A Disappointing Year

I kind of put my foot in my mouth when I said: "We all agree that 2007 will go down as one of the best years for metal." I actually meant to add "in quite some time" to the end but I forgot. Also I should have never assumed that everyone agreed with that sentiment. There was a post in a previous topic that said that, and I didn't remember reading anyone disagreeing so I assumed everyone agreed with it (I made an ass out of u and me). So to make amends I present this topic for people to air their grevences with the releases of this year thus far. While I can't think of any release that has disappointed me, I can think of albums that, at first, disappointed me (but then grew on me):

Sonata Arctica-Unia didn't grab me on first listen and it was such a departure from their other material that I wasn't impressed.
Kamelot-Ghost Opera was not that impressive to me at first due to the fact that the songs were nowhere near as catchy as those found on their previous releases, however, after seeing them live and giving it some more spins it has grown on me
Dream Theater-Systematic Chaos is the first Dream Theater album that I haven't given multiple spins to. While the music was not bad, for some reason I just wasn't into it (it could be I'm getting tired of Dream Theater, but who knows). I am now trying to give it some more listens to see if I change my mind on it.

Manowar - Gods Of War was garbage. still has not grown on me & i cannot tolerate any more repeated listenings. at least not this year.

The Cursed - Room Full Of Sinners was not a total let down, but still did not live up to my expectations. i like it a bit more now than when it came out, but not as much as i should.

Megadeth - United Abominations was an album that many people hailed, but i was hoping for a return to thrash metal. it's not a bad album by any means, but i cannot help but feel disappointed every time i try to listen to it.

W.A.S.P. - Dominator was a good enough album, but way too short. it pissed me off when i saw 9 songs with one being a reprised version.

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient is an album i listen to & just wish like hell that this guy was still releasing SYL material rather than this crap.

Trouble - Simple Mind Condition is a decent stoner album. however i was hoping for more depressing doom geared material. i can still enjoy this for what it is, i would just enjoy it more if it was what it should have been.

Six Feet Under - Commandment has crummy vox, crummy production, same old same old compositions...it's like they didn't even try.

Xandria - Salomé - The Seventh Veil was a sad follow up to the awesome India. there are some bright spots on it, but overall it just didn't grab me. i'm sure eventually i'll find more to like on it.

Ohhh, i liked the new MANOWAR cd. And about DOMINATOR, i like it but i think DYING FOR THE WORLD was far better.
Okay, some of the cd´s i bought and didnt like so much are:
MASTERPLAN:MK II: A couple of good songs but the rest is nothing special.
MEGADETH:UNITED ABOMINATIONS: The lirics are irritating and just 6 or 7 good songs.
INTO THE LIGHT, NUCLEAR BLAST ALLSTARS: Maybe i should listen to this some more times but after 3 times i only like 4 or 5 songs.

I like most of the releases I've bought this year. I just haven't found as many great releases this year as in previous years My to 20 list wasn't even done 'til this month, and it is usually full in time for summer vacation! lol

The most dissapointing release this year is Chris Caffery's album. It was quite boring. I'm also a little dissapointed in Kamelot's latest. After the last incredible studio album, the new one paled.

There are very few releases of this year or the past 8 years or so that I can honestly say that I enjoy.

The scene is flooded with lower quality material IMHO.

I abso-mutha-f**kin-lutely DESPISE the new Manowar.

I hate to say it but I was also disappointed with the new Iced Earth.

The new W.A.S.P. and Trouble CDs were good, but not great. I was especially bummed by the Trouble cuz they're one of my all time favorites and I waited 12 years (!!) for a new CD...

On the other hand, I loved the new Megadeth, the new Overkill, and many others so I think it'll all balance out in the end.

This year truly has been AMAZING for me!

There really has only been one album I've been disappointed in this year:

Deliverance ~ As Above/So Below

As a long time Deliverance fan (I even followed them from the VERY beginning - before they were signed. I had their "Greetings of Death" demo and wore the thing out!) - I was completely disappointed in this sub-par release.

