TheDefiniteArticle

I'm the sort of guy who spends way too long listening to music and thus forms strong opinions about nearly everything I hear.

Tool are not a metal band. Ignore anyone who suggests Opeth, they suck. ;) No mention of Control Denied yet? Schuldiner's other band, they played quality progressive power metal. Other progressive metal bands with cleans: Communic Fates Warning Ihsahn Labyrinth Queensryche (no mention yet? For shame! Operation: Mindcrime is a classic of the genre) Threshold And harsh vocals: Shining (NOR) The Ocean (GER) Dan Swano Burst Altar Of Plagues Arcturus Code Enslaved The Meads Of Asphodel Nachtmystium Solefald Ved Buens Ende Atheist (fantastic band) The Chasm Cosmic Atrophy Edge Of Sanity Pan.Thy.Monium Pestilence (on Spheres) Portal (very weird) Also, the guy who mentioned Arsonists Get All The Girls is not your friend. Terrible, terrible, even for deathcore.

So I went kind of crazy at the weekend... best £50 I ever spent.

Omar, you might like Pensees Nocturnes - they're black metal, but heavily progressive, and strongly influenced by neoclassical (as opposed to the Cradle Of Dimmu axis of poppy symph-black). If you want some challenging listening, try their new one Ceci Est De La Musique - it's one 55-minute track that simultaneously manages to be catchy and epic.

You forgot the "YOU KIDS THESE DAYS!" and *cane shake* Probably a bit late to change that now; I'm only 17, but somehow I've become a grumpy old fart.

Have I been oblivious until now or is trad metal becoming popular again? I'm afraid you've been oblivious, there's been quite a resurgence, particularly in Sweden. Check out: Wolf Portrait In Solitude The aforementioned Hell Enforcer Grand Magus Cauldron There's loads, but those are some of the best.

Why have you said these two are 'other' metal? Both power metal bands... I'm just wondering.

Have you ever checked out Sputnik Music? I find a lot of really good stuff from a variety of genres on there; its a user review site. The new Fleshgod Apocalypse single sounds pretty awesome I think. The album's leaked - it's pretty good. I haven't read through the thread, but hopefully there's been extensive discussion on it already, but Hell's Human Remains is hands down the best trad heavy metal album of the year thus far.

You're missing all the best stuff - the stuff from the 80s, when rap had a positive message as opposed to this violent guff of today.

Well, I will say that I like the Iron Maiden album, although it's not their best. I'm not really a huge fan of metalcore, gothic or power metal so most of the other metal posted leaves me cold - Are You Dead Yet? simply comes across as a very weak album. Out of the rest, the Eminem one is pretty good (even if I prefer the cleaner sound and wit of The Eminem Show). I haven't heard Maroon 5 since I was 10, and I didn't like them back then, and Journey are flipping awful. Just my tuppence.

I haven't yet heard the Exhumed album, although I have downloaded it. I've heard good things.

So I heard the new Lock Up album today, and all I can say... holy [cabbage]. Not album of the year (especially not in a year when AUTOPSY, AUTOPSY, AUTOPSY have released an early candidate for album of the decade), but better than Pleasures Pave Sewers and about on a par with Hate Breeds Suffering. It's called Necropolis Transparent if anyone's interested.

Well, I strongly recommend the metal archives forums, and also last.fm. They're more active than the others.

Botch is mathcore, which is ultimately derived from metalcore, and heavily. It's like how one wouldn't be too far off to recommend someone Scream Bloody Gore if they asked for brutal thrash.

I run a download blog actually; I'd probably better not post it here. I'm a member of the Metal-Archives forums and an active user of last.fm's discussion boards. Yourself?