Comp Swap X The Reviews!

exact33 wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

I will start Wednesday as tomorrow (Tuesday), I'm going to get my permanent crown put in at the dentist.

TheKing has a crown too Only mine didnt come from the dentist

Trust me. This being my second crown, I can say you don't want one. I will have another one in about a month.

Comp CD #2

1. White Wizzard - "Fight To The Death" - Strong, slightly campy Heavy Metal. Until this, I had only heard this band in passing. It's nice to hear younger musicians embracing the old ways. There's no attempt to modernize the Metal...it's just Metal! Good vocals, sort of like a blend of Maiden and heavier, faster Scorpions. I like it!

2. Pentagram - "Call The Man" - We all know I love me some DOOM, and this comes from one of the godfathers of the genre. Decades spent in his parents' basement smoking crack prevented Bobby Leibling from claiming his rightful place in the scene until relatively recently, but this stuff oozes vibe and honestly. More of the dark, 70s Hard Rock variety ala early Black Sabbath, but no less menacing and intense. Good stuff.

3. Meliah Rage - "Masquerade" - A band I had always heard of but never heard. Darker, heavy US Power Metal ala Metal Church & Leige Lord. Around since 1987, but this song is from 2009. I like it and I want to hear more.

4. Mago De Oz - "Satania" - Folk Metal from Spain...double-bass Power Metal / violins. The lyrics are in Spanish. It's interesting to hear, that's for sure. I'm not very familiar w/ Folk Metal in general so I have no idea who to compare this to. It's cool to hear from a cultural perspective, but nothing I'd reach for. I do like the use of violins though...I'm a huge Kansas fan so it's kind of like a Spanish-speaking Blind Guardian w/ violins playing a lot of the theme melodies instead of guitars...though there are, obviously, guitars in the music.

5. High On Fire - "Snakes For The Divine" - This is a band I can't put a disinct genre tag on. It's not Doom, it's not Stoner, it's not NWOBHM...it's kind of a blend of those 3 though...it's METAL! The vocals are rough, raw and ragged. Musically, it's slightly melodic here and there but loaded to the seams with aggression. I like it, but I can see HOF being a "small doses" kind of band for me.

6. Ghost - "Ritual" - Love it! I already knew this song well. Echoing the rest of the planet, it's like a blend of Blue Oyster Cult (radio hooks) and early Mercyful Fate (Satanic camp & dark riffs). Love it, love it, love it. The chorus and the ending guitar harmonies are 70s AOR gold ala BOC.

7. Ecliptica - "Kingdom Of Heaven" - Austrian Power Metal. The male vocalist is decent, the female vocalist is very weak. The song is a 4-minute cliche. There are way too many bands that do this better to even bother seeking out any more of Ecliptica's material. Man that girl sounds terrible...

8. Ensiferum - "From Afar" - Another band I've heard of but never heard. Wiki calls them "Folk Metal", but it sounds like a more Power Metal version of Amon Amarth to me. I like it. This is an example of a band doing Power Metal styled music so well that once you hear a band like Ecliptica, you don't need to hear it anymore because Ensiferum exists. I'll have to check out more by them.

9. Brother Firetribe - "Who Will You Run To Now" - A complete 180 from Ensiferum, Brother Firetribe are a blend of AOR and European Hard Rock...maybe slight hints of melodic Power Metal. Kind of like Vanishing Point (remember them?). I like it.

10. Northern Kings - "A View To A Kill" - Nice! I love Duran Duran, and I love Metal, so it's way cool to hear a Power Metal version of this old James Bond theme song. I love it.

11. Sabaton - "Coat Of Arms" - Ride into battle my brave, valiant brothers and sisters! Gutsy, galloping Power Metal of the epic, yet non-frilly variety. I can see this getting festival crowds fired up. I know the ProgPower crowd eats them up and begs for more. I like it.

12. Primal Fear - "Bad Guys Wear Black" - I love Primal Fear, but the last few albums have left me a little cold. I prefer the firt 5 albums. I would think that the addition of Magnus Karlsson would have me doing backflips cuz I love the Allen Lande albums he did, but as it stands I think this is only slightly better than the last few albums...but better is still better. I like it.