It sounds so forced. Not even like the Deliverance I know. I would rather have heard another "Assimilate" or "Camelot in Smithereens" than this subpar release. At least Jimmy had his heart in that stuff.

This album sounds like a new band that just came out - just started playing their instruments - and are trying to copy Deliverance. This sounds like a generic Deliverance to me.

I do like about two songs on it - and will keep it for the collection sake (since I have most of Deliverance's stuff already). If this album had been my intro to the band however, I'd probably have gotten rid of it and written Deliverance off as a boring band.

So many fans are crying "return to form" on this one - and it is in a sense, so I can see why they like it. But it's a generic return to form at best.

Jimmy has pretty much admitted that this album was released to put food on the table. His heart is really in his 'other' band, Jupiter 6 (which puts this new Deliverance platter to shame I might add).


Anyway - other than the new Deliverance, I've not been really disappointed in anything this year. Well, maybe the new Marilyn Manson, but that's not really 'metal', now is it?

I think Kamelot's new album is incredible. It rips their last album to shreds. And I liked their last album too.

Of all of the new releases I've gotten this year so far (and there ain't been many), the only one that I've been disappointed with is Iced Earth.

I liked all their previous efforts and have no problem with Tim taking over for Matt, but this album just isn't clicking with me. Part of it is the high hopes I had for it and the other part is all of the orchestration. Maybe my opinion will change over time, but for now, this will fall into the disapponting category for 2007.

I don't have the new Iced Earth yet, but you aren't the first to say this. Perhaps why I've put off getting it.

blackieboy wrote:

There really has only been one album I've been disappointed in this year:

Deliverance ~ As Above/So Below

So many fans are crying "return to form" on this one - and it is in a sense, so I can see why they like it. But it's a generic return to form at best.

Jimmy has pretty much admitted that this album was released to put food on the table. His heart is really in his 'other' band, Jupiter 6 (which puts this new Deliverance platter to shame I might add).

Exactly what I thought! I have always said since they released this they were just using the name Deliverance because it would sell more.

My disappointments this year:

Agent Steel - Alienigma - i need to listen to this one a few more times but it just doesnt seem to have the energy and passion of their previous release so far.

Olympus Mons - Medieval - their first was really strong with melodies and this one was just the opposite to me.

Adastra - The Last Sunset - They had 2 really good songs here but the rest were filler. I had high hopes and they were not realized.

Cauldron - Into the Cauldron - very generic thrash.

heavenly - Virus - I like this band. They know how to rock - even if it is based on helloween- but didnt quite pull it together this time.

Gaia Epicus - Victory - I dont know why i buy cds from this band. They manage to put out a couple interesting tracks and the rest are filler.

Crescent Shield - Last of My Kind - I thought the music and vocals didnt fit.

Megadeth - United Abominations. I liked the system has failed but this one did nothing for me.

Alex

I have acutally heard about three of the above mentioned bands.
Stick with the old stuff, and you'll never be disappointed!

This hasn't been a disappointing year for me really. There were albums I got that just suck but I guess I was expecting it.

SAXON1500 wrote:

I have acutally heard about three of the above mentioned bands.
Stick with the old stuff, and you'll never be disappointed!

It is very tempting to do just that!

Alex

SAXON1500 wrote:

Stick with the old stuff, and you'll never be disappointed!

Being a stickler for variety, that is just not possible for me. For me, music is truly an adiction, I must have more and more, I am never satisfied. While for the most part the older material from a lot of bands is superior to the newer material (Dream Theater, Dio, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, etc., I still like the newer stuff enough that I have yet to give up on them (except in the case of Metallica, but many of us have given up on them). I think it's my wide variety of tastes that allows me to see gems where others see garbage.

