RIP Mark Shelton of Manilla Road. I had a soft spot for that band, and in many ways he was the band.
He just was there, unsensitive to the trends and played his music, which like him seemed to come from distant ages.
RIP Mark Shelton of Manilla Road. I had a soft spot for that band, and in many ways he was the band.
He just was there, unsensitive to the trends and played his music, which like him seemed to come from distant ages.
Last edited by Interstellar; 07-27-2018 at 01:17 PM.
NP: Grim Reaper........
I've been watching these Youtube videos of this guy Razor something who reviews all these bands. I've seen around 8 of them. I'm now on the Grim Reaper episode so I'm listening to some of their stuff. It's melodic but very heavy and very British.....
The lead singer, Steve Grimmet is a hell of a singer. Kinda Steve Walsh like but higher pitched. Powerful and full, no falsetto. I'm impressed.
Just played, Fear No Evil by Grim Reaper. That singer is so good.
I see Michael Romeo (Symphony has a new album out - War of the Worlds Pt. I (ruh-ro!) I also see he had a solo album in 1994, The Dark Chapter. Anyone know how this one is?
^ When your band name in parens results in a stoned face... That's Symphony X !
My God I just played their second album.....Metal. I swear, in an alternate reality this would Rush's second album. Of course, the vocals are nothing like Geddy but the themes, and adventurous, early 70s metal scream early Rush. Great album. The vocals are rough but it's the music is just awesome. RIP Mark Shelton. Seems like I find great artists after they've passed away.....
Last one, promise......
I jumped forward to hear their latest album....To Kill A King
The same sense of adventure is still there. I feel like an archeologist who found something valuable buried in the ground. I'm gobsmacked.
Was listening to Cosmogenesis by Obscura today. Quite good German, progressive death metal from 2009.
I am very happy you appreciate this great band. Of course it is a bit silly that people in US completely ignore them, while in my country they were BIG already in the 80's. The Rush connection is pretty valid: I know for a fact that Mark was a huge Rush fan - a friend of mine had a close, personal relation to him.
I was stupefied when I listened to Kill a King for the first time. How could he keep the same level after all these years? This is how metal should be: aggressive, underground, inventive, adventurous. And yet Mark was the embodiment of metal in his everyday life too: gentle, humble, uncompromising, a fighter to the end.
R.I.P.
I've been binging on Manilla Road all week. I play an 80s album then jump to the 21st Century. These guys evolved into a brutal thrash band. Very pagan and dark. The vocals are unique. They're bass/baritone and smooth. A nice change from high pitched wailing or screaming. I've heard at least 10 albums of theirs.
I'm taking break before I continue the binge. NP: Anthrax.......Fistful of Metal.
Another shout out for a recent favorite of mine : Samen, by öOoOoOoOoOo.
It's modern, and thankfully, it is not locked into the boring, same-old-same-old format of classic metal. (Yes, that's a friendly, thinly-disguised dig at most of the posts in the last 2 pages )
It's (mostly) female-fronted, very 'prog', somewhat avant garde, not incredibly "metallic" though it has most of the elements of that genre, and it's one of the better things to come out in the past 2 years.
Try it, and spin it 3 times before formulating an opinion.
Regards,
Duncan
I took a break from Manilla Road. I'm still amazed how they evolved from a spacerock, jam band to almost, brutal death metal.
Anyway, I'm playing Armored Saint albums. What do you guys think? They're generic. Not hair metal, but not quite thrash.
Armored Saint is excellent hard rock for working or driving. Fun stuff to bash out on guitar, too.
They remind me of England's answer.......Grim Reaper.
Talk about a band with an identity crisis. They want to be Evanescence for a few bars, then Christina Aguilera fronting a shitty unsigned goth-death-jazz high school ensemble. Is that Warwick Davis as the Leprechaun and Smurfette gargling a crushed-glass-and-pea-gravel cocktail joining in on vocals with her?
Couldn't even get it through it once. Thank God for fast forward!
I've heard Armored Saint's first 4 albums. The best one is the 4th album, Raising Fear. I'm curious to hear John Bush with Anthrax. That's another band (Anthrax) I've been binging on too. Great musicians.
It reminds me a bit of Chrome Hoof (which is NOT a band thing), Sebkha Chott and Faith No More. I'm digging it...will take more than a few listens to take it all in tho
Funny minor aside...there's actually already a band that goes by oOoOO, doing ambient/trippy electronic music...I wonder if they'd ever clash over trademarks
If you're actually reading this then chances are you already have my last album but if NOT and you're curious:
https://battema.bandcamp.com/
Also, Ephemeral Sun: it's a thing and we like making things that might be your thing: https://ephemeralsun.bandcamp.com
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