Some new impressions...
ASKA - Nine Tongues
Hmmm. This is an album with the riffs of metal but the subject matter of the songs ranges from somewhat goofy to glammy. The riffs are still meaty and Dio/Maiden inspired, but this album is a lot poppier than Avenger, and there's no balls-out fist-pumping metal anthems like "Angels of War" or "Valkyries." Overall it's decent but I need some more time to get into it (if that happens). Overall, pretty good no-nonsense metal, but approach with caution.
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME - Songs on Website
Hmmm. I was told in another thread that this is death metal stuff, but this is about as death metal as Superman Underoos. BTBAM sounds sorta like Dillinger Escape Plan or even Meshuggah -- very strange "noisecore" or "mathcore" crap, which is the buzzword for what happens when Dream Theater buttfucks Earth Crisis or Zao or something. To give the devil his due, this does have a few metal moments, but the band shifts around so much that it's kinda pointless to get into any of the moments. The bottom line: these "songs" are long, incoherent piles of slung-together chord progressions and some of the shittiest vocals I've ever heard (they suck even for hardcore vocals!). I guess if you like DEP, Converge, or any other of the number of bands that play really weird, drug-inspired hXc stuff, then go ahead and try it, I don't like it.
SCYLLA (JP) - Various songs on mp3.com
Hmmm, this kinda sounds like early Dark Tranquillity on uppers, but there's some In Flames in here too. To avoid beating around the bush, the quality of these songs varies wildly but generally they're pretty cool musically. I don't think I like every vocal trick Eugene pulled on these songs, though, especially the song where the vocals are processed to hell. Apparently this is a one-man band but don't let that deter you, this sounds better than a lot of full "bands" out there in terms of playing ability. This is worth it just to hear some of the guitar shredding...
and yes its a fantastic album.
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