[blmelon]

I have come up with several things and am looking for some help in getting them pointed in the right direction. They will not be called resolutions out of spite for that damned word. There are 3 of them so far:

1. Listen to/Learn more about Jazz
2. Listen to more Metal
3. Upgrade my TT

1. Headhunters is one of my favorite albums period, jazz or not. I also like the Thelonious Monk I have (5 by Monk by 5 and Criss Cross). Blue Train is in the collection as of recent, but I don't really appreciate it yet...almost think I just don't realize how good it actually is. Just got my hands on Birth of the Cool and Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage, but haven't heard them yet. Almost forgot that I have a copy of Sketches of Spain somewhere. That is the first time I realized that music could portray emotion.

2. Metal started this past year with Crack the Skye. I liked that album and then I got my hands on some Metallica. Master of Puppets is fantasmo... I recently found Pelican and like them. Torche's Meanderthal also struck a chord with me. (not so much into the whole growling/cookie monster vocal thing)

3. Well that has been a wish for a while now, so why not keep it on the list?!?!?

Any help with 1 & 2 would be greatly appreciated...hopefully the descriptions will help. Happy Twenty Ten to all.

 

[Afrodisiac]

What do you like in metal? Screaming solos, hard-hitting rythm? I would suggest Lamb of God, and the MTV Headbanger's Ball compilations are always great. 40 bands on one album.

 

[blmelon]

i like both of them afro...the heavy rythm is what got me on Pelican and Torche.

 

[blmelon]

Can anyone else provide some recommendations? I am going to pick up some more albums later this week. Much appreciated.

 

[Li Ching Yuen]

Ok.

For metal:

Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction or if not that one, then Youthanasia.
Metallica - The Black Album, ...And Justice For All
Down - NOLA or II( A Bustle In Your Hedgerrow)
Iron Maiden - Self titled (the first album), and Brave New World.
Testament - The Formation of Damnation
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Entombed - Wolverine Blues
Candlemass - Death Magic Doom

If you want more, be more specific with what you like and what you have heard so far. (especially from the more popular bands).

 

[Meliboeus]

- Try to avoid audio system upgrades till summer...when i am going to...
- Build a pair of speakers ( something based on fostex fullrange drivers )
- Buy more music with the money saved, some more post-metal especially.
- Try to learn something about classical music.

 

[hardRAWKR]

Well if you want to listen to more metal I can definitely give some recommendations.

For death metal:

Immolation...One of my favorite bands. I would recommend Unholy Cult to start out, but Close To A World Below is my personal favorite.

Deicide...These guys are pretty much sheer brutality, but their older stuff is very old-school death metal. I would recommend you start with Once Upon The Cross.

Hate Eternal...Don't buy if you want good SQ. However they are pretty good for straightforward death metal without being boring. Start with I, Monarch. Don't get Fury And Flames though. The drums are mixed so loud you can't hear anything else and it sounds horrible.

Morbid Angel...Old-school death metal all the way. They haven't changed their style since the 80's when they first started. I would just go through their albums in order of release date, because I don't think there's one "best" album. It's easy to tell what order they were released in because the have released them in alphabetical order!

Decapitated...For a more technical death metal style, listen to these guys. They have very good chops and write some pretty crazy stuff. Start with Organic Hallucinosis. Beware though, it's pretty different from their other albums, but I recommend it first because it is more accessible.

Necrophagist...Technicality and brutality, and that's pretty much all these guys can do. But they do it well. The guitar playing is amazing. They are probably the best skill-wise in death metal. Either of their albums would be fine as a starting point, but Epitaph is more accessible. I actually prefer Onset Of Putrefaction though.

Gorguts...They are extremely experimental. Their first two albums are just straightforward old-school death metal, but their last two are crazy. It may sound like noise at first, but let it grow on you, these guys are good. I don't really have a recommendation because their albums are so varied. Go with From Wisdom To Hate if you want experimental, otherwise go with Considered Dead.

Meshuggah...The ultimate combination of brutality and technicality, they are of of the most unique bands out there. They are very consistent from album to album, which can be boring because they don't change much, but what they have is good. These guys don't have a bad release, but I recommend ObZen to start off.

For Prog, etc.:

Tool...Another favorite of mine. They are kind of hard to describe. Don't doubt though, just listen. Start with Lateralus.

Rosetta...Another favorite. They are very relaxing, despite the fact that they have screaming. Start with Wake/Lift, unless you have two sets of speakers, then get The Galilean Satellites. The reason I say this is because it has two discs which are supposed to be played simultaneously, and it sounds really cool if you do.

Made Out Of Babies...A very good band, very lyrical. Julie Christmas is an extremely creative singer, and there is a lot of emotion in her singing. Start with The Ruiner.