13. Rise To Remain - "Bridges Will Burn" - Bruce Dickinson's kid on vocals. This song is a perfect example of having all the right ingredients yet still coming up with a bland product. Into Eternity, KSE & All That Remains do this way better.

14. Metallica - "Remember Tomorrow" - Metallica does Iron Maiden...way cool.

I'm glad you liked a lot of it! It was tough figuring out what to put on the comps since you have a fairly extensive collection of music.

thejokeriv wrote:

I'm glad you liked a lot of it! It was tough figuring out what to put on the comps since you have a fairly extensive collection of music.

You did great. There was a lot I had never heard of, so that was cool. Thanks!

DallasBlack wrote:

Also, that Pentagram is not the legendary doom band but a Turkish doom band that borrows heavily from traditional Turkish music. They are known outside of Turkey as: Mezarkabul.

Wow, I totally thought it was the legendary Pentagram! Great music though!

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

I'm glad you liked a lot of it! It was tough figuring out what to put on the comps since you have a fairly extensive collection of music.

You did great. There was a lot I had never heard of, so that was cool. Thanks!

You are welcome! I should have CD # 2's review up by the end of the week

thejokeriv wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

I'm glad you liked a lot of it! It was tough figuring out what to put on the comps since you have a fairly extensive collection of music.

You did great. There was a lot I had never heard of, so that was cool. Thanks!

You are welcome! I should have CD # 2's review up by the end of the week

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

5. High On Fire - "Snakes For The Divine" - This is a band I can't put a disinct genre tag on. It's not Doom, it's not Stoner, it's not NWOBHM...it's kind of a blend of those 3 though...it's METAL! The vocals are rough, raw and ragged. Musically, it's slightly melodic here and there but loaded to the seams with aggression. I like it, but I can see HOF being a "small doses" kind of band for me.

This is EXACTLY why I love High On Fire. They don't fit neatly into any genre, that's usually a very good sign that I'll love a band. When groups fit too easily into categories, I generally get bored very quickly. Thankfully, there are bands like High On Fire that aren't afraid to just create THEIR music and hang what anybody wants to call it!

That's the way it should be!

got witchfinders cds today. Will review this weekend.

I got Martinsanes cds on Sunday. Almost done listening to them I'll have to listen to it again though before I review so it will be a while.

I'll get the review up for Cognitive Dissonance's comp up later this week. I'm still trying to decide what I think about some of it.

I'll have to say this is probably the first compilation where I haven't heard of any of these bands lol. Which is cool cause theres so much stuff out there that you either never heard of or didn't think to listen to etc. I found some cool stuff on these 6 cds and some not so cool stuff, not that it was bad but even though I like a lot of different genres there are just some bands that I can't get into. I still can't get over not ever hearing of any of these bands, I don't even know where Martin found these cause I tried looking some of them up and found nothing lol. Anyway heres my review of CD 1...BTW His comp was called The A Team. I didn't get why until I looked at the tracks list sheet. Pretty cool idea.

CD 1

1.Above- Broken
This sounds like it could be a Incubus song. Not the hardcore band Incubus the other one which I actually like. This song is ok but it lacks balls.

2.Abstracta- T.R.I.P
3.Abstracta- Red Sunsets On Earth
This band is pretty good and right up my alley. kind of like Progressive Power Metal. I did some research on them and looks like they only made one album. Shame cause this sounded promising. I liked the first song "Trip" better than "Red Sunsets On Earth" but still a decent song.

4.Accomplice- Courageous
5.Accomplice- State Of The Nations
Pretty similar to the last band Abstracta being Progressive Power metal. I did some research on this band too and they weren't around for long either.... well.. The album these 2 songs were from were released in 1996. They released another album in 2006 but seems like it would be a totally different sounding band by the description. The song "Courageous" is cool being an instrumental. I kept waiting for some vocals on this one but there wasn't any. Possibly the only thing that kept me really liking this song because I don't think it really went anywhere without lyrics. The second song "State Of The Nations" has vocals they aren't too bad but nothing outstanding. Both tracks are decent. I like the music but the vocals don't do anything for me.

