Club: technical/progressive music that ain't over the top wankery
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Posts: 16
Visited by: 28 users
Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
14.03.2019 - 15:50
Hi people. I'd like to create a list of albums with the purpose of being as complete as possible. I'm looking for music that is technical or progressive, although I really don't like when things get out of hand, with crazy vocals in 4 different registers building tension and brutally stoping to yield it to a shredding solo in mixolydian helped by drums in 11/12 which try to imitate the synth syncopation in counterpoint, for ten seconds before jumping into something else. I like when things are tight, when a concept is simple and lives on its own, when a whole album is tied by the same matter, and don't try to hard to impress me but sure ends up doing so. I like things like: - Coroner - Grin - Suffocation - Pierced From Within - Atheist - Unquestionnable Presence - Fates Warning - Parallels - Cacophony - Speed Metal Symphony - Pestilence - Spheres - Gorguts - Obscura - Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Grand Opening And Closing If you're intersted in building this list, please answer the thread. People actively working on it are: - me - Starvynth (:P) The list is here, and just newborn so please be kind with it: Album List ... Albums right now in discussion are: ... yet to find This thread is a proof of concept for a club feature, see here.
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Starvynth i c deaf people Staff |
14.03.2019 - 17:00
I didn't really ask for it, but thanks for inviting me to your exquisite club, anyway! I'd like to throw into the bowl: Witherscape - The Inheritance Alkaloid - Liquid Anatomy Sadist - Above The Light Dan Swanö - Moontower IMO, these albums meet the club's demand 'technical/progressive music that ain't over the top wankery' by full extent. Initially, I considered some albums of Disillusion, Opeth and Ne Obliviscaris, too - but most of their releases either bored the pants off of me and/or featured too much of the aforementioned 'over the top wankery'.
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RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff |
Lemme just Cormorant - DIaspora Green Carnation - Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness Hail Spirit Noir - Pneuma
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Starvynth i c deaf people Staff |
14.03.2019 - 18:17
(me, whispering) Shall we invite him to the club? I've been told he likes quite some weird stuff and 'things'. (Ansercanagicus, whispering even softer) Well, he works for the site so he could nip our little idea in the bud just by snapping his fingers. We better be kind. (both of us, smiling very friendly) Very good contributions, dear Radu!
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Cistern Rumbler |
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tominator At best deranged Contributor |
16.03.2019 - 16:07
Darkwater - Where Stories End (a lot more straight forward than their first record imo) Fractal Cypher - The Human Paradox Ghost Ship Octavius - Ghost Ship Octavius Ascendant - A Thousand Echoes
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Karlabos |
17.03.2019 - 14:45
Oh it's a good thing you said "progressive music" and not "progressive metal" so there is a lot of good stuff to consider =p Most Doug the Eagle is pretty simple and formulaic (if that makes any sense for a prog rock band) but works in a weird way Eskaton- Four Visions is a hidden gem of the 80s Pan.Thy.Monium - Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion (one of Dan Swano's bands which is pretty consistently good) Is Devin Townsend - Ziltoid (the original) too obvious?
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
21.03.2019 - 04:03
Hey. Sorry if I took some time, I've been having a low, and also I didn't know how to answer this all very well. I listened to the (first) recommanded albums. As it was prompted to me, the idea behind this club is pretty obscure. While I knew very well what kind of albums I'd want, others could interpret the initial input in many different ways. So in order to be clearer, I'll tell you more about my 4 first choices, and then say in a straightforward way how I found the recommended albums. Grin, Pierced From Within, Parallels, and Unquestionnable Presence are all technical, progressive, and share some other aspects. They're obviously technical in the sense that some moments can be tremendously intricate, while still being very musical. They're progressive since they sound unique, yet unmatch. Coroner created there way of playing thrash, Suffocation and Atheist created there way of playing death. Fates Warning is also an excellent exemple of some heavy metal spirit without obvious traditionnal heavy metal elements I'd like to stress on another aspect, which is integrity, or tightness. The idea that the album isn't too long nor too short. Also that its matter is really dense. That the musicians did the maximum out of the minimum. Grin is just made of hypnotic riffs, Broder's harsh voice saying simplistic lyrics and some samplers. It's a matter. That's opposed to "wankery", where what the musicians play isn't musical, or goes nowhere, or jumps out of its frame. Feels loose. Like they want to do too many things at the same time but fail to be convincing. While the complete musician just have one objective and fulfills it. Most of the time, albums pointed as "progressive" or "technical" also have their share of flaws. I'd like to highlight albums doing it the right way. I should name a few more albums with similar qualities: Gorguts - Obscura Pestilence - Spheres Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Grand Opening And Closing Cacophony - Speed Metal Symphony ...And now for my personal opinion: Cormorant, Green