some recent metal discoveries

[alexr_rwx]

I *love* discovering new music. I can listen to (certain) music while I'm working, and streaming services have been super good for this, for me. Ten years ago, I would usually be listening to Pandora, but nowadays it's Google Play Music. The catalog is huge, the recommendation engine and curated stations are both great, and I can explore new genres all the time and it rules.

OK BUT ENOUGH SHILLING! LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME METAL SUBGENRES AND MY NEW FAVORITE BANDS!!

---

"Stoner metal" is a thing. It is *fabulous* music for working. Do you like downtempo but not a long tedious drone, heavy distortion, a lot of grump, a pleasant blues-ish bass groove, and a vocal style more like "yelling" than the typical death-metal growl? And many, many songs that are about weed, and wandering in the desert, super-long time periods, and wizards? DO YOU LIKE LONG BEARDS.

Some bands I discovered that I love include San Jose locals SLEEP (who just released their new album on 20 April 2018!!): https://youtu.be/Oy5yFowc2Ck https://youtu.be/qMIS2BaDilY

Also consider bands HIGH ON FIRE, WEEDEATER (holy shit look at these dudes: https://youtu.be/B7IHcmn84Uo hang on I'm growing out my beard right now), and ELECTRIC WIZARD.

---

Maybe something with a slightly broader appeal is this cluster of bands recently that have come out of kind of a 70s proto-metal/occult rock place (think early Black Sabbath); I especially the ones fronted by women, and there are a bunch!

One of my very favorites in this camp is the band CHRISTIAN MISTRESS: https://youtu.be/E-kxBbA_nzQ https://youtu.be/YsM1zml0W60 . I can't get over how good the delivery is on the vocals; the vocalist, Christine Davis, sounds like she just got over sobbing, and it's metal as heck. (they're up outta Portland)

Also consider LUCIFER, who have extra-charming videos: https://youtu.be/86D93-LM6qM https://youtu.be/A7JCQRHROCk , and the vocalist's previous band THE OATH. (they're so very German)

ALSO! BRIMSTONE COVEN. This band is a bunch of dudes, but this *rules*. It's so heavy. And so smoooove. https://youtu.be/4qi_MR3dFs8

---

There's so much wonderful music in the world. I'ma share more of it with you. Seriously, get ready for me to effuse about Cuban jazz, about klezmer and klezmer-infused jazz, about 90s British techno...

Comments

[brainwane]

Am enjoying all of these clips. Thank you for the links! Have you tried Laibach, or Within Temptation?

[alexr_rwx]

Hooray, glad you're enjoying! :D

I've heard of Laibach; I feel like they didn't click with me the first time, but I'll give them another listen. Never heard of Within Temptation, will also check them out!

[alexr_rwx]

Ahhh yeahh! I remember listening to Laibach. The "neo-classical" style kind of freaks me out; I don't think that's my bag tbh.

Within Temptation, though -- that's very... soaring!

[tim]

Maybe relevant to your interests;

https://thehardtimes.net/culture/stoner-metal-fan-showed-sleep-study-disappointed-cooperative/

[alexr_rwx]

Word-sense ambiguity jokes about metal, very nice :3

[sajith]

Speaking of beards and stoners, I do not believe anything better than Red Fang's "Wires" was ever made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQPfQvLIseA

Please feel free to prove me wrong.

[alexr_rwx]

Haha yeeahhhhh! That's amazing :D Thank you so much for sharing.

If I have any complaints, it's that the narrative arc and filmmaking are so good, they kind of distract from the song...

[sajith]

IME I got used to listening to just the music after watching the video for about a hundred times. :-D