6. The Adventures Of Lily- Tomorrow Never Comes
Interesting band, again somewhat along the lines of the last 2 bands. This song was ok maybe a little too happy for me but still it had some cool moments.

7.Adversary- (We Must Be)In Hell
Another Progressive Metal band again liked the music but the vocals just weren't strong enough for me. Like a lot of the previous songs they sort of sound like bands that aren't fully developed in their sound just yet. Its good just missing that certain something.

8.Advocate- Do Or Die
9.Advocate- The Final Hour
Female fronted rock at least for the first song "Do or Die". Wasn't too bad but just generic rock with almost a punk sound to it with a female singer nothing special. The next song I don't think is the same band as it sounds like a death metal band. The music is cool but I hate death metal vocals like that. I like the music though especially when he started growling but I couldn't get past that.

10.The Aesthetics- You Must Be Tired
11.The Aesthetics- What Can You Teach Me
Not a bad band. Sort of reminds me of the first Edguy album in a way kind of similar sound and musical direction.

12.????
I have no idea who this is. The list only goes up to song 11. Not a bad song though just don't know what it is. Sort of reminds me of the band Subvisions.

13.????
Again I have no idea because its not listed. LOL! GOOD JOB TERRY!!!!! Either way wasn't crazy about this song. LOL!

I know he reviews CDs on Sleazeroxx so he probably gets a bunch of promos.

That would explain it then

Kurt, I will review everything Sunday for sure. Still have dental work to do (supposed to today but things kept going wrong and I never made it), this time for a root canal. Then Friday, my dad is supposed to come home finally (I will need the rest of Thursday and most of Friday to get it ready for his arrival) and this weekend, me and my sister need to paint the walls we stripped. However, I'm reserving Sunday evening for comp listening and reviewing.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

I'll have to say this is probably the first compilation where I haven't heard of any of these bands lol. Which is cool cause theres so much stuff out there that you either never heard of or didn't think to listen to etc. I found some cool stuff on these 6 cds and some not so cool stuff, not that it was bad but even though I like a lot of different genres there are just some bands that I can't get into. I still can't get over not ever hearing of any of these bands, I don't even know where Martin found these cause I tried looking some of them up and found nothing lol. Anyway heres my review of CD 1...BTW His comp was called The A Team. I didn't get why until I looked at the tracks list sheet. Pretty cool idea.

CD 1

1.Above- Broken
This sounds like it could be a Incubus song. Not the hardcore band Incubus the other one which I actually like. This song is ok but it lacks balls.

2.Abstracta- T.R.I.P
3.Abstracta- Red Sunsets On Earth
This band is pretty good and right up my alley. kind of like Progressive Power Metal. I did some research on them and looks like they only made one album. Shame cause this sounded promising. I liked the first song "Trip" better than "Red Sunsets On Earth" but still a decent song.

4.Accomplice- Courageous
5.Accomplice- State Of The Nations
Pretty similar to the last band Abstracta being Progressive Power metal. I did some research on this band too and they weren't around for long either.... well.. The album these 2 songs were from were released in 1996. They released another album in 2006 but seems like it would be a totally different sounding band by the description. The song "Courageous" is cool being an instrumental. I kept waiting for some vocals on this one but there wasn't any. Possibly the only thing that kept me really liking this song because I don't think it really went anywhere without lyrics. The second song "State Of The Nations" has vocals they aren't too bad but nothing outstanding. Both tracks are decent. I like the music but the vocals don't do anything for me.

6. The Adventures Of Lily- Tomorrow Never Comes
Interesting band, again somewhat along the lines of the last 2 bands. This song was ok maybe a little too happy for me but still it had some cool moments.

7.Adversary- (We Must Be)In Hell
Another Progressive Metal band again liked the music but the vocals just weren't strong enough for me. Like a lot of the previous songs they sort of sound like bands that aren't fully developed in their sound just yet. Its good just missing that certain something.

