My Top Five!

1. Dashboard Confessional - Beautiful lyrics combined with acoustics and beautiful instrumentals like clarinet, etc.
2. Secondhand Serenade - Just acoustics and his vocals, one man band. Absolutely amazing, the lyrics are amazing.
3. Death Cab for Cutie - I don't know where to begin, very subtle songs kind of band, but the lyrics are awesome.
4. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - The music is really thrilling, and all the songs do not sound the same.
5. 30 Seconds to Mars - This band makes me want to jump off walls like a ninja, amazing drums.

What's your Top 5?

 

1 - Blind Guardian - Why? Because they write about stuff that has mattered before, and will always matter. In example, an album about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. And that is why they are my favorite band. They write about things that matter. And are very good musicians.
2 - Symphony X - Why? Because they may very well have the very best metal guitarist in the world. With amazing lyrical and rhythm composing, it's hard to go wrong. And their newest album "Paradise Lost" has swept me completely off my feet. Based on Milton's Epic Poem.
3 - Iced Earth - Why? Fast. Heavy. Good Lyrics. Good Themes. All together a very great band.
4 - Metallica - Why? It's fuckin' Metallica.
5- Amon Amarth - Why? Death metal, with melody. Good lyrics, emotional, heavy as fuck.
6 - (I know, six) In Flames - Why? Melodic Death Metal. Great lyrics. Are very critical of human society that shuns anything different than (bear with me, MMO players will understand) "Cookie Cutters"

 

Fuck. Hard question!

1. Opeth. Beautiful death metal, fused seamlessly with beautiful folk, from Sweden. Wonderfully evocative lyrics, tremendous singing on both the death and clean vocals, and very progressive writing.
2. My Dying Bride. Heart-wrenching, uplifting music that can leave you an emotional wreck with 5 notes. Great lyrics about loss and hopelessness. Beautiful polyphonic guitar melodies, brilliant death vocals and clean vocals. One of the mainstays of British death/doom.
3. Simon and Garfunkel. No explanation needed - truly, their first album is the most beautiful two part harmony acoustic album ever written. Period.
4. Porcupine Tree. Progressive, OK Computer crossed with Dark Side Of The Moon crossed with Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lyrics are great, and generally the soundscapes are beautiful, lush, bleak, it's got them all.
5. jesu. The brainchild of former Napalm Death/Godflesh wizard Justin K Broadrick, it's some of the most introverted, yet at times naked and uplifting, exposed and vulnerable music I've ever heard. Deep, minimalist, almost droning guitars, riffs that last for minutes at a time, all combine in a powerfully moving experience.

Honourary mentions: Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and the Manic Street Preachers - early stuff.

 

Cradle of Filth

- profound lyrics/ it's not lyrics! it's poetry, beautiful...
- Dani has a filthy voice when he sings...
- the way that instruments are played, sense of mystery is built in some of their songs - Basically they have the ability to portray what the atmosphere is like through their music -

 

Only one?

 

No, I will write about the other four tomorrow...I'm too tired right now :mrgreen:

 

It Dies Today: Just love their sound

Killswitch Engage: Same. They're not the greatest at their instruments but they're not cocky, they have fun with it and make sweet sounding rifts, dont even solo usually which is rare for a metal band

Between The Buried and Me: Just heavy and very technically sound

Atomship: My favorite drummer and easily one of the best I've ever heard


Soilwork/In Flames: If I had to choose one it'd probably be soilwork, but both are very good melodic death metal bands (although they dont seem to be all melodic death metal in a lot of songs).

 

End of the Heartache by KsE = amazing.

 

With all this melodic death chat of In Flames - someone, SOMEONE plese say they like fucking Dark Tranquillity! Much, much, MUCH better than In Flames.

 

That's all a matter of opinion. In Flames is by far more successful, while it's just a matter of labels any more, it pretty much proves that In Flames has the ability to strike to a lot of people, rather than those who just like certain types of music.

So therefore, speaking generally, In flames is better.

But Dark Tranquility is good. But I don't compare the two, ever. I'd compare Dark Tranquility to more hardcore death metal bands.

 

yeah, I'm not so hip to the fresh tunes . . .

