Keeping up with the metal scene

[!!!CPAOI!!!]

I know a fair amount about metal in general and am familiar with the classic stuff.  I keep up with a lot of other genres with genre-specific webzines, but I don't know of any similar webzines that I can read to keep up with what is being released right now.  I tried metal-review.com but I found the writing to be of such bad quality that it wasn't worth reading.  Does anyone on this forum use any web-based resources to keep up with current metal releases?

[KharBevNor]

Nope. I just generally read Terrorizer and Zero Tolerance. I suppose they may have some sort of web presence?

[Jackie Blue]

http://www.decibelmagazine.com

I read it because I don't actually like hardly any metal at all, except the genre-fucking metal like Jesu, Boris, uh... and... uh... did I mention Boris?

Oh, and they write about stuff like Unsane and Mogwai, which is cool, because more metal fans should be aware that not every good heavy rocking band is all "WE ARE KOURPSEBANG THUNDERFINGER, RARRRRRRRR".

[Storm Rider]

Awesome, shallowly stereotyping a gigantic category of music and dismissing it all at once!

[Jackie Blue]

Oh, shush, you know what I meant.  You know there are metal purists who don't venture outside of their niche, just like there are jazz and indie and classical and pop and rock purists.

It doesn't make the metal scene sound good when someone ALWAYS comes in and says "Wow, you know nothing about the insanely diverse and nuanced genre that is metal, n00b.  Riffz or gtfo."

Believe it or not, some people don't understand everything.  There are some people that would never understand, no matter how much I make them listen, the differences between Ride and The Jesus and Mary Chain.  I wish metal fans would stop with this absurd sort of "If you think it all sounds the same, you're stupid" mentality.  I don't think people are stupid if they think Do Make Say Think and Godspeed You! Black Emperor sound the same, I just realize that logically not everyone appreciates the same flavors of nuance as myself.

I mean, for real.  I was just kidding around and you barge in with the tired and clich? iconoclasm that turns so many people off of metal in the first place.

How many metal fans bought Mr. Beast because the dude from Envy reads a poem in one of the songs?  How many would have never bothered to listen to "Glasgow Mega-Snake" or "We're No Here" or "Travel is Dangerous" without that connection?  That's all I was getting at.  Just like there are also people who would never have heard of Envy if the guy hadn't been on the Mogwai album.  Dig?

[Storm Rider]

Well, I would suggest that if you can't tell the difference between Arch Enemy and, say, Sunn O))), you kind of are an idiot.

The fact of the matter is, we've had a ton of people do exactly what you did in jest do seriously many times before, and it quite frankly gets really fucking irritating after a while, even if I lashed out prematurely.

[Johnny C]

I don't think people are stupid if they think Do Make Say Think and Godspeed You! Black Emperor sound the same, I just realize that logically not everyone appreciates the same flavors of nuance as myself.

I submit that if they can't tell the difference between five minutes and twenty that your friends have more serious problems than music appreciation.

[Scytale]

Metal-archives is where I find out a lot of bands from. I just randomly search for names and things there...
Their forums are pretty terrible but you get good recs there every so often.

www.metal-rules.com used to have good reviews interviews and stuff, haven't visited it in a long time...

http://www.geocities.com/loudster/Main.htm Is pretty good for the Australian scene as is http://www.metalofoz.com/

Last FM has been giving me some news on upcoming events and stuff ,seems decent so far.

[Gridgm]

http://www.decibelmagazine.com

except the genre-fucking metal like Jesu, Boris, uh... and... uh... did I mention Boris?

how are they genre fucking they are straight down the center of the road stoner doom...look up stoner doom and you'll see picture of them there with sun 0))) and sleep...actually maybe i mean funeral doom but you know what i mean

[Jackie Blue]

Boris and Jesu are straight up stoner doom?  Er, not at all.  Have you heard the latest Boris album, with Michio Kurihara?  Sounds nothing like anything else they've did, and sounds nothing like Sunn O))) or Sleep.  I mean literally nothing - it's more of a psychedelic folk album.

And the new Jesu sounds like Hum and early Smashing Pumpkins and shoegazer, I fail to see how it is stoner-doom-metal either.

And my friends can tell the difference between DMST and GY!BE, I'm just saying that some people can't.  I'm sure a '60s pop enthusiast would not listen close enough to think they're all that different.  Same with Ride and JAMC.

[MadassAlex]

You are arguing with hardcore metalheads about metal subgenres.

However we slice the salami this isn't going to end well.