8.Advocate- Do Or Die
9.Advocate- The Final Hour
Female fronted rock at least for the first song "Do or Die". Wasn't too bad but just generic rock with almost a punk sound to it with a female singer nothing special. The next song I don't think is the same band as it sounds like a death metal band. The music is cool but I hate death metal vocals like that. I like the music though especially when he started growling but I couldn't get past that.

10.The Aesthetics- You Must Be Tired
11.The Aesthetics- What Can You Teach Me
Not a bad band. Sort of reminds me of the first Edguy album in a way kind of similar sound and musical direction.

12.????
I have no idea who this is. The list only goes up to song 11. Not a bad song though just don't know what it is. Sort of reminds me of the band Subvisions.

13.????
Again I have no idea because its not listed. LOL! GOOD JOB TERRY!!!!! Either way wasn't crazy about this song. LOL!

Glad you are "enjoying" these bands Wayne. Man I can't figure out the last 2 songs for the life of me?? The list I kept just has 11 tracks. I do know that the death metal sounding band is Adversary though, must have got the track listing mixed up a bit and I'd agree the vocals are disgusting, but the band is quite good. Once you list the other reveiws, I should be able to figure out what the last 2 bands are, sorry, I made some kick arse inserts then lost them, so I lamed out with the simple second go round.

And all these bands/songs are from my personal cd collection and the "a" Team idea just came as I was building the discs and I just couldn't get out of the A section. THe goal was to try and lay out a bunch of stuff that you might not nor never know, you know?

And yes I do reveiw at a few places, but I NEVER get physical cd's. Always electronic.

Tomorrow I'll have to listen to the lyrics and post them then maybe you would know. I remember one kept repeating something but I forget now.

That happens to me too where I'll be looking for bands to use and I'll be stuck in one section for a while and then I end up getting rid of some just because I didn't want to put all those things together haha. Its cool though cause I was going to make each disc its own genre but I gave up that idea and mixed things up but I must have listened to each one about 5 times to get a decent order and made sure it sounded right. Sounds stupid but it bothers me when I make something thats would have say Slayer then the next song would be the Wallflowers lol. I liked to make it sound like it gradually got to the lighter bands as opposed to it just happening abruptly.

Way too much thinking for mix cds? ........maybe

I liked a lot of the songs I think it was disc 3 or 4 I forget. I ended up falling asleep to one of them, not your fault I was just extremely tired lol.

I always forget the comp swap gets moved into this forum. Takes me awhile of wondering then I figure it out. I'll have tohostudios first disc review up shortly. I had it typed up and then deleted it accidently. So a re-write is forthcoming.

Quote :

To some it up, the winners on this disc for me were Sin, Sencirow and War & Peace. Help me research that Sin disc, jstate. Title please? Nice job overall.

That Sin disc is called Equilibrium. I picked it up out of an import bin. Took me awhile to find anything about it as well. I think they actually go by S.I.N. too. Well worth searching out. I think they have two other albums.

And definitely get that War & Peace disc. One of those albums that is very solid all the way through.

jstate wrote:

I always forget the comp swap gets moved into this forum. Takes me awhile of wondering then I figure it out. I'll have tohostudios first disc review up shortly. I had it typed up and then deleted it accidently. So a re-write is forthcoming.

Quote :

To some it up, the winners on this disc for me were Sin, Sencirow and War & Peace. Help me research that Sin disc, jstate. Title please? Nice job overall.

That Sin disc is called Equilibrium. I picked it up out of an import bin. Took me awhile to find anything about it as well. I think they actually go by S.I.N. too. Well worth searching out. I think they have two other albums.

And definitely get that War & Peace disc. One of those albums that is very solid all the way through.

Thanks for the info.

I hate when you type up something lengthy and then lose it. That happened to me on a previous comp review. I was typing up the last 2 songs when suddenly the board crashed and I lost everything.

Addy's first comp. Obviously I haven't heard most of the bands, so that was quite a journey. Turned out I like more than I thought I did.