Pink Floyd - the courage to expand and explore, the articulate lyrics, the laser-like guitar, the tapping into deep human pathos without being obvious or obnoxious. It helps that half the crew are/were insane at one time or the other.

Van Morrison - folk story-telling of the best kind, no pretense, just honest explanations of life experiences told in fantastic waves of musical genius. It is challenging setting aside the post-re-born phase, and forgiving the re-mastering of "naughty" words in his songs . . .

Led Zeppelin - Does it get any more guttural and primal than this? The near-perfect combination of scathing vocals, relentless backbeats and spine-twisting guitar over a blues framework. This is the kind of timeless stuff that any modern band would kill to produce.

Roy Orbison - Holy Crap! That voice - the simple chords - the utter clarity he creates in his spartan songs are regarded with awe by anyone with a single ounce of musical sense. This man did his thing for decades without sacrificing one iota of his original character. Classic.

The Bay City Rollers - You know you just want to sing, S-A, T-U-R, D-A-Y, NIGHT! along with me, don't you? And you know I can not be serious through an entire post like this, right? Spiky haired Scottish one-hit-wonders are the things that absurd humor are made of.

 

I would ask the question....

Current favorite bands or all time favorite bands?

Much love to the Beatles, Doors, 2Pac and other such greatness but if this is the list for right now......

Garbage: a band that has many different parts and had its hands in many of the best music of the 90's. (heard them on radio, picked up self titled disc to used CD shop for $7.99)

Opeth: although already mentioned above and although the gear has approached the Hot Topic Crowd; the album Damnation is simply one of the best records ever. When people listen to it they then say "Why do they do all the metal stuff...they are talented!" to which I relpy "That is why they are metal". (College buddy listened to progressive international metal adhead of the curve)

Embrace: out of the current British rock scene this is my current pic. Very much in home at the theatre and the use of piano as something other then a background / chorus instrument. (Virgin Radio Overnight)

Travis: damn good British rock band that never seemed to get the love possibly because it was deemed "weepy". Great inflective song writing. (College TV Video Mix).

Jurassic 5: positive and not too profane hip hop with a great vocal and group dynamic. Not the most popular but got me to go to Lollapoluza Crack Money 2003. (College TV Video Mix)

 

My friend has just recently recommended me them (he has just gotten into them). From what I heard they're full growl/scream. I'm not much of a fan of that but I'll try to give them a try. And I agree that they cant be compared, DT doesnt seem melodic at all (I feel dirty, as if I'm cheating on Dream Theater by using DT to reference someone else )

 

Dark Tranquillity are one of the originators of the melodic death sound, often termed the Gotthenburg sound. It is, I think, In Flames who went more 'popular', rather than Dark Tranquillity going more hardcore death metal. That would like... Oh, I dunno. Dark Tranquillity going towards Akercocke. It's not happening, whereas to my mind In Flames seem to be going more towards the lighter, more 'accessible' stuff.

Don't get me wrong. I am NOT one of those people that can only listen to music that totally introspective, sounds like noise to most other people - though I do like all that - that is to say, I don't base my tastes on where something is popular, 'accesable' or not. I mean, I like Sunno))) - hardly accessable! - but I also like Travis too!

So yeah, I think DT are better than IF! lol

 

1-White/Rob Zombie: I really don't know why but I love almost every album (save for the shit at the start of his career). The lyrics are more or less fantasy/horror based and he was inspired by comics as well as horror films and various other things. To me the songs have always been interesting and the band is amazing.

2-Godsmack: Mainly because they where the first band I ever got into. Even though all of their music has familiar qualities of some of the older rock bands I prefer them over the majority just because they seem to do everything right.

3-Black label Society: Amazing band to me really, sometimes I like the vocals sometimes not so much, but over all these guys are one of my favorites.

4-System of a down (Their old stuff): Albums 1-3 are really the only albums I'll listen to. I can barely tolerate their new stuff. With that being said their first 3 albums are definitely and acquired taste.

5-SoiL: Recently came across these guys and I like all of their albums with exception of their newest album. All of their albums have a different feel to me and I just like the band/vocals in general really.

In general I love all my music and those where just a few of the bands I had been listening to recently. I also like Metallica, Pantera, Black Sabbath, Drowning Pool, Rammstein, and thats all I name off the top of my head.