Carnation and Hail Spirit Noir were all very interesting pieces, but tended to lack obvious technicality. They are slow, subtle, they flew a bit above my head... Although I couldn't enter them easily, I think I can give my approval for Diaspora and Pneuma, they just have to grow on me. Sadist: the music is a mix of two matters, the bass/piano/accoustic/synth, and agressive thrashing. I really like the first kind, but can't bear the other, which sounds a bit too regular. I guess it can make it to the list, since this schizophrenic attitude is interesting on its own. Witherscape: the technical aspect is furtive, but it's a very solid album. I'll have to give it more spins too, but I agree on it. For the refusals now. I'll quickly dismiss Moontower saying it lacks the technical/progressive aspect a bit. It just sounds like regular melodeath with enhanced organ. Light Of Day, Day Of Darkness did not impress me, but as I said I don't remember it very well. And I would put Alkaloid in the "wankery" case (no offense, I lack a better term). It's not tight enough, the jumps between segments are very sudden and inelegant, a lot of different sound textures overlap, high momentum and low momentum segments chain up without reason. The guitarwork and drumwork have nothing original, and seem borrowed from different bands (morbid angel, gorguts, meshuggah...). Most of the breakdowns ain't interesting... Solos and blastbeats are all over the top. There are like 4 or 5 diferrent vocal types used throughout the release... Same for sounds or guitar tones... I can't convince myself their music is a single matter. It's like a salad. I'm not saying it's good or bad, I'm saying it wouldn't belong to the list. As for Ferocity, it's unfocused music: it jumps from death metal to goofy speech samplers quite randomly, clean vocals and harsh vocals don't get along too well, some of the death metal parts sound very good, other sound totally generic. I'd say these musiciasn just had fun and don't really had a musical intention. Maybe if Ferocity has an album a tad more matured I'll see. ... This experiment with clubs puts me in the difficult situation of being alone in it, with Starvynth who's keen on the idea but did not choose the theme (I should have asked, that's a mistake). Hopefully things will get clearer as the list grows. I think the best we could do now is passing a lot of albums in review and discussing them. Also feel free to attack my choices and ask further info on which or which picks. The creteria for picks supposedly are objective so I should be able to phrase an answer. I should now listen to tominator's and Karlabos' recs.
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
06.04.2019 - 13:29
Sorry I'm taking a lot of time and handling my answers badly :/ anyway. As always I can end up sounding blunt, I'm just telling what I think straight away. I tried to write as I listened this time.
I'd like to adress the technicality point. Technicality doesn't mean breakdowns and fast stuff. Technicality is how members of the band had to strive to enhance their abilities to craft music from a next level. For example take Meshuggah (while I hear the 2nd track off Octavius that sounds like Bleed - Oh and a IV-V-vi progression I should note). Meshuggah expanded a new field of intricacies, as for what the guitars play is very unusual, the drums are accordingly complex, the concept of the music is new. If you're a musician and want to learn this, it's not like what you already did before just a little harder. It is nothing like you already did before, you'd have to learn these new techniques from the start. You'd have to stay focused as fuck not to lose yourself in the structure, you'd have to inhibit your reflexes because the repeated parts in fact are not repeated the same. You'd have to give an extra effort on the precision. The difficulty lies in the fact that the music as specificities forcing the player to go back on level 0 and work out to be able to play. Now for the albums you brought here Tominator, I wouldn't say they're easy to play, not at all, but what's in the music is very common. Not everyone is good as playing breakdowns, rythm subtilities and fast picking / sweeping... but ANYONE that's decent at it could play those albums. Because they would stay in the confort zone. As opposed to what I explained before. I kinda guess that you just read my post with the words "progressive/technical" and went along with enthusiasm, but you don't know about the albums I put in the list. I hope that little by little the common point between Coroner, Atheist, Fates Warning, Suffocation, Cacophony, Cormorant, Gorguts, Pestillence, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Hail Spirit Noir, Sadist, Witherscape, Devin Townsend and Eskaton becomes more legible. But this is also where this one-man club hits a wall. I'm likely to refuse everything that sounds modern. I'd need someone else able to go beyond this aspect. I'm conscious that I'm taking too much time to answer and that it slowly dumps motivations from participants, but I'll reiterate and encourage people to discuss my choices, be critical and stand for their recs. If anyone finds themsleves if the list and the idea behind it, I'd really like to hear your opinions on it and the next recs. Do you, Starwynth, Rapud, CIstern, Tominator or Karlabos have anything to say about any album that has been talked about here ? (Sorry if I was dismissive at some point)
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Starvynth i c deaf people Staff |