Metric - Front Row. Can't explain why, but this track is great. Reminds me of something 90'ish, the music played in many Sony PS 1 games, i.e my youth.

Placebo - Allergic. Meh. Not a fan of such bands - never was, seems like never will be.

The Violet Burning - Rock is Dead. Like the song but the vocals... Hate that cant-sing-dont-care trend, usually it doesn't fit the music. Or I am close-minded

Hunger - Vanishing Cream. Just as description says, this sounds like some crazy leftover from Metallica's Load. Considering that Load is my favorite album by them (yes yes), I love this song.

Stone Temple Pilots - Crackerman. This is a band I don't know what to think of. The only track that really grabs is "Plush", but the others while being good just don't make me rush to buy a CD or two of them. This song is no different.

Ace Frehley - Pain in the Neck. Can't hide from Kiss on the board Think I have a CD of Frehley's Comet which I still haven't listened yet. It has been collecting dust with some solo outputs by Pink Floyd members from summer. While liking the track, I just can't make myself listen to the whole album of Ace.

Autumn - Satellites. Nice mellow track. Wiki says it is goth metal.

Deliverance - No Time. When I first read the tracklist I already knew there's at least one track I'd love haha. Need more Deliverance beside WOOW. I like my thrash melodic and thats exactly what this mighty band delivers.

Foo Fighters - Down in the Park. Walk was a major hit previous summer so I was somewhat familiar with them, but this song is decent at best.

Saviour Machine - Carnival of Souls. AWESOME. Reminds of my precious prog-power mettle - instant favorite. This is the band I'm looking forward hearing more from the most.

Motorhead - Evolution. I tried to like them but when Lemmy starts to sing... Enjoy a song or two (like this one), but when it comes to albums - too samey.

She Wants Revenge - Black Liner Run. I'll pretend I've never heard this one.

Saigon Kick - Body Bags. Strange but just a couple of days ago I youtubed them to get familiar with and it was the track that popped up first. Like it.

Rage of Angels - Do You Still Believe in Love. Another highlight. I think I had this one (or probably still have). Haven't heard it in years though, and this song made me wonder why. RoF strongly remind me of Fifth Angel whom I adore. Oddly I didn't include some tracks like this one on my comp thinking they would make you bored.

Muse - Uprising. Music is intriguing but the vocals ruins it for me. Though it has a potential.

Joan Jett - Little Liar. I enjoy every ballad, well except "lets record a bluesy metal ballad to impress the ladies" hair bands phenomenon. So this goes to favorites immediately.

All in all, it is not as bad as you thought it would be . But now I'm getting really scared about what will you think about "true kvlt mettle only" comp of mine hah.

For another Deliverance, get the s/t titled which is IMO their most melodic. I'd also suggest Stay Of Execution.

Saviour Machine is great and if you want more, just be prepared as Legend Pt. II is very atmospheric and ambient. The s/t and s/t II are the most straight forward as is the third in the Legend series. There was supposed to be a sequel to Legend III but band leader Eric Clayton has been suffering physically for the past several years. He might never even finish it.

DallasBlack wrote:

Kurt, I will review everything Sunday for sure. Still have dental work to do (supposed to today but things kept going wrong and I never made it), this time for a root canal. Then Friday, my dad is supposed to come home finally (I will need the rest of Thursday and most of Friday to get it ready for his arrival) and this weekend, me and my sister need to paint the walls we stripped. However, I'm reserving Sunday evening for comp listening and reviewing.

There is no stress, Michel. I still have more stuff from you to listen to also

kmorg wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Kurt, I will review everything Sunday for sure. Still have dental work to do (supposed to today but things kept going wrong and I never made it), this time for a root canal. Then Friday, my dad is supposed to come home finally (I will need the rest of Thursday and most of Friday to get it ready for his arrival) and this weekend, me and my sister need to paint the walls we stripped. However, I'm reserving Sunday evening for comp listening and reviewing.