While I like seeing other people's opinions on music, in the end I leave it up to my own ears to decide. So if your not checking out some of these releases because other people are giving them bad reviews, may I suggest at least listening to some samples before you make your decision. I missed out on a lot of good movies and music that I put off due to bad reviews. But now I'm at the point where, most of the time, I listen to music and watch movies BEFORE I read reviews, lest my opinions differ from from the reviewer.

have nothing ... hmm interesting. no dissapoint.

SAXON1500 wrote:

I have acutally heard about three of the above mentioned bands.
Stick with the old stuff, and you'll never be disappointed!

It's funny because although I do still buy new music, out of my purchases this year I'd say that 90% of them have been the old stuff.

Music that came out in 1987 is still as new to my ears as stuff that came out this year! I actually buy WAY more old stuff than I do new.

Temple of Blood wrote:

There are very few releases of this year or the past 8 years or so that I can honestly say that I enjoy.

The scene is flooded with lower quality material IMHO.

So, pray tell, how would you rate ToB amidst this "flood of lower quality material"?

I totally agree ya got to check stuff out for yourself. Very few
peoples opinions mean squat to me. I only wrote that because I
have been collecting mid 80'-mid '90's thrash for 20 years, and there
are still a million bands I have not checked out. And just
to show ya what a hypocrite I am, releases from this year by Avenger of
Blood, Merciless Death, Municple Waste, Pro-pain, Terror 2000,
etc., have me excited out of my shorts (please keep the next few posts
clean [unlike my shorts - there, I started it])!

blackieboy wrote:

SAXON1500 wrote:

I have acutally heard about three of the above mentioned bands.
Stick with the old stuff, and you'll never be disappointed!

It's funny because although I do still buy new music, out of my purchases this year I'd say that 90% of them have been the old stuff.

Music that came out in 1987 is still as new to my ears as stuff that came out this year! I actually buy WAY more old stuff than I do new.

My sentiments exactly

Yeah, that Deliverance is bad. Not sure about the whole thing because I shut it off during song 4 and never put it back in.

I'm with Kurt on Chris caffery, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of his either.

Tonight I'm going to give the new Deliverance another spin and see if I get the same impression.

I like the new Deliverance and the new Chris Caffery! Different strokes!

scottmitchell74 wrote:

I like the new Deliverance and the new Chris Caffery! Different strokes!

Indeed! I think what makes boards like this go on and on is how people interpret stuff differently. I think if we all agreed on everything life and metal would be boring.

I recongnize I am a picky listener and it doesnt seem to be getting any better This year has been a lot of discovery finding out I actually do like prog metal, hard rock and more atmospheric stuff. Never would have dreamed that I would like anything that wasnt being played at 50000 mph My final top 20 list for this year will be quite different than any i have previously offered.

Alex

scottmitchell74 wrote:

I like the new Deliverance and the new Chris Caffery! Different strokes!

It's great that we can all be so different and still get along here. That's one thing that has kept me at this board. That and well, Ult is a badass cool dude and I like hangin' with him - and so are the rest of ya'll for that matter!!!



By the way, I wasn't trying to insult Deliverance - but I have to be honest about my true opinion. I'm just the kind of person who speaks the truth ... even though it might hurt a little. I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings - although it's quite hard to please everyone all the time.

DallasBlack wrote:

Tonight I'm going to give the new Deliverance another spin and see if I get the same impression.

Well, I listened and, I'm sorry but I don't wholly see what people's problems with this is. I'm thinking it is because people thought Jimmy was going to make Deliverance sound like the first three albums and realized that instead he blended the old with the new. Granted that opening instrumental track was way too long, but the music was heavy, the guitars were shredding, and the melody was there. This also could be due to the fact that I only discovered Deliverance about 6 years ago when I got What A Joke/Stay Of Execution double CD, so I don't have as much invested in them that everyone else does.

And about this board...I agree. The Heart Of Metal is basically my social life right now (I know it's sad, pathetic, etc.). And even though some things can be misinterperted (SIC) and some arguments can occur, they are quickly resolved or easily cast aside.