06.04.2019 - 16:54 Written by Ansercanagicus on 06.04.2019 at 13:29 Thanks to your last post, your approach is now much clearer to me. Simply put, I'm glad you included my suggestions of Sadus and Witherscape. Alkaloid: to justify my initial position, I'm not a proghead at all but I love this album so much that I just had to propose it. But your reasons not to include Liquid Anatomy are legit and the way you declared yourself helped a lot to understand your general idea. My thoughts: Green Carnation - just some bits and pieces of technicality and if you ask me, it's a typical example of 'trying hard but losing focus'. Too many vocalists, too many instruments, too much of just about anything. Pan.thy.monium - The album's title already implies it: 'Khaooohs & Kon-Fus-Ion'. I don't want to sound too harsh, but this is a prime example of missing song structures and forced randomness. I bought the CD in the 90's just because I wanted to own everything Dan Swanö has ever been involved with as a vocalist - and sold it after a few spins. Devin Townsend's Ziltoid The Omniscient - Well, this is a tough one. I love Devin, undeniably he's a true genius, but I do not think that the goofiness of Ziltoid can represent the peak of Townsend's creativity in terms of A) a technical approach and B) a clear focus. It's a conceptional album and everything is being held together by the storyline rather than the music and it's 'tight, simple concept', to use your introductory words. What I am trying to say is: if you're willing to include Ziltoid despite it's goofiness, the samples and the countless passages with spoken language, you could as well include 50% of everything that has ever been released under the monikers of Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend and Casualties Of Cool. I bet you will either come to the conclusion that there's lots of stuff to expel Ziltoid to the rear places or that none of Devin Townsend's works is capable to meet the club's criteria for inclusion.
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
06.04.2019 - 18:06
Thanks for your reply, well I guess we could find another Devin Townsend album suiting the list more. I forgot about his discography and didn't really keep it up, I solely recall Deconstruction. Once again it is built as simple indus segments slowly growing darker and heavier up to a proheminent mess. Each song is a crescendo, and the album itself is a crenscendo as being more and more eclectic and ponderous. It's conceptually good, but it bends the definitions we gave of technical, progressive, or integer. Like I said some moments are really over the top, humor can take over the music, etc... It is surely out of comparision with the other albums listed. I don't know. Is there other DT albums more qualified ?
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tominator At best deranged Contributor |
07.04.2019 - 15:00 Written by Ansercanagicus on 06.04.2019 at 13:29 hmm I didn't know you wanted to go this technical with the music, like what sort of chord progression is used etc. That's my bad. I thought you were looking for progressive albums that are a bit more straight forward in style. Hence the recommendations like Darkwater (which is one of the bands I recommend to people to start getting into progressive, especially because it isn't "over the top wankery" as some would call a lot of progressive albums). You mentioned in your first post: "I like when things are tight, when a concept is simple and lives on its own, when a whole album is tied by the same matter, and don't try to hard to impress me but sure ends up doing so." If you had mentioned in your first post: "I'd like to adress the technicality point. Technicality doesn't mean breakdowns and fast stuff. Technicality is how members of the band had to strive to enhance their abilities to craft music from a next level." I wouldn't have mentioned those bands tbh. Because, no they don't do anything new, but like I said I thought you were looking for albums that retain progressiveness without going overboard on the wankery. Bands that know exactly what progressive music is but bring a more straight forward. Basically stripping down on the things that a lot of people call wankery. And still bring the essence of progressive music. The modern production... yeah I didn't know that you don't like that... Again if I had known I wouldn't have recommended any of them because they all clearly have that. As for the vocals and guitar breakdowns Vocals. I can't really guess what kind of vocals people like. Some people still enjoy vocals with effects on them if it fits with the music in their mind. In the case of Fractal Cypher it's really obvious there are multiple effects added on the voice but it works for me. I do understand that there are a lot of people that don't like that but again I can't predict what someone will like if they don't mention what type of vocals they can't stand. The breakdowns. That's something people usually still like and something that is again more straight forward in style. Didn't know you wouldn't like that either. I'm sorry. As for the other albums mentioned here. Some of them I've heard maybe once. Certainly not enough to give a solid opinion about it. And given that you are especially looking for music that doesn't use certain type of chord progressions etc. I'm not an expert on that matter in fact I'm quite uninformed/ignorant about that kind of stuff. So I don't feel like I'm really qualified to comment on those albums (even if I have given them a few more listens) because I have limited knowledge on the technicality of it. Guess I should have known better and not post on this since it clearly stated "technical/progressive". That's entirely my misinterpretation/fault. But to be honest reading the first post I didn't think you were looking at albums with such a technical insight. I just know what music I like and what I don't like, I never really cared for the technical aspect like "what chord progression do they use" etc. So like I said I don't really feel like I would contribute to this list with my opinion on the other albums. Anyway, good luck with the list, I'll probably look at it from time to time to find some new albums.