There is no stress, Michel. I still have more stuff from you to listen to also

I didn't think there was, but I said I'd do it a week ago and I didn't. I try to stick to my word whenever possible. BTW, root canal was successful but expensive. Cost over $1000 plus $95 for the gas. Never want to go through this again (couldn't afford it anyways). Take it from me people:

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH!!!!!!

DallasBlack wrote:

kmorg wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

Kurt, I will review everything Sunday for sure. Still have dental work to do (supposed to today but things kept going wrong and I never made it), this time for a root canal. Then Friday, my dad is supposed to come home finally (I will need the rest of Thursday and most of Friday to get it ready for his arrival) and this weekend, me and my sister need to paint the walls we stripped. However, I'm reserving Sunday evening for comp listening and reviewing.

There is no stress, Michel. I still have more stuff from you to listen to also

I didn't think there was, but I said I'd do it a week ago and I didn't. I try to stick to my word whenever possible. BTW, root canal was successful but expensive. Cost over $1000 plus $95 for the gas. Never want to go through this again (couldn't afford it anyways). Take it from me people:

TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH!!!!!!

I have had 3 root canals including 2 in the same tooth. Not fun at all and you're right, extremely expensive.

Should I make a seperate thread for DB's dentist stories? .....Anyway...

Review number 2 from Martinsanes cds. Wasn't crazy about a lot of these songs or bands. Yea I know I'm picky, but I love music and if it just doesn't grab me by the first or second listen its just not going to click. Don't hate me Terry lol it wasn't all that bad...

CD 2 Review

1.Afterblack- Test
2.Afterblack- Homage
Not really into this band. I don't like the sound of the music or the vocals, especially the way they were layered. They sound like a generic hard rock local band.

3.Afterfist- 40 Bones
4.Afterfist- Sexual Camel
Pretty much the same as the band above. Not really into it. The vocalist sounds like a weaker version of Robert Flynn from Machine Head.

5.Agents Of Koas- No More Love
6.Agents Of Koas- Unweave The Rainbow
"No More Love" was pretty cool. This band is old school heavy metal almost reminding me a little of how Phoenix Reign sounded....yea...I know.. Who? =o)I would probably like the song more had it been a studio version. "Unweave The Rainbow" is another live song by this band. This one is a little slower, I guess you could say its a power ballad. I like the first song better but both are pretty good.

7.Aggression Core- Invisible Empire
8.Aggression Core- So What If I Murder
Now for something completely different. Sounds like old Soulfly or Machine Head with those 2 albums where they must have been smoking a lot of crack. The band isn't bad, they have their stuff together and people who like this kind of music would definetly like this but I wasn't into it.

9.Aggressive Nature- Killing Fields
10.Aggressive Nature- Forgotten Soul
11.Aggressive Nature- The Player
12.Aggressive Nature- One Too Many
I couldn't wait til this bands songs were done lol. Just too Rock N Roll-ish sounding to me. Reminds me of going to shows and a band like this comes on and I just want to leave. Sorry Terry lol

13.Agony Of Deceipt- Disturbed Nation
14.Agony Of Deceipt- Innersmile
I thought the music was really cool with these 2 songs. Those kick drums sound like some old school death metal bands haha. There were times the songs seemed very sloppy though. Wasn't crazy about the vocals not that they were bad just something about them with the music. Maybe if it was mixed differently or something, I don't know...This band was ok but thats about it.

15.AKO- Last Goodbye
16.AKO- AKO
17.AKO- Punk
This kind of reminds me of AFI, at least thats who I think it reminds me of. I'm not a fan of them but a friend of mine is and he's showed me stuff. These songs were pretty good. The one thing that really stood out and bothered me a lot was those layered vocals almost emo sounding. If I was to start listening to this band I would really have to get used to that cause I liked the music.

18.The Alien Blakk- Replicate
Interesting instrumenta. I did a search about these guys and came to find out that this is one of the bands that David Ellefson was in after he left Megadeth. I'm guessing they are just an instrumental band since I don't see a mention of a vocalist. Song is pretty cool Heavy Rhythem but the soloing guitar is more on the happy side haha. Not a bad tune, but not much into instrumental bands.