by Kai Stromler » Tue Oct 08, 2002 1:39 pm
good bands people don't know and I haven't said enough about:
Borknagar: sort of like Deep Purple, sort of like Emperor, sort of like nothing on earth. Century Media.
Sigh: Japanese black-thrash-horror-psychedelic-noise-avantgarde metal. Vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Kawashima Mirai's solo techno stuff is also pretty cool. Century Media.
Agalloch: depressive epic post-black/folk metal music from Portland, Oregon. _The Mantle_ is going to be in the running for best album of 2002 for anyone with a clue. The End Records.
Primordial: intellectual (quoted paragraphs from Sartre, then Yeats as lyrics on last two CDs), pagan-pride folkish dark metal band from Ireland. Hammerheart.
The Thrones: One guy, one bass, one effects console, one hell of an experience. Mix of head-shredding metal and mind-expanding electronics. Kill Rock Stars.
Cales: liquid folkish/rockish/doom-viking metal from Czech Republic, including several members of black metal cult heroes Root. Just amazing, transcendant music. no US label as far as I know; on mp3.com.
Dimension Zero: death/thrash metal has not hit this hard since Slayer's _Reign In Blood_ or Death's _Leprosy_. Current/former members of In Flames and Dark Funeral. Century Media.
Arch Enemy: heavy, catchy NWOBHM/NWOSDM supergroup, featuring former/current Carcass, Witchery, Mercyful Fate, and Armageddon members. Different from other death metal bands in that Angela Gossow is not only a throat-ripping growl vocalist, but also FUCKING HOT. Century Media.
I'll post again if/when I think of anyone else. btw, Evereve is decent; Borknagar and Cales have styles somewhat similar to theirs, though, and are much better.
--K