[Gridgm]

And my friends can tell the difference between DMST and GY!BE, I'm just saying that some people can't.  I'm sure a '60s pop enthusiast would not listen close enough to think they're all that different.  Same with Ride and JAMC.

i caught one acronym in that sentence what are DMST and JAMC

[!!!CPAOI!!!]

Do Make Say Think and the Jesus and Mary Chain.

[Gridgm]

ok havn't heard either of them...i'll put it on my todo list...eventually

[Jotun]

I read Metal Maniacs. They get alot of new stuff in their and keep up with alot of classic metal bands.

[Johnny C]

Boris and Jesu are straight up stoner doom?  Er, not at all.  Have you heard the latest Boris album, with Michio Kurihara?  Sounds nothing like anything else they've did, and sounds nothing like Sunn O))) or Sleep.  I mean literally nothing - it's more of a psychedelic folk album.

Dogg I would have just said Pink and been done with it. That album has more in common with Guitar Wolf and the MC5 than it does with Jesu.

[!!!CPAOI!!!]

Boris and Jesu are straight up stoner doom?  Er, not at all.  Have you heard the latest Boris album, with Michio Kurihara?  Sounds nothing like anything else they've did, and sounds nothing like Sunn O))) or Sleep.  I mean literally nothing - it's more of a psychedelic folk album.

Dogg I would have just said Pink and been done with it. That album has more in common with Guitar Wolf and the MC5 than it does with Jesu.

If Guitar Wolf sound anything like Boris on Pink then I am going to have to check that shit out.

[KharBevNor]

How many metal fans bought Mr. Beast because the dude from Envy reads a poem in one of the songs?  How many would have never bothered to listen to "Glasgow Mega-Snake" or "We're No Here" or "Travel is Dangerous" without that connection?  That's all I was getting at.  Just like there are also people who would never have heard of Envy if the guy hadn't been on the Mogwai album.  Dig?

I listened to Mogwai because I thought they might sound like Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Unfortunately, they just sucked. Also, get off your high horse. Please. In just one thread. Kthx.

[Jackie Blue]

If Guitar Wolf sound anything like Boris on Pink then I am going to have to check that shit out.

I'm not sure I'd make that comparison, except in terms of sheer volume.  Guitar Wolf are a really loud, really sloppy punk band.  But they are very very good and you should check them out.

Speaking of the Guitar Wolf/MC5 connection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WNKUOCO13s

[Scytale]

I keep hearing a bit about Jesu, is this the same band that Justin from Godflesh formed? Or is this another band with the same name?

If so I definately have to check them out because "Streetcleaner" blows me away, so damn Heavy...

[Misereatur]

Yeah, it's the same guy.

Jesu is the last song on Hymns, Godflesh's last album.

Have you heard the Isis cover to Streetcleaner?

[Scytale]

Nope, I've never heard Isis at all, I guess one day I'll have to bite the bullet and look into them,  but that whole "post" sub-genre they seem to get put in isn't all that appealing to me, I can stomach small doses of Neurosis and bands like that, but I've really got to be in a specific mood for it.

The thing I really like about Streetcleaner is the sound, the way it's produced, it's just so artificial and heavy sounding, It's just that complete all out assault that never stops.

[Linds]

Hey, this is a friend of Lindsey's named Eric and I was told of a nice 'zine called (I believe) Diabolical domination, specializing in death, black, and other metal, especially European/Norwegian. Tight Tight. Peace

[Misereatur]

The thing I really like about Streetcleaner is the sound, the way it's produced, it's just so artificial and heavy sounding, It's just that complete all out assault that never stops.

I'll try to remember to upload the Merzbow EP tommorow morning. All out assault you say?

[Scytale]

Which Merzbow EP is this, a friends Sister is pretty into his stuff, what I've heard is a bit too free form for my liking...

[Dimmukane]

I go to www.metal-observer.com for reviews.  They tend to be pretty on the money when it comes to me.  They actually have a circulating magazine, but I'm not sure how far it goes.  They get interviews and podcasts and things of that nature.  Otherwise I tend to google for bands I listen to for their news.  Like Matthieu Marcotte's solo project, Humanoid, which I haven't heard much on...

[voidoid]

you should check out chronicles of chaos. it's a great metal webzine, i used to read it every month. i don't remember the url but you can google it up. the selection of albums they review is great as well as the interviews. the writers are very good and have a great sense of humour.

[Caspian]

I'm a big fan of Decibel and Metal Maniacs. Decibel write about a lot of weirder metal (as zerodrone has already mentioned), and MEtal Maniacs is a more straightforward Metal magazine that's always good. I also use Metal-archives a lot.. Yeah, it's very opinionated, but I have got some pretty damn good recommendations out of it.