Death Comes For Us All...Eventually

[Tic3]

Let me start this thread by saying that I'm really not a fan of Death Metal. Although there are a number of bands out there with some totally kick ass music, I generally can't stand the vocals.

But a few posts back, BeatFactory posted a plug for In Flames, so I thought I'd try to expand on that a bit.

As I said, I generally can't stand the vocals, but there are always exceptions. Not too long ago (a year or so), I was listening to the online radio station that I usually listen to, and they played "Not Built To Last" by Dark Tranquillity. I liked it! The vocals were well suited to the music...and the music was very good. After hearing the song, I did a bit of reading and searching.

Many people said Dark Tranquillity were Swedish Melodic Death Metal. If the song wasn't good enough for me to investigate more, then the Swedish Melodic Death Metal name had me hooked. I mean, how could you not be a little bit curious, right?

Anyway, I picked up the "Haven" CD. It took a few listens for me to really get into it (have I mentioned that I hate death metal vocals?). But once I gave the CD a few spins, I have to say I thought it really kicked major ass. "Swedish Melodic Death Metal" is a very apt description. The music was definitely melodic and pleasing to the ears. I picked up a couple more of their CDs including "Projector" and "The Gallery". I can't say I cared much for either of those two, although "Projector" had a few good songs. More recently, I got a copy of their latest release "Damage Done", which I like nearly as much as "Haven".

Further investigation and reading led me to In Flames, another "Swedish Melodic Death Metal" band. My first listen to In Flames was "The Jester Race". By now, I was a bit more accustomed to the death vocals, and was able to listen past the vocals and really hear the music. I can't say the CD was an instant hit with me, but after a few spins, I liked it well enough to check out a few of their other CD's, including "Colony", "Clayman", and "Whoracle", each of which I pretty much liked. "Reroute To Remain" is one of their newer releases, and is definitely worth a listen.

If you'd like to check out either of these bands, here are a few recommendations"

From Dark Tranquillity:

Pick up the "Haven" CD, or at least check out the songs "Not Built To Last",

"The Wonders At Your Feet", and "Feast of Burden".

From In Flames:

Pick up "Pinball Map", "Jester Race", "Ordinary Story" (Get the video!),

"Cloud Connected", and "Whoracle"

********************

If you like the above, check out another death metal band called "Eternal Tears of Sorrow". While ETOS may not be as melodic ad Dark Tranquillity or In Flames, they are quite good. Recommended songs include "Fall of Man", "Heart of Wilderness", "The Last One For Life", "Autumn's Grief", and "Black Tears".

Enjoy!

Tic3

[DudeAsInCool]

Im told that all great new metal bands are from Sweden. How did that happen?

[Tic3]

I'm not sure how it happens, but it does seem to be true that a majority of the better bands seem to come from Eastern Europe (Germany, Sweden, Finland, etc.).

Maybe it's that the music scene over there encourages a more intimate band/fan relationship. The countries are much smaller, so there is more interaction between the bands and the fans.

It's interesting that if you look behind the scenes in some of these bands, many of the band members play in more than one band.

Of course all of the above can have a negative effect, too: many of the bands start sounding too similar.

Tic3

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Man, forget Europe. That is one bad-ass avatar Tic!! :good job:

[Tic3]

>

Thanks, Lord! I...borrowed...it from a website somewhere a few years back. Never really used it until now.

Tic3