsend, Kreator and Judas Priest make three fine headliner choices for sure! 🤘🤘

I'd like to see Kreator again. Last saw them when they played here in New Zealand with Vader a few years back. First time concert that blew out my ears haha, and the wall of death was insane.

Also glad good ol Rob Halford still kickin it on stage :]

I could have posted this slightly earlier but...

https://youtu.be/V462IsOV3js

Thoughts? I'm impressed. They all still have it in them. I hope their upcoming Brooklyn concert doesn't turn into a COVID super spreader event, especially of Delta or another dominant variant of that time period. You just never know these days.

It was my first time seeing Kreator and two words came to mind: Extreme aggression! I got caught in the wall of death twice with the first one against my own will as I was trying to finish off my beer. 😂

Well made up seeing them as well as Devin and Priest who both I have seen previously but always a treat to see them. Best set of headliners I've seen to date!

He still did a really good job given his age. A 2 hour set list was justified and was filled with goodies including first ever played songs live (One Shot at Glory and Invader) and songs not played in decades.

So far I'm liking this. Hope the rest of the album holds up well as I've found post-Portnoy Dream Theater to have been hit and miss. Not bad, just not quite as gripping as anything beforehand, although self-titled is a still well made album.

Hard to say with any upcoming potential troubling variants but I have been hearing from last weekend's events of a fair number of positive tests. Just can't be 100% Covid secure even with vaccine notes and negative test proofs. I still went while accepting to myself the potential risks.

I had a ticket to see Gojira again spring of 2020 with Deftones which I also love but the show was pushed to this last weekend because of covid. Not bad timing being the weekend of my birthday, but it got pushed yet another year to march 2022. Probably for the best, though. I just met this drummer and his girl who both had caught covid from a show despite getting vaccinated.

Still super hooked on Obscure Sphinx. They're a favorite now. Intronaut, too, probably. Such good rhythm. Been real into Lord Mantis lately. New to me as far as metal is Vokonis. Not always in the mood for metal, though.

Wow, Kai Hansen is back. I ought to check it out. Used to be huge into them as a kid. Walls of Jericho was always my favorite.

I'm digging it. Didn't even know about it, honestly.

hey metalheads i'm trying to listen to more bands, what are the best? i listen to rammstein.