Isis...Definitely a very creative band. They spawned a whole new genre with their album Oceanic. Definitely start with that, but get all of their albums, you won't be dissapointed.

That's all I've got at the moment. Sorry for the long post. There are a lot of good metal bands.

 

[CatchTheRainbow]

about point 2:

Elegy - State Of Mind
House Of Lords - World Upside Down
Rage and the Symphonic Orchestra Prague - Lingua Mortis
Iron Maiden - Maiden Japan 1981 (bootleg edition)
Virgin Steele - The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell Part II
Vision Divine - Stream of Consciousness
Savatage - Ghost In The Ruins (A Tribute to Criss Oliva)
Judas Priest - '98 Live Meltdown
Running Wild - Pile Of Skulls
Jag Panzer - Ample Destruction
Symphony X - The Divine Wings Of Tragedy
Rage - End Of All Days
Circus Maximus - The 1st. Chapter
Blind Guardian - Tokyo Tales
Bruce Dickinson - The Chemical Wedding
Saxon - Lionheart
Therion - Theli
Sacred Steel - Wargods Of Metal

 

[blmelon]

thank you...i will start listening to some of these and report back with my thoughts.

 

[DaveBSC]

Metal suggestions:

Amon Amarth - Twighlight Of The Thunder God
Arch Enemy - Wages Of Sin
Arsis - We Are The Nightmare
Before The Dawn - The Ghost
Be'lakor - Stone's Reach
Bloodbath - Nightmares Made Flesh
Carcass - Necroticism
Children Of Bodom - Hatebreeder
Dark Tranquility - Fiction
Darkane - Layers Of Lies
Daylight Dies - Lost To The Living
Detonation - An Epic Defiance
Devildriver - The Last Kind Words
Diablo - Mimic47
Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
Edge Of Sanity - Crimson (one of the all time great metal records
Eternal Tears Of Sorrow - Before The Bleeding Sun
Gojira - From Mars To Sirius
Graveworm - Engraved In Black
Hypocrisy - Abducted
Immortal - All Shall Fall
In Flames - Colony
In Mourning - Shrouded Divine
Insomnium - Above The Weeping World
Kalisia - Cybion
Kalmah - Swamplord
Kataklysm - Prevail
Megadeth - Rust In Piece
Moonspell - Memoriam
Nightrage - Descent Into Chaos
Norther - Mirror Of Madness
Noumena - Anatomy Of Life
Omnium Gatherum - Stuck Here On Snakes Way
Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse
Septic Flesh - Sumerian Daemons
Soilwork - The Chainheart Machine
Swallow The Sun - The Morning Never Came
Zonaria - The Cancer Empire

Can't say I recommend anything having to do with headbanger's ball.

 

[THAY BRAN]

Jazz recommendations.........you say you love Hebie Hancock Headhunters if you dont have the sister album 'Thrust' from the same year its a must have. Also look into Freddie Hubbards Fusion works from the 70's., Jeff Lorber Fusion , George duke and Lonnie liston.

 

[THAY BRAN]

oh sorry try and check Return to forever-Romantic warrior , a great mix of jazz with funk and Rock

 

[nhancakes]

Jazz: Oliver Nelson - Blues and the Abstract Truth
Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
Charles Mingus - Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame
Art Blakey - Moanin'

Metal - if you liked Mastodon try:
Baroness - Blue Album
Kylesa - Static Tensions

a good death metal album if you don't like growls/cookie monster, try:
Death - The Sound of Perseverance

and definitely try Edge of Sanity - Crimson and Crimson II

Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives is a great resource for discovering new metal

 

[blmelon]

oh boy howdy has this been a good week of jamming to new tunes at work...all of your recommendations have really helped. here is what i have put in my ears and some quick thoughts:

metal:
megadeth - youthanasia - fantastic, this is what i like in metal. good musicianship and vocals I can understand.
mastodon - blood mountain - i already liked mastodon and this confirmed it...these fools can play!
dimmu borgir - ethrone darkness - if the vocals weren't growling it would be much better.
death - the sound of perserverance - liked this one too
baroness - blue album - this was wonderful...will be trying the red album also soon

jazz:
charles mingus - black saint and the sinner lady - good stuff, jazz is great work music for me.
herbie hancock - thrust - yep, needed that one. i like the more funky jazz for sure.
thelonious monk - monk's dream - officially a thelonious fan
count basie - april in paris - more orchestra sounding, but really good grooves

i think there were a few more, but this is all off the top of my head...and all thanks to Lala - Where music plays if you haven't used this before it is wonderful.

listened to porcupine tree for the first time as well and those guys have some chops. thank you all and please keep the ideas coming. 1 week into the year and these two goals are working well.