Somewhat true, as change simply for the sake of change is just as bad as stagnation. Also, when change is made simply to 'appeal' to more people or when it's dictated/directed by others is even worse. How often have we heard that, "It's what the Producer/Distributor/Record label wanted" or "We wanted to get more publicity/airplay/mainstream listeners"?Herr Schatten wrote:Your loss. They happen to be quite awesome.Rob wrote:I would never listen to a metal (or any) band called Lake of Tears.
@PainAmplifier: I pretty much agree with everything you said. However, I'd rather see a band move into a direction I don't like than not moving at all.
A prime example would be Kreator, who evolved very gradually from their thrashy roots to something very different. I, for one, really liked how they kept exploring new grounds. Then, with Endorama, they obviously took one step too far, to where their older fan base wouldn't follow them anymore, quite similar to what Morgoth did with Feel sorry for the Fanatic. So, after record sales hit rock bottom, they decided to play it safe and just kept regurgitating their pre-Coma of Souls sound over and over. I can understand why they're doing this, but it completely killed my interest in the band.
And let's not forget that sometimes the sound *doesn't* need to change. As long as the songs are good it's nice to have the sound not change radically every album or two. Bands like AC/DC or Motorhead just wouldn't be the same if they kept changing their sound. That's not to say things need to sound identical, after all 'Back in Black' doesn't sound quite like 'The Razor's Edge'.
But let's get back to the music...
Naglfar - "Enslave the Astral Fortress" 'Melodic' Black Metal. This is off their first album 'Vittra' and it's a solid album all the way through. Later albums seemed to have shifted a bit more towards the 'blackened death' sound after some shifts in members, but they're still putting out some top quality music.
Narnia - "Heavenly Love" Hard Rock. A bit uncommon, as they are billed as a 'Christian' band. I think their first album 'Awakening' that this came from, is the best. Later albums didn't seem to quite reach the same level, although still quite good overall.
Necromantia - "Spiritdance" Black Metal.(Greece) I think the first two albums from this band where the best. 'Spiritdance' is the closer to the second album and I think the mood of the song is very apropos for that. Not black metal in the blast beat or scream sense, but rather in direction and exploration. Later albums felt a bit too conventional, as if the quality of the songs was inversely related to the quality of the sound. (Not that this isn't an issue thats shown in myriad other bands...)
Nergal - "The Wizard of Nerath" Black Metal. Greek and much like Necromantia in their sound isn't like the northern bands from Sweden/Norway etc. I almost didn't post this one, as I'm still not sure exactly *why* I like this album. The vocals are very much pure 'screaming' at times, and the music is good , a bit experimental/explorational and the sound is very raw/low quality. But for some reason I can just put this one in and just *listen* to it. I think I first heard them on a magazine sampler disc (SOD I think) and got the album when I just happened to run across it. Their later work sounds a lot more conventinal and it doesn't draw me in like this album does.
Night Conquers Day - "The First Snowfall"(Live) Black Metal. It's interesting to know that this band comes from New York and not Europe. NCD plays a more atmospheric style of black metal but one that works quite well for them. They don't appear to be active any more, as their last album appears to have been from 1999. I have both their studio releases, and both are great albums.
Nightingale - "Nightfall Overture" Progressive Metal. One of Dan Swano's works, later becoming a full band. Dan Swano's clear vocals are the main attraction here although the music is good as well.
Nocturnal Rites - "Pentagram" Power Metal. From "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" which is a great album. The lineup for this band wasn't terribly stable at first, which is highlighted by a vocalist change after the third album. The new vocals and songwriting are good, but not great to my ears so I stopped following them after that.
Omen - "Escape to Nowhere" Heavy Metal. This is the title track to an album filled with auditaury gold. This album really should have gotten heavy radio airplay, but is largely unknown these days. Their cover of "Radar Love" on this album is top notch as well. Their other albums are no less good, but are a bit less mainstream friendly. (kinda like Early Metallica versus later Metallica)
Piledriver - "The Metal Inquisition" Heavy Metal. This track should be the anthem for Metal heads everywhere! This band has a bit of a 'history' to it, but regardless all three albums are worth tracking down and checking out. The last one came out in 2008 and it still has that classic Piledriver 'quality' to it, including a driving title track.
Pitch Shifter - "Bastardiser" Industrial Metal. 'Submit' is a classic album from a band that went down that path that leads towards the 'mainstream'. I therefore don't recommend their later albums, although there is some quality still in them, but their early work is well worth listening to.
Plasmatics - "Mistress of Taboo" Punk/Rock/Metal. The Plasmatics never quite hit the really big times, although they have quite a cult status and were a big influence in their time. The band pretty much went defunct when Wendy O Williams committed suicide in 1998. If you can find them, their albums are all good. Although I think the later albums with their higher 'metal' content are better than the early ones that were a bit more punk.
...that's it for now. Still have some more to come though.