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
07.04.2019 - 23:44 Written by tominator on 07.04.2019 at 15:00 Of course. By no means I'd blame you for your recommendations, they are always welcome. Don't be sorry. It is true too that I was very vague in the first place, that this thread is in some way experimental and that I didn't have a full grasp on what to do to start the conversation efficiently. Also that I needed reflexion to phrase what I wanted. I suppose the "club pitch" should have been way more precise, with a wider selection of firsts albums. I also need to get out of the situation of calling this a club while being alone in it. It's complicated. Please believe that albums in this list should really be "technical/progressive with conceptual tightness", and not "what Anser likes". Like I said I tend to dislike certain elements of the music, but this should never be messed up with the requirements fixed in first place. Idealy if more people join a real discussion would take place instead of my soliloqual opinion. Written by tominator on 07.04.2019 at 15:00 My remark on the IV-V-vi chord progression seems to have taken you aback. Aside the notation it is nothing complicated, it's just a very simple trick used by musicians to compose "powerful" melodies. It's everywhere. Scorpions - No One Like You, Warlock - Three Minutes Warning, Manowar - Call To Arms... Maybe you didn't pay attention but it's pretty recognizable. As for me as soon as I here IV-V... I dread the upcoming vi chord. I've become so upset about it I usually skip songs with that in them (If it isn't subtle enough). But you see the process here isn't to dissect the music, read the sheet and say "humm yeah, they use that chord progression that is known for not being progressive enough and that makes that I'm disappointed into the technical potential of this band...". The process was litteraly : "*listening to the music* oh no not that stuff again !". Then I've got to phrase it, then to use theory. But it's not the other way around, it is really something that you can hear. I don't want you to think it's overly complicated theorical gabbling, it's just a matter of putting words onto things. Knowing the music you like is good, but knowing why is even more insightful.
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tominator At best deranged Contributor |
08.04.2019 - 11:53 Written by Ansercanagicus on 07.04.2019 at 23:44 Oh ok, now I understand your thinking and explanation. That makes a lot of sense. It just came over as (by lack of a better word for it) a bit overwhelming with the technical explanation for someone like me who doesn't know a whole lot about that kind of stuff.
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
14.04.2019 - 14:39
Hi. Here's a list of all the bands I think are interesting for our purpose. I'm wondering if I add them all at once so this thread shall only work as a recommendation one, with people presenting things I don't know about. Or if I take the time to do that little by little, so anyone interested in the list could listen to them and tell what they think. So ? * THRASH metallica - ride the lightning, master and justice for all megadeth - rust in peace, peace sells (at least) blind illusion - ? children - hard times banging at the end of the world (if that's technical enough) voivod - Nothingface vektor - all ? Black Future at least cyclone temple - ? watchtower - ? mekong delta - the principle of doubt lamb of god - most albums meshuggah - most albums Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects - sol niger within * DEATH gojira - From Mars To SIrius gorguts - all except Considered Dead carcass - Necroticism or Heartwork death - post Human cynic - Focus morbid angel - altars / covenant atheist - all (maybe Elements is a bit all over the place) suffocation - most albums cryptopsy - especially for flo's drumming obscura - akroasis decrepit birth - polarity or diminishing between worlds demilich - nespithe exlimitir edge of sanity - crimson imperial triumphant - vile luxury ne obliviscaris - portal of Iv deathspell omega - ? portal - ? * HEAVY fates warning - no exit / awakening the guardian / perfect symetry mercyful fate - melissa racer x - second heat and street lethal angra - not sure what to pick, earlier stuff judas priest - painkiller (for the solos) van halen - ? (great composer and use of technique in a "light" context) savatage - hall of the mountain king or gutter ballet * SHRED paul gilbert - ? yngwee malmsteen - ? jason becker - perpetual burn ? marty friedman - ? greg howe - introspection satriani - ? * OTHER mastodon - most albums anciients - all primus ? tool - most albums * NOT METAL magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh CHON covet - currents ... If you know any band there and have a opinion about its addition please go on
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Ansercanagicus endangered bird |
22.04.2019 - 23:40
No answer ? Right, let's move on, I guess the club idea won't root itself deep in Metalstorm, anyway. Let's not drop everything, I added stuff to the list ("My stuff", sadly). Some albums I'm still wavering about I'll add them later maybe. I'll try to add a description for everything to keep things professionnal. You are still free to submit anything relevant the list, or argue about what I chose/wrote. Cheers.
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